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Obama to meet Turkey's Erdogan in China on September 4 | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will have a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during the G20 summit in China next month and is likely to have at least an informal talk with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, the White House said on Monday. Obama wants to talk with Erdogan about events in Turkey after July’s attempted coup, the military campaign against Islamic State, and how to promote stability in Syria, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters. The White House said it opposes Turkey’s push into areas in northern Syria controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, an opposition group the Obama administration supports, as it stands to erode the united front against Islamic State. The Obama-Erdogan meeting is scheduled for Sunday. It was not certain whether Obama would hold a formal meeting with the Russian president during the G20 summit of the world’s biggest economies, which runs Sept 4-5. But the two leaders often speak on the margins of such summits, Rhodes said. “We usually try to find an opportunity for the two leaders to try to spend some time together, usually to focus on Syria and Ukraine,” Rhodes said. The United States is at odds with Russia over the eastern Ukraine conflict and Washington and Moscow have struggled to stop fighting in Syria’s civil war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a meeting between Putin and Obama has not yet been coordinated, Russian RIA news agency reported. “We are ready,” RIA cited Peskov as saying. “But there is no final agreement yet.” | 0fake |
Women Are Punished Every Day For Abortion, But Trump Didn’t Say That On Fox News Sunday (VIDEO) | Donald Trump is still struggling to wriggle out from under his abortion blunder as evidenced by this interview on Fox News Sunday.Unable to phone it in thanks to host Chris Wallace refusing to choose ratings over holding on to the last shred of journalistic integrity Fox has left, Trump was asked point-blank if he is blowing his campaign because of offensive remarks he made last week when he said women should be punished for getting an abortion which has drawn outrage from pro-choice groups and faux outrage from anti-choice groups who only pretend that they don t want to punish women in some way for making the choice they disagree with.The outrage forced Trump to backtrack and he continued to spin his comments after telling Wallace that he thinks his campaign is still going strong despite them.Trump slammed anti-choice groups for not being conservative enough, a charge that these groups often use to justify defeating Republican incumbents in primaries, which only makes Congress more extreme resulting in the obstruction and cruel anti-women legislation we see today. Look, it was asked as a hypothetical, and talked about if it s illegal and it was hypothetically asked, Trump claimed. A very strong conservative group would have said that was the appropriate answer. I m not saying it was the appropriate answer, I say it s the doctor s fault or whoever performs the act, it s their fault. But there was a time when that would have been. After being asked why he singled out women for punishment, Trump again claimed that it was a hypothetical question. Because it was asked hypothetically, Trump said. I said the woman because it was asked hypothetically. I also corrected it, and I made it very much so that I think everybody it s acceptable now to everybody. Here s the video via YouTube.Trump has explained his remarks in other ways besides claiming that it was a hypothetical question. He has accused both MSNBC and CBS of editing his remarks and taking them out of context. He has also taken five positions on abortion in the last three days.The bottom line is abortion rights are protected by the 14th Amendment and is a legal and necessary medical procedure. So women and their doctors should not have to face any punishment at all.Anti-abortion groups can claim they don t want to punish women all they want but the fact of the matter is that just by outlawing abortion alone they would be punishing women by forcing them to seek dangerous methods to end their pregnancies in absence of a safe procedure in an equipped medical environment. Women would also be punished because conservatives would also ban many forms of contraception they wrongly believe cause abortions. Clinic closures have also left thousands of women without services such as cancer screenings and STD treatments.And let s not pretend anti-abortion groups haven t threatened, stalked, or harassed women who go to clinics to end their unwanted pregnancies. And forcing women to carry an unwanted pregnancy alone would be a punishment because many women who seek an abortion do so because they cannot afford to bring another child into the world. Basically, conservatives would be punishing women financially. And then there are women who got pregnant as a result of rape. Banning abortion would punish these women by forcing them to give birth to their rapist s baby, sentencing them to many years of having to deal with their rapist, especially in states where rapists can seek parental rights.In addition, Republicans have passed laws ranging from mandatory invasive ultrasounds to waiting periods to fetal homicide laws, which punish women every day. Some are even investigated and have been sent to jail just because of a miscarriage.So, yes, anti-abortion groups want to punish women. To believe otherwise is foolish. Donald Trump was simply repeating their real stance out loud. Featured image via Screenshot | 1real |
U.S. states giving more ex-felons voting rights back | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Baltimore community organizer Perry Hopkins, 55, is looking forward to stepping into a voting booth for the first time in his life this election season. Hopkins lost his never-exercised right to vote when he was convicted for drug and other offenses. He gained it back last month when Maryland joined a growing list of U.S. states making it easier for ex-convicts to vote. “To have the right to vote now is empowering. I’m stoked,” said Hopkins, who spent a total of 19 years in prison for non-violent crimes, and was one of 40,000 in the state to regain his right to vote from a legislative action. “I plan to vote in every election possible. I’m voting for mayor, I’m voting for city councilman in my district, and, yes, I’m voting for president,” said Hopkins. He hopes to vote for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the front-runner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, on Nov. 8. Hopkins is among some 800,000 Americans who have regained the right to vote in the last two decades as about two dozen states have eased restrictions on felons casting ballots, according to the Sentencing Project, a prison reform advocacy group. The restoration of voting rights has drawn support from both Democrats and Republicans as a way to improve prisoners’ reintegration into society. “The trend is to reconsidering policies and scaling back (restrictions). There are setbacks on the way, but the trend is in that direction,” said Mark Mauer, the Sentencing Project’s executive director. Advocates contend it is also a way of promoting racial justice, as African-Americans are convicted of crimes and sent to prison at about twice the rate of the overall U.S. population. Of the 5.8 million Americans banned from voting, 2.2 million are African-American, according to the group. In three states - Virginia, Florida and Kentucky - more than a fifth of black residents outside of prison are barred from casting a ballot. About 13 percent of the U.S. population is African-American. Wyoming’s Republican-controlled legislature last year restored voting rights to felons convicted of non-violent crimes. A lawsuit before the Iowa Supreme Court aims to strike down the state’s voting restriction. Iowa, along with Kentucky and Florida, have the country’s harshest rules, prohibiting all ex-felons from voting unless they secure an exemption from the governor. In Kentucky, outgoing Democratic Governor Steve Beshear signed an executive order in November granting the vote to non-violent offenders who had finished their sentences, including parole. His successor, Republican Matt Bevin, rolled back the order, saying Beshear had acted without approval of the legislature. At least 60,000 California inmates had voting rights extended to them in August when state officials dropped their challenge to a court ruling that allowed newly released felons to cast ballots. “We’re seeing more of these proposals. I do think that change takes time, it’s an issue that we’ve seen people come around to,” said Tomas Lopez, a counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice in New York, who tracks felon disenfranchisement. While the initiatives have seen bipartisan support in some states, that breaks down on the presidential campaign trail. Among Democrats, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has a plank in his platform calling for the restoration of voting rights to ex-inmates. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on the campaign trail for felons to get rights back. None of the three Republican candidates - real estate magnate Donald Trump, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Governor John Kasich - mention felons’ voting rights in their platforms. The United States has a patchwork of state laws governing felons’ voting rights, many dating from the 19th century. They range from two states - Maine and Vermont - that allow prison inmates to vote, to the lifetime bans. Re-enfranchising felons has drawn uncommon political bedfellows, with the liberal American Civil Liberties Union aligned with Mark Holden, the general counsel for Koch Industries, the conglomerate controlled by conservative political donors Charles and David Koch. Efforts are also under way in Congress, often the scene of bitter partisan divide, to address the issue. Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, has sponsored a bill that would restore voting rights in federal elections to ex-felons without violent offenses. Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate minority leader, is co-sponsor. The American Correctional Association, the Police Executive Research Forum and the American Probation and Parole Association also have backed the trend as potentially helping to reduce crime. A 2011 study by the Florida parole board showed that ex-offenders who were able to vote were one-third as likely to end up back in prison. “To continue to place a scarlet letter on an individual as if they had a life sentence is just wrong,” said Veronica Cunningham, the parole association’s executive director. (This version of the story corrects the last name of counsel to Lopez instead of Perez in paragraph 15) | 0fake |
Fox Host Claims Obama Used A ‘Raw Onion’ To Fake Cry Over Murdered School Children (VIDEO) | Anyone who watched Barack Obama break into tears as he spoke of the 20 children and six adults murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary can tell that the President is a man who truly feels for the victims of gun violence anyone, that is, who doesn t work for Fox News.After the President s announcement that he would be doing what Congress is unwilling to do expanding background check and gun safety regulations, including closing the gun show loophole (all sensible measures) the hosts of Outnumbered pounced on the President s plan, arguing that he was violating the separation of powers doctrine. What really bothered them, however, was the idea that a human being is capable of showing emotion that is not fake. And so begins Onionghazi, brought to you by our friends at Fox News. What was really upsetting was the tears that he wiped away again and again, Melissa Francis said. You want that for I mean, we feel frightened about what s going on with ISIS. And he can t pull that kind of passion for anything about this. She added that she feels bad about those kids in Newtown, but claimed it s only about this that he gets so upset about. After a commercial break, Andrea Tantaros jumped into the fray, arguing that President Obama s tears must be fake because he would have spoken out a long time ago if he really cared especially in favorite conservative talking point, Chicago: This is how many years? Almost eight years, he s almost at the end of his term, and you haven t heard him go to Chicago and really speak out about this issue. And he is uniquely poised to do so. But everything that he s doing will not solve the problem.So, I would check that podium for like a raw onion or some No More Tears. It s not really believable. And the award goes to we are in awards season. It just didn t seem horribly authentic, Meghan McCain agreed. And maybe it is, I don t know him at all. In any case, she thinks the President should go to Chicago instead of talking about God-fearing Americans when ISIS is coming to their hometown and shooting up 14 people. They say he s just cool, that s the way he is, that he doesn t get emotional, Francis chimed in. We haven t seen this in a very long time and it s about something that feels political, that feels somewhat insincere, that feels like it s not going to make a huge difference. It s like bad political theater, McCain opined.It s something that was to be expected: President Obama showed compassion for murdered children, so the Right has assumed what they feel is a duty to for some reason attempt to convince people that he is not sincere an act that is shameful at best.Watch it below:[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIvAgKrq4tc?rel=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315]Featured image via video screen capture | 1real |
Oathkeeper Chapter 8 | Home » Headlines » World News » Oathkeeper Chapter 8
A peaceful valley in the mountains of Colorado becomes a battleground pitting the federal government against a rural sheriff’s department. Sheriff Bear Ellison finds himself increasingly isolated as he is forced to decide between risking his life protecting a local hero, or reneging on his oath and handing him over to federal prosecutors…
Chapter 8
Cold winds poured down off the mountains and swirled in the valley, heralding the end of Indian summer. Billowing cumulonimbus clouds boiled upwards into the stratosphere, dwarfing the fourteen-thousand-foot peaks to the west. The aspen on the northern slopes had lost the last of their leaves and the cottonwoods and willows that clustered in the arroyos and flood plains had turned yellow. The elk had made their way down off the high meadows, and the mule deer were more common, grazing along the shoulders of the highway, sizing up their prospects of safe crossing.
Sheriff Ellison drove his patrols with a heavy heart. Nguyet had made her decision. She was leaving for Atlanta, and he would soon be alone. He wished his term was over so that he could jettison his responsibilities and join her and his new granddaughter. The visit with Acevedo had cured him of any lingering political aspirations. Despite the DEA’s wishes, he never did give a press conference on the accidental shooting.
What would be the point? he thought. Acevedo was right in one sense. The sheriff would have been held responsible for the shooting, regardless of how he framed it for the public.
Ellison conceded that he would not be able to reign in the feds. He knew that the populace had most likely also realized this by now, and this painted him in a pastel hue of weakness. He noticed that people in general had become less social and cordial towards him since the botched raid. “Good morning, Sheriff. How are things?” was replaced with a cursory “Howdy” or a perfunctory nod, followed by averted eyes. This, along with his wife’s looming departure, filled him with a feeling of isolation. The DEA raids would continue, despite his protest. Nguyet had begged him to resign, but he just couldn’t. Not at such a chaotic time in his career.
Ellison’s hope was that the county might turn against the DEA occupation. Monte Turcot was a hero, after all, and the shooting of him and his wife was a lightning rod. He hoped that the citizens were beginning to question the value of the DEA’s mission, but without effective leadership and organization, they would be helpless to foment any real resistance.
Ellison knew Acevedo was disappointed that he did not do the requested damage control on the DEA’s behalf. He learned of this through a phone call with the governor’s office, whom the DEA had contacted to voice their displeasure. They had called him demanding an explanation.
“There’s nothing for my department to communicate,” Ellison had explained over the phone. “We were not involved in that operation… We have asked DA Chalmers to launch a grand jury investigation… We expect their decision any day… I’ve ordered Special Agent Acevedo to suspend operations… No, he has not complied… I respectfully disagree with your assessment… I will take the governor’s position under advisement…”
The DEA continued according to their plan. It didn’t matter to them what the sheriff or a constituency of “rancheros and hippy flameouts” thought of their operation. Their mission was ordained by the president. Provincial resistance was futile. Those who stood athwart them would be ignored or swept aside. Acevedo and his agents conducted three more raids after the Turcot shooting, adding to their tally of minor victories in the War on Drugs at a taxpayer cost of over $100,000 per arrest. Thankfully, no one else was shot.
One afternoon, while on patrol, Ellison received a text on his cell phone. He glanced at it quickly, then turned off the road to change direction. An email from DA Chalmers came moments later.
“Re: Turcot Shooting,” it read. “GJ has decided not to pursue.”
Ellison stepped on the gas. He turned west onto County Road 306 and north just after the golf course, taking Gun Club Road for two miles and over Michigan Ditch where it ended at the intersection of a dirt road running east and west. Ellison turned west, his cruiser’s tires throwing up rocks and a plume of dust as he accelerated up the road that led into the hills and evergreen forest. Ten minutes from when he had received the email, he was pulling into Monte Turcot’s driveway. He shut off his cruiser, looked at his watch, took a deep breath, then got out and walked up to the door. As he raised his hand to knock, the recognizable pop of gunfire echoed through the trees. Instinctively, Ellison reached down towards his holster. Another shot rang out, then another, and another, in deliberate succession. The sounds were coming from behind Turcot’s trailer, where it abutted the woods.
Cautiously, the sheriff made his way around the trailer, ready to draw if necessary. As he stepped out from behind it, the source of the shooting finally came into view. It was Monte Turcot himself, now bearded and thin, firing rounds into a tree trunk with a small pistol. His back was turned to the sheriff, and a half empty bottle of Jim Beam sat clasped in his other hand.
“Don’t shoot me, Monte. I’m right behind you,” Ellison called.
Monte staggered a few steps back and lowered his gun.
“Listen, I came out here to talk to you.”
Without even acknowledging the sheriff’s presence, Monte took a swig from the bottle, his pistol now dangling in his hand like a toy gun at his side. Ellison kept his hand close to his holster and made a quick glance about, looking for cover in the event that Monte had in fact lost his marbles and was mulling over the idea of suicide by cop.
“Can we talk?” asked Ellison.
Monte stared into the woods, wobbling, his back still turned to the sheriff. After another swig, he lowered his bottle, holding it so loosely that Ellison wondered if it might slip out and crash on the rocks at his feet.
“Monte?”
Monte didn’t move.
“Okay, Monte,” Ellison explained slowly. “I’m going to go back to my car and check my messages and call in. That’ll take me about five minutes or so. Then I’ll be on my way. If you want, you can come over and talk. Or call me later. Does that sound okay with you?”
Monte didn’t respond, swaying in the autumn air. A gust of wind blew pine cones off the trees, which landed with a thunk on his trailer’s metal roof. Ellison backed away behind the trailer and walked back to his cruiser. Inside, he radioed a quick status report to dispatch and then checked his messages. Nguyet was wondering when he would be home for dinner. His son had emailed pictures of his granddaughter. A reporter from the Gazette wanted to talk about his reelection campaign. Someone had sent a note about a roadkill carcass on the highway north of town.
Something moved in the corner of his eye. Ellison glanced up and was startled to find the ragged Monte Turcot framed in his windshield. He looked pale, his hair was matted, and his filthy sweatshirt was stained with blood. Ellison looked at his hands. Monte was no longer wielding the pistol, but he still clung to the bottle. From the looks of it, he’d had a few more drinks since the sheriff had arrived.
Relieved but still cautious, Ellison rolled down the passenger window. “Get in, Monte.”
Monte stared back, his blank expression evoking that of a zombie’s. Ellison clipped his cell phone into its mount on the dash, then reached over and opened the passenger door. Monte slowly shuffled towards it and got in.
“How are you holding up, Monte?” Ellison asked.
“Still here,” he answered in a raspy tone.
“This is a terrible thing you’re going through. I wish there was something I could do to help.”
“Thanks,” murmured Monte.
“What’s that blood from, on your shirt there?”
“Tore my hands up chopping wood.”
“Did you cut yourself?”
“No.” Monte set his bottle down on the floorboard and presented the palms of his hands to the sheriff. They were covered in blisters, some of which had burst. The tender layer of skin beneath had torn open.
“You should take care of that,” Ellison warned him. “It could get infected.”
“Yeah…you’re probably right.”
“Looks like you did a lot of chopping.”
“Four cords,” Monte stated quietly.
“How long did that take you?”
“I split it all yesterday.”
“That ought to be plenty to get you through winter in that trailer of yours.”
Monte stared out the passenger window. The mountains appeared through a break in the ponderosa that lined his drive, their peaks sheathed in the purest of white.
“It certainly is beautiful out here this time of year,” the sheriff observed.
“I think I might just walk myself up into those mountains and never come back down,” Monte answered in a quiet, resigned sigh. “You ever think about doing something like that, Sheriff?”
“I think about that a lot, Monte. Maybe not exactly like you describe it, but there are a lot of days – too many days – when I think about dropping everything and going away, going away for a while.”
“I ain’t talking about for a while . I’m talking about for good.”
“You wouldn’t be planning on bringing that gun along with you, would you?” asked Ellison.
“You know, I don’t really plan anything, anymore.” Monte looked down at his ravaged hands. “The future changes day by day. Sometimes I think about going back to active duty again, volunteering for all the action. I thought for sure that was going to be my future yesterday. But then today, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Today, I think I’ve seen enough killing for one lifetime. I don’t want any part of that no more. Right now, I wish I’d never joined in the first place.” He shrugged. “But then again, who knows? Tomorrow, I’ll probably wish I never came home.”
“It’s got to be tough, dealing with everything you’ve been through,” Ellison answered. “It’s too much for one man.”
“Yeah.” Monte nodded slowly. “I’m ashamed of the things that I thought about doing yesterday.”
“What sort of things?”
“I’m worried about you, Monte.”
“What do you know about anything, Sheriff?”
“You’re right. I don’t know much about what you’re going through. I just worry.”
“Don’t.”
“Monte,” Ellison said, wary of the direction he was about to take the conversation, “I came out here to check up on you. It doesn’t look like you’re doing well. I don’t think you’re out of line or anything, all things considered. I just think you’re out here all alone, and that it’s not good for you. Is there any way I could talk you into staying with some family for a while? You’ve got a sister, don’t you? Maybe she could come out and stay with you, or you could go visit her.”
“She lives in Connecticut. She’s got four kids.”
“What about your parents?”
“They’re old, worn down, worn out. I’d be a burden on them. I don’t want to deal with them right now, anyway.”
“Monte…I wouldn’t feel right about just leaving you out here without knowing you’re going to get some help. Everyone needs help, sometimes. There isn’t any shame in that.”
Monte turned from the window and looked at Ellison. “So what happened with the grand jury? That’s really why you came out here, isn’t it? To tell me about that?”
Ellison felt relieved that Monte had broached the subject first. He hadn’t been able to figure out a way to get there gracefully by himself.
“They concluded that, under applicable law, no criminal charges will be filed against the DEA agent that shot you and your wife. I’m sorry.” He watched as Monte’s eyes dimmed in helpless frustration. “For the record, that’s the DA’s language, not mine. I think it’s wrong.”
“I can’t say that I’m surprised,” Monte replied. He picked his bottle off the floorboards and opened the door. “I think I’m going to go back inside and lay down for a while.”
“Okay, Monte. I’ll stay out here for a few minutes, if you don’t mind.”
“Don’t worry, Sheriff. I’ll be all right,” answered Monte. “I just need to get some rest. These hands are hurting real bad, and I’m pretty drunk.” He stumbled out of the cruiser and staggered slowly back into his trailer, letting the door slam shut behind him.
Sheriff Ellison waited outside with his window down, listening for a gunshot for over an hour. | 1real |
Perdue Aims to Make Chickens Happier and More Comfortable - The New York Times | SEAFORD, Del. — Sunlight floods the floor at one end of the chicken house here at Acres, and spry little Cornish game hens flap their wings and chase one another. At the other end of the barn, where the windows are covered as part of a demonstration, the flock is largely somnolent and slow to move. “This is my second flock with the sunlight,” said Karen Speake, whose family has raised chickens on this farm for Perdue Foods, the nation’s poultry producer, for almost four decades. “They’re much happier birds, I can tell you, more active, more playful. ” Over the next several years, all of Perdue’s chickens — 676 million last year — will bask in sunlight, part of an ambitious overhaul of the company’s animal welfare practices, which it will announce on Monday. The commitment will hold Perdue to standards similar to those in Europe, which the American poultry industry has long dismissed as antiquated, inefficient and costly. In addition to installing windows, the company plans to give its chickens more space in barns. It may tinker with breeding to decrease the speed at which birds grow or to reduce their breast size, steps that could decrease the number and severity of leg injuries, an issue that has brought unwanted attention to the company. Also, Perdue will put its chickens to sleep before slaughter, a step taken several years ago by Bell Evans, a smaller poultry company. “We are going to go beyond what a chicken needs and give chickens what they want,” said Jim Perdue, whose grandfather founded the business in 1920. The industry has long argued that such standards would raise costs to producers that would eventually be passed on to consumers. But Perdue, which had $6 billion in sales last year and increased production more than 9 percent, is betting such concerns are overblown based on its experience so far. The move may also have a sweeping impact on the industry, forcing competitors to adopt similar practices. When Perdue announced that it intended to use no antibiotics, many of its competitors followed suit at the demand of their big customers. “It will change the way we do business in so many ways,” Mr. Perdue said. Numerous surveys conducted by the dairy and meat industries suggest that people care and want to know about animal welfare. For that reason, Mr. Perdue said, the company plans to issue annual reports on its progress on the new standards. “We want to be held accountable,” he said. “If we mess up, we have to be prepared to say we messed up. ” In late 2014, Compassion in World Farming, an animal rights group, released video taken at a barn under contract to Perdue that showed birds with raw, red chests from sitting too long on litter laden with ammonia and feces. A few months earlier, Perdue agreed to stop using the phrase “humanely raised” on packages of its Harvestland brand of chicken to settle a lawsuit brought by the Humane Society of the United States. Still, in an interview a year ago, Mr. Perdue was unapologetic, emphasizing that the Department of Agriculture had signed off on Perdue’s animal welfare standards. So Leah Garces, director of Compassion’s American arm, was surprised this winter when Perdue invited her to talk about animal welfare with Bruce its senior vice president for food safety, quality and live operations. “When you sit down at the table with someone like Bruce, who’s repping a large chicken company, you think you can’t possibly have anything in common,” Ms. Garces said. “Then you start talking, and you realize that you have more in common than you thought. ” She said that while Tyson Foods, the country’s largest poultry producer, asked its farmers to adopt what are known as the five freedoms of animal welfare — including freedom from discomfort and freedom from fear and distress — Perdue is going further by insisting that its farmers enforce them. “Perdue is going well beyond what Tyson has done, and no other big poultry producer has come close to those two,” Ms. Garces said. Over the last decade or so, Perdue has done more than any other major American poultry producer to eliminate antibiotics of all kinds from its procedures. That made it impossible to continue raising so many birds in as tight spaces and under conditions many people consider unsanitary. Tyson and Pilgrim’s Pride, the chicken producer in the world, are also reducing their use of antibiotics. The purchase in 2011 of Coleman Natural Foods, a producer of organic meats, as well as the acquisition last year of Niman Ranch, a producer of pork and beef, also helped persuade Mr. Perdue that his company, now the largest producer of organic chicken, could improve animal welfare without hurting business. “As a major chicken producer, you think there’s going to be a lot more problems growing an organic chicken, but then you find out that there are a lot of benefits to raising chickens that way that can be applied to raising chicken more conventionally,” he said. Mr. Perdue traveled around the country over the last three weeks, talking with the company’s 2, 200 farmers about the new animal welfare program. Farmers will no longer be compensated solely for efficiency rather, Perdue will reward them for ensuring better welfare for the birds they tend. Perdue is also paying to install windows in barns, and it may help offset the costs of adding the avian equivalent of playground equipment — things like inclined slats for perching, haystacks for pecking and hiding places where chickens lower down in the pecking order can get away from bullies. “We’re learning things from them about animal welfare,” Mr. Perdue said. “Our relationships with them are absolutely critical to make this work. ” The company is already considering an innovation by Ms. Speake’s father, Elmer Atkins, who found the boards that Perdue supplied to draw across the windows in their barn too cumbersome. “So he slept on it,” Ms. Speake said. The next day, they bought vinyl and rods and hung curtains. | 0fake |
Suicide bombers attack church in Pakistan's Quetta before Christmas, killing nine | QUETTA, Pakistan/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers stormed a packed Christian church in southwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least nine people and wounding up to 56, officials said, in the latest attack claimed by Islamic State in the country. Police guards stationed at the church entrance and on its roof killed one of the bombers but the second attacker detonated his explosives-filled vest outside its prayer hall just after Sunday services began in Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province, said Sarfraz Bugti, the provincial home minister. Baluchistan police chief Moazzam Jah said there were nearly 400 worshippers in the church for the pre-Christmas service. The death toll could have been much higher if the gunmen had forced their way into the sanctuary, he said. Jah said the venue - Bethel Memorial Methodist Church - was on high alert as Christian places of worship are often targeted by Islamist extremists over the Christmas season. We killed one of them, and the other one exploded himself after police wounded him, he said. Islamic State claimed the attack, the group s Amaq news agency said in an online statement, without providing any evidence for its claim. Another police official, Abdur Razaq Cheema, said two other attackers escaped. Broken wooden benches, shards of glass and musical instruments were scattered around a Christmas tree inside the prayer hall that was splashed with blood stains. Kal Alaxander, 52, was at the church with his wife and two children when the attack happened. We were in services when we heard a big bang, he told Reuters. Then there was shooting. The prayer hall s wooden door broke and fell on us ... We hid the women and children under desks. Maryam George, 20, cried at a hospital where her younger sister Alizeh was fighting for life with two broken legs and multiple other wounds. Pakistani Christians, who number around 2 million in a nation of more than 200 million people, have been the target of a series of attacks in recent years. Baluchistan, a strategically important region bordering Iran as well as Afghanistan, is plagued by violence by Sunni Islamist sectarian groups linked to the Taliban, al Qaeda and Islamic State. It also has an indigenous ethnic Baloch insurgency fighting against the central government. Middle East-based Islamic State has created an active branch in Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent years mostly by recruiting among established militants, and its followers have claimed some of Pakistan s most deadly attacks in recent years. A suicide bomber killed 52 people and wounded over 100 at a Baluchistan Sufi shrine in November last year, in an attack claimed by Islamic State. In February, Islamic State attacked a Sufi shrine in Pakistan s southern Sindh province, killing 83 people. Violence in Baluchistan has fueled concern about security for projects in the $57 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a transport and energy link planned to run from western China to Pakistan s southern deep-water port of Gwadar. The church attack came a day after the third anniversary of a Pakistani Taliban attack on an army-run school that killed 134 children, one of the single deadliest attacks in the country s history. Pakistan s army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, condemned the attack. Quetta church attack targeting our brotherly Christian Pakistanis is an attempt to cloud Christmas celebrations, he said. We stay united and steadfast to respond against such heinous attempts. Last year s Easter Day attack in a public park that killed more than 70 people in the eastern city of Lahore was claimed by a Taliban splinter group previously associated with Islamic State. The United States strongly condemned the shocking and brutal attack on innocent worshippers, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale said in a statement. | 0fake |
POLITICAL WARFARE EXPLODES IN WASHINGTON | Home › POLITICS › POLITICAL WARFARE EXPLODES IN WASHINGTON POLITICAL WARFARE EXPLODES IN WASHINGTON 0 SHARES
[10/31/16] Just a week before Election Day, the crisis gripping the American ruling class and its state, marked by intractable and bitter internal conflicts, has erupted into open political warfare.
Last Friday’s letter from Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey to Congress announcing new “investigative steps” in the probe of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, itself a manifestation of the crisis, has brought the underlying tensions to the boiling point. It has exposed raging conflicts within the FBI and, more broadly, the national security apparatus as a whole.
Comey’s cryptic letter acknowledged that the FBI has not actually reviewed a new batch of emails that “appear to be pertinent” to its previous investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server for official business while she was secretary of state. The agency, he wrote, “cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant.” This astonishing admission makes all the more extraordinary Comey’s decision to make the discovery of the new emails a public issue only eleven days before the election.
In a rapid-fire series of developments this weekend, Justice Department officials revealed that they had opposed Comey’s decision to send the letter, arguing that it violated a longstanding principle that no Justice Department or FBI action that might impact on a candidate should be announced within 60 days of an election.
The Clinton campaign and congressional Democrats lashed out at Comey for the timing of the letter. At a campaign rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, Clinton said Comey’s action is “not just strange, it’s unprecedented.” She also tweeted that “FBI Director Comey bowed to partisan pressure,” suggesting that the letter was an effort to appease congressional Republican leaders opposed to Comey’s determination last July that there was no basis for criminal charges against Clinton over her use of a private email server.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid sent a letter to Comey suggesting that he had violated the law forbidding government employees to use their official positions to influence the result of an election. “I am writing to inform you that my office has determined that these actions may violate the Hatch Act,” he wrote. “Through your partisan actions, you may have broken the law.”
He added that Comey had “demonstrated a disturbing double standard for the treatment of sensitive information, with what appears to be clear intent to aid one political party over another,” because he had made public the renewed FBI interest in Clinton’s emails, but was silent on what Reid called “explosive information” supposedly connecting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to Russian government officials.
Here Reid was resorting to the Russia-baiting that has been the Clinton campaign’s main response to the publication by WikiLeaks of tens of thousands of emails and other documents sent or received by campaign chairman John Podesta, including devastating information on Bill Clinton’s use of the Clinton Foundation to obtain lucrative speaking engagements with corporations and business associations. Campaign spokesmen have refused to discuss the contents of the emails, claiming that they were hacked by Russian government agents and then handed over to WikiLeaks to damage Clinton and help Trump.
NBC News reported Sunday that the FBI has now obtained a search warrant to go through all 650,000 emails found on the laptop of former congressman Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Clinton’s closest aide, Huma Abedin. Weiner is under FBI investigation for allegedly sending sexually explicit text messages to an underage girl.
The Wall Street Journal gave details, in a story posted on its web site Sunday afternoon, of the explosive internal crisis within the FBI that led to Comey’s letter to Congress. By this account, there has been a fierce battle within the FBI and between the FBI and the Justice Department not only over the Clinton email investigation, but over separate investigations involving four FBI field offices (New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles and Little Rock, Arkansas) into the operations of the Clinton Foundation.
More than eight months ago, FBI agents presented plans for a more aggressive investigation of the foundation to career prosecutors in the Justice Department, only to have the proposal blocked on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence. The FBI offices nonetheless continued their investigations, which were intensified after the Clinton email investigation was wound up in July.
The Journal report suggests that either a substantial faction within the FBI was convinced that top FBI officials were covering up criminal activities on the part of Hillary and Bill Clinton, or the FBI dissidents were politically motivated to use agency resources to undermine Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, or both.
When top officials in the FBI and Justice Department opposed these efforts, open rebellion followed, expressed in leaks to the Wall Street Journal centrally targeting FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, whose wife was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for state senate in Virginia last year. According to some press reports, Comey sent his letter to Congress last week because he was convinced the information would become public anyway through further leaks by FBI subordinates.
The open warfare engulfing Washington on the eve of a presidential election reveals that the entire political system and the state apparatus itself are riven by tensions and conflicts so deep and bitter that they cannot be contained within the traditional framework of bourgeois elections. Fueling these tensions is the convergence of crises on the economic, geopolitical, internal political and social fronts.
The US and world economy remain mired in stagnation more than eight years after the 2008 Wall Street crash, and there are growing fears that central bank policies designed to buttress the banks and drive up stock prices are leading to a new financial disaster. The economic crisis is fueling social anger and alienation from the entire political system, as reflected in different ways in the mass support for the anti-Wall Street campaign of the self-styled “socialist” Bernie Sanders and the “America first” pseudo-populist campaign of Donald Trump. Post navigation | 1real |
Protests Erupt In Charlotte After Cops Kill Disabled Black Man Who Was Reading A Book In His Car | Protests have erupted in Charlotte, North Carolina after another African-American man was shot and killed by police on Tuesday afternoon. The victim was reportedly disabled and was reading a book in his car when cops approached him.According to police reports, officers came across Keith Lamont Scott while they were at his apartment complex to serve a warrant to someone else. Police claim that Scott had a gun and posed an imminent deadly threat to the officers, but family and witnesses dispute that claim. A woman identifying herself as the victim s daughter, Lyric Scott, said that her father didn t have a gun, he had a book. He sits in the shade, reads his book, does his studies, and waits on his kid to get off the bus, the woman said. He didn t have no gun. He wasn t messing with nobody. All they did, them jumpout boys, them undercover detectives, they jumped out their truck, they said, Hands up he got a gun, he got a gun, pow pow pow pow. That s it. You can see her video below:Here s the man s sister. She says he did not have a gun. @CMPD says he did. @WBTV_News pic.twitter.com/JwHMixy9m7 Sarah-Blake Morgan (@SarahBlakeWBTV) September 20, 2016Protesters poured onto the streets of Charlotte on Tuesday night, chanting Black lives matter and Hands up don t shoot. Police turned out in riot gear and have deployed tear gas to control the crowds. Meanwhile, the number of protesters continues to grow.You can watch video of the protests below:Featured image via video screen capture | 1real |
House ethics panel launches wide-ranging probe into sexual harassment claims | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives ethics committee has begun a sweeping probe into possible sexual harassment and discrimination by the chamber’s 434 lawmakers and their staff, requesting on Friday a wide range of documents from the congressional office that handles employment disputes. In a letter to the office, Susan Brooks, the committee’s Republican chair, and Theodore Deutch, its senior Democrat, requested the congressional compliance office promptly share all its records “related to any claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation or any other employment practice.” Capitol Hill has been rocked this fall by news of possible sexual misconduct by lawmakers, and outrage that public money may have been paid to settle harassment suits against lawmakers. Most notably Representative John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, is under pressure to resign in light of sexual harassment allegations, which Reuters has not verified. U.S. media have reported Conyers used public funds to settle a claim with a woman, and the ethics committee is currently investigating if he “used official resources for impermissible personal purposes.” Conyers has acknowledged settling with a former staffer over her claims of harassment, but he has denied wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Texas Republican Representative Joe Barton recently decided not to seek re-election after a nude photo of him appeared on the internet. The committee had no comment beyond the letter. Pressure is mounting for it to ramp up its enforcement of congressional rules. It last took a disciplinary action on Aug. 1, determining Representative Ben Ray Lujan broke a rule on campaign communications but not imposing any sanctions. Along with resolving disputes and enforcing employment laws for more than 30,000 people working for Congress, the compliance office provides public money to confidentially settle claims against lawmakers. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is seeking to change that practice with legislation that would require prompt public disclosure of settlement awards. In a letter sent to House Administration Committee Chair Gregg Harper on Friday, the compliance office said that since 2013 it has paid settlements on two claims including sex discrimination allegations and one alleging sexual harassment. It paid $84,000 for one sexual harassment claim and $7,000 in one case alleging both sex and religious discrimination. Politico reported the harassment award was made on behalf of Texas Republican Blake Farenthold. “While I 100 percent support more transparency with respect to claims against members of Congress, I can neither confirm nor deny that settlement involved my office as the Congressional Accountability Act prohibits me from answering that question,” said Farenthold in a statement. In 2014 Farenthold’s former communications director Lauren Greene sued him, alleging a hostile work environment, gender discrimination, and retaliation, court documents show. Farenthold and Greene reached a mediated agreement in 2015 to avoid costly litigation, but the settlement’s details were confidential, according to a statement released at the time, where Farenthold denied engaging in any wrongdoing. | 0fake |
Oregon Governor Says Feds ‘Must Act’ Against Protesters and Armed Groups in Burns | 21st Century Wire says So far, after nearly 20 days of protests near Burns, Oregon, there s been no one hurt or injured, but it seems the state s chief executive is keen to change that result.According to reports today, Oregon Governor Kate Brown told a news conference hat federal officials, must move quickly to end the occupation and hold all of the wrongdoers accountable. The governor does not appear at all concerned with the Hammond family s plight, nor with any of this story s core issues like legal minimum sentencing, jury nullification, or private, state and federal land rights and yet, seems to want an armed confrontation in her state and not with any of her own state or county law enforcement agents, but by using federal agents instead. PLEADING TO FEDS: Oregon governor Kate Brown.She added, Residents of Harney County have been overlooked and underserved by federal officials response thus far. I have conveyed these very grave concerns directly to our leaders at the highest levels of our government: the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House. The Democratic governor also claims that the protest has cost the state over $500,000 over the last 3 weeks. We ll be asking federal officials to reimburse the state for these costs. It s not clear exactly how she arrived at that figure, but it can t be from calculating Harney County sheriff s deputies overtime pay.Harney County Judge Steve Grasty also voice a desire to see federal agents take a more aggressive approach towards Ammon Bundy and his fellow protesters, saying, I hope they lock it down. People shouldn t be coming and going. Maybe it s time. READ MORE HAMMOND NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Hammond Ranch | 1real |
Trump demands U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg resign over criticism | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump thrust the U.S. Supreme Court into the presidential campaign debate on Wednesday, rallying conservatives with a call for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to resign after she lambasted him in a series of media interviews. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee led a chorus of outrage over the comments by Ginsburg, who described Trump as a “faker” and speculated about the possibility of moving to New Zealand if he won the White House. In a post-midnight counterattack on Twitter, Trump said the 83-year-old leader of the court’s liberal wing had “embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot - resign!” The furor gave Trump a cause to help galvanize conservatives divided over his unorthodox candidacy but concerned that the high court is too liberal, a mistrust fueled by recent rulings upholding racial preferences in university admissions and striking down tough abortion restrictions in Texas. In three recent interviews, Ginsburg questioned how Trump had gotten away with not turning over his tax returns and said she could not bear to think about the wealthy real estate developer winning the White House. In response, Trump said Ginsburg had politicized the Supreme Court with her comments and suggested she owed her fellow justices an apology. “I’m questioning her mental capacity,” he told Fox News Channel on Wednesday. “For her to have done that is an absolute disgrace to the Supreme Court.” Other Republicans jumped to join the attack, saying Ginsburg had proven she could not be an impartial voice on the country’s highest court. “For someone on the Supreme Court who is going to be calling balls and strikes in the future based upon whatever the next president or Congress does, that strikes me as inherently biased and out of the realm,” Republican House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said on CNN on Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called her comments “totally inappropriate,” while Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said Ginsburg’s statements reflected poorly on her objectivity. The New York Times and Washington Post joined in the rebukes, with the Times asking her to uphold the court’s tradition of silence in political campaigns and drop the “punditry and name-calling.” Ginsburg’s comments could push some on the right who have reservations about Trump into his camp, said Jonathan Adler, a conservative professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law who is not a Trump supporter. “There are some (not me) who learn to like Trump based on the enemies he makes,” he said in an email. The controversy erupted as Trump prepared for the opening of the July 18-21 Republican convention, which will formally make him the party’s presidential nominee in the Nov. 8 election. Ginsburg is the senior liberal on the court, which has been ideologically split between four liberals and four conservatives since conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died in February. “This gives Trump the ability to attack not only Justice Ginsburg but ultimately the authority of the Supreme Court. That is a very bad situation,” said Richard Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota Law School who served as a lawyer in the White House under Republican President George W. Bush. U.S. Supreme Court justices are not required to follow the code of judicial conduct that applies to judges on lower federal courts. The code, set by the U.S. Judicial Conference, says judges should not “make speeches for a political organization or candidate, or publicly endorse or oppose a candidate for public office.” Still, the justices typically try to stay out of the political fray. The court has a sometimes pivotal role as a judicial counterweight to the executive and legislative branches of government, deciding some of the most divisive social issues in American life. In recent years, major rulings legalized gay marriage nationwide and upheld Democratic President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul. In public remarks earlier this year, Chief Justice John Roberts stressed it was important for the justices not to be seen as political players, saying criticisms of partisanship, which he described as inaccurate, were damaging to the court’s reputation. “We don’t work as Democrats or Republicans,” he said. Ginsburg was not immediately available for comment on Trump’s remarks and the other rebukes. The high court, whose nine justices are nominated by the U.S. president to lifetime appointments, had already been caught up in political controversy as the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate refused to take up Obama’s nominee to replace Scalia, Merrick Garland. Republicans have said the next president should be allowed to nominate a replacement for Scalia. Trump has emphasized the importance of naming conservative justices to the court. The next president, potentially serving two four-year terms, could have the opportunity to appoint up to three new justices, not including Scalia’s replacement. Ginsburg is the oldest of the justices. Justice Anthony Kennedy turns 80 on July 23, while Justice Stephen Breyer turns 78 in August. Some Democrats defended Ginsburg, with U.S. Senator Jon Tester of Montana saying “she called him (Trump) for what she saw” and Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota saying, “I think she’s the ultimate determiner of what’s appropriate and what isn’t.” But Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said, “I don’t think we’re well served by Supreme Court justices openly expressing their political opinions.” Asked about Ginsburg’s remarks, White House spokesman Josh Earnest responded with a joke referencing a nickname used widely on social media by Ginsburg’s admirers. “She didn’t earn the nickname ‘the Notorious R.B.G.’ for nothing,” he said. The name was inspired by rapper Notorious B.I.G. | 0fake |
MEDIA IGNORES! Huge List of Attacks on Conservatives is Shocking | Pro-Trump supporters have known the truth for a long time that conservatives are being attacked. Do you have any idea of the number of attacks? You might be shocked to see the list created by The Daily Caller.We feel like it s even more important to know who s behind the effort to attack and silence conservatives in America. There are groups like MoveOn.org and Black Lives Matter that have been instigating violence in a big way. Antifa is the worst with their tactics of extreme violence and destruction.Just as destructive as the violence is the left s effort to hijack the narrative anytime something happens between both sides. It s an Alinsky tactic that the left has been using long before President Trump came on the scene. The only difference now is that they re on overdrive with the attacks on Trump! It s downright scary!Take the The Huffington Post s recent article calling for the execution of Trump and everyone assisting his agenda. If you ve noticed a hijacking of the narrative on just about everything to do with President Trump then look no further than the attack on his comments yesterday. Trump s words were twisted, replaced and totally misinterpreted. So it shouldn t surprise anyone that you haven t heard much about physical attacks on conservatives what s the left got to gain by telling the truth? Suppression of information is right up there with lying A low as you can get!HERE S THE TRUTH AND IT S SHOCKING: Protesters jumped on cars, stole hats, fought with and threw eggs at Trump supporters outside a Trump rally in downtown San Jose, Calif. Trump supporters sued San Jose over the violence.July 2016:-A Hillary Clinton supporter lights a flag on fire and attacks a Trump supporter in Pittsburgh.August 2016:-Anti-Trump protesters attacked pushed, spit on and verbally harassed attendees forced to walk a gauntlet as they left a Trump fundraiser in Minneapolis, Minn., and beat an elderly man. Protesters also attacked Trump s motorcade. A Tennessee man was assaulted at a garage sale for being a Trump supporter.-A Trump supporter in New Jersey was attacked with a crowbar on the street.September 2016:-Protesters in El Cajon, Calif., chased and beat up a Trump supporter.October 2016:-A GOP office in North Carolina was firebombed and spray painted with Nazi Republicans get out of town or else. November 2016:-A high school student was attacked after she wrote that she supported Trump on social media. The perpetrator ripped her glasses off and punched her in the face.-The president of Cornell University s College Republicans was assaulted the night after Trump won the election.-Students protesting Trump punched and kicked a Maryland high school student wearing a Make America Great Again hat.-A high school student was arrested in Florida after he punched a classmate for carrying a Trump sign at school.-A group of black men in Chicago attacked a white man while raging against Trump.-Maryland high school students punched a student who was demonstrating in support of Trump, and then kicked him repeatedly while he was on the ground.- You support Trump. You hate Mexicans, a California high school student yelled at a Trump supporter, before viciously beating the girl.-An anti-bullying ambassador was arrested for shoving a 74-year-old man to the ground in a fight outside Trump tower where people upset over his win had gathered. The woman tied to Black Lives Matter caused the man to hit his head on the sidewalk.-A Texas elementary school student was beaten by his classmates for voting for Trump in a mock election.-Two men punched and kicked a Connecticut man who was standing with an American flag and a Trump sign.December 2016:-A Trump supporter was beaten and dragged by a car.January 2017:-A Trump supporter was knocked unconscious after airport protesters repeatedly beat him on the head.-A Trump supporter was attacked after putting out a fire started by anti-Trump protesters.-When Trump protesters encountered a driver with a pro-Trump flag on his car, they surrounded the vehicle, ripped off and began burning the flag, and pounded the car. They also punctured the tires.February 2017:-California GOP Rep. Tom McClintock had to be escorted to his car after a town hall because of angry protesters. The tires of at least four vehicles were slashed.-Protestors knocked a 71-year-old female staffer for California GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher unconscious during a protest outside the representative s office.-Milo Yiannopoulos speech at the University of California-Berkeley was cancelled after rioters set the campus on fire and threw rocks through windows. Milo tweeted that one of his supporters wearing a Trump hat was thrown to the ground and kicked.March 2017:-Masked protesters at Middlebury College rushed AEI scholar and political scientist Charles Murray and professor Allison Stranger, pushing and shoving Murray and grabbing Stranger by her hair and twisting her neck as they were leaving a campus building. Stranger suffered a concussion. Protesters then surrounded the car they got into, rocking it back and forth and jumping on the hood.April 2017:-A parade in Portland, Ore.,was canceled after threats of violence were made against a Republican organization.-Fears of violent protests shut down Ann Coulter s UC Berkeley speech. Campus police had gathered intel on protesters who were planning to commit violence.May 2017: Republican Rep. Tom Garrett, his family and his dog were targeted by a series of repeated death threats deemed credible by authorities.-FBI agents arrested a person for threatening to shoot Republican Rep. Martha McSally over her support for Trump.-Police in Tennessee charged a woman for allegedly trying to run Republican Rep. David Kustoff off the road.-Police in North Dakota ejected a man after he became physical with Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer at a town hall.-A former professor was arrested after police said they identified him on video beating Trump supporters with a U-shaped bike lock, leaving three people with significant injuries. June 2017:-James Hodgkinson opened fire on a congressional GOP baseball practice, injuring five, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.-Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney received an email threat that read, One down, 216 to go, shortly after the shooting at the Republican congressional baseball practice.-A man driving a white Malibu reportedly fired several shots at a man driving a truck displaying a Make America Great Again flag in Indiana. | 1real |
Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin: Your Friday Evening Briefing - The New York Times | (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the .) Good evening. Here’s the latest. 1. Hillary Clinton released her tax records for 2015, showing that she and her husband paid an effective rate of 35 percent in federal taxes on income of $10. 6 million. The move increased pressure on Donald Trump to reveal his returns, the subject of political and financial speculation. Both candidates added details to their tax policies this week. Mr. Trump would ease business regulations and lower taxes for the wealthy, aiming to boost the economy. Mrs. Clinton would tax the wealthy more heavily and hold the rate for the bottom 95 percent steady. _____ 2. Mr. Trump said he was being sarcastic in labeling President Obama and Mrs. Clinton founders of the Islamic State, comments that appeared to play well at rallies but confused some conservatives. He held two more rallies in Pennsylvania, which has voted Democratic in the last six presidential elections but is crucial to his strategy. Above, Reince Priebus, the head of the Republican National Committee, introduced him in Erie. Our podcast today features the writer Thomas Friedman, discussing his column on Mr. Trump’s “Second Amendment” comment. _____ 3. Katie Ledecky won another gold in Rio, becoming only the second woman to sweep the and freestyle races. She broke her own world record in the 800, finishing the race in 8 minutes, 04. 79 seconds. The American Maya DiRado upset Katinka Hosszu in the backstroke, catching Hosszu near the wall, and Michael Phelps placed second in the butterfly, finishing behind Joseph Schooling of Singapore. The first track and field gold medal came with a world record: Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia shattered the mark for the women’s 10, 000 meters by more than 14 seconds. Our full Olympic coverage is here. _____ 4. and forces are pouring into Aleppo, Syria, intensifying a battle that has trapped hundreds of thousands of civilians with little or no electricity and dwindling supplies of food and water. A merchant in the city described long lines for gas, bare shelves at groceries and hospitals crammed with wounded soldiers, militiamen and residents. “Hopefully there will be an end to the Syrian civilians’ misery,” a doctor said, “but we can’t see a light in the future. ” _____ 5. Vladimir Putin surprised by dismissing his chief of staff, Sergei Ivanov, above left, a trusted aide for over four decades. His replacement, Anton Vaino, fits with a recent pattern of younger loyalists displacing an older generation of Mr. Putin’s peers. The Russian president “does not need advice, he needs people who will carry out his orders with as little fuss as possible,” one analyst said. _____ 6. Fox News started rebuilding its leadership, naming two veteran executives as three weeks after Roger Ailes was forced out over accusations of sexual harassment. One of them, Bill Shine, figured along with other executives in descriptions of a culture of intimidation given by women who accused Mr. Ailes of harassment. Both Mr. Ailes and Mr. Shine have denied any wrongdoing. Rupert Murdoch is expected to continue serving as chief executive until at least the presidential election in November. _____ 7. This is it for . Alex Rodriguez, a player with a roller coaster of a career, played his final game with the Yankees. His goodbye ceremony came right before a home game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees won . _____ 8. Remember that Spanish widow’s botched restoration of a fresco of Jesus? Four years after turning into a mocking meme, the work has helped turn its home, the small city of Borja, into a tourist mecca and even inspired a comic opera. The composer said he tried to reflect the tumult of the internet by drawing on “a Gregorian chant, a Spanish fandango, a Renaissance motet, a jota from Zaragoza, a classical chorus, an aria from the Zarzuela, a Flamenco tango, an hook and a bass line. ” _____ 9. For your weekend: Here are some options. On the small screen, Baz Luhrmann’s Netflix series “The Get Down” revels as only he can in the Bronx of the ’70s, the dawn of . Our book critics’ recommendations include “ Stories of God,” by Joy Williams, “a treasure trove of tiny wry masterpieces. ” This Magazine piece, “Fractured Lands: How the Arab World Came Apart,” helps make sense of the Islamic State, the Arab Spring, Europe’s migration crisis and much more. And here are 20 recipes that involve little or no cooking, for those days. _____ 10. Finally, the magnificent Perseids meteor shower will go on for days, but it’s lost on most of us because there’s too much light pollution. The former mining town of Westcliffe, Colo. above, and its neighbor, Silver Cliff, have been honored by a nonprofit working to stop light pollution as “ communities. ” You could say they put themselves on the map by keeping themselves in the dark. Have a great weekend. _____ Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p. m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing, posted weekdays at 6 a. m. Eastern, and Your Weekend Briefing, posted at 6 a. m. Sundays. Want to look back? Here’s last night’s briefing. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes. com. | 0fake |
The Satanic Temple Trolls Anti-Abortion Fanatics Into Stunned Silence (VIDEOS) | One of the greatest institutions in America right now is the Satanic Temple. Their mission is simple: Mock, troll and thwart conservative Christian encroachment into our lives. To this end, the Detroit chapter of the church took to the streets of Ferndale and Detroit dressed unconventionally to expose the creepy obsession the pro-life movement has with fetuses:According to the Temple s Detroit chapter leader, Jex Blackmore, the anti-choice movement s obsession with, and mischaracterization of the fetus obscures medical reality and a woman s constitutional right to choice. The group dressed in baby masks and diapers, replete with BDSM gear, bottles and baby powder.Watch the really funny but reeeealllly creepy videos: Sooooooooo yeah. That actually happened. BDSM babies being flogged for their sins? I dunno. But the leader of the group, Jex Blackmore, refers to the attacks on Planned Parenthood as fetal idolatry which might possibly be the best description I ve ever heard. The fact is, the (mostly) conservative Christian fight against abortion is centered around protecting the fetus until the second it s out of the womb. Then the little moocher and its taker mother are on their own. Don t come asking for food, clothes, healthcare, schooling or anything else! The pro-life movement doesn t have time for any of that! They re on a mission from god to save babies from abortion!Worship the fetus, ignore the baby. If that s not fetal idolatry, I don t know what is. Here s how Blackmore describes it:The Satanic Temple (TST) believes that the anti-choice movement s obsession with, and mischaracterization of the fetus obscures medical reality and a woman s constitutional right to choice. Enlarged images of fetuses which are no larger than an inch and the personalization of mindless, senseless human embryos elevates the fetus to the status of a demigod. The strategy of elevating tiny human em br yos and fetuses to a rever ence creates a fantasy in which the maternal body is both erased and criminalized.All I have to say to that is, Hail Satan! Featured image via screencap. | 1real |
Fukushima – The Untouchable Eco-Apocalypse No One is Talking About | posted by Eddie
The most important ecological crisis of the world has ever seen has been underway since March 11th, 2011, yet there is nary a mention of it in the corporate media, and no political body in the world is championing its resolution. Widespread Denial and Willful Ignorance The media, politicians and the world at large seem to be engaging in extreme denial regarding Fukushima. A survey of mainstream media coverage of the fallout of this event reveals the trend of covering this story as a human interest affair, not as the immediate threat it truly is. The effects on nature are already being seen, yet even among the environmentalist factions of media, there is strong denial of the damage already done and of what is to come as the crisis approaches its sixth year. Some 300 tons of radioactive water are dumped into the Pacific Ocean each day , and signs are showing that this catastrophe is gravely affecting sea-life and wildlife in and around the Pacific. The FDA maintains that there is no evidence of contamination by Fukushima borne radionuclides in the American food supply, yet this opinion is contested by some independent researchers. A report by the Fairewinds Energy Education says that cancer is on the rise in areas around the failed power plant, and that millions will die in coming years as a result. “The second report received from Japan proves that the incidence of thyroid cancer is approximately 230 times higher than normal in Fukushima Prefecture… So what’s the bottom line? The cancers already occurring in Japan are just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sorry to say that the worst is yet to come.” [ Source ] As election year in the U.S. approaches its dramatic climax, it has been striking to observe that neither of the major two-party candidates, or third-party candidates for that matter, have mentioned this crisis at all during the entire election run up. It is a non-issue in American politics, and if you’re listening, the silence is deafening. The 40-Year-Plan Thus far, all plans to stop radioactive contamination of the Pacific Ocean and the Japanese Islands have failed, the most impressive of which is the construction of a $320 million underground wall of frozen dirt to block the seepage of groundwater into surrounding areas. 1oo feet deep and over a mile long, the ‘ land-side impermeable wall ‘ is already failing as rainfall from recent typhoons has caused partial melting of sections of the ‘ice wall.’ Workers examine pipes for the wall of frozen soil at the embattled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. A previous and ongoing cleanup effort requires the on site storage of contaminated water near the Fukushima Daiichi is merely a band-aid as radioactive water continues to accumulate by the day , with no long term plan for proper disposal. “…the filtered water is still full of tritium , a radioactive version of hydrogen. (When two neutrons are added to the element, it becomes unstable, prone to emitting electrons.) Tritium bonds with oxygen just like normal hydrogen does, to produce radioactive “tritiated water.” It’s impractical—or at least extremely difficult and expensive—to separate tritiated water from normal water.” [ Source ] Storage tanks at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. The reality here is that this crisis is untouchable in its scope and unparalleled in its lethality, and TEPCO’s 40-year-plan to decommission the plant will be a failure. Final Thoughts No one of significant import is talking about this crisis or working to elevate it as a national and international priority. The American political scene is focused instead on the selection of the next president being chosen between two candidates who clearly have zero interest in addressing this dire issue. Is this because nothing can be done about it? Is this because the energy industry is controlling the conversation and covering up the truth? Or is this because the agenda for the U.S. at present is geared to destabilization and a push for expansion of the Orwellian Permanent War, and ecological disasters are supportive of the global depopulation scheme in play? In any case, the Fukushima meltdown is a slow-burning apocalyptic event that desperately needs our attention. For more background, please view the following video summary:
source: | 1real |
Two years after the Paris attacks, France ends state of emergency | PARIS (Reuters) - Two years after militants killed 130 people in coordinated attacks across Paris, France officially ended a state of emergency, replacing it with the introduction of a new security law which critics say undermines civil liberties. The new anti-terrorism law, effective from Wednesday, gives police extended powers to search properties, conduct electronic eavesdropping and shut mosques or other locations suspected of preaching hatred. Some dread that now that we are out the state of emergency there could be a drop in vigilance, it is the opposite, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told journalists during a short visit to police officers guarding the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The level of threat is high everywhere in the world, he said, referring to the attack in New York on Tuesday where a pickup truck driver killed eight people. The new legislation transposes some of the measures contained in the state of emergency rule into law, although with some modifications. One measure will allow the Interior Ministry, without approval from a judge, to set up large security perimeters in case of an identified threat, restricting movement of people and vehicles and with power to carry out searches inside the area. Conservative politicians warn the regulations are not going far enough while human rights groups and members of the left fear police misconduct. France has become so addicted to the state of emergency that it is now injecting several of these abusive measures into ordinary law, Human Rights Watch said before parliament backed the legislation last month. France s human rights watchdog, an independent body, has said it is concerned about breaches of rights of Muslims. The French Council of the Muslim Faith, the official interlocutor with the state in the regulation of Muslim religious activities, said it would remain vigilant about the bill s implementation. However, the concerns expressed by such rights groups have had little resonance with the public so far. A poll conducted in early October showed more than 80 percent of support for the bill. The government says the state of emergency has helped intelligence agencies to thwart more than 30 attacks. President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday Islamist militancy remained the biggest security threat to France. | 0fake |
Drunk coed attempting to take topless selfie while driving plows into police cruiser | Print
A tipsy Texas collegian was taking a topless Snapchat photo for her boyfriend last night moments before she crashed her car into a cruiser, according to cops.
Miranda Kay Rader, 19, drove her SUV into the rear of a squad car whose driver had exited the vehicle to investigate a disturbance call. Rader, seen at right, was not injured in the 8:30 PM crash in Bryan, a city bordering College Station, home to Texas A&M (where Rader is a freshman).
When a patrolman approached Rader’s Acura, he noticed that the student had on an “unclasped brassiere” and was “attempting to put a black blouse on.” When the officer asked why she “was not dressed while driving,” Rader replied that she had been “taking a Snapchat photo to send to her boyfriend while she was at the red light.”
Rader said she was en route to her Texas A&M dormitory at the time of the crash, according to a probable cause affidavit . | 1real |
How to Save Money (and Hassles) on Your Black Friday Shopping - The New York Times | If the idea of Black Friday shopping gives you the blues, cheer up. A few innovative approaches can help you find lower prices without having to camp outside a big box store. Joanie Demer, a of thekrazycouponlady. com, recommended going to websites such as raise. com and giftcardgranny. com to buy discounted gift cards, a strategy that works . Savings average from 8 to 12 percent. “It’s not a ton, but it adds up,” she said in an interview. Instead of buying a gift card before shopping, add up your purchases in the store and use an app from the site to download the amount you need. This will help curb overspending, she said. People who do all of their holiday shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving are not getting the best deals, Ms. Demer said. The sweet spot for the best bargains is Dec. but, she warned, shopping from Dec. 19 onward is not good because retailers know you are desperate, and they are less likely to cut prices. She added that 95 percent of the Black Friday bargains to be found in stores — with the exception of “doorbusters,” those deeply discounted items intended to draw shoppers in — can be found online. If you are not keen on crowds, shop online. The week before Black Friday, fill your virtual shopping cart with merchandise, then log out of your account — don’t just close your tab but fully log out of the site — said Kyle James, the founder of . com. “By doing so, in many cases, it will trigger an automated coupon sent to your inbox pleading for you to come back and complete your purchase with the coupon,” Mr. James said in an email. The coupon offers may be for free shipping or discounts of up to 20 percent off a purchase, he said. “It’s a way to get a deal. ” Sometimes getting a price break can be as simple as asking. Activate the live chat feature that many online retailers have and politely ask for a coupon for free shipping or a percentage off your purchase. “These live chat operators are trained to see this person has stuff in their cart and they’re prepared to make a purchase — let’s throw them a bone,” Mr. James said in a telephone interview. Doorbuster merchandise is usually in such limited supply that only the most dedicated shoppers — those who camp outside the store to be the first ones in at opening hour — will get what they want. The remaining shoppers become a “captive audience, and now they’ll go out and buy a bunch of stuff at near full price or full price,” Mr. James said. Many of those people will turn around and sell the heavily discounted items on eBay, he said. Because they are looking to turn a profit quickly, their markups will be modest. Downloading the Amazon app can be a useful way to compare prices in stores against the online retail giant. “It’s a good tool to make sure you’re not making a stupid purchase,” Ms. Demer said. Many big box stores will match a lower Amazon price if you present proof of the lower price at the customer service desk. That rule is in place but many stores make an exception for Black Friday. Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bed Bath Beyond are among the few retailers who will still honor the price match on Black Friday, she said. Skip the shopping cart, because navigating crowded store aisles with one will only prolong your visit, Ms. Demer said. She recommended taking an oversize reusable shopping bag instead. It’s also best to avoid bringing your spouse and children to the store, she said. “The more people you bring, the more money you’re going to spend and the more angry you’re going to become,” she said. “Chaos and impulse buying, it’s all much worse. ” | 0fake |
Right and Left: Partisan Writing You Shouldn’t Miss - The New York Times | The political news cycle is fast, and keeping up can be overwhelming. Trying to find differing perspectives worth your time is even harder. That’s why we have scoured the internet for political writing from the right and left that you might not have seen. We would love to hear your thoughts on this collection. Send your feedback to ourpicks@nytimes. com _____ • From National Review: “To claim that something is technically legal is not to say that it is appropriate. ” For Andrew McCarthy, the question is not whether it was legal to monitor President Trump or his associates during the campaign, but whether it was a political abuse of power. Read More » _____ • From The Weekly Standard: “The distribution of benefits is deeply contrary to the principles of republican government. ” Jay Cost evaluates the Trump administration’s federal budget along moral and historical lines, arguing that the Founding Fathers would have balked at the ease with which modern administrations — both Democratic and Republican — borrow money. Mr. Cost argues that high levels of debt betray the ideals of the Constitution and our moral obligation to future generations. Read more » _____ • From The American Spectator: “[. ..] is developing a work force for corporations what schools should be about?” Emmett McGroarty and Jane Robbins, senior fellows at the American Principles Project, argue that the Common Core and other progressive education policies focus, incorrectly, on preparing students for industry. School should instead instill the tenets of “traditional, classical education” that prepare students to be knowledgeable citizens. Read more » _____ • From Red State: “[. ..] the conditions requirement is not some perk that we can keep while ditching the rest of Obamacare. ” Using a blog post by Senator Ted Cruz as a point, a writer for Red State outlines the contours of a proposed bill for Republicans who have vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act. It begins, appropriately, with some bitter pills to swallow. Read more » _____ From The National Interest: “It defies logic that if we have made a bad investment we must continue to do so. ” Amitai Etzioni, a professor of international relations at George Washington University, recommends that President Trump abandon the attempts of the two previous administrations and deny a request to send more troops into Afghanistan. Read more » _____ • From The Intercept: “Fight fewer wars and for narrower reasons, but be more barbaric and criminal in prosecuting the ones that are fought. ” One should not mistake Mr. Trump’s “ ” for “pacifism,” Glenn Greenwald warns. That distinction, according to Mr. Greenwald, helps to explain the precipitous increase in civilian casualties in the Middle East since Mr. Trump took office. Read more » _____ • From TruthDig: “His policies haven’t sprung from thin air. ” Bill Blum traces a line from President Trump’s executive orders concerning immigration back to specific legislation from an unlikely predecessor: President Bill Clinton. Read more » _____ • From Salon: “Government will never run the way Silicon Valley runs because, by definition, democracy is messy. ” Now that Mr. Trump’s Jared Kushner, has been tapped to lead a “SWAT team of strategic consultants” to reform the federal government, Simon Maloy reminds us of why we might not want the government to be more like a business. Read more » _____ From In These Times: “The fundamental failures of Obamacare stem from the law’s reliance on the private market. ” Miles and Mr. Trump agree on one thing: Obamacare is going to get worse for millions of Americans. But according to Mr. the only way forward for Democrats after the failure of the American Health Care Act is to embrace a system. Read more » _____ • From Politico: “The demise of the Republican plan [. ..] could open the door for bipartisan efforts to rescue the individual market. Don’t laugh it’s possible. ” Sometimes, you need a mediator to help you find common ground. That’s why, hoping to encourage bipartisan cooperation, Timothy Stoltzfus Jost, a former law professor and consumer representative to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, identifies pieces of the American Health Care Act that could have earned support from moderate Democrats. Read more » _____ • From BuzzFeed: “Know your enemy and stop giving them ammunition. ” On this week’s “60 Minutes,” Scott Pelley interviewed the blogger Mike Cernovich for a segment about fake news. But Charlie Warzel writes that Mr. Pelley was out maneuvered by the figure when the discussion turned to “alternate universes. ” Mr. Warzel argues that reporters in traditional media must educate themselves about the new media ecosystem and not play into the hands of “The New Right media,” a collective armed with its own facts and reality. Read more » _____ • From Washingtonian: “Part of Ham’s appeal is her commitment to ideology over party. ” Meet Mary Katherine Ham, a conservative pundit whose star has risen in recent months. The secret to her success? She’d rather persuade than entertain. Read more » _____ From The Atlantic: “I take no pride or pleasure in saying ‘I told you so. ’” In today’s political climate, it’s sometimes difficult to identify precisely where the “center” is. That’s why we offer this piece by the Republican commentator David Frum with a bit of qualification. Here the former speechwriter for George W. Bush (who is also a staunch writing for the Atlantic) speaks to members of his own party to explain how the refusal to accept universal health care as a right has led to a “Republican Waterloo. ” Read more » _____ | 0fake |
DEMOCRATIC DEBATE MODERATOR Met With Dem Candidates For Some “Pre-Interviews”….Hummm | So the moderator of the Democratic debate met with the campaigns of the candidates but didn t give away any questions? Really? And we re supposed to believe this? A pre-interview took place to discuss the issues at play in the race . Isn t that giving the questions away?I d call that a strategy session because we shouldn t forget that Ben Rhodes and David Rhodes are brothers This Saturday s second Democratic debate will be a much smaller affair than the first. With only three candidates on stage, CBS News plans to delve deep into the issues with each candidate and have taken advantage of the smaller pool by doing some intense research. Moderator John Dickerson and his team met with each of the campaigns for more than an hour to discuss the major issues at play in the race, sources on the campaigns said, describing the pre-interview as informational in nature. Dickerson is not giving candidates previews of his questions for the debate. Prior to the CNN debate, the campaigns said moderator Anderson Cooper did not reach out directly to them before the candidates took the stage. Dickerson and his team were very interested in getting to better know the senator s stand on a wide spectrum of issues, what he would do about income inequality in this country, said Bernie Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs. He said they discussed issues where there are real differences between the candidates including gun control, the death penalty and raising taxes on the middle class. John Dickerson s a smart, impressive guy who cares a lot about the issues, Briggs said. I m sure we ll see a smart, issues-oriented debate. Read more: politico | 1real |
The Pope vs. America | Pope Francis has been brushing up on his English ahead of his arrival in Washington in September, and tickets to his U.S. events are already a hot commodity. But anyone expecting his message to be simply one of mercy and love could be in for a distinct surprise.
In his speech to a joint meeting of Congress, the pope of the poor could well deliver a harsh message for the world’s richest nation. For all the genuine warmth of his smile, his track record suggests he sees it as his job not just to comfort the afflicted, but also to afflict the comfortable. And however delicately he fine-tunes his language, the hard fact is that he believes the United States is as much a part of the problem as the solution.
For more than a century, popes have made nuanced criticisms of the free-market capitalism that drives the American dream. But Pope Francis, with an unprecedented vigor, is locking horns with much that Washington and Wall Street hold dear. Why does he take such a hard line?
In the two-plus years since his election, he has enchanted and bewildered the world in equal measure with his compassion and his contradictions. But he has also proved himself a wily and sophisticated politician. Understanding this side of Francis—capable of crafty maneuvering, unafraid of confrontation, ready to seek out unlikely allies—is essential for understanding the complicated effect he is having on American politics.
The pope born in Argentina as Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been called both a Marxist and a reactionary. But unpack the long biography of this 78-year-old cleric, and a more complex and intriguing reality emerges. Francis has never embraced one particular political ideology, though he has been comfortable around people who have. His first boss, the woman who ran the Buenos Aires chemistry laboratory where he worked, was a Communist whose diligence and integrity he greatly admired. “Marxist ideology is wrong,” the pope said in 2013, “but in my life I have known many Marxists who are good people, so I don’t feel offended.”
What has shaped Francis, instead, is his lived experience. Born into an Italian immigrant family, he has a long-standing bias toward the underdog and those who must struggle to survive. The most formative part of his priestly life was the 19 years he spent among the very poorest in the shantytowns of Buenos Aires, where he was known as the “bishop of the slums.”
But there is another key to understanding the pope’s worldview. His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, was above all a theologian. Pope John Paul II, before that, was originally an actor and a philosopher. But Francis trained as a scientist. One of his adages is: “Facts are more important than ideas.” The intersection of these two threads in Francis’ life—his sympathy for the poor and his insistence that reality comes before theory—help account for how the United States and its unrestrained capitalism have come into the papal crosshairs.
Like many Latin Americans, Pope Francis is ambivalent toward America. “He combines both a sense of respect and a feeling of resentment at the economic and cultural dominance of his bigger neighbor,” one senior member of the Roman Curia told me. As a young man, Bergoglio was schooled in the politics of Argentine President Juan Domingo Perón. “Peronism” was a curious alliance of labor unions, the army and the church. It sought what Perón called a “third position” between communism and capitalism. It favored authoritarian nationalism and looked to the state rather than the market for solutions; Francis was much influenced by the latter.
In his later years, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis saw firsthand the devastation wrought upon ordinary people by economic policies originating in Washington. During Argentina’s 2001 economic crisis, when half the population was plunged into poverty, the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and U.S. Treasury agreed to policies that imposed severe austerity on Argentina’s lower class. Six years later, Francis took the leading role in shaping the pro-poor, anti-colonial spirit of the Latin American church articulated by the region’s bishops at their seminal meeting in Aparecida, Brazil.
Pope Francis is no knee-jerk liberal. He has held the traditional Catholic line on issues like abortion, gay marriage and even contraception, yet he has radically shifted the focus of the Catholic Church away from sexual ethics onto the morality of money.
That became clear in the eco-encyclical he released this year, Laudato Si. To the horror of climate skeptics, it endorsed the worldwide scientific consensus that global warming is largely human-created. It was ironic that, before publication, Catholic Republican presidential candidates like Jeb Bush and Rick Santorum had been admonishing the pope that science is better left to scientists. That was exactly what Francis, the former chemist, thought he was doing by accepting the view of 97 percent of actively publishing climate scientists. For Francis, the source of the Earth’s degradation was clear: “[T]he degree of human intervention, often in the service of business interests and consumerism, is actually making our earth less rich and beautiful, ever more limited and grey.”
In July, Pope Francis delivered his fiercest condemnation of contemporary capitalism to date, addressing an assembly of political and community activists in Bolivia. Behind global capital’s indifference to the poor and the planet and all the “pain, death and destruction” it brings, he said, there lies “the stench of what Basil of Caesarea—one of the church’s first theologians—called ‘the dung of the devil.’ An unfettered pursuit of money rules. The service of the common good is left behind.” In this “subtle dictatorship,” capital has become an idol. In response, Francis called for change—“real change, structural change”—using the word no fewer than 32 times. Land, lodging and labor were “sacred rights,” and working for their “just distribution” was a “moral obligation” and, for Christians, a “commandment.”
Such talk has had an immediate impact in American politics. The AFL-CIO’s policy director Damon Silvers, who is not a Catholic, said: “I couldn’t recall any leader of any religion in my lifetime speaking so plainly about economic justice and how that is at the core of how we human beings are supposed to treat each other.” At the other end of the political spectrum, Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld, a former altar boy, labeled the pope “the most dangerous man on the planet.” Big Catholic donors like American billionaire Ken Langone, working to raise $180 million for the restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, have been so upset by the pope’s unvarying pronouncements that they warned cardinals that wealthy Catholics might stop giving to the church. The pope’s aversion to red-blooded capitalism is just too apocalyptic for America’s tycoons—overlooking the curative powers of technology, ignoring the way the free market had lifted millions from poverty and refusing to consider that Catholic teaching on contraception is partly to blame for our overcrowded planet.
Yet Francis’ supporters argue that he is not advocating a specific political program; rather than taking political sides, he is trying to open people’s minds to the generosity, openness and inclusiveness of the gospel. “It’s not Marxism,” one cardinal told me. “It’s classic Catholic social teaching, as developed by previous popes.” What, after all, is Francis’ joyful embrace of the poor and the rejected—kissing a man with a terrible skin disease, visiting thousands of African migrants washed up on Europe’s shores in Lampedusa, Italy—but an echo of Jesus of Nazareth?
It’s this appeal to ordinary people that underscores just how bold Francis’ agenda truly is. He addresses his message not only to Catholics but, as his documents have insisted, to “all people of good will.” His call for society to break with “compulsive consumerism” and move to a more “sustainable” pattern of life will affect thousands of Catholic schools, parishes and hospitals throughout the United States and the world. But his plea that rich nations should turn down the air-conditioning, embrace carpooling and make other lifestyle changes has the capacity to enthuse many who do not normally look to Catholic moral theology for inspiration.
And it has left free-market advocates and politicians around the world with a troubling question: What if the people actually respond? | 0fake |
Evangelicals Sing a New Tune on Trump: 'Meeting May Be a Tipping Point' | NEW YORK -- Donald Trump seemed to help his case after meeting with hundreds of evangelical leaders in Times Square on Tuesday. He's going to need that crucial voting bloc to have a real shot at winning the presidency.
From mega-church pastors to longtime stalwarts, they heard Trump speak out about defending religious liberty, including his desire to get rid of IRS restrictions that muzzle political talk from the pulpit. Trump said a repeal may be "my biggest contribution to Christianity."
In that room, among the 900 or so evangelical leaders, there were quite a few who were not for Trump going into the meeting. After the meeting some minds seemed to change.
"The ball has moved forward a little bit. And I appreciate Mr. Trump's willingness to reach out to the evangelical community," said Matt Barber, founder and editor-in chief of BarbWire.com.
"After hearing him today, I will prayerfully consider it as a possibility, in light of the alternative," reflected Barber.
That alternative is Hillary Clinton. Trump made clear his Supreme Court picks would make them proud, unlike what Clinton might bring to the table.
Trump also talked about how evangelicals need to band together because their rights and values are under attack.
What pleased some attendees was that Trump didn't appear to make any major mistakes or give reason for pause.
"I can't remember any time during the several hours this morning that his answer disappointed or that there was chagrin about it," recalled Gary Bauer, president of American Values.
Trump's senior adviser, Sarah Huckabee, also attended the event.
"He did something that most Republican nominees in the past have refused to do and that's walk into this room and be willing to sit down, take their questions and really interact with them in a very big way," Huckabee told CBN News.
With some evangelicals still wary, the brash outsider will need more outreach, but for now at least, it seems to be working.
"As it pertains to the evangelical vote and the candidacy of Donald J. Trump, today's meeting may very well be a tipping point," predicted Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
A pro-family leader, Rodriguez says he knew plenty of pastors who were skeptical before the meeting, but inside, something changed, he said.
"After hearing his commitment, his very well-defined, articulated commitment to religious liberty and life, the Supreme Court especially, I think you saw a number of the same pastors walk out going, 'that's what I needed to hear," Rodriguez said.
And that's something the Trump campaign needed to hear after a rough few weeks of headlines.
It will be important for them to build on any progress here by getting evangelicals to move beyond words and work actively for Trump among their flocks. | 0fake |
Sarah Palin Just Openly Admitted She Prefers Being Interviewed By Children Over The Press | At this point, pretty much everyone knows that failed vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin hates the media. She hates being called out, and she hates being asked questions she just doesn t know the answer to which is pretty much every question. She clearly gets embarrassed, and instead of owning up to the fact that she just simply doesn t know an answer, she blames the press for depicting her as a moron. Little does she know, she does that to herself.However, people with narcissistic personality disorder seldom see the error in their own ways and will often shift blame. You can see this with Donald Trump and in his new #1 fan, Sarah Palin. They only see themselves as perfect and anyone who dares make them look otherwise is clearly just wrong.Case in point: Palin, upon leaving Iowa, met up with some lovely students at the Des Moines airport. She could have just left it there and said something nice, but instead she had to throw a jab at the press calling them media jackals. She also openly admitted that she prefers being interviewed by these children over credentialed professional journalists.Palin wrote on Facebook (as she does): Willow and I find it nice to be stuck in Des Moines airport with great kids like this Santa Monica class that traveled to the Iowa caucus on a field trip. (Preferable to some media jackals weather-delayed in here, too. I asked a few of them to take lessons from these 6th graders.) Such polite students, asking the best questions about our political system! Told them it was the best interview of the week! // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); // ]]>Willow and I find it nice to be stuck in Des Moines airport with great kids like this Santa Monica class that traveled Posted by Sarah Palin on Tuesday, February 2, 2016And while some may say that going after her for this post is pretty petty, let s think about that for a second. Palin has consistently gone after the lamestream media for asking her gotcha questions all the time. Gotcha questions of course being questions she has no clue how to answer and doesn t want to be perceived as an idiot, so she flips the script back on those posing the question.It makes perfect sense that Palin would want to be interviewed by a bunch of 6th graders. Individuals that she may actually know more than or at least they won t know when she s lying and making things up. Even better that they won t call her out. So, if Palin is going to make a point of telling the world that she prefers 6th graders over the media jackals, well, she deserves to be called out on it. She hates the media, because the media holds her accountable.Featured image: Flickr | 1real |
Gorka on Trump’s First 100 Days: ‘We Understand We Inherited a World on Fire’ - Breitbart | Deputy Assistant to the president Dr. Sebastian Gorka, formerly national security editor for Breitbart News, reviewed the Trump administration’s first 100 days on Friday’s Breitbart News Daily. [Gorka said one of the greatest accomplishments of the first 100 days was President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, which he described as a moment when the mainstream media’s “reportage, the politically spun reportage, was just blown out of the water”: I don’t know if you recall — on that day and the day before, for 24 hours — there was this, “he’s going to go soft on this, they’re not going to keep their promises, they’re not going to talk about the threat as it really is. ” It’s very, very interesting to go back and not just read the transcript, but watch the video, and that moment when the pauses, looks straight at the camera, and says, “the enemy is radical Islamic terrorism. ” “We’ve set the marker down that we’re going to take politics out of the threat assessment. We’re no longer going to allow political correctness to distort who the enemy is, and how we report about them,” he declared. “I’m biased because I worked on that for years at Breitbart and elsewhere,” he admitted cheerfully. “Number Two is a broader issue that spans everything, whether it’s North Korea, whether it’s Moscow, whether it’s ISIS, or anybody else, and it’s the different way of going around and doing national business that the president has brought to the table,” Gorka continued. He promised: Here I mean the complete rejection of leading from behind, of “strategic patience. ” When the vice president last week gave that address on the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan and said “the era of strategic patience is gone. The world is a dangerous place, and it is a safer place when we are helping guide and lead reactions to those threats” — not, and this is really important for your listeners, not as neoconservatives. This is not a third Bush term. But we will lead, and when people do things such as use chemical weapons against women and children, the president will take action. Dr. Gorka’s protégé and successor as Breitbart News, national security editor Frances Martel, noted that President Trump has been criticized for insisting on using the language of “radical Islamic terrorism,” but is given little credit for his outreach to Middle Eastern allies like Egypt. She asked if Gorka was satisfied with the level of engagement between the Trump administration and America’s allies. Gorka responded by inviting listeners to Google the meeting between President Trump and President Abdel Fattah of Egypt and “just look at the expression” on the latter’s face. “He’s sitting down with the leader of the free world. The smile, the body language, the positivity,” Gorka said. “We did our Muslim partners in the region a great, great disservice in the last eight years. We did not assist them in fighting the jihadis in their backyards. Think about what’s going on in the Sinai right now, with Beit an ISIS affiliate in Egypt. ” “We did some very bad things,” he recalled. “If you look at the JCPOA, the Iran deal, if you look at the unleashing of billions of dollars to Tehran, the people who are most on the frontline of the war with groups like ISIS and — our Sunni friends — felt like they had simply been left by the wayside. They felt that the last administration had chosen a side in this war, and it was the Shia extremists in Tehran. ” “We’ve changed all that. The president is clear: we are not going to fight anybody’s wars for them. We will help our friends and allies fight their own wars for themselves — with trainers, with advice, with intelligence as required. We are there for our Sunni allies: Egypt, Jordan, the Emiratis, even the Kurds of the region,” he declared. “I think what we have achieved in just the last 14 weeks, as compared to the last 8 years, sends a very clear message. We’re not about invading other people’s countries. We’re not about occupying them, but we will help our friends. There’s a certain Marine division that interestingly has supplied two of our cabinet members, and that Marine division has a very interesting motto: ‘No better friend, no worse enemy.’ I think people understand that we have started a new era in relations around the world,” said Gorka. Turning to the other major foreign policy crisis of the moment, Gorka said the Trump administration would follow “classic strategic behavior” in dealing with North Korea. “You send messages overtly, you send them implicitly,” he elaborated. “I think everybody by now understands the MOAB attack in Afghanistan, the cruise missile attack in Syria — neither of those uses of force by the president are just about the countries in which they occurred. ” “So we send implicit messages, explicit messages, but we don’t give the playbook away,” he continued. “People constantly ask me, ‘So what’s next in North Korea? What’s next with regard to relations with Russia?’ and so forth. We’re not going to give that away because that’s astrategic. When you play poker, you don’t show your hand to the people sitting around the table. ” Breitbart News Daily host Alexander Marlow joked that his propensity for showing his cards to everyone else at the table might explain his long losing streak at poker. “President Clinton did that in the Balkans in . He told the Milosevich regime what he was going to do and what he wasn’t going to do,” Gorka recalled. “And the last administration did it with Mosul, telegraphing when we’re coming and when we’re not coming, and what we’re going to do. That is a way to lose, not a way to win, and this president is all about winning. We know that. ” “The general principles will stand: American leadership is back. We have certain red lines we will act upon them should they be breached. We understand that we have inherited a world on fire,” he said. “There’s one metric I love to use: when we took office — this is according to the United Nations, hardly a hotbed of analysis — the United Nations has stated there are 65 million refugees in the world today. That is a world historic record. We had less refugees in 1945 at the cessation of hostilities that was World War II,” he pointed out. “So we know the world is a dangerous place, but we’re going to make it less dangerous by exercising strategic leadership — not in a sense, but in a patriotic sense that supports our friends and allies,” Gorka averred. Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a. m. to 9:00 a. m. Eastern. | 0fake |
Hillary IMPLODES: Trump 'Took Everything...Paid Nothing To Support Us!' | Hillary Clinton can’t believe she’s losing. | 1real |
Gundlach sees Donald Trump nomination causing 'global growth scare' | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jeffrey Gundlach, the widely followed investor who runs DoubleLine Capital, foresees a “global growth scare” between now and the end of the summer, triggered by a presidential nomination of Donald Trump. “That is where I see the vulnerabilities,” Gundlach said in a telephone interview on Monday. Trump’s protectionist policies could mean negative global growth, Gundlach warned. “As he gets the nomination, the markets and investors are going to worry about it more. You will see a downgrading of global growth based on geopolitical risks. You must factor this into your risk-management.” Trump has blamed currency devaluations around the world for hurting the U.S. economy and costing American jobs, and has called for a tougher U.S. stance on trade. “We just sit back and do nothing,” Trump said earlier this month. “That’s getting to be very dangerous as far as I’m concerned.” A more effective economic move than devaluations would be charging a tax on products made abroad and sold in the United States, particularly those from China, Trump said. Gundlach, who oversees $93 billion at Los Angeles-based DoubleLine Capital, said it isn’t premature to think about a Trump nomination. “You have to entertain the hypothetical.” Phone calls and emails to Trump’s spokeswoman were not returned. For its part, stock markets, which moved into positive territory after the U.S. Federal Reserve’s dovish move last week, will continue to track oil prices, Gundlach said, who was prescient in his call for $40 per barrel. “I think oil will have a hard time moving up to $45,” Gundlach said. The risk-reward proposition is “so bad right now because you had this easy rally” in risk markets, Gundlach said. He added: “No way I would buy junk bonds at this level.” Gundlach also criticized Fed officials for changing their stance on interest rates. “They’ve been flip-flopping like crazy over the past few months,” he said. Just three days after the Fed held interest rates and cautioned “global economic and financial developments continue to pose risks,” Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart said on Monday that the United States may be in line for an interest rate hike as soon as April given “sufficient momentum” in U.S. growth. Gundlach said it’s become obvious Fed officials are seeking guidance from markets. “If it is going to be about the markets, they should just come out and say, ‘If the S&P hits 2,100 we will tighten - and if it goes to 1,900 we will ease,” Gundlach said. | 0fake |
Carlson: Trump-Russia ’Hoax’ an Effort to Topple a Democratically Elected Government the D.C. Permanent Class Doesn’t Like - Breitbart | Friday during the opening monologue of “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” host Tucker Carlson sounded off on the effect of former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee a day earlier. [Carlson argued Comey’s testimony did not further the conspiracy narrative, which many had hoped would bring the beginning of the end to the Donald Trump presidency. “[H]ere is what is true — as of 8 p. m. Eastern time tonight, Donald Trump is still the president of the U. S. and that means on the most basic level, Comey’s testimony failed to achieve its goal. Make no mistake, removing Trump from office was the goal. ‘There was collusion, Russia hacked our election, assault to our democracy, imperils our way of life!’ You hear those all the time. You hear them every night on this show but nobody in D. C. actually believes any of that, and that’s why nobody ever explains how exactly it happened or what specifically the effects of it were. Because they have no idea. And in fact, they don’t really care. They just want Trump gone along with anyone who is in the way. Russia is just a means. ” Carlson also noted one the latest targets of this effort is Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who is under further scrutiny for having met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak for an undisclosed third time. Nonetheless, the ultimate goal of this “hoax” according to the Fox News Channel host was to topple “a democratically elected government” that people in Washington, D. C. did not like. “[A]gain, this is not about truth or fairness, much less protecting this country from foreign threats,” he added. “It’s about toppling — let’s not lie about it — a democratically elected government that the permanent class in Washington does not like. Now again, collusion with a foreign government against the interest of the United States is tantamount to treason. It is definitely a moral crime, and we would never defend it. We would attack it, of course. There is just no evidence it actually happened. This whole story is a hoax. It’s a lie that those who tell it they tell it are beginning to believe. That is the definition of mass hysteria. It is deeply hurting our country, and yet otherwise smart people press forward as if it is all entirely real despite mounting evidence it is not real at all. ” Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor | 0fake |
Denny’s Serves Up A Grand Slam Of Racism By Forcing Black Family To Pre-Pay For Meal | America s Diner Denny s, has lived up to that title if you are looking at it in the context of how much racism exists in the nation. Henry Williams and Renee Hebert settled in a lawsuit against the company, that stemmed from an incident in 2014 when an L.A. Denny s forced them to prepay for their meal because they were ordering food while black.Williams was told by employees that he would have to hand over the cash in full to cover the meal before his group would be served. Clearly, a group of black individuals going to a restaurant is suspicious enough to assume a conspiracy to do the dine and dash is in the works. Surprisingly, Williams decided to actually hand over the money rather than take his business elsewhere. Maybe he really likes the Moons Over My Hammy meal.The ridiculousness of this was so bad, that even the Denny s manager eventually realized how bad his people screwed up and tried to return the money. The manager was so desperate to give the money back that Williams actually had to tell him to stop repeatedly coming over to their table to grovel and hand over the cash because he was being a nuisance. The manager kicked it up a notch by offering free dessert, to which Williams said he wanted to box his food and leave.Williams and Hebert said that nobody else was asked to pre-pay for their meal. In court, a customer that was seated nearby at the time testified that Williams and Hebert handled the situation well: They were black. I m white. I ve never been asked to prepay. I thought it was appalling for someone in that year and time to be discriminated against like that. Denny s tried to argue against the lawsuit because the customers order was a large one, and the location had other problems with people walking out on checks before. It got pretty damning, though, when the other customer testifying on behalf of Williams said that they had seen the restaurant targeting other black patrons to pre-pay in weeks prior. I bet not every case of these was a huge order. Denny s already had a bad reputation in this area, because it had to pay $54 million in 1994 for a case of similar discrimination against black customers.The details of the settlement were not disclosed, but it would be a safe bet that it was more than the cost of a dine-and-dash.Featured image from wikicommons | 1real |
U.S. wary of Putin's declaration of military victory in Syria | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is voicing skepticism about Russian President Vladimir Putin s announcement of a major withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria and is arguing that his declaration of victory against Islamic State was premature. Putin, during a surprise visit on Monday to Russia s Hmeymim air base in Syria, declared that the work of Russian forces was largely done in backing the Syrian government against militants in the country s war following the defeat of the most battle-hardened group of international terrorists. Still, U.S. officials are challenging the Russian and Syrian portrayal of Syria as a country poised for peace once the final enclaves of the Islamic State militant group, known as ISIS, are recaptured. Syrian government forces, U.S. officials said, are too few, too poor and too weak to secure the country. Islamic State, and other militants in Syria, have ample opportunity to regroup, especially if the political grievances that drove the conflict remain unresolved, the officials said. We think the Russian declarations of ISIS defeat are premature, a White House National Security Council spokeswoman said. We have repeatedly seen in recent history that a premature declaration of victory was followed by a failure to consolidate military gains, stabilize the situation, and create the conditions that prevent terrorists from reemerging . The U.S. military in Syria, which unlike the Russians are operating there without the blessing of Damascus, has long been skeptical of Moscow s announced drawdowns. Marine Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway, a Pentagon spokesman, said the United States had not observed any significant withdrawal since Putin s announcement. Although he did not predict future moves, he said: There have been no meaningful reductions in combat troops following Russia s previous announcements planned departures from Syria. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Moscow s past announcements of pullouts led to a recalibration of Russian forces. Russia has previously used claims of partial withdrawals in order to rotate out select units for refit-and-repair, remove redundant capabilities, and reinsert alternative weapons systems better suited for the next phase of pro-regime operations, it wrote in a research note on Tuesday. The U.S. military still has around 2,000 troops in Syria and has announced that any withdrawal will be conditions-based, arguing a longer-term presence of American forces would be needed to ensure Islamic State s lasting defeat. Russia s announcement, however, suggested a different image of Syria in which foreign forces were becoming unnecessary. After turning the tide of the conflict in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad s favor, Putin wants to help broker a peace deal. A senior Trump administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the United States believed Assad would fail if he attempts to impose victor s peace. The odds of Syria breaking into a civil war again would be high without meaningful political reconciliation, the official said. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday stressed the importance of a roadmap for peace, including elections that would allow voting by Syrians overseas who fled to the conflict. And it is our belief that through that process, the Assad regime will no longer be part of that leadership, Tillerson said. | 0fake |
Teen Jackie Evancho first singer confirmed for Trump inauguration | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Classical crossover singer Jackie Evancho, who charmed TV audiences as a child on “America’s Got Talent” six years ago, will sing the U.S. national anthem at the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump - the first performer to be announced for the ceremony. Trump’s inaugural committee made the announcement on Wednesday, saying Evancho, 16, “represents the best and the brightest of America.” “I’m so excited. It’s going to be awesome,” Evancho said on the “Today” show on Wednesday. Celebrity news website TMZ reported on Wednesday that Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli would also be singing at the Jan. 20 ceremony, but there was no official confirmation. As a tiny 10-year-old, Evancho wowed Americans with her soaring soprano on classical arias like Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro,” taking second place on “America’s Got Talent.” She will follow in the footsteps of Aretha Franklin and Beyonce, who performed the “The Star-Spangled Banner” at President Barack Obama’s two inaugurations. After her “America’s Got Talent” run, Evancho became the youngest solo artist to have a platinum-selling album in the United States. She met Trump at that time and has a photo on her Facebook page of the two of them standing together. The inaugural committee has said it has “world-class talent” offering their services for the ceremony, but Evancho is the first celebrity to be announced. The inaugural committee’s chairman, Tom Barrack, quashed speculation on Tuesday that rapper Kanye West, who had a surprise meeting that day with the Republican president-elect at Trump Tower in New York, would be performing. Country singer Garth Brooks is in discussions to perform, and, according to celebrity media, other names thought to be in talks include Kid Rock, rocker Ted Nugent and country star Lee Greenwood. Beyonce, Katy Perry, Bruce Springsteen and many other leading music stars backed Democrat Hillary Clinton in the election, and Elton John last month denied a report that he would be playing for Trump. | 0fake |
Turkey says recognizing Jerusalem as capital would cause catastrophe | ANKARA (Reuters) - A formal U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would cause catastrophe and lead to new conflict in the Middle East, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Monday. Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting, Bozdag, who is also the government spokesman, said Jerusalem s status had been determined by international agreements and that preserving it was important for the peace of the region. The status of Jerusalem and Temple Mount have been determined by international agreements. It is important to preserve Jerusalem s status for the sake of protecting peace in the region, Bozdag said. If another step is taken and this step is lifted, this will be a major catastrophe. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed it, declaring the whole of the city as its capital a move not recognized internationally. Palestinians want Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump s adviser and son-in-law said Trump had not yet made a decision on whether to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital, a move that would break with decades of U.S. policy. Past U.S. presidents have insisted that the status of Jerusalem home to sites holy to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian religions must be decided in negotiations. On Saturday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan held a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in which they discussed the status of Jerusalem, sources in Erdogan s office said. The sources said Erdogan told Abbas that preserving the status of Jerusalem was important for all Muslim countries, adding that international laws and United Nations decisions should be followed on the issue. Any move by the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital would fuel extremism and violence, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Saturday. A senior Jordanian source said on Sunday that Amman has begun consultations on convening an emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation before Trump s expected declaration this week. | 0fake |
AR-15 Rifles Are Beloved, Reviled and a Common Element in Mass Shootings - The New York Times | In recent years, the has become, simultaneously, one of most beloved and most vilified rifles in the country. It is no surprise why the gun is so reviled by gun control advocates. Omar Mateen, the gunman in the attack this weekend on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla. used a spinoff of the rifle produced by SIG Sauer to kill nearly 50 people. The weapon has also been the gun of choice in several other mass shootings: at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. at a holiday party for county health workers in San Bernardino, Calif. and at the campus of Umpqua Community College in Oregon. But the National Rifle Association has taken to calling the “America’s rifle. ” Though the federal government does not keep track of exactly how many are in circulation, experts estimate that there are easily several million in the nation’s rifle racks and gun safes — a huge number, given that the gun, along with other assault weapons, was banned under federal law from 1994 to 2004. The rifle’s extraordinary popularity can be traced to a number of factors, including the ease of its use, its embodiment of a certain military glamour, and the aggressive marketing of the gun industry. The weapon was first built in the late 1950s by Eugene M. Stoner, a former Marine and the lead gun designer at the ArmaLite Division of the Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation. It was an unusual rifle for the era, made of lightweight plastics and aluminum instead of traditional materials like wood and metals. It also fired a . bullet, which was smaller and faster than the typical ammunition at the time. Partly for those reasons, the Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara, purchased the in bulk in the 1960s and, after renaming it the turned it into the standard issue for American ground troops in Vietnam. Around the same time, a civilian version of the rifle, which unlike its military counterpart could not shoot automatically, also went on sale. Today, dozens of companies produce their own version of the weapon. “Back in the day, people called it the ‘plastic rifle’ because it felt like a toy,” said Sam Andrews, the owner of Tier One Weapons Systems, a gun engineering company in Eureka, Mo. “But that’s evolved. Now people realize that light can be good. ” Because of its system, Mr. Andrews said, the has a fairly gentle recoil. The weapon is also fast and accurate, he added, able to fire, under capable hands, eight rounds in a second. “The reason it’s so popular,” Mr. Andrews said, “is that if you bring a handgun to a fight where there’s an you’re going to lose. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a man like me or a girl. ” Gun owners say that the is used for hunting, sport shooting and . The rifle is also easily accessorized with custom like flashlights, infrared scopes and a variety of grips, and is called the Lego set of the gun world. Its owners swap product reviews or share personal hacks on a wide variety of blogs and online bulletin boards. According to a 2010 survey by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, owners tend on average to have three different versions of the rifle and spend more than $400 per weapon on accessories and special modifications. Though the can be bought as cheaply as $600, the average retail price was slightly more than $1, 000, the survey found. This demand has been accompanied — some would say caused — by vigorous mass marketing campaigns by gun manufacturers, which often refer to the not as an assault rifle, but as a modern sporting rifle. Groups like the Civilian Marksmanship Program run target competitions each year that attract scores of military veterans, one of the gun’s chief sales demographics. “You’ve got lots of returning servicemen who knew the very well — how to shoot it, clean it, take it apart,” said Jim Scoutten, the executive producer of Shooting USA, a shooting sports television channel. “And when they come back, in many cases they acquire the civilian version. ” The is also heavily marketed to younger gun enthusiasts who are attracted to the highly militarized, Special Operations culture that has become increasingly prevalent in action movies and video games like “Call of Duty. ” In 2014, the Violence Policy Center, which advocates gun control, did a study of the marketing efforts by the Freedom Group, one of the world’s largest gun manufacturers. It found that many of the company’s advertisements used martial images of men in tactical gear and slogans like “Built to Be as Tough as the Job” and “Bravery on Duty. ” The study quotes an article in Shooting Sports Retailer, a gun industry trade magazine, warning salesmen to be wary of certain buyers. “Many of the new shooters attracted to tactical guns for their first firearms purchase will think that they know guns because they’ve played a lot of first‐person shooter video games,” the article says. “Gamers inspired by ‘Call of Duty’ to purchase their first gun will eventually discover that they have a lot to learn. ” But despite such admonitions, the gun industry has used the popularity of these games to sell its products to “a youthful, aggressive, technologically savvy generation,” said Josh Koskoff, a lawyer representing the families of Newtown, Conn. in a lawsuit against the industry. In researching his suit, Mr. Koskoff said that he found screen shots from “Call of Duty” of that bear the names of gun manufacturers. To Josh Sugarman, the founder of the Violence Policy Center, the manufacturers’ attempts to push the among the younger set stem from a stark realization about the future of the industry. “The traditional demographic — white males — is aging and slowly dying off,” Mr. Sugarman said. “So they’re marketing the to the next generation as the new, shiny thing. ” | 0fake |
U.S. Treasury's Mnuchin drafting new N. Korea sanctions: Fox News | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Sunday that he would put together a package of new sanctions to potentially cut off all trade with North Korea after Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test. Speaking on Fox News, Mnuchin said he would ask U.S. President Donald Trump to strongly consider cutting off all trade with new sanctions. “If countries want to do business with the United States, they obviously will be working with our allies and others to cut off North Korea economically,” he said. | 0fake |
Loretta Lynch: Federal Government Must ’Hold Police Accountable’ | Outgoing Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the federal government has a mandate to hold police officers accountable for their actions. [“You’ve got to hold police accountable, you’ve got to help them hold themselves accountable, and you’ve got to build in community accountability,” she told the Associated Press in an interview published Saturday. Lynch also said that relationships between the Justice Department and local law enforcement had improved. Her comments come a day after the Justice Department released a scathing report on the Chicago Police Department’s civil rights violations, the Hill reported. Lynch, who was sworn in as attorney general in April 2015, took charge during a period where there was much criticism about police practices in black communities, and she made it a department priority to go after civil rights violations. Sen. Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, plans to change the focus of the Justice Department to highlight issues such as national security and immigration. Lynch’s tenure as attorney general has been marked by massacres by violent extremists, hacking attempts from overseas, and an election season investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server. Lynch also drew criticism for an unplanned meeting with Bill Clinton on an airport tarmac in Phoenix. Lynch said she wished she had never met Bill Clinton on the tarmac, Breitbart reported. | 0fake |
Supreme Court Blocks Order Allowing Transgender Student Restroom Choice - The New York Times | WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday temporarily blocked a court order that had allowed a transgender boy to use the boys’ bathroom in a Virginia high school. The vote was 5 to 3, with Justice Stephen G. Breyer joining the court’s more conservative members “as a courtesy. ” He said that this would preserve the status quo until the court decided whether to hear the case. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented. The court’s order has no effect on any other case. The move came amid a national debate over transgender rights. A North Carolina law that requires transgender people to use bathrooms in government buildings that correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificates has drawn protests, boycotts and lawsuits. A directive from the Obama administration threatening schools with the loss of federal money for discrimination based on gender identity has been challenged in court by more than 20 states. The case in the Supreme Court concerns Gavin Grimm, who was born female but identifies as a male and will soon start his senior year at Gloucester High School in southeastern Virginia. For a time, school administrators allowed Mr. Grimm to use the boys’ bathroom, but the local school board adopted a policy that required students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms for their “corresponding biological genders. ” The board added that “students with gender identity issues” would be allowed to use private bathrooms. Mr. Grimm sued, and a divided panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in Richmond, Va. ruled the policy unlawful. A trial judge then ordered school officials to let Mr. Grimm use the boys’ bathroom. The school board has said that it will file a petition in late August asking the Supreme Court to hear its appeal. In the meantime, the board submitted an emergency application that asked the justices to let school officials continue to bar Mr. Grimm from the boys’ bathroom. The alternative, the board’s lawyers said, was harm to “the basic expectations of bodily privacy” and “severe disruption to the school in the upcoming school year. ” The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents Mr. Grimm, responded that the trial court’s order did not amount to the kind of irreparable harm that warrants a stay from the Supreme Court, as it concerned a single student in a single high school which has taken steps to increase privacy in restrooms for all students. The legal question in the case, Gloucester County School Board v. G. G. No. 16A52, is whether the Obama administration was entitled to interpret a regulation under Title IX, a 1972 law that bans discrimination “on the basis of sex” in schools that receive federal money, to ban discrimination based on gender identity. The regulation, adopted in 1975, allowed schools to provide “separate toilet, locker rooms and shower facilities on the basis of sex. ” Last year, the federal Department of Education weighed in on the Gloucester School Board’s policy, saying schools “generally must treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity. ” In May, the department issued a more general directive that said schools may lose federal money if they discriminate against transgender students. The Fourth Circuit said the 1975 regulation was ambiguous and that the department’s interpretation of it was entitled to “controlling weight. ” Under a 1997 Supreme Court decision, Auer v. Robbins, agencies’ interpretations of their own regulations are generally entitled to deference. The Auer decision has been the subject of much criticism, and several justices have urged the Supreme Court to revisit the ruling. In a dissent in May, Justice Clarence Thomas said it was “on its last gasp. ” | 0fake |
Michelle Malkin SCHOOLED The Idiots On ‘The View’ On Obama’s LIES To America. They’re SPEECHLESS! | Ads Michelle Malkin SCHOOLED The Idiots On ‘The View’ On Obama’s LIES To America. They’re SPEECHLESS! Oct 29, 2016 Previous post
For those of you who don’t know who Michell Malkin is, she is an author, blogger, columnist, and has recurring appearances on Fox News and other conservative media outlets. Malkin is one of the smartest and most accurate proponents in all of conservative media. If Ann Coulter is at the top, Malkin is in a close second.
The View on the other hand, is filled with the biggest liberal dummies you can imagine. None of which are bigger or more insane than Joy Behar. Every time a political pundit or personality comes on the show, Behar always has to throw in her $.02 even though she has never held any office in her life, yet she talks like her s*** doesn’t stink and she knows everything.
Well this time when Malkin was on, she had enough. As they discussed her book about corruption in the Obama campaign, Malkin let her have it.
FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE CLICK LINK | 1real |
Construction Spending Is A Lagging Indicator and It’s Sinking | Construction Spending Is A Lagging Indicator and It's Sinking By Lee Adler. The Commerce Department reported this week that total construction spending fell in September by 0.4% on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis. Economists had guessed that the figure would rise by 0.5%. This was the largest decline in the seasonally finagled headline number in 9 months. | 1real |
Putin, Trump agree to work together on Syria, set up meeting: Kremlin | MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia’s Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call on Tuesday to try to meet in July and work together to try to strengthen a shaky ceasefire in Syria, the Kremlin said in a statement. The Kremlin, which called the talks between Putin and Trump business-like and constructive, said the two leaders had emphasized coordinating their actions to fight international terrorism. On North Korea, the Kremlin said Putin called for restraint and that the two leaders had agreed to work together to make diplomatic progress there too. Both men also spoke in favor of organizing a face-to-face meeting around the time of the G20 summit in Hamburg in July, according to the Kremlin statement. | 0fake |
FS1’s Rob Parker: Patriots Should ’Whitewash’ the White House - Black Players Should Boycott - Breitbart | On the Friday Fox Sports 1 “Undisputed” broadcast, contributor Rob Parker weighed in on the New England Patriots players visiting the White House April 19 to celebrate their Super Bowl LI victory over the Atlanta Falcons with President Donald Trump. Parker called for a White House “whitewash,” saying all of the black Patriots players should boycott the visit. “I think there should be a whitewash at the White House, and I mean black players should boycott the visit,” Parker said. “When a guy shows you his cards and tells you what he thinks of you and your people and minorities in this country, take notice, because he’s telling you the truth. I think if you’re a black player and you’re going there just to take a photo op with the guy who has basically said and done the things that he’s done to this point, what would be the purpose of that?” Parker went on to applaud 2016 Patriots defensive lineman Chris Long, a white player, for not going but said the minority players are the ones who should be boycotting the visit. Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent | 0fake |
Foreign Governments Have Been Giving Elections To Republicans For Decades | During the revelations that Russia had a giant hand in influencing our election, one word has been used throughout the media: unprecedented. Well, unprecedented is not exactly true. While it is true that Russia s hacking has been blatant and Trump s involvement is becoming undeniable, this isn t the first time a foreign and hostile government has played a role in installing a Republican leader and we don t have to go very far back to see examples.Nearly 50 years ago, in 1968, the most famously scandal-ridden President began his term under a scandal. After his Democratic opponent Vice President Hubert Humphrey switched course from his president, Lyndon B. Johnson, and promised that we would pull out of the Vietnam war, Nixon began falling in the polls. On October 30th, Johnson, though, announced that there would be peace talks and Nixon s lead disappeared. So, Nixon invited Vietnam to intervene.Nixon s team met secretly with Anna Chan Chennault, a wealthy supporter of Taiwanese President Chiang Kai-shek, co-chair of Republican Women for Nixon and confidante of South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu. At Nixon s behest, Chennault informed Thieu that Nixon would secure a better deal for his country than either Humphrey or Johnson, and that the Democrats were effectively prepared to sell out Saigon in order to secure peace at any price. If Chennault could convince Thieu to stay away from the negotiating table, the talks would collapse, LBJ would look foolish and the Democrats 11th-hour gambit would fail.Johnson and the Democrats knew it was happening. The National Security Agency had intercepted cables between Thieu and his D.C. ambassador.( [I am] still in contact with the Nixon entourage, which continues to be the favorite despite the uncertainty provoked by the news of an imminent bombing halt, one communiqu began.) On the basis of these cables, LBJ ordered the FBI to tap Chennault s phone; the bureau, in turn, concluded that she contacted Vietnamese Ambassador Bui Diem and advised him that she had received a message from her boss (not further identified) which her boss wanted her to give personally to the ambassador. She said the message was that the ambassador is to hold on, we are gonna win and that her boss also said, Hold on, he understands all of it. Johnson didn t mince words. He called it treason, and a gross violation of the Logan Act, which prohibits civilians from negotiating with foreign governments. Still, there wasn t enough to firmly plant the smoking gun in Nixon s hands, so the American people didn t have this bit of information before the election.South Vietnam pulled out of the peace talks and well, we got a President Nixon. The rest is history, and well, people should be reminded that an administration that begins in scandal will likely end in scandal.The second recent instance happened fewer than 40 years ago. In 1979, university students in Tehran, Iran stormed the American embassy there and took 63 American hostages. In hindsight, we were kind of asking for it. In 1953, the CIA helped overthrow Iran s government because of oil. Instead, we installed the Shah, who was corrupt and brutal. When the Shah fell in 1979, then President Jimmy Carter allowed the Shah to seek medical treatment for cancer in the United States. Iran s new leader, Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhulla Musawi Khomeini, who hated us anyway, demanded extradition so the Shah could face trial. Carter refused.Still, as we were nearing the election, it appeared that the hostage situation was coming to a resolution, which would have nearly assured Carter of reelection. The Reagan camp couldn t let that happen. Reagan s campaign manager, William Casey talked to sources close to the ayatollah and convinced them to delay the release of the hostages. Reagan went on to win the election and the hostages were released on inauguration day.Of course, details of both these cases are different from the details in the Trump/Russia hacking scandal, but I would argue that today we are in a worse situation. By helping Trump, Russia is providing themselves blackmail ammo in case Trump does something they might not find agreeable. More than that, though, in the days when cyber security is at the top of everyone s minds, what Russia has done to us is as dangerous as any terrorist act and the ramifications are far bigger. Trump has allowed a hostile foreign government to infiltrate our electronic communication, which is almost everything. What s next, credit card information and IRS records of individuals who speak out against Trump?The bottom line is that we can t allow Donald Trump to take office. There s too much at stake. We can t afford another Nixon. We can t even afford another Reagan.Featured image via Sean Gallup/Getty Images. | 1real |
null | BC and AD mean nothing to these idiots. Seventh century founded religion has priority and historical significance over Judaism and Christianity which predate 0 year and centuries earlier? Again, the UN should go the way of the League of Nations. | 1real |
Trump Willing To Discuss Solar Powered Border Wall If Everyone Agrees It Was His Idea | Trump took some time today during a White House meeting with Republican congressional leaders to brag about his new ideas for the border wall. According to three meeting attendees, Trump proposed that the wall could be covered with solar panels, and pay for the cost of the wall with the electricity it generated.Trump was happy about his idea of a wall that was up to 50 feet high and solar panel covered. He bragged that they would be beautiful structures, because most walls are only 14 or 15 feet high, and these ones would be taller and better.Trump did have one caveat going forward with solar panel border wall discussion he insisted that lawmakers could talk about it as long as they told everyone it was his idea! The truth is, obviously, it wasn t. But remember, we have a toddler for a President.A solar panel covered wall was actually proposed in a bid submitted during a U.S. requests for wall designs at the beginning of the year, according to a report by the AP. The companies who get the contracts will likely be announced later this month.This begs the question can we use the President s toddler tendencies for the good of the planet? Maybe all we need to do to get Trump to support renewable energy is to give him credit for coming up with it and give him extra praise like a three-year-old who ate his vegetables. You did it, Trumpy!Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images | 1real |
Hunting ‘Turr’ in Newfoundland’s Frigid Waters - The New York Times | BONAVISTA, Newfoundland — Shannon Mouland steadied himself in an aluminum boat, shotgun raised, as a murre skittered above the waters of the North Atlantic. Boom! And the bird cartwheeled into the sea. It’s “turr” season on The Rock, as this massive inkblot of an island is affectionately known. Turr is the local name for the murre, which looks something like a diminutive, flying penguin, and men in boats are blasting away at it in the only legal, hunt of migratory seabirds in North America. The pastime harks back to the days when Newfoundlanders supplemented meager winter diets with fresh meat on the wing, eating everything from clownish puffins to the great northern gannet. Conservation efforts gradually put most of the island’s estimated 350 seabird species off limits. But the taste for turr was so entrenched that allowing the hunt to continue became a precondition for Newfoundland to join Canada in 1949. “Our fathers would come back with the boats piled high with turr,” Mr. Mouland recalled, gripping a green rope to steady himself as the boat hammered over the steely waves. Here along Newfoundland’s treeless, coast, hardy men (and some women) rise before dawn and motor their boats out into the open sea in search of the birds that come to feed on small forage fish. They are remarkable animals, spending most of their lives on the ocean and visiting land only to pack tightly together on the rocky cliffs of northeastern Canada and Greenland for a few months each summer while the females lay their one speckled blue egg. The eggs are pointed on one end so that they roll like a top in a tight circle, preventing them from falling off cliff ledges and into the sea. The murres’ short wings act as flippers underwater, allowing them to swim nimbly and swiftly in search of fish. They are the flying birds in the world, capable of plummeting as deep as 600 feet in little more than a minute. But those wings make them less agile in the air and slow to take off from the water, leaving them an easy target for hunters. “Turr!” Mr. Mouland shouted, pointing to his left, and Jerry Hussey, clad in a forest green slicker and matching overalls, swung the boat toward a small bird bobbing in the waves 100 feet away. Boom, again. Mr. Mouland picked the bird out of the water and whacked its head against the gunwale to ensure that it was dead. Before long, a plastic bin in the boat was lined with the birds, their snowy white breasts and sleek heads flecked with blood. The Canadian Wildlife Service estimates that about 100, 000 murres are killed in the hunt each year. But the common murre population in Canada has increased over the past 15 years, while the murre population remains stable. There are millions more murres elsewhere, making the genus one of the Artic’s most abundant seabirds. But as the hunt intensifies, many people are beginning to ask whether the annual cull needs better regulation. “Just because we don’t have evidence of the population decreasing doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have strong conservation rules,” said Bill Montevecchi, an ornithologist at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He supports the hunt but believes existing rules should be enforced more seriously. In the old days, men hunted murres in rowboats with shotguns, sending their dogs into the frigid water to fetch the fallen prey. Now, many hunters have boats that cut through sea ice, and outboard engines that can move boats faster than the birds. While regulations prohibit guns from being loaded with more than three shells at a time, most hunters these days use or semiautomatic shotguns that can fire those rounds in seconds. The murre hunt has a long tradition in Newfoundland, where seabirds, from great auks to eiders, provided sailors with protein after the long voyage from Europe. Eating seabirds and seals later sustained coastal populations through Newfoundland’s long, frozen winters. Murres and eiders were the most available sources of winter protein until the 1960s, when electricity and refrigeration changed eating habits. Before then, some families consumed as many as 400 birds a year. When Newfoundland became a province, it fell under the Migratory Bird Treaty between the United States and Canada, which would have outlawed the hunt if the two countries had not agreed to let it continue. The treaty was finally amended in the 1990s to specifically grant Newfoundland residents the right to hunt murres. Under the treaty, hunters must buy permits, and Canada’s environmental protection agency carved Newfoundland into four zones with progressively later murre hunting seasons that run from September to March. The regulations set a limit on what each hunter can kill in a day, and a limit on how many a hunter can possess at one time. But enforcement is lax, and abuses are common. Discarded carcasses reported around Newfoundland suggest that some hunters are killing more than the law allows or than they can consume. The most hunters now follow the season from zone to zone with their boats on trailers. It is not uncommon for there to be more than 100 boats chasing murres off Newfoundland’s narrow bays, the boom of shotguns ricocheting over the water. Newfoundlanders are well aware of the dangers of overexploitation. A mariner, Sir Richard Whitbourne, wrote in 1622 that great auks, a flightless relative of the murre, were found in “infinite abundance” along the Newfoundland coast. But by the century, the birds had been clubbed to extinction, their feathers used to stuff mattresses. The less numerous Labrador duck and Eskimo curlew suffered the same fate. Some people worry that murres may become vulnerable as global warming and overfishing deplete their food supply. Hundreds of thousands of murres died of apparent starvation in the northeastern Pacific Ocean earlier this year, the largest recorded of the species. Some murre colonies in Greenland, where hunters are allowed to target nesting birds, were wiped out decades ago and show no signs of recovering. Without stricter regulations to prevent overhunting, critics warn, a sudden environmental shock could send Newfoundland’s murre population plummeting. That frustrates Mr. Mouland and his friends, who say they are already fenced in by too many rules. They cannot, for example, catch two species of fish in one boat, even if they have a license for each. “There’s food in your front yard, but you’re not allowed to take it,” Mr. Hussey said. Still, there is a sense of resignation that more rules are coming. “The law’s going to get stricter,” muttered Darren Abbot, painstakingly plucking pinfeathers from one of the dead birds in Mr. Mouland’s work shed. “They claim turrs are getting a little bit scarce. ” Mike Fleming, preparing a bowl of stuffing, responded with an expletive. “Some years they don’t migrate this way, but this year is a phenomenal year,” he said, his hands mixing bread, chopped onions and a sprinkling of savory, Newfoundland’s most popular herb. The men fell into a spirited discussion about bureaucrats who make rules from offices far away without having ever spent time on the ocean. “They don’t like any hunt, but they like their Kentucky fried,” Mr. Fleming said, adding that he thought it was more humane for a murre to live its life in the wild and be shot than for a chicken to live its life in a tiny cage and be slaughtered. Mr. Hussey said his family ate what he had killed or caught five nights a week. Murre is on the table once or twice a month. As the men bantered among themselves, the conversation became increasingly unintelligible to an outsider: Newfoundland’s rural accent is a thick stew of Irish and West Country English inflection, with a dash of Gaelic and French, that has bubbled together during a couple of hundred years of isolation. Mr. Mouland put the birds in the oven, and the men turned to filleting the day’s catch of cod. Though the stuffed birds weigh only about two pounds each, they take two or three hours of roasting before they are tender. One local joke is that you put a turr and a rock into a pot, and when the rock is soft, you know the turr is done. Eventually, Mr. Mouland appeared back in the shed with the “scoff o’ turr,” as a meal of the bird is called here. The men dug in unceremoniously, slicing and forking and salting big bites until there was little left of two birds but bones and a bit of gravy. The meat is dark and oily and has a fishy aftertaste that divides fans from foes along fairly stark lines. But the rich protein is full of vitamin E and fatty acids concentrated from the birds’ steady diet of fish. It’s no wonder that it became a principal part of the winter regimen. Mr. Fleming recounted an old joke about a man who complains that the turr is tough. The retort: “It’d be a lot tougher if there was nothing to eat!” | 0fake |
Daily Mail forced to lie down in darkened room after confirmation Prince Harry’s girlfriend is mixed-race | Tuesday 8 November 2016 Daily Mail forced to lie down in darkened room after confirmation Prince Harry’s girlfriend is mixed-race
The Daily Mail has been forced to go and lie down in a darkened room for a while after learning that Prince Harry’s new girlfriend is one of those ‘brown ones’.
Doctors were called after the newspaper reported feeling faint at reading the Kensington Palace statement confirming the relationship.
The Daily Mail explained, “I know we’ve been reporting the relationship for days, but we’d hoped against hope it wasn’t really true.
“Sure, we’ve trawled her entire career and social feeds going back years to find video clips and photos that might make her look unsuitable as a girlfriend for a member of our royal family, all without ever saying it’s just because she’s a brown foreigner – but you kinda knew that, right?
“I mean, we can’t just say we don’t like her because she’s brown and foreign. Otherwise, we’d probably find our editor Paul Dacre being reported to himself in his other role at the Press Complaints Commission. That wouldn’t be good for anyone.
“But now it’s bloody well confirmed she’s definitely going out with him, and.. well… oh hear, I’m coming over all faint again.
“Do you realise that any child they might have would be 6th in line to the throne?! Can you imagine, a BROWN king!!”
At that point the doctors asked us to leave so they could administer an emergency sedative. | 1real |
CNN’s Stelter: Flynn ’A Big Moment for Investigative Journalism’ - Breitbart | .@brianstelter: Good journalism led to the revelations about Flynn that resulted in his resignation https: . On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “New Day,” CNN Senior Media Correspondent and “Reliable Sources” host Brian Stelter said the controversy that led to the resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was “a big moment for investigative journalism. ” Stelter said, “These journalists who did not ask about Flynn, they looked bad yesterday afternoon, they look even worse now, now that Flynn has resigned. ” He added, “And, by the way, a big moment for investigative journalism. This has been a story led by the Washington Post, the New York Times, the CNNs of the world. If it weren’t for journalists digging, digging, digging into this, we wouldn’t know about it. So, when you hear about anonymous sources, when you hear about leaks from the White House, or from the government, this is why that’s so important for us. ” ( RCP Video) Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett | 0fake |
Chinese police detain 11 over deadly Tianjin skyscraper fire | BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police have detained 11 people in connection with a deadly skyscraper fire in the northern port city of Tianjin, the municipal government said on Sunday, after an investigation found numerous fire code violations. The blaze which killed 10 and injured five early on Friday morning was caused by renovation materials catching fire on the 38th floor of a serviced apartment building, the Tianjin government said in a post on its official Weibo account. It said the companies responsible for the renovations had left a fire prevention water tank empty, rendering firefighting equipment useless and allowing the fire to spread quickly. Fire safety has come under scrutiny and attracted increased media attention in China after a deadly blaze last month killed 19 in the far southern fringe of Beijing, which has led to citywide evictions seen by some people as unfairly targeting the vulnerable underclass. Sparks from drilling work caused a blaze at a warehouse storing rubber products in a logistics park in China s eastern Shandong province on Friday, though no casualties were reported. On Sunday, another fire broke out at a small insulation factory in Xian, in northwestern Shaanxi province. No casualties were reported. All but one of the dead in the Tianjin fire were renovation workers who were sleeping on site, against regulations. All were men and all were migrant workers from other Chinese provinces. Tianjin party secretary Li Hongzhong said authorities would carry out citywide fire safety inspections in response to Friday s blaze, the official Tianjin Daily reported. | 0fake |
Trump Caught In Huge Lie About His Shady Foundation | Donald Trump is still using his Twitter account to push big, ridiculous lies about his troubled personal foundation, the Donald J. Trump Foundation. Despite his success in the presidential election, it seems Trump just can t let go of the issue since it s still generating negative headlines for him.In a tweet Trump claimed that 100% of money donated to the foundation goes to wonderful charities, but as the Huffington Post reports, that is a total lie about how the foundation has operated over the years of its existence.The Donald J. Trump Foundation, established in 1987, admitted to the Internal Revenue Service just last year that it engaged in self-dealing, a prohibited practice in which a nonprofit leader uses an organization s money to benefit his or her own interests.According to a Washington Post report earlier this month, the foundation s 2015 tax filings confirmed it had transferred income or assets to a disqualified person that year (in this case, a disqualified person could be Trump himself or a member of his family or business) and had engaged in similar practices in previous years.While the media fixated on the optics and right-wing innuendo about the Clinton Foundation (much of that smear financed by the head of Breitbart by the way), Trump s foundation escaped much of the same scrutiny despite its admittedly illegal behavior.Additionally, the Trump Foundation donated money to a political group associated with Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, who dropped a probe of Trump University at the same time. The IRS fined the foundation over that behavior.He also used the foundation as a slush fund to settle multiple lawsuits that had been personally filed against him, instead of using his own bank accounts to do so. This behavior has continued to cast suspicion on Trump s claim that he is a billionaire, and his refusal to release his taxes hasn t helped alleviate those thoughts.Featured image via Flickr | 1real |
Trump says to host India's Modi for U.S. visit later this year: White House | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the United States later this year, during a phone call on Tuesday in which the leaders discussed economic and defense cooperation. In its readout of the conversation, the White House said the two leaders also discussed security in South and Central Asia. The region includes Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are still battling Taliban militants, and Pakistan. The two leaders “resolved that the United States and India stand shoulder to shoulder in the global fight against terrorism,” according to the readout that was posted on the White House website. Tweeting from his personal account, Modi said his conversation with Trump had been “warm”, and that they would work closely in the coming days to further strengthen bilateral ties. He also invited Trump to visit India. The U.S.-India relationship has flourished of late and New Delhi is hopeful that this will continue under Trump, who courted the votes of the Indian diaspora in his presidential run. Trump’s pledge to ban immigration by Muslims from countries he says harbor Islamic militants has also played well among Modi’s Hindu-nationalist base, which is hostile to Pakistan. There are concerns, though, that Trump may pull back the U.S. security umbrella from the region, exposing India to a rising China. His tough line on immigration and “America First” jobs policy could make it tougher for India’s information technology sector to send staff to the U.S. to do project work. | 0fake |
Sustainable salt water battery won’t corrode and can power your home for 10 years | Sustainable salt water battery won't corrode and can power your home for 10 years Nov 14, 2016 0 0
A new home battery has been developed and released that runs off of salt water instead of acid, making for a sustainably created piece of technology that can charge your home for years .
Conventional lead-acid batteries use two lead plates, submerged in a solution of sulfuric acid and water. The sulfuric acid is highly toxic and can burn and damage the environment if the battery leaks. These batteries use a solution of salt water instead of acid and the results are astounding.
As opposed to lead-acid batteries, which can only be discharged to about 50% of their capacity, these salt water batteries can be discharged to 90%, meaning they can utilized 40% more of their energy per charge.
Each battery can handle 3,000 discharges, meaning they can last 3,000 days and nights. They are also stackable, useful for increasing your power needs.
Another awesome feature is that these batteries won’t catch on fire like lead-acid batteries.
If you’re interested in purchasing one, you can, through Aquion’s website . They are sustainably sourced and built and they don’t corrode.
Legit. | 1real |
HILARIOUS! VIDEO Shows Pattern Of CNN Cutting News Feed When Guests Share Opposing Views | 1real | |
WATCH: Paul Ryan Basically Admits Republicans Will Kill Birth Control Coverage For Women | Republicans are frothing at the mouth with excitement that Donald Trump could be the rubber stamp president they have been looking for.Paul Ryan has wanted to repeal Obamacare ever since it became law, not because it s a bad law as he and others in the GOP have claimed, but because it s the signature achievement of America s first black president. And they intend to do so no matter how many millions of Americans are harmed.One particular group of women who would be harmed is women.Women benefit from Obamacare because the law prevents insurance companies from labeling them as a pre-existing condition just for being a woman. Women can also keep their children on their insurance plan until they reach the age of 26 and get easier access to birth control, which insurance companies are required to cover.One would think Republicans would be all for this last benefit, especially since better access to contraception prevents unwanted pregnancies, therefore reducing the abortion rate.But during an interview with CNN s Jake Tapper, the current Speaker of the House literally refused to confirm whether or not the birth control mandate in Obamacare is safe. I m not going to get into all the little nitty-gritty details of these things, Ryan said, which drew a sharp rebuke from Tapper. With all due respect, Tapper began. I don t know that the average woman of childbearing years out there who relies upon contraception provided by health insurance mandated by the Affordable Care Act, I don t know that she would think that that s just a nitty-gritty detail. Ryan responded by whining. You re asking me details about legislation that hasn t been written yet! Ryan complained. I m not going to get into hypotheticals about legislation that hasn t even been drafted. Here s the video via YouTube:In other words, Paul Ryan basically just admitted that Republicans will kill the Obamacare birth control mandate. He s just too much of a coward to say so because he knows women will be pissed off.Women should be able to have just as much access to birth control as men do. Men should not be allowed to legislate what women are allowed to do with their bodies, and that includes the decision to use contraception. But as usual, Republicans intend to wage war on women unlike anything we ve ever seen before.Featured Image: Screenshot | 1real |
GRAB THE POPCORN: Bernie Sanders Campaign Manager Hammers the DNC For Holding The Campaign ‘Hostage’ | Wow! The DNC is pushing for a coronation of Hillary and doing everything it can to stop Bernie Whoa! | 1real |
Over 500 Anglophones arrested in Cameroon after demonstrations: Amnesty | YAOUNDE (Reuters) - More than 500 people have been swept up in mass arrests following violent demonstrations in Cameroon s English-speaking regions earlier this month, Amnesty International said on Friday. Troops and attack helicopters opened fire on protesters calling for independence at rallies on Oct. 1, killing more than 20 people and escalating a long-simmering conflict with the Francophone-dominated central government. A central government spokesman was not available for comment on Friday, but authorities have repeatedly denied that soldiers use disproportionate force against protesters. English-speaking communities in the Northwest and Southwest regions say they suffer economic and social discrimination at the hands of the government of long-time leader President Paul Biya. Amnesty said in a statement that hundreds of people have been arbitrarily detained since the protests in Buea, the capital of Southwest region, including as many as 100 as they walked to church the following week in the Mile 16 area of the city. Some have been charged with secession, others with not possessing identity papers, destruction of public property or failing to respect an order by the governor banning protests and other public activities. This mass arrest of protesters, most of whom were acting peacefully, is not only a violation of human rights, but is also likely to be counter-productive, said Ilaria Allegrozzi, Amnesty s Lake Chad region researcher. The protests have rallied opposition against Biya, who has ruled for the last 35 years, and given momentum to the more radical separatist activists, some of them armed, among Cameroon s 5 million English speakers. Amnesty also said local prisons have become overcrowded because of the mass arrests, and some wounded protesters have fled hospitals out of fear of arrest. Demonstrations in the English-speaking regions began nearly a year ago when Anglophone lawyers and teachers protested against having to work in French, saying it showed the wider marginalization of the English-speaking minority. Cameroon s linguistic divide is a legacy of World War One, when the League of Nations divided the former German colony of Kamerun between allied French and British victors. | 0fake |
House Witness on Libya: ’Moscow’s Foothold in Libya Is Growing’ | WASHINGTON, D. C. — Moscow’s foothold in Libya “is growing” as Russian President Vladimir Putin “increasingly” supports former Gen. Khalifa Haftar, the leader of the opposition to the United Government of National Accord (GNA) an expert on Russian foreign policy tells a House panel. [In March, Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the head of U. S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) told the Senate Armed Services that Russia’s intervention in Libya, including Putin’s support for Gen. Haftar, dubbed the “new” Muammar Gaddafi, is “very concerning” for the American military. Although Russia has hosted both Gen. Haftar and Libyan Prime Minister Fayez who serves as the chief of the GNA, Putin favors the opposition leader. During a hearing on Russia’s objectives in the Muslim world held Thursday by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, Anna Borshchevskaya, an expert on Russian foreign policy at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told lawmakers: Moscow’s foothold in Libya is growing. This issue is important to watch in the months ahead. Putin increasingly supports Libya’s Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who controls the eastern part of the country but wants more. With the fall of Muammar [Gaddafi] in October 2011, Russia lost not only several billion dollars’ worth of investments but also access to the Benghazi port. U. S. militias overthrew and executed Libyan dictator Gaddafi (also spelled Qadhafi) in 2011. Borshchevskaya noted: Haftar (who served under Qadhafi) pursues an agenda and looks to Putin to help secure his leadership in Libya at the expense of the civilian government. Haftar is a deeply polarizing figure, one that by expert accounts is the wrong choice for the country. Echoing other assessments, American Gen. Waldhauser indicated that Gen. Haftar represents an opportunity for Russia to fill the vacuum left by former President Barack Obama’s administration. “Russia provides the Tobruk government [led by Haftar] with military advice and diplomatic support at the UN,” the Russian foreign policy expert told the House panel. “In May 2016, Moscow reportedly printed nearly 4 billion Libyan dinars (approximately $2. 8 billion) for Libya’s Central Bank and transferred the money to a branch loyal to Haftar. ” Borshchevskaya continued: In the context of growing tensions with Tripoli, Haftar made two trips to Moscow in the second half of 2016, and in January of this year, he toured the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov as it returned home from Syrian waters. While aboard the Kuznetsov, Haftar held a video call with Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu and reportedly talked about fighting terrorism in the Middle East. This February, Moscow flew approximately seventy of Haftar’s wounded soldiers to Russia for treatment. Moscow has denied allegations that it considers establishing military bases in Libya with Haftar’s support, Borshchevskaya pointed out. “Russia is trying to exert influence on the ultimate decision of who becomes, and what entity becomes, in charge of the government inside Libya,” the AFRICOM chief told Senators in March. “They’re working to influence that decision. ” Russia’s objectives in the Middle East and North Africa are to support other dictators as well as undermine U. S. influence and democratic efforts, the experts told the House members Thursday. “Putin’s objectives in the Middle East have been consistent both with his domestic behavior and with his approach to other parts of the world: support fellow dictators and undermine efforts at democratization — what his Foreign Police Concept refers to as ‘ideological values … imposed from outside,’” Mr. Vladimir the vice chairman of the organization Open Russia, told lawmakers Thursday. | 0fake |
Russia's Sochi to host Syrian peoples congress on Nov. 18: RIA cites source | MOSCOW (Reuters) - The first congress of Syrian peoples will be held in Russia s Black Sea resort of Sochi on Nov. 18, the RIA news agency cited a source close to the Astana peace talks on Syria as saying on Tuesday. The participants of the congress plan to discuss Syria s future constitution, the source told RIA. | 0fake |
U.S. Syria strikes unlikely to halt Tillerson Moscow visit: Ifax | MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. missile strikes on a Syrian air base are unlikely to halt U.S. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson’s planned visit to Moscow next week, the head of the Russian lower house of parliament’s international affairs committee said on Friday. “I don’t think this will impact Tillerson’s visit, we need to restore dialogue. We should welcome Tillerson, exchange views and try and talk sense into Washington,” Leonid Slutsky told the Russia 24 television channel, Interfax reported. “That’s much better than hiding behind walls.” Tillerson is due to visit Russia for talks next week. The United States on Friday fired dozens of cruise missiles at a Syrian air base from which it said a deadly chemical weapons attack was launched this week. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the action “aggression against a sovereign nation” on a “made-up pretext”. | 0fake |
Alabama House speaker's ethics trial roils state politics | (Reuters) - Opening statements in the ethics trial of Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard got underway on Tuesday in a political drama that could rattle the Republican Party controlling the state, where two other top party leaders are ensnared in separate scandals. The proceedings against Hubbard, a powerful Republican who faces 23 ethics violations, involve actions taken in office and while he was a state party chairman. Alabama’s governor and chief judicial officer also face scrutiny in other matters. Governor Robert Bentley, a Republican, is under fire for his relationship with a former political advisor, prompting efforts to begin impeachment proceedings this spring. Bentley is among the state party leaders who could be called to testify in the Hubbard case, according to local media. Meanwhile, Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore was suspended this month amid an ethics inquiry over his urging state probate judges not to grant marriage licenses to gay couples, despite a U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that legalized gay marriage last year. Hubbard was indicted by a state grand jury in October 2014 on charges of using his elected office, along with his former post as chair of the state Republican Party, for personal gain. He pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing, describing his prosecution as politically motivated, local news outlets have reported. Hubbard’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. During opening arguments on Tuesday, state prosecutors said Hubbard used his powerful roles to send money to businesses that he had an interest in. “He sees an opportunity and he takes it,” state prosecutor Matt Hart, who oversees a special prosecutions division, told the courtroom, the Montgomery Advertiser reported. Hubbard’s defense said it would show he had not committed the alleged felony crimes. “They’re not going to prove anything,” said defense attorney Bill Baxley, according to the Advertiser newspaper. If convicted, Hubbard could see prison time and removal from office, local news outlets reported. The office of State Attorney General Luther Strange, a Republican, declined further comment, noting that the judge in the case has imposed an order restricting comments to media. | 0fake |
Britain will take a 'hard-headed' approach to Russia: May | LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain would take a hard headed approach to dealing with Russia ahead of a meeting between foreign minister Boris Johnson and his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Friday. We are aware of the activity that Russia has undertaken, the illegal annexation of Crimea, its continued activity in the Ukraine, also the action that it is taking in relation to disinformation elsewhere, she said in an interview with Sky News at an air base in Cyprus. (Johnson) will be speaking in a hard-headed way with the Russians about the concerns we have about their activity. | 0fake |
Oettinger: "Ich habe nichts gegen Schlitzaugen. Einige meiner besten Freunde sind Reisfresser" | Donnerstag, 3. November 2016 Oettinger: "Ich habe nichts gegen Schlitzaugen. Einige meiner besten Freunde sind Reisfresser" Wieder einmal hat Günther Oettinger (CDU) mit einer Rede für Aufsehen gesorgt. Dabei fiel im Hinblick auf China unter anderem die Formulierung "Schlitzaugen und Schlitzohren". Im exklusiven Postillon -Interview äußert sich der künftige EU-Haushaltskommissar nun detailliert zu seinen umstrittenen Äußerungen: Postillon: Herr Oettinger, derzeit werden Sie von vielen Menschen kritisiert, weil Sie Chinesen unter anderem als "Schlitzaugen" bezeichnet haben. Viele haben das als rassistische Äußerung aufgefasst. Oettinger: Das ist völlig falsch rübergekommen. Ich habe nichts gegen Schlitzaugen. Einige meiner besten Freunde sind Reisfresser. Postillon: Ach ja? Wie heißen die denn, diese besten Freunde? Oettinger: Äh… Ich bin zum Beispiel erst neulich Sushi-Essen gewesen und habe dem Kellner sogar ein Trinkgeld gegeben. Der hieß… wahrscheinlich Tsching Tschang Tschong oder so. Keine Ahnung. Die schauen doch alle gleich aus. Außerdem habe ich mal in Thailand Urlaub gemacht, wo ich die Kultur der Gelbhäute aus erster Hand erleben konnte. Postillon: Wie darf man Ihre Aussagen denn dann verstehen? Oettinger: Das war als Kompliment gemeint. Ich habe nämlich unglaublichen Respekt vor diesen China-Männern, weil sie so unglaublich fleißig sind – und das obwohl sie nur ein beschränktes Sichtfeld haben und dazu noch so klein sind. Postillon: Haben Sie eine Botschaft an das chinesische Volk? Oettinger: Ja. Ich sag's am besten gleich so, dass sie es verstehen. (räuspert sich) Liebe Asia-Männel, hiel splicht Günthel Oettingel. Ich möchte mich auflichtig bei Ihnen entschuldigen. Sollte jemand von Ihnen so velweichlicht sein, dass ich ihn mit meinen Wolten velletzt haben könnte, so tut mil das leid. Bitte investielen Sie tlotzdem fleißig in Ländel del EU und lassen Sie sich Ihlen Hund schmecken. Postillon: Klare Worte. Oettinger: Ja. Ich schätze, nach diesel … äh dieser Entschuldigung sollte dann auch das ganze Missverständnis ausgeräumt sein. Postillon: Was meinten Sie genau, als Sie in Ihrer Rede von einer "Pflicht-Homoehe" sprachen? Oettinger: Herrgott! Sind die Tucken jetzt auch noch beleidigt? Dann entschuldige ich mich dafür eben auch noch: Sorry, liebe Hinterlader! War echt nicht so gemeint, also bitte beruhigen Sie sich. Gehen Sie shoppen, schwuchteln Sie herum – was auch immer man halt so macht als Sodomist. Postillon: Damit dürften Sie wieder rehabilitiert sein. Kommen wir zu Ihren beruflichen Aussichten. Nach zwei Jahren als EU-Kommissar für Digitalwirtschaft wechseln Sie jetzt auf den Posten des Haushaltskommissars. Oettinger: Das kam tatsächlich überraschend. Immerhin habe ich mich gerade so langsam in den Job als Digitalkommissar reingefuchst. Ich habe sogar schon mit dem Gedanken gespielt, mir dieses Internet selbst mal anzuschauen, quasi im Saiberschbäis zu sörfen, wie Profis das nennen. Das kann ich mir jetzt wohl sparen. Postillon: Wie haben Sie reagiert, als Sie erfuhren, dass Sie Haushaltskommissar werden sollen? Oettinger: Erst war ich stinksauer. Haushalt ist ja eigentlich Frauensache. Ich habe nicht verstanden, warum die da einen Mann haben wollen. Aber dann hat mir wer erklärt, dass Haushalt was mit Geld zu tun hat. Klar, dass man das keine Frau machen lassen kann. Postillon: Haben Sie schon erste politische Pläne? Oettinger: Nein. Ich hatte noch keine Zeit, mich mit den für meinen neuen Aufgabenbereich zuständigen Wirtschaftslobbyisten zu treffen. Was ich will, kann ich Ihnen erst danach sagen. Postillon: Vielen Dank, Herr Oettinger, für dieses aufschlussreiche Gespräch. Oettinger: Aber gerne doch. Für einen Pressefritzen waren Sie eigentlich ganz erträglich. | 1real |
Boycott Vote for Peace Push | opednews.com - Advertisement - I am a progressive who will NOT be sheeple herded into voting for HillaryClinton. The Democratic Party remains too firmly wedded to war and Wall Street. In its current condition of corrupt dependence millions of Americans will continue in worsening condition even if the Democrats win the presidency and Congress. We progressives have been marginalized by "educational" propaganda, non-exposure to negative facts and alternatives to the point where our numbers are too small to be influential. The counter -- argument, "What would happen if all of you progressives refrained from voting for Clinton and Trump won?" can not be universalized. It does not confer sufficient probability on the conclusion "I, a progressive, should vote for Clinton" for any progressive to accept it. We are just too few. Democrats have performed so poorly for millions of Americans since the first Clinton regime that it is certain we (including middle income, professionals) will continue to lose relative financial position and sufficient income for a stable life, rather than prosper, under a Clinton Administration. Stubborn, Marginalized Old Progressive License DMCA All progressives and any peace -- loving liberal democrats, even nationalist Republicans should insist, as a condition of getting our votes, that Clinton offer a stand - still cease fire unless fired upon peace truce to all opponents, Sunni and Shia, we are fighting against in person (or by aid to another local side) in all disputed lands, (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, etc.) in exchange for the same by these groups, AlQaeda, ISIS, etc. Our offer should include an embargo against our selling any more weapons to contested governments in those lands in exchange for the opponents' promise to publicly discourage any obstruct further terror attacks in western countries. These wars must stop now with a World Peace, Re-partition and Resettlement conference to follow. - Advertisement - | 1real |
SENIOR WRITER FOR NEWSWEEK Hopes GOP Family Members “Lose Insurance,” Be “Tortured,” And “Die”…Suggests People Drop Off DEAD BODIES At FOX News | When they go low we go high -Former First Lady Michelle Obama explaining how Democrats take the high roadSince @dailycaller and @peterjhasson think tweets are worse than putting ppls lives at risk, please show them all the love they deserve Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) May 6, 2017He didn t stop there however, the unhinged Eichenwald kept ranting. He went on to suggest that people should start dropping dead bodies off at FOX News:With Fox News saying ppl with preexisting conditions exaggerate the impact of no insurance, we should have our dead bodies dropped there. Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) May 6, 2017His tweets keep getting more and more insane, like this one where he suggests Republican want to kill Americans for tax cuts:I've sometimes wondered if Republicans would even kill for tax cuts. Now we know. Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) May 5, 2017Or this one where Eichenwald says Evangelicals who have insurance are Satan :Since Evangelicals are now saying ppl can do w/o insurance because it helps bring them to God, evangelicals w/ insurance clearly love Satan. Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) May 5, 2017Eichenwald doubles down on his visceral hate for anyone who holds an opposing view with this vile tweet, where he confirms to everyone who follows him or reads his tweets that liberalism is indeed, a mental disorder:Millions like me tonight dont know if GOP "health" bill will pass & kill them. I hope those who vote for it someday face same anguish we do. Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) May 6, 2017Eichenwald issued a statement in response to the Daily Caller article. It can be found here. | 1real |
Fascism In India - CounterCurrents.org | in Communal Harmony — by Anandi Sharan — November 5, 2016
On Monday the 31st of October 2016 the Madhya Pradesh police assassinated eight alleged associates of the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) after an alleged escape from prison near Bhopal. This was not coincidentally a day when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was hyping Hindu nationalism on Diwali, the Hindu festival that celebrates the return of the mythic god Ram to Ayodhya in present day Uttar Pradesh. The assassination was most certainly a celebration of Diwali and Hindu nationalism by assassination of Muslims. Narendra Modi on the previous day had sent sms to all Indian citizens asking them to send sweets to soldiers on Diwali. He had tweeted: “festivals are fixed not only by the mood of the moon but by the mood of the people.” It was a message to policemen members of the Sangh Parivar to seize the moment and perform a Hindu nationalist strike against Muslims in the name of anti-Muslim terrorist national pride.
Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 on the basis of a twenty-year-old Hindutva fascist take over of the country by the Hindu political establishment including the Supreme Court.
For 18 years in the lead up to the 2014 Parliamentary elections 19 Chief Justices failed to reverse an illegal judgement pronounced by J.S. Verma in the case of R.Y. Prabhoo vs P.K. Kunte on 11 December 1995, a judgement issued at the end of P.V. Narsimha Rao’s Prime Ministership.
In that judgement, known as the Hindutva Judgement, Verma claimed that Hinduism/Hindutva is not a religion but a way of life, failing to see that just because Hinduism does not have a book like most of the other religions does not mean it is not a religion.
A.M.Ahmadi was CJI at the time of the Hindutva Judgement, having been appointed on 25 October 1994. The demand for an expeditious and authoritative decision on the question of whether appealing to Hinduism is an appeal to religion was made by K. Ramaswamy, on 16 April 1996. In the case of Abhiram Singh vs C.D. Commachen & Ors the judge stated:
<<as to when the case (of corrupt practice under section 123 (3) and (3A) of Representation of People Act 1951) is held proved has not been specifically laid as law. This requires to be authoritatively decided. As stated earlier when and under what circumstances speeches of the leaders of the political party or the appeal of any other person with the consent by a candidate or his election agent to vote or refrain from voting on the ground of religion, race, caste or community or language, etc. or promotion or an attempt to promote feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes of citizens of India on the ground of religion, race, caste, community or language with the consent of the candidate or his election agent for the furtherance of the prospects of the election of the candidate or prejudicially affect the election of any candidates constitutes corrupt practice under sub-sections [3] or [3A] of Section 123. Its content and scope also require to be clearly laid down authoritatively lest miscarriage of justice in interpretation of “corrupt practice” involved in every election petition would ensue. The purity of election process gets fouled and be fraught with deleterious effect in a democratic polity. Thus, without expressing any opinion on these questions, we are of the view that the entire case requires to be heard and decided by a large Bench of five Judges since the decision thereon upon the purity of election process and requires to be decided authoritatively. We, therefore, direct the Registry to place the case before our learned brother, the Chief Justice for constituting a larger Bench of five Judges, and, if possible, at an early date so that all the questions arising in the present appeal could be decided authoritatively and expeditiously. >>
The demand was made on 16 April 1996. If Ahmadi had acted immediately he could have prevented Atal Behari Vajpayee becoming Prime Minister for the first time a month later on 16th May 1996. Vajpayee was a Sangh Parivar pracharak who said he may or may not be PM but he will always be an RSS swayamsevak for as long as he lives. He said there is no difference between BJP and RSS, and that he had had the privilege of undergoing training under RSS founder Dr. Hedgewar and former chief Gowalkar. Hindutva is a fascist ideology taken over by Hedgewar and Gowalkar from Savarkar who adapted it from Europe to justify extermination of Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Dalits and Adivasis for the greater glory of the sacred Hindu nation in the world.
The cross-party Hindu Indian elite presented Vajpayee as a respectable moderate elder statesman, a worthy successor to P.V.Narsimha Rao. No one questioned that his political power is fascism. A report by the RSS in the aftermath of the riots in Delhi in 1984 in which Sikhs were murdered as a community for Indira Gandhi’s assassination revealed the true attitude of the RSS to Sikhs. They were to stay silent and wait for the righteous anger of the murderers to abate. The RSS are not alone in their justification of communalism. Rajiv Gandhi who became Prime Minister after the riots in part due to the sympathy vote for the assassination of his mother said at the time that if a big tree falls the forest is bound to shake. The Congress Hindu elite in India has always used communalism as a political tool, and has no compunction in allowing the RSS to do the same. The organisers of the anti-Sikh pogroms have still not been arrested though the official report has found irrefutable evidence against all of them.
The failure of law and order in BJP states such as demonstrated on 31st October 2016 and the failure of the central government law and order enforcement machinery including the Supreme Court is due to the hijacking of the institutions and organs of justice including the constitution by the Hindu political elites. It may seem shocking to some to hear the SC so accused. But the failure of law and order enforcement is only the visible tip of the iceberg of a complete break down of secular democracy in India since Nehru’s days, a break down that is in fact nothing other than the take over of the country by fascists under the aegis of the Congress party. Once the government looses its commitment to equality, justice, secularism, socialism, fraternity and rule of law, as mandated by the constitution, and instead starts to rewrite the constitution, the stage is set for fascism. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru started the rot when he imprisoned Sheikh Abdullah of Jammu and Kashmir in the 1960s and illegally dissolved the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly contrary to Article 370 of the constitution. Nehru’s betrayal of Kashmiris was the beginning of fascism in India. It was a short step to overthrowing the Representation of the People Act that forbids appeal to religion to garner votes.
Ahmadi’s tenure as CJI was to come to an end on 24 March 1997. By convicting BJP politicians for promoting enmity between classes on the basis of religion under the RP Act Ahmadi could have forced politicians to abide by the law and adopt secular democratic politics. Such a judgement would have helped enforce the law in all aspects of public life, which was a big concern at the time. The time should have been right for the overthrow of fascism in India.
On the 19th of July 1996 there had been the strange case of Dr.D.C. Saxena vs Hon’Ble The Chief Justice Of India in which CJI Ahmadi and Prime Minister P.V. Narsimha Rao were accused of corruption for misusing public accommodation and transport for private purposes. It is very strange how instead of the major issue of subversion of secular democracy in the Hindutva Judgement, the CJI chose to take up this strange case at the highest level. Why take up such a marginal issue of misuse of public accommodation and transport, and hold the petitioner guilty of contempt of court and so on? One cannot help feel that this was just a gigantic manoeuvre to pull the wool over the eyes of the public to hide other much more major failings of both the CJI and the PM, namely failure to implement the Verma Committee Report on corruption in the government, and failure to give an authoritative and expeditious decision on Hindutva, which were part and parcel of the same fascism that he could not get himself to challenge.
The N.N.Verma Committee report had exposed the failure of the state machinery to deal with law and order and political mafia nexus. If Ahmadi and P.V. Narsimha Rao had no interest in outlawing the Ram Temple Party it must have been because they found themselves incapable of dealing with the infiltration of the mafia including the Sangh Parivar mafia into all aspects of public life with which they were in collusion. In that sense they were part of the mafia, especially P.V. Narasimha Rao of course, whose son is a well-known crorepati with business interests in road construction all over the country. On his retirement Ahmadi had a princely sum of Rs 5000 a month to live on. He did want to return to Ahmedabad, his hometown, but stayed in Delhi. He probably needed to make and keep friends in high places in private and public business to live a more comfortable lifestyle.
On the 9th of July 1993 the government of P.V. Narsimha Rao could no longer escape the pressure to deal with corruption and he established the N.N. Vora Committee. Its mandate was to take stock of all available information about the activities of Crime Syndicates/Mafia organisations that had developed links with and were being protected by Government functionaries and political personalities. Based on the recommendations of the Committee, the central government was supposed to determine the need, if any to establish a special organisation/agency to regularly collect information and pursue cases against such elements. The report brought out, in N.N. Vora’s words, “that the activities of Memon Brothers and Dawood Ibrahim had progressed over the years, leading to the establishment of a powerful network. This could not have happened without these elements having been protected by the functionaries of the concerned Government departments specially Customs, Income Tax, Police and others. … The CBI (said ..there was a) .. nexus between the Bombay City Police and the Bombay under-world.. over time, the money power thus acquired is used for building up contacts with bureaucrats and politicians and expansion of activities with impunity. The money power is used to develop a network of muscle-power, which is also used by politicians during elections. CBI has reported that all over India crime Syndicates have become a law unto themselves. Even in the smaller towns and rural areas, muscle men have become the order of the day. Hired assassins have become a part of these organisations. The nexus between the criminal gangs, police, bureaucracy and politicians has come out clearly in various parts of the country. The existing criminal justice system, which was essentially designed to deal with the individual offences/crimes, is unable to deal with the activities of the mafia; the provisions of law in regards to economic offences are weak; there are insurmountable legal difficulties in attaching/confiscation of the property acquired through Mafia activities. …. In cases where a crime Syndicate has graduated to big business, it would be necessary to conduct detailed investigations into its assets, both movable and immovable. It has been stressed that when such action is not timely and effectively taken, the lower functionaries of the concerned State and Central Departments /organisations start overlooking the activities of the crime Syndicates. … The Director Intelligence Bureau (said)…. due to the progressive decline in the values of public life in the country warning signals of sinister linkage between the underworld politicians and the bureaucracy have been evident with disturbing regularity. ……. the network of the Mafia is virtually running a parallel Government, pushing the State apparatus into irrelevance. …..During discussions with Secretary (Revenue) and his principal officers, the following significant observations were made: …the field officers of his various Departments were faced with various problems, amongst which are the utter inadequacy of the criminal system; cases are not heard timely; functioning of the Government lawyers is grossly inadequate; all this results in a low percentage of convictions and mild punishments…. The field officers of the various agencies of the Revenue Departments are often pressurised by senior government functionaries/political leaders apparently at the behest of crime Syndicates/Mafia elements. Unless the field level officers are offered effective protection, they cannot be expected to maintain interest in vigorously pursuing action against the activities of such elements.…The linkages developed by crime syndicated get generally confirmed when pressure is mounted on the concerned agencies not to take action against the offenders or to go slow in the cases against them. Such pressures are mounted either immediately after a raid is conducted or at the time when prosecution is about to be initiated. Pressures are also exerted whenever corrupt and undesirable officers are shifted from sensitive assignments. >>
The appeal from the three-judge bench to review the Hindutva Judgement was urgent. The case had arisen along with others precisely because of the illegal politics of the Shiv Sena who were the lords of the Bombay underworld. Ahmadi had only a total of 881 days as CJI, a length of term he knew much in advance of ever being appointed due to the well-known system of CJI appointment by seniority. But instead of planning carefully before becoming CJI, and acting immediately on becoming CJI, Ahmadi declined to act authoritatively and expeditiously and let the Shiv Sena remain in control of Bombay and Maharashtra, and he let Vajpayee and the BJP in as ruling party at the centre for the first time. The BJP was the mafia in Ahmadi’s own home state of Gujarat. But for some peculiar reason he did not perceive the BJP as a Hindutva fascist gang that can be controlled by the RP Act. The RP Act was not considered the law par excellence to introduce probity into public life. This is baffling in the extreme.
In an interview given to the journalist Kuldip Nayar two days before he retired published in Outlook India on 09 April 1997 Nayar reported that
<<Ahmadi evaded comment on the judgement to define Hindutva. He has reservations but is reluctant to spell them out. Asked why he did not refer it to the larger bench, he says that there has to be a system and that the chief justice cannot do so on his own. I reminded him of the letter I had written, requesting him to constitute a larger bench to consider the judgement which I thought affected the basic structure of the Constitution and secularism. He says he did not act “for obvious reasons”, but adds that in “a recent judgement, the demand for a larger bench has been made”.>>
The demand sent eleven months and three weeks before could hardly be termed as “recent.” After his retirement Ahmadi said: “”We have let down the constitution, the constitution hasn’t let us down. We have not used our constitutional rights to our advantage. We have not seriously tried to avail our legal entitlements,” The report stated:<< Former Indian chief justice A.M. Ahmadi yesterday said Muslims have let down the constitution by not availing of rights enshrined therein. Ahmadi, in his no-nonsense address at the city’s India Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC), urged the gathering of around 50 Muslims drawn from different walks of life to use constitutional rights to their advantage.>>
The only explanation is that the BJP had something over Ahmadi, some personal corruption that made him behoven to them. Or maybe he made secularism subservient to the politics of ejecting the Congress party. Or maybe he thought the judiciary was helpless. Afterwards he blamed himself as a Muslim for not taking action. But at the time he probably considered himself less a Muslim and more a part of a legal system that was unwilling to take a stance to hold politicians accountable under the law. That was a personal moral risk he as a CJI was not willing to take. Enforcement of RP Act is not a matter of constitutional rights but of law. Ahmadi was not willing to enforce the law.
18 Chief Justices after him also avoided addressing the demand that Ramaswamy bench had made for a larger bench of the Supreme Court to solve the conflicting judgements on whether or not Hinduism is a religion.
The BJP should more aptly be called the Ram Temple party to highlight the fact that the very existence of that party represents fascism par excellence in our country as it is illegal to appeal to religion under the Representation of People Act.
In retrospect it is apparent that the BJP came to power in 1996 because the Congress party was discredited due to its corrupt practices as brought out in the N.N. Vora Committee report in 1993. During their tenures as Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi from October 1984 to December 1989 and P.V. Narsimha Rao from June 1991 to May 1996 had given up any semblance of defence of the tenets of equality, justice, secularism, socialism and fraternity as envisaged by the secular democratic constitution. The BJP won only two seats in the Lok Sabha in 1984. But appealing to Hinduism it won eighty-five seats in 1989 and became the third largest party. Prime Minister V. P. Singh had accepted the Mandal Commission report and reserved 27% of government jobs for Other Backward Classes. Anti-reservation slogans were raised by the BJP along with anti-corruption. Rajiv Gandhi appeased Mullahs by reversing the Shah Bano case. Shah Bano had filed a case in the Supreme Court for maintenance from her ex-husband. Under criminal law she was given right. Three years later in 1986 Parliament under Rajiv Gandhi reversed the decision. Arif Mohammed Khan who was in support of the SC judgement, resigned. The BJP’s appeal to so-called majority sentiment was one thing. On the other side the courts banned Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses which in the eyes of Hindu nationalists was appeasement of minorities. No one raised the point that this is the law under the Indian Penal Code. On the other hand Rajiv Gandhi also called Babri Masjid land as “Ram’s land” to try and get back the Hindu vote. In reality assassination of Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis and all dark-skinned Indians is the means the Indian state of all parties to date use to consolidate the nation. This is the Hindu Brahmin supremacism. In 1983 the Nellie massacre of 1983 had seen 5,000 people, mainly Muslims, killed; the 1987 Hashimpura massacre saw 40 Muslims killed in cold blood; in the Bhagalpur riots of 1989 the victims were predominantly Muslim; in the Hyderabad riots of 1990 both Hindus and Muslims died; in the Surat riots of 1992 mainly Muslims died. These were all party politically orchestrated events. The Congress party was finished as a secular democratic force. In the Muzaffarnagar event in 2013 forty-six Muslims and sixteen Hindus died, instigated by the socialist Samajwadi Party. In March 2015, sixteen accused policemen were acquitted of their involvement in the Hashimpura massacre. In that violence men from UP police drove Muslim poor daily wage labourers and weavers to a canal and threw them in. Both Samajwadi Party and BJP leaders are instigators of riots.
After Nehru’s betrayal of Kashmir and Sheikh Abdullah, Indira Gandhi had engaged in her own list of illegalities culminating in the Declaration of Emergency to protect her political career. Once Rajiv Gandhi and P.V.Narsimha Rao came to the fore there was no semblance of socialism or commitment to equality left. The only appeal was to liberalism. Once that was equated with corruption the Congress had no vision with which to counter the charge. None of the parties took up the chellenge set to them by the N.N.Verma Committee Report. The BJP claimed it would root out corruption and do liberalisation better but in fact corruption in India is basic to the Hindu supremacist agenda. Liberalism is a means to perpetuate it.
The next CJI after Ahmadi was J.S.Verma. He clearly would not choose to overturn his own judgement, and he didn’t. In the period after Babri Masjid Verma and Narsimha Rao did nothing to get Babri Masjid rebuilt. Thus his illegal act that overthrew the constitution, stood because he and the Prime Minister and the political establishment wanted it to stand. Verma retired on 17 January 1998 and was replaced by CJI M.M.Punchhi who had 264 days as CJI and retired on 09 October 1998. There had been a petition of the Committee on Judicial Accountability (CJA), which demanded a probe against Punchhi on corruption charges and Ram Jetmalani and others wanted to get him impeached in the Rajya Sabha, and Verma could have recommended supersession. Jetmalani is an advocate for the BJP and a Hindutva fanatic. By attacking Punchhi for corruption he ensured that the Hindutva fascists had him in their power. If elevated to CJI he was to behave. And he did. He did not constitute the bench to overthrow the Hindutva Judgement. It is highly likely that the deal was negotiated by Verma. Punchhi would get the CJI post if he did not raise the Hindutva issue. It is quite likely Verma delayed announcing the appointment for two months because it took him that time to persuade Prime Minister IK Gujral to agree. The BJP by now was the main opposition party as the United Front was floundering. There was no secular alliance between Congress and the United Front parties that would have backed a secular CJI. How could there have been. They all use assassination of Muslims to further their party politics. The stage was set for the RSS man V.B. Vajpayee to become the next Prime Minister for a full term.
Punchhi was replaced by Adarsh Sein Anand as CJI. Anand was CJI from the 10th of October 1998 to the 11th of January 2001. With his predecessors not having rocked the boat of the BJP, what was Anand going to do now that a BJP Prime Minister with an absolute majority was installed in Parliament? A reversal of the Hindutva Judgement would have meant dissolving Parliament and calling fresh elections at a time when the country was just coming out of that period of apparent instability of the United Front government. Deve Gowda had been a Kannadiga farmer who refused to speak Hindi or English in Parliament. Vajpayee was a civilised Hindu. Anand himself was a Kashmiri Hindu. He was a human rights activist. He introduced compensation in cases of custodial death. But then in 2000 Ram Jethmalani the Hindutva activist Supreme Court advocate accused Anand’s wife and mother in law of corruption. Though no charges were brought it was enough to keep Anand toeing the Hindutva government line. He buried the Hindutva Judgement review demand.
Sam Piroj Bharucha was the next CJI, from the 11th of January 2001 to the 6th of May 2002. He had been on the bench with K. Ramaswamy when they found the Hindutva Judgement to be in conflict with other SC judgements on the RP Act and when they had demanded the authoritative and expeditious decision from a five-judge bench that Ahmadi was supposed to set up. Then why did he not take it up when he became CJI, familiar as he was with the entire case? A.B. Vajpayee, BJP, was in power, yes, but an upright CJI would surely not put the political wellbeing of the BJP above the RP Act? The inexplicable thing is that Bharucha did just that. He set up a continuous SC constitutional court of eleven judges under Justice Kirpal to hear 200 petitions to interpret the meaning and content of the word ‘minorities’ in Article 30(1) of the constitution. It was only the 2nd time in 30 years than an eleven-judge constitution bench was set up. The one set up under Punchhi was disbanded before it could complete the task. But the bench did not take up the inquiry into the scope of review to be conducted when a charge of corrupt practice is levelled under section 123 (3) and (3A) of the RP Act of promoting enmity between classes by appealing to religion to garner votes. He took up hundreds of cases that had been pending for 20 years, why not the Hindutva Judgement? He made a statement at a meeting of the Bar Council of India and the Bar Council of Kerala on the 22nd of December 2001 whilst CJI that 20% of judges are corrupt and that the problem is that in the Supreme Court the only remedy is impeachment. He said: “impeachment is a cumbersome process and as a recent instance showed may not achieve the desired result for reasons that are political.” On February 9th 2002 he said, that in his experience as a senior judge none in the Bar fought corruption. But even as CJIs are expressing anguish at financial and political corruption in the judiciary, the absolutely fundamental corruption that allows a CJI to be pressurised actively or passively by the BJP to avoid enquiring into the BJP manifesto is not questioned. It can hardly be an argument that it is in the national interest not to call fresh elections in which the BJP might not be able to participate. Was Bharucha of the view that it is politically expedient to let the BJP continue in power? Was he basically by this time of the view that Hinduism is not a religion? And so fascism continued to reign supreme, with the entire political discourse about the role of the judiciary hijacked as anti-corruption, and an eleven-judge constitution bench going no further than working to define “minority”.
Bhupinder Nath Kirpal succeeded Bharucha on the 6th of May 2002 and was CJI for 186 days till the 8th of November 2002. In March 2002 he had told the RSS PM that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad was not allowed to hold a religious ceremony on the land of the Babri Masjid where the BJP wanted to erect a ram Temple. “It is because of judges like these that our Supreme Court is known as a secular temple all over the world” Rajya Sabha MP Wasim Ahmed said, forgetting that Kirpal also sweetly ignored the pending request to overrule the illegal Hindutva Judgement and consign the BJP to the dustbin of history. Why did Ahmed have to use the word temple? At that time Kirpal had 24’000 cases pending before him in the SC. Still he could have chosen to address the Hindutva case and truly live up to Ahmed’s overhasty praise. Kirpal’s view on corruption in the Judiciary was that “judges are also Indian citizens who come from the same aggregate as those in the legislature and administration therefore that there are also instances where corruption and incompetence have pervaded the judicial establishment cannot be denied.“ The comment says a lot. Government of India is one great big fat Hindu supremacist elite affair where no one rocks the boat. Progressive ideas are strictly within the confines of what Hindu money and the Hindu elite can tolerate. The political parties in the state legislatures and the members of state administrations must throw secular democracy over board and run with the fascist hounds or they will not survive in public life.
Gopal Ballav Patnaik was the next CJI. Later it was found he had been given a 4000 square foot plot in Cuttack meant for underprivileged in the year 2000. He was CJI for a month. During his month as CJI he never once as far as I know raised any issue to do with Hindutva.
Patnaik was succeeded by V. N. Khare on the 19th of December 2002. V.N. Khare was made the BJP governments arbitrator in a case brought by Reliance on the 23rd of November 2011 when RIL had challenged a government notice to disallow cost and moved the Supreme Court for appointment of a second arbitrator. Ex CJIs Bharucha and Khare failed to agree on the name of the third presiding arbitrator for 13 months and in 2015 Bharucha recused himself from the arbitration after the government challenged his nomination saying that he had not disclosed all previous associations with RIL and that his arbitration could create doubts about his independence and impartiality. So now the arbitration panel has only foreigners on it and Khare is on the BJP government side. Khare had been CJI when Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat encouraged Hindu mobs to attack Muslims who had protested against Hindus for travelling to and forth to Ayodhya to establish a ram temple. The attack happened ostensibly because Muslims had set on fire the bogeys carrying those RSS cadres. In tapes afterwards it was revealed that Hindus had set the train bogeys on fire, boasting it was Hanuman’s tail that lit the flame. Thereafter 800 people mainly Muslims died across the state in revenge killings encouraged by the government. Sexual violence played a critical role in the pogrom. In the aftermath of the riots in the Best bakery case CJI Khare said “I have no faith left in the prosecution and the Gujarat government” and he moved the case out of Gujarat. After his retirement as CJI Khare said that the Gujarat government did not provide adequate protection to the riot victims owing to the complete collusion between rioters and the state machinery. Modi replied sarcastically that why did he not say anything when he was CJI. Modi clearly was referring not to the Best bakery case but to the fact that Khare did not address the Hindutva Judgement or take up any other election petitions that would have challenged Modi’s appeals to religion during elections. Jairus Banaji in his paper wrote “The spinelessness of the judiciary and its overt or covert sympathies with the extreme right was a major part of the story of the success of German fascism. We have not reached that state of judicial disintegration yet, and luckily we still have a Supreme Court that is beyond the direct reach of regimes immersed in criminality, even if its Special Investigation team can be subverted.” But actually the SC was already subverted by Verma’s Hindutva Judgement and not even Khare did anything about it not even taking up the pending case. Khare retired as CJI on the 2nd of May 2004. It is really strange that no academic commentaries seem to mention this pending appeal on the Hindutva Judgement and the unwillingness of CJIs to take it up and the fact that this shows how fascism had taken hold of the country latest by May 1996 when Vajpayee was elected for his first short term as Prime Minister. Praful Bidwai wrote in 2007 that the secular parties collectively failed the victims of Gujarat in 2002 when “they did not get together and mobilise strong protests all over the state demanding that the centre dismiss the Gujarat government under article 356, although it is beyond dispute that the functioning of the government was blatantly violative of the constitution”. In that article of the 3rd of November 2007 Bidwai wrote that Manmohan Singh is yet to mention the G word. Even Bidwai in that article forgot to mention the Hindutwa Judgement though.
V. N. Khare was succeeded on the 2nd of May 2004 by S. Rajendra Babu who was CJI for just a month. On the 1st of June 2004 Babu was succeeded by Ramesh Chandra Lahoti. Manmohan Singh had been sworn in as Prime Minister on the 22nd of May 2004. There is a photograph of Former Chief Justice of India Justice Ramesh Chandra Lahoti taken by Indian Photo Agency published on the 28th of March 2011 with a caption reading: “firebrand Hindu nationalist (Hindutva) activist Sadhvi Ritambhara and former Chief Justice of India Justice Ramesh Chandra Lahoti with BJP leader L.K.Advani on the occasion of release of a book Ramayan the hymns of Himalaya a prosaic English translation of the epic authored by Dr Akhikesh Gumashta. In New Delhi on Friday the 25th of March 2011.” Need one say more. Would a CJI who after retirement chooses to consort with Hindutva fascists reverse the Hindutva judgement? On June 28th 2004 Lahotia said that only 18% of judges posts were filled in the country. But was that a reason to leave the Hindutva Judgement in place? No. Obviously he thought the judgement was right and saw no reason to open a debate even though in reality an appeal to religion is illegal. In any case the Congress party also never gave a fitting reply to Sushma Swaraj who promised to shave her head if Sonia Gandhi was made Prime Minister. Instead of defending the right of a naturalised citizen to all the rights and privileges of a natural born Indian citizen, the Congress government got a Hindu priest to offer a reply that tonsuring of head was “un-Hindu”. There was no attempt made by the Congress party to outlaw religion in public discourse. Rather the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Supreme Court bowed down before the power of Hindu discourse and the G word and the H word were never mentioned. In a letter to Outlook magazine in 2015 Lahotia criticised the mag for its anti BJP stance. He was obviously a Hindu and Hindutva supporter during his time as CJI.
Lahotia was succeeded on the 1st of November 2005 by Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal. Sabharwal upheld Parliament’s decision to expel cash-for-vote MPs, and claimed the right of the SC to review Parliament’s action. But there is no news anywhere of him urging Manmohan Singh to allow the Hindutva Judgement to be revisited or in any other way questioning the promise to build a Ram Temple in the BJP manifesto. In any case his sons benefitted from a case he heard through which land was cleared for development in Delhi. He was obviously not interested in preventing politicians getting to power by promoting enmity between classes. What is a bit of enmity if your sons get rich in the process.
Sabharwal was succeeded on the 13th of January 2007 by K. G. Balakrishnan. The RSS attacked him for being from Kerala and therefore a communist. But no one attacked him from any end of the political spectrum for being unwilling to enforce the RP Act.
And so it went on. Balakrishna was succeeded on the 12th of May 2010 by S. H. Kapadia. Kapadia was succeeded on 29th September 2012 by Altamas Kabir. Kabir was succeeded on the 19th of July 2013 by P. Sathasivam. Sathasivam was succeeded on the 27th of April 2014 by Rajendra Mal Lodha. Lodha was succeeded on the 28th of September 2014 by H. L. Dattu. Dattu was succeeded on the 3rd of December 2015 by T. S. Thakur who is CJI today.
In the 1990s the combined charge of corruption and ineffective liberalisation paved the way for the Hindu nationalists who have been preparing to take over the country since before Independence. Hindus used the anti-corruption plank and minority appeasement language to mobilise qua Hindus. They brought corruption and pollution into a single focus of moral outrage. The Supreme Court and the Congress party were too weak to disbar them permanently from political life under the RP Act after having banned them temporarily after they demolished Babri Masjid. The BJP, RSS and VHP came back, the BJP with the same manifesto promise to build a Ram Temple, thanks to the Supreme Court that refused to call appeal to Hinduism an appeal to religion.
Today Narendra Modi also applies the words corruption and pollution when talking about Muslims and how they have to “purify” themselves if they want to remain part of the Hindu nation. Thus anti-corruption morphed into clean liberalisation to be executed by the Hindu BJP and the entire media and political Hindu fascist state machinery colluded. Assassination of Muslims by police is how the political parties maintain themselves in power, like how Nazis maintained themselves through genocide of Jews.
If India is a Hindu majority country, which may or may not be true, the Hindu majority are not particularly vigilant about preserving secular democracy. In any case given that fascism is based on Hinduism more and more groups will be defecting from Hinduism that is for sure. Constant education is needed to inculcate secular democratic values in a rapidly growing young population. But education does not serve the interests of the Hindus who want to keep Dalits, Adivasis, Other Backward Castes and Muslims and Sikhs in their ghettoes. Liberalism and capitalism and appeal to religion and what in India is termed communalism all adds up to fascism of Hindu elites as they give themselves power and money. Thus the 38% of voters who voted for the BJP in 2014 became the enemy of the constitution. In any case the rot had already set in with Nehru when he illegally disbanded the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly.
The illegality under the Representation of People Act 1951 of appeal to religion to garner votes was forgotten as the BJP became the anti-corruption party of Hindu nationalists to defeat Congress. Of course, the entire Sangh Parivar including BJP are the corrupt mafia par excellence in the country. The Verma Committee Report itself showed that the BJP/RSS/Sangh Parivar /Shiv Sena and other Sena gangs were an uncontrollable mafia, a parallel state. But amazingly, and certainly because the Congress itself was corrupt and operated the state institutions as its own mafia, Narendra Modi managed to keep the taint of corruption away from himself personally in the 2014 election campaign and even managed to protect Amit Shah who had engaged in multiple political assassinations to get himself and Narendra Modi to power. He thus succeeded Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister in 2014.
It would require an entire book to understand how Atal Bihari Vajpayee could manage to give the BJP a holier than though look vis-a-vis the Congress party in the eyes of the voters when he became Prime Minster with an absolute majority on the 19th of March 1998. Appeal to build a Ram Temple instead of being outlawed was somehow an appeal to incorruptibility and nationalism. The national media and television elevated a man steeped in RSS ideology and a founder of Hindu nationalism to a statesmanly level. His role in demolition of Babri Masjid on the 6th of December 1992 was forgotten. The Liberhan enquiry into the events of that day would take 17 years to deliver its report that the whole thing had been planned by the RSS of which A.B. Vajpayee has been an active member his entire life. The Liberhan report submitted on the 30th of June 2009 found the BJP’s so-called moderate face guilty along with many other leaders of the BJP. But nothing has happened to them. They continue in politics. The delay in issuing the Liberhan report itself speaks volumes about how fascism maintains itself in the country.
Even during the Manmohan Singh led Congress administration during the period 2004 to 2014 the Supreme Court of India could not get a grip on the illegal shootings by police in Madhya Pradesh (MP), ruled by the BJP. On the 29th of December 2007 Sunil Joshi, an RSS man, had been gunned down by his own associates as he was about to reveal details of the vast network of crime and terrorism against Muslims organised by the RSS. Today Narendra Modi’s Bharatya Janata Party (BJP) rules MP and half of India’s states. The means to electoral victory is appeal to Hindu chauvinism. The modus operandus of the Sangh Parivar police or members of other institutions of state is to appeal to Hindu voters by assassinating Muslims. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS) and other Sangh Parivar gangs use ideology culled from their leaders’ writings to justify the murders. These gangs are indistinguishable from business fraternities. Often when petty criminals are killed the RSS claim it was a communal attack but in reality the murder is due to struggles between RSS business/mafia gangs. When Muslims are suspected it is invariably a false flag operation by Sangh Parivar to unleash Sangh Parivar controlled state agencies on innocent Muslims for no reason other than inflicting pain and establishing Hindu supremacy. RSS is also involved with the Vyapam scam in MP, hence the investigations into the deaths of those students are also deadly slow. The nexus between the BJP state government and central government and the police is all-encompassing.
Last week the Central Bureau of Investigation, which, it hardly needs to be mentioned, is under the control of the central BJP government and Narendra Modi the Prime Minister, released without charge several BJP strongmen including the ex-Chief Minister of Karnataka Yeddiyurappa from prison. This is the mafia gang originally established by the Congress Chief Minister S.M.Krishna to rob the people of Bellary district of their agricultural livelihood by establishing mining industries. Narendra Modi released him and Yediyurappa is now free to win back Karnataka for the BJP from the ruling Congress party. His associate in crime, another Reddy, was allowed by the Supreme Court to take out a triumphant motorcade through Bellary to announce his daughter’s marriage, despite the fact he is still on trial. This is the same CBI whose present Director said: “If you can’t prevent rape enjoy it” an apparently perfectly acceptable analogy for legalising gambling.
The present Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur recently took up the demand to look into the scope of section 123 (3) and (3A) of the RP Act. A miracle!! Arguments were conducted over two weeks.
It is expected that he will deliver a judgement on a narrow interpretation of the request for an authoritative and expeditious decision on interpretation of Article 123 (3-A) of the RP Act. He said he will not go into what is religion.
Advocate B.A. Desai during arguments had argued that a reference put to the bench is always a mix of fact and law. Here the entire appeal has been referred to this bench. The “plank of Hindutva, Hindu and Hinduism” are part of the reference and falls within the scope of section 123 (3) of the RP Act.
The judgement is awaited any time before Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur retires in January 2017. An offer from the CJI to interveners to be heard by a five-judge bench on the plank of Hindutva/Hindu/Hinduism has been made.
Can we expect the Supreme Court to throw out fascism? The CPI(M) in its intervention on the last day of arguments expressed the hope that it will. We must wait both for the narrow judgement to be given before January by T.S.Thakur and also possibly for the five judge bench decision, if still needed after Thakur’s judgement.
Only once that judgement is delivered will we know whether the protests of secular democratic Indians against fascism will be heard and assassinations such as those of 31st October this year can be avoided in the future.
The entire political establishment across all the Hindu supremacist parties are more interested in money than in social equality. The Congress, the BJP, the CJIs of the Supreme Court and the people who would eventually form into the Aam Admi Party are Hindus first and foremost, Aryan invaders who want to oppress the indigenous black-skinned Indians; they are the educated elites and their croneys from all castes and classes regard the workers and peasants simply as vote banks and as the labour resource to be used and thrown. BJP, Congress, Janata Dal and all the other United Front parties, as also Aam Admi Party and their offshoots, are unable to understand that the basic feature of the Indian constitution is justice, equality, secularism, socialism and fraternity. They have not raised the need to review the Hindutva Judgement all this time. They all are fascists.
Eight Muslim undertrials who were assassinated near Bhopal are martyrs to the cause of secular democracy. Appeal to religion in politics and unwillingness to overthrow the Hindutva Judgement is fascism.
This regime is illegal under the RP Act. Unless the RP Act is enforced fascism will continue to reign supreme.
Only the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its left front allies, and the Bahujan Samaj Party and its offshoots are separate from the fascist Hindu regime.
CPI (M) and their left front partners and BSP and their offshoot parties who are upholding Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh (see Periyar and Ambedkar articles on Bhagat Singh published in countercurrents here and here) are the only secular democratic parties in India. We must save the people of India.
Considering one third of all seats in Parliament come from just three states namely UP, Bihar and West Bengal it is in those three states that fascism has to be annihilated. All efforts by the BSP, BMP, CPI(M) and CPI (ML) and CPI have to be concentrated there.
Finally one cannot but be horrified that someone who purports to be a secular activist Javed Anand on television complained that at least one of the men assassinated on 31st October near Bhopal should have been kept alive so that the public could know what had happened. One simply cannot believe the level of cynical nationalism the comment displays on par with fascist politicians and police. In any case it is highly likely that Indresh Kumar who was behind the assassination of Sunil Joshi and who was the mastermind behind the Chishti Dargha murders and other Hindutva terrorist bombings is also behind the assassination of the eight men allegedly associated with SIMI. After all he is the master strategist for so-called security issues for Narendra Modi. A visible killing of Muslims was needed at Diwali time because targets in Kashmir are so far away and killing a Kashmiri or even a Pakistani is not as ideologically valuable as killing a mainland Muslim who shouldn’t be here in the first place. Except, in fact, it is Indresh Kumar and his Hindu ilk, who are part of the invader Aryan dispensation, that should not be here, or at least should undergo reform, considering they unleashed this sectarian madness in India several millennia ago.
In his intervention at the Supreme Court hearing the CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury maintained that his party is also an affected party in this debate.
“All that we want to know is if an appeal is made for votes in the name of his religion, then what is the meaning of the word his? Is it the religion of candidates or religion of agent or religion of the third party (seeking votes) or religion of voters or that of all of them?” the bench observed. “Yechury’s counsel senior advocate Sanjay Hedge advanced the arguments that there is more at stake. Not only law but also fact regarding what is religion is part of the discussion. The CPI (M), one of the six national parties of the country, became the first political entity to voluntarily join the legal debate in the apex court over the contentious issue. Yechury also took the opportunity to target the RSS. “With the communal and fascistic RSS-led combine’s assuming power at the centre, systematic efforts are on to communalise the institutions of the state, the administration, the education system and the media.” He also added, “The growth of majority communalism will strengthen the forces of minority communalism and endanger national unity.” The CPI(M)’s late move, underlining its secular credentials and also seeking an opportunity to launch attack on the BJP establishment, however, faced time constraints in the apex court.” (Hindustan Times 28th of October 2016). Considering CPI (M) have also used the word fascist to describe TCM in West Bengal the word may have lost some of its meaning to them. But it has not for me. In India the RP Act has been overthrown. That to me is fascism.
Actually those efforts to communalise India started much before Modi won the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. In fact his victory was a culmination of the efforts to communalise India in the preceding 25 years, in fact it started earlier, indeed the seeds were sown with the Hindu invasion of India those many millennia ago. Only mass agitation can finally wrench the country from the fascists and allow us to enforce the constitution and the rule of law especially the RP Act.
Anandi Sharan is an environmental historian and writer based at Bangalore. She is a Board member of the global environmental platform CBD Alliance and has been articulating the global South’s concerns on climate change. She can be reached at sharan.anandi@gmail.com Share this: | 1real |
The Harrod’s website has some hilariously posh titles in their [Mr/Ms] drop down box | Next Prev Swipe left/right The Harrod’s website has some hilariously posh titles in their [Mr/Ms] drop down box
Our attention was drawn to the Harrod’s website where you can select your title from a huge drop down .
Lah de bleedin’ dah – not just your average Mr & Mrs but Baron, Count and His Royal Highness too! Here’s all 41 of them Baron | 1real |
France's Macron says not offering Hariri exile | BONN, Germany (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said his invitation on Wednesday to Lebanon s prime minister Saad al-Hariri to come to France was not an offer of political exile. No, not at all, Macron told reporters in Bonn when asked if he was handing Hariri exile. I hope that Lebanon will be stable, and that political choices should be in accordance with institutional rule. We need a strong Lebanon with her territorial integrity respected. We need leaders who are free to make their own choices and speak freely. | 0fake |
Niger deaths probe outcome expected in January: U.S. military | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Wednesday it has told families of four American soldiers killed during an ambush in Niger on Oct. 4 that it expected to complete its investigation into their deaths in January. Families were informed that (the Africa Command s) investigation team will travel to locations in the U.S., Africa and Europe to gather information related to the investigation, the Pentagon said in a statement. It said the probe was to be led Army Major General Roger Cloutier, the command s chief of staff, and families would be told if more time was needed. | 0fake |
Changing The Lives Of African Girls Starts With Just Giving Them Bikes | Bicycles are often taken for granted in the U.S., as even some of the poorest people in the nation often own bikes and use them regularly to commute to work. In countries like Africa, however, bikes... | 1real |
WATCH: NEW MOVIE Black Lives Matter Terrorists DON’T Want You To See…What REALLY Happened In FERGUSON Courtroom | We ve written about the amazing filmmaker, playwright and journalist, Phelim MacAleer and his fearless wife Ann McElhinney several times over the past couple of years. They ve brilliantly exposed the Left and their outrageous lies countless times. They are currently making a movie called Gosnell that will tell the truth the media hid about the crimes committed by serial killer, Dr. Kermit Gosnell. This husband and wife team are doing the work honest journalists, if they were being true to their profession, SHOULD be doing. Phelim s play Ferguson, that is now a movie, (see full-length version below) has completely dismantled the hands up don t shoot lie that was coordinated by the White House and professional race agitators. This lie of course, was perpetrated by a willing media. MacAleer does a brilliant job of dispelling these lies by simply using the actual testimony from the case.From Phelim MacAleer:These are professional actors reading the actual words of eyewitnesses detailing minute by minute what happened in the run up to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. FERGUSON the play consists of unaltered witness testimony, exactly as the Ferguson grand jury heard it. It includes forensic and medical examiner evidence that proves the truth and debunks the liars.You probably haven t missed the many and loud claims that the entertainment industry is racist and not diverse. It seems that everyone who matters agrees that diversity is a problem. Or at least that s what they say.But the reality is very different as I found when I wrote a play that offered ten roles for black men and women and even three significant roles for black women over 40 which everyone agrees can be a career death zone for women (of all races).And as a diversity bonus the play was going to be about an issue that of huge significance to the black community it was called FERGUSON and was about the shooting of Michael Brown, a young black man by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.And this was to be no whitesplaining of the issue. I wrote, or rather curated, the play only using actual Grand Jury testimony of witnesses (most of them black). I didn t change their testimony at all. Not a paragraph, word or comma was added. It was to be a minute by minute account by multiple eyewitnesses of the last hours of Michael Brown s life. I decided to have a staged reading of the script over four nights at the Odyssey Theater in Santa Monica. It would be a great way for people to finally hear the truth about Ferguson in the words of the people who witnessed the whole incident.The cast were enthusiastic at the auditions there was a huge interest in the play at last the truth about Ferguson and the shooting of Michael Brown would come out. Their enthusiasm lasted until the end of the first rehearsal. According to an LA Times reporter who was present many of the actors were aghast that the truth from eyewitnesses and forensic experts didn t match their idea of what really happened or what they read in the media. It was clear from the eyewitness testimony that Michael Brown didn t have his hands up surrendering as activists claimed. It was also clear, again from black eyewitnesses, that police officer Darren Wilson had no choice but to shoot Brown who was on a mini-crime rampage that morning.These facts did not please the actors who wanted to tell a different story. However this was Verbatim Theater the story could only be told in the words of the witnesses. But the actors did not want to hear the genuine voices even if they were black and under oath. Nine of the original 13 actors walked out. Most of them were black. Then a few of the white cast walked out in sympathy one just 24 hours before the performance opened.Their walkout made a mockery of claims that there is a need for more diverse roles in the entertainment industry. This was a predominantly black cast in a play about a topic that was about an issue police shootings of black men that was of enormous interest to the black community.In reality what activists obviously meant was that they wanted black roles that pushed a left/liberal agenda. They may have wanted the actors faces to be a diverse color but they so did not want diversity of thought or ideas to be presented on the stage. No those ideas had to be shut down. And it s not as if those ideas don t get a lot of interest. The staged reading of Ferguson over a four night run in a 99-seat theater was one of the most talked about plays of the year in Los Angeles. As a writer for liberal LA Weekly put it FERGUSON achieved something almost unheard of in L.A. s stage community it moved theater from the arts section to the front page. Despite the walkout I was determined the Show Would Go On. Eventually we hired replacement cast for all the actors and the play was staged for its planned four night run. It was an enormous success.LA Weekly said Ferguson was divisive, but riveting and an incendiary night of theatre . It was covered by a huge range of media outlets including NPR, The Hollywood Reporter and Rush Limbaugh.Now that is true diversity!To ensure the truth about Ferguson reaches as big an audience as possible I have now filmed the staged reading.Please enjoy it. The truth is compelling. Phelim MacAleer | 1real |
Britain's U.S. ambassador discussed Trump retweets with senior White House staff: source | LONDON (Reuters) - Britain s ambassador to the United States discussed a row over retweets sent by President Donald Trump with senior White House officials on Wednesday, a British government source said on Thursday. The source, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, did not give further details of the discussion. Trump has sparked outrage in Britain s political establishment with a sharp rebuke of Prime Minister Theresa May on Twitter after she criticised him for retweeting British far-right anti-Islam videos. | 0fake |
EU, Finland can help settlement of Syria conflict: Iran parliament speaker | Politics Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani (R) and Finnish President Sauli Niinistö shake hands in Tehran on October 26, 2016. (Photo by IRNA)
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says the European Union can play a significant role in the settlement of the Syrian crisis and the campaign against terrorism.
Larijani made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in Tehran on Wednesday.
He said that Iran supports political solutions to crises in the Middle East, including the conflict in Syria, while some extra-regional players as well as regional sponsors of terrorist groups sabotaged diplomatic solutions through adopting wrong approaches.
The top Iranian parliamentarian also warned against the spillover of terrorism to other regions across the world.
“Unfortunately, military intervention by outsiders in regional issues and adopting a military approach and double standards on terrorism” have led to a rise in the number of terrorist groups and contributed to their activities, Larijani said.
He also blamed the “extremist and deviated” ideology of Wahhabism for the spread of terrorism in the region, stressing that neither Sunnis nor Shias support terrorist or extremist acts.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Larijani welcomed the expansion of ties between Tehran and Helsinki.
The Finnish official, for his part, called for the further promotion of ties between his country and Iran.
He also expressed regret about terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria and the lack of a political will to end the conflicts.
‘Terrorists pose threat to their own countries’
Also on Wednesday, the Finnish president met with Chairman of Iran's Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to discuss bilateral ties and regional developments. Chairman of Iran's Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (R) meets with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö (L) in Tehran on October 26, 2016. (Photo by IRNA)
In the meeting, Rafsanjani warned about possible threats posed by foreign recruits when they return to their own countries and the subsequent rise of terrorism across the world, and called on the international community to take measures to address the issue.
The senior Iranian official also raised the alarm over the issue of “state terrorism” pursued by the Zionists.
Earlier in the day, Finland’s president also met and held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the developments in the Middle East and the promotion of bilateral ties in different sectors, including economic and banking cooperation.
Niinistö arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to hold talks with Iranian officials on a range of issues.
He also met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday. Loading ... | 1real |
Texas Man Allegedly ’Having Sex With a Fence’ Arrested | A man from Austin, Texas, was arrested for indecent exposure after a resident called the police to report he was “having sex with a fence” outside her window, police said. [A police report reveals that Eleodoro Estala, 32, was seen by a neighbor urinating on the grass but when he saw the neighbor taking video of him with her cell phone he took off his clothing and began thrusting himself into the fence that separates their properties, according to CBS 47. The woman called the police and showed them photos and video of Estala’s actions. He was then arrested for exposure. The neighbor also told police that Estala put his mouth over a fence post and stuck his tongue in and out through a hole in the fence. A police report notes that the suspect appeared intoxicated. He also didn’t cooperate with officers. Estala’s bail was set at $2, 500. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail. com. | 0fake |
Report: Colin Kaepernick to Stand for National Anthem in 2017 - Breitbart | After refusing to stand for the national anthem in 2016, activist and quarterback Colin Kaepernick now plans to stand in 2017, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. [Kaepernick said from the beginning that he would kneel until he saw a significant change, but that change seems to be when he no longer has a gig in the NFL. The polarizing quarterback opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers this week and will officially be a free agent next week. Per ESPN’s Schefter, Kaepernick is ending the protest because he does not want to “detract from the positive change that he believes has been created,” but the timing of the announcement makes it obvious that the quarterback wants to separate himself from the distraction and controversy. Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent | 0fake |
Mistrial for South Carolina Officer Who Shot Walter Scott - The New York Times | CHARLESTON, S. C. — The trial of Michael T. Slager, the police officer whose videotaped killing of an unarmed black man staggered a nation already embroiled in a debate about police misconduct and racial bias in law enforcement, ended in a mistrial on Monday. Judge Clifton B. Newman’s decision to halt the proceedings came three days after jurors signaled that they were within one vote of returning a guilty verdict against Mr. Slager, who could have been convicted of murder or voluntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Walter L. Scott. But on Monday, in a final note to Judge Newman, jurors said that “despite the best efforts of all members, we are unable to come to a unanimous decision. ” The outcome was disappointingly familiar to critics of police practices and conduct, and demonstrated the steep hurdles associated with prosecuting a police officer for a shooting while on duty. Although other cases involving claims of police misconduct have ended in mistrials and acquittals, few resonated as widely as this case in North Charleston, where Mr. Slager fired eight shots as Mr. Scott ran away. “The fight isn’t over, that was Round 1,” said L. Chris Stewart, a lawyer for Mr. Scott’s family. “We all saw what he did. We all saw what happened. ” In a statement, Gov. Nikki R. Haley said: “Justice is not always immediate, but we must all have faith that it will be served — I certainly do. ” Prosecutors said they would seek a new trial for Mr. Slager, who was fired after the shooting, and the Scott family expressed confidence that he would ultimately be convicted. Mr. Slager’s lawyer, Andrew J. Savage III, did not comment as he left the courtroom, where jurors had heard testimony for about four weeks. No piece of evidence was more central than a cellphone video, which a Feidin Santana, recorded as he walked to work on April 4, 2015. The video began only after Mr. Scott fled on foot from a traffic stop for a broken taillight, but it was shocking and vivid. In the recording, the men engage in a struggle, and then, as Mr. Scott runs away, Mr. Slager raises his Glock handgun and fires. Mr. Scott falls to the ground. He was at least 17 feet away when Mr. Slager began to shoot. It was a sequence that jurors saw over and over, and the sound of the gunshots repeatedly pierced the courtroom. On Monday, the existence of the video, and its inability to lead to a conviction, fueled much of the furor and frustration about the trial’s resolution, incomplete as it was. “It saddens me, but I am not shocked,” said Howard Friedman, a civil rights lawyer and the former president of the National Police Accountability Project. “The fact that out of 12 people you would find one person so prejudiced in favor of police is saddening, not shocking, because I know that kind of prejudice in favor of police is out there. ” In Missouri, where an August 2014 police killing in Ferguson spurred both peaceful protests and unrest, State Senator Maria said the outcome in Charleston had left her “hopeless. ” “When you have the video that shows that Walter Scott is running away and still you have a mistrial?” Ms. said. Here in Charleston County, investigators at first believed Mr. Slager when he said he had been attacked. But Mr. Santana’s video, which emerged within days of the shooting and provoked international outrage, made Mr. Slager a pariah to many in law enforcement, an anomaly of policing who strayed far from his duties and oath when he opened fire and, prosecutors contended, tried to stage the scene to make the shooting appear justified. “Our whole criminal justice system rides on the back of law enforcement,” the chief prosecutor for Charleston County, Scarlett A. Wilson, said during her closing argument. “They have to be held accountable when they mess up. It is very, very rare, but it does happen. ” Ms. Wilson acknowledged from the beginning of the trial that she thought Mr. Scott had contributed to his own death by running away. “If Walter Scott had stayed in that car, he wouldn’t have been shot,” Ms. Wilson said. “He paid the extreme consequence for his conduct. He lost his life for his foolishness. ” Ms. Wilson’s concession, which she made during her opening statement, was something of an effort to immunize the prosecution from a theory that the defense advanced throughout the trial: that Mr. Scott had acted in ways that made Mr. Slager fear for his life. In his closing argument, Mr. Savage said Mr. Scott had left the officer with little choice after he “made decisions to attack a police officer. ” “Should he have assumed that an unarmed man would have attacked a police officer?” Mr. Savage said of Mr. Slager, who he complained had been made a “poster boy” of police misconduct claims because of disputed killings elsewhere in the country. Mr. Slager pressed a similar argument when he testified that he had felt “total fear” and “fired until the threat was stopped, like I’m trained to do. ” The jury here had three options, besides deadlocking: a conviction for murder, a conviction for voluntary manslaughter or an acquittal. In South Carolina, a murder conviction can lead to a life sentence, and manslaughter carries a term of two to 30 years. Mr. Slager’s case and its outcome were virtually certain to revive the storm that surrounded North Charleston, a city of about 108, 000 people, after Mr. Scott’s death. City officials, who agreed to a $6. 5 million settlement with Mr. Scott’s family, have long insisted that Mr. Slager was an outlier. But critics argued last year and again on Monday that the shooting was a tragic result of an aggressive law enforcement strategy carried out by a largely white police force. Drivers and pedestrians faced frequent stops for minor violations, and the police increased their presence, especially in areas that happened to be predominantly black neighborhoods. The approach, community leaders said, eroded trust, and North Charleston’s Police Department is now the subject of a Justice Department review as part of a “collaborative reform process. ” Another arm of the Justice Department is involved in a different legal battle against Mr. Slager, who has been accused in a federal indictment of violating Mr. Scott’s civil rights. But Mr. Slager will now also face a second trial in state court, and lawyers will undoubtedly consider the feedback that emerged from a jury that appeared bitterly divided during deliberations, which began on Wednesday. In a letter to Judge Newman on Friday, a single juror said he could not “in good conscience consider a guilty verdict. ” The jury’s foreman, the panel’s only black member, said in a separate note that the group was mostly in agreement that Mr. Slager should be convicted: “It’s just one juror that has the issues. ” The foreman also said: “That juror needs to leave. He is having issues. ” But on Monday morning, the jury said in another note that a majority of its members were “still undecided. ” Later, standing outside the courthouse on an overcast day, members of Mr. Scott’s family said they were not dwelling on a trial they had hoped would end with Mr. Slager bound for prison. “God is my strength, and I know without a doubt that he is a just God,” said Mr. Scott’s mother, Judy Scott. “Injustice will not prevail. ” | 0fake |
The World is Waking Up and it’s Magic to Watch | . The World is Waking Up and it’s Magic to Watch It’s inspiring to witness many of the earth’s people, especially in the Western world, becoming awar... Print Email http://humansarefree.com/2016/10/the-world-is-waking-up-and-its-magic-to.html It’s inspiring to witness many of the earth’s people, especially in the Western world, becoming aware of the deep corruption in our social system, particularly because society is building its innate capacity to actually do something about it. More and more people now understand that we are ruled via a corporatocracy where the money supply, banking, governmental policy and other vital public infrastructure has been hijacked by the oligarchs and the corporate elite. In addition, public discourse and the official narratives are dictated by the corporate media who are owned by the same people who control macro public policy via their political puppets, as well as the unprecedented wealth they have at their disposal. Their ultimate agenda is of course ultimate power, which is dressed up in a pretty dress of “let’s save the planet!”.Of course the degradation of our natural systems needs a fresh approach, yet their covert game to win a planetary control-system has been brilliantly exposed for the world to see. In stride, the people are fighting back in both explicit and subtle ways. Some examples include: Independent media has exploded, where more people now get their news from it compared to the propagandized mainstream press; The information which exposes the lies of the ‘programmed beliefs’ is increasingly circulated by an awakening populace; Global and local action groups are forming to reverse the sellout of our system; Greater numbers of people are growing or sourcing organic, chemical-free food and are personally filtering any contaminants out of their water supply; Parents are home-schooling their children in greater numbers, or at least giving them more holistic and healthy information as their core education; Conversations of substance are increasingly occurring at pubs, supermarkets and community events, making it harder for the sleeping masses not to face the uncomfortable truths about our sick system; and Individuals and families are unplugging from the control-grid the best they can, as well as reconsidering and re-prioritizing what’s truly important in life. That’s a good segue into the other dimension of the waking up process. A great awakening is occurring in terms of the deeper layers of reality, including the way the scientific philosophy on life has been intentionally designed to keep us disempowered and disconnected with our true nature. Exit scientific materialism . This theory has long been debunked by the quantum and parapsychological sciences because human consciousness has clearly been shown to play a co-creative role in the manifestation of our interconnected reality. Not that this hasn’t been known in one way or another by basically every culture on earth since the beginning of time. Yet, materialism is still the dominant philosophy of not just the dogmatic discipline we call mainstream science, but also of many minds within the truth and freedom network. When it’s pretty much common knowledge that medical, energy and other corporate-related science has been distorted and suppressed for the benefit of the control-system, why would it be any different when it comes to the philosophical implications of scientific exploration and its associated evidence? After all, we know that the elite use ritual and symbolic spells to achieve their goals, so clearly they themselves believe beyond the adolescence of a matter-based reality. And when we consider how successful they’ve been, obviously they’ve tapped into the energetic dance in a productive way, at least for themselves. The fact remains however that there is a huge network of people who are becoming conscious of the nature of consciousness itself. A term to describe this is spirituality, but in summary it’s simply about understanding the connection we have with each other and reality at large, as well as rediscovering the various layers which make up the self. If you haven’t viewed through this lens in your quest for clarity, you’re unfortunately missing a profound piece of the philosophical puzzle. In any case, the awakening community is doing some amazing work, even if it’s split between the system-focused and spiritual-focused mindsets. There are of course many balance-minded individuals and groups who are doing both, but for the time being this remains the exception, not the norm. That will change though. The veterans of truth-seeking, as well as the newly initiated to the conscious society, are energetically primed to create a balance between these two areas of exploration. After all, there is always an opportunity for the magic to be at strength with the madness, just like the positive charge is equal to its negative counterpart, in accordance with natural principles. That’s duality, in one action. To reflect on which ways in which you’ve personally woken up, watch the following short documentary. By Phillip J. Watt, Waking Times About the author: Phillip J. Watt lives in Australia. His written work deals with topics from ideology to society, as well as self-development. Follow him on Facebook or visit his website . Dear Friends, HumansAreFree is and will always be free to access and use. If you appreciate my work, please help me continue.
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Warren Buffett Knows Exactly Why Trump’s Campaign Is Broke | Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the world and someone who actually does know a lot about money, has known this whole time what drove Trump s campaign finances into the ground. He didn t say as much, because at the time Buffett revealed this, it was 1991 and he was talking about Trump s bankrupt Taj Mahal. What he said then can apply now, though, and the state of Trump s campaign finances backs it up.Back when Trump filed for bankruptcy on the Taj Mahal, Buffett was giving speeches to undergrad students at Notre Dame when someone asked him where Trump went wrong. Buffett said: He simply got infatuated with how much money he could borrow, and he did not give enough thought to how much money he could pay back. That s so Trump, especially when faced with the possibility that he can t do what he wants because of consequences. So is this: The big problem with Donald Trump was he never went right. He basically overpaid for properties, but he got people to lend him the money. He was terrific at borrowing money. If you look at his assets, and what he paid for them, and what he borrowed to get them, there was never any real equity there. No, he never did go right. Trump has six bankruptcies total in his history, which is a lot, even over 25 years. He owes at least $100 million to Deutsche Bank. One has to wonder whether he got over his infatuation with borrowing, or whether he learned anything from his bankruptcies. He certainly hasn t learned to think about the consequences of anything he does.His campaign is more than $40 million in the hole with just over $1 million in the bank, and he just sent out his first desperate email begging his constituents for money. He ll need those donations to keep his campaign running, not pay off debt. Perhaps he thinks the debt will walk quietly away?This is significant because, if he s as in love with debt as he is with himself, he very well could make our national debt skyrocket despite his more than impossible promise to have it paid off within eight years. He s far more likely to actually bankrupt the U.S. than any other candidate if he s mired in this notion that he can borrow money indiscriminately.Buffett and Trump are polar opposites in the way they do business, and even in the way they see government. For instance, Trump has bragged about the low tax rate he pays, as if that s something to be proud of when the government is talking about cutting needed services because there isn t enough money. Buffett, on the other hand, has called for higher taxes on the wealthy repeatedly.That makes Buffett the smart one of these two, but then, we already knew that.Trump keeps saying he can change his tune anytime he wants, but the few paltry efforts he s made have failed spectacularly within just a few days. It s a good bet that he ll remain addicted to borrowing money, even as president. He has his eye on the prize, and the prize is a destroyed U.S., and a fat wallet for himself.Featured image by Paul Morigi/Getty Images | 1real |
USA – China: Who Is Responsible for North Korean Nuclear Weapons Programme Development? | New Eastern Outlook | Country: China North Korea’s announcements of the completion of its Nuclear Weapons Development Programme have caused an outburst of discussion on “who is to blame”. More accurately, it concerns who is primarily responsible for the escalation of the situation to its current level. Against the backdrop of growing USA-China opposition, now Beijing has even been accused this, with accusations varying from “did nothing, although it could” to “actively assisted”. Let’s start with statements made by US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. On October 13, 2016 the Associated Press, referring to WikiLeaks, reported that in June, 2013, during a lecture to Goldman Sachs officials, Hillary Clinton pointed out that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army is the main sponsor of North Korea. It was at that time when she stated her position – if Beijing is not able to keep North Korea from creating an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the USA may encircle China with a ring of missile defence systems and naval bases. Sankei Shimbun (Japan) quotes the US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter: “China is a primarily responsible for North Korea’s current actions. It covers up the dangerous behaviour of this country”. It presents readers with the idea that Beijing is engaged in an obvious plot. Having been on the receiving end of criticism from Washington for its great-power policy, it has decided respond in this way. As proof, the Japanese refer to Chosun Ilbo, which reported that, according to a former employee of the United States Defense Intelligence Agency, Bruce Vector, whose opinion was published on September 1, the North Korean rocket is an exact copy of the Chinese Tszyuylan-1 two-stage solid-propellant ballistic missile, which is designed to be placed on submarines. Giving a lecture at the Seoul National University, the United States Deputy Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, also announced that the North Korean economy can not be discussed without mentioning China. Pyongyang is totally dependent on cooperation with Beijing, so China is particularly responsible for the implementation of sanctions against North Korea. The goal of such accusations is to force China to be “more constructive.” Meanwhile, Chinese politicians constantly state that the Nuclear Issue on the Korean Peninsula is not caused by Beijing’s actions, and China cannot wave a magic wand and resolve the situation. The roots of the issue stem from conflicts between the USA and North Korea, and it is America who should demonstrate a constructive approach. On September 12, 2016, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, noted that the core of the Nuclear Issue on the Korean Peninsula is in the conflict between the USA and North Korea, and it is America who should take responsibility. “We once again call upon all the parties to look at the overall situation, to act with caution, to avoid mutual provocations, as well as to jointly promote denuclearization, and to make real efforts to achieve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula”, said the Chinese diplomat, noting that the current situation is testament to the real importance and urgency of returning to the six-party negotiations as soon as possible . On September 14, 2016, American suggestions that China should actively participate in isolating North Korea were rejected in Renmin Ribao Newspaper ( China ). The newspaper states that the prime responsibility for the current situation cannot be placed on North Korea, but on the United States. On September 21, in his speech at the UN, the Prime Minister of China, Li Keqiang, also did not mention sanctions. On November 2, 2016, Hua Chunying once again announced that it is not possible to achieve the fundamental solution of the Nuclear Issue on the Korean Peninsula by sanctions and pressure alone. Commenting on the recent meeting of the heads of delegations from the USA and the Republic of Korea at the six-party negotiations, during which there were repeated calls to tighten sanctions and increase pressure against North Korea in the hope that the new resolution of the UN Security Council would introduce the forced restriction of North Korean coal exports, Hua Chunying said that the UN Security Council was considering and discussing the North Korean nuclear issue. However, a substantial part of UN Security Council Resolution 2270 refers to the need to resume the six-party negotiations and to seek to reduce tension in North-East Asia via political and diplomatic means. This is how a meaningful solution to the North Korean nuclear issue can be found . Two days later, on November 4, she stated that the deployment of the US Missile Defense System on the Korean Peninsula would undermine the strategic balance of forces in the region, and Beijing reserves the right to take the necessary measures to protect its own safety. The actions of the USA run contrary to the efforts to ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, said Hua Chunying, calling on relevant parties to take China’s legitimate concerns into account. The heart of China’s policy is both the THAAD issue (seen by China as aimed at containing its missile capabilities) and the broader perception that US military preparations against North Korea are actually directed against China. As a result, despite a number of serious differences between the countries, relations between Beijing and Pyongyang are based on the principle of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. It is easier to support North Korea, rather than risking more serious consequences that may occur if it were pressed too hard. China’s willingness to investigate illegal trade links between a number of Chinese companies and North Korea shows that “the window is not completely closed”, and it can be seen as an attempt to weaken US efforts to impose sanctions against Chinese companies that do legal business with North Korea. China and North Korea are simultaneously expanding economic cooperation despite the effects of international sanctions. According to the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the third meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission of North Korea and China was held in Pyongyang on October 25 where border issues were discussed. The Chinese party headed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs – Liu Zhenmin, and the North Korean – the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs – Pak Myong-guk. Organising a new border crossing was discussed as a bridge between Sinuiju city (North Korea) and Hunchun city (China) was built this September. In addition, in the near future a bridge between Sinuiju city and Dandong city (China) will be opened. Besides, the trade turnover between North Korea and China in the third quarter of this year increased by 3.4% compared to the same period of last year. The Chinese are building new warehouses and offices in the Rason Special Economic Zone which means an inflow of investments. The import of cars from North Korea into China increased sharply. The import of Chinese rice also increased. According to the Customs Administration of China, in September 2016 18,477 tons of grain crops were delivered from China to North Korea. This is 2.7 times higher than in August, and 6 times higher than last September. In September, 16 thousand tons of rice were imported (2 thousand tons more than from January to August). Although South Korean experts explain this fact by the decision made by the North Korean leadership to stabilize prices for rice, as rice stocks in the past year have worn thin, any fact related to North Korea has been solely considered a sign of imminent starvation and collapse for some time now. In general, while one party is accusing the other and bearing its weapons, the other is looking for ways to resolve the issue, which clearly shows who could encourage dialogue but does not want to do so. Konstantin Asmolov, Ph.D. in History, Chief Research Fellow at the Center for Korean Studies of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, exclusively for the online magazine “ New Eastern Outlook. ”
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After Jeb Tweets Pic Of His New Gun, His Pandering Earns Him Deplorable New Follower (IMAGE) | Desperate times call for desperate measures, or something like that, and that s exactly what floundering Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush has resorted to.In what could be considered the lamest attempt ever to pander to the right wing, who loves their guns more than, well, pretty much anything, Jeb Bush decided he would tweet out a pic of his brand new fancy gun with his name engraved on it with the caption, America. Honestly, if you haven t vomited by now, prepare yourself, because in a moment, you just may.America. pic.twitter.com/TeduJkwQF3 Jeb Bush (@JebBush) February 16, 2016It wasn t long after Jeb tweeted this image that he likely got exactly what he was aiming for (pun intended). He received a follow from the National Rifle Association on Twitter. Apparently, they weren t following him already, and Jeb knew that if he had any hope of doing well in the South, he d have to up his gun-toting game. And it worked.Check out the interaction that was captured via Tweetdeck:Tweetdeck via TheTrace.orgSweet that we can watch that romance bloom in real-time, huh?As it turns out, it was revealed last fall that Bush, while having an A+ rating with the NRA, didn t actually own a firearm. However, all that has changed now with the tweet of the candidate s manhood new gun. And of course, he had it engraved. Although, I wouldn t put it past his mom to have put his name on it for him, as she likely did on his underwear when he went away to camp as a teenager.Apparently, this sort of pandering knows no boundaries, and it has paid off for the former governor of Florida with his new deplorable follower who prefers endless amounts of gun sales with no restrictions over common sense reform and saving lives. You know, we all have our priorities, the NRA s just happens to be profit motivated, and now Jeb has fallen in lockstep behind them. Pretty pathetic, yet not at all surprising.Featured image: Twitter/Flickr | 1real |
Battle for the Ages | Here's something interesting from The Unz Review... Recipient Name Recipient Email =>
Donald Trump’s red wave on Election Day was an unprecedented body blow against neoliberalism. The stupid early-1990s prediction about the ‘end of history’ turned into a – possible – shock of the new. The new global nativism? Perhaps a new push towards democratic socialism? Too early to tell.
Once again. A body blow, not a death blow. Like the cast of The Walking Dead, the zombie neoliberal elite simply won’t quit. For the Powers That Be/Deep State/Wall Street axis, there’s only one game in town, and that is to win, at all costs. Failing that, to knock over the whole chessboard, as in hot war.
Hot war has been postponed, at least for a few years. Meanwhile, it’s enlightening to observe the collective American and Eurocrat despair about a world they can’t understand anymore; Brexit, Trumpquake, the rise of the far-right across the West. For the insulated financial/tech/think-tank elites of liquid modernity, criticism of neoliberalism – with is inbuilt deregulation, privatization a-go-go, austerity obsession – is anathema.
The angry, white, blue collar Western uprising is the ultimate backlash against neoliberalism – an instinctive reaction against the rigged economic casino capitalism game and its subservient political arms. That’s at the core of Trump winning non-college white voters in Wisconsin by 28 points. Blaming “whitelash” , racism, WikiLeaks or Russia is no more than childish diversionary tactics.
The key question is whether the backlash may engender a new Western drive towards democratic socialism – read David Harvey’s books for the road map – or just nostalgic nationalism raging against the neoliberal Washington/EU/NAFTA/ globalization machine.
Read my lips: much lower taxes
Trump is proposing to turn the tables on the neoliberal game. Throughout his campaign he criminalized free trade – the essence of globalization – for decimating the American working class, even as US businesses blamed free trade for forcing them to squeeze workers’ wages.
So let’s see how Trump will be able to impose his priorities. In parallel to addressing the appalling structural decline in US manufacturing, he wants to pull a China: a massive $1 trillion infrastructure project over 10 years via public-private partnerships and private investments encouraged by lower taxes. That’s supposed to create a wealth of jobs.
Lower corporate taxes in this case translate into a whopping $3 trillion over 10 years, something like 1.6 percent of GDP. That would be the way to incite huge multinationals to repatriate the hundreds of billions of dollars in profits stashed abroad. This fiscal shock would create 25 million jobs in the US over the next 10 years, and propel a 4 percent growth rate.
And then there’s the protectionist drive that will renegotiate NAFTA and kill TPP for good. Not to mention raising import tariffs over manufactured products (many by de-localized US multinationals) imported from China and Mexico.
It’s open to fierce debate how Trumponomics will manage to square the circle; with more economic growth fueled by less taxes, imports will rise to satisfy internal demand. But if these products are subjected to stiffer tariffs, they will become more expensive, and inflation will inevitably rise.
Anyway, the bottom line of protectionist Trumponomics would be a huge blow against global trade. Deglobalization, anyone?
Asia braces for impact
Predictably, the heart of deglobalization will be the Trump-China relationship. Throughout the campaign, Trump blamed China for currency manipulation and proposed a 45 percent tariff on Chinese imports.
In Hong Kong banking circles, no one believes in it. Key argument: the already strapped basket of “deplorables” simply won’t have the means to pay more for these Chinese imports.
Another thing entirely would be for Trumponomics to find mechanisms to hurt US companies that de-localize in Asia. That would translate into serious problems for outsourcing Meccas such as India and the Philippines. Outsourcing in the Philippines, for instance, serves mostly US companies and attracts revenue as crucial to the nation as total Filipino worker remittances from abroad, something like 9 percent of GDP.
It’s quite enlightening in this context to consider what Narayana Murthy – founder of Indian IT major Infosys – told the CNBC TV-18 network; “What is in the best interest of America is for its corporations to succeed, for its corporations to create more jobs… to export more… so I’m very positive.”
Four months ago Nomura Holdings Inc. issued a report titled “Trumping Asia” . No less than 77 percent of respondents expected Trump to brand China a currency manipulator; and 75 percent predicted he will impose tariffs on exports from China, South Korea and Japan.
So no wonder all across Asia the next months will be nerve-wracking. Asia – and not only China – is the factory of the world. Any Trump trade restriction over China will reverberate all across Asia.
Brace for impact: deglobalized Trumponomics vs. Neoliberalism will be a battle for the ages.
Pepe Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007), Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge and Obama does Globalistan (Nimble Books, 2009). His latest book is Empire of Chaos . He may be reached at . (Reprinted from RT by permission of author or representative) | 1real |
Merkel heads to EU-Africa summit with eye on migrant issue at home | BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will focus on expanding business ties and trying to regulate migration with Africa during an EU-Africa summit in Abidjan this week, as she comes under pressure at home to make progress faster on both fronts. Merkel is taking a break from her more than month-long drive to form a new government to attend the summit, keen to demonstrate Germany s continued ability to act on the foreign policy front, and to underscore her commitment to Africa. She will join with French President Emmanuel Macron at the summit to focus on education, investment in youth and economic development to prevent refugees and economic migrants from attempting the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean. Libya is now the main departure point for mostly African migrants trying to cross to Europe. Smugglers usually pack them into flimsy inflatable boats that often break down or sink. The chancellor told a conservative event on Saturday that she would press for expanded trade ties and investment, while urging African leaders in bilateral talks to accept the return of their citizens who had no right to stay in Europe. The trip is important for the German leader amid widespread criticism of her 2015 decision to allow in over a million migrants, then mostly from the Middle East and Afghanistan. She is under pressure at home to avert another migration crisis after losing support to the far right in the Sept. 24 election. Germany is likely to adopt an immigration law of some kind in the aftermath of election losses for mainstream parties. Experts say the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party could see further gains in any new election next year if Merkel fails to convince the Social Democrats to renew the grand coalition that ruled for the last four years. A year after Merkel made Africa a cornerstone of Germany s presidency of the G20 industrialized nations, illegal migration from Africa remains a concern, with rights groups blasting the EU s failure to address conditions in migrant camps in Libya and elsewhere. Merkel has also faced criticism from German companies, who say they risk losing out in the face of burgeoning interest in the region from rivals in France, China, the United States, Britain, India and Turkey. Germany s trade balance with African countries expanded 11.2 percent to 13.8 percent in the first half of 2017 after declining slightly in 2016. German industry remains underrepresented in these markets of the future, said Christoph Kannengiesser, director of the German-African Business Association. Compared to other international firms, German companies are noticeably behind, due to insufficient support from the government. | 0fake |
“OUR MORAL OBLIGATION” – Obama Visits Laos And Vietnam On Apology Tour…Pledges Millions | President Barack Obama pledged $90 million ( 67 million) on Tuesday to help Laos recover millions of unexploded bombs secretly dropped there by US planes during the Vietnam War, saying the clean-up was a moral obligation . Mr Obama is in Laos for a summit of Southeast Asian leaders, making him the first sitting president to visit the communist country, which is sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam.A young boy stands in front of a building made with repurposed bomb shells.He said it was time to at last acknowledge the toll American bombing had taken on the people of Laos. Villages and entire valleys were obliterated. Countless civilians were killed. That conflict was another reminder that, whatever the cause, whatever our intentions, war inflicts a wrenching toll, especially on innocent men, women and children, he said.Read more: Telegraph | 1real |
Threats and Vandalism Leave American Jews on Edge in Trump Era - The New York Times | The rambling voice on the telephone was disguised and garbled, and warned of a slaughter of Jews. The voice spoke of a bomb loaded with shrapnel and of an imminent “blood bath. ” Moments later, the caller hung up. The threat to a Jewish community center turned out to be a hoax. The warning was one of at least 100 that Jewish community centers and schools have reported since the beginning of the year, a menacing pattern that has upended daily life for people in 33 states and prompted a federal investigation that has come under increasing scrutiny from lawmakers, security specialists and Jewish leaders. Combined with the recent vandalism at Jewish cemeteries in Missouri and Pennsylvania, the calls have stoked fears that a virulent has increasingly taken hold in the early days of the Trump administration. At the beginning of an address to Congress on Tuesday night, Mr. Trump said the episodes, along with last week’s attack on two Indian immigrants in Kansas, “remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms. ” In a meeting with state attorneys general earlier Tuesday, Mr. Trump suggested that the threats and destruction might be a politically coordinated effort to “make people look bad,” according to the attorneys general of Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. “First, he said the acts were reprehensible,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, a Democrat who asked Mr. Trump about the episodes during a session at the White House. “Second, he said: ‘And you’ve got to be careful it could be the reverse. This could be the reverse, trying to make people look bad. ’” Jewish leaders denounced Mr. Trump’s comments to the attorneys general, and some urged the federal government to accelerate its investigation of the threatening calls, the latest of which came on Monday. “The person or persons doing this have broken the law, and it’s the responsibility of our system to investigate it and apprehend the individual or individuals responsible,” said David Posner, the director of strategic performance for the JCC Association of North America. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been leading an inquiry since January, and a federal law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss a continuing investigation, said that a single person may be making the threats using an internet calling service. Independent analysts, including extremism researchers and retired law enforcement officials, share that theory and said that, so far, they have seen no evidence of an organized effort. Though some people had suspected that the calls were recorded and automated, there was evidence to the contrary. In Milwaukee, for instance, a switchboard operator asked questions and received responses from the caller, said Mark Shapiro, the president of the Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center. Mr. Posner said an F. B. I. official had emphasized that the investigation was a priority for the bureau, involving experts in behavioral analysis, civil rights and hate groups. “Agents and analysts across the country are working to identify and stop those responsible,” Stephen Richardson, the bureau’s assistant director for the criminal investigative division, said. “We will work to make sure that people of all races and religions feel safe in their communities and in their places of worship. ” According to Mr. Posner’s group, more than 80 community centers and day schools in the United States and Canada have been threatened, some repeatedly. The calls have come in five rounds, most recently on Monday, when there were 31 threats. Many of the calls have prompted evacuations and bomb sweeps, forcing schoolchildren from classrooms and employees to push cribs full of infants into parking lots. Retirees have been rushed from swimming pools, and offices and streets shut down. The threats are frequent and alarming, community center leaders said. “My initial reaction was, ‘This is our turn,’” said Karen Kolodny, the executive director of the JCC of in Scarsdale, N. Y. where officials responded to a bomb threat on Monday. “My reaction was not complete shock. We thought it was going to happen at some point. ” F. B. I. data shows that most hate crimes are linked to race, ethnicity or ancestry. In 2015, the most recent year for which federal data has been released, the authorities recorded 664 episodes they classified as . Analysts said they believed that commentary online before last year’s presidential election had gradually escalated into more sinister behavior toward the Jewish institutions, which have long prepared for threats and often employ private security. “You started out with the hostile tweets,” said Mitchell D. Silber, who was director of intelligence analysis for the New York Police Department. “You moved to the bomb threats against JCCs and other institutions, and now you have a physical manifestation at the cemeteries with the gravestones knocked over. ” Although the F. B. I. is investigating damage to headstones at a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia, the episode there, as well as a similar one near St. Louis, is not believed to have been the work of anyone behind the bomb threats. The bureau’s inquiry into the bomb threats is likely complicated by the reality that criminals have embraced new technology, said Ronald T. Hosko, one of Mr. Richardson’s predecessors as an assistant F. B. I. director. “This is unlikely to be little twisted Johnny calling from his parents’ house,” Mr. Hosko said. Instead, Mr. Hosko suggested, the caller could be relying on libraries, restaurants or other public places with internet access, sites that might be equipped with surveillance cameras that the F. B. I. could use to help identify someone who frequented those places at the dates and times of the calls. Each new threat, Mr. Hosko said, increased the odds of an arrest. “Every one of those contacts presents another opportunity,” he said. “It’s another dot in the pattern analysis. ” As the threats have poured in, from Albuquerque to Nashville to Providence, there have been rising worries over whether people might stay away from the centers, which also serve people of other religious backgrounds. Some have fretted that the intense public attention might be encouraging whoever is behind the calls. “Given that this is happening wave after wave, there are concerns for people’s families, and people are concerned about whether they should still send their kids to JCCs,” said Oren Segal, the director of the League’s Center on Extremism. “When communities start like this, it is incredibly alarming and disruptive and serves the purpose of whoever is carrying out these threats. ” But Jewish institution leaders, in interviews and in conversations with one another, have expressed more frustration than fear. “By attacking the JCC, they’re really attacking what is best about America: the diversity, the pluralism, the inclusion that one faith community can be as welcoming to other faith communities and demonstrate that through deeds on the ground,” Mr. Posner said. “That’s something we will never surrender. ” | 0fake |
Trump says he will visit Japan, South Korea, China in November | ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would visit Japan, South Korea and China in November, a trip he added would possibly include Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference. Trump, who has been focused on working with China to try to curb North Korea s nuclear program, noted he had been invited to the U.S-ASEAN summit in the Philippines, but he was not definitive about his attendance. We ll probably all be going over (to Asia) in a group in November. And we ll be doing Japan, South Korea, possibly Vietnam with the conference, Trump said. When asked about the ASEAN summit in the Philippines, Trump acknowledged he had been invited, but said: We re going to see. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced in April during a visit to Jakarta that Trump would attend the summits in the Philippines and Vietnam. | 0fake |
[VIDEO] Mooch Will Give Barack Work Out Gear…You Know, So He Can Workout With What? 2 Lb Weights? WATCH FLASHBACK VIDEO | Mooch is asked about what she will get her weak-kneed husband for Christmas: He s going to get some workout stuff. It s not going to be very interesting this year, honey. Sorry. Here s Barry hitting the gym. By the looks of this video, work out gear is the last thing he needs. Maybe a personal trainer, but not workout gear: | 1real |
KELLYANNE CONWAY Slaps Down Rabid CNN Host Chris Cuomo: “Aren’t you the least bit embarrassed that you now talk about Russia more than you talk about America?” [VIDEO] | Chris Cuomo of fake news network CNN interviewed Kellyanne Conway on Sunday. You would have thought by now, these hacks at CNN would have figured out they are no match for the brilliant Kellyanne Conway. At the opening of his interview with Conway, Cuomo attempted to convince the few viewers who still watch CNN that President Trump was very squishy on his meeting with Vladimir Putin. Kellyanne Conway snapped back in her usual calm but witty way, Chris, let s back up. So you re saying you used the word squishy which, itself, is unusual to describe the president s state of mind. So somehow that makes people on CNN insist that the president is never going to raise this with Putin? Why are they still in there? Cuomo responded, It s not about CNN. It s about what the president said, Kellyanne. Kellyanne immediately landed a right hook to fake news host Chris Cuomo when she asked him, Aren t you the least bit reluctant, if not embarrassed that you now talk about Russia more than you talk about America? Cuomo went on to discuss the nothing-burger story about a meeting Donald Trump Jr. had with a Russian lawyer prior to the election. The lawyer allegedly claimed he had information about individuals connected to Russian that were funding the DNC and Hillary. It turns out she was a human rights lawyer who wanted to talk about adoption. But CNN, who suffers from Trump-Russia collusion obsession, is clinging to this story like a squirrel protects its only nut in the dead of winter. Again, Conway delivered another knock out blow saying, you keep on saying opposition research the way you guys constantly vomit words like collusion and Russian interference and affecting the election, all of which you have no evidence. We cannot convert wishful thinking into hard evidence. Watch: | 1real |
California bill to fight fashion models' eating disorders advances | SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A California bill aimed at reducing eating disorders among models cleared its first legislative hurdle on Wednesday, following efforts in several countries to fight extreme thinness in an industry that pressures models to lose weight. The measure would require the state to develop health standards for models and regard them as employees of the brands they represent. “The goal of the bill is not only to protect the health of the workers themselves, but also to help young people who emulate models,” said the bill’s author, state Assemblyman Marc Levine, a Democrat who represents the Marin County suburbs of San Francisco. Last year, France banned excessive thinness in models, partly in response to the death in 2010 of Isabelle Caro, a 28-year-old former French fashion model. She died from anorexia after posing for a photographic campaign to raise awareness about the illness. Israel enacted a similar measure in 2013, while Italy and Spain rely on voluntary codes of conduct to protect models. The California bill passed the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee on Wednesday. It must be approved by additional committees and the full legislature before it can go to Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, who has not said if he would sign it. At Wednesday’s committee hearing activist Sara Ziff, a former fashion model, wept as she recounted abuses she endured as a teenage model, including pressure to strip for photographers. “I felt like I was being treated more like an escort than a model,” said Ziff, 32, who founded the group Model Alliance. By requiring that models be considered employees, she said, the state would protect them from sexual abuse and exploitation, and the risks of developing an eating disorder. The Association of Talent Agents has called the bill unworkable. A licensing requirement for modeling agencies is redundant because California talent agencies are already licensed, association President Karen Stuart said. “This does nothing to reduce the problems that you heard about today,” Stuart said. | 0fake |
CONSERVATIVE LEADER Sends Stern Message To Mitt Romney: Go Home And Be Quiet! [Video] | Matt Schlapp, the leader of the American Conservative Union, slammed Mitt Romney for his continued attacks on GOP nominee Donald Trump. | 1real |
Bill Maher Hilariously Rips Donald Trump’s Unemployment Lie To Shreds (VIDEO) | On Friday, during a segment of Real Time with Bill Maher, the comedic host utterly destroyed Donald Trump s latest round of lies. The most notable example of Trump s no f#cks given, blatant lying relates to unemployment. Trump has stated multiple times that he has heard that the unemployment rate is really somewhere around 40 percent. Trump s continued use of the bogus talking point, has recently garnered new attention.Politifact gave Trump a Pants on Fire rating when he made the claim during a televised press conference back in September. It is just one among his total of the 18 Pants on Fire ratings that Trump has received from them. During the press conference, Trump said: The number isn t reflective. I ve seen numbers of 24 percent I actually saw a number of 42 percent unemployment. Forty-two percent. 5.3 percent unemployment that is the biggest joke there is in this country. The unemployment rate is probably 20 percent, but I will tell you, you have some great economists that will tell you it s a 30, 32. And the highest I ve heard so far is 42 percent. Maher marveled at how ridiculous the claim is. Maher pondered what exactly an America with a 40% unemployment would look like. He mentions the horrific realities of the life during the Great Depression. During that dark time in the United States economic history, the unemployment rate was at its highest was 25 percent. Almost half of Trump s claim. Maher asks: Do you have any idea what America would look like with 40 percent unemployment? In the Great Depression, people were jumping out of windows and selling apples on the street. Maher laid part of the blame for Trump and other Republican s ability to get away with making such bold and obvious lies, with the media. He points out the lack of outrage in the media over the Supreme Court s decision earlier this week to block most of President Obama s new carbon emission rules, as an example.You can watch the segment below, in full.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXVhR5rC7rg Featured image from video screenshot via YouTube | 1real |
LeBeouf's anti-Trump New York exhibit shuttered over safety concerns | NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York City museum has shut down an exhibit protesting U.S. President Donald Trump co-created by actor Shia LaBeouf, saying the installation titled “HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US” had triggered threats of violence and endangered public safety. LaBeouf and two artists had set up a live-streaming camera outside the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens on Jan. 20, the day that Trump was inaugurated, and encouraged members of the public to repeat “he will not divide us” into the camera. The exhibit was intended to continue through Trump’s four-year term. LaBeouf was arrested on Jan. 26 after getting into an altercation with a 25-year-old man at the museum, according to police. The actor allegedly pulled the man’s scarf, scratched his face and shoved him, police said. In a statement on Friday, the museum said the camera had “created a serious and ongoing public safety hazard.” “While the installation began constructively, it deteriorated markedly after one of the artists was arrested on the site of the installation and ultimately necessitated this action,” the museum said. “Over the course of the installation, there have been dozens of threats of violence and numerous arrests, such that police felt compelled to be stationed outside the installation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” The New York City Police Department confirmed it had assigned a foot post to the location 24 hours a day. Police said only one other person had been arrested outside the museum since LaBeouf: a 21-year-old man on Feb. 2 accused of throwing eggs at another person. On Friday morning, the live stream showed the words, “The museum has abandoned us,” in capital letters, an image that LaBeouf shared on Twitter. A message about the project on its website said, “On Feb. 10, 2017, the Museum of the Moving Image abandoned the project. The artists, however, have not.” A representative for LaBeouf did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. | 0fake |
Comment on India Moves to Severely Restrict Use of Cash, Forcing Much of Economy Into Barter by Bugs Bunny | by Jerri-Lynn Scofield
By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She now spends most of her time in India and other parts of Asia researching a book about textile artisans. She also writes regularly about legal, political economy, and regulatory topics for various consulting clients and publications, as well as writes occasional travel pieces for The National .
The biggest story on Indian television yesterday wasn’t the election of Donald Trump. For on Tuesday night (IST), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a surprise speech declared that currency notes of rupees (Rs) 500 and Rs 1000 — the highest two denominations in circulation– would be invalid as of midnight that same night. The withdrawn notes could no longer be used for transacting business or as a store of value for future usage (with some limited exceptions, but even these were only allowed for a short transition period).
From Modi’s speech :
“There is a need for a decisive war against the menace of corruption, black money and terrorism… Corruption, black money and terrorism are festering wounds which make the country hollow from within,” he said, adding such activities hold back the nation’s progress.
Describing illegal financial activities as the “biggest blot”, Modi said that despite several steps taken by his government over the last two-and-a-half years, India’s global ranking on corruption had moved only to 76th position from 100th earlier.
“This shows the extent of the web of corruption in the country. The disease of corruption is the domain of some veted people who are flourishing. Some people have misused their positions and benefitted. On the other hand, honest people are suffering,” he said.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)– the Indian central bank– as reported by The Times of India , elaborated:
The incidence of fake Indian currency notes in higher denomination has increased. For ordinary persons, the fake notes look similar to genuine notes, even though no security feature has been copied. The fake notes are used for antinational and illegal activities. High denomination notes have been misused by terrorists and for hoarding black money. India remains a cash based economy hence the circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes continues to be a menace. In order to contain the rising incidence of fake notes and black money, the scheme to withdraw has been introduced.
Chaos Ensues
India remains a cash-based economy, especially for low-value transactions, and the move has caused widespread chaos, as I write this from Kolkata where I am currently visiting. The move was accompanied by a temporary shut down of all banks and ATMs, with banks reopening earlier today and ATMs due to reopen tomorrow.
Initially, after the announcement, the highest denomination legal tender note in circulation was the Rs 100 note. New legally tender Rs 500 and Rs 2000 notes have been made available today, according to Tushar Roy, chief manager of a nationalized bank, Central Bank of India. Not all banks have yet received the new notes, but Roy says that this problem is expected to be resolved soon. The government also expects to re-introduce Rs 1000 notes soon, to include advanced security features. When ATMs open tomorrow, withdrawals will be limited to a maximum of Rs 2000 per transaction, as compared to the Rs 10,000 and in some cases, Rs 15,000 limits, that previously applied.
Starting today, after producing appropriate identification, people are allowed to exchange old notes for new at any of the 19 RBI offices, any bank branch, or at any head post office or sub-post office. They will have until December 30 to complete their transactions.
Individuals receive full value for the entire volume of bank notes tendered at any of these venues, but here’s the kicker: At the moment, each person is limited to receiving only Rs 4000 per person in cash irrespective of the size of tender. Anything over and above that amount can only be credited to a bank account. This allows the government to track whether the sums tendered have been legitimately acquired. Withdrawals from bank accounts will be limited to Rs 10,000 a day and Rs 20,000 a week. The government has announced this part of the policy may be relaxed in future, says Roy, in order for employers, for example, to meet payrolls currently made in cash. (Ultimately the government wants more transactions to be paid via bank accounts, so that they can be tracked and taxed appropriately).
Does The Policy Make Sense?
It’s beyond the scope of this post to speculate on the impact the new policy will have on individuals of various occupations and with myriad reasons for transacting in large amounts of cash. For more on this point, interested readers might wish to look at this article in The Wire .
Some have criticized the policy for focusing on currency alone, and have noted that black money is typically not held by Indians in stacks of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, but in one of two alternative ways.
The very rich store black assets in offshore accounts (as detailed in, among other sources, the Panama Papers).
But tax evasion and corruption is not limited to the very richest alone. In India, many doctors and other professionals, members of the business community, and small traders also underreport their taxable income. They tend to hold their black assets on-shore, within India, in the form of real estate, art work, gold bullion, jewellery, or securities.
Unlike other current policy areas– border incursions into Pakistan, for example– the political opposition has has not contested the objective of the Modi move. There is virtually unanimous concurrence– at least publicly– on cracking down on black money. Yet as The Hindu reported, former Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram has criticized the Modi government’s method for achieving its objective:
“We support the objective of the government to stamp out black money. But the method they have adopted raises questions… The move has come as a bolt from the blue for the common man.”
The real test for the government would begin [Thursday], Mr Chidambaram said. “How efficiently and how quickly the money is exchanged…. If there is harassment or inconvenience and all kinds of questions are asked, then I think that will be completely counterproductive.”
A similar move had been contemplated by the previous Congress-led UPA government, he recalled. But the idea was dropped as “the economic gains were not too great.”
Mr. Chidambaram said the introduction of the new series of notes was estimated to cost Rs. 15,000 crores to Rs 20,000 crores [Jerri-Lynn here: a crore is 10,000,000 in the Indian numbering system]. “The economic gains of demonetisation should be at least equal to that amount.”
If the additional tax revenue pulled in by the Modi move is less than that amount, the new policy will actually have ended up costing the government money– rather than increasing government revenues.
As Chidambaram summarized (again from The Hindu article quoted above):
The “economic wisdom” of the government’s decision, Mr Chidambaram said, would be tested on three parameters: a) the present cash to GDP ratio is 12 per cent. Will it come down to the world average of about 4 per cent? b) The value of the high denomination notes currently in circulation is about 15 lakh crore rupees [Jerri-Lynn here: a lakh is 100,000, a crore, 10,000,000, so a lakh crore is 1,000,000,000,000.] Will that value come down significantly? c) Will gold imports surge, indicating that unaccounted income/ wealth is seeking refuge in bullion and gold jewellery?
Various economists have also presented other criticisms of the government’s move, as reported by The Wire. Requiring a switch to new bank notes means Indians must take time to switch their existing Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes into the new bank notes. If new notes are not freely and widely available, this will freeze trade and the normal functioning of an exchange economy. Further, many Indians receive salaries in cash and do not have bank accounts at present, so requiring transactions to pass through the banking system will cause them considerable immediate inconvenience.
Impact on Economic Activity
But there is a wider reason for critiquing the policy. “Black money and not paying taxes: These are bad things in a society,” says Suvojit Bagchi, Kolkata bureau chief for The Hindu. “Not surprisingly, everyone– including the opposition– agrees on the objective of cracking down on black money.” Increasing the tax base- is the prime objective here. But will the demonetization policy produce substantial tax revenue? Bagchi noted that Chidambaram questioned whether taxes raised would be sufficient to recoup the cost of printing new bank notes.
Another objective, Bagchi added, is to move India away from its reliance on cash, toward a more American or European plastic system, where it’s easier to track– and tax– money.
And finally, at least half of Indian economic activity occurs in the informal sector, which is not tightly controlled. Bagchi gave the example of a building promoter, whose building activity produces both black and white revenues. Indeed, perhaps 40% of the promoter’s overall activity, he estimated, might be black activity. But that black activity also generates employment, as well as other knock on effects. While the government hopes that its policy will increase the tax base, it’s also possible that demonetization might instead lead to the shut down of at least some black activity. “So, the government’s latest move may actually slow economic activity considerably,” Bagchi says, “But for how long, and to what extent, no one knows.”
He further added, “At the moment, the Indian economy is somewhat insulated from the world economy, in part due to its reliance on cash and the existence of considerable black activity. Once India moves to a plastic system, and cuts back on that black activity, it will lose some of this insulation.”
As reported in The Wire , Abhijit Sen, former member of the Planning Commission, is also concerned about contraction in the informal sector:
The sudden decision to demonetise currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 is targeted to reduce illicit stocks of black money and fake currency. This has a clear rationale if such notes are used mainly to stock undisclosed wealth, rather than for transactions. However, RBI data show that currency notes of these two denominations make up over 80% of the total currency in circulation. Therefore, unless a very large proportion of money in circulation lies permanently as stocks, the demonetisation can also be expected to have a significant immediate effect on that part of the economy which relies mainly on cash transactions.
The size of India’s cash economy is not exactly known but, given the large proportion of workers in informal sectors, it is unlikely to be less than half the total economy. We can, therefore, expect an immediate contraction of this part of the economy in the next two days and with the effect stretching over a longer period of time, although diminishing over time. Whatever its long-term positive effects, those depending on cash whether for daily wages or as payments for goods or services they sell are likely to be in for tough times in the coming days. In the long term as well, all that this does is partially eliminate some black money stocks without undoing the processes that lead to black money creation. | 1real |
KY Goes Back To The ’50s, Advances Bill To Discriminate Against Interracial Couples | The Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court decision in 1967 effectively made interracial marriage legal, and forbade discrimination on the grounds of disagreement and bigotry against such marriages. This is the year 2016, so you d think this would be an issue that is in the dustbins of history at this point, right? Wrong. Kentucky is taking us all back to the dark days of legalized segregation and racial discrimination, as their state legislature is currently advancing a bill that would legalize discrimination against interracial couples. The bill, called SB 180, says in part: Protected activities means actions by people commissioned, employed, hired, retained, or otherwise used by the public or the government to provide customized, artistic, expressive, creative, ministerial, or spiritual goods or services, or judgments, attestations, or other commissions that involve protected rights; Protected activity provider means a person who provides protected activities; and Protected rights means the rights of persons to be free from governmental actions that impair, impede, infringe upon, or otherwise restrict the exercise of any right guaranteed by the United States Constitution or the Constitution of Kentucky, including but not limited to a person s right of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and right to peaceable assembly.So in other words, if your boss is a racist and finds out your spouse is of a different race from you, he can fire you. The bill is obviously aimed LGBT people, but it is so broadly worded that at this point, it could mean literally anything including and especially related to interracial dating and marriage. The worst part of it all is that these people can hide behind religious beliefs to discriminate, and there is no provision in the bill for legal recourse on the part of the victims of this discrimination.And if you think this won t happen, think again. There are still PLENTY of people who oppose race mixing and anything they perceive to be against the bible in that arena. This will truly turn back the clock on civil rights like we ve never seen before if this horrendous bill becomes law.Featured image via Wikipedia | 1real |
German Minister Of State Just Smacked Donald Trump Down With Facts | Donald Trump just got owned for comparing Hillary Clinton to German Chancellor Angela Merkel in an effort to demonize her plan to let Syrian refugees settle in this country.During a rally on Monday, the Republican nominee told a crowd in Ohio that crime rates are up in Germany due to the influx of refugees from war torn parts of the Middle East and declared that Hillary Clinton wants to be like Merkel and make America just like Germany. Hillary Clinton wants to be America s Angela Merkel and you know what a disaster this massive immigration has been to Germany and the people of Germany, Trump said. Crime has risen to levels that no one thought they would ever, ever see. It is a catastrophe. Trump s claims baffled Germany s European Affairs Minister Michael Roth in particular because, as usual, Trump is lying in an effort to scare Americans into voting for him.In remarks made to Reuters, Roth apologized for Trump s made up claims and took on the task of cleaning up his mess by informing him of what is actually going on in Germany. I m sorry that the Republican presidential candidate trumpets out things like that without any factual basis, Roth said. If he had studied the actual situation in Germany, he would know that, while the many refugees who came to Germany and Europe pose a big challenge for us, and everything is still not completely resolved, they have not led to a massive increase in crime rates. Indeed, statistics show that the number of crimes committed in Germany are virtually unchanged from 2015, which means crime rates are NOT increasing due to the increased number of immigrants.According to Reuters:Statistics compiled by the German Interior Ministry showed the number of crimes reported in 2015 excluding visa violations and other immigration violations remained essentially unchanged from the previous year at 5.9 million.Once again, Trump embarrassed himself and America by spouting falsehoods about another nation. Roth should not have to comment on bullshit like this but he is forced to do so because American conservatives hate facts and would rather lie to win elections.In addition, comparing Hillary to Angela Merkel is a high compliment since Merkel is a powerful and successful female head of state who has turned Germany into an economic powerhouse that is 20 years away from becoming 100 percent energy independent.If Hillary Clinton is anything like Merkel America can expect to achieve great heights in the years ahead.Featured image via Jeff Swensen/Getty Images | 1real |
Daimler AG, Ferrari selling some new vehicles with faulty air bags: U.S. Senate report | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz USA and Daimler Vans units and Ferrari NV are among a small group of automakers selling some new vehicles with faulty Takata airbags that will be subject to recalls by the end of 2018, a U.S. Senate report said on Wednesday. The vehicles are legal to sell since the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has said they will not become potentially unsafe until exposed to high humidity for an extended period. Safety advocates and some in Congress have criticized the sale of vehicles that will be recalled. Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, said the vehicles include the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and 2016-2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe/Convertible and numerous 2016 and 2017 Ferrari models including the FF, California T, 488 GTB/488 Spider, F12/F12tdf and GTC4 Lusso. Nelson said the report underscores “the failure of certain automakers and regulators to level with people about the true extent of the problem and to have the cars fixed before they’re sold.” Mercedes Benz USA spokeswoman Donna Boland said the company has told regulators that its “dealers will be informing prospective buyers of the pending recall on these models at the time of purchase in the very near future.” Ferrari spokeswoman Krista Florin said the Italian automaker also plans to notify customers of the future recalls.Seven out of 17 automakers Nelson contacted have admitted to equipping some new vehicles with defective Takata airbags, including Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCHA.MI) and Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE). All agreed to notify buyers of the planned recalls. Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA.O) is the only automaker that has not provided a written response, Nelson said. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday from Reuters. NHTSA said in May Tesla would be required to recall vehicles for Takata inflators. Takata inflators can explode with excessive force and spray metal shrapnel. They are suspected in at least 13 deaths worldwide and more than 100 injuries. In May, Takata agreed to declare as defective, by 2018, another 35 million to 40 million U.S. inflators that lack drying agents in frontal airbags after 14 automakers previously recalled more than 24 million U.S. vehicles. Worldwide nearly 100 million inflators have been declared defective. NHTSA said there have been no ruptures in vehicles built since 2008. According to NHTSA, the vehicles do not become vulnerable to exploding airbags without long-term exposure to high humidity. In the short-term, the agency says, they are safe to drive and much safer than older models. | 0fake |
Wearable Fitness Devices Don’t Seem to Make You Fitter - The New York Times | I once received a lot of blowback for an Upshot article in which I showed (with evidence) that exercise is not the key to weight loss. Diet is. Many, many readers cannot wrap their head around the notion that adding physical activity, and therefore burning more calories, doesn’t necessarily translate into results on the scale. Well, here we go again because some of those folks also believe that fitness devices — Fitbit, Vivosmart, Apple Watch — must be helpful in losing weight. Unfortunately, evidence doesn’t support this belief either. For some time, people have been trying to prove devices like these succeed in promoting weight loss. In 2011, a study compared four groups getting a mixture of behavioral weight loss programs and use of an armband that measured activity and energy expenditure. All the intervention groups lost weight, but those with behavioral programs and technology lost the most. The sample size of each group (fewer than 50) and the large dropout rate of the study should temper enthusiasm, though. The sample was also mostly female, and more than of them had college degrees, so the results may not be entirely generalizable. In 2015, another study, the trial, was also inconclusive. Researchers randomly assigned 250 people ages 60 to 75 to one of two groups. The first group received four physical activity consultations from primary care nurses over three months a pedometer and a physical activity diary. The other received “usual care. ” All patients were given accelerometers to measure their activity, although only the control group saw the results. One year later, those in the pedometer group were taking an average of about 600 more steps per day, and had about 40 more minutes of activity a week. But it’s hard in a trial like this to know how much of that was because of the pedometer and the feedback, and how much was because of the nurse visits and coaching. What was needed was a large, study that truly teased out the contribution of wearable tech to weight loss programs. Last year, the results of such a study, the IDEA trial, were published. The trial took place at the University of Pittsburgh between 2010 and 2012, and it involved more than 470 adults between the ages of 18 and 35. All of them were put on a diet, had group counseling sessions and were advised to increase their physical activity. Six months into the intervention, all were given telephone counseling sessions, prompts and study materials online. At that time, though, half were also given wearable tech devices that monitored their activity and connected to a website to help provide feedback. All participants were followed for 18 more months. At the end of the two years, which is pretty long for a weight loss study, those without access to the wearable technology lost an average of 13 pounds. Those with the wearable tech lost an average of 7. 7 pounds. It’s hard for many to accept, so I’m going to state the results again: Those people who used the wearable tech for 18 months lost significantly less weight than those who didn’t. You may rightfully point out that the primary reason to wear the devices isn’t to lose weight — it’s to be more active. But even in this respect, it didn’t work nearly as well as we might hope. In the IDEA trial, those who employed the technology were no more physically active than those who didn’t. They also weren’t more fit. Many new technologies, and dietary supplements and new diets, are sold to the public with little actual research behind them. Wearable technology to encourage fitness is no different. Somehow, in the past few years, it has become collectively understood that we need to take 10, 000 steps a day. But there’s no magic behind that number. There’s no reason to believe that hitting this arbitrary goal is somehow . Exercise is worthwhile for its own sake. Of course, many people can enjoy using wearable tech without tying it to weight loss goals. I have owned a Fitbit, a Nike FuelBand and an Apple Watch. I still wear the watch because I like many of its features. When I first bought it, I liked how it tracked my daily 30 minutes of physical activity and reminded me to stand up every so often. But I realized over time that I didn’t really need it. After some months, getting 30 minutes of activity a day (the recommended amount) became part of my routine. I learned to be more mobile and less sedentary. I didn’t need the precision or the reminders anymore. It’s possible that the devices helped me make physical activity part of my regular routine. It’s possible that they provided a benefit. But my experience is just an anecdote, and there’s no counterfactual to help figure out whether I’d have become more active without the devices. For that, we’d need a trial. The ones that exist (like the IDEA trial) argue that the devices don’t make people exercise more. They don’t seem to hurt, though. Other than costing money, there’s no harm in seeing if it might improve your activity over time. But if your goal is weight loss, then you might think twice about using such a device. The evidence suggests that you may do better without one. | 0fake |
Trump barnstorms to push healthcare plan; signs of conservative support | (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump used his barnstorming strategy on Wednesday to try to build momentum for his first legislative initiative, a healthcare overhaul, by holding a massive rally in Nashville, Tennessee, reminiscent of his campaign events. Back on Capitol Hill, Republican leaders negotiated behind closed doors, held media conferences and gave cable-news interviews as they tried to push forward their plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. After Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan unveiled the new plan last week, fault lines appeared within the party as some conservatives said it did not go far enough and others rejected it entirely. Trump used campaign-like language in his Wednesday night speech, pledging “to repeal and replace horrible, disastrous Obamacare.” Speaking to reporters aboard presidential plane Air Force One after the rally, Trump expressed optimism about his plan’s chances in Congress. “We’re going to come up with something. We always do,” he said. Republicans control both Congress and the White House for the first time in a decade, but the overhaul still faces political battles to be fought by a president new to governing. White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters before the rally the Trump administration had been in talks with Ryan and congressional leaders and was flooding the media with interviews with administration officials to help advance the plan. Ryan, the top Republican in the House of Representatives, also continued to champion the legislation, saying on cable news he was open to making “improvements and refinements,” but also adding “the major components are staying intact.” He told a news conference later in the evening the House would hold votes on repealing and replacing Obamacare but refused to provide a timetable. Two House committees approved the bill’s provisions with no changes last week. The Budget Committee will try on Thursday to unify the plan into a single bill for consideration on the House floor. Republicans cannot afford to lose more than three from their ranks on the committee for it to pass. Three committee Republicans are members of the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus. Signs emerged on Wednesday that the White House was winning over reluctant conservatives who initially questioned the legislation on the grounds that it too closely resembled Obamacare, the signature domestic policy achievement of former President Barack Obama. The administration indicated it was open to revisiting the plan’s treatment of Medicaid, the government health insurance program for the poor, during a meeting with a conservative wing of the party. Specifically, conservatives want Obamacare’s expansion of Medicaid to end sooner than proposed in the Ryan plan, and want to introduce Medicaid work requirements for able-bodied adults without children. State governments run Medicaid with reimbursements from the federal government. Obamacare expanded its eligibility and increased funding for it, which enabled about 10 million previously uninsured Americans to obtain medical insurance. Vice President Mike Pence advocated for the plan earlier on Wednesday behind closed doors with the Republican Study Committee, a large group of House conservatives. Republican Representative Phil Roe said after the Pence meeting the bill would probably be changed to move up the end of the Medicaid expansion by one year, to 2019. The conservative group’s members were “very close to signing off” on the legislation, its leader, Representative Mark Walker, told reporters. Speaking on CNN, Ryan mentioned “giving states better chances at more flexibility with Medicaid,” but provided no details. Just as the party’s conservatives began expressing optimism about the proposal’s fortunes, Republican moderates raised concerns that tax credits currently in the bill intended to help people buy health insurance were not sufficient. Representative Charlie Dent, following a meeting of moderate Republicans with Pence, told reporters that speeding up the termination of the Medicaid expansion was a “non-starter.” Senate Republicans have also voiced rising unease. “As written, the House bill would not pass the Senate. But I believe we can fix it,” Senator Ted Cruz told reporters. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told NBC’s “Today” show: “It is mortally wounded.” The conservative advocacy group FreedomWorks held a rally amid snow flurries and a frigid wind outside the Capitol, where several House and Senate Republicans, including Cruz and Senator Rand Paul, voiced dissatisfaction with the bill. Paul later told reporters: “The White House has been much more open to negotiation on this” than House leaders. A libertarian, Paul posted an op-ed on the Breitbart News website later on Wednesday calling Ryan’s plan “Obamacare Lite” and suggesting smashing it to “smithereens.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released data showing enrollment in the individual insurance plans created under Obamacare has declined to 12.2 million Americans. Enrollment in these individual insurance plans was down by about 500,000 people from 2016 by the end of January, it said. It is about 1.6 million people short of Obama’s goal for 2017 sign-ups, the government said. | 0fake |
OBAMA USES WORLD STAGE To Announce Plans For Executive Action On Gun Control In U.S. | How very progressive And how very ironic that our tyrannical President would take the opportunity to address how he plans to implement gun control in the U.S. while standing in Paris, where only two weeks ago 130 unarmed people were slaughtered by armed terrorists.Gun control, man-made climate change, open borders, one-world order just a few of the topics our anti-American President feels right at home discussing with a few comrades Speaking from Paris, France, on December 1, President Obama criticized the lack of gun control in the U.S. and pledged to remain focused on using executive action to enact new controls where possible.Obama is in Paris for a conference on climate change.During a press conference, Obama was asked about the November 27 Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood attack that killed two civilians and a police officer. He responded by claiming mass shootings are a something specifically American a problem not witnessed in other countries then criticized Congressional inaction toward passing more gun control.According to Bloomberg, Obama said:In the United States we have the power to do more to prevent what is just a regular process of gun homicides, that is unequaled by multiples of five, six, [or] ten, and I think the American people understand that. So my hope is that, once again, this spurs a conversation and action.He said that Congress, states, and local governments need to act, and he made it clear he will continue to focus on what [he] can do administratively, which is something he has been threatening to do since a gunman opened fire in the gun free zone at Umpqua Community College on October 1.On November 12 CBS News reported that Obama has given a team of White House lawyers the job of finding a way that executive action can be used to expand background checks. And Breitbart News reported that part of what is being sought is an arbitrary threshold that can be set on private gun sales. Citizens who sell more than the allowable level will be forced to do background checks on every sale.Obama and the Democrat Party have been obsessed with expanding background checks since Adam Lanza attacked Sandy Hook Elementary on December 14, 2012. Yet it is interesting to note that expanded background checks would not have hindered that attack in the slightest, because Lanza stole the guns he used he did not buy them.Moreover, background checks are already expanded in Colorado. Breitbart News previously reported that expanded background checks and a high capacity magazine ban are the law of the land in Colorado, but neither were effectual in stopping the Planned Parenthood attack or the high profile public shooting that took place in CO Springs on Halloween day. Via: Breitbart News | 1real |
Trump says Taiwan president 'called me' to offer congratulations | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump said on Friday that Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called him on Friday to congratulate him on his election win. Trump’s conversation with Tsai was the first such contact with Taiwan by a president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter adopted a one-China policy in 1979 and is likely to infuriate Beijing. “The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!” Trump said in a Twitter message. | 0fake |
U.S. Nazi Party Leader: Trump’s Campaign Is A ‘Real Opportunity’ For White Nationalist (AUDIO) | More proof that Donald Trump s presidential campaign is helping the fascist arm of the right-wing has just come in. During the July broadcast of his radio program, Rocky Suhayda, the chairman of the American Nazi Party declared that Trump s campaign is a real opportunity for people like white nationalists. Not only does Suhayda think that Trump presents an opportunity to build new, politically active white nationalist coalitions, he also believes that Trump will win the election in November for various reasons. Suhayda believes that the enemy is in for a real surprise: I m gonna project, that I believe that Trump is going to win the election this November, for various reasons which I don t want to go into again. I think it s gonna surprise the enemy, because, I think that they feel that the white working class, especially the male portion of the working class, and with him, his female counterparts have basically thrown in the towel. Given up hope of any politician again standing up for their interests. Suhayda then goes on to say that it is time for an American Nazi political caucus to form in Congress. He also urges his followers to adopt the guise of being pro-white rather than overtly racist against minorities. Now, if Trump does win, okay, it s going to be a real opportunity for people like white nationalists, acting intelligently to build upon that, and to go and start you know how you have the black political caucus and what not in Congress, and, everything, to start building on something like that, okay. It doesn t have to be anti, like the movement s been for decades, so much as it has to be pro-white. It s kinda hard to go and call us bigots if we don t go around and act like a bigot. That s what the movement should contemplate. Alright. Trump has received support from the worst-of-the-worst within the white nationalist and white supremacist movements. It s ridiculous to think that Trump might actually win the presidency this November. Poll after poll shows Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton winning the election. That being said, Trump s campaign itself is being used as a conversation starter for the KKK to recruit new members, according to the Washington Post.Trump s campaign is dangerous for the United States. Republicans who support him are supporting white supremacist movements. Well, more so than they already tacitly do through racist policy decisions. November is fast approaching and it is time for Republicans across the United States to dump Trump and the fascist factions of the far right that support him.You can listen to the radio broadcast below.Featured image from Scott Eisen/Getty Images | 1real |
DHS Kelly Creates VOICE For Many Victims of Illegal Alien Criminals - Breitbart | The Department of Homeland Security has opened the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office to give victims of crime by illegal aliens more information on the cases and on the perpetrators’ deportation proceedings. [“There is nothing but goodness in what we’re doing today,” said John Kelly, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. “My heart goes out to you. I do understand what you’ve been through,” he told family members of murder victims on Wednesday. Kelly, who lost his son when he was killed while serving in Afghanistan, continued: These crimes, in many ways, were preventable. But because of years and years of policies complicating immigration and enforcement efforts, and a approach to public safety, there are mothers who will never again receive a Mother’s Day card from a son. There are husbands who will never again kiss their wives. There are children who will never get to graduate from high school. These victims of illegal aliens aren’t data points. They’re people. And they and their families deserve to be treated fairly … While we can never fully heal them, we can give them a voice. ” Kelly took no questions after the briefing and shook hands with the families. The department has also launched a the Information and Notification Exchange ( ) an automated, national system to send automatic updates to changes in custody information regarding specific illegal aliens charged with or convicted of a crime. It will help victims, families, attorneys, victims’ advocates, and more navigate the federal immigration system. VINEs will also automatically send victims and families automatic updates on releasable criminal case information and other custody status updates. Plus, victims and families will be able to see where an illegal alien is being detained. Kelly’s announcement is the latest step the Trump administration has taken in its first 100 days to side with Americans over big business and the Democratic party seeking consumers and voters. Illegal aliens commit an extraordinary amount of almost entirely preventable crimes. In a 2011 report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated that illegal aliens comprised a stunning 27 percent of the federal inmate prison population. (Republicans joining Democrats in opposing mythological “mass incarceration” might want to support immigration law to keep prison populations low.) When analyzing a large, random sample of illegal aliens incarcerated in 2009 and 2010, GAO found each criminal alien averaged seven arrests, with 50 percent being arrested for at least one drug offense. That’s significant, because heroin trafficking is a major consequence of allowing illegal immigration to go uncontrolled, and in 2010, heroin overdose deaths began to rise until they had tripled in only five years. According to a recent in TheHill by a retired California detective: Most states and our federal government have kept information and statistics about illegal immigration, crimes committed by illegals and the costs borne by you the U. S. payer out of public view. It is in fact difficult, but not impossible to locate accurate crime statistics involving illegal immigrants. The statistics are buried both to suit a political agenda and to avoid public outcry. Once you read this article, you will quickly understand why … The U. S. Department of Justice and the U. S. Sentencing Commission reported that as of 2014, illegal immigrants were convicted and sentenced for over 13 percent of all crimes committed in the U. S. According to the FBI, 67, 642 murders were committed in the U. S. from 2005 through 2008, and 115, 717 from 2003 through 2009. The General Accounting Office documents that criminal immigrants committed 25, 064 of these murders. To extrapolate out these statistics, this means that a population of just over 3. 5 percent residing in the U. S. unlawfully committed 22 percent to 37 percent of all murders in the nation. This is astounding. Those who have lost loved ones at the hands of illegal aliens have previously told Breitbart News how difficult it was to secure legal assistance. Legal immigrant Agnes Gibboney, whose son Ronald da Silva was murdered in 2002 by an illegal, told SiriusXM host Matthew Boyle she had only a prosecutor to look out for her interests in court — and it did not work out well for her. “Everything went wrong. I was not allowed to say my impact statement. I was not allowed to address the court. I was not allowed to get the probation hearing report. And when I called them to ask how come I didn’t get it, they said, ‘My boss told me not to talk to you,’ and hung up,” she said. Laura Wilkerson — who, as Breitbart News has reported, summoned the strength to publicly tell the story of her son Joshua’s violent, torturous death at the hands of an illegal alien classmate over and over again — said she had to pay for an attorney out of her own pocket. “They didn’t want me to sit in the trial, and I had to hire an attorney just to make that happen,” she said. It would have been unimaginable for her not to be present in the courtroom that day. Families are often “ ” by the court system and need help with funeral and counseling, said Maria Espinoza, head of the Remembrance Project. “[W]hat’s very important that people don’t understand that in so many cases, our families are being because they’re being misguided in the court system,” she said. “Either activist judges, or activist prosecutors — so we really need someone to help and guide our families. Who can afford an attorney for themselves? And here illegal aliens get one. If they murder an American, they are given two attorneys to protect them, to defend them. ” Listen to the Angel Moms’ stories of how difficult it was to secure adequate legal representation here. | 0fake |
Blunt instrument? What a list of banned articles says about China's censors | SHANGHAI (Reuters) - An old review of an academic monograph on agrarian revolutionaries in 1930s China is hardly a political third rail in Beijing today, even by the increasingly sensitive standards of the ruling Communist Party. That such a piece appeared on a list of some 300 scholarly works that Cambridge University Press (CUP) said last week the Chinese government had asked it to block from its website offers clues about the inner workings of China s vast and secretive censorship apparatus, say experts. President Xi Jinping has stepped up censorship and tightened controls on the internet and various aspects of civil society, as well as reasserting Communist Party authority over academia and other institutions, since coming to power in 2012. Far from being a well-oiled machine, though, China s censorship regime is fragmented and often undermined by gaps, workarounds, and perhaps even hasty officials, say academics specializing in Chinese politics. Crude is the word, said Jonathan Sullivan, an associate professor at the University of Nottingham in Britain. The blunt way in which articles were chosen for censoring ... suggest to me that there was not a lot of thought put into it. CUP, the publishing arm of Britain s elite Cambridge University, on Monday reversed its decision to comply with the request to censor the articles published in the journal China Quarterly following an outcry over academic freedom. China s response remains to be seen. The education ministry, foreign ministry, cyberspace administration and state publishing authority all declined to comment. The list of articles the authorities wanted blocked covered topics that are considered sensitive by the government, including the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests, the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, Tibet, Taiwan and the violence-prone far-western region of Xinjiang. But it was far from thorough or comprehensive. The article on 1930s agrarian revolutionaries may have got there by mistake, say experts. What appears to have condemned the scathing but otherwise innocuous 1991 review of Kamal Sheel s book about a Communist base area in China s southern heartland was the fact the place was named Xinjiang, and the word appeared in the book title. The Chinese characters are different for Xinjiang, the village, and Xinjiang, the mostly-Muslim region more than 2,500 km (1,550 miles) to the northwest that is beset by ethnic tensions and occasional unrest. But in English they are indistinguishable. Xu Xibai, a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford, tweeted a brief analysis of the list that noted that its creators appear to have hastily searched the China Quarterly database for taboo words in titles and abstracts. The censors probably used a few keyword searches to locate just enough articles to make a nice, long list to impress their superiors, Xu s post said. They did not bother to read the articles or go through the content list manually. An article defending Mao Zedong was on the censored list, for instance, while others more critical of the former paramount leader were not. Some sensitive subjects seem to have eluded the officials net. The Communist Party tightly controls discourse on the 1958-61 Great Leap Forward, in which millions starved to death due to ill-conceived economic policies. Censors have banned books on the topic but it was apparently not on this list. Nor were the brutal, Communist-led land reforms of the 1950s, or the Hundred Flowers Movement, an effort by Mao to lure critics out of the woodwork by feigning openness, only to punish them. The party s efforts to censor news and information have sometimes backfired or left outsiders perplexed. In 2009, software designed to check pornographic and violent images on PCs blocked images of a movie poster for cartoon cat Garfield, dishes of flesh-color cooked pork and on one search engine a close-up of film star Johnny Depp s face. Citizen Lab, a group of researchers based at the University of Toronto, compiled a list of words banned as of last year on popular live streaming sites in China. Among them: Moulin Rouge , braised rabbit , helicopter and zen . The request to block the articles was passed to Cambridge University Press by its import agent, but without knowing where it originated it is hard to draw firm conclusions, said Sebastian Veg, a China scholar at the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences in Paris. The censorship system is of course centrally directed, but not uniform, Veg said. Lee Siu-yau, assistant professor of Greater China studies at the Education University of Hong Kong, suspects the request was a trial balloon. They usually start with something small-scale and gradually expand and make their requirements more difficult, he said. This might be one of the first steps that the Chinese government would take to see if it could actually influence international academic publishers. (Story refiles to add dropped words a and an in paragraphs four and six.) | 0fake |
Republican U.S. health plan clears first hurdles, fate uncertain | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican plan backed by President Donald Trump to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system cleared its first hurdles in Congress on Thursday, but its chances for passage looked uncertain and top Republicans scrambled to bring disgruntled conservatives aboard. In the face of opposition by Democrats, healthcare providers and many conservatives, two House of Representatives committees approved the legislation that would undo much of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, moving it closer to a vote before the full House. The Energy and Commerce Committee voted 31-23 along party lines, with Democrats unified against it, to back the plan after marathon proceedings lasting 27 straight hours. Hours earlier, the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee similarly voted 23-16 before dawn to approve it after working 17 straight hours. House Speaker Paul Ryan sought to bolster support among conservatives in his own party, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said fellow Republicans must get in a “governing mode” while Trump denied the bill was in trouble. “Despite what you hear in the press, healthcare is coming along great. We are talking to many groups and it will end in a beautiful picture!” the Republican president said on Twitter. The bill would replace Obamacare’s income-based subsidies with a system of fixed tax credits to help people buy private insurance on the open market, while ditching the Obamacare expansion of the Medicaid insurance program for the poor. It would also end penalties for not having insurance, though insurers would be given permission to impose a 30 percent surcharge on customers who let their coverage lapse for more than two months and then seek to renew. Hospital stocks, which has fallen after the plan was unveiled on Monday, ended broadly higher on Thursday, with Tenet Healthcare up 3.4 percent. Shares of health insurers were mixed, with most large insurers modestly higher and Medicaid-focused insurers ending negative, including Molina Healthcare’s 3.3 percent drop. While Republicans have been itching for seven years to dismantle Democratic former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement, the party has failed to coalesce behind the plan put forth by House Republican leaders. Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress for the first time in a decade, but passage of the legislation was not a foregone conclusion. Conservative lawmakers and lobbying groups have lambasted it as too similar to Obamacare. They have sharply criticized its proposed tax credits as an unacceptable new government entitlement program and have called for a quicker end to the Obamacare Medicaid expansion. The measure is the first major legislative test for Trump and his fellow Republicans amid questions about whether they can govern effectively after years spent as an opposition party under Obama. Ryan, with his shirt sleeves rolled up and using a video screen with facts and figures, held what he called a “townhall-style” presentation for reporters on the proposal. But his intended audience appeared to be fellow Republicans, and he said his party must “actually make good on our word.” “The time is now,” said Ryan, who long has been the target of criticism of some conservatives. “This is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing Obamacare,” Ryan added. McConnell had a similar message, saying, “We need to get into a governing mode and start thinking about actually achieving something rather than just kind of sparring.” Democrats denounced the bill as a gift to the rich that would force millions of people off of insurance rolls. Republicans said it was needed to roll back the government’s “nanny state” role in the more-than-$3 trillion U.S. healthcare system. “Trumpcare is a loser for just about all of America, unless you’re in the top 1 percent,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said. The House Budget Committee next Wednesday is due to merge the provisions approved by the two committees into one bill to be voted on by the full House before it goes to the Senate. Republican leaders are eyeing April for congressional passage of the bill. In a series of tweets early on Thursday, conservative Republican Senator Tom Cotton urged his House colleagues to pull back, saying their measure could not pass the Senate without major changes. “What matters in long run is better, more affordable health care for Americans, NOT House leaders’ arbitrary legislative calendar,” Cotton wrote. But White House spokesman Sean Spicer expressed confidence in the legislation’s prospects. “We’re not jamming this down people’s throat,” Spicer said. “This bill will land on the president’s desk. He will sign it. We will repeal Obamacare.” The Brookings Institution think tank forecast that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, expected early next week to release its closely watched assessment of the bill’s cost and coverage implications, would conclude that at least 15 million people would lose health insurance. Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s earlier estimated 6-10 million people could lose health insurance coverage. Before the Energy and Commerce Committee vote, conservatives at the request of the panel’s chairman withdrew an amendment sponsored by Republican Joe Barton that would move up by two years, to next Jan. 1, the end of the Medicaid expansion. Barton said he planned to try to offer the amendment on the House floor. Committee Chairman Greg Walden hailed the unanimity of Republicans on the committee in approving the bill. Obamacare enabled 20 million previously uninsured people to obtain coverage. About half came from the Medicaid expansion. The bill’s proposed changes in Medicaid funding could hurt smaller, less diverse health insurers, Fitch Ratings said, and the unintended, unforeseen consequences of a bill this size are likely to create uncertainty for all health insurers. With doctors, hospitals, seniors, health plans, Democrats, some governors and conservative Republicans against the bill, it may not make it out of the House, Mario Molina, chief executive of managed care company Molina Healthcare, said in an interview. “If it does, I think the Senate is going to slow things down and really take a good look,” Molina said. “We are going to have to hope that the Senate is more moderate.” | 0fake |
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