Where is my latte? Really Mr. Romney?

Typical Republican politics of the right wing. I suppose the only coffee Mitt drinks is black and straight from the camp fire pot.

The people in the USA have worked very hard to bring about a 'coffee culture.' There are many, many independent small businesses that are based exactly at the center of that culture. There are also Wall Street companies that compete with those small businesses. 

June 15, 2015
By Brendan James

Two-time presidential candiate (click here) and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) said on Monday that Democratic contender Hillary Clinton gives off an air of chronic insincerity, no matter what her new speeches say.

"When you see her on a stage or when she comes into a room full of people, she's smiling with her mouth but her eyes say, 'Where's my latte?'" Romney said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
"It just doesn't suggest she believes everything she's saying," he continued, calling her performance "jarring."
Romney faced similar criticism during his own runs for President for flip-flopping on multiple hot-button issues, struggling to connect with working-class voters, and saying things like he enjoys hunting "small varmints, if you will."
"At this stage, what does she really believe?" he said on Monday. "I think people wonder, can they really trust Hillary Clinton?"...

The Coffee Culture in the USA is also an internationally benevolent movement.

There (click here) were about 20,000 coffee shop businesses in the U.S. with combined revenues of $10 billion in 2011, according to First Research. 

Local mom-and-pop coffee shops, compete with established national brands like Starbucks, Seattle’s Best (owned by Starbucks), Caribou, and Peet’s Coffee: 70 percent of sales are generated from the top 50 coffee shop operators....

The moral content of this culture is exceptional, sustainable and brings much needed incomes to the coffee growers internationally.

Mr. Romney's attitude is extremely arrogant. The facts are plain. There is no adverse reality from the investment by Americans to grow this culture across the USA. They started as small counter tops selling imported coffees to a culture easily recognized in every state and province. There is no down side to these businesses. 

The competition in the USA with Wall Street and these small businesses is proving to expose a very exploitative Wall Street. The large companies not only muscle out the small growers, they muscle out entire villages that have been supported by American small businesses. Much of the organic movement that provides No GMO began with this idea of building international customers. Dissing a Latte is nothing more than a faux character assassination of the former Secretary. 

If the former Secretary wasn't drinking an occasional Latte I'd be concerned. President Obama carried an enthusiasm for microbreweries. As a matter of fact the White House decided to have their own brand of beer in recognizing the President's affection for the industry. This focus by Democrats is very much realizing the importance of small businesses, local economies and the high moral culture demanded in all aspect of these dynamics.

It is a great movement. It belongs in the USA and the growth is unlimited. Mr. Romney owes the small businesses and their baristas.  As a matter of fact, baristas can make or break a business venture. So, the esteem of these industries is very important.

As far as trusting Hillary? You've got to be joking. Her priorities have been anchored in moral content from the beginning of her career. There is no doubt in Hillary's priorities and policies. They are tried and true and are very much American values. 

Private emails are important and for the former Secretary maintaining their privacy when it has no value or mention of the State Department is something the USA is fighting for as well. We want the NSA to stop spying on Americans. I would think when the former Secretary defended her personnel emails it makes for 'no wiggle room' on taming the NSA.

Republicans won't accept research to improve the quality of life of children, Americans or the all to obvious Climate Crisis...

...but, when it comes to their elections and how to win them there is no such thing as skepticism on research.

April 15, 2009

By Katherine Q. Seeyle

Researchers (click here) have now confirmed what was evident to most political campaigns last year — more than half of the voting-age public used the Internet last year to find out about, write about and comment on the presidential election.

About 55 percent of all adults — about three-fourths of all people who are online — said they went to the Internet for news about the election, according to a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. This is the first time that more than half the country’s adults said they used the Internet for political purposes.

Two findings of the survey stand out. One is that more people are going to sites that reinforce their partisan views.

A third of those who went online for political news in 2008 said they sought out sites that agreed with their viewpoints — up from a quarter of people who said that in 2004....

This is Hillary. She has been a child advocate from the her earliest career.

By Jennifer Epstein

Hillary Clinton (click here) embraced her new role as a grandmother and her longer-term one as a child advocate on Monday, offering up proposals on early childhood education including doubling funding for Head Start.

It was Clinton's first set of policy proposals kicking off a summer of planned rollouts. Speaking at a YMCA in Rochester, N.H., Clinton revealed some details of the approach she’d take if elected, including the goal of ensuring that “in the next 10 years every 4-year-old has access to high-quality preschool.” 

Clinton, who formally launched her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination on Saturday, said she hopes to double funding for Head Start and for the early Head Start grant program, and supports a middle-class tax cut “that can go toward helping parents pay for quality child care.”...

Republicans always want to say this is Democratic politics. Okay, but, these politics are based in fact.

We know it is BEST for the American children to start early with mandatory Pre-School. It is a fact and the former Secretary knows exactly how successful pre-school has been. There aren't empty policies with her. Her policies are founded in strong and proven facts and has a direct dividend to the preparedness of Americans for taking on real life strategies.

Rubio isn't running for President, he is running for Vice President.

This is only one critical study regarding the education of young children.

February 11, 2011
By Dina C. Castro, Mariela M. Paez, David K. Dickinson and Ellen Frede

Abstract— Research evidence (click here) supports the importance of a high-quality early education to foster young children’s school readiness and success. In particular, programs that focus on eliminating the readiness gap for young minority children, including dual language learners (DLLs), have increased in importance given the current demographic shifts in the United States and the need to promote learning in the early years. This article discusses current knowledge about effective instructional strategies for promoting language and literacy development among young DLLs. It presents a brief summary of research on the relationship between oral language and literacy development, reviews instructional practices and language of instruction approaches, and concludes with recommendations for policy and future research.

"I can't guarantee anyone's safety....There are no lifeguards on Brunswick beaches."

That is the government culture in North Carolina talking. Those are standard answers so the state doesn't have to spend monies on their citizens.

There is no reason why North Carolina beaches can't be the safest on the East Coast. 

If one recalls there was a remote hospital closed as well because the state didn't allow the Medicaid extension. That's North Carolina. They don't care about the people, the state government is a business. Everyone is on their own.

The entire southeast government structure is the same, except, maybe Florida. Those governments know their people are impoverished and could not care less.

So, if there are sharks in the water than it is upto others to guarantee the outcomes. Others, like the federal government and/or some private concern that can tap into federal funds to provide a service. 

My first impression is warmer waters and northern migration from Florida.

Just as a point of interest. The Coast Guard has developed a list of safety and readiness for boaters. (click here) This should be a requirement on all coastline, including Hawaii.

There has been an uptick in the sport of paddling. The US Coast Guard has also developed a safety plan for these sport enthusiasts. Among safety equipment is a GPS locator and safety vests.

Coast Guard provides safety tips for paddlesport enthusiasts (click here)

June 15, 2015 

by Jacquellena Carrero and Erin McClam

A witness to a shark attack (click here) off the North Carolina coast — one of two on Sunday that cost kids their arms — told NBC News that it was "like a scene out of 'Jaws.'"
Steve Bouser was on the beach at Oak Island when a shark attacked a 12-year-old girl. He described watching someone carry the girl out of the ocean, then a crowd rushing to help her. One woman yelled for people to make a tourniquet.
"Everybody was screaming, 'Get out of the water!'" he said.
The girl was "obviously going into shock," he said. He recalled people asking, "Can you hear me?" "She would respond not very enthusiastically, but you could tell she was still conscious," he said....

Scientists have worked with sharks in recent years to monitor populations since they started dropping in numbers. This may be the beginning of a trend in migration. Marine scientists working with shark populations should assess the number and species of shark off coast of North Carolina.

Unfortunately, it might impact tourism, but, shark attacks have to be taken seriously. If the facts regarding off shore shark populations are known and understood, it may lead to education of the public to the extent of any danger. These attacks did not occur at the barrier islands. North Carolina should promote tourism and it's land based entertainment and historical places. North Carolina cannot afford a negative trend in tourism. 

Beach closings have to occur before any shark attacks once the waters have been assessed for trends if they exist. This could be a couple of rouges, but, I think there is ample reason to believe this migration into warmer waters. 

There have been other shark attacks in North Carolina in recent years. That was one very rarely in any year. This is different in that two attacks occurred in proximal distance. I could be the same shark, too. If it is a single individual, it needs to be removed from causing more problems. 

China adds muscle to it's permanent UN status.

June 14, 2015
By Sputnik News

...Beijing (click here) has recently conducted a fourth test of its hypersonic glider vehicle (HGV), called WU-14 by the Pentagon, which is purportedly aimed at overcoming US missile defense; the distinguishing feature of this test is that the WU-14 has performed so-called "extreme maneuvers," US expert in civil-military relations and cyber diplomacy Franz-Stefan Gady elaborated.

The WU-14, which is capable of delivering either conventional or nuclear warheads, was launched into space by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) booster, and then returned to Earth's atmosphere, gliding at up to Mach 10 speed (around 7,680 miles per hour)....

I take it Israel hasn't been able to hack into the Chinese military computers.

Turkey's border is challenged by refugees.

June 14, 2015
By Lefteris Pitarakis and Bassem Mroue 

Akcakale, Turkey — Thousands of Syrians (click here) cut through a border fence and crossed over into Turkey on Sunday, fleeing intense fighting in northern Syria between Kurdish fighters and jihadis.
The flow of refugees came as Syrian Kurdish fighters closed in on the outskirts of a strategic Islamic State-held town on the Turkish border, Kurdish officials and an activist group said, potentially cutting off a key supply line for the extremists' nearby de facto capital.
Taking Tal Abyad, some 50 miles north of the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, would deprive the militant group of a direct route to bring in new foreign militants or supplies. The Kurdish advance, coming under the cover of intense U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in the area, would also link their two fronts and put even more pressure on Raqqa....

"Morning Papers - Antarctica Wind

"Good Night, Moon"

New Moon

28 days old

2.6 percent lit

June 11, 2015
By Cecilia Kang, Christian Davenport

Elon Musk's (click here) space company has asked the US government for permission to begin testing on an ambitious project to beam internet service from space, a significant step forward for an initiative that could create another major competitor to telecom companies.

The plan calls for launching a constellation of 4000 small and cheap satellites that will beam high-speed internet signals to all parts of the globe, including its most remote regions. Musk has said the effort "would be like rebuilding the internet in space."

If successful, the attempt could transform the L.A.-based SpaceX from a pure rocket company into a massive high-speed internet provider that would take on major companies in the developed world but also make first-time customers out of the billions of people who are currently not online....

We haven't been vigilant enough.

There is a movement within the conservative political movement that brings preference to bear rather than law accompanied by appropriate studies. It is a populous political status with absolutely no respect for research and/or scientists.

We know the Republicans are if not conservative are extreme conservatives. That extreme trend manifested in full bloom with the election of President Obama.

We also know politics bring about preference to political funders. The Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground is exactly the legislation that reveals monoculture of conservative values that provide profits to Wall Street.

It is time to roll back both laws and continue to unload the American landscape of the potential to violence based in guns. Sure, sure, there are other methods of causing homicide, but, guns are a major player.

"Use of Lethal Force" is a very important concept. When police use lethal force it is almost prescribed to when and how it is used on the population of the USA. There is not a blanket understanding police have complete freedom to use lethal force against any citizen. We are witnessing prescribed words in police reports following a death of a citizen. In many instances, those prescribed words are backed by a police union. When is a union going to be cited as a conspirator to fraud? 

I like unions. There is not doubt about that, but, I do not like unions that provide danger and dysfunction to our society. Unions are not angels or devils depending on the side one stands. Unions are vital to the USA Middle Class. Realizing their importance there should be a continuous quality assurance of the operations of unions. Unions are a service. That service needs to be reviewed by peers for it's excellence in practice.

But, to return to use of lethal force and the dynamics involved in it's evolution on the street. 

Do you think police read about new state laws in the newspaper or professional journals? I would think so. I would think they would want to be aware of laws that impact their practice of police work. When they read these articles or hear about those laws from peers or worried spouses, do you think they adjust their practice in policing? I would expect that. As a matter of fact if they didn't think about their practice as a professional practice I would worry. 

Police are considered to be blue collar workers. They do physical work, however, they are skilled blue collar workers. They have training and use specialized equipment, so they definitely are in the class of blue collar workers as professional nurses are too. 

The police are important to the functioning of our society. They should have support by the public and when that doesn't happen it has to be examined for reasons and needed reform.

The level of dysfunction of the police and the local government in Ferguson, Missouri was a surprise. The idea the government belonged to the people was completely absent. The Ferguson infrastructure was an island that preyed on the population for money. I would love to understand the evolution of what was discovered in Ferguson. Ferguson should be a study by a doctoral thesis at the very least to break it down and define where government went so very, very wrong. I would prefer a post doc to carry out the study actually. The benefits of performing such a study could be recognized by other local governments to make adjustments when needed to deflect this harsh and unmerciful reality of citizens. I would think a state's governor would be exceptionally interested in such results.

But, one more time returning to use of force and the practice of police. Let's assume police educate themselves through practice seminar and professional journals. What would be the reaction of police when they read or were educated about the Stand Your Ground and Castle Doctrine? It is agreed both these laws contribute to violence in society/street violence. If the violence is notched up 8 percent in any city or town, I would expect police to react to such a reality.

Among the best reasons to roll back laws such as the Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground is the level of danger added to police work and their personal adjustments to such realities.

When such laws are instituted they are done so across the entire USA. It changes dynamics across a very broad spectrum of cultures. The changes impact criminals as well as innocent people worried about home invasion. 

The NRA and other gun organizations like to provide the idea gun ownership is an advantage over criminals. That is not accurate. When gun laws become more liberal and/or the number of guns in the country increase that does not make police work more safe. More than that it doesn't provide an advantage to citizens facing the fear of home invasion. I would bet real money to realize a dog or two dogs (to keep each other company when home alone) serve more of a deterrent than a gun in the dresser draw. Don't people sleep? Dogs are better at being alert than a human being.

And one other thing? Don't home security systems work? 

My millionaire uncle has a home alarm he sets at night. I drive him crazy when I come to visit because I am an early riser. I don't have the pass code for the security system. I wouldn't even know where to find the alarm system. I am also autonomous in caring for myself when I visit and prefer not to wake anyone else. It was a curiosity to me when he was awake and in the hall balcony that overlooks the living room. I stated, "Good Morning, should I get your coffee?" He always stated, "No, not yet. You were about to set off the alarm system." Evidently he has a buzzer pre-alarm to the primary alarm to avoid such false problems as the waste of time of police. Police also are primed for use of their guns when alarms occur, false or not. Sticky situation. 

But, regardless, I inevitably apologize as if I did something wrong. He always states, "There isn't anything to be sorry about. I am going back to bed, now."

The point is the Second Amendment does not allow the degree of self-defense that occurs these days and certainly doesn't give permission for vigilantism. We know that from a decision authored by Justice Scalia.

So, when is society finally going to reflect the laws that are actually beneficial to the USA and not cause more problems than they solve? And when will racism be a culture of the past whereby statistics for African Americans are no worse than statistics for the Caucasian citizens in the USA?

Excuse me, but, there are many Caucasian people that back the work of "Black Lives Matter."

In this July 24, 2009, (click here) file photo, Rachel Dolezal, a leader of the Human Rights Education Institute, stands in front of a mural she painted at the institute's offices in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Dolezal, now president of the Spokane, Wash., chapter of the NAACP, is facing questions about whether she lied about her racial identity, with her family saying she is white but has portrayed herself as black.



June 13, 2015
By Chris Spargo

The white NAACP leader (click here) who misrepresented herself as black reportedly said as she organized groups during the Black Lives Matter movement that only black people should be directing and leading the protests.

In an interview with Anderson Cooper, activist and writer Marc Lamont Hill said he knew Rachel Dolezal, and heard her state that only black people should lead the movement that arose in the wake of repeated incidents of police brutality against black individuals starting late last year.

Hill then said what Dolezal is doing is the 'ultimate exercise in white privilege.'...

BLM becomes reality.

Want to support the national Movement for Black Lives? (click here) Show your support by purchasing an awareness ribbon or wristband!

We have received an amazing opportunity from a community member fed up with state-violence against black bodies! The BLM Awareness Ribbon was created to take a stand against police brutality and other forms of state violence, by bring attention to these issues through solidarity in the black community.  Proceeds from the sales will benefit the black community in several ways: The bulk of the proceeds will be placed into a fund for families who have lost a member to police brutality, and other proceeds will be given to various organizations in the movement, including #BlackLivesMatter and HandsUp United!  Click a photo to be taken to the BLM Ribbon site to make your purchase!

Does Strengthening Self-Defense Law Deter Crime or Escalate Violence?

Evidence from Expansions to Castle Doctrine

 

ChengCheng†

Texas A&M University

 

Mark Hoekstra†

Texas A&M University and NBER

Forthcoming in the Journal of Human Resources

From 2000 to 2010, (click here) more than 20 states passed so-called “castle doctrine”or“stand your ground”laws. These laws expand the legal justification for the use of lethal force in self-defense, thereby lowering the expected cost of using lethal force and increasing the expected cost of committing violent crime. This paper exploits the within-state variation in self-defense law to examine their effect on homicides and violent crime. Results indicate the laws do not deter burglary, robbery, or aggravated assault. In contrast, they lead to a statistically significant 8 percent net increase in the number of reported murders and non-negligent manslaughters....

The vigilantism of Mr. Zimmerman was inspired by a new god of all guns. "Stand Your Ground and The Castle Doctrine"

Location:

CRIMINAL LAW;
Scope:
Connecticut laws/regulations; Other States laws/regulations; Court Case
April 24, 2012

The Castle Doctrine (click here) and “stand-your-ground” laws are affirmative defenses for individuals charged with criminal homicide. The Castle Doctrine is a common law doctrine stating that an individual has no duty to retreat when in his or her home, or “castle,” and may use reasonable force, including deadly force, to defend his or her property, person, or another. Outside of the “castle,” however, an individual has a duty to retreat, if able to do so, before using reasonable force. Stand-your-ground laws, by comparison, remove the common law requirement to retreat outside of one's “castle,” allowing an individual to use force in self-defense when there is reasonable belief of a threat. Deadly force is reasonable under stand-your-ground laws in certain circumstances, such as imminent great bodily harm or death....

March 21, 2012
By John Nichols

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (click here) endorsed Mitt Romney Wednesday, earning national headlines as an elder statesman of a Grand Old Party that is still trying to wrap its head around the concept of Romney as a presidential nominee.

It is a measure of the extent to which media and political players absolve those who make laws from any responsibility for the impact of the legislation they enact and sign that Romney—who has so meticulously avoided discussing the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida—would casually accept the backing of the signer of the “Stand Your Ground” law that so many reasonable observers believe played a role in Trayvon’s death....

Then came Trayvon and a culture of self-righteous use of guns.

February 13, 2015
By Elijah Anderson

Separated (click here) by a thousand miles, two state borders, and nearly six decades, two young African American boys met tragic fates that seem remarkably similar today: both walked into a small market to buy some candy; both ended up dead.... 

Had Vigilantism returned or had it never ended in the first place?

Taking the law (click here) into one's own hands and attempting to effect justice according to one's own understanding of right and wrong; action taken by a voluntary association of persons who organize themselves for the purpose of protecting a common interest, such as liberty, property, or personal security; action taken by an individual or group to protest existing law; action taken by an individual or group to enforce a higher law than that enacted by society's designated lawmaking institutions; private enforcement of legal norms in the absence of an established, reliable, and effective law enforcement body....

Vigilantism never entered the courtroom where Mr. Zimmerman was being tried. It was all facts and figures and innuendo about the death of a black young man. But, the fact Mr. Zimmerman completely ignored instructions by police stating to not follow Trayvon has it's own impacts. 

Mr. Zimmerman ignored the instructions of police because he elevated himself as more vigilant and effective than police. He was a Neighborhood Watch captain, which has no sincere legal designation or certification, and believed within his role police were not doing a good job. There had been a few burglaries in the local community. 

Mr. Zimmerman had taken the law into his own and attempted to effect justice according to one's own understanding of right and wrong.

The reaction then was exactly the same as the reaction now. They blamed the media and fully defended police.

Fmr. Chief Daryl Gates

Do you believe, in retrospect (click here)--and putting yourself back at that moment--that there were forces interested in exploiting that tape, that moment--forces that had an ax to grind with the L.A.P.D.?

I don't think there is any question about it. It was a great opportunity, a great opportunity. They had the Reverend Jesse Jackson coming out here every week. He didn't even know me, and he stood up and denounced me, over and over again. He knew nothing about me, knew nothing about the policies of the Los Angeles Police Department or what we had done in all communities throughout the city--our community relations, our community efforts. He knew none of this. He just blasted Daryl Gates and the Los Angeles Police Department. Al Sharpton came out. He knew nothing about the Los Angeles Police Department, knew nothing about me. These people. . . filled the atmosphere with hate: hate, hate, hate. Those poor Los Angeles police officers. I know--I talk to them, day in and day out. They sat back and said, "Hey, what did we do? What did we do? We go out every day. We try to do the job in the best way we know how. We know what service is all about. We know. We try to help people. We try to keep them safe. What did we do? What did we do?" All I could tell them is, "You didn't do anything. You did your job. You've done a good job. You're damn fine police officers, and this is a political thing, pure politics."

The Rodney King beating occured in 1991.

Then there is this.

Gawker (click here)

August 15, 2014
By Jaeah Lee 

Previous attempts (click here) to analyze racial bias in police shootings have arrived at similar conclusions. In 2007, ColorLines (click here) and the Chicago Reporter (click here) investigated fatal police shootings in 10 major cities, and found that there were a disproportionately high number of African Americans among police shooting victims in every one, particularly in New York, San Diego, and Las Vegas....

The shooting of unarmed black men is far higher than unarmed Caucasian men. It is a fact and it is backed by statistics. 

We don't perform statistics often enough to monitor police and any trends regardless of the topic. The USA has to get better at this. I think there is an underlying problem as witnessed with Anthony V. Bruno, the Kansas City Firefighter. But, when race is added to it there is a far larger problem.

I as I always do, I examined my own bias and my sense of purpose.

I began to think are there components of the black alertness that is actually an illness in our society in general. There was reason to believe otherwise, especially, when unarmed Caucasian men were being gunned down, too.



December 2, 2013
By Liz Fields

Kansas City authorities (click here) are trying to piece together what happened when an early morning confrontation left a groom celebrating his wedding shot dead and the officer who shot him hospitalized with face injuries.

Anthony V. Bruno, 26, a six year veteran of the Kansas City Fire Department, was killed after he left his wedding reception in the early hours of Sunday morning. A family member said the incident may have been sparked by a dispute over a cab fare.

Kansas City police said in a statement that at 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, an unidentified off-duty police officer responded to a call that a cab driver had been assaulted in front of a hotel near 12th and Wyandotte.

The officer, a 17 year veteran of the police department, was working in uniform and in a law enforcement capacity for a downtown business at the time of the incident. He found the suspect, Bruno, a couple of blocks away where the pair got into a fight, the police statement said....

I am probably like most of the country and somewhat late to the issue. But, I think it was Sean Bell that first brought my attention to the degree unarmed black men are killed by police.

And then came Oscar Grant and "Fruitvale Station." I began to spend more time thinking about what is going on in the USA.