Putin is using anti-semetic tropes in Crimea. Jewish people are at risk with the open anti-Semitic speech by Putin.

Putin's actions in Syria, including missile interceptors, is in question at the realization of Putin's embrace of Anti-Semitism. It should be no surprise that Prime Minister Netanyahu has been making overtures to Arab leaders with his trip to Oman (click here). 

The idea there will be a peace agreement for Israel and Palestine need to take shape to end the divisive role Putin in playing in the Middle East.

March 15, 2019

By Marcy Oster

Russian President Vladimir Putin (click here) made a joke invoking the anti-Semitic trope about Jews and money during a visit with local residents and religious leaders in Crimea on Monday.

When a local Jewish leader made a comment about financial difficulties, Putin replied: “So the Jews have problems with finances! Only such a thing could happen in Crimea.” He also said to the bearded and black-hatted Jewish man in Hebrew, “toda raba,” or thank you very much.

The exchange was first reported in English in a tweet by Washington Post Moscow correspondent Anie Ferris-Rotman, who included a video of the exchange.

Amie Ferris-Rotman

✔@Amie_FR

Putin today, responding to a Jewish community member in Crimea: “So the Jews have problems with finances! Only such a thing could happen in Crimea” (forced laughter all round) He also tells him, in Hebrew, “thank you very much”...

March 18, 2019
By Stephen Kravchenko

President Vladimir Putin signed laws (click here) punishing online media and individuals for spreading “fake news” or material that’s considered insulting to Russian officials.

Prosecutors can now complain about online publications to the state communications watchdog, which has powers to block access to the websites if their owners fail to remove the material promptly. Publications found guilty of spreading “unreliable socially significant information” may face fines of as much as 1.5 million rubles ($23,000).

Individuals also face fines and up to 15 days in jail if they publish material online that expresses “clear disrespect for society, the state, the official state symbols of the Russian Federation, the Constitution of the Russian Federation and bodies exercising state power.”....

Jarad Kushner is another A. Q. Kahn. Trump's White House is breaking the law.

On February 4, 2004, (click here) the Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer (A.Q.) Khan, then famous for his role in developing Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, confessed on live television to having illegally proliferated nuclear weapons technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea over the course of decades. Today Khan is enjoying a resurrection at home, where he is again touted as the “Mohsin e-Pakistan,” or the savior of Pakistan. He appears as the guest of honor at official ceremonies, and last year Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology declared him a distinguished alumnus in recognition of his “meritorious services and valuable contributions towards scientific research and its practical application for the productive use for mankind.”...

Where do the irresponsible acts of this administration end? Why was there no oversight for two years?

Atomic Energy Act of 1954, As Amended (click here and on page 7)

THERE ARE LAWS!  Trump and his lackeys cannot simply do as they please! Trump's family need to be reviewed by Congress for appropriate security clearance. This is outrageous and two years of free wheeling power has transpired. What a nightmare.

February 19, 2019
By Eric Levitz

The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (click here) prohibits the export of American nuclear technology without congressional approval. The rationale behind this law is simple: If an American firm sells a foreign regime a nuclear power plant, said regime could plausibly use that technology to advance a nuclear weapons program (if adequate safeguards aren’t in place).

Saudi Arabia is an Islamist autocracy, and an exceptional aggressively and paranoid geopolitical actor. The kingdom has spent much of the past three years organizing a blockade against a U.S. ally, using American-made technology to bomb Yemeni schoolchildren, and engineering a famine in the Middle East’s poorest country.

And yet, high-ranking Trump administration officials have been trying to transfer nuclear technology to the Saudi government — without congressional approval — since the day Donald Trump took office, according to a new report by House Oversight Committee chairman, Democrat Elijah Cummings....

The Saudis got exactly what they wanted. It will be up to the IAEA to be sure it doesn't turn into a weapons program. Trump just handed out technology like candy without any oversight or any legislation from Congress. And with Jared's phone and "WhatsApp" (click here) the entire world now knows all about it.

Trump's idea of saving money is to rid himself of the FBI and simply log on to the internet and find the perfect technology to carry out government secrets. Amazing.

The "WhatsApp" is probably the best tool around for carrying out affairs with Playboy models, but, is hardly the way to discuss nuclear secrets with Saudi Arabia.

January 25, 2019
By Elisabeth Dyck

...The Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) (click here) mission took place in July 2018 at the invitation of the Government of Saudi Arabia. The mission team reviewed the status of the country’s nuclear power infrastructure development using the Phase 2 criteria based on the IAEA’s Milestones Approach, which provides detailed guidance across three phases (consider, prepare, construct) of programme development.

Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy, handed over the report to Dr Khalid Al Sultan, President of the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE) on 22 January 2019 in Riyadh.

“As is recognized in the INIR Mission report, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made significant progress in the development of its nuclear power infrastructure,” said Chudakov. “It has established a legislative framework and carried out comprehensive studies to support the next steps of the programme.” He pointed out that Saudi Arabia has also developed strategic partnerships with countries experienced in the use of nuclear power and is extensively using their technical support....

The lobbyists involved need to be interviewed by the US House to discover exactly what transpired. The lobbyists responsible are David B. Kultgen and Jeffery Merrifield.

...The report alleges Michael Flynn, (click here) while he was national security advisor to Trump’s presidential campaign and transition, and Thomas Barrack, chairman of the Trump Inaugural Committee and friend to the president, were proponents of the IP3 plan since at least the summer of 2015 and into the time Flynn was a White House advisor. Whistleblowers to the House committee were concerned that the plans, and administration officials’ links to them, would violate U.S. law.

Since early 2018, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy, Industry and Natural Resources has employed two U.S. firms to “provide advice and assistance concerning a potential bilateral agreement with the U.S. concerning peaceful uses of nuclear energy,” according to FARA filings and initially reported by Bloomberg.

One firm was the law office of David B. Kultgen, who has a long employment history regarding energy and Saudi Arabia. Kultgen worked for the Arabian American Oil Company and its successor Saudi Arabian Oil Company from 1973 to 2016, retiring as the company’s general counsel and corporate secretary. He registered as a foreign agent for the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Feb. 20, 2018 for the “provision of legal and consulting services.”...

Donald Trump cannot recognize land assigning it to Israel.

This can be part of a peace accord and submitted to Congress, but, Trump cannot solely assign land to Israel.

March 21, 2019
By Jeremy Diamond

President Donald Trump (click here) on Thursday overturned longstanding US policy regarding the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, announcing "it is time" for the US to "fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty" over the region.

"After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability," Trump tweeted.

The announcement hands Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a significant foreign policy victory, less than three weeks before Israelis head to the polls to decide whether he should remain in power. The move comes just days before Netanyahu is set to join Trump at the White House and follows weeks during which Netanyahu has renewed his push for the US to recognize the Golan Heights as part of Israel....

A political "dog whistle" is a well established form of hate speech in the USA.

The use of a political dog whistle in the USA is a reason for an ethics review. It invites danger into the political process that can inhibit free participation in elections, too.

The fact a political dog whistle is based in racism is enough for an ethics review.

... a dog whistle is a political term (click here) about statements that appear innocent to the general public but they actually use subtle, coded language to communicate a secondary message to an intended group.

The messages are often racial or bigoted in nature, used to attract certain voters and energize them to vote.

RELATED WORDS

race-baiting
Cross-Race Effect
subliminal message
Make America Great Again
tunnel vision

Freedom of Speech is a marvelous luxury of democracy. But, recognizing an enemy is vital to any country's sovereignty. The Alt Right, as a political entity, is being discussed wrongly in the USA and quite possibly Europe. The Alt Right is not friendly to democracy, it is a parasite the uses the freedoms of democracy to end life and terrorize populations. The Alt Right is another name for the enemy and the discussions in democracies need to reflect that and not embrace it.

Hate speech is protected, but, it is not supposed to be a method of governance.

Those that practice hate speech as a form of governance are incompetent to govern. Hate speech removes the rights of targeted Americans and places them in an envelope of danger.

The Special Council investigation has been coming for some time.

The people drafted by the Trump campaign were known to be people of interest to the FBI. There is every reason to believe Paul Manafort is safer in a USA prison than otherwise. Also, it is interesting to think that others might like to hold him for trial in other countries as well.

March 2018
By Franklin Foer

...He seemed unwilling, (click here) or perhaps unable, to access his offshore accounts; an FBI investigation scrutinizing his work in Ukraine had begun not long after Yanukovych’s fall. Meanwhile, a Russian oligarch named Oleg Deripaska had been after Manafort to explain what had happened to an $18.9 million investment in a Ukrainian company that Manafort had claimed to have made on his behalf....

The Trump administration has many members that are arrested, witnesses and prisoners. There is nothing here to indicate Donald Trump or his family of advisers are capable of leading a country, let alone a political campaign.

The Trump Campaign had KNOWN members of interest to the FBI. That was at Donald Trump's fingertips if he CHOSE to carry out a legal and unquestionable campaign to be the president. The Trump administration is not capable of leading the USA. They don't even try to rid themselves of questionable people within their sphere of influence. As a matter of fact, Donald Trump embraced the most controversial figure in the Alt Right, Steve Bannon.

The Special Council was instated shortly after the inauguration of Donald Trump. That was due to the knowledge of the FBI regarding his circle of influence and their involvement with an enemy of the USA. This is not a witch hunt. This is not a surprise. This is the most important investigation to protect USA sovereignty in decades, if not the history of the country.

James Comey was not going to be corrupted as Trump wanted when he asked for loyalty. James Comey already had a history of what was then compromising the Executive Branch. There is just no question that the firing of James Comey was to dilute the authority of the FBI.

Three paragraphs from the "Sydney Morning Herald" says it all.

When extremists are embraced by leadership, people in power or afforded celebrity there will be consequences. In the USA, the acts of hatred in Charlottesville, Virginia were predictable.

March 21, 2019
By Michael Bachelard

...Apparently (click here) driven by a confused and violent alt-right ideology, the attack took white-supremacist extremism to its logical conclusion in the most peaceful and unlikely place.

Almost a week later, as the bodies of the dead are still being washed and buried in Christchurch, this act, allegedly carried out by a 28-year-old Australian, has prompted dozens of different discussions, all of which seem urgent.

Among those discussions are gun control, the role of social media in radicalising the perpetrator, and broadcasting his act, the growth of right-wing extremism, its infiltration into mainstream politics, and even the merits and morals of egging a sitting senator....

Chris Fields, Governor Inslee. He will bring you up to speed.

He has been waiting for policymakers to listen. Before men like Dr. Fields became dedicated to the climate crisis there was no curriculum for young scientists to learn.

Chris Field (click here) is the founding director of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology and Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies at Stanford University. Field's research emphasizes field and laboratory studies of impacts of climate change, from the molecular to the global scale. 

He was, from 2008 to 2015, co-chair of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which led the effort on the IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (2012) and Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (2014). 

Fields research has been recognized with several American and international awards, including the Max Planck Research Award and the Roger Revelle Medal, and with election to learned societies, including the US National Academy of Sciences (2001). Field received his PhD from Stanford in 1981 and has been at the Carnegie Institution for Science since 1984.

The Missouri River has breached 12 levies. The downriver effect could be just as tragic.

Governor Inslee should tour the Midwest and talk to the people. There isn't a person alive that has witnessed this level of flooding. With the levees so badly effected, the flooding is due to last for a month or more.

The team of USGS and the US Army Corp. have done a first rate job in flood control. But, the climate crisis has increased the threat exponentially. This time, between rain and snow melt the capacity can't be contained. At this point with a country that denied the existence of the climate crisis for decades the best the federal agencies can do is tell people to get out of the way. There is NO preparation for this and there very well could have been. As a matter of fact, if the climate crisis was addressed long ago, this would not be happening.

There very well may be significant soil loss that will effect crop production. The USA has an incredible capacity to produce food, but, every year there are more and different problems. Last year the problem was getting on the fields because they were so wet the combines would have sunk in the mud.

This weather pattern may last for a while. There needs to be a complete assessment of the continuing weather patterns, near shore storms and what they are doing to the USA coast line and there are the devastating storms that destroy infrastructure with Category 5 winds. The tornado season is no longer a season, but, a year round event.

The approach by the USA to date is to treat each disaster as if it were unique. There is no comprehensive picture or plan. The USA is way behind the 8 ball and we need to desperately catch up. I guarantee you if you ask any US Senator what their plan is for farmland now under water and unable to produce, they will say they don't have such a plan. It is ridiculous that Wall Street is enjoying billions of dollars thrown at them and the USA doesn't even have a plan to feed the people in the face of the climate crisis.

The US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue is doing his level best to put organic farmers out of business. Many are USA Veterans. These farms may very well be the answer to food production and Trump wants them out of business. There are fools in Washington, DC, and no one will call it what it is, complete negligence of the danger facing Americans every day.

The USGS (click here) is pleased to announce the beginning of new water-data station pages on waterdata.usgs.gov, our flagship Water Data for the Nation.  Real-time water data are shown on these pages, and they can be found from existing pages:

But the existing pages you have come to rely upon will not be altered or decommissioned for some time, not until we are certain we’ve conserved all essential functionality....

Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 5:58 pm EDT

Assistant AG Rosenstein needs to consider placing more personnel with the Special Council to handle all the FOIA requests. The Special Council has asked for at least one-time extension and that is due to the new demand for information and any redaction that needs to take place. It is unfair to believe Robert Mueller's work is less important than the requests for information.

While the president carries out his hate agenda, Gitmo has been erased from Americans priorities. That is not the case with the rest of the world.

15 March 2019
By Sheren Khalel

The man wheeled (click here) into the courtroom looks like he could be much older than 58.

His long beard, almost entirely white, extends to the middle of his chest. Hunched over in a wheelchair with a pillow across his lap, he moves slowly. With the help of a walker, he carefully lifts himself up and, surrounded by uniformed soldiers, settles into an orthopaedic chair at the far left of the defence table.

While he is not shackled during the court proceedings, a metal chain runs out of the floor beneath him.

Abd al Hadi al-Iraqi, the nom de guerre of Nashwan Abdulrazaq Abdulbaqi, was captured in Turkey by US forces in 2006, held by the CIA for more than five months, and then brought to Guantanamo Bay in 2007.

Although he has been imprisoned for 13 years, Hadi has yet to be convicted of a crime....

As an American I find Donald Trump to be an absolute disgrace.

Our allies have suffered terrible terrorist attacks and he is more interested in making political points with his deranged base then attend to the country's business. Now, either he is mentally stable or he is not. Because, if he is, then he has an agenda completely alien to most Americans and dangerous.

Either way, he is a complete disgrace as a president, except, for those that embrace racism.

He won the presidency because of racists and nativists and Americans confused about the outcomes of his lies to them in that race. There is no denying that the Democrats do not have the same language he has to speak to these alienated Americans. They do not value life in the same way. He does not value life in the same way.

He has turned his back on the people that elected him in 2016, except, for the racists and nativists. The haters. He embraces hate. No. He loves hate and the mongering that goes along with it.

Recently, the Supreme Court ruled border crossers can be detained indefinitely. That is not surprising. That is a result of September 11, 2001 and Gitmo. It is important to remember the courts also ruled border crossers cannot be denied asylum.

When the courts upheld the right to asylum in the USA, Trump stated we have bad laws. The USA does not have bad laws, it has a bad president with a completely foreign agenda. 

The civil war in Venezuela will be settled by FARC. The Russians don’t have a chance. The USA troops in Columbia are important to help with stability there and prevent air strikes against the USA.

The USA should NEVER have to worry about air strikes from any other country. Get that right. We have a chicken as Commander and Chief.

Assistant Attorney General Rod Rosenstein needs to be given a commendation for his dedication to this country. He is remarkable. Many left and didn't look back, but, he stayed. He is a great American.

Trump;s no information voter is exhibiting a violent backlash.

These folks don't admit Trump lies. They insist there is a conspiracy of any kind that prevents them from knowing the truth. The 'Belief System' is called QAnon. The article from the "Daily Beast" describes people out of touch with reality and/or refusing to accept the truth.

June 19, 2018
By Will Sommer

A man armed with a rifle and a handgun (click here) drove an armored truck to the Hoover Dam last Friday and started blocking traffic. He brought a homemade sign with him that said, “Release the OIG report.”

Except the report was already out.

The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General released a report the day before criticizing the actions of FBI officials like James Comey during the Hillary Clinton email investigation. President Trump wrongly claimed it “exonerated” him, and right-wing media seized on the revelation that FBI agent Peter Strzok sent a text saying that “we’ll stop” Trump in 2016.

But for followers of the byzantine QAnon conspiracy theory, who had been promised that the report would contain far more damaging revelations about Democrats, the report has been one big anticlimax. The sign the armored truck driver held up on the bridge appeared to reference the idea, promoted by QAnon, that Trump possesses another OIG report that would bring down his enemies once and for all. The second report supposedly proves the FBI, the Justice Department, and top Democrats broke laws in an attempt to stop Trump from winning the presidency. Now Trump just has to release it, QAnon says....

Recently, there was a murder of a known mobster, Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali. The New York authorities believed this was a change in leadership in the crime family. According to those "in the know," the death of Frank Cali could be the beginning of a gang war. It is important to realize what may be occurring with organized crime because police lives could be on the line. Would there need to be an increase in investigations to bring in mob members before any gang war became out of control?

Those police officers, in the picture below, are working on citizen's tax dollars. They do excellent work and that is not the issue. The issue is does the USA need more unexpected and undetected violence on it's streets, regardless of the victim?

March 14, 2019
By Aaron Katersky, Josh Margolin and Bill Hutchinson

New York City Police officers investigate the scene where reported New York Mafia Gambino family crime boss, Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali, was killed outside his home in the Staten Island borough of New York, March 14, 2019.

The reputed leader of the Gambino crime family, (click here) once headed by infamous mobster John Gotti, was gunned down in a "well-thought-out execution" outside his New York City home late Wednesday -- sparking an investigation into whether the hit was sanctioned or the revival of a "mob war," sources told ABC News.

Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali, 53, was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his body outside his home on Staten Island, according to the New York Police Department....

Well. There is a twist to this murder and perhaps the police and detectives need to hunker down and find the extent of the size of this NEW gang and it's manifesto as well.

The last suspected link expected in the chain to whom killed Cali would be connected to Trump. Yes, Donald Trump. Yes, the President of the USA. He has a gang of his own and they are willing to kill for their deranged ideas.

This is the Cali Killer. He is a MAGA maniac and a QAnon member.

Trump's no information voter and their hate filled reception of Trump's lies is turning people into violent comrades in arms.

the gambino (click here) crime family vs qanon conspiracy theorists is the rivalry i didn't know i needed

Anyone for a used van?.

The USA just got more dangerous thanks to Donald Trump's hate speech.

Where next? Where do hate filled words by Donald Trump find the next victim? 

When does this stop?

Because Trump has at least one disciple. Trump and King know exactly who they are talking to.

March 18, 2019
By Reis Thebault

Rep. Steve King has civil war on his mind. (click here)

The Iowa Republican broached the subject in a Saturday evening Facebook post — a bizarre meme of two fighting Frankenstein figures, one red and one blue, each an amalgamation of states based on their political leanings.

“Folks keep talking about another civil war,” the meme read. “One side has about 8 trillion bullets, while the other side doesn’t know which bathroom to use.”...

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's call for a two state solution between Israel and Palestine is much needed.

March 18, 2019
By Shira Tarlo

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., (click here) whose statements prompted allegations of anti-Semitism by lawmakers on both sides of the aisles, called for a "balance, inclusive approach" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a new op-ed published Sunday in The Washington Post.

"My goal in speaking out at all times has been to encourage both sides to move toward a peaceful two-state solution," the freshman congresswoman wrote. "We need to reinsert this call back into the public debate with urgency. Both parties must come to the table for a final peace deal; violence will not bring us any closer to that day."...

The resolve to bring about a two state solution has been all but abandoned by every measure currently. Recently, Former President Carter indicated the return to a two state solution is nearly impossible with current Israeli and Palestine leadership.

5 March 2019
By Michael Bachner

Former US president Jimmy Carter (click here) said he doesn’t think Israeli-Palestinian peace is possible as long as Benjamin Netanyahu is prime minister, since Netanyahu isn’t interested in peace.

The 94-year-old, who is currently on a trip to Israel marking 40 years since the signing of the Israel-Egypt peace accord he brokered, said he’s “not sure” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wants an agreement either.

The comments were made in an interview with Israeli journalist Tali Lipkin Shahak, which will be screened next week at a conference at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Excerpts from it were aired Monday on Channel 12.

“I don’t see any way to make peace with Netanyahu as prime minister, I don’t think he wants peace. And I’m not sure that Abu Mazen does either right now,” Carter said, referring to Abbas by his popular nickname....

The Congresswoman may want to meet with the former President and quite possibly travel to Israel and meet with Palestinian leaders as well, if it can be done safely. If she is to renew hope for a two state solution she has to actively pursue it. Former President Carter was the only administration of the USA that was even able to achieve such agreements. She should become familiar with the dynamics of the Carter White House to understand how it happened and if it can happen again.

An interesting fact about the potential for Middle East Peace, including that of Palestine and Israel. Ariel Sharon was the last generation of Iraeli leaders that knew life without an Israeli homeland. He also didn't hesitate to criticize practices of the Israeli government. He earned respect as well as love from the country he lead. He would come to a peace agreement that would return Gaza to the Palestinians and removed settlements. There has not been an agreement since that time.

...But following the 1973 war, (click here) Sharon also broke the taboo on criticizing the army and the Labor establishment when he denounced the conduct of the early days of the conflict as a disgrace that needlessly sacrificed lives and equipment. Others such as Rabin—with whom Sharon maintained a fraught but lasting friendship—emerged relatively unscathed from the war’s failures, but Sharon was nearly alone in becoming an object of adoration. For a moment, he was almost universally loved....

None of the peace agreements have lasted, but, the Middle East today is different than the past, yet, Former President Carter still believes a two state solution is still possible and necessary.

The two state solution is not as popular as it used to be. However, it is rarely discussed in modern times. There is this though:

January 25, 2018
By Adam Rasgon

...The proposed peace deal (click here) would include a demilitarized Palestinian state; an Israeli withdrawal to pre-1967 lines with territorial swaps; repatriation of 100,000 Palestinian refugees in Israel as a part of family reunification; west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and east Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital; and the Old City’s Jewish Quarter and Western Wall under Israeli sovereignty, and Muslim and Christian quarters and the Temple Mount under Palestinian sovereignty.

While support for the proposed deal is relatively low among both Israelis and Palestinians, when the pollsters offered additional incentives, that support substantially increased....

it has been some time since real peace initiatives were successful. For that reason, it is my guess that if the Congresswoman were able to bring about constructive dialogue with the Israeli people and the Palestine people, much could be resolved. 

I think the people remain disillusioned and disappointed. Israel would have to end the settlement activism that is based in occupying land. The settlements creates the understanding that no matter what peace talks are engaged, they never adequately provide value to the understanding the land belongs to the Palestinians as a homeland and not a token of peaceful gesture. It makes any peace plan tenuous from the start to think land is a fluid commodity based in good or bad behavior.

Currently, Prime Minister Netanyahu has brought about an Iron Dome that protects much of Israel's citizens. That is an accomplishment that should be an incentive to a peace plan. Yet, it doesn't.

Another partisan give away program for private schools. It definitely crosses the supposed separation of church and state.

It is more tax credits for the wealthy benefactors to private, parochial and home schools. It means that the donors would receive tax credits as if they need anymore. It means fewer tax dollars into the USA treasury from people who can easily afford to pay more taxes and not less.

It also makes the statement by DeVos that the public schools are inferior to all other schools in the country. It is ridiculous and rather than incentivizing interest in public schools by the wealthy, it seeks to divide the country even more.

If there is a way the Trump administration can provide more wealth to the already wealthy while increasing the national debt and deficit, they will find it.

March 15, 2019
By Shelby Fleig

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos (click here) led a closed discussion at the Iowa State Capitol Friday afternoon about a proposed tax credit that would fund scholarships for private schools.

States would need to adopt the Education Freedom Scholarships program, which also could help pay for homeschooling costs. 

The wide-reaching proposal would allow states to incentivize scholarships for students, potentially paying for high schoolers to take college classes or earn apprenticeship certifications.

It also could boost scholarships for special education therapies and academic tutoring, and for summer and after-school programs. In addition, it could help public school students attend a district or school that isn't near their home.''

Known for supporting "school choice" initiatives, DeVos said the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act will allow parents more freedom in where and how their children are educated....

The Netherlands? New Zealand? What the heck?

Utrecht is a lovely little town in the central Netherlands, but, an ill willed man decided he could reek havoc there today.

Thanks to its compact location, (click here) affordable accommodations and good connections to public transportation network, Utrecht is also the ideal point of departure for discovering the Netherlands. Within an hour of travel, you experience Dutch icons, endless fields of flowers, discover castles, windmills and beautiful art.

The town is also a religious center. There are many old world buildings and artifacts. It is the kind of place people want to travel to and understand the past. And for who knows what reason, it is the place where a man full of hate decided he knew who was a Muslim and who wasn't, played god and killed three people. 

Hate is on the loose. It is up to stop it.

March 18, 2019
By Bart H. Meijer

Utrecht - A gunman shot dead three people (click here) and wounded nine on a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht on Monday and police said they were hunting for a 37-year-old Turkish man after an apparent terrorist attack....The great

The greatest sympathies for all the families, friends and for the country of the Netherlands over this ugly display of hate.

The country's government needs to be concerned for its politics as well. Russia will exploit fear to it's benefit.

The Late Senator McCain's greatness will live forever.

I will apologize for the ruthless attacks against a great man. I hope the Late Senator McCain's family knows he was loved. He will always be loved.

These attacks have been taking place at least from CPAC (click here). Trump is just a mimic of other people that had the audacity to demean a great man. No one at CPAC that I am aware of has stood up for the Late Senator either.

I don't know where the Republican party and it's party donors have gone, but, there is every indication it is closer to hell today than ever before.

John McCain, War Hero, Senator and Presidential Contender dies at 81 (click here). 

Senator McCain should be honored by everyone seeking immigration reform in the USA. The "McCain-Kennedy" bill should be brought out of mothballs, reviewed and resubmitted for a vote.

The United States Senate and Republican Party (click here) lost one of their biggest champions for bipartisan immigration reform and most vocal critics of President Trump’s immigration policies when Senator John S. McCain III (R-AZ) passed away at the age of 81 last week....

...In 2005, McCain—along with former Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA)—introduced the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, commonly referred to as McCain-Kennedy. Although the proposal never received a vote on the Senate floor, it would become the basis for future proposals that included a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, increased border security, and recommendations for addressing the nation’s labor needs.

As Muzaffar Chishti, director of the Migration Policy Institute said, “Whatever else historians will say about comprehensive immigration reform… McCain-Kennedy will remain central. It became the symbol of what a good bipartisan approach to immigration should be."...

The Steele Dossier (click here) will stand on it's own. There are many aspects of the dossier that are true and have been proven to be true. It was authored by a respected member of the intelligence community. The Late Senator McCain simply was respectful of the relationship between the two countries. (click here)

Besides, the dossier, while interesting, won't end the presidency of Trump, the fact Trump committed banking fraud to and with Deutsche Bank will though.

...McCain said. "I could not independently verify any of it, and so I did what any American who cares about our nation's security should have done. I put the dossier in my office safe, called the office of the director of the FBI, Jim Comey, and asked for a meeting."...

Exactly.

e.”
May 12, 2018
By Dan Nowicki

In his forthcoming memoir, (click here) U.S. Sen. John McCain makes one more argument for immigration reform while taking swings at border hard-liners such as as President Donald Trump, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Rep. Steve King of Iowa.

McCain, the 81-year-old Arizona Republican who is fighting a deadly form of brain cancer, restates his case for overhauling the immigration system in "The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations."

In a chapter titled "Fighting the Good Fight," McCain praises U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., his late colleague and collaborator on comprehensive immigration reform in the mid-2000s. Kennedy died in 2009 of the same kind of brain cancer,...

Conway reacts to Trump being blamed in New Zealand massacre (click here for news article - thank you)

...That means that historically, (click title to entry - thank you) terrorist manifestos have never been accurate documentation of either their belief system or the planning that went into their attacks. The main intention of terrorist manifestos is not to help everyday people understand how they became terrorists — it is to create new terrorists....

The killer in New Zealand never knew he would have an advocate for reading his manifesto in Trump's White House.

I might first add that Kelly Ann must be leading a fashion trend among women news commentators to show how make up and longer hair make the woman. It sets her far apart from women with short hair that tend to lean into lesbianism. I liked everyone just the way they were and didn't "dial in" to hear their reports because of the "'do and make up." Really, now.

That said, I think Mrs. Conway needs to read the manifesto clearly herself because Trump is clearly named as a man at the leading edge of Caucasian superiority. If Kelly Ann is trying to divert from that reality in her statements, she clearly has failed. Everyone else in the Manifesto has no current impact on modern day leadership.

Both FOX News and Mrs. Conway fail to mention the campaign of hate carried on Twitter regarding the former First Daughter, Chelsea Clinton. I haven't heard anything about Trump putting an end to that.

So, before Mrs. Conway tries propaganda again, I strongly suggest she needs to live in the reality of the moment not presidential hopes for 2020.

There are all sorts of ways of funding gas pipeline infrastructure.

November 6, 2017

By Robert Walton

Massachusetts lawmakers (click here) are considering a pair of bills that would strengthen gas project reviews and make it explicitly illegal to charge electric ratepayers to develop gas infrastructure.

Senate Bill 1855 says the DPU "shall not approve any contract for the purchase of gas, gas pipeline capacity or liquefied gas storage where any contract costs could be recoverable from the ratepayers if such contract requires any construction or expansion of interstate gas infrastructure."

"In paying a surcharge on their utility bills to build the pipeline, ratepayers are taking away the risk of the electric company's business decision to build the pipeline whether it is profitable or not," the lawmaker letter, reportedly signed by 125 legislators, reads. "This shields the electric companies from risk and subsidizes the corporate bottom line."

Senate Bill 1847 would allow a wider range of stakeholders to participate in pipeline cases at the DPU and would allow groups of 10 or more customers to participate with full intervenor status....

Those that oppose the growth of alternative energy claim the energy will become too expensive. When taking assessment of the age of the gas pipeline infrastructure in the cities and towns of the USA, carbon based energy is no longer cheap.

There may not be a pipeline tax, but, there will be energy cost increases.

February 12, 2018

By Shira Schoeberg

Boston -- A Massachusetts Senate committee (click here) has released a bill that reads like a wish-list for clean energy advocates.

The bill sets more ambitious environmental and regulatory standards, bans fracking in Massachusetts, prohibits residents from being taxed for new natural gas pipelines, eliminates a cap on reimbursements for solar projects and sets the stage for carbon pricing.

"We believe this act, if it is enacted, will protect our public health here in the commonwealth, create literally thousands upon thousands of new jobs in the commonwealth and reduce greenhouse gas emissions substantially," said Sen. Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton, chairman of the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change....

Bill S. 2302 (click here)

Seven months later this happens. Shortly before this occurred there was an announcement by the company it was going to be laying new gas pipelines. It is not negligence that caused his pipeline explosion. It was not an old infrastructure that caused this explosion. This pipeline delivered 12 times the pressure. Not a degree up or 2 or 3 times the pressure, but, 12 times the pressure that the infrastructure could contain. That was not an accident. 

September 19, 2018
By Gregory Korte

The pressure in the natural gas pipelines (click here) under three Massachusetts communities  spiked to 12 times their normal level last week, just before the explosions and fires that destroyed dozens of homes and killed an 18-year-old man, according to Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren. 

The Massachusetts Democrats were briefed on the explosions in and around Lawrence by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating.


Markey and Warren are demanding answers from Columbia Gas and its parent company about the utility's response to the pressure readings....