The Department of Agriculture and the FDA aren't doing a good job notifying the dangers of vaping.

The product most often used since so many died of lung-related deaths caused by vaping has a base of Propylene glycol, vegetable glycol, and artificial flavors. If it weren't for the State of California most purchasers of these products would never know there are dangers and risks for cancer.

The by-products that cause cancer are acetaldehyde and formaldehyde. Both these chemicals are highly dangerous carcinogens.

The manufacturers have gotten clever, too. It used to be these vap products all contained some degree of nicotine. NOW, the products contain no nicotine, but, it is offered as a side product that can be added to the plant-based vap JUICE.

These products appeared in the market place as an alternative to smoking tobacco. There are many different manufacturers of these products and they really have gotten away with murder quite frankly. Now, it is more danger being introduced through vaping products in the way of very dangerous carcinogens.

Vaping needs to stop. It is an unsafe practice for many reasons. But, if it weren't for California no one would know the ingredients and by-products that can cause cancer. When tobacco was labeled as dangerous and can cause cancer, warnings to that fact were required to be put on the label. It came through a federal decision and every state in the country MUST only sell cigarettes with labels stating the dangers of smoking or chewing tobacco.

Now, there are vaping products that will cause cancer with repeated use over a period of time. There is no guesswork here. These two products are PROVEN to by highly dangerous carcinogens. For the USDA and the FDA to allow these products in the market place is neglect and endangerment of human life.

Congress needs to pass legislation requiring EVERY PRODUCT FOR SALE to label the products with their ingredients that are too dangerous to be consumed and of all places the lungs. The highly vascular lungs that can provide immediate delivery to a person's bloodstream of anything that enters those two organs only to be carried to the brain for an altered reality.

Nicotine is highly addictive HENCE sending products and resultant by-products that cause cancer into the body. The psychological and social addiction and the actual physical addition of the products are human rights violations simply because they are KNOWN CARCINOGENS. 

The US Congress has to ban these chemicals from entering the body today and permanently into the future. 

If people want to vape a plant-based JUICE they can take it out of the refrigerator and use it. Those carcinogens are preservatives. The vaping industry needs to remove all carcinogens and toxic materials to the lungs FROM THEIR VAPING PRODUCTS NOW!

Shame on Sonny Purdue and the FDA. It is a horrible time in the USA and the lack of expertise and CARING by this administration is only adding to the existing horrors.

I am certain Dr. Fauci would recommend wearing a mask to vote!

August 2, 2020

By David Smile

As Florida struggles (click here) with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the country, elections supervisors will welcome voters back to the polls Monday, kicking off a two-week run-up to the Aug. 18 Florida primary.

Nearly two dozen early voting centers will open at 7 a.m. in Miami-Dade County, and dozens more in Monroe and Palm Beach counties. Early voting doesn’t begin in Broward County until Aug. 8.

The election is Florida’s second since the coronavirus pandemic began to spread. Close to 3 million people voted statewide in the March 17 Florida presidential preferences primary,, 650,000 of whom voted during Florida’s two-week early voting period....

The Church is neglecting their own.

I saw with my 85-year-old mother how the local Roman Catholic Church took excellent care of their parishioners. However, when it comes to taking care of their own dedicated women/nuns it is losing the battle if addressing it at all.

August 3, 2020

By Frank Witsil

When Lisa Zervos heard 13 religious sisters (click here) living together in a Livonia convent died of coronavirus, she felt heartbroken.

She sent the Catholic order a donation, brought flowers to the sisters' graves at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Southfield and kneeled down to pray for the repose of their souls.

"I was so sorry they suffered, and I know there are some sisters are still ill," Zervos, 52, of Northville, said. "Their whole lives were devoted not to themselves but others. It helps — when you think about what they did with their lives — to be a better person yourself."

Religious sisters who dedicated their lives to the care of others are now in need of support, and Michiganders like Zervos, and many from as far away as Norway, are offering sympathy notes and donations....

Teargas bans must go forward.

There are dangers to citizens and medical reasons to ban these "crowd control" methods. The First Amendment to the USA Constitution preempts the use of crowd control. This is NOT insurrection. This is messaging to the society that something is very wrong and must stop. The demonstrators are not interested in overthrowing their government regardless of undertones otherwise. If the VERY HARSH methods of crowd control end and legislators pass laws that eliminate the threat to BLACK LIVES, there will be no protesting. Isn't that what democracy is about?

The damage being done to the human lungs by the harsh chemicals in tear gas is more than can be tolerated in an environment as dangerous as the one with SARS-CoV-2. The tear gas cause behaviors that result in RISK. They remove their masks and cough spewing potential contaminants into the air. The police in their use of these measures are spreading the virus. Enough. Stop.

July 24, 2020

By Dick Vanderheart

Law enforcement officers in Oregon (click here) would be banned from using tear gas, constrained in how they could use other crowd-control weapons, and required to prominently display their names and ID numbers, under bills that might be considered in a forthcoming special session.

Those proposals are included in concepts released in recent days by the legislative committee convened to take up police reforms in the state. They come as police use of force in Portland has become a national focal point, with federal law enforcement officers freely deploying tear gas and other munitions against demonstrators night after night. Many of the same crowd-control tactics have been employed by Portland police in protests that are now stretching into their ninth week....

Fighting the good fight.

July 28, 2020

By Rebecca Ellis

Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon (click here) have asked a judge to hold federal law enforcement in contempt for allegedly violating an order that protected legal observers and journalists covering nightly protests against racism and police violence in Portland.

In a Tuesday filing, attorneys with the ACLU also asked a judge to order Chad Wolf, acting secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, and Ken Cuccinelli, acting deputy secretary, to appear before the court and explain why the federal officers deployed by the agency should not be sanctioned for violating the temporary restraining order.

Last Thursday, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon issued a temporary restraining order on officers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshals Service sent to Portland to guard federal buildings.

The new restrictions barred federal officers from arresting, threatening to arrest or using physical force against someone who they should “reasonably know” is a journalist or a legal observer unless they have probable cause to believe that person has committed a crime. Under the order, journalists and observers were not required to follow orders to disperse nor could a federal officer tell them to stop documenting the protest....

To address the observations from the weekend.

In regard to flooding along the coast of the Great Lakes, there could be pure negligence. Canada is a better gauge of that then trying to figure out if Trump is being stupidly ambitious in relation to a westward canal. It will be impossible to scale the Rocky Mountains with a canal for large ships. A more likely scenario is that Trump is eliminating personnel that run the apparatus of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Not the lock operators, although he might throw that expense completely to Canada, the administration that receives information about the impact of the locks on the shoreline. I would first eliminate the possibility that a heap of complaint letters is sitting on an empty desk. I still think the courts are a better mechanism at this point to end the shoreline erosion that will result in catastrophic damage to lakeshore towns. Canada's administrators will be seeing problems too, that might provide insight to NEGLIGENCE by the Trump Administration to the problems along the lake shores.

The trucks:

I think the semis/tractor-trailers are running from Sunday night to Friday night. There has been a movement in the country over the past three years by drivers that are demanding to be home on the weekends. That would explain the absence of the semis on the weekend. I sincerely believe that is what has occurred.

There are more interesting dynamics that go along with that. The drivers are still probably clocking long hours during the week and on the road 24 hours a day. Not one driver for 24 hours a day, each driver working his max hours in 5 days and not 7 days. That provides a fresh set of hours to drive as of a return to work on Sunday evening or Monday morning. 

So, therefore, what about the freight? More or less?

That dynamic is better determined by consumer sales and amount of diesel fuel sold to trucks. The amount of diesel fuel sold will determine the number of miles clocked by the drivers. If the amount of gross diesel fuel sold is less then the miles are down and the amount of freight being moved is down. If the inverse is true then the freight being offloaded to warehouses has increased. 

Consumer sales will state a couple of things. It can state that items are moving off the shelves quickly and are selling at moderate prices. If the sales dollars are down then the cost is consistent and the number of items sold is less. However, we know that capitalism requires items to be more costly if the number available is down. So, if the consumer sales are down when reported in dollars, that means there is less merchandise for whatever reason that is the case. Considering there are Wall Street brick and mortar stores declaring bankruptcy that indicates sales are down and inventory is down.

It may be that this entire paradigm shift may indicate a permanent shift in the way consumers are spending. They are focused on their homes. A quick glance at mortgages and the chance they are being paid down or paid off to prevent such threat in the future is a real possibility. The homes are also receiving facelifts and improvements to increase their value. I think consumer spending is more fixed on the home than items. The children have been home for school as well so that means some dedicated space to conduct class in the home and study afterward in preparation for the next school day.

Now about what I found in Traverse City:

PEOPLE ARE FOLLOWING THE RULES. Americans are definitely concerned about the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Most Americans. The nut cases running around spreading the virus need to be arrested as a public nuisance and put in jail. Trump's mixed messaging also is disrupting the well being of the people. The Democrats and the Lincoln Project folks need to have a counter-message about public safety and how that is achieved by sheltering at home when not engaged in work, demanding a work environment that is safe, wearing masks as a mandate until the country is free of the virus, being patient about a vaccine that works, protecting children by schooling at home, postponing school athletic events until the virus is under control and continue to social distance.

GOOD RULES WILL RESULT IN GOOD OUTCOMES.

What I saw in Traverse City were people enjoying their lives, exercising caution, understanding the danger, AVOIDING POTENTIAL HARM, and BELIEVING THEIR GOVERNMENT TO DIRECT THEIR ACTIVITY.

Wearing facemasks was a requirement by the local government. It was a good rule. The people in Traverse City were obeying the law and were grateful for clear and concise directions about their social activity. They didn't mind the masks. No one was complaining or demonstrating against their freedom. They were having fun and enjoying their lives because they were wearing masks and not being stupid about it.

The fact no one was on the roads after the bars and restaurants were closed means the people were in Traverse City for at the very least the entire weekend. But, more likely the entire week. They weren't there for the day. They weren't there for the moment. They were there after making plans, securing reservations (quite possibly reservations made a year earlier), and fulfilling their expectations for a vacation.

The fact there were a wide variety of vehicles carrying passengers, pulling boat trailers, four wheel motorcycles (Quads), ski-doos, and some with camping equipment mounted on the roof and BICYCLES galore means theamy were being cautious about their movement. The people were literally moving in herds of predictable activity within the American definition of a vacation. They were doing what each other was doing and enjoying their lives. Again, they were following the rules their government told them was the best and safest way.

There were also motorcycles traveling in packs. The motorcyclists were not wearing masks on the road, they had face shields with helmets. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RULE ABOUT THAT TO ENFORCE CONFORMITY BY EVERY CYCLIST. This is necessary so when they stop for fuel and go into convenient mini-marts others are protected. So, the motorcyclists need to conform to social protections by either wearing masks when not riding or leaving their helmet and face shield in place when mingling with the public.

Along with car movement was the very occasional bus. Buses need to require masks while on the bus and at any stop along the way. 

I think that does it. The moral of the story is that Americans are counting on their government to be as good as they expect it to be to protect their lives. When the government "OPENS UP" the social realm it is believed to be completely opened UNLESS there are rules they have to conform to within the social venues as there was in Traverse City. The people are trusting their government to protect them. Parents are expecting their government to make absolutely sure their children are safe.

CHILDREN ARE NOT RELIABLE MASK WEARERS.

The government at all levels needs to be making good rules. The people want and will conform to good rules and be happy within those rules. No one wants anarchy. 

The recovery by the USA will occur when there are good rules that are PROVEN to work and bring about complete and absolute elimination of SARS-CoV-2. I feel really bad for the nonconformists screaming about freedom. They are wasting their time and ranting about nothing anyone wants to hear about.

An Op-Ed I read...

...or it could have been an editorial, but, no matter. The topic was to watch Putin as he will "try something" before the election.

My best guess is Israel.

Why would expansionist Russia put up with Israel's plans for expansion?

Governor Whitmer will know how the restrictions on movement has worked in two to three weeks.

Last week I embarked on a trip to find out what is occurring in the real world and try and understand why the country isn't doing better. When I left I stated the truck traffic was heavy while the car traffic was far less on these roads I have traveled before. I thought that was good news. The truck traffic clearly indicated there was a good amount of freight moving interstate. The lack of cars could have been due to people clearly understanding there was a danger that was not yet resolved. My trip placed me in southern Michigan where 80 percent of my extended family lives. I am one of forty cousins and three of the sisters are still living and doing well. 

On Friday I left southern Michigan for northern Michigan. The mayor and council of Traverse City was anticipating the reopening of their economy and did a lot of work to provide a safer city when it comes to SARS-CoV-2. I really wanted to see this new arrangement. The city closed off blocks of shops and restaurants to create open space for dining and shopping. Then they rerouted one-way streets into two-way streets to allow traffic to continue to move along. There was also a mandated mask-wearing when in public. That ordinance was everywhere in town.

When I was traveling on the highway to Traverse City the traffic was rather light. There weren't as many trucks on the road, but, the car pattern was about the same. Needless to say I expected little to no real activity in Traverse City upon arrival. The festivals had been canceled. So, with light traffic why expect anything else. The road to Traverse City from I-75 was not heavily traveled either. It was a Friday afternoon so any business commuting hadn't begun. Schools were out of course.

When I arrived at Traverse City the reality I expected was nowhere close to the reality I found. Hotel after hotel had a sign by the road stating "No Vacancy." There were parking lots full of cars. These hotels are resort hotels. "Turtle Creek" which is the hotel before arriving to Traverse City is a casino. It had some cars in the parking lot but not the usual. But, the city of Traverse City was packed. The city was jumping.

So, the absence of cars on the road doesn't' mean that people are home if there is a chance for a vacation. What I found was a city thriving with activity regardless of canceled festivals and closed theaters throughout the city. There were no festivals or concerts at Interlochen either.

I made my way to the bay which I have watched with interest for years for a variety of reasons, mostly based in climate observations. When I got to the beach the water was very high. Far higher than it was when I last saw it. I went to the marina and the water was very high there as well. The boat launch was nearly completely underwater. None of the pleadings of mayor or governor brought relief. HOWEVER, the tourists marveled at the flooded area, took pictures (of which I have many) and put their boats in the water. The marina was full as well. There were sailboats, kyacks, pontoon boats, jet skis, motorboats, and fishing boats. Those are the boats in the water. The boats in the marine were elegant.

Did I mention that the hotels in town during their busy season get $300 to $500 per night and hotels such as "Indigo" receive more than that for their accommodations. But, the tourists were not exclusively wealthy people because the campgrounds, especially the private ones, were full.

The delightful aspect of all this is the fact people and their children were really enjoying themselves. Probably for the first time in a long time. It was delightful to see. The hotels cater to families as well as couples and singles.

So after observing Saturday Night in town I took a ride. For all the activity in Traverse City, there was none anywhere else except a smattering of folks at Turtle Creek. The drive to Grayling was silent and lonesome.

When I left Grayling to get on I-75 it was about 1:30 AM. I drove about 90 minutes south, took a quick bathroom break, and then drove back to Grayling. The town is named after an extinct fish by the way. It wasn't extinct when it was named though. Grayling, the town and not the fish, even today has a proud fisherman heritage and is a sponsor to many tournaments. But, as to my travel. There was no one on the highway. I-75 was vacant. Not a soul was about except for me. That as well surprised me. That has not been my experience at all with northern Michigan. There are usually trucks no matter the weather in small numbers anytime I've traveled there. Not this time.

While in Traverse City there was the usual activity of the EMS service. Nothing extraordinary. The COVID-19 population has mostly been small and the local authorities were extremely successful in contact tracing to end the spread.

Now I am into Sunday and about 12 hours later from my nighttime drive I left Grayling.

Just a word about the flooding at Grand Traverse Bay. See if this sounds right. A mayor and governor make pleadings for assistance with lowering the lake levels through the ability of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, but, none is allowed. Not only do the levels continue to fluctuate a great deal day to day, but, the high watermark is increasing. There is mud deposits in the parking lot from the previous higher flooding episode. The police monitor the activity at the boat launch every few hours.

There is now permanent flooding into the marine parking lot. With this trend, the city will be receiving floodwaters after next Spring. It will not be contained only in the marina.

There has been no exceptional precipitation lately and flooding south of this area where the dam broke is now completely dry. There is no dam to maintain any pond levels so when the water receded it left the once pond and river completely, absolutely dry. There is no force of nature working on Grand Traverse Bay or any other bay or waterfront on any other Great Lakes beach. This is all manmade tragedy.

Now I could simply say Trump is trying to punish Michigan, but, I think it is far more than that. Why would anyone allow such flooding and fluctuations of beaches, now eroded and tourist economies? Doesn't make sense.

UNLESS.

There is a bigger picture that does not include beaches and tourism. The Saint Lawrence Seaway does not provide passage for Panamax ships, like the big huge container ships from China. But, to create a Saint Lawrence Seaway for Panamax ships is silly. The ships would come through the Panama Canal and meet up with all kinds of well-established ports on the USA seaboard that can accommodate them. Why go through all the trouble of increasing the capacity of the lakes for such behemoths? 

UNLESS.

Those behemoths aren't coming up the eastern USA shipping channels but from the Pacific. I strongly believe in that warped sense of wealthy playground is Trump's desire to build a seaway from the Atlantic through the USA to the Pacific allowing places in Washington and Oregon to become the western entry of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Knowing Trump's maniacal imagination regarding wealth, I think that is exactly what is going on and it is time for the Great Lake States to begin lawsuits against the USA and Canada to better manage the lake levels.

But, as to my travel on Sunday.

Driving to Grayling there was some traffic, but, I can't honestly say it was any more than usual during vacation time. When I left Grayling and started down I-75 the interstate highway that was completely absent of traffic 12 hours ago was now full of vehicles, none were trucks. Not one single semi was on the road, but, the entire highway was full of SUVs, pick-up trucks, RVs (the big ones), and cars. See, the reason the traffic was light wasn't that citizens of conscience were toughing it out at home, it was because they were frolicking in Traverse City with some of the best eateries in the country. They arrived last Sunday and were checking out today.

As minutes went by and then hours there was no change in traffic patterns. There were some cars heading north, but, they were beginning their vacations. The heavy traffic heading south all reluctantly left Traverse City about the same time. I have some pictures, but, I have to get them off the phone. It is simply hard to believe without seeing it. There was a bottleneck at one point where ongoing construction slowed things down to three lanes rather than four, but, except for that, the volume of cars was consistent the entire time until Route 23 bifurcates off I-75. During all that time and over all that distance, I saw five semis. Only five. Three northbound, one on an on-ramp, and one on an off-ramp of I-69.

I suppose this little composition has many issues, but, the real one is the title of it. In the next two to three weeks Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula need to pay attention to any outbreaks of COVID-19. Traverse City mayor and council did all they could to make it happen correctly and minimize and end the spread. There really isn't much more to ask of citizens. Everyone in public wore masks. From what I can tell they stayed mostly in family groups and didn't commune with others a great deal.

I am dearly hoping the folks that came north from southern Michigan enjoyed their vacation. I sincerely do hope all plans and precautions worked well for them. However, I have this knot in my stomach that perhaps this weekend was the beginning of an uptick in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. The reason for the knot in my stomach about this disaster of a virus is that last week while the Republicans were stating all sorts of horrible things about the Governor, she stated her staff was seeing a minor increase in their numbers. 

I think the Governor's concern about increasing numbers may very well be correct. Not all the people vacationing in Traverse City came from southern Michigan, but, many were. It is hard for me to believe there wasn't some distribution of SARS-CoV-2 into that northern region of Michigan. There were a lot of people on the roads and that didn't start at Grayling. The flow was well established by the time I entered I-75 which is north. Michigan is a fishing haven. The vacationing wasn't consolidated in Traverse City.

We will have to continue to be vigilant for a few more weeks and hopefully, all the precautions that were at work in northern Michigan will stem any increase in numbers.

Until later.

BUT, if the numbers increase the idea of opening the economy before the virus is eradicated is fool hearty.

Okay it is Saturday night in the USA and it is soon to be Sunday.

I am observing people walking about town where there is a relatively low incidence of COVID-19. Where else would I go to observe? Honestly. 

So, everyone actually are wearing masks. However, it is downtown on a Saturday night and many people are not walking well. Why one might ask? Because they have been drinking alcohol.

Interesting that they get this “mask-thing” but honestly social distancing is a tough one. No I am not drinking alcohol. People are drinking, not really walking well and somehow “eyeing” six feet is a challenge. 

Now I ask you, why would a state open up social venues while in the same breath they say, wear your mask and practice social distancing? There is something wrong with this picture.

Government leaders don’t know that? They don’t understand human nature? Then don’t be in government where people are counting on them to protect them. Opening social venues doesn’t mean they are going to the church Bingo to drink tea.

I never thought I would see the day...

...in the USA when civil rights means absolutely nothing. And where would that begin? With patients that are ill and the elderly. People that cannot stand up for themselves.

The State of Michigan Republicans passed a bill Governor Whitmer vetoed. The bill allows for the transfer of COVID-19 patients without consent, doctors’ approval or notification of the family.  

The Republicans want to override the veto. The Republican bill would be defeated in the courts.

There is also no funding proposed for these new facilities or regulations as to how they would be staffed. There won’t be professionals running to work in a COVID-19 only facility.

Governor Whitmer has a task force due to finish their report soon. It is suppose to help decide the best path forward for Michigan. The Republicans plan isn’t a plan. It only provides for “that feel good feeling.” To be completely honest the basis of the Republican plan is fear of the other rather than measured approaches that work.

Every nursing home in the country has to have plans in place to handle diagnosed COVID-19 patients. There must be methods in place by the nursing home administrators to isolate patients with highly contagious diseases.

The reason the virus spread like wildfire through nursing homes is because there was no warning such an illness was making the rounds until Oregon began seeing deaths in nursing homes. The death rate is more than 100 times that of the flu with seniors for which they always receive vaccines. 

I think specialty facilities are a wonderful idea so long as they are well established and regulated to insure patients actually do better. My understanding is that the Republican bill is more imagineering than actual plans.

The Republican bill puts the cart before the horse. Show the public the buildings around the state now at the ready for a bill needed to allow transfers of patients to isolation facilities. There aren’t even buildings and staff at the ready to begin this work. It is like saying, “Build it and they will come.” 

I am sure the Governor’s Task Force is extremely concerned and is preparing a plan that will be timely and effective. 

I wish the politics of fear would stop and bipartisan solutions found. This virus flourishes in chaos.

Trump's hate mongering drives his base to the polls.

The dynamic of heavy surveillance was allowed when terrorist cells were believed to exist everywhere after September 11, 2001. There were all sorts of change including the Patriot Act and preemption.

Now, when Trump wants to build a basis to undermine the entire Democratic Party to benefit his overthrow of the USA government there is intense creative writing in Portland, Oregon. Trump is worse than anything we have seen before.

November 13, 2019

By Niall McCarthy

The data shows (click here) that the majority of the reported hate crimes were motivated by race, ethnicity or ancestry bias (59.6 percent). Other motivating factors include religion (18.7 percent), sexual orientation (16.7 percent), gender identity (2.2 percent), disability (2.1 percent), and gender (0.7 percent). The statistics are a compilation of bias-motivated incidents sumitted to the FBI by 16,039 law enforcement agencies....

This trend was addressed early on under President Obama's administration. White Supremacists were known to become angry enough to attempt an assault against the government. We were winning the war against hate without heavy surveillance and false reporting. Under Trump in his first year hate crimes rose by 25 percent in his first year from the best year in 2014 under Obama.

...The president had shared a video (click here) on Twitter that included a Trump supporter shouting “white power” at counterprotesters during a demonstration at the Villages, a retirement community in central Florida, and had called his supporters there “great people.”...

The tweeting wasn't creating the profound unrest he was looking for to end democratic elections, so he was turning to an underground campaign at Homeland Security.

People will do and say anything...

...to find a foothold for political power. That is what happened when the Koch brothers brought the Tea Parties to the Republican Party. That is the origins of this entire mess with Trump.

Germany was fine. It had conquered the virus and then Bannon decided it was time to kill Germans and start a hooligans’ German Tea Party. The rates are going up. It isn’t good enough to be alive and safe from a deadly and maiming virus, to have the children okay and the future safe. No it wasn’t enough so Russia and Bannon went to town harnessing frustration and declared the march for anarchy was a far better core value.

The Bannon illness in Germany sounds EXACTLY like the Republican mess in the USA. Now, how is it that an entire country goes from sane to radical overnight?

There are far to many intelligence officers and contractors in the USA government.

“I don't want to live in a world where everything I say, (click here) everything I do, everyone I talk to, every expression of creativity and love or friendship is recorded.”

Earth should not be spinning without investigative journalism. (click here) 

August 1, 2020

By Shane Harris

A senior Department of Homeland Security official (click here) whose office compiled “intelligence reports” about journalists and protesters in Portland, Ore., has been removed from his job, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Brian Murphy, the acting undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, was reassigned to a new position elsewhere in the department, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter.

Acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf made the decision on Friday, one person said.

Murphy’s removal follows revelations in The Washington Post that the Intelligence & Analysis Office (I & A) at DHS compiled Open Source Intelligence Reports about the work of two journalists who had published leaked department documents. In a separate intelligence report, the office also analyzed the communications of protesters in Portland....

I have no doubt this is all on Trump's insistence although he would never take responsibility for it.

It seems as though we are still spinning our wheels about how many intelligence officers we have in how many private agencies and the full accounting as to what work they are conducting and on what authority.

There was a report by the Washington Post some time ago that outlined the ridiculousness occurring in regard to private contractors. It seems to me this new abuse of power by the Trump administration is simply more of the same abuse the USA people have witnessed over and over again.

February 14, 2014

By Brian Fung

...In the wake of last year's NSA revelations, (click here) many agencies have been reviewing their contracting policies. But few people have a good grasp on just how many contractors the government employs. What's worse, the country's eight civilian intelligence agencies often can't sufficiently explain what they use those contractors for, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

Every year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is supposed to count how many contractors serve the intelligence community (IC). Due to differences in the way intelligence agencies define and assess their workers, however, the data are inconsistent and in some places incomplete. Out of hundreds of agency records, for example, GAO found that almost a fifth lacked enough paperwork to prove how much a contractor was paid. Another fifth of the records were found to have either over-reported or under-reported the actual cost of the contract work.

But the GAO reserves its harshest judgment for the agencies that couldn't fully explain why they resorted to contractors in the first place.

"In preparing their inventory submissions, IC elements can select one of eight options for why they needed to use contract personnel, including the need to provide surge support for a particular IC mission area, insufficient staffing resources, or to provide unique technical, professional, managerial, or intellectual expertise to the IC element that is not otherwise available," the report says.

Out of 102 records that were filed under "unique expertise," 81 failed to convince investigators that an ordinary civil servant couldn't have handled the job.

"Overall," the report went on, "the civilian IC elements could not provide documentation for 40 percent of the 287 records we reviewed."...

Flint residents were right. No one listened until professional opinions could not be argued away.

July 29, 2020

By Craig Mauger

Lansing — A divided Michigan Supreme Court  (click here) ruled Wednesday that a class action lawsuit by Flint residents against former Gov. Rick Snyder and state departments could continue despite the government defendants' bid to block it.

The state's high court ruled 4-2 that Flint residents' attempt to recover the value of property that had been allegedly improperly taken could continue through an inverse condemnation claim. And the court ruled 3-3 that their claim of a violation of bodily integrity could continue, allowing a Court of Appeals decision to stand.

Justice Beth Clement, a GOP nominee who worked for Snyder, did not participate in the case....

This is where we are in the USA. Now, judges are partisan. There is a lot wrong that needs to be cleared up.

...However, the state has maintained that the January 2016 lawsuit didn't comply with a six-month deadline after the event giving rise to the suit. The water switch occurred in April 2014....

Flint's water was contaminated an entire year before anyone validated the residents concerns. There is no timeline that maters when such gross negligence AND malpractice is being instituted by a state governor and his staff.

November 11, 2015

By Madeline Sturgeon

Although the residents of Flint, Mich., (click here) had been complaining for months about the color, smell and taste of the community’s water, state and local officials maintained the water supply was safe.

Mona Hanna-Attisha, M.D., M.P.H. FAAP, however, was not convinced.

A dinner party conversation with a water-quality expert stoked the Flint pediatrician’s curiosity and compelled her to seek evidence that would prove the water supply was toxic.

“As the stewards of these children, it is our responsibility to protect them,” said Dr. Hanna-Attisha, a mother of two. “When there is a clear violation of public health that is going to impact these kids today and forever, we couldn’t not do anything.”

With help from colleagues and the AAP Michigan Chapter, Dr. Hanna-Attisha uncovered the data to support her suspicions. A pediatrician at Hurley Children’s Hospital, Dr. Hanna-Attisha had access to a large body of routine blood test records. She started investigating, and what she found was disturbing: The percentage of Flint children with elevated blood lead levels had doubled since the city had changed its water source....

Riverside County, California

Average temperature during July and August 94 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Today it is 119 degrees Fahrenheit. 

I was very glad Dr. Fauci brought up the idea of goggles. That was goggles and googles.

July 31, 2020

By Cory Stieg

Wearing goggles (click here) or eye shields in addition to a mask might be a good idea to avoid Covid-19, White House advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said during an interview on Instagram Live Wednesday.

“Theoretically, you should protect all the mucosal surfaces,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton. That includes your nose, mouth and eyes. “So if you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it.”...

Early on the issue of "blood shot" eyes came up by trained personnel who were in contact with these patients. Then I believe some time ago a journalist that traveled via jet was decked out in everything anti-SARS-CoV-2, except, his eyes and shortly afterward he reported to the public that he contracted COVID-19 and believed it was through his eyes. 

In the picture above this is a person wearing a mask and a shield. The shield protects the eyes and the entire of her face. I am seeing more and more of these shields worn by professionals while caring for the patients. It isn't for me to say as to whether the general public should be wearing them, but, it is my opinion that wearing eyewear such as goggles or sunglasses or eyeglass frames with a safety plastic for the lens will provide the same protection as the shield in day to day activity. It is what I wear anyway. I wear prescription eyeglasses. I don't wear anything else, but, have been recommending them to friends and family when they are out and about even if they don't need prescription eyewear.

I also recommend washing the face, including lips and any exposed areas of the neck and chest, when returning from time away from home. It is my opinion that germs will cling to skin, be it SARS-CoV-2 or average everyday bacteria. Wash hands first, then rinse well and then wash face and exposed neck and chest. Plain old soap and water will do. Hand sanitizer is not necessary UNLESS there is no soap and water available. Then pat dry with a face towel or any other towel one has available. Paper towels can be harsh on the skin for some people. But, when finished put the towel in the laundry hamper and leave a fresh face towel from the closet at the side of the sink for the next person in the household and/or guest.

There are "summertime scarves" or gaiters. (click here). They do not cover the forehead. I don't use this so much as simply wash the face when I arrive home. I trust my skin to be intact when leaving home.

That is what I am doing and what I recommend to people I know well. Anyone else can ask their own professionals and they might get different answers. It is basically good hygiene and nearly mandatory for people with acne. 

IF PRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR VIRUS AND BACTERIA TO LAND ON THE SKIN IS LESS.

He never said he washed his hands.

I believe Gohmert when he said he infected himself. He never donned his mask correctly and his hands were dirty and he infected himself. Gohmert is another feckless Republican.

It is difficult to know how many COVID-19 cases are in Gohmert’s district because Texas has been reported in a statewide total. With the spike in cases followed by a spike in deaths I can’t imagine any part of Texas escaped without a case and death.

Gohmert should be perfecting the technique of properly donning and doffing a mask to be an example to be proud of, but, him. An example of perfection he will never be.

The Devil’s Sperm?

Someone want to show us some? Look, this is Donald John Trump at his best. He professes to right wing Evangelicals and the Jewish people he is “The Chosen One.” 

Now, he found a Pagan doctor, no offense to the Pagans, that professes not only the benefits of hydroxychloroquine, but, the existence of “succubus and the Devil’s sperm.” 

I don’t believe the right wing Evangelicals have found their savior so much as the Devil’s spawn as their CHOSEN political leader. 

Donald John Trump no more belonged ANYWHERE having a picture holding a religious Christian Bible as his expression of a deep abiding faith in God.

This is his political strategy. Be everything to everyone. Find the most remote collection of Americans, bond with their idea of the perfect world view and drive them in anyway needed to the polls.

“Winning is everything.”

Kudlow is flat out lying. He hasn't got a clue to the extent in which business in the USA has contracted.

All the tax restructuring and refunds in 2017 that allowed corporations to buy-back their stocks was all for not. Most probably, GM will issue more stock sales. It isn't doing badly. The fact they are striving to maintain a great company in the USA by spending all their ready cash only goes to prove how smart GM's leadership has become. I congratulate Mary Barre for maintaining GM solvency during a nearly impossible time in the USA.

July 29, 2020

By Jamie L. LeReau

General Motors reported Wednesday (click here) its net income tumbled on slow sales and thin inventory in the second quarter, especially of its profitable pickups and SUVs following an eight-week factory closure because of the coronavirus pandemic.

GM, the first of the Detroit Three automakers to release report second-quarter numbers, announced a net loss of $800 million, down 132% from the same time a year ago. Its earnings before interest and taxes adjusted were a loss of $500 million, down 118%. Net revenue was down 53% to $16.8 billion, but GM's China equity income was $200 million for the quarter.

Most striking was its cash burn during the quarter. GM spent $8 billion in automotive operating cash.

But during a call with the media, GM CFO Dhivya Suryadevara said the second half of the year will be better and it should allow GM to pay off the $16 billion revolving line of credit it took earlier this year to get through the pandemic....

The teachers are absolutely correct. Whatever happened to the good, old PTA? I know my parents never faced a coronavirus.

As a matter of fact, this is the first time in American history when students, parents and teachers have to face a sincere danger when the school bell rings and classes assemble. I think the Detroit teachers are absolutely important in protecting the lives of their students.

LEAVE THE STUDENTS AT HOME!

July 28, 2020

By John Wisely

Detroit teachers (click here) say they are prepared to stay home from school next month if their concerns over COVID-19 are not addressed.

"If the members don't feel that it's safe, if the union leadership doesn't feel that it's safe, then we won't show up," Detroit Federation of Teachers President Terrence Martin said Tuesday in a conference call with media and other union leaders. 

Teacher strikes are illegal under Michigan law, but it's unclear how that would be enforced when health concerns are prompting the walkout. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said earlier this month that rising caseloads could threaten the reopening of schools anyway....

July 25, 2020, was supposed to mean something. It was supposed to be the end of the SARS-CoV-2 virus threatening Americans. That was expensive and to have it fail only to continue the spread of the virus and attack Americans' way of life. There is more expense for the states with a CONTINUING tragedy. This is just one state. Every state in the USA is facing deficits. Congress needs to MAKE THE STATES WHOLE before SARS-CoV-2 arrived.

July 28, 2020

By Paul Egan

Lansing - Having used federal relief funding to help close a $2.2-billion hole (click here) in the state's 2020 budget, Michigan officials warned Tuesday they now face a $3-billion hole for the budget year that starts Oct. 1 and called for more financial aid from Washington.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and state Budget Director Chris Kolb both criticized at a news conference a proposed relief plan unveiled Monday by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as woefully short of what is needed....

Now is the worst time to remove USA troops from Germany.

It is easy to see why USA troops belong in Germany. The Black Sea is a border for Ukraine (click here). Ukraine is an ally of the USA. Ukraine has also received extreme pressure from Russia to relinquish its interest in Europe and an economic connection to The West.

Currently, there are four major war fronts that involve the USA military, the South China Sea and Australia, the East China Sea and Japan, the Black Sea and NATO and the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean that also includes the Gulf of Mexico and the nearshore threat of Russia and Venezuela (click here).

Now is NOT the time to remove USA troops from Germany. It only will be misread by the communists trying to undo the stabilizing effect of the USA internationally. 

July 24, 2020

By Tom O'Connor

The U.S. military (click here) has acknowledged Russian equipment and warplanes monitoring its movements in the Black Sea at a time when both countries were holding combat exercises in the strategic region.

One day after Russia's National Defense Control Center reported that radars of the Black Sea Fleet quick-reaction forces picked up a U.S. P-8A Poseidon and U-2S reconnaissance planes and scrambled a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet in response, Navy 6th Fleet spokesperson Commander Kyle Raines told Newsweek on Friday that "U.S. 6th Fleet is aware of Russian units monitoring U.S. units in the Black Sea."

"All interactions were safe and in accordance with maritime custom as expected," he added. "We operate within international standards to ensure safety and to prevent incidents, including the 1972 Agreement for the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas (INCSEA), and we expect no different from other navies."...