Any excuse is a good excuse. Russia is raiding Chechnya. It is looking for rebels and terrorists.

This is what nationalism does. There has to be some entity to blame for the effects of sanctions. Why not the gays and while at it let's round up the rebels and terrorists and call them gay.

The President of the Philippines got a phone call from the USA's President, this could be interesting on a global basis.

Pursuing peace rather than irritating the entire human race about differences is a far better path. President Putin needs to investigate these assertions.

Russia is an enormous country and the powers that rule locally can take on it's own persona. We have seen this before in Chechnya with soldiers making shame an issue with women in the streets. But, with the intensification of religious enthusiasm rising, this could be a very sad outcome no one in Moscow expected.

I fully expect improvement with this issue. This is a human rights violation. It needs to stop. If there are deaths, that needs to be reported to the international community.

President Putin needs to redefine what loyalty to Russia actually is and it doesn't mean Russian against Russian. I am sure there are many in Moscow, in the eastern region of Russia, surprised at these reports. There are many, not a few and there is every expectation there are much more torture taking place.

17 October 1917
By Sarah Rainsford

Six months after reports emerged (click here) that gay men were being detained illegally and tortured in the Russian republic of Chechnya, a young man has spoken publicly for the first time about his ordeal.

Maxim Lapunov has described being held for 12 days in a blood-soaked cell, beaten with sticks, threatened and humiliated by police.

But despite reporting what he endured to the authorities, his lawyer says no proper investigation has been conducted.

Mr Lapunov, who is 30 and from Siberia, had been working and living in Chechnya for two years when he alleges he was grabbed and dragged into a car one night in March by two men he didn't know....         

There is a serpent in the Atlantic Ocean. I honestly didn't think things could get much worse.

October 17, 2017
1030.17z
UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

It was a real mistake to have a hurricane hit Ireland. It is a vortex unlike any before. Never saw such a thing before. What have we done?

Similar to a tornado, there are storms within the storm.

October 17, 2017
1130.18z 
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of the north and west hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

October 17, 2017
1130.18z 
Water Vapor GOES West Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

Hawaii has been having rain and wind over the past week. Ireland is not at all ready for hurricanes.

The north Atlantic has never been like this before. Earth's revenge against abuse is wind and plenty of it.

17 October 2017

Two men and a woman (click here) have been killed as the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia hit the British Isles.

As hurricane-force gusts battered the Republic of Ireland, one woman and a man died in separate incidents when trees fell on their cars.

A second man died in a chainsaw accident while attempting to remove a tree felled by the storm.

Thousands of homes and businesses lost power in Northern Ireland and Wales, along with 360,000 in the Republic.

The power company Northern Ireland Electricity said 15,000 households in the province should prepare to spend Monday night without power.

Police in Scotland say the storm has hit Dumfries and Galloway and it is forecast to continue over the region into the evening.

And in Cumbria, police in Barrow closed roads around Barrow AFC's stadium after wind damaged its roof....

My trip is going well.

Senator McCain it would seem this is your time. Bring the country home, sir. Make us proud again.

October 16, 2017
By Brandon Carter

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) (click here) blasted “half-baked, spurious nationalism” in the United States in an emotional speech Monday night after receiving the National Constitution Center’s Liberty Medal.

“To fear the world we have organized and led for three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership and our duty to remain 'the last best hope of earth' for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history,” McCain said in the speech....

Volunteering this evening. Then planning to travel until Friday.

Until later.

This is from "YouGov." It is a global consensus.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is now viewed more positively than negatively (click here)

"YouGov" also concentrated on the Republicans to understand the opinion of President Trump.

The Republican Congress needs to think clearly about their choices in understanding their own party.

October 10, 2017

Donald Trump’s approval rating in Economist/YouGov polls has been hovering just below 40% since the summer. This week marks the latest low for this President: just 36% approve. More than half do not..

More than twice as many say they “strongly disapprove” (42%) as “strongly approve” (19%).

The President continues to receive support from his party’s rank and file – 81% of Republicans approve, while 16% do not. And just over half of Republicans approve strongly.

Last week, Republican Senator Bob Corker, the chair of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, suggested that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly “help separate our country from chaos.” In this week’s poll, all three men are seen favorably by the public....

...Two other very prominent advisors to the President – his daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner – do not reach the same level of public support as Tillerson, Mattis, and Kelly. Only 38% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the President’s daughter, her lowest percentage this year. Kushner received mixed reviews earlier in the administration, but now opinion is clearly negative.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is extensive across the P5 (Permanent Five Members) + 1 (Germany) countries and does not exist because the USA is a member. It's scope is beyond that.

Full Text of the JCPOA (click here)

Short Title

Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title XII, §1241, Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 2004, provided that: "This subtitle [subtitle D (§§1241–1255) of title XII of div. A of Pub. L. 112–239, enacting this chapter and section 8514c of this title, amending sections 8513a and 8551 of this title and section 2335 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure (click here), and enacting provisions set out as notes under sections 2333 and 2335 of Title 18] may be cited as the 'Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012'." (click here)

Ex. Ord. 13716 (click here) Revocation of Executive Orders 13574, (click here) 13590 (click here), 13622 (click here), and 13645 (click here) With Respect to Iran, Amendment of Executive Order 13628 (click here) With Respect to Iran, and Provision of Implementation Authorities for Aspects of Certain Statutory Sanctions Outside the Scope of U.S. Commitments Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of July 14, 2015

October 18, 2015
Presidential Memorandum (click here)

Preparing for Implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of July 14, 2015 (JCPOA)

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE
                                 THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
                                 THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
                                 THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY

SUBJECT: Preparing for Implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of July 14, 2015 (JCPOA)

Today, October 18, 2015, marks Adoption Day under the JCPOA, the day on which the JCPOA comes into effect and all JCPOA participants, including the United States, are to make the necessary arrangements and preparations for implementation of their respective JCPOA commitments.

Consistent with section 11 of Annex V of the JCPOA, the Secretary of State, acting under previously delegated authority, is taking action with respect to waivers of relevant statutory sanctions, to take effect upon confirmation by the Secretary of State that Iran has implemented the nuclear-related measures specified in sections 15.1-15.11 of Annex V of the JCPOA, as verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

I hereby direct you to take all appropriate additional measures to ensure the prompt and effective implementation of the U.S. commitments set forth in the JCPOA, in accordance with U.S. law. In particular, subject to the requirements of applicable U.S. law, I hereby direct you to take all necessary steps to give effect to the U.S. commitments with respect to sanctions described in section 17 of Annex V of the JCPOA, including preparation for the termination of Executive Orders as specified in section 17.4 and the licensing of activities as set forth in section 17.5, to take effect upon confirmation by the Secretary of State that Iran has implemented the nuclear-related measures specified in sections 15.1-15.11 of Annex V of the JCPOA, as verified by the IAEA.

In discharging these responsibilities, you are directed to consult with the heads of other executive departments and agencies as may be appropriate.

The Secretary of State is hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

Annex V - Implementation Plan1 (click here)

...11. The United States, acting pursuant to Presidential authorities, will issue waivers, to take effect upon Implementation Day, ceasing the application of the statutory nuclear-related sanctions as specified in Sections 17.1 to 17.2 of this Annex. The President will also take action to direct that all appropriate additional measures be taken to implement the cessation of application of sanctions as specified in Sections 17.1 to 17.4 of this Annex, including the termination of Executive orders as specified in Section 17.4, and the licensing of activities as specified in Section17.5....

...13. The EU, its Member States and the United States will begin consultation as appropriate with Iran regarding relevant guidelines and publicly accessible
statements on the details of sanctions or restrictive measures to be lifted under
this JCPOA....

17. The United States will:2

17.1. Cease the application of the sanctions set forth in Sections 4.1 - 4.5 and 4.7 of Annex II, with the exception of Section 211(a) of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (TRA) (click here);

17.2. Cease the application of the sanctions set forth in Section 4.6 of Annex II (click here), in connection with activities consistent with this JCPOA, including trade with individuals and entities set forth in Attachment 3 to Annex II;

17.3. Remove individuals and entities set forth in Attachment 3 to Annex II from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), the Foreign Sanctions Evaders List (FSE List), and/or the Non-SDN Iran Sanctions Act List as set forth in Section 4.8.1 of Annex II;

17.4. Terminate Executive Orders 13574 (click here), 13590 (click here), 13622 (click here), 13645 (click here) and Sections 5-7 and 15 of Executive Order 13628 (click here) as set forth in Section 4 of Annex II; and

17.5. License activities as set forth in Section 5 of Annex II....

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Ex. Ord. No. 13716, Jan. 16, 2016, 81 F.R. 3693, provided:

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–172) (50 U.S.C. 1701 note), the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–195) (22 U.S.C. 8501 et seq.), the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–158), the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 (subtitle D of title XII of Public Law 112–239) (22 U.S.C. 8801 et seq.) (IFCA), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,...

A rare occurrence or a new pattern?

October 14, 2017
By Leigh Morgan

Hurricane Ophelia (click here) strengthened into a rare Category 3 hurricane Saturday as it continued on a path that will take it near the Azores.

The National Hurricane Center said Ophelia, the sixth major hurricane in the Atlantic so far this year, will then track toward Ireland and the U.K., which could have to deal with hurricane conditions by Monday....

Zinke is practicing "Personal Sovereignty."

...In the 21st century Personal Sovereignty (click here) will replace national citizenship as the status of the ordinary person within society. At the same time a network relationship between individual sovereigns, sometimes called a Network Society, will replace republican democracy as the primary political system within advanced nations.  The Network Society and the personal sovereignty movement represent a natural maturation and evolution of representative democracy from a majority rule system to a system based on the rule of the majority of one.

The Centre for Personal Sovereignty is a non-profit, educational, non-membership effort of the Better Future Institute which seeks to foster the healthy and peaceful growth of the personal sovereignty movement. Individuals may support our work by direct contributions.

Go ahead and tell me this is not so. Tell me billionaires are not changing the understanding of freedom and causing national hardship in their practices to achieve greater and greater wealth. The only difference between the wealthy and Zinke is his personal flag is also raised over a government building.

October 12, 2017
By Lisa Rein

At the Interior Department’s headquarters (click here) in downtown Washington, Secretary Ryan Zinke has revived an arcane military ritual that no one can remember ever happening in the federal government.

A security staffer takes the elevator to the seventh floor, climbs the stairs to the roof and hoists a special secretarial flag whenever Zinke enters the building. When the secretary goes home for the day or travels, the flag — a blue banner emblazoned with the agency’s bison seal flanked by seven white stars representing the Interior bureaus — comes down.

In Zinke’s absence, the ritual is repeated to raise an equally obscure flag for Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt.

Responding this week to questions from The Washington Post, a spokeswoman for Zinke, a former Navy SEAL commander, defended the Navy flag-flying tradition as “a major sign of transparency.”

“Ryan Zinke is proud and honored to lead the Department of the Interior, and is restoring honor and tradition to the department, whether it’s flying the flag when he is in garrison or restoring traditional access to public lands,” press secretary Heather Swift said in an email....

22 USC Ch. 95: IRAN FREEDOM AND COUNTERPROLIFERATION

b) Determinations of significance

For purposes of this chapter, in determining if financial transactions or financial services are significant, the President may consider the totality of the facts and circumstances, including factors similar to the factors set forth in section 561.404 of title 31, (click here) Code of Federal Regulations (or any corresponding similar regulation or ruling).

(Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title XII, §1242, Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 2004.) (click here)

A general definition that allows the President power to conduct sanctions according to the governments understanding of financial resources.

Donald Trump made the USA less safe. That is all he did. When he set a dividing line between the USA and NATO it opened up the possibility Europe was alone in it's national defense departments. Measuring USA involvement through the lens of a businessman is a horrid and a disaster. Billionaires, as evidence by Trump, have the wrong focus to USA policy.

Trump thinks he can make a political speech and all will be right with the world. He is very wrong and never bothered to look at allies to their concerns when the USA would pull out of an international agreement. He broke the agreement, hence, international law.

October 14, 2017

Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan (click here) underlined willingness of his country's companies to increase investment and cooperation with Iran in different arenas.

Padoan made the remarks in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Massoud Karbasiyan on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting in Washington on Friday.

During the meeting, he also stressed the necessity for the expansion of financial cooperation between the two countries to develop mutual technical ties and cooperation.

Karbasiyan, for his part, referred to the increased volume of exchanges between the two countries in the first half of 2017, and underscored the need for the further broadening of bilateral economic relations....

Under Trump the USA is turning into an isolationist state.

Iran's Intelligence Minister Seyyed Mahmoud Alavi (click here) blasted US President for his remarks against Iran and the nuclear deal, stressing that Washington has grown more isolated by opposition to an internationally-endorsed agreement.

"Donald Trump's remarks further isolated the US and such cheap behavior will leave no impact on the Iranian people's tranquility and trust in the Islamic Republic," Alavi said on Saturday.

He added that Trump's remarks will further increase unity and convergence among the Iranian people and lead them to further support for the country's defensive bodies, specially the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

His remarks came after US President Donald Trump delivered a speech on Friday, outlining Washington's strategy on Iran.

The US president refused to certify the 2015 international nuclear agreement between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, and warned that he might ultimately terminate it, in defiance of other world powers and undermining a landmark victory of multilateral diplomacy.

Trump said he would choose not to certify that Tehran is complying with the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)....

The JCPOA does not need the USA to keep the agreement alive. As a matter of fact, Iran now has reason to act against the USA in courts of law. Iran is in compliance and the USA IS NOT.

So, if Trump thinks he is saving money by freezing monies for the USA Treasury owed to Iran, he is not. As a matter of fact, monies belonging to Iran that the USA may still be in possession of will begin to build interest and the USA will owe Iran all that much more.

Trump can't declare Chapter 11 on behalf of the USA. It doesn't work that way. The USA deficit will continue to grow with greater amounts of interest owed to Iran until the IMF steps in and then the USA economy will suffer. Trump is such a joke on this country. Money and wealth should never be the icon of the USA, but, it is quickly taking on that image. It is a darn shame what is happening to the USA with the past elections. Trump is following the Russian plan for the USA.

When no ally can trust the outcomes of a USA treaty and agreement and the country has taken on the image of a Banana Republic, there will be less and less value of America. Europe has no choice today, but, to take stock of it's alliance with the USA and reassess it's singular standing in the world.

October 14, 2017

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (click here) rapped the US administration for a probable decertifying of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and the world powers, and underlined the necessity for the EU to play a more active role to keep the agreement alive.

"I hope that all EU member states, including Norway, would play their constructive role in maintaining this agreement and using opportunities for cooperation," Rouhani said in a meeting with the new Norwegian ambassador to Tehran on Saturday.

Also in a separate meeting with the new Swiss envoy to Iran, President Rouhani stressed the need for strengthening the path of talks as a basis for resolving the problems in the world, and said, "No doubt history, the world and the American people will make better a judgment in the future and realize that the path chosen by the current statesmen has been fruitless and wrong."

"Today, we are in highly sensitive and important conditions and these conditions are not sensitive just for Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany), but its impacts are felt in the entire region and the world because the nuclear deal created more tranquility in the world and the region," he added.

He said Iran will continue cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and vowed that Tehran will comply with the agreement as long as the other side remains committed to their undertakings.

His remarks came after US President Donald Trump delivered a speech on Friday, outlining US strategy on Iran.

The US president refused to certify the 2015 international nuclear agreement between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, and warned that he might ultimately terminate it, in defiance of other world powers and undermining a landmark victory of multilateral diplomacy....

Donald Trump has just wasted billions of diplomatic efforts. He simply threw away enormous amounts of work and MONEY in making a glib decision to play politics with global security.

This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original "this subtitle", meaning subtitle D (§§1241–1255) of title XII of div. A of Pub. L. 112–239, Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 2004, known as the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of subtitle D to the Code, see Short Title note set out below and Tables.

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act, (click here) referred to in subsec. (a)(6), is title II of Pub. L. 95–223, Dec. 28, 1977, 91 Stat. 1626, which is classified generally to chapter 35 (§1701 et seq.) of Title 50, War and National Defense. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 1701 of Title 50 and Tables.

October 13, 2017
By Ron Fonger

Flint, MI -- The Lifetime network's new film about the Flint water crisis (click here) is scheduled to premiere here Oct. 21, and tickets are available now on a first-come, first-served basis.

Ashley Schoen, marketing and media relations manager for The Whiting, said those interested in the free tickets should call the box office at 810-237-7333.

The red carpet premiere of Flint is scheduled for Oct. 21, a week before the film is scheduled to premiere on Lifetime at 8 p.m. on Oct. 28.

Shot in Toronto, 'Flint' stars Queen Latifah, Betsy Brandt, Jill Scott, Lyndie Greenwood and Marin Ireland.

A media alert from Lifetime says Brandt, Flint water activists Melissa Mays and Nayyirah Shariff, and executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are scheduled to attend the screening and a meet and greet at The Whiting.

The film screening is scheduled after red carpet arrivals end at 7:20 p.m. Oct. 21, according to the announcement.

C-Span:

Flint, Michigan Drinking Water Contamination (click here)

Gina McCarthy and Governor Rick Snyder (R-MI) testified at a hearing on the Safe Drinking Water Act and lead contamination of the water supply in Flint, Michigan. Governor Snyder apologized and said he was not aware that the water had dangerous levels of lead until October 2015. Ms. McCarthy defended the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), saying her agency did all it could do within the rule of law. During the hearing, several committee members called on both Governor Snyder and Ms. McCarthy to resign.

October 12, 2017
By Paul Egan

The top Republican and Democrat (click here) on a congressional committee sent Gov. Rick Snyder a letter Thursday, inviting him to correct or supplement his sworn testimony in 2016 related to the Flint drinking water crisis and reminding him about federal perjury law.

But in a reply letter, Snyder told the lawmakers he testified truthfully and stands by what he said.

U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, the Republican chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, who is the ranking Democrat on the committee, wrote to Snyder in light of sworn testimony earlier this month by a Snyder aide. That testimony contradicted what Snyder told the committee about when he learned of a spike in Legionnaires' disease cases in the Flint area.

Snyder, who testified under oath in Washington, D.C., when the lead contamination of Flint's drinking water was in the national spotlight, told the committee he learned about the Legionnaires' disease outbreaks one day before he made the health issue public at a Jan. 13, 2016, news conference....

I see most of what Donald Trump does as political.

If his lawyers are pressing Mueller for his testimony now, because, it will provide Trump the control he wants. Right now, Trump can't control the outcomes with Mueller. He doesn't want Mueller calling on him when he runs for President or untimely in 2018. Trump always wants to believe he is in control and forcing his testimony is his idea of control to ensure there are no trip wires in the political future.

The media on a regular basis states Trump voters are loyal no matter what. There is a reason for that. Most of his constituents are new to politics. I defy the 'establishment' media to know who these folks are by name and power structure.

Under the "W" administration it became easy to receive money for a political organization and file as a 401(d)3. These political pacs began to organize immediately after President Obama won the presidency. It started in Wilmington, NC through "Talk Radio." I do mean immediately. These groups were organized and funded initially by the Kochs. They became known as "The Tea Party," under a variety of names.

They know nothing else. These political pacs have created new millionaires. Does anyone think they are going to give their paycheck up? They will vote for Trump even if he shot someone in the streets. His words, not mine.

The Tea Party political pacs which should also be known as "The Koch Pacs," would lose everything if they lost their ideology to reality. The reason the Republicans have no real policies is because they don't deal in reality, they speak rhetoric as if reality and Trump caught them at it. No one is going to tell me he was so naive to believe the Republicans actually had a health care plan that simply needed to be passed through Congress and signed by the President.

It doesn't matter the reality with the new millionaires. They have found a wagon trans to hitch to and they aren't going anywhere with their ideology or political ambitions. Heck, Trump is their best paycheck. The extremists are their prize. What's his name, Trump's White Supremacist buddy. He wouldn't be where he is without those Koch Pacs. So, he will make his millions and billions no matter the path for the USA.

They don't care. They will go where the USA never should go.

Senator Rand Paul is playing games with American's health care.

ERISA is one of the reasons the ACA was adopted. It is horrible insurance. It might get you in the ER, but, not much further and even then won't pay a dime for the ER visit.

That is another thing. US Republican Senators always complain subscribers may not be able to keep their doctors, but, in the same breath they will say Americans can go to the ER and recieve care if they don't have any insurance. Amazing. I don't know of an ER with the same doctor on 24-7. Perhaps Senator Paul does.

This law provides standards that are litigable. Many employers exceeded the minimal standards of ERISA before the Affordable Care Act, but, still did not provide excellent care. There were still companies denying claims and killing Americans.

President Obama stated, "If you want to keep your doctor, you can." These are the plans the right wing was using to accuse President Obama of lying. These are the worst health care plans on the market when THEY MEET MINIMUM STANDARDS.

Reaching back to the past is easy for Republicans. US Senator Rand Paul has done no research, he simply looked at old legislation and decided it was good enough. He hasnt bothered to realize what kind of care Americans receive under these plans, he simply wanted to have an answer. This basement law requirement has been around for decades. It is what allows people to go bankrupt with health care costs. This is not good health care, it is minimal health care with unreasonable deductibles.

One of the statements by Rand Paul was that members experience no increase in cost and that has been true since the law began. 

No kidding. 

Senator Rand Paul needs to put an example on his website of a long lived ERISA minimalist plan that has not changed costs all these decades. Then with a straight face, tell Americans they need nothing except the plans that collect monthly subscription fees without coverage. Go ahead. Tell Americans they can expect nothing more from the Trump administration and Congress than a nightmare in health care.

ERISA health plans: Key structural variations and their effect on liability (click here)

To the left is content from Appendix 1

President Trump cannot write an order to end legislation passed by Congress. 

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) (click here) is a federal law that sets minimum standards for most voluntarily established pension and health plans in private industry to provide protection for individuals in these plans.

ERISA requires plans to provide participants with plan information including important information about plan features and funding; provides fiduciary responsibilities for those who manage and control plan assets; requires plans to establish a grievance and appeals process for participants to get benefits from their plans; and gives participants the right to sue for benefits and breaches of fiduciary duty.

There have been a number of amendments to ERISA, expanding the protections available to health benefit plan participants and beneficiaries. One important amendment, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), provides some workers and their families with the right to continue their health coverage for a limited time after certain events, such as the loss of a job. Another amendment to ERISA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) which provides important new protections for working Americans and their families who have preexisting medical conditions or might otherwise suffer discrimination in health coverage based on factors that relate to an individual's health. Other important amendments include the Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act, the Mental Health Parity Act, and the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act.

In general, ERISA does not cover group health plans established or maintained by governmental entities, churches for their employees, or plans which are maintained solely to comply with applicable workers compensation, unemployment, or disability laws. ERISA also does not cover plans maintained outside the United States primarily for the benefit of nonresident aliens or unfunded excess benefit plans.            

That should be enough to mull over for now.

Something far more important is the subliminal message being assessed in the new "Star Wars" trailer (click here).

When discussing violence against women, including sexual assault, I think it is still in the early days of feminism.

I might remind feminism has the same meaning for men and women. Feminism is not about removing rights, identities or social restructuring; it is about freedom and the right of men and women to increase opportunity.  

Ex: A wedding band for both the woman and man.

The right to pursue any profession, including and especially those genderized from the past, ie: male nurses and teachers, female truck drivers and soldiers, women ministers, graduate schools open to both genders. Feminism opens life's experiences to all people. Equality. It does not change the fact women are smaller in height and lighter in weight. The secondary sex characteristics don't change because the opportunity is greater. Genetics are not assaulted because there is equality. Women are still women and men are still men. It has nothing to do with choosing marriage and whom to marry. Equality is equal opportunity.

The reason I bring this up is because so much of the sexual assault of women occurs in the workplace. Women's presence among men increased in the 1960s. When that movement occurred it seems to me there was a stereotype of disrespect that developed for women. It was an assault on gender stereotypes and men's defense of 'having to put up with women' in places they weren't previously was to demean them.

Are women still dealing with the past? Stereotypes long since jettisoned by current generations?

...For decades, (click here) there were few significant changes in the ways women were treated at work. Those who complained discovered that sexually predatory behavior on the job was dismissed as trivial and harmless. Women rarely talked openly about the issue, although the situation only became more pressing as their participation in the workforce increased throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

The turning point finally came in the mid-1970s, as the women’s liberation movement began to challenge a justice system — as well as a culture at large — that failed to recognize women’s consent. The campaign against sexual harassment was the natural extension of the grassroots anti-rape and anti-battering movements, which grew out of consciousness-raising sessions in which women shared personal stories and realized they were not alone in their experiences....

I don't believe we have erased the anger men have with women that are smart, assertive and TAKING THEIR JOBS. We are not peers. We need to be valued as peers, not just a woman with a job.

A real life example of the Dark Ages. I was in a restaurant when a man and his friend came in with a baby. It was his daughter. Regardless, the babies gender the man needed a space to change the baby's diaper. He went into the men's room and there was no changing station there. He called the waitress over and explained his wife was not with him and he needed a place to change his baby daughter. The waitress talked with the manager who came to his table and apologized for the lack of facility. He asked the waitress to go into the Ladies Room to see if anyone was inside. When the Ladies Restroom was empty he stationed himself outside and allowed the man in to change the baby at the station in the Ladies Room.

This is 2017. There are no baby changing stations in the Men's Room of a fairly nice restaurant. Why?

True story.

§8801. Definitions

(a) In general

In this chapter:

(1) Agricultural commodity

The term "agricultural commodity" has the meaning given that term in section 5602 of title 7.

(1)Agricultural commodity

The term “agricultural commodity” means any agricultural commodity, food, feed, fiber, or livestock (including livestock as it is defined in section 1471(2) of this title and insects), and any product thereof.

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Before going forward I thought this aspect of law should be repeated. The President cannot simply decertify without cause. If Donald Trump decertifies the JCPOA, it will be in violation of international law.

SEC. 8. TERMINATION OF SANCTIONS. (click here)
(a) IRAN.—The requirement under section 5(a) to impose sanctions
shall no longer have force or effect with respect to Iran
if the President determines and certifies to the appropriate congressional
committees that Iran—
(1) has ceased its efforts to design, develop, manufacture,
or acquire—
(A) a nuclear explosive device or related materials
and technology;
(B) chemical and biological weapons; and
(C) ballistic missiles and ballistic missile launch technology;
and
(2) has been removed from the list of countries the governments
of which have been determined, for purposes of section
6(j) of the Export Administration Act of 1979, to have repeatedly
provided support for acts of international terrorism.

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(2) Appropriate congressional committees

The term "appropriate congressional committees" means—

(A) the committees specified in section 14(2) of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–172; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note); and

(2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.—The term
‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means the Committee
on Finance, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban
Affairs, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate
and the Committee on Ways and Means, the Committee on
Banking and Financial Services, and the Committee on
InternationalRelations of the House of Representatives.

(3) Coal

The term "coal" means metallurgical coal, coking coal, or fuel coke.

(4) Correspondent account; payable-through account

The terms "correspondent account" and "payable-through account" have the meanings given those terms in section 5318A of title 31.

payable-through account
(C)The term “payable-through account” means an account, including a transaction account (as defined in section 19(b)(1)(C) of the Federal Reserve Act), opened at a depository institution by a foreign financial institution by means of which the foreign financial institution permits its customers to engage, either directly or through a subaccount, in banking activities usual in connection with the business of banking in the United States.

correspondent account
(B)The term “correspondent account” means an account established to receive deposits from, make payments on behalf of a foreign financial institution, or handle other financial transactions related to such institution.

(5) Foreign financial institution

The term "foreign financial institution" has the meaning of that term as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to section 8513(i) of this title.

foreign financial institution (click here)
(D)The terms “foreign financial institution” and “domestic financial institution” shall have the meanings of those terms as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury.

(6) Good

The term "good" has the meaning given that term in section 4618 of title 50 (click here) (as continued in effect pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)). (click here)

good
(3)the term “good” means any article, natural or manmade substance, material, supply or manufactured product, including inspection and test equipment, and excluding technical data;

(7) Iranian financial institution

The term "Iranian financial institution" has the meaning given that term in section 8513b(d) of this title.

Iranian financial institution (click here)
(3)The term “Iranian financial institution” means— (A)a financial institution organized under the laws of Iran or any jurisdiction within Iran, including a foreign branch of such an institution; (B)a financial institution located in Iran; (C)a financial institution, wherever located, owned or controlled by the Government of Iran; and (D)a financial institution, wherever located, owned or controlled by a financial institution described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C).

(8) Iranian person

The term "Iranian person" means—

(A) an individual who is a citizen or national of Iran; and

(B) an entity organized under the laws of Iran or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of the Government of Iran.

(9) Knowingly

The term "knowingly", with respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, means that a person has actual knowledge, or should have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the result.

(10) Medical device

The term "medical device" has the meaning given the term "device" in section 321 of title 21(click here).

device
(h)The term “device” (except when used in paragraph (n) of this section and inmeans an instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, in vitro reagent, or other similar or related article, including any component, part, or accessory, which is—

(11) Medicine

The term "medicine" has the meaning given the term "drug" in section 321 of title 21.

(g)

(1)

The term “drug” means (A) articles recognized in the official United States Pharmacopoeia, official Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, or official National Formulary, or any supplement to any of them;

(12) Shipping

The term "shipping" refers to the transportation of goods by a vessel and related activities.

(13) United States person

The term "United States person" has the meaning given that term in section 8511 of this title.

(14) Vessel

The term "vessel" has the meaning given that term in section 3 of title 1 (click here).

vessel
The word “vessel” includes every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on water.