Hi, It's Sunday night. 

I am suspending this section tonight because our Vice President has lost a dear son to cancer. 

The Biden Family is a very special family to this country. They have represented the sincere interests of our Middle Class all their political lives. 

Beau was a veteran to the Iraq War. He is a hero. The least I can do is note the profoundly sad mood in a segment of the USA people. I was very upset when I heard of the death. I want to show I seriously am sad about this loss to the Biden Family and to the USA. 

Beau Biden was a hero in many ways. After his service in the military he went on to become a leader in government in Delaware. The family is remarkable.

Until later.

The Fourth Amendment is on the line. Will we have a future and our children's future without it?

Senator Paul's illustration about the Boston bombing and the call for the Patriot Act to investigate phone records of the suspects is on target. The Patriot Act is being substituted for other more constitutional laws such as the FISA Court. It has been a long time since the Patriot Act was passed with a SUNSET for the very reason that exists in Senator Paul's illustration. If the USA continues it's Paranoia Laws, the country over time will become a very different country. We need to end the hysteria and become intolerant of these laws and elect those that actually care about our constitution and the liberties it provides.

Senator Paul is the singular voice carrying the warning. He is absolutely correct.'

I haven't heard that FISA actually decided collecting all phone data is correct. It isn't. That is the very reason why FISA existed, because, mass collection was wrong. The FISA exists in law because it is wrong. See, this is getting to be a mess beyond any meaning. 

The FISA Court is suppose to mean something and a method closely guarded to allow evidence to bring warrants. "Rubber stamp?" It was never suppose to be. 

Everything has to be looked into now. The Supreme Court is in the mix, too.  

I refuse to state Senator Paul is extreme. He is more than willing to be the voice of liberty of the people and I can respect that. He has done all the research. He quotes the lower courts as holding important values. He is correct in completely examining the power within the law and how the people are burdened by it. He is not willing to concede the idea there is a need for sacrificing our liberties. He is correct. I find very little of what he states as political rhetoric. He is strongly leaning on facts. 

The Paranoia Laws are dissolving the due process statues. 

That also bothers me. Why was Mr. Clapper allowed to continue in his capacity? That is a concern and an overt expression of a political system resigned to imposition of extreme control over the electorate. 

When politics becomes the oppressor of the people, those that maintain control through that oppression seek to keep it beyond any reason to eliminate it. 

IN LAW, the word relevant has impact on PRECEDENT. If all information is collected how does any information set PRECEDENT. Mass collection removes the meaning of LAW. Sure, we all understand that something MIGHT turn up in mass collection, but, in the collection of the data itself the information is lost and not noted to be important UNTIL further evaluation can be discerned, so why not discern it from the beginning? By chance there is something, anything that will prevent another 911. The process of mass collection has yielded nothing. There is no precedent to defend the idea under law.

So, besides all the other reasonable reasons to end the collection of mass data there is a legal reason to do so. The precedent of the mass collection is lost. This plan to end all potential threat is invalid and threatens the very power of the law, under FISA, to uniquely prove there is reason for search and seizure (The Fourth Amendment). 

Senator Paul has deeply studied the reasons why he has concern and I agree with him. We could lose the protections completely of our Fourth Amendment. It is too high a price to pay. 

He also brought to the debate, the problem that could belong to companies when they may or may not collect detailed records and the government decides they need the records. The company than can be indicted if not forthcoming with records. In other words, if a company is not collecting mass data, but, simply billing in minutes of use with a method to count those minutes without phone records; what then happens to companies that don't collect detailed records? The reality today is that many smart phone users pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited use. Why would any company offering that service want to keep detailed information? And if any company did, how long do they have to maintain these records? What cost to companies do detailed records reflect in monthly fees? Again, how burdened is a company and the fees they charge in order to do business because of the occasion of government in seeking information? What happens to the relationship between company and customer?

To boil this down, the entire idea of monitoring the American people is hideous and without purpose.

The Laws of Paranoia, 2015.

There are many reasons why people in the world hate the USA. There are many reasons why they don't. But, if we, as a country wait for the perfect moment when the USA doesn't face threats from within and without we'll never have our country back again.

The Patriot Act was signed into law on October 26, 2001. It has to end sometime. If we are to have our constitution back, these laws, including laws of pre-emption have to be repealed.

The people of Iraq are too busy working about birth defects to their children than to worry about the next caliphate leader.

A known problem (click here)

However, according to Wim Zwijnenburg, policy advisor for security and disarmament for PAX, a Dutch pro-peace organization, and author of the paper “Laid to Waste: Depleted uranium contaminated military scrap in Iraq,” the U.S. is aware of the dangers of depleted uranium because the country has spent millions safeguarding its bases and military personnel from it.

As of 1999, military regulations on how to deal with vehicles contaminated with depleted uranium have been implemented, and in 2005, the General Accounting Office alleged that the Department of Defense was not monitoring the soil in Iraq to ascertain exposure to hazardous materials by American service members. At the time, however, a number of states, Congress members and military service organizations were actively challenging the Defense Department’s assertions that depleted uranium had minimal effect on the lives of the Iraq War veterans claiming depleted uranium poisoning....

Iraqis could not have nuclear material for medical use under a UN Resolution, but, could have their soils contaminated for the benefit of an illegal US war. 

13 October 2014
By Thomas Gaist

Demolition of Iraqi buildings with a US tank, many of which used depleted uranium shells.

In a report presented (click here) at the University of Michigan last Wednesday, “The epidemic of birth defects in Iraq and the duty of public health researchers,” Dr. Muhsin Al Sabbak, a gynecologist from Basra Maternity Hospital, and Dr. Mozhgan Savabieasfahani, an environmental toxicology researcher, reviewed the ever-growing mountain of data showing that rates of cancer, child cancer and birth defects (BD) have reached historically unprecedented levels in Fallujah and other Iraqi cities since the 2003 US invasion....

As a rule the wars of the USA result in veterans having a higher cancer rate than the average American. I want to know what the cancer rate among Iraq War Veterans is and what is being done about it?

The people of Iraq may very well be better off in refugee camps than their homes. 

McConnell must have someone on the payroll.

The only law required is FISA.

The NSA has proven nothing in 13 years. It is not needed.

I go with Option 1, to not renew the NSA program. There is GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTATION stating the NSA is a waste of money!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

The NSA program is a political paid for ad by the American people. 

The USA needs new leadership. 

Osama bin Laden is dead and he never used electronic communication.The NSA program would never and did never find him.

Ya think maybe those sincerely determined to harm the USA aren't using electronic transmission and are completely missed by the FBI and CIA because they are too busy chasing their tails with information that yields NOTHING in the way of national security.

Every time a Middle East Bozo raises his head in jihad to aspire to some cockamamie calphate to the dreams of Glen Beck; the American people have their rights violated when Turkey is and remains disinterested in the proceedings immediately across it's border. 

This is nonsense and nothing short of it.

I simply hate the fact the Senate has brought a special session because of the negligence to do otherwise.

This is stated as necessary, but, the only thing necessary is observing silence for the Late Beau Biden, the Vice President's son. 

I don't know if the death came as a surprise to anyone else, but, it was to me and Joe Biden means a great deal to our country besides the fact he is the current Vice President.

This Senate session is a prime example of the complete breakdown of government in the USA. This should have been settled a long time ago. The people don't want the Patriot Act. The USA has had enough. Leaning on laws that violate privacy is simply wrong. I don't care what the courts say, this is wrong. The courts are delivering decisions that undermine our democracy and that is no different today.

The Vice President has portrayed the Middle Class in the USA for his lifetime. He has stood strong for the largest number of Americans at times when they were trampled by the allegiance to Wall Street. 

I don't have the heart today to simply ignore this loss to the Vice President. His losses over his lifetime have been enormous. The average citizen of the USA would have crumbled a long time ago. Vice President Biden is among the most magnificent people in government I have ever witnessed. He is completely detached from the 'image' so many believe is necessary to be called a leader of the Senate. Today he is the President of the Senate. He is unapologetic about his ordinariness. 

I have a heavy heart today. This session by the US Senate is shameful and proves there is no governance, but, only putting out fires. Today, the Senate does not even have a fire to put out. The 'theory' there will be another fearful regime to kill is hideous. The NSA program has been proven to be stupid, ridiculous and without a destination to serve the USA. There has not been one danger removed from the USA because of it and only billions of US dollars wasted when the average American is left to live as the working poor with less benefit of food stamps today than ever before.

The NSA program is shameful and the Senate's session today is equally so.

Senator Paul was allowed to speak for five minutes after the Majority Senate attempted to stonewall him.

The Senate has adjourned until it is expected to reconvened at 6:00 PM.

C-Span is replying the beginning of the session.

Deepest sympathies to his family. 

He is a sincere loss to all those that knew him. 

His parting will be felt by many.

The biggest fraud by Congressional Republicans has killed 23 people in Texas.

May 30, 2015
2330.19z
UNISYS North and West Hemisphere Water Vapor Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

The ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) has repopulated itself with water vapor again. The air movement is carrying the storms resulting from that water vapor at the Equator over Central America and the US southern Midwest. There is no getting away from it.

May 30, 2015
By Lisa Marie Garza and Jim Forsyth

Rain caused flooding on roads (click here) in parts of Texas on Saturday, an official said, after severe weather killed at least 23 people during the week and prompted U.S. President Barack Obama to declare a disaster in the state.

Texas has endured record rainfall in May. This week, flooding turned streets into rivers, ripped homes off foundations, swept over thousands of vehicles and trapped people in cars and houses.

Obama signed a disaster declaration late on Friday to free up federal funds to help rebuild areas of Texas slammed by the storms. No estimate has been given for the damage in Texas.

The body of a woman was recovered on Saturday from the Blanco River at San Marcos in central Texas, the city said on its Facebook page. The death was the 23rd from the flooding.

Flash flood warnings were in place for several counties in North Texas, including Dallas County....

The GOES East Satellite shows a closer view of the system. It is a very hardy system.

May 30, 2015
2330.19z
UNISYS Goes East Water Vapor Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

The current system wanes and then regenerates with the rising sun. 

Senator Paul needs to stand tough against a spying program that is a failure.

The citizens of the USA need to support Senator Paul and his truth telling. The NSA program that has accumulated millions upon millions of private information about citizens never mattered. The spying has to stop and the accumulated stored information has to be purged.

If there are wrongful prosecutions of citizens this information is a violation of the law and cannot carry brevity. 

May 29, 2015
By Dustin Wilson

FORT MILL, S.C. -- He's not shy (click here) about being unconventional and maybe that's why he's gained support. Friday, U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful Rand Paul spoke to supporters in Rock Hill just two days from a potential special vote in Washington.

"It's none of the government's business, these are private matters," said Senator Paul.

Paul focused his thoughts on the upcoming special session surrounding the Patriot Act; under which the NSA collected phone records from millions.

"The Department of Justice came out with a report last week, the Inspector General, and they looked at all the classified information and they came to the conclusion that not one case has been cracked by this so not only are you giving up your privacy, it isn't working from a practical point of view," said Paul....

It wasn't the NSA that reported Tamerlan Tsarnaev to the FBI, it was Russia.

Realize now how vital the Snowden leaks have become and how completely ridiculous the government have become. Realize also the monies spent on this hideous idea of national security. Now, realize how expedient the purging needs to be conducted and how the computer facilities relating to this program has to be turned over to other USA departments such as the DOD so the program is never reconstituted again!

If POLITICIANS demand the program needs to be maintained intact, offer a new program to replace the NSA program with security blankets for all that believe they sleep better at night violating the rights of Americans.

 

Why aren't Muslim men marching in protest of the hate leveled at them.

Are the police going to be at the Mosque to insure the safety of the people taking children to worship? The Mosque should request police to be at curbside while the Mosque is being used to attend services.

The USA is a place where there can be no retaliation for expressing one's faith. It is called a hate crime and carries far more remedies. Marching is a way of stating a culture and religion exists without fear. It is important to draw attention away from those that hate and personalize the population aggrieved by hate.

Notify the organizers of parades in the country and march in public. Be a part of the community and don't be invisible. Carry a banner with the Mosques name on it in the colors that represent the faith. Put the religion out there. Evangelicals do. Why not Muslims?

There is a branch of Christianity that wants to claim the USA as a Christian nation. That obsession is hate and oppression at work. Get in their face through civilized methods where other organizations and faiths participate. Do not isolate the Mosques and their members behind curtains. Young people have to know about their Muslim friends and their friends families. 

GET OUT THERE !  

Muslims go on pilgrimage in the Middle East. Why isn't there pilgrimages in the USA?  No holy sites? Then build monuments to honor the holy places where pilgrimages in the USA can take place. I want to see Muslims everywhere that everyone else is. The Christians have places that are special, especially, in churches that are devoted to saints. Cathedrals are blessed by the Pope and they becomes havens for the faithful. The Muslims in the USA need to have special places, too.

May 29, 2015
By Eric Pfeiffer

When it comes to the debate (click here) over whether or not to show images of the Prophet Mohammed, we certainly don’t claim to have all the answers.

But there’s a fair debate to be had about where society draws a line between freedom of speech and speech meant to incite violence.

Tonight in Phoenix, an openly anti-Islam activist is organizing a “Draw Mohammed” event outside a mosque that was once home to two men who opened fire on a security officer during a similar event in Texas last month.

More than 1,000 people say they will attend the event tonight, though it’s impossible to know how many will actually show up. And that’s not counting any counter protesters and the undeniable presence of local and national media....

This is what militants want. They want to divide the USA in hate that would bring violence. This is exactly what the militants want. They want hate to grow. 

In the Middle East the extremists kill Christians. We don't want that in the USA with peace between the faithful of religions. There will be no violence between different people of nations in the USA. I am proud of a country that works out it's problems rather than hating and building a desire for violence. 

February 20, 2013
By Nicola Menzie

In a crime that New Jersey (click here) authorities have described as heinous, a local man is believed to have shot to death two Coptic Christians before severing their heads and hands and burying their bodies in the backyard of a relative's abandoned home.

"These were grisly murders in which the defendant allegedly shot both victims in the chest at close range," said Attorney General Chiesa in a press release. "We allege that the defendant was ruthless and calculating in the manner in which he carried out the killings and attempted to prevent identification of the victims by cutting off their heads and hands before burying their bodies. The New Jersey State Police has conducted a thorough investigation, which will enable us to secure justice for the victims."

The suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Yusuf Ibrahim of Jersey City, N.J., whom they apprehended Feb. 10. He has been charged with two counts of murder and two counts of desecration of human remains. His bail was set at $3.3 million cash, and he is curren

This is what happens when same sex relationships are kept in the closet.

This is an age old paradigm of shame and intimidation. The Former Speaker should not have done it. He should have went to the FBI as soon as he was being intimidated for money.

May 29, 2015

by Pete Williams, Erin McClam and Tracy Connor

 

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (click here) paid a man to conceal sexual misconduct while the man was a student at the high school where Hastert taught, a federal law enforcement official told NBC News on Friday. 

The official spoke on condition of anonymity. Tribune newspapers reported earlier in the day that two unnamed federal officials said that Hastert paid a man from his past to conceal sexual misconduct...

The old paradigm caused a lot of hatred of same sex members of our society. The more they hide the truth about a bisexual identity or a gay identity the more they use their power in the Congress to demonize innocent people.

The Former Speaker was in access of power throughout his Congressional life. Intimidation of a House Speaker is not a minor issue. Such intimidation can lead to problems for the USA as the depths of intimidation grows. 

This easily could have been diffused with both parties intact with plenty of help to establish their lives in new directions. This is crazy. What was the Former Speaker thinking? No is going to hate him or believe he is sick. Both parties will be fine.

I am surprised the love of his country didn't bring him to a reality of where the rights of men like him belong. Sorry, to hear he did not believe in the country and the rights the LGBT community should always have.  

He was a coach. Is all the truth known about the other party and any abuse he may have sustained before 18 years old? Is this going to take on criminal tones beyond what is already known? 

While Russia buries it's dead soldiers in secret funerals, the Ukraine debt looms large over the country.

May 29, 2015
By Nataska Doff

The first proposal (click here) by a group of Ukraine’s creditors to restructure about $20 billion of debt would extend maturities as much as 10 years and reduce interest payments, a person with knowledge of the committee’s thinking said.

While the government in Kiev rejected the bid and stuck to a demand for principal reductions, analysts say it marks a productive start to meeting International Monetary Fund targets and clearing the way for aid to lift Ukraine’s economy out of a recession. The nation’s debt rallied the most in five weeks....

The Russian soldier secret funerals was reported in The Christian Science Monitor.

Homes on elevation supports have no guarantees. Bridges can be washed out, too.

Evens dams have been under threat during these severe storm events. People are not thinking correctly about the power of liquid water.

Cars float. They float with far less water under them than most people think they will. Cars are heavy when they roll down the road, however, it is rather alarming to realize water, the vital life ingredient, will lift a car and cause it to float out of control. 

It is all too obvious the Texas society is not in touch with the natural world or how powerful it is. Life is not a fantasy. 

And the excuse being stated to justify deaths is that the largest amount of rain came at night after dark. And if a person drives through buildings due the day in shadows it will never happen, right? Nighttime is not an excuse for deaths during floods. No one is immune and death is real. 

Houses on supports above water are not stronger than the rushing creek turned river. It's ridiculous how these people are justifying their actions that cause their death. When Irene hit the coast did everyone along the coast figure the house supports will protect me?

This is what happens when politics becomes a faux belief system. Humans are not all powerful and cannot fight Earth.

This is from "wikiHOW" to do anything. 

Any car accident is frightening, (click here)  but an accident in which your vehicle is thrown into the water, with you trapped inside, is absolutely terrifying. Such accidents are particularly dangerous due to the risk of drowning and in Canada alone, 10 percent of drowning deaths can be attributed to being submerged in a car, and about 400 North Americans die from being submerged in a car every year.
However, most deaths are a result of panic, not having a plan and not understanding what is happening to the car in the water. By adopting a brace position to survive the impact, acting decisively when the car ends up in the water, and getting out fast, being trapped in a sinking vehicle is survivable, even if it's a flooded river.

Thirty seconds that can save your life.

MythBusters Episode 72: Underwater Car - 2007 Season (click here)

You can open a window in a submerged car by opening power windows. 

BUSTED

Though more powerful, power windows still cannot overcome the pressure differential. Contrary to popular belief, though, power windows can withstand immersion in fresh water for prolonged periods and still function.

 

I think AFL-CIO President Trumpka is correct to speak out about the wrongful path of support for USA labor.

May 28, 2015
By Susan Page

WASHINGTON — The nation's most powerful labor leader, (click here) vowing to defeat President Obama's key trade legislation in the House next month, warned Hillary Clinton of serious political consequences if she fails to take a stand against the Pacific trade pact that the president is campaigning for as a major part of his legacy.

Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, predicted that no more than 20 House Democrats would vote for Trade Promotion Authority, the "fast-track" bill that on Friday passed the Senate.

"Thirteen Democrats left their base," he said of the Senate vote in an interview with Capital Download. "They decided to pass something that was going to cost jobs and lower wages, and they're going to have to answer to their constituencies for that." He added: "They'll be held accountable; there's no question about that."...

The Sander's campaign in closer to the focus of the unions than the Hillary campaign seems to be. The unions have a real plight and requires help from the elected authorities.

The unions are important to uphold the USA Middle Class. Anyone running for office can't possibly support the Middle Class without supporting the unions. The USA's economy runs on the well being AND growth of the Middle Class.  

After the 2008 global economic collapse (The Great Recession) it was obvious how important the Middle Class was the economy. The USA economy fell apart when the Middle Class found acceleration into poverty. The housing market was completely lost. I am sure there were Wall Streeters that didn't appreciate the terrible outcome of the Bush economy, but, the majority of the people effected was the USA Middle Class. 

The Former Secretary Clinton has seen the good work of collaboration of USA business interests and those of foreign governments. This is a speech in Zambia.

...The United States (click here) will do what we can to help American and Zambian companies do business together. We want to help work toward lowering trade barriers, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, because, unfortunately, the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa trade at a lower level than any region in the world. And there are so many opportunities for growth just within the region: lower trade barriers; invest in infrastructure, health, health and education, cut down on corruption, which I addressed yesterday both publicly and privately and I will continue to address across the world, not just here and not just in Africa. Because we know very well that corruption is a hidden tax on businesses, and you can’t expect to be able to do business if at every stage along the way of setting up and producing and then distributing and marketing, you have to pay somebody who is not a productive member of your team. So we’re going to do everything we can to try to help on that. (Applause.)...

This is an example of what makes the unions and Middle Class nervous. A country, well deserving, needs help in moving it's domestic conditions to a platform where an economy can be productive. Those with money to invest will join the monies of the USA programs and seek to build a better economy for countries like Zambia. This investment is necessary simply because Zambia has little money of it's own to bring about change. 

I didn't note a date on the speech, but, it is on the main e-page of the site as well and states Secretary Clinton. (click here)

The objectives of the The American Chamber of Commerce Zambia, are to further the development of commerce between the United States of America and the business community and the Government of Zambia, to promote the interests of its members in trade and investment between and in the two countries, and to gather and disseminate information on trade and investment between the United States of America and Zambia.

The problem is difficult to put into context where Americans are concerned because the majority of the American people have an education. Even a high school education is more than many adults in other countries have obtained. Americans are a ready work force, but, countries such as this are not. Much of their early economies look toward manufacturing to begin trade.

We have been there when there was massive outsourcing to China and India. The American people always suffer when trade agreements are instituted by the USA. Always. 

Sometimes I think the USA foreign policy is so rewarding for those bringing together Wall Street (US Chamber of Commerce/American Chamber of Commerce) and overseas government to improve the condition of the people, those elected in the USA forget who exactly elected them. 

I am confident the Former Secretary holds many nations of people in her heart today in satisfaction of her work. It was no doubt satisfying work. But, THE DISCONNECT to the Former Secretary and President Obama is that the American people literally trade places with the people benefiting from USA generosity. The reason Americans trade places is because they lose their jobs. Those jobs are exported. 

The way Wall Street handles their investments in these interests is to grab at cheap labor. These people are not too bright. The CEOs get sugar rushes over this. They abandon any loyalty to the American people, seek cheap labor and then expect the American people to continue to purchase their goods. 

The motivations of the American administrations that have caused these problems are all wrong.

Let me state that again. The motivations of the American administrations that have caused these problems are all wrong.

The American administrations were elected by the American people that are primarily Middle Class. Those people should come first. The USA has debt to pay. Our economy has to pay taxes to protect the country. Our national security relies on a strong economy and the sovereign strength of the USA. Outsourcing of the USA economy is not good foreign policy.

The American/United States Chamber of Commerce are anti-American economists seeking their sugar surge. 

Trade relations between the USA and other countries has to rely on EQUITY in trade. In other words, when the USA seeks trade with Zambia the economy of Zambia has to stand on it's own with commodities to trade. It not only has to stand on it's own, it has to have labor that is not living in squalor. 

When the USA, in foreign relations, seek trade relations there can be no policies agreed upon if the labor of the country will not improve in their quality of life. We have witnessed what good will does to both the people of foreign countries and the people of the USA. It is morally reprehensible. It is disgusting. Wall Street rolls in mountains of money and the average citizen of both countries suffers. 

The facilitators of these foreign policies are greed merchants. They don't care about the good will of the USA and the monies that flows into a country to assist in growing trade, they want their sugar high. They want their bonuses and they don't give a hoot about bankruptcy if that where their wealth comes from.

The problem in foreign countries to bring about a quality of life lies in ending the chronic poverty AND the wars that exist in any of the Third World. Wall Street cannot help the Third World. Third World countries need help, but, it isn't in cheap labor. Cheap labor be it in the USA or any other country is abuse of power of the government. 

The wars that exist in Africa are causing complete disruption of any attempt to bring people out of poverty. Kenya is a prime example. Israel, the USA and many Western countries have invested in Kenya. What good has it done? The country is a two tier social system; the wealthy and the poor.  

By David Malingha Doya
Bloomberg News

NAIROBI, Kenya — President Uhuru Kenyatta’s (click here) push to fight corruption, which forced five ministers to leave their posts pending a probe, may be backfiring.

Less than a month after he ordered the Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission to investigate 170 officials for fraud, Kenyatta suspended the chairman of the agency and his deputy on April 23 on allegations of misconduct. The two officials resigned before testifying at a tribunal.

Instead of instilling confidence that Kenya is serious about tackling widespread bribery and fraud, Kenyatta’s actions have given his critics more ammunition to fault the government in the face of rising attacks by militants from neighboring Somalia. The main opposition, led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has called Kenyatta’s graft probe a whitewash that serves to protect his allies while avoiding the bribery of security officials that may be enabling the attackers.

“Corruption has created more holes in our security posture than Swiss cheese has holes,” Aly-Khan Satchu, chief executive officer of Rich Management, an adviser to wealthy investors, said by email from the capital, Nairobi. “We need to address this nexus of corruption/insecurity because this remains the biggest risk to the Kenya rising story.”...

The one country that understands and appreciates what a Middle Class can do for it's economy is China. That realization was only made in recent years and after a global economic collapse. We are only in the past year or so appreciating the Middle Class of China. It will take the end of the next five year plan to see the Chinese Middle Class expand, grow and become a thriving economy.

In order for trade to work both countries have to have a Middle Class that are consumers to traded products. Surcharges and export/import taxes can only seek to balance the trade, but, when the relationship is one sided nothing is going to change the outcomes of the people on either side of the deal. 

The reason China will be a good trading partner to the USA is because it has many people to purchase products produced in China. When China has a full compliment of Middle Class it will accommodate several countries to it's vibrant economy. 

Trade relations should never be about wealth. It should be about economies, people and a relationship that sustains peace and global economic responsibility to each other.

The focus of foreign trade policies is in very poor focus of the people and that has to change. It has to change with President Obama and all subsequent administrations. 

China is not an example of good USA foreign policy. It is an example of 'leaders that finally get it.' 

USA foreign policy has to address poverty, violence and environmental stewardship. The policy has to start small while it grows in sophistication. If that isn't USA policy, then the administration is worthless. 

By David Malingha Doya
Bloomberg News

NAIROBI, Kenya — President Uhuru Kenyatta’s push to fight corruption, which forced five ministers to leave their posts pending a probe, may be backfiring.
Less than a month after he ordered the Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission to investigate 170 officials for fraud, Kenyatta suspended the chairman of the agency and his deputy on April 23 on allegations of misconduct. The two officials resigned before testifying at a tribunal.
Instead of instilling confidence that Kenya is serious about tackling widespread bribery and fraud, Kenyatta’s actions have given his critics more ammunition to fault the government in the face of rising attacks by militants from neighboring Somalia. The main opposition, led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has called Kenyatta’s graft probe a whitewash that serves to protect his allies while avoiding the bribery of security officials that may be enabling the attackers.
“Corruption has created more holes in our security posture than Swiss cheese has holes,” Aly-Khan Satchu, chief executive officer of Rich Management, an adviser to wealthy investors, said by email from the capital, Nairobi. “We need to address this nexus of corruption/insecurity because this remains the biggest risk to the Kenya rising story.”

- See more at: http://amestrib.com/news/kenya-s-corruption-fight-backfires-security-gaps-exposed#sthash.AH688RMu.dpuf

Wow. This is a surprise. A sting operation with a friend.

It sounds odd though. I wonder what the specific are.

May 28, 2015
By Everett Rosenfeld

...Hastert, (click here) a Republican who served as a congressman for Illinois, was the Speaker of the House from 1999 to 2007. 

The indictment against him alleges that Hastert agree in 2010 to provide someone with $3.5 million in order to "compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct" against that individual. He then allegedly withdrew about $1.7 million in cash from different accounts between 2010 and 2014 in order to provide the money to that person....

...The person to whom Hastert was doling out payments "has been a resident of Yorkville, Illinois" and has known the former Speaker for most of his or her life, according to the indictment. Additionally, it says, that individual spoke with Hastert in 2010 about "past misconduct" that had occurred "years earlier."...

This was a mistake? Really.

May 28, 2015, 3:12 PM ET

By Luis Martinez

A Pentagon spokesman (click here) said suspected live anthrax samples were shipped from Dugway Proving Ground using a commercial delivery service.

Eighteen laboratories in nine states have begun turning over samples of anthrax to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine if they contained live anthrax mistakenly provided to them by the U.S. military, the Pentagon said today. 

In a precautionary move, 22 employees at a military laboratory in South Korea that also received a shipment of the spores have been ordered to take the antibiotic Cipro because they may have been possibly exposed to live spores during lab training conducted late last week, officials said....

Weren't there other releases of anthrax besides this one? 

A full inventory of the facility at Dugway needs to be conducted. Dugway is the center of a great deal of American assets, including the US Air Force. There is something very wrong and the area needs to be assessed. 

People should write to their Senators and Congressman demanding a full accounting of the stocks of chemical, biological and possibly nuclear assets at the facility along with a 'fitness' (security) assessment of the facility.

See, it makes no sense the shipments were by mistake. The shipment of vaccines requires a great deal of preparation. How could this be a mistake?

DOD Continues to Face Challenges in Implementing Its Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program (click here)
 

T-NSIAD-00-157: Published: Apr 13, 2000. Publicly Released: Apr 13, 2000.

 

 

Adding political toxicity to the FIFA corruption isn't going to change anything.

If The Clinton Foundation were ever to be found to accept money through inappropriate channels, I am fairly confident the monies would be returned with charges for those involved.

May 27, 2015

Both Bill Clinton (click here) and his family’s charity have been tied to soccer’s governing body, as well as Qatar’s disastrous World Cup bid.

And just like that, another Clinton Foundation donor is in the news.
The Clinton global charity has received between $50,000 and $100,000 from soccer’s governing body and has partnered with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association on several occasions, according to donor listings on the foundation’s website.
Several top FIFA executives were arrested Wednesday in Zurich and face corruption charges stretching back two decades, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Involvement with the embattled body extends beyond the foundation to Bill Clinton himself. The former president was an honorary chairman of the bid committee put together to promote the United States as a possible host nation for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup....

Police brutality is expensive. And then realize Mr. Dent lived thorugh it.

May 28, 2015
Bu Gus Burns

INKSTER, MI  -- Floyd Dent, (click here) the 57-year-old Detroit man beaten by police in Inkster during a traffic stop Jan. 28, will receive a significant sum for his pain and suffering.

"I can confirm that there was a settlement (with Inkster) for $1.4 million," a representative for Gregory Rohl, the attorney representing Dent, said Thursday morning. "I can give any more information than that."

Rohl previously said he was in talks with Inkster officials about a settlement and planned to file a civil lawsuit if those negotiations broke down.

Fired Inkster Police Officer William Melendez, 46, who delivered at least 16 punches to Dent's face and head seconds after pulling him from his vehicle during a traffic stop for an alleged minor violation, is now facing criminal charges....

Who is the sadistic double agent in the chain of custordy including and especially at the radiation treatment of the bacteria?

Why does the USA still have biological and chemical agents? This is ridiculous. I have never seen such diligence in attempting to destroy a presidency. So what is this? Budgetary sabotage or worse? Because that is what this is. It is sabotage of a nationally secure transport. The bacteria was not suppose to be viable. That is sabotage. I don't buy it that this is an inadvertent incident.

Everyone along the way, every state and otherwise needs to demand the end to these risks.  

May 28, 2015 

WASHINGTON  — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (click here) said Wednesday it is investigating what the Pentagon called an inadvertent shipment of live anthrax spores to government and commercial laboratories in as many as nine states, as well as one overseas, that expected to receive dead spores.
"At this time we do not suspect any risk to the general public," CDC spokeswoman Kathy Harben said.

A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, said the suspected live anthrax samples were shipped from Dugway Proving Ground, an Army facility in Utah, using a commercial delivery service.

Warren said the government has confirmed one recipient, a laboratory in Maryland, received live spores. It is suspected, but not yet confirmed, that anthrax sent to labs in as many as eight other states also contained live spores, he said. Later he said an anthrax sample from the same batch at Dugway also was sent to a U.S. military laboratory at Osan air base in South Korea; no personnel there have shown signs of exposure, he said, and the sample was destroyed....

The preparedness of the USA regarding the dangers of the Climate Crisis is lead by President Obama.

The realities of the Climate Crisis awakens those deniers to the fact of the negligence of the USA of it's own citizens. The Climate Crisis should never have been a political issue.

May 27, 2015
Michael Plantenberg

Are you finding it hard to stop and smell the roses lately? (click here) It’s not just your busy schedule, you important person, you. The Natural Resources Defense Council just released a new report that says climate change is likely to raise levels of pollen and ragweed in the air, and is also likely to incite the formation of ozone – all of which makes it harder to breathe for people with allergies and asthma. That’s one of the reasons the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan is expected to be so beneficial to public health. By setting the first ever federal limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants, the Clean Power Plan is expected to help prevent thousands of asthma attacks and premature deaths every year.

The allergies may be making Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s head a little foggy, though. He’s leading a pack of climate deniers in Congress to block the EPA’s health and climate safeguards, even going so far as to try to dismantle the Clean Air Act altogether. So far the legal challenges to the EPA’s authority have backfired, with the Supreme Court repeatedly ruling that the agency not only has the authority, but also the obligation to regulate pollution that endangers public health. So it’s time for McConnell to stop wasting time — and taxpayer dollars — grandstanding for political show at the expense of public health. Climate action can’t wait!

The reality of the increases in greenhouse gases in the troposphere is becoming more and more evident. It could have been prevented. There were efforts before when Hillary Clinton and John McCain joined efforts to change the path of the country.

WASHINGTON (April 24, 2014) – The McCain Institute (click here) for International Leadership at Arizona State University announced today that former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will participate in a conversation with U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) at the McCain Institute's annual Sedona Forum on Saturday, April 26, 2014 in Sedona, Arizona.

"I am very pleased to have my friend Secretary Clinton join this year's Sedona Forum," said Senator McCain. "From her years of service as first lady, in the U.S. Senate and at the State Department, one would be hard-pressed to find a leader with Secretary Clinton's informed perspective on the many challenges facing America across the globe."

The Sedona Forum is the McCain Institute’s annual gathering of national and international thought-leaders, decision-makers, business leaders, philanthropists, activists, and experts to discuss approaches and solutions to real-world problems—all from the starting assumption of character-driven leadership and core democratic values... 

From Harvard: 

Environmental Health Perspectives, VOLUME114, NUMBER 6, June 2006 (click here)

Spring onset and CO2 influence ragweed pollen

The effects of global warming are complex, but studies of their impact on biotic communities clearly point toward secondary effects that could be detrimental to human health. Our study of A. artemisiifolia under conditions that simulate future levels of atmospheric CO2 and increased temperatures shows that one effect increased production of allergenic pollen could strongly affect the significant proportion of the population with pollen allergies as climate change progresses. Because the results of this study suggest that,under future conditions of global warming and elevated CO2, pollen seasons will be more intense and could start earlier than expected, pollen forecasting and pollen avoidance strategies for sensitized individuals will be particularly important. Finally, we emphasize the importance of studying interactions between multiple predicted climate change parameters, in this case, the interactive effects of elevated CO2 and variability in the onset of spring. Our study suggests that under future predicted greenhouse gas emissions and associated climate conditions, either an early spring onset or variability in spring onset along with elevated CO2, there will be an overall increase in ragweed pollen production.

Vermont troops look out for the smallest of residents in the state, too.

Trooper Walker came by this Vermont Traffic Jam yesterday afternoon. After a brief negotiation and counseling session on the dangers of playing in the roadway, the offender was escorted out of the roadway.
All in a days work.

Recognizing the candidacy of Senator Bernie Sanders; the Vermont State Police rose in protest on their blog on Facebook about Vermont Traffic Jams.

Currently, the Vermont State Police (click here) is accepting applications for Trooper positions.You MUST read through the Basic Requirements and FAQs to ensure eligibility!  Then, go to the "SUBMIT APPLICATION" page and apply!

After you have completely read through the website, should you have further questions related to recruiting, the application, or hiring process, those questions should be directed to Sgt. Stephanie Shaw or Sgt. Tyler Burgess at dps.recruiting@state.vt.us. 

The Vermont State Police are the largest police agency in the State of Vermont and provide full police services to the citizens and visitors of this State....

Iowa 

May 27, 2015
By Melissa Erickson

By Melissa Erickson

Just a few days (click here) after officially launching his campaign for president in 2016, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will meet with potential voters in Ames on Saturday with an event at Torrent Brewing Company.

Sanders, an independent who is seeking the Democratic nomination, announced he was joining the 2016 race in late April, but held his official campaign kickoff in Burlington, Vermont, on Tuesday.

Saturday’s event will begin at 2 p.m. at Torrent Brewing, 504 Burnett Ave. There will be a sound system set up in the parking lot outside for people under age 21 to be able to hear Sanders speak and answer questions.

So far, Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are the only two official candidates for the 2016 Democratic nomination, although former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is expected to make an announcement about his 2016 plans on Saturday....

Just a few days after officially launching his campaign for president in 2016, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will meet with potential voters in Ames on Saturday with an event at Torrent Brewing Company.
Sanders, an independent who is seeking the Democratic nomination, announced he was joining the 2016 race in late April, but held his official campaign kickoff in Burlington, Vermont, on Tuesday.
Saturday’s event will begin at 2 p.m. at Torrent Brewing, 504 Burnett Ave. There will be a sound system set up in the parking lot outside for people under age 21 to be able to hear Sanders speak and answer questions.
So far, Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are the only two official candidates for the 2016 Democratic nomination, although former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is expected to make an announcement about his 2016 plans on Saturday.
- See more at: http://amestrib.com/news/sanders-speaking-torrent-brewing-saturday#sthash.gyeM0I9h.dpuf