Saturday, December 19, 2015

Hillary Clinton on race. She has a consistent record that goes back decades regarding the support for change in America in opportunity and community well being when it comes to race. 

Personally, the USA doesn't OWN it's minority. They are primarily treated like a nation within a country. She said it, "Strangers in their own country." 

August 6, 2015
By Jamil Smith

...O’Malley’s criminal justice reform plan, (click here) released last Friday, also shoots for the moon. (You can read it here.) Much of it is politically unfeasible; its boilerplate proposals for addressing economic inequality, including a $15 minimum wage and universal child care, feel like a mere outline tacked onto the end. That said, it is far more serious and comprehensive than any plan put forth by a candidate on either side of the aisle. After the Netroots Nation debacle, this plan is a serious rebound for O’Malley. His plan begins in the right place: accountability for police officers, in the form of legislation requiring local law enforcement to report killings and excessive use of force, and the creation of a centralized and publicly available database to track these statistics. He wants national use-of-force guidelines for cops to follow, and wants to incentivize federal grants by making crisis de-escalation and racial bias training something that police departments actually want to do. O’Malley’s plan expands from there to include recommendations specific to mass incarceration, sentencing reform, and lowering the federal standard for Justice Department civil rights investigations. He even addresses immigration detention centers, drugs and mental health, and the racial discrimination inherent in how students are disciplined.... 

Senator Sanders wants to decriminalize marijuana. Wants monies removed from jails and incarceration to build more schools and support for quality jobs in the USA.

Overdoes are huge in the USA. It threatens families and the influence familes have with their members. It reminds me of a time in the 1960s when Art Linkletter lost his daughter. (click here) We seem to have the same if not worse problem with substance abuse and overdoses.

Addiction is a very dangerous part of a society and hence a country. It should never be tolerated, but, the USA has learned incarceration achieves nothing.

It was during this time when marijuana was demonized as an 'entrance drug.' At this time though it was LSD that was the focus. Young people were estranged from their family because of "psychedelic drugs" and they were dying, sometimes all to often by falling from tall buildings while they were 'on a trip.' 

Linkletter was accepted by families as a man both grieving from the loss of his daughter and one that had compassion for all families facing dangerous times.  

From Drug Overdoes to Libya? Okay.

Libya was a mess before the USA bombed the artillery of Qaddafi. There was full blown civil war at the time the USA blew up all the military armament that was killing people in Benghazi. It wasn't as though the USA invaded Libya as it did Iraq. The killing was already happening and the carnage had to end.

Let's talk about Palestine and how that is going to happen between today and the end of the first term of the next President. 

Maybe Bagdadi is in Libya. That sounds right to me actually. As a matter of fact:

February 18, 2015
By Hannah Roberts

...ISIS has threatened (click here) to flood Europe with half a million migrants from Libya in a 'psychological' attack against the West, it was claimed today.
Transcripts of telephone intercepts published in Italy claim to provide evidence that ISIS is threatening to send 500,000 migrants simultaneously out to sea in hundreds of boats in a 'psychological weapon' against Europe if there is military intervention against them in Libya.
Many would be at risk of drowning with rescue services unable to cope. But authorities fear that if numbers on this scale arrived, European cities could witness riots.
Separately, the militants hope to cement their control of Libya then cross the Mediterranean disguised as refugees, according to letters seen by Quilliam the anti-terror group, reported by the Telegraph....  

The UN Resolution regarding the tightening of alliances on a global scale is exactly where we need to be. Daesh is a charismatic movement as well as a killing regime, that threatens every country on Earth. The solidification of the global community against Daesh is taking shape. It is exactly where we need to be.

Daesh is not sovereign. A country with civil war, especially as entrenched as Syria's civil war, is not a sovereign. 

Candidates are giving their closing statements. It has been a great debate. I thank the candidates for President for their open and honest participation.

End.
Senator Sanders wanted his website known. (click here)

Single Payer: There is a segment of the American public that believes in Single Payer known as Medicare for All. (click here) Kindly notice the endorsements by medical professionals, thank you.

Bernie believes (click here) that the challenges facing the American healthcare system need to be addressed immediately—they are a matter of life and death. He has always believed that healthcare is a human right and should be guaranteed to all Americans regardless of wealth or income. He prizes the health and wellness of individuals over corporate profits. Additionally, he supports future legislation to curb drug costs and tackle fraud in the industry. Altogether, universal healthcare serves as a strong foundation for his policy goals....

Senator Sanders is not out in left field regarding free education. There are plans by the Obama administration to provide free education for community colleges. So, Senator Sanders is in line with good policies to keep Americans educated and employed.

In a highly competitive global economy, (click here) we need the best-educated workforce in the world. It is insane and counter-productive to the best interests of our country and our future, that hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college, and that millions of others leave school with a mountain of debt that burdens them for decades. That shortsighted path to the future must end....

Governor O'Malley on education based in "On the Issues." (click here) 

"On the Issues" is quoted by pundits during elections. Any inaccurate information should be changed.

Governor O'Malley on taxes in Maryland:

It takes someone who knows his state to actually see the necessity of increasing taxes during times of recession. He didn't let a careless Wall Street undo the public interests of the state. It teaches Wall Street there is no sympathy for their mismanagement. Considering this aspect to his governorship there is good reason to have a living wage for the middle class; it raises tax income along with quality of life. A living wage relieves Welfare or Work Fare, whatever you want to call it. When a person/family is earning a living wage, there is no need for food stamps either.

May 30, 2015
By Richard Phillips

At a time (click here) when many governors stubbornly rejected new revenues despite their states’ weak fiscal positions, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s was one of only a few governors who championed tax increases to preserve his state’s public investments even during the Great Recession....

This is Hillary Clinton's Higher Education Plan. (click here)
So, Hillary took a bathroom break. That is what I call a woman that understands unions.

Bernie Sanders is the man to address the income and wealth inequality. It is what drives his participation in government. He has a history of being the expert that can more then adequately address the needs of the people within a democracy. 

Governor O'Malley's claims are correct.

May 9, 2007
By John Wagner

May 9, 2008
By John Wagner

Maryland became the first state in the nation (click here) yesterday to require government contractors to pay their employees significantly more than the minimum wage under legislation signed into law by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D).
The "living wage" measure, which the General Assembly passed last month, will require contractors working in the Washington-Baltimore corridor to pay $11.30 an hour. For those in more rural counties, the minimum will be $8.50. The state's minimum wage is $6.15.
Advocates of the new law, which goes into effect Oct. 1, estimate that 50,000 workers could be affected.
The bill was among more than 200 that O'Malley signed in the third in a series of ceremonies after the 90-day legislative session, which ended April 9. Others signed yesterday include measures to freeze public university tuition in the fall and to offer Maryland's apology for participating in the slave trade....

Hillary wants voters to visit her website and read her policies. (click here)
I'll say this much about Hillary and work. She is the role model for women and men in demonstrating ambition that gets things done. She just is. She is a wonderful role model for dedication to correcting the paths of Americans and their children.

Bernie is correct. The big banks are far bigger since 2008 and pose a threat to sovereignty TODAY. They simply role over top of every government attempt to end the danger to Americans and allies. It is something to reflect on when considering Chairwoman Yellen is most likely the only person on Earth that knows the current realities of the financial markets.

"Open Secrets" about the entire field is here. 
 (Darker bar represents outside money; lighter bar represents candidate committee money) (click here)

You Tube, Senator Sanders.
 
Hillary is right. The tech industry solved the government website problems for the ACA. They aren't hard to get along with. USA IT has to be respected for the technology they control, but, they have to realize how much of the country's security they do control.

BUT, the  public sites haven't even been accessed to realize what is going on in the open spaces of the internet. 
.............

Immigration protections are failing the USA because the reform that is needed has been neglected by Congress. Don't start about putting holds on anything when the immigration laws a grossly dysfunctional. It has fixed. So, what is taking so long. Fifty percent of the responsibility for terrorists entering the USA belongs to a dysfunctional Congress that can't get out of their own way for their precious politics. If only the country was as precious as their politics we might actually have national security.
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Senator Sanders is correct. Every country in the world has leaned on the USA for far too long. Europe has to develop a joint military through the European Union. The African Union is active in Subshara Africa, but, needs back up until they have accomplished stability and ended the shipment of arms into the African continent. Every country needs their own security and if they are overwhelmed by that idea, they need allies and/or a joint governance of a larger military effort: EU, AU, etc.
................

Hillary is correct. Do you know Baghdadi has only been seen once in public? This is it. Where is he living in Paris, Belgium, London? Wasn't it his wife that traveled outside of Syria? Where was she going exactly? I wonder what he looks like without or with a more moderate beard, sunglasses and Western attire.

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There you go, Governor O'Malley knows the dynamics. The African Union and Somalia. That is what I love about the Democratic debates, the issues and what they know about governance is out front.
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The No Fly Zones may be necessary for at least awhile after the defeat of Daesh and Syria is involved in a power sharing government. The reason would be that the disease of Daesh has longevity and it would be necessary to control any influence that might be coming out of Syria as well as containing the new government in perpetuating additional war when they have difficulties. I am very comfortable with the dual leadership in Afghanistan. One of the reasons is because the dual leadership in Afghanistan has expertise.

September 29, 2015
...Moments after Ghani Ahmadzai took the oath, (click here) he swore in his election challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, as chief executive, fulfilling a political pledge he had taken to share power and defuse election tensions that had threatened to spark violence between the country's north and south....

Great men get along for the right reasons. Abdullah Abduallah have international acceptence and that has been the case for over a decade. He also has the loyality of many of the country's people once affiliated with the Northern Alliance when the Taliban and bin Laden dominated Afghanistan. Abdullah Abduallah and his people of the Northern Alliance survived outside the influence of al Queda. That is a knowledge base that is irreplaceable. 

The destruction of Daesh is important, but, Hillary is correct in that the United Nations Security Council and it's global organization has to be realized before any actions can proceed involving major military operations.

Governor O'Malley and Senator Sanders have their expertise. It is there. What is different is their plan of attack. It is prudent to realize how the global effort takes shape and build on it. 

If every country on Earth had strong and sovereign borders with a military to match that goal, there would be no Daesh. 

...he was one of our success stories." I would think that was obvious.

Now that the best of us is dead due to gun violence, how do we find a way to make all of them the best of us so their lives were worth living, too?

December 19,2015 
By Jareen Imam

There's no doubt of Zaevion William Dobson's character, according to the 15-year-old's friends and family, who are mourning his death.
Thursday evening, the football player jumped on top of three girls to shield them from a spray of bullets in Knoxville, Tennessee, according to police and CNN affiliate WATE.
Police said Friday that the three male suspects believed to be responsible for the shooting had gang ties, and had fired upon on a group of school kids celebrating the holidays.
Zaevion was not only a football player, but a mentor to his peers, Mayor Madeline Rogero told CNN affiliate WATE. The teen's coach, Rob Black, said that the sophomore was liked by teachers and students at Fulton High School....

A new chemical releases lead inside pipes carrying potable water.

The problem in Flint has been successfully been prevented in nearly every other city or town in the USA. I want to make it perfectly clear the lead in Flint's water supply was known to happen. This negligence by Snyder is criminal.

Chloramination (click here) is the process of adding chloramine to drinking water to disinfect it and kill germs. Chloramination is sometimes used as an alternative to chlorination. Chloramines are a group of chemical compounds that contain chlorine and ammonia. The particular type of chloramine used in drinking water disinfection is called monochloramine. Monochloramine is mixed into water in levels that kill germs but are still safe to drink...

There has been a change in the type of chemical used in sewage treatment/water treatment. The reason for the change is a decision at the Homeland Security level to increase safety to citizens.

This is an article from "Scientific American" published in 2009.

December 16, 2009

By Sara Goodman

"Debate Rises on Whether to Ban Chlorine" (click here)

A sprawling Capitol Hill debate over protecting U.S. chemical facilities from terrorists has come down to a central question: What should be done about chlorine?
At issue is whether water treatment plants can function without chlorine.
Chlorine has been used for more than a century to disinfect drinking water and is responsible for a 50 percent increase in life expectancy, according to the American Water Works Association. About 98 percent of North American water treatment systems use chlorine, the trade group says.
But environmentalists -- the most vocal proponents of strong water-treatment rules -- do not like chlorine. They say rail shipping and storage of massive amounts of chlorine gas to water-treatment plants are dangerous. U.S. PIRG and other advocacy groups say gas released in a derailment or terrorist attack can threaten the lives of thousands of people in a single incident. They want water-treatment plants to find safer substitutes.... 


The people of the USA will recognize the idea of barrel bombs as they have been used in Syria. The barrels are filled with chlorine and released to cities where human beings breaths in the toxic vapor and they are effected. It is wrong to use any weapon against innocent civilians. That is international law. 

The issue of chlorine came into debate with the new USA EPA and USA Homeland Security considering the use of chlorine in the country. Those concerns were established to be valid and there was a change in the chemicals to be used rather than chlorine.

I don't want to get to much into the chemistry, but, chlorine is a highly reactive chemical because it is IONIC (having charges that interact easily in a mixture) and it is simple (that simplicity allows any reaction in a mixture to be known before the mixture is produced).


Chlorine has been replaced with a different type of molecule that is still reactive ENOUGH to do the same work as chlorine, but, is more stable in transportation and any exposure to people and their skin.

This is an 'amine' base molecule. (click here for the chemistry) A chlorine ATOM can be added to the 'amine base' to create the simplest form of chloramine. With this illustration of an amine molecule the "R" represents where any atom or compound connects to the PRIMARY BASE. So, the new molecule of chloramine reactions far differently than pure chlorine.

A chemical reaction is the topic of chloramine. Lead is a metal and carries different properties than any ionic molecule. Chlorine didn't interact with lead. But, chloramine has reactive electrons and will interact with the oxygen molecule (oxygen appears on the surface of lead when exposed to air on Earth - PbO) that is on the surface of lead and causes it to be mobile in the water coming from sewage treatment. Chloramine (the R is replaced with an ionic chlorine atom) is not as an efficient molecule as chlorine, but, it is far safer EXCEPT when first introduced to a city or towns sewage/water treatment.

So, the thing is this: Chloramine will interact with the lead in old pipes. It is very expensive for a city or town in the USA to replace every pipe with a different type. When chloramine is INTRODUCTED to the sewage treatment/water treatment process citizens were to be told not to use the water UNTIL the dark flecks stop being suspended in the drinking or cooking water. This is NOT a problem with any bacteria, fungus or virus. This is purely a chemical interaction.

USA EPA Information on Chloramines and Drinking Water (click here). This is an educational PDF, not the law governing the safety of drinking water to the citizen.

"Summary of the Safe Drinking Water Act" (click here)

As far as I know every city and town implementing chloramine to their sewage treatment or water treatment educated their public (news programs and letters in the US Mail). Many people in the USA have taken concern over this new molecule in their drinking water and now only use bottled water (delivery to their home or purchased in a store). 

In the case of Flint it could and should have been argued to the realistic outcome of these folks as their average income is over $8000 less than the Michigan average (click here). People that do not understand low middle class income would have no sympathy for the need of use of bottled water in Flint. The State of Michigan should have offered cities and towns the option of providing bottled water during the period when lead would be entering the water supply. This was not something the average household in Flint can simply absorb until the water quality returned to normal (clear of lead).

If all there is in Flint is lead pipes from decades past and there continues to be lead in the water then this is a situation the USA EPA needs to monitor. The presence of lead in the water after the introduction of chloramine isn't suppose to be continuous for months and months or years. There is something here that is different than most other cities AS FAR AS I KNOW. Perhaps this is a conversation the country's mayors have had and have knowledge to the quality of their drinking water.

The United States Conference of Mayors (click here)


These mayors are very smart and engaged folks. They were the very first level of government to work with the United Nations in pursuit of defeating the climate crisis.

But, this entry on this blog was to make the issue of lead in water as a clear problem for Flint. The presence of elevated levels of lead in the water that has obviously given the children and their parents a concern that could and should have been avoided is a criminal issue and not simply an emergency. The lead in the water should have cleared up far sooner than a year from initial introduction of chloramine. 

The people of Flint need bottled water for their cooking and drinking. The USA EPA should consider providing it if the water continues to be an issue. If the water from Detroit works well then problem is solved, but, whether the lead introduced to the children and parents still has to be mitigated in some way is something the federal EPA should consider, possibly in conjunction with federal HHS.

There is no reason why this happened. The danger is well known. And the actions of selling the pipe to Detroit water is simply criminal. That is premeditated in it's brevity to lead poisoning. If there is someone profiting within this obvious corruption then a federal investigation needs to be pursued.

Governor Snyder is most responsible because the rights of the mayor and council has been negated by the state's judicial process through the capacity of a City Manager. The mayor and council had no power to change the trajectory of the citizens and their children.

Red States always compromises citizen safety. Michigan now is no different. Small government doesn't work.

Flint, Michigan water (click here) is being monitored by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The Michigan agency is measuring lead levels at least back to 2010; most probably far longer than that; State of Michigan and Genesee County where Flint is located in a geopolitical designation. Flint is also the capital city of Genesee County. 

While the state shows no spike in lead levels, Genesee and Flint have several lead level spikes since the third quarter of 2014. So, for over a year the children and their parents were exposed to lead levels in their drinking water. There is no reason for this and the Governor is completely negligent in his responsibilities.

There has been so much lead in the Flint water supply it spiked the county levels. Even with the Flint spike, the county's lead levels continued to decrease. I haven't looked at all the socioeconomic facts of Flint, but, it is my guess the wealthier and whiter communities were uneffected by this serious danger.

The state knew without a question that Flint was effected by lead levels and did nothing, but, hand out rhetoric to benefit cronies and friends.

At this point in Flint, the Republican Governor in Michigan will no doubt seek to place in question the methodology of lead testing by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The federal EPA must be involved with the citizens of Flint, no different than the hideous release of toxins in Dan River, North Carolina. (click here) No differently there was complete lack of effort in the Executive Branch of North Carolina to protect the people of North Carolina. In the case of North Carolina the Governor was a former employee of the polluter Duke Energy. The North Carolina Governor also received political donations by Duke Energy.  

It wasn't bad enough these problems manifested, but, when brought to the knowledge of the public both Governors in Michigan and North Carolina lied to the public and continued to deny their incompetency. In the case of North Carolina, the regulating state agency was forced to publish lies and testify to them. It is known employees in North Carolina were faced with telling the truth or keeping their jobs. It was simply known by state employees there was to be no public awareness of problems or lose their jobs.

The longer this tragedy continues in Michigan the longer the people will suffer and the more assault to the state agency integrity will be pursued. The best outcomes in any state for the people is for the Executive Branch to be followed closely and when there are problems, the public is educated and the federal authority overseeing the issue is notified, preferably, by lawsuits. But, do this ASAP.

Where citizen health is involved waste no time in assuming the worst because it only causes greater danger to the public and potential of manipulating of the methodologies of state agencies. Basically, the state agencies will be made incompetent and will PROVE they are wrong into the future because they have been dismantled. Once the state agencies are dismantled the cry for privatizing agencies will follow. Then the costs go up for the citizen though property taxes and the citizen will lose more and more of their hard earned monies.

Below is the NC issue. The Republican Governor knew and sought to hide the truth and proceeded to corrupt the reporting agencies to prevent his loss of power. 
















The contrast in the response of a Democratic executive branch at the state level can be realized in West Virginia.

On January 9, 2014, an estimated 10,000 gallons (click here) of an industrial chemical, 4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM), spilled into the Elk River just upstream from the Kanawha County municipal water intake in Charleston, West Virginia. This municipal water system serves nearly 300,000 people whose water was affected by the chemical spill. Due to the uncertainty over the chemical levels in the water supply, the Office of the Governor issued a "Do Not Use" order at 6:00 pm on January 9, 2014. Later that evening, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources contacted CDC about the release and requested assistance to review water sampling data and provide a drinking water screening level for MCHM....

The tragedy in West Virginia was never denied and the state's Executive Branch rapidly realized the danger and called for help ASAP. I am not going to say everything following the recognition was absolutely accurate in the protection of the citizens, but, when one is working with a strongly conservative and corrupted state agencies, there will be incompetence. And, yes, I mean every word of what I stated here.

Is everyone satisfied it was the USA that killed the Iraqis? See, to me I am not sure.

Was it the USA war machine or Chinease Hackers?

Oh, this wasn't a drone. Then it probably is the USA directly. 

Has anyone asked China to intervene with Daesh? 

December 19, 2015

An airstrike (click here) by the US-led coalition aimed at Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq has killed nine Iraqi soldiers, according to Iraq's Defence Minister.
The "friendly fire" incident happened as Iraqi troops were fighting the extremists just outside the IS stronghold of Fallujah on Friday.
The US military had said the incident may have killed "up to 10 soldiers", adding that the strikes were in response to requests and information provided by Iraqi security forces on the ground near the city.
All coalition strikes were conducted with the approval of the Iraqi government, the US said....


May 15, 2015
It is being reported (click here) that Chinese state-sponsored hackers have been combing Penn State’s College of Engineering servers for the past two years. The significance of this development is that the university receives federal funds to conduct research and development for the United States Navy.
The university’s servers will be taken offline for the coming days while investigators search for clues as to what was taken, and how they penetrated the security system. The FBI initially notified the University last November of possible activity being conducted by nefarious actors.
While the threat from Chinese hackers is ever growing, analysts have stated their concerns regarding the increase of foreign graduate students attending American technical universities. Since 2010, there has been a drastic increase in Chinese scholars acting on the behest of their government. While in recent years the level of Chinese students has decreased, this has coincided with an increase in hacking coming from China....

A new benchmark for gun violence, infrastructure weakness.

This better not be the new normal!

Local empowerment and FUNDING is required. 

September 19, 2014
By Sharon Bernstein

California Governor Jerry Brown (click here) on Friday declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County, following the massacre by an Islamic State-inspired couple at a holiday party for county workers.
Because the 14 people killed and 26 wounded in the terrorist attack were largely employees in the county's environmental health department, the massacre left San Bernardino County with too few health inspectors and others needed to carry out critical work, Brown said in his emergency proclamation.
Declaring an emergency will allow the state to send in health inspectors as replacements until the county is able to resume normal staffing, Brown said.
The declaration also allows the state Office of Emergency Services to provide other assistance to the county as needed....