Palm Beach County needs to sue the White House.

March 20, 2017
by Taylor Link

...Deutch (click here) is pushing for federal appropriators to address the growing costs, The Post reported. The unexpected costs that come with securing Mar-a-Lago has caused a budgetary crisis for Palm Beach County....

Mr. Trump may have to be personally sued to get the attention of the White House and the damage his visits are causing to the city and the economy. The merchants effected by his visits should file a lawsuit as well.

The Secret Service does not have to abide by any restraints on their activity to protect the President. If that means there are issues for Palm Beach County, then it has to be put before a judge for relief.

The elected Mayor and City Council can't simply look the other way or wait for some type of financial relief from the federal government if they are entering a crisis. The people of that county don't deserve higher taxes and a poorer economy because President Trump likes to visit his estate rather than the public housing provided by the country for him and his family.

If entertaining at Maralago is done for political purposes it is completely the cost of Mr. Trump and the RNC. The White House is the official residence of President Trump and is the official place for foreign dignitaries to conduct their visits. There is nothing in any law presiding over the White House that says 'occupancy optional.' 

I think someone needs to get to the bottom of this mess and deal with it and considering it is a crisis for Palm Beach County, do it soon.

And then there is this:


April 12, 2017
by Jose Lambiet

...But they had a field day (click here) with elements that could give members of the high-class club and foreign dignitaries some pause:

▪ Fish designed to be served raw or undercooked, the inspection report reads, had not undergone proper parasite destruction. Kitchen staffers were ordered to cook the fish immediately or throw it out.

▪ In two of the club’s coolers, inspectors found that raw meats that should be stored at 41 degrees were much too warm and potentially dangerous: chicken was 49 degrees, duck clocked in a 50 degrees and raw beef was 50 degrees. The winner? Ham at 57 degrees.

▪ The club was cited for not maintaining the coolers in proper working order and was ordered to have them emptied immediately and repaired.

The other violations weren’t so serious. Water at the sink where employees wash their hands was too cold to sanitize hands. And Mar-a-Lago was also written up for keeping rusted shelves inside walk-in coolers....

Maybe there is a reason Trump Steaks didn't sell well.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/restaurants/article144261894.html#storylink=cpy

I would say United needed to be investigated regarding the policies that lead to the assault of a passenger....

April 13, 2017

By Timothy Mclaughlin and Karen Pierog

The United Airlines passenger (click here) dragged from a plane in Chicago in an incident that sparked international outrage and turned into a corporate public relations nightmare suffered a concussion and broken nose and will likely sue, his attorney said on Thursday.

"For a long time airlines, United in particular, have bullied us," Thomas Demetrio told a news conference in Chicago, outlining the potential causes of action they may pursue against United and the city of Chicago.

"Will there be a lawsuit? Yeah, probably."...

...But, the Senate or House would accomplish nothing and would seek United's understanding, turning a very bad incident into a great need for control. If I thought for one minute the US Congress was capable of running an investigation that lead to the assault of this man I'd be happy to listen to it, but, it is not capable of protecting the American people so why bother.

They should not have hurt that man.

April 13, 2017

By Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Erin Cunningham

...The use of the GBU-43 (click here) in eastern Afghanistan comes less than a week after a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier was killed fighting in the same region. Army Staff Sgt. Mark R. De Alencar, 37, was mortally wounded by small-arms fire Saturday.

U.S. and Afghan forces have been fighting the Islamic State in Afghanistan since 2015. Special Operations forces from the Army’s Ranger battalions as well as the Green Berets have conducted numerous operations to push the militants out of their sanctuaries.

The Taliban, the insurgent group that has fought the United States and the Afghan government since 2001, also clashes with the Islamic State, though many of its members have defected to the terrorist group....

Some might call it revenge, but, more than likely it is a matter of ending the danger. The idea more US military would be coming home in a coffin isn't the way I see the USA involvement.

Daesh is tenacious. They were never going to surrender. They aren't capable of taking responsibility for the deaths they cause.

I don't know all the particulars the day Staff Sgt. De Alencar was killed, but, there are some times when the battlefield needs to be cleaned up. Evidently, it was necessary to clear out an infestation of tunnels.

...A spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan did not respond to a query regarding the bomb’s effects on its intended target, an Islamic State tunnel complex in Nangahar province....

...Achin is close to the border with Pakistan, which has long been used by militants to smuggle weapons and fighters between the two countries. The group has also targeted tribal elders and fighters it suspected of being loyal to the Taliban....

Daesh is a brutal regime. There is no counting on their loyalty to the people they claim as their own. They patrol the towns where they have had control and round up people they deem to be unholy for trial and execution.

I am sure the bomb was necessary because of the fighting conditions that took the life of Staff Sgt. De Alencar. I would be insulted if the USA military dropped such an ordinance for the purpose of revenge. That is not a priority or a strong military strategy.

The danger is using such a weapon is the killing of innocent people, but, the military has stated there were none. The Afghan - Pakistan border has always been turbulent. There was also the incident where 'friendly fire' killed something like 25 Pakistan soldiers. I am glad to hear this is not the case this time.           

Carolina Blue through and through.

To begin, I think Melania is great. She is a model and now seeks to fill the shoes of a First Lady. She is lovely. She is also strong and won't let her name be taken lightly in a lawsuit with the "Daily Mail." The amount of the settlement should make an impression on all tabloids. She can be a mover and a shaker when it comes to protections for celebrities. She was a celebrity before she was a wife and mother; she knows the territory.

At any rate, I don't know if the First Lady realized it or not, but, she was wearing Carolina Blue. Kindly note the blue line in the road is also Carolina Blue. The blue line started where the motorcade stopped and the President and First Lady got out to walk.

Noted the "Tiffany Blue" box is a different shade. I also thought it was most generous and an ice breaker by First Lady Elect Melania Trump to bring a gift to then First Lady Michelle Obama. It was most gracious and perhaps a new tradition.

I do have a criticism, in that, on a day when the USA was to unite and resolve differences for the country, the color Mrs. Trump wore was divisive. I knew as soon as I saw the suit it was a political statement aimed at the electorate. It was a statement that their White House would carry the values of the extremists in North Carolina.

Such a statement only emboldened a state where their Republican Governor lost his election because of his extremism in civil rights and practiced corruption and cronyism with his former employer and campaign contributor "Duke Power." The return to "The Old Guard" is something that has plagued Mr. Trump's administration and he has done little to end it or reverse it.

April 13, 2017
By Curtis M. Wong

North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (click here) is pumping the brakes on a controversial bill aimed at reinstating the state’s prior ban on same-sex marriage.

Filed Tuesday by four North Carolina House Republicans, House Bill 780 is also known as the “Uphold Historical Marriage Act.” If passed, the bill would allow the state’s government to defy the Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage equality ruling and prohibit same-sex couples from tying the knot.

Its sponsors are Republican Reps. Larry Pittman of Concord, Michael Speciale of New Bern, Carl Ford of Rowan County and Mike Clampitt of Bryson City, who are among the most conservative legislators in the state, The News & Observer pointed out.

Gov. Roy Cooper (D), who recently sparked the ire of LGBTQ rights activists for his support of a flawed “compromise” to the state’s “bathroom bill,” blasted the legislation Tuesday....

Additionally, North Carolina is removing children from their homes and placing them into adoption. This is not funny, it is based in religious bigotry and changes in status of married couples. There is a case in Guilford County where the children were removed from the home because of a divorce. The mother's lawyer is at a loss to understand what has occurred.

There is a case in Wilmington where the children were removed from a Wiccan home where the mother was bisexual. In this case, the parents had charges drummed up against them as human traffickers among other complaints regarding the children that made them look as though (at least through media) they were also trafficking their children. NONE OF IT WAS TRUE and the children are gone. There are many instances whereby the Social Worker was inappropriate and the judge once colluded with the Social Worker. It has been tragic and there are nine children involved, all Caucasian including twin infants, a boy and girl.

The point is North Carolina is growing more and more bold in their inappropriate values and their determination to create a "foreign state" within the USA's sovereign borders.

This is the United States of America whereby people stand up for their civil rights and demand equality and fair treatment UNDER THE LAW, not just because the social mores dictate it this week. There should be no racism, hatred or bigotry in the USA, especially in politics. We are all better than that.

I thought this was interesting. These are the current temperature maps of Alaska (above) and Michigan (to right).

The map below is from the Weather Underground. (click here) In case folks are doing a double take. This is average temperature behavior for Alaska these days. It is currently 51 degrees Fahrenheit at Valdez.