Removing the ammunition from the reach of those that want to kill for the sake of killing will result in less violence. We will have to see how much of an effect it will have, but, it should be immediately.
February 28, 2018
By Matthew Haag
Walmart, (click here) the largest retailer in the United States, said Wednesday evening that it would stop selling guns and ammunition to anyone under 21 years of age and remove from its stores all toys and airsoft rifles that resemble assault-style weapons.
“Our heritage as a company has always been in serving sportsmen and hunters, and we will continue to do so in a responsible way,” the company said in a statement....
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Billions of US government taxpayer monies are wasted on GOP politics. The Supreme Court ruling is a human rights violation.
There (click here) was much controversy last week about federal officials releasing hundreds of immigrants from detention centers ahead of the looming budget cuts. But the real issue should be that U.S. taxpayers foot the steep bill to detain more than 30,000 people every day — not that a group of immigrants who pose little threat to public safety were transferred out of federal facilities last week.
Whatever the circumstances surrounding the move out of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, the result is smarter enforcement that could save the federal government tens of thousands of dollars per day, if not hundreds of thousands, based on data from the president’s most recent budget request.
We are all for detaining criminals. But those now on supervised release are the kind of people who should never have been in detention in the first place. Miguel Hernandez, for example, had been detained after being pulled over for not using his car’s turn signal. Not exactly a criminal offense....
The Trump Administration, it's Republican Congress have done a 180 degree turn when it comes to detained immigrants. Oh, yeah, these are the most dangerous people in the country.
May 6, 2010
Human Rights Watch (click here) calls upon the US Congress and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) to appropriately limit the US government’s broad and relatively unchecked power to detain immigrants. Each year ICE detains hundreds of thousands of immigrants. In 2009 ICE held between 380,000 and 442,000 people in some 300 US detention facilities, at an annual cost of $1.7 billion. These people are not imprisoned as punishment for criminal offenses. Instead, they are detained for civil immigration violations, held administratively as they wait for a court hearing or pending their deportation.
Many will be deprived of their liberty for months, some for years. And many are being held unnecessarily, at great cost to themselves, their families, and US taxpayers.
At least since 1996 ICE has enjoyed relatively unchecked powers to sweep non-citizens into detention. These powers include detaining non-citizens who have committed crimes, but already served their sentences. Of particular concern are policies that mandate ongoing detention, without so much as a hearing, of certain nonviolent offenders, lawful permanent residents, and individuals who committed offenses decades ago.
ICE also detains many people even after court rulings in their favor, people granted refugee status who fail to do proper paperwork, and people for whom detention conditions can be particularly harsh, such as individuals with disabilities and unaccompanied minors.
Not only are detention powers broad, they are sometimes without temporal limit. Immigrants may be placed in custody for months or years with no fixed or clear end to their detention....
March 7, 2017
by Eric Levitz
President Trump has argued that protecting the American people from terrorism is so important, our nation must be willing to sacrifice its commitments to human rights and refugees; cripple its own tourism industry; strand immigrants in airports; sour our diplomatic relations with the Muslim world; and kill dozens of civilians while gathering intelligence, just to diminish the probability of an attack on our soil.
But the president also believes that building a border wall is so important, we must be willing to radically reduce funding to the Coast Guard, TSA, and FEMA’s terrorism-response program to finance one — or so new budget documents seem to suggest....
… Overall, DHS would get a 6 percent boost to its budget, to $43.8 billion. But to help pay for that, the administration would slice the budget of the Coast Guard and cut 11 percent in spending from the TSA — reductions that critics say would weaken safeguards against threats arriving by sea or air....
… FEMA sees a $370 million cut, which includes a 25 percent reduction, or $280 million, in the agency’s program for countering violent extremism and preparations for a wide-scale terrorist attack, as well as a 40 percent cut of $80 million for FEMA’s port transit security grant program. At TSA, the $500 million reduction includes cutting $65 million for behavioral detection officers and $55 million for local law enforcement grants to to airports.
Here’s what the Trump administration hopes to buy with those savings:
New detention beds and transportation costs for deporting the undocumented: $1.9 billion.
Border-wall funds: $1.4 billion.
New border-surveillance technology: $920 million.
“High-priority replacement fence projects”: $560 million.
1,000 new ICE agents: $185 million.
500 new CBP agents: $100 million.
Striking fear into the hearts of America’s most vulnerable workers and all who love them: Priceless (apparently)....
Evidently, the Supreme Court doesn't care about human rights either.
February 28, 2018
...The 5-to-3 ruling (click here) overturned the rulings of two lower courts that found immigrants facing prolonged detention must be given a custody hearing....
...Writing in the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito Jr. said, quote, “Detention during those proceedings gives immigration officials time to determine an alien’s status without running the risk of the alien’s either absconding or engaging in criminal activity.”
Justice Stephen Breyer read his dissent from the bench. He said, quote, “I would find it alarming, to believe that Congress wrote these statutory words in order to put thousands of individuals at risk of lengthy confinement all within the United States but all without hope of bail.” Justice Breyer was joined in his dissent by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor. Elena Kagan recused herself.
The case, Jennings v. Rodriguez, was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a dental assistant named Alejandro Rodriguez, who was born in Mexico but was brought to the United States when he was 1 year old. He ended up spending three years in immigration detention without a bond hearing. The Supreme Court first heard the case in 2016, then again last year, after Justice Gorsuch joined the court. Both the Obama and Trump administrations backed the policy of indefinite detention....
July 13, 2012
By Lorie Hearn
Civilian deaths at the hands of U.S. Border Patrol agents (click here) are increasing even though illegal immigration and assaults against agents are down. This was the conclusion of a months-long investigation by nonprofit media organizations into incidents in three border states. Reporters identified at least 14 men and boys who have died since Oct. 1, 2009 after confrontations with Border Patrol agents.
This special report illuminates serious questions about follow up and accountability. It follows a documentary in April by the PBS news magazine, Need to Know, which aired a cellphone video of a Mexican man surrounded by border patrol agents, beating and tasing him. Anastasio Hernandez Rojas died later in a hospital. After U.S. lawmakers demanded justice for Hernandez, a grand jury was convened in San Diego this week.
The reporters’ findings come at a time when immigration, always a highly charged topic, has been in the white-hot spotlight this summer.
In June, President Obama stopped deportations of certain high-achieving young people who were brought to the country illegally as children. A few weeks later, the Supreme Court struck down parts of SB 1070, the controversial Arizona law that empowered local law enforcement to uphold federal immigration policy....
The USA is always at war. The USA is claiming the southern border with Mexico is allowing terrorists a place to cross. The southern border with Mexico is a war zone by the simple fact there are stated crossings that bring with it terrorism. Terrorism is very high on the list of the USA's reason to war.
There is absolutely no reason for a change in policy or an escalation of armed assaults against those crossing the border. Making the argument it is illegal and therefore a crime is defined from the USA border. The people coming from Mexico (not necessarily Mexicans) did not study the law or the language of the USA before attempting to find a more humane life, which is especially true of children.
We know for a fact there are drug cartels that freely engage in killings to secure their routes out of South America to the USA. The USA has been unable to contain the drug traffic where it starts. The result is immigration from South American through Mexico that seek to be safe from the cartels guns, drugs and sex slavery.
When human beings cross the USA southern border it is to save their lives and their children's lives. They know little else, except, the USA will treat them humanly. The Supreme Court ruling today is outrageously inhumane AND UNNECESSARY!
Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Geneva, 12 August 1949. (click here)
Part I. General Provisions
Article 1. The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances.
Art. 2. In addition to the provisions which shall be implemented in peace-time, the present Convention shall apply to all cases of declared war or of any other armed conflict which may arise between two or more of the High Contracting Parties, even if the state of war is not recognized by one of them.
Art. 3. In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following
provisions:
(1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria....
“Are we at a point as a country where the enforcement of our laws by necessity comes with that sort of treatment of people? Because if it is, I think that that is really a question for us. how have we arrived at this point where we can justify the mistreatment of people on such a huge scale, and go to bed at night as a country saying that’s the best we can do and that’s consistent with our shared values?”
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
What does Warren Buffet understand that Donald Trump doesn't?
February 26, 2018
By Alexandra Wilts
President Donald Trump’s tax law (click here) that was passed by Republicans with breakneck speed last year is ridden with typos and glitches.
Mr Trump and administration officials continue to tout the benefits of the $1.5 trillion tax cut that he signed into law in December. But what’s missing in Mr Trump’s rhetoric is any mention of the snafus that could end up costing the federal US government big money, experts warn.
Legislation often contains a few errors, but not of this magnitude, experts have been quick to point out.
The glitches are not just typos. A lot of the discrepancies revolve around actual tax policy questions where there is disagreement between Democrats and Republicans, meaning the errors will be much harder to fix, according to John Wonderlich. Mr Wonderlich is the executive director of the Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit which advocates for open government.
“The amount of errors and unintended consequences in the tax bill is far beyond normal,” he told The Independent. He said that eleventh-hour changes to the legislation and the non-transparent process used to pass it contributed to this result....
...For example, the bill enables wealthy money managers to avoid a crackdown on lucrative tax breaks, allowing them to pay lower taxes on some of their income than ordinary wage earners....
The glitches are not just typos. A lot of the discrepancies revolve around actual tax policy questions where there is disagreement between Democrats and Republicans, meaning the errors will be much harder to fix, according to John Wonderlich. Mr Wonderlich is the executive director of the Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit which advocates for open government.
“The amount of errors and unintended consequences in the tax bill is far beyond normal,” he told The Independent. He said that eleventh-hour changes to the legislation and the non-transparent process used to pass it contributed to this result....
...For example, the bill enables wealthy money managers to avoid a crackdown on lucrative tax breaks, allowing them to pay lower taxes on some of their income than ordinary wage earners....
The Buffett Rule is part of a tax plan proposed by President Barack Obama in 2011. The tax plan would apply a minimum tax rate of 30 percent on individuals making more than one million dollars a year. According to a White House official, the new tax rate would directly affect 0.3 percent of taxpayers.
Just one of the differences between those with a conscience and those obsessed with greed.
Someone needs to clarify with Republicans if they intend to FIX the new tax law.
Just one of the differences between those with a conscience and those obsessed with greed.
Someone needs to clarify with Republicans if they intend to FIX the new tax law.
What is going on in Turkey? Child soldiers?
The child and her parents should be removed from Turkey for political asylum, immediately if not sooner. The USA or if NATO care to act in protecting innocent children in Turkey, now is a good time.
Erdogan should not be leading Turkey if martyrdom is a reality within that country. This flies in the face of any type of NATO policy.
February 26, 2018
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey with Amine Tiras, 6, in Kahramanmaras on Saturday. “Maroon berets don’t cry,” he told her.
Istanbul — From a stage where he led a raucous rally (click here) exhorting Turks to support their soldiers in Syria, the Turkish president spotted a 6-year-old girl cadet in the crowd, dressed in military-style camouflage and wearing a maroon beret. Her lips trembling, she stood ramrod-straight as she gave a salute.
Beckoned by the president, the girl was lifted into the air and toward the stage to meet with him. But she looked hesitant, and eventually began crying, as the president went on to say that she would be honored if she were killed in combat.
Video clips of the encounter between the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the first grader, Amine Tiras, ricocheted across the internet over the weekend. While Turkish news agencies focused on the girl’s emotions — portraying her as brave and resolute — some online commentators said she had been used as a political prop and called it inappropriate.
At the very least, the themes of military service, patriotism and martyrdom seemed rather mature for a first grader....
Has there been an investigation to the coupe attempt and the effects on the country. The coupe was crushed, but, what is going on in Turkey? Child soldiers is out of the question. There is a war within NATO?
25 February 2018
By Kareem Shaheen
The US and Turkey have released opposing accounts (click here) of a phone call between Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, highlighting deepening tensions between the two countries amid a Turkish military campaign inside Syria last weekend.
According to the White House readout of a call between the two leaders, Trump relayed “concerns” over the escalating violence in the Kurdish enclave in Afrin and urged Turkey to “de-escalate, limit its military actions and avoid civilian casualties”. Trump also called on Ankara to avoid actions that risked conflict with US forces, which have provided arms and air cover for the Kurdish militias Turkey is now battling in Syria, the White House said.
However, a Turkish official said the White House readout did not accurately reflect the content of the call. Trump did not raise concerns about escalating violence in Afrin, the official said, and the two presidents had simply exchanged views on the operation.
The official also denied that Trump had “expressed concern about destructive and false rhetoric coming from Turkey”, as mentioned in the White House readout, saying Trump had instead stressed that open criticism of the US in Ankara was raising concerns in Washington....
Erdogan has become paranoid. Scaparrotti needs to call up the soldiers Erdogan has taken out of the military and give them political protections in another NATO country. This is ridiculous.
I think Erdogan is paranoid about the holy man in the USA. Recruiting children is an unbelievable human rights violation by Turkey.
December 7, 2016
By Aurthur Beesley
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s purge of alleged coup plotters (click here)
in Turkey’s armed forces has “degraded” Nato’s command operations by removing experienced senior officers, the alliance’s top general has said.
As many as 150 high-level Turkish personnel were detained, recalled from Nato or retired from active service after the failed military coup in July, said General Curtis Scaparrotti, Nato’s supreme allied commander in Europe.
“These officers served well here in Nato . . . I had talented, capable people here and I’m taking a degradation on my staff for the skill, the expertise and the work that they produced,” Gen Scaparrotti said as Nato foreign ministers met at the headquarters of the alliance in Brussels....
...The removal of Turkish Nato officers comes as the relationship between Ankara and the EU has become increasingly tense, with Brussels hardening its stance on Mr Erdogan while the Turkish president has warned that he could allow 3m refugees into Europe....
The refugees continue to be a focus with Europe and Turkey. The refugees must be allowed to return to their homeland with fighting reduced. Assad is having the effect he wants from Turkey. Assad is playing Erdogan like a fine fiddle. The more refugees into Turkey, the more tensions exist with NATO.
Assad is only interested in settling the Shi'ites into Syria. That is not realistic and will cause increased problems for the region. The refugees have a right to return and should do so as soon as possible.
Ireland is not that big a country. It is limited to the extent it can absorb refugees. The refugee issue must be solved, but, is best solved by returning them to their country. Assad is not the leader of Syria if he continues to kill the very people most weary of war.
February 24, 2018
By Sorcha Pollak
Nearly 50 Syrian refugees (click here) have arrived in Ireland from Greece this week under the Government’s relocation programme.
Twenty refugees arrived in Ireland on Wednesday followed by a further 29 people from Greek refugee camps on Thursday. These are the first Syrian refugees to arrive in Ireland so far this year.
Their arrival brings to 859 the total number of women, men and children who have arrived in Ireland from Greece under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said another 155 people were due to arrive in Ireland from Greece in the coming weeks.
The latest commitment comes as a new wave of bombs struck Syria’s eastern Ghouta district on Friday causing further devastation and civilian casualties in the area. An estimated 462 people have been killed this week, including nearly 100 children, during a week of bombing by government forces in eastern Ghouta....
Assad is no longer fighting Daesh, he is parlaying the instability to further ethnic wars.
February 27, 2018
...What is happening? (click here)
Siege: Eastern Ghouta has been under siege by the Syrian government since 2013, and is the last rebel stronghold near the capital.
Chronic food and medicine shortages have devastated Eastern Ghouta with severe cases of malnutrition.
De-escalation zone: Turkey, Russia and Iran agreed in 2017 to designate Eastern Ghouta a "de-escalation zone", in which Syrian and Russian fighter jets were expected not to fly.
Relentless bombing: On Sunday, February 19, Syrian forces backed by Russian warplanes escalated the offensive on Eastern Ghouta with a relentless bombing that killed hundreds of people within days.
The bombing, which Amnesty International said amounted to war crimes, has damaged or destroyed six hospitals and medical centres across the city, residents say.
UN resolution: On Saturday, February 25, the UN Security Council - including Russia - voted in favour of a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire "without delay"....
...The 104-square-kilometre district is home to about 400,000 civilians, half of whom are children under the age of 18.
In March, the civil war in Syria will enter its 8th year, with more than 465,000 Syrians killed and over 12 million displaced from their homes....
Assad is afraid of the children over 14 and their ability to be weaponized against him and Damascus. The refugees, especially children, need to return to the land and begin rebuilding. If they are rebuilding they won't be seeking power to engage in still yet another civil war.
Assad needs to de-escalate his attacks and allow a return of refugees to the land.
Erdogan should not be leading Turkey if martyrdom is a reality within that country. This flies in the face of any type of NATO policy.
February 26, 2018President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey with Amine Tiras, 6, in Kahramanmaras on Saturday. “Maroon berets don’t cry,” he told her.
Istanbul — From a stage where he led a raucous rally (click here) exhorting Turks to support their soldiers in Syria, the Turkish president spotted a 6-year-old girl cadet in the crowd, dressed in military-style camouflage and wearing a maroon beret. Her lips trembling, she stood ramrod-straight as she gave a salute.
Beckoned by the president, the girl was lifted into the air and toward the stage to meet with him. But she looked hesitant, and eventually began crying, as the president went on to say that she would be honored if she were killed in combat.
Video clips of the encounter between the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the first grader, Amine Tiras, ricocheted across the internet over the weekend. While Turkish news agencies focused on the girl’s emotions — portraying her as brave and resolute — some online commentators said she had been used as a political prop and called it inappropriate.
At the very least, the themes of military service, patriotism and martyrdom seemed rather mature for a first grader....
Has there been an investigation to the coupe attempt and the effects on the country. The coupe was crushed, but, what is going on in Turkey? Child soldiers is out of the question. There is a war within NATO?
25 February 2018
By Kareem Shaheen
The US and Turkey have released opposing accounts (click here) of a phone call between Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, highlighting deepening tensions between the two countries amid a Turkish military campaign inside Syria last weekend.
According to the White House readout of a call between the two leaders, Trump relayed “concerns” over the escalating violence in the Kurdish enclave in Afrin and urged Turkey to “de-escalate, limit its military actions and avoid civilian casualties”. Trump also called on Ankara to avoid actions that risked conflict with US forces, which have provided arms and air cover for the Kurdish militias Turkey is now battling in Syria, the White House said.
However, a Turkish official said the White House readout did not accurately reflect the content of the call. Trump did not raise concerns about escalating violence in Afrin, the official said, and the two presidents had simply exchanged views on the operation.
The official also denied that Trump had “expressed concern about destructive and false rhetoric coming from Turkey”, as mentioned in the White House readout, saying Trump had instead stressed that open criticism of the US in Ankara was raising concerns in Washington....
Erdogan has become paranoid. Scaparrotti needs to call up the soldiers Erdogan has taken out of the military and give them political protections in another NATO country. This is ridiculous.
I think Erdogan is paranoid about the holy man in the USA. Recruiting children is an unbelievable human rights violation by Turkey.
December 7, 2016
By Aurthur Beesley
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s purge of alleged coup plotters (click here)
in Turkey’s armed forces has “degraded” Nato’s command operations by removing experienced senior officers, the alliance’s top general has said.
As many as 150 high-level Turkish personnel were detained, recalled from Nato or retired from active service after the failed military coup in July, said General Curtis Scaparrotti, Nato’s supreme allied commander in Europe.
“These officers served well here in Nato . . . I had talented, capable people here and I’m taking a degradation on my staff for the skill, the expertise and the work that they produced,” Gen Scaparrotti said as Nato foreign ministers met at the headquarters of the alliance in Brussels....
...The removal of Turkish Nato officers comes as the relationship between Ankara and the EU has become increasingly tense, with Brussels hardening its stance on Mr Erdogan while the Turkish president has warned that he could allow 3m refugees into Europe....
The refugees continue to be a focus with Europe and Turkey. The refugees must be allowed to return to their homeland with fighting reduced. Assad is having the effect he wants from Turkey. Assad is playing Erdogan like a fine fiddle. The more refugees into Turkey, the more tensions exist with NATO.
Assad is only interested in settling the Shi'ites into Syria. That is not realistic and will cause increased problems for the region. The refugees have a right to return and should do so as soon as possible.
Ireland is not that big a country. It is limited to the extent it can absorb refugees. The refugee issue must be solved, but, is best solved by returning them to their country. Assad is not the leader of Syria if he continues to kill the very people most weary of war.
February 24, 2018
By Sorcha Pollak
Nearly 50 Syrian refugees (click here) have arrived in Ireland from Greece this week under the Government’s relocation programme.
Twenty refugees arrived in Ireland on Wednesday followed by a further 29 people from Greek refugee camps on Thursday. These are the first Syrian refugees to arrive in Ireland so far this year.
Their arrival brings to 859 the total number of women, men and children who have arrived in Ireland from Greece under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said another 155 people were due to arrive in Ireland from Greece in the coming weeks.
The latest commitment comes as a new wave of bombs struck Syria’s eastern Ghouta district on Friday causing further devastation and civilian casualties in the area. An estimated 462 people have been killed this week, including nearly 100 children, during a week of bombing by government forces in eastern Ghouta....
Assad is no longer fighting Daesh, he is parlaying the instability to further ethnic wars.
February 27, 2018
...What is happening? (click here)
Siege: Eastern Ghouta has been under siege by the Syrian government since 2013, and is the last rebel stronghold near the capital.
Chronic food and medicine shortages have devastated Eastern Ghouta with severe cases of malnutrition.
De-escalation zone: Turkey, Russia and Iran agreed in 2017 to designate Eastern Ghouta a "de-escalation zone", in which Syrian and Russian fighter jets were expected not to fly.
Relentless bombing: On Sunday, February 19, Syrian forces backed by Russian warplanes escalated the offensive on Eastern Ghouta with a relentless bombing that killed hundreds of people within days.
The bombing, which Amnesty International said amounted to war crimes, has damaged or destroyed six hospitals and medical centres across the city, residents say.
UN resolution: On Saturday, February 25, the UN Security Council - including Russia - voted in favour of a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire "without delay"....
...The 104-square-kilometre district is home to about 400,000 civilians, half of whom are children under the age of 18.
In March, the civil war in Syria will enter its 8th year, with more than 465,000 Syrians killed and over 12 million displaced from their homes....
Pro-regime forces
Opposition forces
Kurdish forces
Turkey
Jarabulus
Afrin
Manbij
Aleppo
Idlib
Syria
Latakia
Hama
50 km
50 miles
Assad needs to de-escalate his attacks and allow a return of refugees to the land.
Easier said than done.
February 26, 2018
President Trump told the nation's governors (click here) Monday that he would have rushed in to aid students and teachers during the deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school.
"You don't know until you're tested but I think, I really believe, I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon, and I think most of the people in this room would have done that too," Trump said at a White House meeting.
He again found fault with the officers who didn't stop the gunman who carried out the massacre. "They really weren't exactly Medal of Honor winners," he said....
Police are trained to be effective. Mr. Trump obviously doesn't appreciate training at all. I dare say he hasn't had training in any capacity he managed to wrangle in life.
We hear of heroics all the time. Some Americans die in the process of saving lives in a burning building or jumping into freezing water to save another. But, for most police officers, they would recognize the need for assistance and was wise to wait until it arrived.
I find it outrageous a president of this country proposes for any unarmed person to run into a building with a man with an automatic weapon. That in any definition is suicide. I expect most Americans would react in 12 seconds, but, I doubt they would be effective against a 19 year old man with an AR-15. What purpose does that serve? Another dead person?
Mr. Trump speaks out of political need to be flamboyant, but, it hardly reflects life in the USA in any reality that is important. I do not expect officers to be superheroes. I expect them to serve and protect. Their ability to carry out that directive is highly hampered by assault weapons.
The school shootings and deaths across this country only reflects the selling of ideas rather than the real answers. The Executive Branch of the USA is negligent in protecting children.
And, this is called corruption. The Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle should be investigated for contributions by the NRA that destroys effective laws and policies. I want to know why the large fuel allowance to Delta in the first place and why all of a sudden the NRA is to benefit from it, too.
February 27, 2018
By Marwa Eltagpouri
Days after Delta Air Lines (click here) announced it would stop offering discounted fares to National Rifle Association members, a top Georgia Republican retaliated, vowing to kill legislation that would hand the airline a lucrative tax break.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (R), who leads the Georgia State Senate, demanded on Monday that Atlanta-based Delta, one of the state’s largest employers, make a choice: Stop punishing the NRA, or watch Republican lawmakers strike down a $50 million sales tax exemption on jet fuel, of which Delta would be the primary beneficiary.
“I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA,” Cagle tweeted. “Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.”...
Delta had a substantial fuel subsidy in 2015. Why the taxes paid on jet fuel isn't directly deductible anyway really is a curiosity to me. But, I sincerely believe Delta doesn't need the subsidy in lieu of saving lives and having children travel on their airlines.
11 January 2018
By Leslie Josephs
Delta Air Lines (click here) on Thursday posted fourth-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street's expectations, and it raised its 2018 guidance about 20 percent.
Fueling Delta's upbeat forecast was its ability to increase how much it generates from each seat it flies per mile, a key revenue metric. This rose 4 percent in the three months ended in December from a year earlier.
Passenger revenue increased in every region, though trans-Atlantic travel was a standout in the quarter with 9 percent growth on the year. Cargo revenue also surged, as consumer demand grew for speedy deliveries.
Delta's shares surged after the report and outlook from the airline's executives, adding 4.8 percent to close at $58.52. Its rivals Americanand United rose 4.9 and 4.6 percent, respectively.
For the quarter ended Dec. 31, the second-largest U.S. airline posted net income of $572 million, or 80 cents per share, a decline of 8 percent from the year-earlier period....
I find the entire subsidy to Delta by Georgia rather curious actually.
Jet fuel is required for jets to fly. In that is an expense that comes off the revenues of the airlines immediately. The taxes on such fuel when it is a business cost is automatically a deduction to Delta. I don't know why airlines would be charged tax actually. I can understand how that might be a tax on luxury, private jets and planes, but, commercial airlines have taxes on their fuel? Really?
I realize one of Delta's main hubs is in Atlanta. There is another in Cincinnati I believe. Does Delta think a hub elsewhere in the USA more beneficial to it's customers?
I don't call Cincinnati a window to the west coast for Delta, either. So, what gives? Is Delta being pressured for the purpose of Republican politics or is there something larger at work here that Georgia is trying to overcome?
In the U.S. Census Bureau's just-released 2013 American Community Survey, Georgia had a median household income of $47,829 in 2013, inflation-adjusted dollars. The state ranked 34th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia, with Maryland the highest at $72,483, Mississippi the lowest at $37,963.
Perhaps the customer base in Georgia is weaker than another city in the USA.
I sincerely believe the Republicans in Georgia are looking for a quid pro quo for political donations by subsidizing Delta. That is fascinating, because the subsidy is provided by the electorate of Georgia. It is easy for Republicans to dole out money to cronies; it isn't their money.
President Trump told the nation's governors (click here) Monday that he would have rushed in to aid students and teachers during the deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school.
"You don't know until you're tested but I think, I really believe, I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon, and I think most of the people in this room would have done that too," Trump said at a White House meeting.
He again found fault with the officers who didn't stop the gunman who carried out the massacre. "They really weren't exactly Medal of Honor winners," he said....
Police are trained to be effective. Mr. Trump obviously doesn't appreciate training at all. I dare say he hasn't had training in any capacity he managed to wrangle in life.
We hear of heroics all the time. Some Americans die in the process of saving lives in a burning building or jumping into freezing water to save another. But, for most police officers, they would recognize the need for assistance and was wise to wait until it arrived.
I find it outrageous a president of this country proposes for any unarmed person to run into a building with a man with an automatic weapon. That in any definition is suicide. I expect most Americans would react in 12 seconds, but, I doubt they would be effective against a 19 year old man with an AR-15. What purpose does that serve? Another dead person?
Mr. Trump speaks out of political need to be flamboyant, but, it hardly reflects life in the USA in any reality that is important. I do not expect officers to be superheroes. I expect them to serve and protect. Their ability to carry out that directive is highly hampered by assault weapons.
The school shootings and deaths across this country only reflects the selling of ideas rather than the real answers. The Executive Branch of the USA is negligent in protecting children.
And, this is called corruption. The Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle should be investigated for contributions by the NRA that destroys effective laws and policies. I want to know why the large fuel allowance to Delta in the first place and why all of a sudden the NRA is to benefit from it, too.
February 27, 2018
By Marwa Eltagpouri
Days after Delta Air Lines (click here) announced it would stop offering discounted fares to National Rifle Association members, a top Georgia Republican retaliated, vowing to kill legislation that would hand the airline a lucrative tax break.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (R), who leads the Georgia State Senate, demanded on Monday that Atlanta-based Delta, one of the state’s largest employers, make a choice: Stop punishing the NRA, or watch Republican lawmakers strike down a $50 million sales tax exemption on jet fuel, of which Delta would be the primary beneficiary.
“I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA,” Cagle tweeted. “Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.”...
Delta had a substantial fuel subsidy in 2015. Why the taxes paid on jet fuel isn't directly deductible anyway really is a curiosity to me. But, I sincerely believe Delta doesn't need the subsidy in lieu of saving lives and having children travel on their airlines.
11 January 2018
By Leslie Josephs
Delta Air Lines (click here) on Thursday posted fourth-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street's expectations, and it raised its 2018 guidance about 20 percent.
Fueling Delta's upbeat forecast was its ability to increase how much it generates from each seat it flies per mile, a key revenue metric. This rose 4 percent in the three months ended in December from a year earlier.
Passenger revenue increased in every region, though trans-Atlantic travel was a standout in the quarter with 9 percent growth on the year. Cargo revenue also surged, as consumer demand grew for speedy deliveries.
Delta's shares surged after the report and outlook from the airline's executives, adding 4.8 percent to close at $58.52. Its rivals Americanand United rose 4.9 and 4.6 percent, respectively.
For the quarter ended Dec. 31, the second-largest U.S. airline posted net income of $572 million, or 80 cents per share, a decline of 8 percent from the year-earlier period....
I find the entire subsidy to Delta by Georgia rather curious actually.
Jet fuel is required for jets to fly. In that is an expense that comes off the revenues of the airlines immediately. The taxes on such fuel when it is a business cost is automatically a deduction to Delta. I don't know why airlines would be charged tax actually. I can understand how that might be a tax on luxury, private jets and planes, but, commercial airlines have taxes on their fuel? Really?
I realize one of Delta's main hubs is in Atlanta. There is another in Cincinnati I believe. Does Delta think a hub elsewhere in the USA more beneficial to it's customers?
I don't call Cincinnati a window to the west coast for Delta, either. So, what gives? Is Delta being pressured for the purpose of Republican politics or is there something larger at work here that Georgia is trying to overcome?
In the U.S. Census Bureau's just-released 2013 American Community Survey, Georgia had a median household income of $47,829 in 2013, inflation-adjusted dollars. The state ranked 34th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia, with Maryland the highest at $72,483, Mississippi the lowest at $37,963.
Perhaps the customer base in Georgia is weaker than another city in the USA.
I sincerely believe the Republicans in Georgia are looking for a quid pro quo for political donations by subsidizing Delta. That is fascinating, because the subsidy is provided by the electorate of Georgia. It is easy for Republicans to dole out money to cronies; it isn't their money.
Monday, February 26, 2018
...colored dots on this map depict streamflow conditions...
10:30 ET
...30 years of record are used....(click here)
How is Congress going to fund this recovery? This is real time data.
February 26, 2018
By John Bacon, Thomas Novelty and Susan Miller
A new storm system (click here) forecast to form in the central U.S. threatened to bring additional weather misery to areas struggling to recover from a relentless series of weekend thunderstorms and tornadoes.
The new weather system will begin a three-day romp through the lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys sometime Tuesday, weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce said.
The map to the lower left are the major rivers of the USA. This does not show all the tributaries leading into the rivers. The real concern beyond the flooding is; if there is this much saturated land low long will it take for the rivers to recede?"After a few dry days, rain will return to some of the waterlogged cities in those regions, exacerbating the flooding situation," Dolce said.
More than 250 river gauges reported levels above flood stage from the Great Lakes to Texas, Dolce said. The greatest issues in coming days will be in Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia on Wednesday into early Thursday....
There are no inappropriate questions for an Assistant to the USA President.
Ivanka Trump-Kushner is a government employee; there are no inappropriate questions if the material is not classified. The accusation by other women about her father is a legitimate question. What does she know and when did she know it?
I would like to know if any of the women involved in the accusations and quite possibly non-disclosure agreements, went to Ivanka with their complaints and/or evidence?
28 February 2018
By Ashley Coleman
Ivanka Trump (click here) was questioned about the sexual misconduct allegations against her father while in PyeongChang, South Korea for the Olympics
The first daughter said she thought it was 'a pretty inappropriate question'
'I believe my father, I know my father. So I think I have that right as a daughter to believe my father,' she said
More than a dozen women have spoken out to accuse the president of inappropriate touching and kissing
More recently, reports have suggested that the president had at least two affairs during his marriage to first lady Melania
Trump has denied all of the allegations against him ...
As a government employee, Ivanka is held to the same standard as everyone else. The sexual assaults that Donald Trump already bragged about could be viewed as legitimate acts against women and illegal.
Trump’s accusers, (click here) clockwise from top left: Summer Zervos, Kristin Anderson, Jessica Leeds, Rachel Crooks, Mindy McGillivray, Karena Virginia, Jessica Drake, Cathy Heller, Jill Harth, Temple Taggart McDowell, Cassandra Searles, Natasha Stoynoff
Ivanka needs to consult with her attorney and then come forward with any information.
This is the same priviledge Trump believes he has because of his positions within power and his ill gotten wealth. Trump is not supposed to be above the law.
I would like to know if any of the women involved in the accusations and quite possibly non-disclosure agreements, went to Ivanka with their complaints and/or evidence?
28 February 2018
By Ashley Coleman
Ivanka Trump (click here) was questioned about the sexual misconduct allegations against her father while in PyeongChang, South Korea for the Olympics
The first daughter said she thought it was 'a pretty inappropriate question'
'I believe my father, I know my father. So I think I have that right as a daughter to believe my father,' she said
More than a dozen women have spoken out to accuse the president of inappropriate touching and kissing
More recently, reports have suggested that the president had at least two affairs during his marriage to first lady Melania
Trump has denied all of the allegations against him ...
Trump’s accusers, (click here) clockwise from top left: Summer Zervos, Kristin Anderson, Jessica Leeds, Rachel Crooks, Mindy McGillivray, Karena Virginia, Jessica Drake, Cathy Heller, Jill Harth, Temple Taggart McDowell, Cassandra Searles, Natasha Stoynoff
Ivanka needs to consult with her attorney and then come forward with any information.
This is the same priviledge Trump believes he has because of his positions within power and his ill gotten wealth. Trump is not supposed to be above the law.
"Dreamers" were given a promise by the USA government at it's highest levels.
February 26. 2018
By David G. Savage
The Supreme Court (click here) handed President Trump a significant defeat Monday, turning down the administration's plea for a quick ruling on the president's power to end special protections for so-called Dreamers.
The court's decision not to immediately hear the administration's appeal could keep in place a legal shield for nearly 700,000 young immigrants for the rest of this year, and perhaps longer....
The USA is still organized under the same US Constitution as when the Dreamers were provided immunity from prosecution due to issues with immigration. It was the duty of the Trump's Executive Branch to further the well being of these important Americans. The Executive Branch is responsible for the people of this country and that is all the people, including children that grew up in the USA and educated here.
For the promise we keep with the Dreamers, the USA is receiving back well educated people capable of work and expanding the stability of the country. If the Supreme Court believed it could settle the pleading once and for all; it would have without delay.
By David G. Savage
The Supreme Court (click here) handed President Trump a significant defeat Monday, turning down the administration's plea for a quick ruling on the president's power to end special protections for so-called Dreamers.
The court's decision not to immediately hear the administration's appeal could keep in place a legal shield for nearly 700,000 young immigrants for the rest of this year, and perhaps longer....
The USA is still organized under the same US Constitution as when the Dreamers were provided immunity from prosecution due to issues with immigration. It was the duty of the Trump's Executive Branch to further the well being of these important Americans. The Executive Branch is responsible for the people of this country and that is all the people, including children that grew up in the USA and educated here.
For the promise we keep with the Dreamers, the USA is receiving back well educated people capable of work and expanding the stability of the country. If the Supreme Court believed it could settle the pleading once and for all; it would have without delay.
I don't believe I have stated this yet, but, my sincerest sympathies to all the family and friends of those lost or recovering from injuries.
This type of death of young people is unnecessary in the USA. I have tried for over a decade to wake up the legislatures to act to protect people, unfortunately, the NRA is not as worried as I have been and legislators at all levels pander to the NRA and it's ready cash.
This type of death of young people is unnecessary in the USA. I have tried for over a decade to wake up the legislatures to act to protect people, unfortunately, the NRA is not as worried as I have been and legislators at all levels pander to the NRA and it's ready cash.
Police are allowed to call for backup while they hold their positions if they are out gunned.
Any police officer does not have to enter a situation where they will be killed.
They are nearly required to call for back-up if the situation demands it. The Resource Officer is not guilty of a crime; he did the only thing he could do and took up position near the gunman and waited for back-up. Everyone is allowed to live to see another day.
The problem here is the same as it was in Columbine, the ready availability of assault weapons by average citizens.
February 22, 2018
By Chuck Johnston, Jamiel Lynch and Dakin Andone
Officials (click here) also reported Thursday that surveillance footage from the school shooting was not shown live, as responding officers initially thought.
According to Coral Springs Police Chief Tony Pustizzi, the footage had been rewound, and police were watching it on a 20-minute delay, leading them to believe the gunman, Nikolas Cruz, was still in the building when he was long gone.
"The delay never put us in a situation where any kids' lives were in danger, any teachers lives were in danger," Pustizzi said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
When officers arrived on the scene of the shooting, he said, they wanted to gain access to the security footage to learn what happened and where the perpetrator could be.
But last Wednesday the footage was rewound, Pustizzi told reporters. At some point, there was a miscommunication and officers believed they were watching real-time footage.
"The issue was more of a communications failure on who was reviewing the tape, letting our guys know that it was a 20-minute delay in what they were reviewing," Pustizzi said....
The delayed recording was a problem, in that misinformation was relayed, but, the students would have been on lock down by then and none in the hallways to be mistaken for the gunman.
...At 3:02 p.m., when the Broward County timeline says Cruz briefly stopped at a nearby McDonald's, an officer says the suspect dropped a bag near a stairwell. Another officer asks if the footage is a recording.
"Yes, sir. It's about a 20-minute delay," the first officer says. "They're following him on video on the camera. They had him exiting the building, running south."
At 3:41 p.m., Cruz was identified and taken into custody.
That was 39 long minutes where Cruz was among the public after his killing rampage. There was at least one mimic that manifested. That is one of the dangers affiliated with mass killings like this. The attack spawns others to act. And the mimic is not necessarily identical to the mass murder, it could simply be a trigger to carry out killing attacks.
Every law enforcement in the country should move to heightened alert status due to the mimic potential after such a mass murder. The public, as well, should be aware of the phenomena that can occur when these mass murders occur. "See something, say something." The police have stated, any suspicious behavior reported is the right thing to do.
February 22, 2018
By Alex Horton
An alert security officer (click here) at a Southern California high school helped thwart a potential attack Friday, two days after the deadly Valentine’s Day shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead, authorities said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said they raced to prevent a copycat attack last Friday,...
They are nearly required to call for back-up if the situation demands it. The Resource Officer is not guilty of a crime; he did the only thing he could do and took up position near the gunman and waited for back-up. Everyone is allowed to live to see another day.
The problem here is the same as it was in Columbine, the ready availability of assault weapons by average citizens.
February 22, 2018
By Chuck Johnston, Jamiel Lynch and Dakin Andone
Officials (click here) also reported Thursday that surveillance footage from the school shooting was not shown live, as responding officers initially thought.
According to Coral Springs Police Chief Tony Pustizzi, the footage had been rewound, and police were watching it on a 20-minute delay, leading them to believe the gunman, Nikolas Cruz, was still in the building when he was long gone.
"The delay never put us in a situation where any kids' lives were in danger, any teachers lives were in danger," Pustizzi said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
When officers arrived on the scene of the shooting, he said, they wanted to gain access to the security footage to learn what happened and where the perpetrator could be.
But last Wednesday the footage was rewound, Pustizzi told reporters. At some point, there was a miscommunication and officers believed they were watching real-time footage.
"The issue was more of a communications failure on who was reviewing the tape, letting our guys know that it was a 20-minute delay in what they were reviewing," Pustizzi said....
The delayed recording was a problem, in that misinformation was relayed, but, the students would have been on lock down by then and none in the hallways to be mistaken for the gunman.
...At 3:02 p.m., when the Broward County timeline says Cruz briefly stopped at a nearby McDonald's, an officer says the suspect dropped a bag near a stairwell. Another officer asks if the footage is a recording.
"Yes, sir. It's about a 20-minute delay," the first officer says. "They're following him on video on the camera. They had him exiting the building, running south."
At 3:41 p.m., Cruz was identified and taken into custody.
That was 39 long minutes where Cruz was among the public after his killing rampage. There was at least one mimic that manifested. That is one of the dangers affiliated with mass killings like this. The attack spawns others to act. And the mimic is not necessarily identical to the mass murder, it could simply be a trigger to carry out killing attacks.
Every law enforcement in the country should move to heightened alert status due to the mimic potential after such a mass murder. The public, as well, should be aware of the phenomena that can occur when these mass murders occur. "See something, say something." The police have stated, any suspicious behavior reported is the right thing to do.
February 22, 2018
By Alex Horton
An alert security officer (click here) at a Southern California high school helped thwart a potential attack Friday, two days after the deadly Valentine’s Day shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead, authorities said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said they raced to prevent a copycat attack last Friday,...
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