Definitely unethical...

 ...and my be illegal. 

Governor Abbott of Texas is attempting to use fear of intimidation to force his agenda on the Texas Democrats by withholding food and beverages to demonstrators and legislators. Will they stop at nothing?

This Illinois legislation needs to be federal law.

May 31, 2021

By Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen

Parents and nonprofit groups (click here) are suing districts for teachers isolating students improperly in school isolation rooms.

Illinois lawmakers (click here) took sweeping action Sunday to limit the use of seclusion and restraint in schools, following through on promises made after a 2019 Tribune-ProPublica investigation revealed that school workers had regularly misused the practices to punish students.

The House voted unanimously to pass legislation barring school workers from locking children alone in seclusion spaces and limiting the use of any type of isolated timeout or physical restraint to when there’s “imminent danger of physical harm.” The legislation requires schools that receive state funding to make a plan to reduce — and eventually eliminate — the practices over the next three years. Schools that develop plans more quickly can receive priority for new grant funding for staff training....

The FCC needs to do something about FOX News and their commentators.

Their programming recently featured the headline that violence in USA cities was picking up as if that is actually news. I think most Americans recognize the violence that has broken out in this country because of incompetent leadership in 2020. But, it wasn't even that they recognized the increased violence in cities, they had a former I.C.E. executive on the program to talk about it. The segment I watched was intended to imply the increased violence was due to illegal immigrants and of course some of the worst-hit cities were sanctuary cities. There were no facts, it was a segment built on the inspiration of hate of illegal immigrants. 

Additionally, I saw a segment from Hannity designed to disgrace President Biden as an aged-old coot that is incompetent in his responsibilities as president. The segment was nothing but Age Discrimination. There were segments of President Biden as a young Senator and then there were segments of him as he aged and then of course as President Biden is now. There were no real facts to state that in an annual physical certain deficit turned up that raised question of his competency. It was pure age discrimination and buffoonery. 

This is not entertainment or infotainment, it is pure unadulterated slander.

After January 6, 2021, it is the FCC's responsibility to take action against such performances that are intended to promulgate hate. FOX News and its commentators do nothing by promoting the hate of others. It is time to call them out and do something about it.

Some time ago the American people decided to ostracize a word was a good idea. There was a recent column about it. And why did that occur?? It stigmatized people and as a society and country, we could not get past the negativity of that word. We are at the same crossroads as the infotainment industry. They dictate the hate people should feel for others and it is time to end that practice. No different than a stigmatizing word, the industry involved is not journalism. As a country, we have tolerated this too long and it has hurt our democracy. 

Enough. I do not believe infotainment, as it is practiced by FOX News and other right-wing extremist channels, is freedom of speech. That is true of organizations such as White Supremacists that tantalized young minds with power and hate to become extremists themselves. And now, we see the product of those organizations carrying weapons of war to the streets of the USA and killing at will. Even the sanctity of churches is not safe anymore. 

Enough. We as a society have been slapped in the face too many times and it is time to end this debate about freedom of speech as related to right-wing extremism. They are cruel people that hate freedom and democracy. They only want to hate and kill others that are different from them. It is time to end the infotainment industry's stranglehold on power and hate and return this country back to a place of domestic peace.

April 30, 2021
By John McWhorter

...In 1934, Allen Walker Read, (click here) an etymologist and lexicographer, laid out the history of the word that, then, had “the deepest stigma of any in the language.” In the entire article, in line with the strength of the taboo he was referring to, he never actually wrote the word itself. The obscenity to which he referred, “fuck,” though not used in polite company (or, typically, in this newspaper), is no longer verboten. These days, there are two other words that an American writer would treat as Mr. Read did. One is “cunt,” and the other is “nigger.” The latter, though, has become more than a slur. It has become taboo....

Oh, one more thing. When it comes to President Biden, he is the best President for our time, and harassment such as the kind the "hate-entertainment" industry hands out is giving our country a black eye internationally.

When President Biden sits down with Putin and speaks of human rights, the entire country should be behind him.

There needs to be similar legislation as a federal law as adopted in Illinois.

Ya know real freedom of speech such as attending government meetings and even meetings of citizens with similar interests is the hallmark of democracy. It is protected by the First Amendment and Freedom to assemble. This action by police regarding citizens is appalling. There needs to be a further investigation of the people targeted by the police and whether they were actually kept silent and if so what transpired with a government that should not have. The legislation is the first step, there need to be more investigations and quite possibly charges filed. 

May 31, 2021

By Jeremy Gorner, Gregory Pratt, and Dan Petrella

Illinois lawmakers approved a bill (click here) that makes it illegal for police to access at least one commonly used law enforcement database to perform criminal background checks on citizens who sign up to speak at public meetings.

A previous version of the measure was introduced in the House by state Rep. Kam Buckner, a Chicago Democrat, in 2019 after the Tribune disclosed how the Chicago Police Department ran secret background checks for more than a decade on several hundred citizens who signed up to speak at public meetings before the Chicago Police Board....

This Veteran's Day military families need to be recognized as well.

There is an association that is supposed to help military families during deployments and when their family is serving at home. I think there should be a monument that is recognized for the service families provide along with their soldiers. Dr. Jill Biden served the interest of military families when she was Second Lady. Perhaps she can capture that spirit in asking for a monument to military families in appreciation of their sacrifice to this country.

Alexandria, VA — The National Military Family Association (click here) Board of Governors is delighted to announce Besa Pinchotti as the Association’s new Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer.

Pinchotti steps into this position after having served most recently as Acting Executive Director and Senior Director for Advancement at the National Military Family Association (NMFA).

“In her eight years at NMFA, Besa has demonstrated unparalleled leadership, enthusiasm and commitment to the Association, its people, and the community we serve,” said Tina Jonas, Chairman of the Board of Governors. “The Board is excited to strengthen its support of military families under Besa’s continued leadership.”

As Executive Director, Pinchotti brings years of leadership at NMFA, a deep understanding of the military community, and strong partner relationships. She is an award-winning journalist and marketer whose passion for our military began during her time as a reporter and television news anchor. From Jacksonville, NC to Kosovo, her assignments opened her eyes to the post-9/11 military experience, and its cycles of deployment, redeployment, and constant transition....

This was a good initiative to stem corruption. That is something every state should be doing since the 4 years of Trump.

May 4, 2021
By Craig Mauger

Lansing - The Michigan House (click here) voted unanimously Tuesday to place new limits on separation agreements between agencies and departing state employees two months after revelations of secret deals roiled the Capitol.

Most notably, Robert Gordon, the former state health director, received nine months of pay after he resigned on Jan. 22, and Steve Gray, the former unemployment director, got nearly seven months of pay when he left on Nov. 5. Both deals required Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration and the ex-officials to maintain confidentiality about the circumstances of the departures....