A tornado?

Robert's Rules of Order states that everything that can go wrong will go wrong. That would be the reality of the Flint Zoning Board. Evidently, the zoning map is a very big deal and it was supposed to be voted on and low and behold what happens? A tornado siren warning. Amazing. It is a reminder that Michigan is in the Midwest USA and tornadoes are known to visit from time to time. So, in the well intentioned meeting the zoning board was warned that maybe there is one other thing to consider and those are tornado shelters.

July 15, 2022
By Kate Stockrahm

Flint - A much-anticipated vote (click here) to bring Flint’s zoning ordinance into the 21st century was again pushed back this week after a tornado siren ended a Flint City Council meeting early.

The zoning ordinance, which would codify the land-use vision in the city’s Master Plan, was on the council’s July 11, 2022, agenda for public hearing and subsequent second reading and adoption.

Prior to the siren, multiple public speakers and council members spoke in favor of the updated code’s passage....

It would seem as though Snyder ignored Flint's pleas regarding lead. Why is it so difficult to get charges against this lousy governor when there is evidence everywhere?

July 13, 2022

By Carol Thompson

A top aide to former Gov. Rick Snyder (click here) took the stand in an Ann Arbor courthouse this week and described his frustrations with state agencies during the height of the Flint water crisis in 2015.

As Flint residents and clergy raised alarm bells about stinky, discolored water flowing from their pipes, Dennis Muchmore said Tuesday their concerns were effectively ignored by the state government. 

He wrote as much in a July 22, 2015, email to then-state Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon: "These folks are scared and worried about the health impacts and they are basically getting blown off by us," Muchmore wrote in the email, which was displayed Tuesday in court. "As a state we are just not sympathizing with their plight."

Muchmore, Snyder's chief of staff, testified before U.S. District Court Judge Judith Levy on Tuesday as part of a trial in a lawsuit filed by Flint residents against engineering contractors Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, known as LAN....

Snyder had put a friend in as COO of the State of Michigan was it Muchmore?  He was put in that position supposedly to trim the agencies down to size so they would function and to cancel what needed to be canceled in any regulation that was causing less efficiency. That might be an interesting reason, but, that also makes Snyder untouchable. Like a mob boss, he can claim not knowing any of the goings on with the state agencies.

Dennis Muchmore (click here)

Snyder was elected 2010.

November 15, 2010

Governor-elect Rick Snyder (click here) today rounded out his senior staff naming Dennis Muchmore chief of staff, Geralyn Lasher director of communications, and Michael Gadola legal affairs director.

“Finding the right people is crucial for the administration to be a success,” Governor-elect Snyder said. “With Dennis, Geralyn and Mike joining the administration I am confident we are putting together a top-flight team with the diverse mix of backgrounds and experience to help us reinvent Michigan.”

Muchmore is founder of government affairs firm Muchmore Harrington Smalley & Associates. He is also an executive vice president at DHR International, where he is responsible for recruiting executives for corporate clients....

Snyder made trimming the bureaucracy a priority and was one of the reasons conservatives pushed for him to be in office. As far as I am concerned, if Muchmore was responsible for trimming the Michigan so-called bureaucracy then he is the one for controlling information that made it to the governor, because Snyder set it up that way.

If Muchmore was having trouble in 2015, five years into the Snyder administration, with the state agencies, then it was Muchmore that was responsible for that complete breakdown of the state agencies and Snyder was sitting happy at the states Executive Chair without a care in the world, showing off how he trimmed the Michigan bureaucracy and saved the state so much money. It was Snyder that wanted the state agencies to misfire and Muchmore made it happen.

Muchmore's testimony is nothing but an attempt to push responsibility off the Executive Branch, which Snyder staffed and empowered, onto state agencies that were trimmed back to the point of dysfunction at Muchmore's hand. 

May 26, 2022
By Ron Fonger

Flint - The man with direct oversight of Flint’s water system (click here) says he quit his job in 2015 after a former emergency manager blocked his plan to reconnect the city to the Detroit water system.

In a videotaped deposition played to a federal court jury on Thursday, May 26, Daugherty Johnson, who worked more than 20 years for the city, said he directed managers who reported to him to prepare to reconnect to Detroit water eight months before the state of Michigan paid to make the same switch after acknowledging rising levels of lead in Flint water....

People involved with this hostile act KNEW there was a problem with the water and simply looked the other way. That is exactly what happened all the way up the chain to the Executive offices of then Governor Rick Snyder. There was no mishandling, there was simply NO HANDLING!

This is why what occurred in Flint was a crime. There were people telling the Snyder administration about the problems and now to resolve it, but, the Snyder administration stood in the way of the resolution because they wanted things their way to REFORM Flint and sell off assets. They didn't care about the people, they figured the people deserved it.

Every time I reflect on this, it always comes down to arrogance and racism. GM was proved water that worked for them when corrosion was destroying the engines. None of what went down with Flint makes sense except blatant racism and I don't care the color of the skin of the Emergency Manager. Snyder disabled the state agencies and turned loose decision makers in the form of Emergency Managers who's role was changed legislatively to allow Snyder to completely discharge the city's government. 

Snyder, in every way, shape and form is responsible for those that died and those that were maimed through the poisoned Flint water. He may have well poured poison in the water all by himself, because he designed the state government that would never process the emergency.

November 30, 2018

By Paul Egan

Right is Daugherty Johnson. The man that attempted to end the suffering. He was denied the opportunity to do so by the Snyder Administration Emergency Manager. The buck stopped with him, but, the racism continued with Snyder. Johnson had a conscience and could not bring himself to carry out the demands of the Snyder administration. He knew. What else do prosecutors need to know to assign responsibility and prosecute!!!!!

All charges have been dismissed (click here) against the former City of Flint utilities director, who was one of 15 people criminally charged in the Flint drinking water crisis.

Daugherty "Duffy" Johnson, 50, of Flushing pleaded no contest last year to a single misdemeanor charge of failing to furnish public records upon request, as part of a cooperation deal with Flint prosecutors working for the Michigan Attorney General's Office.

At that time, charges against Johnson of conspiracy and false pretenses, both 20-year felonies, were dismissed.

At a hearing in Flint on Thursday, the remaining charge against Johnson was dismissed by Genesee District Court Judge Nathaniel Perry, records show....

I think Joe Biden is a great President.

 Gulf Cooperation Council (click here)

Joe Biden is not afraid to say Global Warming and the fact it is being discussed at the meeting of nine countries.

A lot happening with women's health.

July 15, 2022
By Amy B Wang and Eugene Scott

The House on Friday (click here) passed legislation that would protect access to reproductive health care, including the ability to travel across state lines for an abortion, as part of Democrats’ efforts to minimize the consequences of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last month.

One bill, the Women’s Health Protection Act, would enshrine the protections of Roe v. Wade into law. The House already passed the bill last year, but it failed to advance in a Senate vote in May. The House passed the bill, 219-210, prompting applause from Democrats in the chamber. All Republicans and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Tex.) voted against the measure.

Another bill, the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, would reaffirm the right for someone seeking an abortion to travel freely across state lines. The House passed that measure, 223-205, with three Republicans — Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Fred Upton (Mich.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) — joining all Democrats in backing the bill....

This was a more than interesting exchange with an anti-abortion activist. (click here)

She states that an abortion procedure on a 10 year old child is not an abortion but a medical procedure. Where is the legislature then? Where are the Republicans pumping out MEDICAL PROCEDURES? What abortion is NOT a medical procedure?

This is exactly the problem with politicizing a medical procedure. The right wing is going to change the meaning of medical terminology now. There is an abortion and there is a medical procedure that is the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus: (click here) 

This is the Mayo Clinic definition of abortion (click here)

Medical abortion is a procedure that uses medication to end a pregnancy. A medical abortion doesn't require surgery or anesthesia and can be started either in a medical office or at home with follow-up visits to your doctor. It's safer and most effective during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Having a medical abortion is a major decision with emotional and psychological consequences. If you're considering this procedure, make sure you understand what it entails, side effects, possible risks, complications and alternatives....

The Mayo Clinic speaks to PRIVACY in stating "The reasons for having a medical abortion are highly personal."  That indicates privacy. The medical records of ANYONE, INCLUDING WOMEN, are confidential and not a matter of FIOA!

The reasons for having a medical abortion are highly personal. You can choose medical abortion to complete an early miscarriage or end an unwanted pregnancy. You can also choose to have a medical abortion if you have a medical condition that makes continuing a pregnancy life-threatening.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic goes on to define miscarriage (click here).

The Mayo Clinic defines Mifepristone and it's legitimate use (click here).

July 14, 2022
Analysis by Aaron Blake

The conservative effort (click here) to cast a story about a pregnant 10-year-old Ohio rape victim as a hoax has now fallen apart, with confirmation of the case arriving Wednesday. While some merely noted the initial report hadn’t been confirmed, several conservative media figures and Republican politicians went significantly further in casting it as a dirty trick meant to make the GOP’s post-Roe v. Wade laws look bad; high on that list was Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R)....

The medical society of the USA needs to come out and speak about this atrocity and the fact politicians are looking to make hay on this. There is no reason for an investigation into a legitimate abortion on a 10 year old child. The investigation ONLY belongs in bring the rapist to justice. The fact the child needed an abortion and the abortion contents reveal a pregnancy is all that is necessary. It stops there! The doctor is a WITNESS, not a victim!

Indiana Attorney General candidate (click here) Todd Rokita has called for an investigation into the Indiana obstetrician for providing abortion care to a 10-year-old rape victim.

This issue of abortion is dangerous because the Republicans think this is such a strong issue for them, they will construct a very demonic agenda surrounding women's health.

July 15, 2022
By Seth A. Richardson

The Ohio abortion ban (click here) that led a 10-year-old rape victim to obtain the procedure in Indiana last month and the state’s past refusal to recognize same-sex marriages were in the spotlight Thursday at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on how the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion would affect other personal in a Wednesday hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, Sabrina Eaton writes. While Ohio’s Jim Jordan used the hearing to discuss a rash of recent vandalism at churches and crisis pregnancy centers, several Democrats attacked Jordan for describing the case of the 10-year-old rape victim as a lie in a tweet he deleted after her rapist’s arrest....

The Cleveland Clinic is the backbone to Ohio's Health System. The Cleveland Clinic is also affiliated with NIH, as is the Mayo Clinic, and serves as a cutting edge hospital that administers experimental medication for all manifestation of human health.

Looking to the Cleveland Clinic regarding abortion the SAME PRIVACY ELEMENT is in place no different than the Mayo Clinic.

June 28, 2022

“Our strongly held conviction (click here) is that women’s healthcare decisions are best made between a patient and their healthcare provider — a relationship based on privacy and trust. It is a privilege for us to serve patients with such an intimate understanding of their lives.

We are deeply concerned about the consequences that restrictive abortion laws will have on women and families....

Any Democratic or Independent candidate for office at any level of government needs to be very confident in their understanding they are standing with medical professionals in some of the finest and most advanced medical facilities in the USA. 

There is no reason to back down. Remember the Republican Party is standing with insurrectionists, Shamen and cults. It is vitally important legislators are strong in their values of women's health and the strength to bring a resolve to protect all women and girls.

Anti-abortionists, the Robert’s Court and the political party of Trumpian Republicans are weakening the American Family while they face greater impoverishment without quality of life when many children require the same resources as a few children.

American men have stepped up their priority for vasectomies because they see the religiously bigoted outlawing any form of contraception. The move to sterilization will be sought by young men as well as those not yet reaching adulthood. The horizon American men see includes in vitro fertilization of their wives as well as adoption. The Roe v. Wade decision demands attention before sterilization becomes an adverse realty for the USA. I don’t care what billionaire Musk says, on the ground American men are not interested in large families of children.

Here is some controversy. I was waiting to hear she died of cancer. A fall?

Police are investigating (click here) whether Ivana Trump may have fallen down the stairs at her home on East 64th Street, police sources told The Post. She was found at the bottom of the staircase and was believed to have suffered cardiac arrest, though the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the official cause of death.

And to think the former president-insurrectionist is announcing the death? What about her children or a spokesperson? I find it odd he would be announcing her death.

Are the Secret Service communications part of the archived records?

July 15, 2022
By Kanishka Singh

Washington - The U.S. Secret Service (click here) deleted text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021 after they were requested by oversight officials investigating the agency's response to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the agency watchdog has claimed.

The Secret Service disputed that accusation on Thursday, saying some phone data was lost during a routine device migration, but that all of the requested texts had been saved....

Aaron Swartz, (click here) lest we not forget what capitalism can do.

There needs to be testimony by the agents responsible for the President those two days. Those records are supposed to be filed. Who erased them?

Welcome to the Secret Service FOIA Library. (click here) The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires agencies to make various types of records available for public inspection in both paper and electronic form. These records are available through this page.

These are probably interesting reads. I wouldn't mind knowing what the record is like the day President Kennedy was assassinated.

This is controversial?

Honestly, if the man breaths it is controversial. It is probably left over from a COVID handshake. Not every country in the world uses elbows. How dense and insensitive are journalists anyway?

What worries me is how did Jared influence the Saudis to make President Biden's visit adverse politically? I am sure the telephone lines between Jared and MBS are burning up the wires.

The insurrection leaders probably still have classified clearance.

There is little to no depth these days. It is all superficial bullshit. I guarantee you Americans have no idea what the President is hoping to achieve and why. It is all garbage.

This is the Guardian:

Analysis: (click here) Israel has transformed itself from regional pariah to ally to many Arab states

This is magnificent. Anyone know how long it has been that Israel has been seeking acceptance and recognition by it's neighbors? This is the best news the USA has had in decades and yes it is occurring in the Biden White House.

Peter Alexander has guts. Absolutely brave considering whom he is missing as a trusted friend and colleague.

NBC reporter Peter Alexander (click here) claims to have shouted, “Jamal Khashoggi --- will you apologize to his family?” to Prince Mohammed bin Salman after the press pool closed.

Alexander claims Salman smirked before a Saudi attendant grabbed the reporter by the arm.

The Biden administration declassified a report last year blaming Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for approving the operation to capture or kill journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi.

It was the first time the U.S. government blamed the crown prince for Khashoggi's killing in an official intelligence document. 

By the way, what I am reading is that Americans are more annoyed about the lack of EVs available than the price of fuel for internal combustion engines.

Americans are better off with the Lottery, than uncertainty in crypto.

A fool and his money are soon parted. Russia is known using crypto as it's sovereign money. The Russia bankruptcy of it's sovereign debt is not going to reverse anytime soon.

Maybe bankruptcy is too harsh a word. Both Belarus and Russia have defaulted on their foreign debt (click here). The West is absolutely correct to take Russian property and monies to provide for Ukraine.

July 6, 2022
By Joe Light

Voyager Digital, (click here) a major cryptocurrency lender, is throwing itself into bankruptcy. Its depositors are about to find out how messy, long, and costly that process can be.

Voyager (ticker: VOYG.CA) was part of a broad ecosystem of companies that took crypto deposits and paid high interest rates to customers. To earn that yield, Voyager lent the tokens to other investors at even higher rates.


But amid the turmoil that has struck the broader markets in recent weeks, some big crypto borrowers, such as the hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC), stopped paying their debts. Depositors have clamored to get their funds back.

Last Friday, Voyager froze withdrawal requests. And on Tuesday evening, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, describing itself as a victim of 3AC’s own bankruptcy and the general collapse in prices of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin . On Tuesday, before the filing, Voyager stock traded at 34 cents, down 99% from its November high....

June 16, 2022

By Olga Kharif

...1. What is crypto lending? (click here) 

At first blush, crypto lending accounts look a lot like savings accounts offered by banks, but with cryptocurrencies instead of traditional money. An investor opens an account, deposits cryptocurrency and earns interest. Many deposits are in Bitcoin, while other investors use stablecoins -- tokens whose price is often pegged at $1. Others use lesser-known, more volatile cryptocurrencies. The accounts typically pay interest in the same currencies that are deposited. Some have rates that change daily. Others offer a fixed rate and the money is locked up for a fixed period....

June 16, 2022

By Oliver Knight

If the collapse (click here) of LUNA was cryptocurrency's Bear Stearns moment, Celsius Network threatens to become the industry's Lehman Brothers: the failure that exacerbates a market crisis.

Celsius, which resembles a bank while touting itself as a democratized interest income and lending platform, is rumored to be insolvent following a freeze on withdrawals over the weekend. Founded in 2018, Celsius had more than $8 billion lent out to clients and $12 billion in assets under management by May of this year, according to the company.

In the wake of the withdrawal freeze, Coinbase, BlockFi and Crypto.com have announced job cuts, while insolvency rumors are also beginning to emerge from crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital....

Nothing short of genius. A women's health hospital ship.

Such a ship could be tethered in federal waters anywhere in USA shorelines and operate independently.

July 15, 2022
By Shomik Mukherjee

San Francisco - After three decades (click here) providing obstetric and gynecological care, Dr. Amy “Meg” Autry isn’t certain of what will come next for federal abortion rights, but she’s sure of one thing: Residents in half the country will need as much access as possible — by air, land or sea.

Autry’s vision has taken her to the last of those frontiers, as she thinks through how her new nonprofit could one day facilitate abortions and other reproductive health care services aboard a vessel in federal waters, off the coasts of states where the procedures are now banned following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and end federal abortion rights that had stood for nearly 50 years.

It’s a novel idea with all sorts of inspirations, including riverboat casinos depicted on the Netflix series Ozark, as well as Autry’s own experience delivering abortions in both Wisconsin and now at UC San Francisco.

”I’ve had the idea for a long time,” said Autry, a UCSF doctor since 1993. “This past month has been jarring — there’s just this sense of disbelief. I grew up hearing stories about self-induced abortions … a lot of poor people are going to die if they don’t have access.”...

For the Trump Wakos that will want to interfere with the mission and
business of a floating women's health clinic, the Coast Guard can respond to calls of terrorism and violence.

The Coast Guard's broad legal authorities (click here) associated with maritime transportation, hazardous materials shipping, bridge administration, oil spill response, pilotage, and vessel construction and operation are listed below.

President Biden is conducting transitional work that reforms relationships of Middle East allies for the future.

Basically, his trip to the Middle East is a regional peace treaty that expands security.

July 14, 2022
By Reema Bandar Alsaud

...Long gone are the days (click here) when the U.S.-Saudi relationship could be defined by the outdated and reductionist “oil for security” paradigm. The world has changed and the existential dangers facing us all, including food and energy security and climate change, cannot be resolved without an effective U.S.-Saudi alliance. These priorities must guide the U.S.-Saudi partnership of the 21st century, and we view the visit of President Biden as an important moment for laying out our shared vision for how to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.

The Saudi Arabia of today is barely recognizable from how it once looked, even just five years ago. Today, we are not just a global leader in energy, but also in investment and sustainable development. Through hundreds of billions of dollars of investment in education, technology, economic diversification and green energy, we have launched a transformation agenda that is unlocking the enormous potential of our young men and women....

President Biden is making incredible progress in normalizing relations to the entire region that will bring about strong alliances with function for businesses as well. This is as much about the new burgeoning economies of the region as it is about national security. 

The truth is President Biden is doing great work. He hasn't forgotten the Palestinians. He is meeting with them, too. Human rights is at the forefront of these issues. President Biden is not sacrificing human life for oil. It won't happen that way.

This is a time in history when global balance and security is vitally important now that two powers, Russia and China, have done an about face in regard to The West, which includes allies in the Middle East. It is a time of renaissance of sorts and quite frankly no one but a senior statesman with the experience Biden has could have accomplished it. His expertise spans decades of treaties, allies and enemies. He knows where the strength is and how to change insecurities into strong alliances with great economies and freedom.

14 July 2022

By Jacob Magid

US President Joe Biden, (click here) during his visit to Jeddah this weekend, will announce the successful brokering of an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Egypt that will see Riyadh take steps toward normalization with Israel, a Middle East diplomat confirmed to The Times of Israel Thursday.

The normalization measures will include Saudi Arabia opening its airspace to Israeli flights to the Far East in addition to rolling out direct flights between Israel and Saudi Arabia for Muslim pilgrims, the Middle East diplomat said, confirming reporting in the Axios news site.

The US has been seeking to finalize the transfer of the Tiran and Sanafir Red Sea islands from Cairo to Riyadh in time for Biden’s visit to Jeddah, where he will participate in the GCC+3 summit and hold a bilateral meeting with Saudi officials....

The bill the US House passed yesterday is vital to national security and the Defense Department. Senators like Manchin need to shut up and stop the grand standing or risk being seen as a communist obstructionist no different than McConnell and Trump.