June 7, 2018
By Mushtaq Yusufzai and Sophora Smith
Peshawar, Pakistan — The Afghan Taliban announced a three-day cease-fire Saturday in an unprecedented move to put fighting on hold during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan.
The announcement came days after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced that government troops would observe a week-long cease-fire with the militant group beginning on 27 Ramadan, or June 12 on the Western calendar, and lasting through June 19. A statement from the president's office said the cease-fire does not include al Qaeda or the Islamic State.
Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Taliban commanders have directed their fighters to refrain from attacking the Afghan security forces for three days, but said foreign forces remained a target.
The group warned that if they come under attack they would retaliate, a Taliban military commander told NBC News. The commander spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the media....
The ceasefire was to last until June 19, 2018. The USA broke the cease fire and the men killed in drone strikes were not al Qaeda or Daesh. The men killed were Taliban. The Taliban were in talks with the Afghan government.
The domestic problems in the USA should not deter from realizing illegal military actions on foreign soil. I do believe in breaking the ceasefire the USA has illegally killed others. Who ordered this?
Peace does not have a chance with the continued USA presence in Afghanistan.
June 15, 2018
By Iftikhar Firdous
The elusive chief of outlawed (click here) Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has reportedly been killed in a US drone strike in northeastern Afghanistan, according to security and intelligence sources.
Maulana Fazlullah, who was named TTP chief after the death of Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone strike in November 2013, is said to have been killed in the drone strike in Kunar province of Afghanistan.
The drone strike that took place in the Nur Gul Kalay village of Dangam district on June 13 also killed four other TTP commanders who have been identified as Abu Bakar, Umar, Imran and Sajid....
Maulana Fazlullah was a very bad man, but, if he was alive before the decision of a ceasefire that then commenced he should have been alive at the end of the ceasefire. The USA is exhibiting lack of restraint and unable to abide by an official ceasefire invoked by the country inviting the USA military, namely Afghanistan. These are high holy days and the trust between the USA military and Afghanistan should never be in jeopardy as it is today.
November 11, 2013
By Nicholas Schmidle
...Fazlullah (click here) was an inspired choice, by the Taliban’s warped standards. He is young and ruthless, and has taken responsibility for a panoply of barbaric acts over the years: floggings, suicide bombings, even the attempted assassination of Malala Yousafzai, a teen-age girl who survived gunshots to the head and neck, and who has become an even more driven advocate for girls’ education. (She recently addressed the United Nations and appeared on “The Daily Show.”) Last summer, his men kidnapped and beheaded seventeen Pakistani soldiers....
There are lots of bad men in the Taliban. But, Afghanistan has engaged them for some time now. This is a ceasefire that could have been accomplished. Now, there will be less trust rather than more. Do evil men stand trial after a peace is achieved? Of course, they do. There is no excuse for this.
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Trump and Sessions are stuck with the fact children are meaningless to a family. The circumstances are getting worse.
THE BIBLE DOES NOT CONDONE GENOCIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the fascism of White Supremacists. Make no mistake, this level of cruelty and mental distress of children are the hallmarks of White Supremacists that divide themselves away from THE OTHER. They don't see a face other than Caucasian as a person.
This is wrong, it is cruelty and torture and it has to be stopped now. This is escalating out of control and the next question is, "Where did those children go that came here from Mexico?"
June 14, 2018
By Adam Edelman
Attorney General Jeff Sessions (click here) on Thursday offered a full-throated defense of the Trump administration's policy of separating children from their parents at the border, saying that having kids does not give migrants immunity from prosecution — and found justification for his policies in the Bible.
Sessions — who last month announced a "zero tolerance policy" to criminally prosecute people crossing the border illegally — made his latest remarks in a speech to law enforcement officers in Fort Wayne, Indiana, telling the group that the migrant families were to blame for their own break-ups and that his department's separation of families was not "unusual or unjustified."...
God does not make law in the United States of America. For Americans that practice religion, god is found in worship, not the US Congress.
This is simply more of the White Supremacist agenda.
April 20, 2017
“This is not normal,” (click here) James B. Comey said this last week after President Trump threatened him with jail. (click here)
If I had a nickel for every time somebody said that, I could repay the national debt. There is so much abnormality from this president that we’re numb.
I’d like to pause, therefore, to reflect on just one thing the president did this last week that, amid Russian hookers and his assaults on truth, law and decency, got little attention: his talk of immigrants “breeding” in America’s sanctuary cities.
“There is a Revolution going on in California. Soooo many Sanctuary areas want OUT of this ridiculous, crime infested & breeding concept,” the president tweeted on Tuesday.
What could he mean? Immigrants are breeding thoroughbred horses? Prize- winning cattle?
Or perhaps Trump was using “breeding” in the sense now popular among white supremacists?
Hmm. I wonder . . .
The image of Latinos breeding makes them not quite human, parasites among a host people, an enemy within given sanctuary when they should be cast out. The aliens among us are not like us, but, unfairly protected, they breed and bring danger.
Where have I heard this before? Maybe it was 1919: “Through thousands of years of the closest kind of inbreeding, Jews in general have maintained their race. . . . Thus comes the fact that there lives amongst us a non-German, alien race which neither wishes nor is able to sacrifice its racial character or to deny its feeling, thinking and striving. Nevertheless, it possesses all the political rights we do.”
Adolf Hitler continued, recommending “elimination of the privileges of the Jews” and eventually “the irrevocable removal of the Jews in general. For both these ends a government of national strength, not of national weakness, is necessary.”
The notion later became a staple of Nazi propaganda. From 1944 : “Jewry is the product of the inbreeding of asocial, criminal, sick, degenerate, and rejected elements. . . . [It] leads a rootless, parasitic life at the expense of the host peoples. Its current homeland is largely the criminal neighborhoods of the great cities of the world.”...
...Trump appointee Carl Higbie resigned after the publishing of his earlier complaints that black women think “breeding is a form of government employment.”
This is the fascism of White Supremacists. Make no mistake, this level of cruelty and mental distress of children are the hallmarks of White Supremacists that divide themselves away from THE OTHER. They don't see a face other than Caucasian as a person.
This is wrong, it is cruelty and torture and it has to be stopped now. This is escalating out of control and the next question is, "Where did those children go that came here from Mexico?"
June 14, 2018
By Adam Edelman
Attorney General Jeff Sessions (click here) on Thursday offered a full-throated defense of the Trump administration's policy of separating children from their parents at the border, saying that having kids does not give migrants immunity from prosecution — and found justification for his policies in the Bible.
Sessions — who last month announced a "zero tolerance policy" to criminally prosecute people crossing the border illegally — made his latest remarks in a speech to law enforcement officers in Fort Wayne, Indiana, telling the group that the migrant families were to blame for their own break-ups and that his department's separation of families was not "unusual or unjustified."...
God does not make law in the United States of America. For Americans that practice religion, god is found in worship, not the US Congress.
This is simply more of the White Supremacist agenda.
April 20, 2017
“This is not normal,” (click here) James B. Comey said this last week after President Trump threatened him with jail. (click here)
If I had a nickel for every time somebody said that, I could repay the national debt. There is so much abnormality from this president that we’re numb.
I’d like to pause, therefore, to reflect on just one thing the president did this last week that, amid Russian hookers and his assaults on truth, law and decency, got little attention: his talk of immigrants “breeding” in America’s sanctuary cities.
“There is a Revolution going on in California. Soooo many Sanctuary areas want OUT of this ridiculous, crime infested & breeding concept,” the president tweeted on Tuesday.
What could he mean? Immigrants are breeding thoroughbred horses? Prize- winning cattle?
Or perhaps Trump was using “breeding” in the sense now popular among white supremacists?
Hmm. I wonder . . .
The image of Latinos breeding makes them not quite human, parasites among a host people, an enemy within given sanctuary when they should be cast out. The aliens among us are not like us, but, unfairly protected, they breed and bring danger.
Where have I heard this before? Maybe it was 1919: “Through thousands of years of the closest kind of inbreeding, Jews in general have maintained their race. . . . Thus comes the fact that there lives amongst us a non-German, alien race which neither wishes nor is able to sacrifice its racial character or to deny its feeling, thinking and striving. Nevertheless, it possesses all the political rights we do.”
Adolf Hitler continued, recommending “elimination of the privileges of the Jews” and eventually “the irrevocable removal of the Jews in general. For both these ends a government of national strength, not of national weakness, is necessary.”
The notion later became a staple of Nazi propaganda. From 1944 : “Jewry is the product of the inbreeding of asocial, criminal, sick, degenerate, and rejected elements. . . . [It] leads a rootless, parasitic life at the expense of the host peoples. Its current homeland is largely the criminal neighborhoods of the great cities of the world.”...
...Trump appointee Carl Higbie resigned after the publishing of his earlier complaints that black women think “breeding is a form of government employment.”
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) has spoken of immigration policy as “allowing any kind of vagrant, or animal . . . to come in.”
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), a Trump ally, described the screening of immigrants: “You get the pick of the litter and you got yourself a pretty good bird dog.
Dan Stein, the president of the anti- immigrant Federation for American Immigration Reform, famously said immigrants are conducting “competitive breeding” to dilute the white majority.
White nationalist Richard Spencer’s National Policy Institute frets about white “displacement by the subject race through differential fertility rates and interracial breeding.”
Alex Jones’s Infowars, which Trump has also celebrated, has published headlines saying things such as “Top Imam: Muslim Migrants Should Breed With Europeans to ‘Conquer Their Countries.’ ”
Dan Stein, the president of the anti- immigrant Federation for American Immigration Reform, famously said immigrants are conducting “competitive breeding” to dilute the white majority.
White nationalist Richard Spencer’s National Policy Institute frets about white “displacement by the subject race through differential fertility rates and interracial breeding.”
Alex Jones’s Infowars, which Trump has also celebrated, has published headlines saying things such as “Top Imam: Muslim Migrants Should Breed With Europeans to ‘Conquer Their Countries.’ ”
After Russia built the coffin and Trump asked Russia to find emails, Comey placed the last nail.
By Emily L. Judd
In his upcoming book, (click here) former FBI director James Comey publicly apologized to Secretary Hillary Clinton and her supporters for how he handled the FBI's investigation of her email use. Clinton’s 2016 campaign chair, John Podesta, speaking at a Poynter lecture on April 12, rejected the apology.
In an excerpt obtained by ABC News Comey wrote, “I'm sorry that I couldn't do a better job explaining to her [Hillary Clinton] and her supporters why I made the decisions I made.” Just days before the 2016 election, Comey publicly disclosed the FBI had reopened the probe into Clinton’s email use as secretary of state. It was a decision Clinton and her campaign staff believe contributed to the Trump victory.
Podesta said he doesn’t accept Comey’s apology and that he believes Comey put his reputation first and the reputation of the FBI second, and both of these before policy. He discussed how Comey’s actions affected the election during a talk at William L. Harkness Hall.
“We went into election night feeling not overconfident, but we thought we were going to prevail. The course of the previous week was tumultuous. Comey’s decision to reopen the email investigation to us was a profound error of judgment,” Podesta said.
After Comey’s announcement, the Clinton campaign watched the margin between the candidates in the polls become closer, according to Podesta. However the campaign’s first indication of a potential loss was during election night when results came in from the state of Florida....
The defaming of Secretary Hillary Clinton by James Comey, is not about the FBI or it's practices and policies; it is about insubordination and we already knew that. This report from Justice only proves those that realized what happened, including John Podesta, were right all along.
Comey violated Justice Department protocol. He undermined the Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch when seeking insight to the path of the Clinton investigation regarding Anthony Weiner's laptop. Comey refused the counsel of AG Lynch and acted outside of department policy.
I have never seen a candidate work so hard in a campaign. The exception could be US Senator Sanders and his wife. But, I can honestly say, Hillary Clinton never worked so hard to keep up with lies and half truths. She had already sat in a congressional meeting room and was the sole person answering questions to a hostile Republican committee. I think it was 8 hours, yes? (click here)
The misogyny that occurred during her 2018 campaign was daunting. Senator Sanders never had to deal with misogyny. It was truly astounding to realize the Former Secretary Clinton had enormously high approval ratings coming out of the White House after one term in office. Then to see it hacked away at with far less than truthful accusations and anti-woman sentiment meant there were powers at work far greater than FOX News. However, I am confident FOX News carried messages taken from the internet and designed by Russians. Whether or not anyone at FOX was in contact with Russians is a questioned yet to be answered.
When Former Director Comey made the announcement about Anthony Weiner's laptop there was a precipitous drop in momentum for the Democrats and not just Hillary Clinton. The Down Ballot was effected and I knew Secretary Clinton would not make it into the White House. When the shift for some candidates in the down ballot changed, it was a reflection of the sentiment of that electorate. The numbers weren't adding up.
I do not believe Former Director Comey was playing power politics from the office in the FBI. I would like to understand why he did what he did after being counseled by the AG with Justice Department protocol staring him in the face. Loretta Lynch did not play favorites, but, Director Comey was influenced by a duty alien to most agents and administration in the department. Basically, I don't get it. Who pressured him into reporting the Weiner laptop? Nothing I reason makes sense.
With this report, both Former Director Comey and the department know there is a reason for what occurred and it was wrong!
June 14, 2018
By Matt Apuzzo, Nicholas Fandos and Charlie Savage
Washington - The former F.B.I. director James B. Comey (click here) was “insubordinate” in his handling of the investigation of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election, a critical Justice Department report concluded on Thursday.
But the report, by the department’s inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, does not challenge the decision not to prosecute Mrs. Clinton. Nor does it conclude that political bias at the F.B.I. influenced that decision, the officials said.
“We found no evidence that the conclusions by department prosecutors were affected by bias or other improper considerations,” the report said. “Rather, we concluded that they were based on the prosecutor’s assessment of facts, the law, and past department practice.”...
Paul Ryan must immediately request the evidence that came to this decision by the New York Attorney General and file impeachment proceedings.
THIS IS ABOUT THE COUNTRY and the rule of law. There is no exception or oversight needed, this is a filing by a State and must be honored.
The words are PERSISTENTLY ILLEGAL. This was not an oops.
The words are PERSISTENTLY ILLEGAL. This was not an oops.
By Lachlan Markay
Barbara Underwood, the state's acting attorney general, alleged a widespread campaign of misuse of charitable resources in the service of Trump’s political efforts in a complaint filed in New York’s supreme court on Thursday. Her office is now seeking $2.8 million in penalties, which Trump said on Wednesday he would refuse to pay....
June 6, 2017
By Dan Alexander
Like Autumn Leaves; (click here) sponsored Cadillacs, Ferraris and Maseratis descend on the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, New York, in September for the Eric Trump Foundation golf invitational. Year after year, the formula is consistent: 18 holes of perfectly trimmed fairways with a dose of Trumpian tackiness, including Hooters waitresses and cigar spreads, followed by a clubhouse dinner, dates encouraged. The crowd leans toward real estate insiders, family friends and C-list celebrities, such as former baseball slugger Darryl Strawberry and reality housewife (and bankruptcy-fraud felon) Teresa Giudice....
The public and large money donors were deceived in regard to the monies raised to fight childhood cancer. At the very least it is called fraud.
If the US House and it's Republican majority do not impeach, they are supporting corruption and violating the law itself.
I understand there is growing evidence to support the Emoluments Clause (click here) as well.
June 29, 2017
By Dan Alexander
...Katrina Kaupp, (click here) who served on the board of directors at the Eric Trump Foundation in 2010 and 2011, also remembers Donald Trump insisting the charity start paying its own way, despite Eric's public claims to the contrary. "We did have to cover the expenses," she says. "The charity had grown so much that the Trump Organization couldn't absorb all of those costs anymore." The Trump Organization declined to answer detailed questions about the payments. But it seems that for the future president, who Forbes estimates is worth $3.5 billion, a freebie to help his son directly fight kids' cancer took a backseat to revenue.
June 6, 2017
By Dan Alexander
Like Autumn Leaves; (click here) sponsored Cadillacs, Ferraris and Maseratis descend on the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, New York, in September for the Eric Trump Foundation golf invitational. Year after year, the formula is consistent: 18 holes of perfectly trimmed fairways with a dose of Trumpian tackiness, including Hooters waitresses and cigar spreads, followed by a clubhouse dinner, dates encouraged. The crowd leans toward real estate insiders, family friends and C-list celebrities, such as former baseball slugger Darryl Strawberry and reality housewife (and bankruptcy-fraud felon) Teresa Giudice....
The public and large money donors were deceived in regard to the monies raised to fight childhood cancer. At the very least it is called fraud.
If the US House and it's Republican majority do not impeach, they are supporting corruption and violating the law itself.
I understand there is growing evidence to support the Emoluments Clause (click here) as well.
June 29, 2017
By Dan Alexander
...Katrina Kaupp, (click here) who served on the board of directors at the Eric Trump Foundation in 2010 and 2011, also remembers Donald Trump insisting the charity start paying its own way, despite Eric's public claims to the contrary. "We did have to cover the expenses," she says. "The charity had grown so much that the Trump Organization couldn't absorb all of those costs anymore." The Trump Organization declined to answer detailed questions about the payments. But it seems that for the future president, who Forbes estimates is worth $3.5 billion, a freebie to help his son directly fight kids' cancer took a backseat to revenue.
"I saw that Eric was getting billed," Gillule adds. "I would always say, 'I can't believe that his dad is billing him for a charitable outing.' But that's what they wanted."
It's also very consistent. The Donald J. Trump Foundation famously acted like an arm of the overall business, using the charity's money to settle a Trump business lawsuit, make a political donation and even purchase expensive portraits of its namesake. Meanwhile, Trump businesses billed the Trump campaign, fueled by small outside donors, more than $11 million to use his properties, chefs and private aircraft....
Profound words from President Moon Jae-in.
...“There have been many analyses on the outcome of the summit but I think what’s most important was that the people of the world, including those in the United States, Japan and Koreans, have all been able to escape the threat of war, nuclear weapons and missiles,” Moon told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ahead of a meeting between the two in Seoul....
He is correct. Not since the USA detonated two nuclear bombs in war have the weapons ever been used again.
I think that says something about the nature of leaders of nations. They don't want to kill in a way that can annihilate generations of families and destroy the promise the future has to offer with all nations of people surviving.
The words of President Jae-in reflects the strength of peace and every reason to pursue it.
He is correct. Not since the USA detonated two nuclear bombs in war have the weapons ever been used again.
I think that says something about the nature of leaders of nations. They don't want to kill in a way that can annihilate generations of families and destroy the promise the future has to offer with all nations of people surviving.
The words of President Jae-in reflects the strength of peace and every reason to pursue it.
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Larry Nassar is indefensible. It looks like Michigan State needs a new interim president.
I think the interim president is attempting to develop a false narrative to remove focus on the university regarding the extensive sexual assault charges surrounding Michigan State's negligence in dealing with these issues. This is gross negligence by the university. There is no other way to put this and now the interim president is attempting to divert attention to other issues.
Michigan State needs to take these issues head on, no different than any other establishment in the USA. I am worried now that attitudes willing to sweep bad news under the carpet is more of the same tolerance of sexual abuse and assault that exists.
It is difficult to break down a corrupt culture. I wonder how pervasive it was with this narrative now coming to the surface.
June 13, 2018
East Lansing – Emails show (click here) the interim president of Michigan State University criticized lawyers who represent Larry Nassar’s assault victims and said a former gymnast who sued the school was probably was getting a “kickback” from her attorney.
John Engler’s remarks were made to a university lawyer in April, a month before Michigan State agreed to a $500 million settlement with hundreds of women and girls who said they were assaulted by Nassar, a sports doctor. The Chronicle of Higher Education reportedon the emails Wednesday.
Engler said he thought victims were “being manipulated by trial lawyers” and that lawyers would get “millions of dollars more” than their clients.
Engler said he thought Rachael Denhollander was likely getting a kickback from her lawyer. She has been outspoken and in 2016 was the first to publicly say she was a Nassar victim.
Denhollander says Engler’s comments reflect a “culture of abuse.”
Michigan State needs to take these issues head on, no different than any other establishment in the USA. I am worried now that attitudes willing to sweep bad news under the carpet is more of the same tolerance of sexual abuse and assault that exists.
It is difficult to break down a corrupt culture. I wonder how pervasive it was with this narrative now coming to the surface.
June 13, 2018
East Lansing – Emails show (click here) the interim president of Michigan State University criticized lawyers who represent Larry Nassar’s assault victims and said a former gymnast who sued the school was probably was getting a “kickback” from her attorney.
John Engler’s remarks were made to a university lawyer in April, a month before Michigan State agreed to a $500 million settlement with hundreds of women and girls who said they were assaulted by Nassar, a sports doctor. The Chronicle of Higher Education reportedon the emails Wednesday.
Engler said he thought victims were “being manipulated by trial lawyers” and that lawyers would get “millions of dollars more” than their clients.
Engler said he thought Rachael Denhollander was likely getting a kickback from her lawyer. She has been outspoken and in 2016 was the first to publicly say she was a Nassar victim.
Denhollander says Engler’s comments reflect a “culture of abuse.”
A Minnesota racoon has a new name besides daredevil,"#MPRraccoon." I wonder if this is due to habitat loss?
June 13, 2018
...A daredevil raccoon (click here) has been safely rescued after leaving the internet on tenterhooks by scaling a 23-floor building in St Paul, Minnesota.
The critter, dubbed #MPRraccoon after the radio station opposite the high-rise, trended worldwide on Twitter.
Crowds gathered at the building after it went viral, and local media streamed its perilous climb for almost a day.
Twitter celebrated as it reached the roof at 03:00am (07:00 BST) where cat food was waiting inside a trap.
The raccoon has been collected by animal welfare and will be released later.
Evan Frost and Tim Nelson, journalists with Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), documented the raccoon's nerve-wracking journey on Twitter.
"One of my colleagues spotted the raccoon on, kind of the ground floor, sitting on a ledge on Monday - it looked like a brown lump, almost like a cat sitting there," Evan Frost told the BBC in the early hours of Wednesday...
There is some habitat loss in the northern counties of Minnesota, but, no in St. Paul.
...Raccoons depend on vertical structures to climb when they feel threatened. Therefore, they avoid open terrain and areas with high concentrations of beech trees, as beech bark is too smooth to climb. Tree hollows in old oaks or other trees and rock crevices are preferred by raccoons as sleeping, winter and litter dens. If such dens are unavailable or accessing them is inconvenient, raccoons utilize burrows dug by other mammals, dense undergrowth, roadside culverts in urban areas, or tree crotches....
There is a good chance #MPRraccoon was scared by someone or something and climbed to a safer perch.
...A daredevil raccoon (click here) has been safely rescued after leaving the internet on tenterhooks by scaling a 23-floor building in St Paul, Minnesota.
The critter, dubbed #MPRraccoon after the radio station opposite the high-rise, trended worldwide on Twitter.
Crowds gathered at the building after it went viral, and local media streamed its perilous climb for almost a day.
Twitter celebrated as it reached the roof at 03:00am (07:00 BST) where cat food was waiting inside a trap.
The raccoon has been collected by animal welfare and will be released later.
Evan Frost and Tim Nelson, journalists with Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), documented the raccoon's nerve-wracking journey on Twitter.
"One of my colleagues spotted the raccoon on, kind of the ground floor, sitting on a ledge on Monday - it looked like a brown lump, almost like a cat sitting there," Evan Frost told the BBC in the early hours of Wednesday...
There is some habitat loss in the northern counties of Minnesota, but, no in St. Paul.
...Raccoons depend on vertical structures to climb when they feel threatened. Therefore, they avoid open terrain and areas with high concentrations of beech trees, as beech bark is too smooth to climb. Tree hollows in old oaks or other trees and rock crevices are preferred by raccoons as sleeping, winter and litter dens. If such dens are unavailable or accessing them is inconvenient, raccoons utilize burrows dug by other mammals, dense undergrowth, roadside culverts in urban areas, or tree crotches....
There is a good chance #MPRraccoon was scared by someone or something and climbed to a safer perch.
New UAW President, Gary Jones, comes from a long and succesful history in union leadership.
In 1990, former UAW President Owen Bieber and then-Secretary-Treasurer Bill Casstevens appointed Jones to the International staff. He was assigned to the union’s Accounting Department. A year later, Jones was named chief accountant of the UAW.
A UAW Local 1895 member, Jones was hired at Ford Motor Co.’s Glass plant in Broken Arrow, Okla., in 1975. He became a member of UAW Local 249 when he transferred to the Kansas City Ford Assembly Plant when the glass plant closed.
Jones is a lifetime member of the NAACP and various other civic and political organizations. Jones and his wife, Cindy, live in O’Fallon, Mo., where they are members of the First Baptist Church. They have two daughters and three granddaughters.
The USA Supreme Court seems to be a poor mood these days and workers need protection more than ever. As workers face a workplace that can be compromised in it's safety, fairness and compensation programs that cast them into poverty; it is again time for the rise of the labor union.
I never thought the day would return where labor faced such issues. It's not all happiness and joy in American labor. It is time that returns. It is definitely the time for unions to organize and return quality of life to Americans.
The teacher unions are finally finding their will to stand strong. Michigan is the next big teacher union push to better compensation packages for teachers.
June 13, 2018
Detroit — Delegates of the United Auto Workers (click here) elected Gary Jones, director of the union's Region 5 in the west and southwest United States, its new president Wednesday at its 2018 Constitutional Convention.
Jones succeeds Dennis Williams, who will retire Thursday following a single term as the union's president. Under Williams, the union posted slow but steady gains in membership, rising profit sharing payouts from prosperous automakers, and what Williams has called "fiscally balanced ... finances three years in a row."
The leadership change comes as the union seeks to rebound from a devastating defeat in organizing Nissan workers in Canton, Miss., a failed organizing attempt of line workers at Volkswagen AG’s Chattanooga plant, and a continuing federal probe into the use of joint UAW-Big Three training funds financed by Detroit’s automakers....
An article in "Mother Jones" reminds of the appalling circumstances some teachers and students face in the year 2018. Any union has to be aware of the importance of safety in the workplace that includes safety from sexual assault and sexual harassment. Teachers are all part of an important issue surrounding women and men sexually harassed in their work environment, including their students.
Unions and empowerment of their members in educational seminars to protect themselves and their students from humiliating events that take dignity away from them. The issue of sexual assault also carries with it lifelong scars if professional interventions aren't in place.
UAW President Gary Jones needs to take a good like at what exactly unions are protecting at their member factories. The UAW is not exempt in promoting fairness and gender equality in the work place.
Perhaps if Lulabel Seitz was empowered by teachers and administrators long before her speech at graduation none of this would even be an issue.
Unions are vitally important when they hold educational seminars that will empower their members and the peoples' lives their members touch.
Lulabel Seitz had freedom of speach removed from her when she began to address sexual harassment and assault on her campus.
June 6, 2018
By Hannah Beausang
...In the days following the graduation of 304 students, (click here) the event has proved polarizing. Top school administrators said all student speakers were made aware their microphones would be cut if they deviated from the speeches they submitted. Seitz, who’s headed to Stanford University this fall to study applied mathematics and economics, voiced outrage by what she called censorship.
“When they cut my mic, I was appalled at them,” Seitz said.
She said she was sexually assaulted on campus by a person she knew and she wanted to air her frustration over what she viewed as a lack of action taken by the administration.
“I thought this is a public school with freedom of speech,” she said this week in a phone interview. “This is for my class that stood up and said ‘let her speak.’ Even if the administration doesn’t give me a mic, I still want to speak.”
Students were required to audition for their speeches, and during two meetings with Seitz, Assistant Principal Deborah Richardson said she told the teen that “the expectation is that the speech you submitted is the speech you will give.”
Petaluma High School Principal David Stirrat said the school prior to graduation received an undisclosed number of emails expressing concern Seitz might go off script....
The USA Supreme Court seems to be a poor mood these days and workers need protection more than ever. As workers face a workplace that can be compromised in it's safety, fairness and compensation programs that cast them into poverty; it is again time for the rise of the labor union.
I never thought the day would return where labor faced such issues. It's not all happiness and joy in American labor. It is time that returns. It is definitely the time for unions to organize and return quality of life to Americans.
The teacher unions are finally finding their will to stand strong. Michigan is the next big teacher union push to better compensation packages for teachers.
June 13, 2018
Detroit — Delegates of the United Auto Workers (click here) elected Gary Jones, director of the union's Region 5 in the west and southwest United States, its new president Wednesday at its 2018 Constitutional Convention.
Jones succeeds Dennis Williams, who will retire Thursday following a single term as the union's president. Under Williams, the union posted slow but steady gains in membership, rising profit sharing payouts from prosperous automakers, and what Williams has called "fiscally balanced ... finances three years in a row."
The leadership change comes as the union seeks to rebound from a devastating defeat in organizing Nissan workers in Canton, Miss., a failed organizing attempt of line workers at Volkswagen AG’s Chattanooga plant, and a continuing federal probe into the use of joint UAW-Big Three training funds financed by Detroit’s automakers....
An article in "Mother Jones" reminds of the appalling circumstances some teachers and students face in the year 2018. Any union has to be aware of the importance of safety in the workplace that includes safety from sexual assault and sexual harassment. Teachers are all part of an important issue surrounding women and men sexually harassed in their work environment, including their students.
Unions and empowerment of their members in educational seminars to protect themselves and their students from humiliating events that take dignity away from them. The issue of sexual assault also carries with it lifelong scars if professional interventions aren't in place.
UAW President Gary Jones needs to take a good like at what exactly unions are protecting at their member factories. The UAW is not exempt in promoting fairness and gender equality in the work place.
Perhaps if Lulabel Seitz was empowered by teachers and administrators long before her speech at graduation none of this would even be an issue.
Unions are vitally important when they hold educational seminars that will empower their members and the peoples' lives their members touch.
June 6, 2018
By Hannah Beausang
...In the days following the graduation of 304 students, (click here) the event has proved polarizing. Top school administrators said all student speakers were made aware their microphones would be cut if they deviated from the speeches they submitted. Seitz, who’s headed to Stanford University this fall to study applied mathematics and economics, voiced outrage by what she called censorship.
“When they cut my mic, I was appalled at them,” Seitz said.
She said she was sexually assaulted on campus by a person she knew and she wanted to air her frustration over what she viewed as a lack of action taken by the administration.
“I thought this is a public school with freedom of speech,” she said this week in a phone interview. “This is for my class that stood up and said ‘let her speak.’ Even if the administration doesn’t give me a mic, I still want to speak.”
Students were required to audition for their speeches, and during two meetings with Seitz, Assistant Principal Deborah Richardson said she told the teen that “the expectation is that the speech you submitted is the speech you will give.”
Petaluma High School Principal David Stirrat said the school prior to graduation received an undisclosed number of emails expressing concern Seitz might go off script....
This is institutionized oppression of women. Pakistan has to stop it's "elder culture" and lean into it's "youth culture."
Then it became a blog entry:
May 27, 2018
By Ahsan Zafeer
What Bahria University (click here) did is nothing new in the spectrum, but it is the latest contribution to the already alarming moral policing culture that exists in the country.
“Men and women are to maintain a distance of at least six inches while sitting/standing together.”
Imagine reading this somewhere, or hearing about it. What would your first reaction be?
Perhaps something like, “Oh my God! The Taliban are back! They must have started enforcing their version of Shariah, and are probably planning to bring the days of terror back to the country!
If so, relax! This notice wasn’t issued by those fanatics, but by a renowned semi-government university, and is applicable only within its premises.
It all began when a notice was issued by Bahria University’s (BU) director, requiring male and female students to keep a six-inch distance when sitting or standing near each other. This is not even the worst part though, as the notice also called to enforce a “no touch” policy between male and female students....
Private university or not, this is oppression of women AND men. Pakistan MUST remove all these oppressive rules and allow the dignity of young Pakistanis to prove they are moral and decent people that live to the social standard they love.
These types of oppression invite extremism and remove dignity and diversity on a college campus. College and university campuses are where students are exposed to all kinds of culture and ways of thought. It is good and it is healthy for university students to direct their own social climate. Of course, there are rules ranging from ethics rules to criminal rules, but, such a silly rule invites criminal disaster into a student's social life.
Imagine the most talented student on campus with a very promising career sits next to another student in the library and all of a sudden the future of that student is erased for silly social rules. This is not necessary. Ladies and gentlemen abound in colleges and universities. The best way to address these concerns is through the health office and meetings with educational content about dating dangers.
Pakistan MUST decriminalize all social rules and allow citizens the right to diverse thinking, the education of social dangers in dating and intimacy and paths of choice that encourage career building and a better future.
Providing all the athletes make their way out of Russia (ie: LGBTQ) the USA MUST end the southern border so called problem.
The United States of America needs to end the drug cartel presence in Mexico. If there are going to be international games in Mexico and it is affiliated with the USA and Canada, there needs to be a concerted effort to end the drug cartels.
Mexico is currently a mess. Even the once tourism is being destroyed because of poverty, drugs and crime networks. Something has to be done and the US Congress needs to pay attention, otherwise, Miami is the next step for these crime networks and drug cartels.
To be clear, the crime networks in Mexico's most beautiful cities that once were tourist havens are not ONLY connected to the drug cartels. The drug cartels are a problem, BUT IN ADDITION, there are crime networks that have developed out of poverty now ravaging the tourist cities of Mexico.
Understand? Not all the crime networks in these cities are connected to drug cartels. There are two huge problems in Mexico, the drug cartels AND the criminal networks that grew out of poverty. BOTH have to be addressed before the World Cup shows up to carry out it's mission which goes on a long time. The World Cup is conducted far longer than Olympics. So, this is a huge commitment.
The US Congress needs to get real about Mexico and cleaning up the country and instilling an economy. Mexico's emigrants will stop as soon as there is a real economy that provides "blessed lives."
GET FOR REAL, USA! No more human rights abuses in the USA and real partnerships with Mexico that changes the balance of power into the hands of the government. Any form of government corruption has to end as well. No more killing students because they are in the way of a political campaign.
June 13, 2018
By Martin Rogers
Moscow — The United States will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup (click here) after its three-way bid – along with Mexico and Canada – was granted staging rights during a vote here on Wednesday.
Mexico is currently a mess. Even the once tourism is being destroyed because of poverty, drugs and crime networks. Something has to be done and the US Congress needs to pay attention, otherwise, Miami is the next step for these crime networks and drug cartels.
To be clear, the crime networks in Mexico's most beautiful cities that once were tourist havens are not ONLY connected to the drug cartels. The drug cartels are a problem, BUT IN ADDITION, there are crime networks that have developed out of poverty now ravaging the tourist cities of Mexico.
Understand? Not all the crime networks in these cities are connected to drug cartels. There are two huge problems in Mexico, the drug cartels AND the criminal networks that grew out of poverty. BOTH have to be addressed before the World Cup shows up to carry out it's mission which goes on a long time. The World Cup is conducted far longer than Olympics. So, this is a huge commitment.
The US Congress needs to get real about Mexico and cleaning up the country and instilling an economy. Mexico's emigrants will stop as soon as there is a real economy that provides "blessed lives."
GET FOR REAL, USA! No more human rights abuses in the USA and real partnerships with Mexico that changes the balance of power into the hands of the government. Any form of government corruption has to end as well. No more killing students because they are in the way of a political campaign.
June 13, 2018By Martin Rogers
Moscow — The United States will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup (click here) after its three-way bid – along with Mexico and Canada – was granted staging rights during a vote here on Wednesday.
The “United” bid, that will see 60 of the tournament’s games held in the U.S., with Canada and Mexico getting 10 each, beat out the underdog campaign of Morocco to bring soccer’s biggest show back to American soil.
The U.S. previously hosted in 1994 and the potential for a highly lucrative tournament, plus the existing stadiums and infrastructure, likely played a major role in swaying voters.
With the breakdown of voting results made public, the United bid claimed 134 votes, with 64 giving their support to Morocco and one country voting for neither bid....
The hottest political topic in Pakistan is water.
If Pakistan can afford a nuclear weapon program, it can afford clean water and electricity first.
June 2, 2018
Karachi: As K Electric (K-E) (click here) and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board remained unmoved, the residents of Karachi continued their protest over non-supply of water and hours-long interruptions of electricity in different localities of the metropolis.
At least three protest demonstrations were witnessed on Friday in the metropolis as citizens swarmed took to the streets in multiple areas to protest against power outages and water shortage.
A large number of residents of Sector 11.5, the Pakistan Bazaar area of Orangi Town gathered and blocked the roads to stage a protest against power outages and water shortage in Sector 11.5 and its surrounding areas....
...Ramazan started as we are facing load-shedding of over 10 hours a day as well as water shortage,” ...
...Similarly, residents of Quaidabad, Muslimabad Colony, Muzzafarabad Colony, Sherpao Colony, Majeed Colony, Swati Muhalla and Landhi also staged a protest against power outages and water shortage within their localities.
The residents of the affected areas gathered after Friday prayers and reached the National Highway in the form of a rally and blocked traffic on the highway for vehicular traffic for hours in protest. A large number of protesters burnt tyres on the roads in protest and shouted slogans against the K-E and water board. The protest caused a massive traffic jam on the highway...
The incumbents have a high success rating. Which seems odd as the problems are occurring now.
June 13, 2018
By Zafar Bhutta
Islamabad: Choosing not to blame (click here) the outgoing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government for prolonged power outages, Caretaker Minister for Energy Ali Zafar has said apart from other factors, it is also the weak power transmission and distribution system that is causing load-shedding.
“The electricity generation is higher but the transmission and distribution system is not able to pick it,” said Zafar while addressing a press conference in the federal capital on Tuesday.
The PML-N government says it has ended load-shedding – a claim belied by the continued power outages across the country since the start of hot weather. Later, former premier Nawaz Sharif and PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif had held caretaker government responsible for power load-shedding....
When looking for votes, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
June 11, 2018
By Danish Hussain
Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) (click here) (all the political parties use abbreviations of their names rather than the name itself. Probably causes some folks to vote for people they never intended to vote for. Just a guess.)
...announced countrywide demonstrations on Tuesday (June 12) to protest against hours-long load-shedding in the country.
The party has demanded that the interim government intervene and take immediate steps to overcome the issue of excessive load-shedding. “Interim government should take immediate steps to ensure betterment in day to day worsening situation,” PTI chief Imran Khan said....
This election even has the attention of an old President. I thought Mushy was up on charges of treason. Go figure. The former President-General had his strangle hold on the country dissolved with the work of Condi Rice under "W." Well, he's back. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto was the primary driver behind that accomplishment. She wanted to run for office and the power structure needed better definition and less corruption. But, she was shot by al Qaeda a few months later when she first returned to Pakistan. She is missed, even today.
June 13, 2018
The Supreme Court (SC) (click here) on Wednesday gave former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf till Thursday to appear before the court.
A three judge bench, headed by the chief justice, had summoned Musharraf on June 13 in connection with his petition against the Peshawar High Court (PHC) verdict in 2013 for his lifetime disqualification and assured him that he would not be arrested from the airport till the court premises....
There are old parties and new parties, but, women are starting to run for office to bring about resolution to the problems the country face. I mean give me a break. This is 2018 and the Pakistanis haven't got reliable clean water and electricity; but they have a nuclear weapon capacity. Really?
June 4, 2018
By Ali Salman
For the first time in 30 years, (click here) since it was established in 1988, a PML-N government completed its term in the federal government last week.
Largely given the mandate to govern the country to recover economic growth and gain energy security in 2013, the party’s economic performance is being intensely debated.
Presenting highlights of the government, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has highlighted the following facts to defend government’s economic performance. It provides with a good measure to evaluate the five-year economic track record....
But, this entire water problem is sincerely a worry for Pakistan. It has gotten to be such a worry it even started to involve India and the World Bank. So, considering there is a peace agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan it raises concerns to the pressure on Pakistan leaders to even enter into a stronger presense in the region.
When I see this kind of thing being introduced into a country where there are profound problems, I first believe this is not the World Bank's problem so much as a political excuse for the problem. These type of excuses then are parlayed into confrontation and war. Jammu and Kashmir do not need more instability or as an excuse for poor performance by the government to solve problems. The guns need to come off the streets in these regions of the world and real world solutions sought.
May 22, 2018
The Kishanganga project was started in 2007 but on May 17, 2010, Pakistan moved for international arbitration against India under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty.
Pakistan has raised with the World Bank (click here) the alleged violation of the Indus Waters Treaty by India, which inaugurated the Kishanganga hydro project in Kashmir, as the multilateral lender sought opportunities within the treaty to find an amicable resolution of the issue.
The four-member Pakistani delegation, led by Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali, met the World Bank officials here yesterday, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 330 MW Kishanganga hydroelectric project in Jammu and Kashmir.
The inauguration of the hydroelectric project was held amid protests from Pakistan which claims that the dam on a river flowing into Pakistan will disrupt water supplies....
This is the hydroelectric project being used for political posturing. It is a little bit too late for Pakistan to complain. Pakistan has to seek major infrastructure improvements to solve the water problem and at the same time solving the electricity problem. This dam that was part of India's infrastructure project is an excellent proof do how electricity production and water is provided for people at the same time. But, to blame India's project now that it is completed, is nothing but convenient potlical posturing.
I want to see plans for Pakistan's water and electricity needs among the candidates. Posturing is old world politics. There needs to be solutions for the people and it may mean cutting funding for nuclear weapons capacity and denuclearization.
A private vehicle crosses a bridge as excavators are used at the dam site of Kishanganga power project in Gurez, 160 km north of Srinagar.
Pakistan (click here) and the World Bank have failed to reach an agreement on a way forward to address the former’s concerns over violation of the Indus Waters Treaty by India, as a strong Indian lobby in Washington again frustrated the latest push to stop New Delhi from violating the treaty.
“An agreement on the way forward was not reached at the conclusion of the meetings” between the Pakistani delegation and the World Bank officials, announced the Washington-based lender on Wednesday.
It added that several procedural options for resolving the disagreement over the interpretation of the Indus Basin Treaty’s provisions were discussed by both the parties....
June 2, 2018Karachi: As K Electric (K-E) (click here) and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board remained unmoved, the residents of Karachi continued their protest over non-supply of water and hours-long interruptions of electricity in different localities of the metropolis.
At least three protest demonstrations were witnessed on Friday in the metropolis as citizens swarmed took to the streets in multiple areas to protest against power outages and water shortage.
A large number of residents of Sector 11.5, the Pakistan Bazaar area of Orangi Town gathered and blocked the roads to stage a protest against power outages and water shortage in Sector 11.5 and its surrounding areas....
...Ramazan started as we are facing load-shedding of over 10 hours a day as well as water shortage,” ...
...Similarly, residents of Quaidabad, Muslimabad Colony, Muzzafarabad Colony, Sherpao Colony, Majeed Colony, Swati Muhalla and Landhi also staged a protest against power outages and water shortage within their localities.
The residents of the affected areas gathered after Friday prayers and reached the National Highway in the form of a rally and blocked traffic on the highway for vehicular traffic for hours in protest. A large number of protesters burnt tyres on the roads in protest and shouted slogans against the K-E and water board. The protest caused a massive traffic jam on the highway...
The incumbents have a high success rating. Which seems odd as the problems are occurring now.
June 13, 2018
By Zafar Bhutta
Islamabad: Choosing not to blame (click here) the outgoing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government for prolonged power outages, Caretaker Minister for Energy Ali Zafar has said apart from other factors, it is also the weak power transmission and distribution system that is causing load-shedding.
“The electricity generation is higher but the transmission and distribution system is not able to pick it,” said Zafar while addressing a press conference in the federal capital on Tuesday.
The PML-N government says it has ended load-shedding – a claim belied by the continued power outages across the country since the start of hot weather. Later, former premier Nawaz Sharif and PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif had held caretaker government responsible for power load-shedding....
When looking for votes, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
By Danish Hussain
Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) (click here) (all the political parties use abbreviations of their names rather than the name itself. Probably causes some folks to vote for people they never intended to vote for. Just a guess.)
...announced countrywide demonstrations on Tuesday (June 12) to protest against hours-long load-shedding in the country.
The party has demanded that the interim government intervene and take immediate steps to overcome the issue of excessive load-shedding. “Interim government should take immediate steps to ensure betterment in day to day worsening situation,” PTI chief Imran Khan said....
This election even has the attention of an old President. I thought Mushy was up on charges of treason. Go figure. The former President-General had his strangle hold on the country dissolved with the work of Condi Rice under "W." Well, he's back. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto was the primary driver behind that accomplishment. She wanted to run for office and the power structure needed better definition and less corruption. But, she was shot by al Qaeda a few months later when she first returned to Pakistan. She is missed, even today.
The Supreme Court (SC) (click here) on Wednesday gave former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf till Thursday to appear before the court.
A three judge bench, headed by the chief justice, had summoned Musharraf on June 13 in connection with his petition against the Peshawar High Court (PHC) verdict in 2013 for his lifetime disqualification and assured him that he would not be arrested from the airport till the court premises....
There are old parties and new parties, but, women are starting to run for office to bring about resolution to the problems the country face. I mean give me a break. This is 2018 and the Pakistanis haven't got reliable clean water and electricity; but they have a nuclear weapon capacity. Really?
By Ali Salman
For the first time in 30 years, (click here) since it was established in 1988, a PML-N government completed its term in the federal government last week.
Largely given the mandate to govern the country to recover economic growth and gain energy security in 2013, the party’s economic performance is being intensely debated.
Presenting highlights of the government, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has highlighted the following facts to defend government’s economic performance. It provides with a good measure to evaluate the five-year economic track record....
But, this entire water problem is sincerely a worry for Pakistan. It has gotten to be such a worry it even started to involve India and the World Bank. So, considering there is a peace agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan it raises concerns to the pressure on Pakistan leaders to even enter into a stronger presense in the region.
When I see this kind of thing being introduced into a country where there are profound problems, I first believe this is not the World Bank's problem so much as a political excuse for the problem. These type of excuses then are parlayed into confrontation and war. Jammu and Kashmir do not need more instability or as an excuse for poor performance by the government to solve problems. The guns need to come off the streets in these regions of the world and real world solutions sought.
The Kishanganga project was started in 2007 but on May 17, 2010, Pakistan moved for international arbitration against India under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty.
Pakistan has raised with the World Bank (click here) the alleged violation of the Indus Waters Treaty by India, which inaugurated the Kishanganga hydro project in Kashmir, as the multilateral lender sought opportunities within the treaty to find an amicable resolution of the issue.
The four-member Pakistani delegation, led by Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali, met the World Bank officials here yesterday, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 330 MW Kishanganga hydroelectric project in Jammu and Kashmir.
The inauguration of the hydroelectric project was held amid protests from Pakistan which claims that the dam on a river flowing into Pakistan will disrupt water supplies....
This is the hydroelectric project being used for political posturing. It is a little bit too late for Pakistan to complain. Pakistan has to seek major infrastructure improvements to solve the water problem and at the same time solving the electricity problem. This dam that was part of India's infrastructure project is an excellent proof do how electricity production and water is provided for people at the same time. But, to blame India's project now that it is completed, is nothing but convenient potlical posturing.
I want to see plans for Pakistan's water and electricity needs among the candidates. Posturing is old world politics. There needs to be solutions for the people and it may mean cutting funding for nuclear weapons capacity and denuclearization.
May 24, 2018
By Shabaza Rana
By Shabaza Rana
Pakistan (click here) and the World Bank have failed to reach an agreement on a way forward to address the former’s concerns over violation of the Indus Waters Treaty by India, as a strong Indian lobby in Washington again frustrated the latest push to stop New Delhi from violating the treaty.
“An agreement on the way forward was not reached at the conclusion of the meetings” between the Pakistani delegation and the World Bank officials, announced the Washington-based lender on Wednesday.
It added that several procedural options for resolving the disagreement over the interpretation of the Indus Basin Treaty’s provisions were discussed by both the parties....
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