Trump is planning a unilateral Space Force. I believe he will weaponize lasers. The UN has a role with this.
The IAEA has to be expanded to include weaponized space warfare. Basically, a resolution no different than that of the nuclear resolutions to inspect and order deactivation of any hardware with the potential of turning current peaceful international space missions STANDARDS into a potential of war.
Earth must be a peaceful place where people are safe from technology with consequences that kill. The only warfare that should be tolerated is conventional warfare and non-proliferation pursued vigorously.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
There were crimes committed by Russia that the FBI was investigating before Trump took office.
Trump then tells the FBI he believes Putin and it RIGHTFULLY raises red flag with the investigation. Trump implicated himself when he sided with Putin. There is no doubt the FBI had more red flags raised when Jim Comey was then fired by Tweet when the investigation of Flynn was not dropped.
What the American people need to realize regarding ANY of these resignations and firings is that we have invested a great deal of our brain trust in growing dedicated members of our intelligence community and Trump is trashing that for his own political purposes.
So, while Andrew McCabe’s accounting is exceptionally alarming, he is also a very valuable member of this country’s intelligence community that is being diminished to the cronies for Trump. THAT also services Russia’s purpose.
Trump then tells the FBI he believes Putin and it RIGHTFULLY raises red flag with the investigation. Trump implicated himself when he sided with Putin. There is no doubt the FBI had more red flags raised when Jim Comey was then fired by Tweet when the investigation of Flynn was not dropped.
What the American people need to realize regarding ANY of these resignations and firings is that we have invested a great deal of our brain trust in growing dedicated members of our intelligence community and Trump is trashing that for his own political purposes.
So, while Andrew McCabe’s accounting is exceptionally alarming, he is also a very valuable member of this country’s intelligence community that is being diminished to the cronies for Trump. THAT also services Russia’s purpose.
It is very possible to bring down the cost of higher education in the USA. It is easy to track the ridiculous increases in tuition for the past two decades. Every time there was an increase in lending and grant amounts by the federal government, universities and colleges increased their tuition.
The reason Pell Grants were increased was to keep up with cost of books and housing, but, the final translation resulted in an increase in tuition. That increase would result in more increases in the student loan limit which would result in more tuition increases. The past two decades are the most exploitive cost based tuition in the history of the country.
Additionally, public institutions were targeted by the construction lobby and then college fees would increase for the new building that was just erected. The entire paradyme of tuition cost increases can be tracked directly with federal monies for student loans and grants. It was ridiculous to see Congress act like an economic lap dog to the dynamics of higher education in the country.
There is no reason why spending limit increases for colleges can’t be applied to tuition, housing and fees for universities and colleges accepting loans and grants and COSTS drastically reduced.
To say there can be no or will be no improvement to the cost of higher education is to pander to those that have no plans for education but to privatize it and put it out of reach of most Americans.
The only exception to that was California that does back flips to maintain reasonable tuition costs for students and families.
The reason Pell Grants were increased was to keep up with cost of books and housing, but, the final translation resulted in an increase in tuition. That increase would result in more increases in the student loan limit which would result in more tuition increases. The past two decades are the most exploitive cost based tuition in the history of the country.
Additionally, public institutions were targeted by the construction lobby and then college fees would increase for the new building that was just erected. The entire paradyme of tuition cost increases can be tracked directly with federal monies for student loans and grants. It was ridiculous to see Congress act like an economic lap dog to the dynamics of higher education in the country.
There is no reason why spending limit increases for colleges can’t be applied to tuition, housing and fees for universities and colleges accepting loans and grants and COSTS drastically reduced.
To say there can be no or will be no improvement to the cost of higher education is to pander to those that have no plans for education but to privatize it and put it out of reach of most Americans.
The only exception to that was California that does back flips to maintain reasonable tuition costs for students and families.
Monday, February 18, 2019
Roger Stone is in violation of his gag order. He should be in jail now.
February 18, 2019
CNN's Sara Murray (click here) reports that longtime President Donald Trump associate Roger Stone has apologized to the court after he shared a controversial Instagram post of the federal judge who is presiding over his case.
CNN's Sara Murray (click here) reports that longtime President Donald Trump associate Roger Stone has apologized to the court after he shared a controversial Instagram post of the federal judge who is presiding over his case.
The Democrats should revitalize President Obama's clean energy savings.
There may be funding still available or can be reopened and continued. While I applaud "The New Green Deal," President Obama was laying the groundwork for it. There is absolutely no reason for the TVA to continue poor policies for producing energy.
July 19, 2016
President Obama is committed (click here) to ensuring that every American family can choose to go solar and to cut their energy bills – and that every American community has the tools they need to tackle local air pollution and global climate change.
Since President Obama took office, solar electricity generation has increased 30 fold and solar jobs are growing 12 times faster than the rest of the economy. Last year, we announced a set of actions to increase access to solar and create a more inclusive workforce, but there is still more work to do. That is why, today, the Obama Administration is announcing a new cross government partnership – the Clean Energy Savings For All Initiative – between the Departments of Energy (DOE), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Agriculture (USDA), Health and Human Services (HHS), Veteran’s Affairs (VA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase access to solar energy and promote energy efficiency across the United States and, in particular in low- and moderate- income communities....
July 19, 2016
President Obama is committed (click here) to ensuring that every American family can choose to go solar and to cut their energy bills – and that every American community has the tools they need to tackle local air pollution and global climate change.
Since President Obama took office, solar electricity generation has increased 30 fold and solar jobs are growing 12 times faster than the rest of the economy. Last year, we announced a set of actions to increase access to solar and create a more inclusive workforce, but there is still more work to do. That is why, today, the Obama Administration is announcing a new cross government partnership – the Clean Energy Savings For All Initiative – between the Departments of Energy (DOE), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Agriculture (USDA), Health and Human Services (HHS), Veteran’s Affairs (VA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase access to solar energy and promote energy efficiency across the United States and, in particular in low- and moderate- income communities....
There is always a reason McConnell does something. This is why he wanted to force a vote on "The Green New Deal."
The facts regarding these findings of the TVA need to be made part of the federal record through a US House request.
These plants are known to be outdated. They need to come offline. There should be no further funding for the continuance of the operation of these plants. The plants are too expensive to repair.
We know for a fact 35 percent of CO2 emissions from the USA are from coal-fired plants, including these.
February 13, 2019
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Paradise Fossil Plant in Muhlenberg County. The town of Paradise, which no longer exists, was made famous in 1971 by John Prine’s eponymous anti-strip mining song.
...Despite the opposition (click here) from Trump, McConnell and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, TVA released final environmental assessments on the evening of Feb. 11 concluding that both plants should be shut down by 2023 because of the projected expense of maintenance and complying with environmental laws, as well as a high forced-outage rate and stagnating or declining power demand in the seven-state region it serves, Dave Flessner reports for the Times Free Press in Chattanooga. The assessment also noted that gas is cheaper than coal and likely to remain so, and that more customers are using energy-efficient appliances and furnaces as well as generating their own power with renewable sources such as solar panels and windmills....
These plants are known to be outdated. They need to come offline. There should be no further funding for the continuance of the operation of these plants. The plants are too expensive to repair.
We know for a fact 35 percent of CO2 emissions from the USA are from coal-fired plants, including these.
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Paradise Fossil Plant in Muhlenberg County. The town of Paradise, which no longer exists, was made famous in 1971 by John Prine’s eponymous anti-strip mining song.
...Despite the opposition (click here) from Trump, McConnell and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, TVA released final environmental assessments on the evening of Feb. 11 concluding that both plants should be shut down by 2023 because of the projected expense of maintenance and complying with environmental laws, as well as a high forced-outage rate and stagnating or declining power demand in the seven-state region it serves, Dave Flessner reports for the Times Free Press in Chattanooga. The assessment also noted that gas is cheaper than coal and likely to remain so, and that more customers are using energy-efficient appliances and furnaces as well as generating their own power with renewable sources such as solar panels and windmills....
The only federal agency of the federal government that builds stuff is the US Army Corp.
Trump may be in violation of the NEA by signing contracts to build a wall. Presidential spending is not what this is about. This is about providing authority to AGENCIES of the federal government to act in an emergency. There is no additional infrastructure provided by the NEA. The NEA acts with current federal government infrastructure.
The NEA does not provide any specific emergency authority on its own, but relies on emergency authorities provided in other statutes. A national emergency declaration allows for the activation of these other statutory authorities. Emergency statutory provisions are not activated automatically, however; they must be specifically identified in the president’s declaration before these authorities may be given effect.
The NEA does not provide any specific emergency authority on its own, but relies on emergency authorities provided in other statutes. A national emergency declaration allows for the activation of these other statutory authorities. Emergency statutory provisions are not activated automatically, however; they must be specifically identified in the president’s declaration before these authorities may be given effect.
Declaration
NEA Section 201 authorizes the president to declare a national emergency. The proclamation of a national emergency must be immediately transmitted to Congress and published in the Federal Register. (click here) Under NEA Section 301, statutory emergency authorities enabled by the national emergency declaration cannot be exercised until the president specifies the provisions of law under which the president or other officials will act. Such specification may be made either in the declaration or in subsequent Executive Orders published in theFederal Register and transmitted to Congress.
I don't see anything published in the Federal Register. He has been writing all sorts of national emergency declarations about Venezuela, but, nothing about the southern border.
How many Executive Orders has Trump written?
I don't see anything published in the Federal Register. He has been writing all sorts of national emergency declarations about Venezuela, but, nothing about the southern border.
How many Executive Orders has Trump written?
Termination
A national emergency can be terminated if the president issues a proclamation or if Congress enacts a joint resolution terminating the emergency. A national emergency will terminate automatically upon the anniversary of the proclamation unless the president renews the proclamation by transmitting notice to Congress within a 90-day period prior to the anniversary date and publishing it in the Federal Register.
Immunity and Liability Issues
The national emergency provisions of the NEA do not address liability issues or provide any immunity. The act could be used to activate emergency authorities in other federal statutes that provide immunity during emergency events.
What is the most corrupt party in the USA?
The Republican Party and now we know that for a fact.
The polls before the 2018 election for 9th Congressional District in NC was a dead heat. One week there was a small margin in favor of Dan McCready and the next week that same margin was in favor of Mark Harris. When realizing the public polls are completely unclear to the outcome of that race, it needs to be reinstated as an open seat and the candidates should continue to raise election monies in anticipation of the new election.
February 18, 2019
By Brian Murphy
Raleigh - The stepdaughter of a Bladen County political operativen(click here) detailed how she said his ballot harvesting operation worked on the first day of a hearing Monday into voting irregularities in the unresolved 2018 election in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District.
Lisa Britt, whose mother was married to Leslie McCrae Dowless in the early 1990s, testified that Dowless paid workers to collect absentee ballot request forms and mail-in absentee ballots and drop them off at his office and his home.
She said Dowless and others made copies of request forms and had specific criteria for matching pen colors, where to mail ballots from, how many to mail at a time and even how to place stamps to avoid setting off alarms.
“He fussed at me for putting on stamps upside down,” Britt testified before the N.C. Board of Elections. “We didn’t want to throw up a red flag.”...
Keeping with the strange and unlawful out of North Carolina is the loss of watches shipped via FedEx.
February 18, 2019
By Simone Jasper
A repair shop in Southern Pines, North Carolina (click here) has filed a lawsuit against FedEx, say the company delivered a package that was missing watches worth almost $50,000, according to court records.
A repair shop in North Carolina says it shipped watches worth almost $50,000 through FedEx. But the retailer instead got just a padded envelope, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.
Cote Timeworks, which is based in Southern Pines, says FedEx was negligent and “didn’t take responsibility, forcing it to pay out-of-pocket to compensate its watch-less clients,” the Triangle Business Journal wrote.
The watch business in a lawsuit filed Tuesday said it paid to ship five watches to New Hampshire and back so that work could be done on them. The items included an 18-karat gold Rolex worth almost $20,000, according to a court document.
A Cote worker in July 2017 signed for the North Carolina-bound package, which was missing all five watches, the lawsuit said....
North Carolina forensics can't determine a wolf from a dog? Here is a reality check for North Carolina; I betcha is was a domesticated wolf. Domesticated wolves are not all that unusual in "the woods" of NC. Ah, "The Dire Wolf."
What do these issues prove about lawlessness in North Carolina?
February 18, 2019
Beaufort County - A North Carolina teacher has died, (click here) three days after she was attacked by an unknown animal.
Brenda Hamilton, 77, had been in critical condition at Vidant Medical Center since Friday morning's attack outside of Pantego. Members of the woman's family confirm that she passed away this morning at the hospital.
Hamilton was an English teacher at Pungo Christian Academy, having taught at the school since 1968.
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission performed preliminary DNA tests over the weekend.
Originally, authorities said the woman was killed by a domesticated animal. But now deputies say test results from DNA evidence found on her clothing do not differentiate between wild K9s, such as wolves or coyotes, and domesticated dogs.
Deputies are now collecting DNA from dogs in the area for additional testing.
Wildlife officers say this morning they turned all their evidence over to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
The polls before the 2018 election for 9th Congressional District in NC was a dead heat. One week there was a small margin in favor of Dan McCready and the next week that same margin was in favor of Mark Harris. When realizing the public polls are completely unclear to the outcome of that race, it needs to be reinstated as an open seat and the candidates should continue to raise election monies in anticipation of the new election.
February 18, 2019
By Brian Murphy
Raleigh - The stepdaughter of a Bladen County political operativen(click here) detailed how she said his ballot harvesting operation worked on the first day of a hearing Monday into voting irregularities in the unresolved 2018 election in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District.
Lisa Britt, whose mother was married to Leslie McCrae Dowless in the early 1990s, testified that Dowless paid workers to collect absentee ballot request forms and mail-in absentee ballots and drop them off at his office and his home.
She said Dowless and others made copies of request forms and had specific criteria for matching pen colors, where to mail ballots from, how many to mail at a time and even how to place stamps to avoid setting off alarms.
“He fussed at me for putting on stamps upside down,” Britt testified before the N.C. Board of Elections. “We didn’t want to throw up a red flag.”...
Keeping with the strange and unlawful out of North Carolina is the loss of watches shipped via FedEx.
By Simone Jasper
A repair shop in Southern Pines, North Carolina (click here) has filed a lawsuit against FedEx, say the company delivered a package that was missing watches worth almost $50,000, according to court records.
A repair shop in North Carolina says it shipped watches worth almost $50,000 through FedEx. But the retailer instead got just a padded envelope, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.
Cote Timeworks, which is based in Southern Pines, says FedEx was negligent and “didn’t take responsibility, forcing it to pay out-of-pocket to compensate its watch-less clients,” the Triangle Business Journal wrote.
The watch business in a lawsuit filed Tuesday said it paid to ship five watches to New Hampshire and back so that work could be done on them. The items included an 18-karat gold Rolex worth almost $20,000, according to a court document.
A Cote worker in July 2017 signed for the North Carolina-bound package, which was missing all five watches, the lawsuit said....
North Carolina forensics can't determine a wolf from a dog? Here is a reality check for North Carolina; I betcha is was a domesticated wolf. Domesticated wolves are not all that unusual in "the woods" of NC. Ah, "The Dire Wolf."
What do these issues prove about lawlessness in North Carolina?
February 18, 2019
Beaufort County - A North Carolina teacher has died, (click here) three days after she was attacked by an unknown animal.
Brenda Hamilton, 77, had been in critical condition at Vidant Medical Center since Friday morning's attack outside of Pantego. Members of the woman's family confirm that she passed away this morning at the hospital.
Hamilton was an English teacher at Pungo Christian Academy, having taught at the school since 1968.
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission performed preliminary DNA tests over the weekend.
Originally, authorities said the woman was killed by a domesticated animal. But now deputies say test results from DNA evidence found on her clothing do not differentiate between wild K9s, such as wolves or coyotes, and domesticated dogs.
Deputies are now collecting DNA from dogs in the area for additional testing.
Wildlife officers say this morning they turned all their evidence over to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
I think most Americans know "Trump" is the petroleum industry last best chance. Americans need to move past the oil era.
All the issues with Trump records are all very interesting, but, the "Green New Deal" is sound in its fundamental purpose to avert complete disaster due to the Climate Crisis.
(3) global warming (click here) at or above 2 degrees Celsius beyond preindustrialized levels will cause—
(A) mass migration from the regions most affected by climate change;
(B) more than $500,000,000,000 in lost annual economic output in the United States by the year 2100;
(C) wildfires that, by 2050, will annually burn at least twice as much forest area in the western United States than was typically burned by wildfires in the years preceding 2019;
(D) a loss of more than 99 percent of all coral reefs on Earth;
(E) more than 350,000,000 more people to be exposed globally to deadly heat stress by 2050; and
(F) a risk of damage to $1,000,000,000,000 of public infrastructure and coastal real estate in the United States; and
(3) global warming (click here) at or above 2 degrees Celsius beyond preindustrialized levels will cause—
(A) mass migration from the regions most affected by climate change;
(B) more than $500,000,000,000 in lost annual economic output in the United States by the year 2100;
(C) wildfires that, by 2050, will annually burn at least twice as much forest area in the western United States than was typically burned by wildfires in the years preceding 2019;
(D) a loss of more than 99 percent of all coral reefs on Earth;
(E) more than 350,000,000 more people to be exposed globally to deadly heat stress by 2050; and
(F) a risk of damage to $1,000,000,000,000 of public infrastructure and coastal real estate in the United States; and
To be clear...
This meeting occurred at the very same time Trump was trying to rope a chaotic USA FBI in a conspiracy against the American people. End of discussion.
THAT IS CALLED TREASON.
...President Trump told Russian officials (click here) highly classified information when he met with them in the Oval Office last week....
...the information that Trump shared with the Russians is what’s called “Code Word” classified. That’s higher than the classification known as Top Secret....
The facts were already known by the FBI that Russia hacked the Clinton campaign and the DCCC before Trump took office.
Donald Trump expected Andrew McCabe and Ron Rosenstein to value a paycheck before the country, hence, Comey’s firing. When the leadership of the FBI could not be corrupted Trump continued his rant and firings. When Comey was fired with a tweet I am quite confident the FBI began to circle the wagons.
Trump carries out outrageous and audacious actions “in plain sight” to numb the country and rob it’s reality to create something different out of his lies. He thinks Americans are stupid. “W”rong!
Russia is an enemy to the United States of America and our allies. Trump goes out of his way to provide aid and comfort to Russia. Enough.
Trump is tweeting? He is feeling insecure. He finds security at the expense of others integrity.
Trump tweets to feel in control. He is sitting in the Oval Office right now in Executive Time while his daughter sits in a European security conference aggrieved the headset for translation will mess up her hairdo. That is a president of the USA? I don’t think so.
The president of the USA is more than occupying a space at a desk of integrity. President of the USA actually cares about the people and the world. Being an American is about having the freedom to experience the world and being an instrument of that freedom and democracy. Being an American is having a president that cares about the world Americans live in and the legacy a life can mean to generations to come.
My hero has always been a first generation American that came with his parents from Galway Ireland. Who at the age of 17 accepted the responsibility of raising his five siblings after the bird flu took the lives of his parents. A man that worked the Pennsylvania anthracite coal mines to see every one of his children graduate high school and every one of his 40 grandchildren graduate college. That man was never a millionaire. That man had problems with alcoholism because he self medicated. That man died of Black Lung Disease. That man was a Roman Catholic and a member of the Knights of Columbus who believed he never deserved Knight of the Year. He humbled himself before God and pledged his love to a woman that never worried about a roof over her head or bread on the table. She never worked a day in her life while revering every granddaughter that choose a profession along with a loving family to call her own. That man never tweeted a word. He died with throngs of people at his funeral. That man was a great American hero and he was my grandfather. That is the America I know and love. Trump can’t hold a candle to him.
Trump tweets to feel in control. He is sitting in the Oval Office right now in Executive Time while his daughter sits in a European security conference aggrieved the headset for translation will mess up her hairdo. That is a president of the USA? I don’t think so.
The president of the USA is more than occupying a space at a desk of integrity. President of the USA actually cares about the people and the world. Being an American is about having the freedom to experience the world and being an instrument of that freedom and democracy. Being an American is having a president that cares about the world Americans live in and the legacy a life can mean to generations to come.
My hero has always been a first generation American that came with his parents from Galway Ireland. Who at the age of 17 accepted the responsibility of raising his five siblings after the bird flu took the lives of his parents. A man that worked the Pennsylvania anthracite coal mines to see every one of his children graduate high school and every one of his 40 grandchildren graduate college. That man was never a millionaire. That man had problems with alcoholism because he self medicated. That man died of Black Lung Disease. That man was a Roman Catholic and a member of the Knights of Columbus who believed he never deserved Knight of the Year. He humbled himself before God and pledged his love to a woman that never worried about a roof over her head or bread on the table. She never worked a day in her life while revering every granddaughter that choose a profession along with a loving family to call her own. That man never tweeted a word. He died with throngs of people at his funeral. That man was a great American hero and he was my grandfather. That is the America I know and love. Trump can’t hold a candle to him.
“I believe Putin.”
Of course, Trump submitted all the Russian proof on North Korea to USA intelligence for forensics and assessment to complete the reason why he believes Putin that North Korea has no long range missiles. No? That is because Trump is afraid of Putin. Trump remembers Putin stating during the election for president if Hillary Clinton is elected there will be nuclear war with the USA. Trump is afraid of Russian Novichok. He is submissive to Putin because it is easier than standing up to him.
After all Putin won Trump a real seat of power. Why not believe him?
Does Trump believe Putin is killing people in Ukraine? Does Trump believe Putin broke a long standing international treaty to invade Crimea and Ukraine? Does Trump believe Russia is directly responsible for the war at the Russian border with Ukraine? Does Trump believe Russians were responsible for the downing of a commercial airliner killing hundreds of people? If not, what is all that Fake News? Is that what Trump believes of USA intelligence? Is USA intelligence Fake News?
There are millions of Americans living in NATO countries; Trump should not take their security so lightly.
After all Putin won Trump a real seat of power. Why not believe him?
Does Trump believe Putin is killing people in Ukraine? Does Trump believe Putin broke a long standing international treaty to invade Crimea and Ukraine? Does Trump believe Russia is directly responsible for the war at the Russian border with Ukraine? Does Trump believe Russians were responsible for the downing of a commercial airliner killing hundreds of people? If not, what is all that Fake News? Is that what Trump believes of USA intelligence? Is USA intelligence Fake News?
There are millions of Americans living in NATO countries; Trump should not take their security so lightly.
Sunday, February 17, 2019
I had a medical procedure. No. I had surgery this past week and have been told to rest. I'll leave you with this for this evening.
It has become obvious to me men and women see relationships differently and as a result, women have been victimized for their sexuality.
Love is not defined by sex. Intimacy frequently follows love, but, the sex is a by-product of a trusting intimate relationship.
Sex appeal is something people of both genders practice to attract their partners. Recreational sex does exist, but, there needs to be some degree of respect for each other even as casual as it can be.
The expression of gender and sexuality takes all forms, but, the one form that gives men to treat women as an object often revolves around language.
I leave this with you tonight:
"Thought Catalog" (click here)
100 Quotes about Women
By Jim Goad
Example:
"It's a man's world. Then Eve arrived." by Richard Armour...
The people at the USA southern border are seeking asylum. They want to work and they want to raise their children. They are not here simply to find a job, that is done in a different way through visa application.
Some are young people alone without parents, but, one thing is clear that makes them asylum seekers, the countries they are coming from have a long documented history of violence against their citizens, primarily through the occupation of drug cartels.
There is no doubt with many of these asylum seekers they have a case. They have to pass a background check and be provided a standing with the USA courts.
Basically, they already have standing to declare asylum and if there is any kind of emergency with them it is a processing emergency and nothing more.
Some are young people alone without parents, but, one thing is clear that makes them asylum seekers, the countries they are coming from have a long documented history of violence against their citizens, primarily through the occupation of drug cartels.
There is no doubt with many of these asylum seekers they have a case. They have to pass a background check and be provided a standing with the USA courts.
Basically, they already have standing to declare asylum and if there is any kind of emergency with them it is a processing emergency and nothing more.
Everyone knows there is no national emergency at the USA - Mexico southern border, right?
For the sake of argument, let's just say there is with crushing throngs of people amassing there.
Why is a wall an answer at all?
There needs to be more of a humanitarian effort, including more judges hearing cases, more social workers assessing families and more lawyers processing cases.
Why is a wall the only answer Trump seems to have?
Don't forget about job placement because most of these folks are looking for work. We know this is not an invading army. Even Pope Francis said so. Perhaps Speaker Pelosi can ask the Pope to make testimony to the court.
February 17, 2016
Pope Francis (click here) called forced migration “a human tragedy” during his Mass in Ciudad Juárez.
“We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometers through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones,” he said. “The human tragedy that is forced migration is a global phenomenon today.”
He described “a journey laden with grave injustices: the enslaved, the imprisoned and extorted,” adding, “So many of these brothers and sisters of ours are the consequence of a trade in human beings.”
He cited poverty, violence, drug trafficking and lawlessness as the root causes of migration to the United States from Central America and Mexico.
Here is more from his remarks:
“Being faced with so many legal vacuums, they get caught up in a web that ensnares and always destroys the poorest. Not only do they suffer poverty, but they must also endure these forms of violence. Injustice is radicalized in the young; they are ‘cannon fodder,’ persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and the hell of drugs. Then there are the many women unjustly robbed of their lives.
No more death nor exploitation! There is still time to change. There is still a way out and a chance, time to implore the mercy of God.”
Francis saluted the migrant rights groups, priests and lay people “often risking their own lives” to help people on the trail....
Why is a wall an answer at all?
There needs to be more of a humanitarian effort, including more judges hearing cases, more social workers assessing families and more lawyers processing cases.
Why is a wall the only answer Trump seems to have?
Don't forget about job placement because most of these folks are looking for work. We know this is not an invading army. Even Pope Francis said so. Perhaps Speaker Pelosi can ask the Pope to make testimony to the court.
February 17, 2016
Pope Francis (click here) called forced migration “a human tragedy” during his Mass in Ciudad Juárez.
“We cannot deny the humanitarian crisis which in recent years has meant the migration of thousands of people, whether by train or highway or on foot, crossing hundreds of kilometers through mountains, deserts and inhospitable zones,” he said. “The human tragedy that is forced migration is a global phenomenon today.”
He described “a journey laden with grave injustices: the enslaved, the imprisoned and extorted,” adding, “So many of these brothers and sisters of ours are the consequence of a trade in human beings.”
He cited poverty, violence, drug trafficking and lawlessness as the root causes of migration to the United States from Central America and Mexico.
Here is more from his remarks:
“Being faced with so many legal vacuums, they get caught up in a web that ensnares and always destroys the poorest. Not only do they suffer poverty, but they must also endure these forms of violence. Injustice is radicalized in the young; they are ‘cannon fodder,’ persecuted and threatened when they try to flee the spiral of violence and the hell of drugs. Then there are the many women unjustly robbed of their lives.
No more death nor exploitation! There is still time to change. There is still a way out and a chance, time to implore the mercy of God.”
Francis saluted the migrant rights groups, priests and lay people “often risking their own lives” to help people on the trail....
Saturday, February 16, 2019
It was several decades of trying, but, Guzman is finally behind bars.
Australia is now a target of the drug cartels.
February 17, 2019
By Sally Rawsthrone
...Plan Colombia
In the 1990s, (click here) Colombia was ground zero for the global war on drugs – and also one of the deadliest places on Earth, as cartels battled for supremacy and civilians were frequently caught in the crossfire.
As part of the United States' War on Drugs, then-president Bill Clinton implemented an enormous humanitarian program named Plan Colombia in 2000 – leaving Colombia in relative peace, as the cartels set up shop in its northern neighbour, Mexico.
"It's called a balloon effect," UNSW Latin American crime expert Dr Anthea McCarthy-Jones said. "It hasn't eradicated the problem, it's just pushed it closer to the US borders."
While Colombia still produces the majority of the world's cocaine, its sale is largely controlled by two Mexican cartels, the Sinaloa Cartel – whose fearsome leader Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán was convicted this week of pumping drugs into the US, bribing officials, laundering money and commanding his assassins to commit brutal acts of violence, and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
These cartels are the two main suppliers to Australian criminals, and also control Mexico's superlabs that turn precursors imported from Asia into ice that is sold to Australia and elsewhere.
"The labs predominantly supply the US market. There's an oversupply of ice for US and that's being redirected to Australia and other countries," the Australian Federal Police's Assistant Commissioner for organised crime, Bruce Hill, told The Sun-Herald....
February 17, 2019
By Sally Rawsthrone
...Plan Colombia
In the 1990s, (click here) Colombia was ground zero for the global war on drugs – and also one of the deadliest places on Earth, as cartels battled for supremacy and civilians were frequently caught in the crossfire.
As part of the United States' War on Drugs, then-president Bill Clinton implemented an enormous humanitarian program named Plan Colombia in 2000 – leaving Colombia in relative peace, as the cartels set up shop in its northern neighbour, Mexico.
"It's called a balloon effect," UNSW Latin American crime expert Dr Anthea McCarthy-Jones said. "It hasn't eradicated the problem, it's just pushed it closer to the US borders."
While Colombia still produces the majority of the world's cocaine, its sale is largely controlled by two Mexican cartels, the Sinaloa Cartel – whose fearsome leader Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán was convicted this week of pumping drugs into the US, bribing officials, laundering money and commanding his assassins to commit brutal acts of violence, and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
These cartels are the two main suppliers to Australian criminals, and also control Mexico's superlabs that turn precursors imported from Asia into ice that is sold to Australia and elsewhere.
"The labs predominantly supply the US market. There's an oversupply of ice for US and that's being redirected to Australia and other countries," the Australian Federal Police's Assistant Commissioner for organised crime, Bruce Hill, told The Sun-Herald....
Friday, February 15, 2019
The US EPA lead levels in water are too high.
February 15, 2019
By Ron Fonger
Flint -- The city’s chief financial officer (click here) says the state will release previously withheld funds for work completed by contractors replacing water service lines in Flint
“These are the funds that were being questioned by members of the (City) Council and media,” CFO Hughey Newsome, said in a statement issued by the city on Friday, Feb. 15. “As I stated time and time again, we, meaning myself and the MDEQ, were working closely to get it figured out. I was confident that we would be reimbursed for the work that was completed.”
In late November, the state said it was withholding reimbursement for Flint’s water service line replacement work in a dispute with the city over the cost of performing full, traditional excavations at homes with copper water service lines that do not require replacement.
DEQ officials have questioned the need for full excavations at such homes, advocating instead for the city contractors to use hydro-excavation, a less expensive method, to uncover pipes....
Thirty years ago the level was much different and one third what it is today. Thirty years ago there were more lead pipes than today. So why is the state and federal agencies allowing higher level today when there is less and less lead pipes used?
...In 1988, (click here) it was estimated that a lead level of 5 µg/l was exceeded in only 1.1% of public water distribution systems in the USA (16). A more recent review of lead levels in drinking-water in the USA found the geometric mean to be 2.8 µg/l (10). The median level of lead in drinking-water samples collected in five Canadian cities was 2.0 µg/l (17). A recent study in Ontario (Canada) found that the average concentration of lead in water actually consumed over a 1-week sampling period was in the range 1.1–30.7 µg/l, with a median level of 4.8 µg/l (18). In the United Kingdom in 1975– 1976, there was virtually no lead in the drinking-water in two thirds of households, but levels were above 50 µg/l in 10% of homes in England and 33% in Scotland (2). In Glasgow (Scotland), where the water was known to be plumbosolvent, the lead concentration in about 40% of the samples exceeded 100 µg/l (19)....
What Type of Plumbing Pipe is Best? (click here)
Therefore, 1 g/m3 (1 gram per meter cubed) = 1 mg/L (1 milligram/liter) = 1 ppm (1 part per million). Likewise, one milligram per cubic meter (mg/m3) is the same concentration in water as one microgram per liter (ug/L), which is about 1 ppb.(1 part per billion)
With the changes in pipes in homes across the USA why is any level of lead tolerated?
February 15, 2019
By Ron Fonger
Thirteen Michigan water systems failed (click here) to meet federal standards for lead in drinking water in the last half of 2018, and seven of those systems had lead levels at least twice as high as the state will allow starting in 2025.
Data requested by MLive-The Flint Journal from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality shows water systems above that action limit in the most recent Lead and Copper Rule testing are located throughout the state and are both large and small -- one serving less than 100 homes and others providing water to cities as large as Hamtramck and Benton Harbor.
A total of 27 water providers registered 90th percentile lead levels of at least 13 parts per billion, beyond the 12 ppb future threshold established last year by the state.
The 90th percentile is a formula used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to measure the prevalence of lead in water sampled by the more than 1,200 public water systems in the state. Federal regulations set the lead limit at 15 ppb....
Lead in drinking water, food or air is nothing to ignore.
June 1977
By Dr, Herbert A, Schreier, Norman Sherry, MD and Elizabeth Shaughnessy
Lead poisoning (click here) and subclinical body lead elevations have become increasingly widespread findings in children, not only in the inner cities but in the suburbs and rural areas as well. This paper reports on 2 institutionalized children with elevated urinary lead levels who subsequently developed astrocytomas. Lead toxicity may play a role in causing mental retardation, hyperactivity, and more subtle neuropsychological dysfunction in children. It has been shown to have a direct toxic effect on neurons, causing astrocytic proliferation in humans and central nervous system neoplasms in rats.
By Ron Fonger
Flint -- The city’s chief financial officer (click here) says the state will release previously withheld funds for work completed by contractors replacing water service lines in Flint
“These are the funds that were being questioned by members of the (City) Council and media,” CFO Hughey Newsome, said in a statement issued by the city on Friday, Feb. 15. “As I stated time and time again, we, meaning myself and the MDEQ, were working closely to get it figured out. I was confident that we would be reimbursed for the work that was completed.”
In late November, the state said it was withholding reimbursement for Flint’s water service line replacement work in a dispute with the city over the cost of performing full, traditional excavations at homes with copper water service lines that do not require replacement.
DEQ officials have questioned the need for full excavations at such homes, advocating instead for the city contractors to use hydro-excavation, a less expensive method, to uncover pipes....
Thirty years ago the level was much different and one third what it is today. Thirty years ago there were more lead pipes than today. So why is the state and federal agencies allowing higher level today when there is less and less lead pipes used?
...In 1988, (click here) it was estimated that a lead level of 5 µg/l was exceeded in only 1.1% of public water distribution systems in the USA (16). A more recent review of lead levels in drinking-water in the USA found the geometric mean to be 2.8 µg/l (10). The median level of lead in drinking-water samples collected in five Canadian cities was 2.0 µg/l (17). A recent study in Ontario (Canada) found that the average concentration of lead in water actually consumed over a 1-week sampling period was in the range 1.1–30.7 µg/l, with a median level of 4.8 µg/l (18). In the United Kingdom in 1975– 1976, there was virtually no lead in the drinking-water in two thirds of households, but levels were above 50 µg/l in 10% of homes in England and 33% in Scotland (2). In Glasgow (Scotland), where the water was known to be plumbosolvent, the lead concentration in about 40% of the samples exceeded 100 µg/l (19)....
What Type of Plumbing Pipe is Best? (click here)
- Copper Pipes (Metal)
- Galvanized Steel (Metal)
- Polyvinyl Chloride Pipes or PVC Pipes (Plastic)
- Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride Pipes or CPVC Pipes (Plastic)
- Cross-Linked Polyethylene or PEX Pipes (Plastic)
With the changes in pipes in homes across the USA why is any level of lead tolerated?
February 15, 2019
By Ron Fonger
Thirteen Michigan water systems failed (click here) to meet federal standards for lead in drinking water in the last half of 2018, and seven of those systems had lead levels at least twice as high as the state will allow starting in 2025.
Data requested by MLive-The Flint Journal from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality shows water systems above that action limit in the most recent Lead and Copper Rule testing are located throughout the state and are both large and small -- one serving less than 100 homes and others providing water to cities as large as Hamtramck and Benton Harbor.
A total of 27 water providers registered 90th percentile lead levels of at least 13 parts per billion, beyond the 12 ppb future threshold established last year by the state.
The 90th percentile is a formula used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to measure the prevalence of lead in water sampled by the more than 1,200 public water systems in the state. Federal regulations set the lead limit at 15 ppb....
Lead in drinking water, food or air is nothing to ignore.
June 1977
By Dr, Herbert A, Schreier, Norman Sherry, MD and Elizabeth Shaughnessy
Lead poisoning (click here) and subclinical body lead elevations have become increasingly widespread findings in children, not only in the inner cities but in the suburbs and rural areas as well. This paper reports on 2 institutionalized children with elevated urinary lead levels who subsequently developed astrocytomas. Lead toxicity may play a role in causing mental retardation, hyperactivity, and more subtle neuropsychological dysfunction in children. It has been shown to have a direct toxic effect on neurons, causing astrocytic proliferation in humans and central nervous system neoplasms in rats.
In Maine, Wind Power is In!
By Scott Thistle
The governor's order (click here) opens the door for state agencies to issue permits that were put in limbo under her predecessor.
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