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Saturday, May 02, 2015
IRS May Be Targeting Karl Rove Group
The IRS may be trying to block the tax exemption of one of the largest politically active nonprofit groups, Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, an organization founded by Republican strategist Karl Rove.
The oblique disclosure can be found between the lines of an inspector general’s report released on Thursday, which said that 149 of 160 stalled applications from nonprofits with potential ties to politics have been resolved. Of the other 11, six are in litigation with the IRS — which Crossroads isn’t — and five have received proposed denial letters or are appealing.
That suggests that the Internal Revenue Service has sent Crossroads a denial letter. Crossroads is one of the most politically involved nonprofit groups, and its bid for tax exemption is being closely watched by campaign-finance lawyers.
More here
The oblique disclosure can be found between the lines of an inspector general’s report released on Thursday, which said that 149 of 160 stalled applications from nonprofits with potential ties to politics have been resolved. Of the other 11, six are in litigation with the IRS — which Crossroads isn’t — and five have received proposed denial letters or are appealing.
That suggests that the Internal Revenue Service has sent Crossroads a denial letter. Crossroads is one of the most politically involved nonprofit groups, and its bid for tax exemption is being closely watched by campaign-finance lawyers.
More here
The New York Times Went to Baltimore, and Only Found the Police Worth Talking to
NYT coverage of the Baltimore protests has stuck mainly with government sources.
For readers who turned to Tuesday’s New York Times site (4/28/15) for news of the ongoing Baltimore protests following the death in police custody of Freddie Gray, they found a terrifying tale of rioters throwing cinder blocks at firefighters trying to put out arson fires, as the city was beset by people with “no regard for life.”
Whose tale was it, though? Here’s the first six original citations from the Times story:
“police said”
“police said”
“police also reported”
“police said”
“state and city officials said”
“police acknowledged”
For readers who turned to Tuesday’s New York Times site (4/28/15) for news of the ongoing Baltimore protests following the death in police custody of Freddie Gray, they found a terrifying tale of rioters throwing cinder blocks at firefighters trying to put out arson fires, as the city was beset by people with “no regard for life.”
Whose tale was it, though? Here’s the first six original citations from the Times story:
“police said”
“police said”
“police also reported”
“police said”
“state and city officials said”
“police acknowledged”
Paul Ryan: Immigration Reform in TPP Is 'Urban Legend'
In recent weeks, a flurry of op-ed articles and warnings on social media have charged that that the Tran-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement now before Congress contains language that would assist President Barack Obama’s immigration agenda.
On Thursday morning, however, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) told Newsmax that this is "absolutely not true” and dismissed the warnings as "the latest urban legend."
"There’s no way we [House Republicans] would sign off on immigration reform in the trade agreements," said the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee, adding that he and his colleagues "are unified on this."
Ryan, who spoke at a press breakfast in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, went on to promise that House Judiciary Committee Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), a strong opponent of the Obama immigration program, would have a letter later in the day responding to the mounting speculation about advancing immigration through TPP.
One example of the recent rumors was in a guest editorial in the Capitol Hill publication The Hill entitled, "Trade Agreement is a Trojan horse for Obama’s Immigration Agenda."
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On Thursday morning, however, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) told Newsmax that this is "absolutely not true” and dismissed the warnings as "the latest urban legend."
"There’s no way we [House Republicans] would sign off on immigration reform in the trade agreements," said the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee, adding that he and his colleagues "are unified on this."
Ryan, who spoke at a press breakfast in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, went on to promise that House Judiciary Committee Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), a strong opponent of the Obama immigration program, would have a letter later in the day responding to the mounting speculation about advancing immigration through TPP.
One example of the recent rumors was in a guest editorial in the Capitol Hill publication The Hill entitled, "Trade Agreement is a Trojan horse for Obama’s Immigration Agenda."
More
College's Cruel Scam: Giving Financial Aid to the Needy, Then Yanking it Away
Offering a freshman a generous financial aid package, only to take it away in subsequent years is all too common.
In 2010, Amber was a high school senior from a small farm town in Connecticut, when a small women’s college in Massachusetts offered her a generous financial aid package. She had applied to six schools, including a state institution, but had been wooed by the small women’s college in Massachusetts after visiting its campus and being offered a financial aid package consisting mostly of loans and a few grants. The total cost of her tuition and room and board for her freshman year, $26,000, was just $5,000 more than she would have paid had she gone to a state school, so she went with the more prestigious women’s college because, in large part, it had a “better name.”
After attending the New England school for a year and a half, she had to withdraw in 2011 to deal with health issues. When Amber returned in 2012 and received her revised financial aid package, she was shocked to see that her aid was cut in half.
“I couldn't believe this,” Amber told AlterNet. “When I started at the college, the sticker price was about $26,000. By the 2012 academic year, I would have been paying $45,000 a year to go there. When I tried to get this reviewed, I was told that I could have the financial aid office review my package, but it was unlikely I'd get any more money. They said, We can try, though. We recommend you try to pay as much as you can before classes start and then we can go from there.
"Basically, the school expected me to pay almost $20,000 up front, which I could not afford obviously. If I didn't pay the entire amount, not only would I face late fees, but also be unable to register for classes for the following semester.”
More
In 2010, Amber was a high school senior from a small farm town in Connecticut, when a small women’s college in Massachusetts offered her a generous financial aid package. She had applied to six schools, including a state institution, but had been wooed by the small women’s college in Massachusetts after visiting its campus and being offered a financial aid package consisting mostly of loans and a few grants. The total cost of her tuition and room and board for her freshman year, $26,000, was just $5,000 more than she would have paid had she gone to a state school, so she went with the more prestigious women’s college because, in large part, it had a “better name.”
After attending the New England school for a year and a half, she had to withdraw in 2011 to deal with health issues. When Amber returned in 2012 and received her revised financial aid package, she was shocked to see that her aid was cut in half.
“I couldn't believe this,” Amber told AlterNet. “When I started at the college, the sticker price was about $26,000. By the 2012 academic year, I would have been paying $45,000 a year to go there. When I tried to get this reviewed, I was told that I could have the financial aid office review my package, but it was unlikely I'd get any more money. They said, We can try, though. We recommend you try to pay as much as you can before classes start and then we can go from there.
"Basically, the school expected me to pay almost $20,000 up front, which I could not afford obviously. If I didn't pay the entire amount, not only would I face late fees, but also be unable to register for classes for the following semester.”
More
GOP-Led States: Work Should Be Linked To Obamacare
Governors and conservative legislators in nearly a dozen Republican-dominated states are looking to link work requirements to a Medicaid expansion under Obamacare in a bid to make the federal healthcare law more politically palatable.
According to Politico, the Obama administration has ruled out the possibility of adding a work requirement, believing it will undermine the objective of ensuring universal health coverage to low-income Americans.
"This is supposed to be an incentive and encouragement for people to work versus an incentive for people to just receive the government benefit and not be part of a working culture of Arkansas," Gov. Asa Hutchinson told Politico.
The move is being taken up in Indiana, Florida, Utah and at least eight other states dominated by the GOP as a way of offsetting the cost of the expansion and reducing the risks of fraud and abuse. Lawmakers are considering a range of options from requiring employment to job hunting or job training.
"I wanted to be able to say, 'If you want the taxpayers to fund your healthcare, then you need to go out and be involved in a work program, no ifs, ands, or buts.' I've been accused by the Obama administration: 'Well, you're trying to turn this healthcare program into a work program.' And I've said, 'You're right,'" Utah Gov. Gary Herbert told Politico.
More here
According to Politico, the Obama administration has ruled out the possibility of adding a work requirement, believing it will undermine the objective of ensuring universal health coverage to low-income Americans.
"This is supposed to be an incentive and encouragement for people to work versus an incentive for people to just receive the government benefit and not be part of a working culture of Arkansas," Gov. Asa Hutchinson told Politico.
The move is being taken up in Indiana, Florida, Utah and at least eight other states dominated by the GOP as a way of offsetting the cost of the expansion and reducing the risks of fraud and abuse. Lawmakers are considering a range of options from requiring employment to job hunting or job training.
"I wanted to be able to say, 'If you want the taxpayers to fund your healthcare, then you need to go out and be involved in a work program, no ifs, ands, or buts.' I've been accused by the Obama administration: 'Well, you're trying to turn this healthcare program into a work program.' And I've said, 'You're right,'" Utah Gov. Gary Herbert told Politico.
More here
Presidential Hopeful O'Malley Was Warned His Police Strategy Would Produce More Rodney Kings in Baltimore
Maryland's former governor and would-be president has a lot to answer for in Baltimore's black community.
Former Maryland Governor and before that, Baltimore Mayor, Martin O'Malley is expected to run for the Democratic nomination for the presidency, and he has been on the campaign trail portraying himself as a left-wing challenge to Clinton.
But as Baltimore unrest is making global headlines, it's worth mentioning that when O'Malley was mayor of Baltimore, he advocated harsh “broken windows”/”tough on crime” policing, putting more police on the streets and bringing in advisers from the New York Police Department. From a 2013 Washington Monthly profile:
In 1999, O’Malley stood at an intersection in Northwest Baltimore, a known drug-selling corner, and announced his intention to run for Baltimore city mayor. His platform? A single, resounding, and highly unlikely promise: to reduce the city’s crime rate by 50 percent. In a city riven by racial politics, the cards were stacked against the young, white councilman, but in August, in the nick of time, he got lucky. Former State General Assembly Delegate Howard P. Rawlings, who is black, endorsed him, and in September, O’Malley walked away with the Democratic primary—the equivalent, in Baltimore, of victory. (Twelve years later, O’Malley would return the favor, endorsing Rawlings’s daughter, the current mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.) O’Malley took the general election in a landslide.
Two days after election night, months before he’d even taken the oath of office, O’Malley recruited Jack Maple, the guru of CompStat [A New York City program designed to identify crime-heavy spots and deploy police to them], and his business partner, John Linder. Their task? Bring CompStat to Baltimore, stat. Almost immediately, the duo launched a comprehensive review of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), and in early 2000 they delivered eighty-seven suggestions of reform to both O’Malley and his brand-new police commissioner, Ronald L. Daniel. That’s when the trouble began.
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Former Maryland Governor and before that, Baltimore Mayor, Martin O'Malley is expected to run for the Democratic nomination for the presidency, and he has been on the campaign trail portraying himself as a left-wing challenge to Clinton.
But as Baltimore unrest is making global headlines, it's worth mentioning that when O'Malley was mayor of Baltimore, he advocated harsh “broken windows”/”tough on crime” policing, putting more police on the streets and bringing in advisers from the New York Police Department. From a 2013 Washington Monthly profile:
In 1999, O’Malley stood at an intersection in Northwest Baltimore, a known drug-selling corner, and announced his intention to run for Baltimore city mayor. His platform? A single, resounding, and highly unlikely promise: to reduce the city’s crime rate by 50 percent. In a city riven by racial politics, the cards were stacked against the young, white councilman, but in August, in the nick of time, he got lucky. Former State General Assembly Delegate Howard P. Rawlings, who is black, endorsed him, and in September, O’Malley walked away with the Democratic primary—the equivalent, in Baltimore, of victory. (Twelve years later, O’Malley would return the favor, endorsing Rawlings’s daughter, the current mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.) O’Malley took the general election in a landslide.
Two days after election night, months before he’d even taken the oath of office, O’Malley recruited Jack Maple, the guru of CompStat [A New York City program designed to identify crime-heavy spots and deploy police to them], and his business partner, John Linder. Their task? Bring CompStat to Baltimore, stat. Almost immediately, the duo launched a comprehensive review of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), and in early 2000 they delivered eighty-seven suggestions of reform to both O’Malley and his brand-new police commissioner, Ronald L. Daniel. That’s when the trouble began.
More
1967 Ford Mustang 390 GT Fastback Barn Find
Nancy’s husband, who died several years ago, had put the 1967 Mustang (which he would never sell) in a pole barn 15 years earlier. Nancy knew the Mustang was bad on gas and that’s why she and her husband parked the car 15 years earlier. But she had no idea what engine was underhood. Understandably, Deese was expecting a good car this time and his anticipation built with every step he took with visions of a big-block ’67 Mustang fastback dancing through his head.
The pole barn consisted of two sides and a back. Deese spotted the rear end of a red 1967 fastback in the back of the structure, out of the reach of the sun and rain. All four tires were completely flat, but overall the body sparkled under spotty layers of dust. “You couldn’t walk around to the front of the car and the driver side was so close to the wall you could only open the door maybe 12 inches,” Deese said. He popped open the hood to stare at a 390 FE big-block, appearing factory stock and completely intact. Needless to say, Deese was elated. He had found the fastback he’d been hunting for years. This car even had the factory GT package and a stock C6 automatic transmission.
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'A Riot Is the Language of the Unheard': 9 MLK Quotes the Mainstream Media Won't Cite
The words of the real MLK were far more radical than today's cherry-picked lines.
The Martin Luther King Jr. who is cynically trotted out every time racial unrest erupts in our cities is the MLK who can be conveniently used to prop up the status quo. He is the MLK of CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, ignoring the core root of an urban uprising and unable to recognize the intrinsically higher value of black lives over commercial property interests. He is the MLK reduced to “I Have A Dream,” used in conservative political ads to scare-monger about invading, job-stealing Mexican immigrants. He is the almost wholly fabricated MLK whom the modern GOP claims would today be one of their own, presumably standing alongside them as they vote against the poor, women and people of color at every opportunity.
In reality, those examples rely on half-truths and half-reveals of who MLK truly was. In real, big-picture life, MLK was far more radical than the cherry-picked lines from his speeches and books would suggest, a man who moved further left over the course of his long and weary fight for African-American civil rights. By 1966, MLK had become an outspoken opponent of "liberal" white complicity in white supremacy, of American imperialism and warmongering, of the capitalist system itself. Modern right-wingers’ use of quotes from MLK (here are a few examples) twist and misuse his words in ways that belie much of what he ultimately came to stand for.
The next time Wolf Blitzer or some other conservative commentator (or horribly misguided person in your Facebook feed) tosses MLK into a conversation about what’s happening in Baltimore, recall that MLK also said “a riot is the language of the unheard.” (Yes, you can be anti-violence and understand the roots of violence.) Here are several more examples of MLK’s most radical statements.
1. “Why is equality so assiduously avoided? Why does white America delude itself, and how does it rationalize the evil it retains?
The majority of white Americans consider themselves sincerely committed to justice for the Negro. They believe that American society is essentially hospitable to fair play and to steady growth toward a middle-class Utopia embodying racial harmony. But unfortunately this is a fantasy of self-deception and comfortable vanity.”
— Where Do We Go From Here, 1967
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The Martin Luther King Jr. who is cynically trotted out every time racial unrest erupts in our cities is the MLK who can be conveniently used to prop up the status quo. He is the MLK of CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, ignoring the core root of an urban uprising and unable to recognize the intrinsically higher value of black lives over commercial property interests. He is the MLK reduced to “I Have A Dream,” used in conservative political ads to scare-monger about invading, job-stealing Mexican immigrants. He is the almost wholly fabricated MLK whom the modern GOP claims would today be one of their own, presumably standing alongside them as they vote against the poor, women and people of color at every opportunity.
In reality, those examples rely on half-truths and half-reveals of who MLK truly was. In real, big-picture life, MLK was far more radical than the cherry-picked lines from his speeches and books would suggest, a man who moved further left over the course of his long and weary fight for African-American civil rights. By 1966, MLK had become an outspoken opponent of "liberal" white complicity in white supremacy, of American imperialism and warmongering, of the capitalist system itself. Modern right-wingers’ use of quotes from MLK (here are a few examples) twist and misuse his words in ways that belie much of what he ultimately came to stand for.
The next time Wolf Blitzer or some other conservative commentator (or horribly misguided person in your Facebook feed) tosses MLK into a conversation about what’s happening in Baltimore, recall that MLK also said “a riot is the language of the unheard.” (Yes, you can be anti-violence and understand the roots of violence.) Here are several more examples of MLK’s most radical statements.
1. “Why is equality so assiduously avoided? Why does white America delude itself, and how does it rationalize the evil it retains?
The majority of white Americans consider themselves sincerely committed to justice for the Negro. They believe that American society is essentially hospitable to fair play and to steady growth toward a middle-class Utopia embodying racial harmony. But unfortunately this is a fantasy of self-deception and comfortable vanity.”
— Where Do We Go From Here, 1967
More
New Mexico auditor says ex-police chief got perks from Taser
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico's state auditor outlined what he called a troubling pattern of perks and consulting work heaped upon the former Albuquerque police chief by Taser International as it secured a lucrative no-bid contract to supply officers with body cameras.
Auditor Tim Keller forwarded his findings to prosecutors, who will decide if Ray Schultz broke the law in his dealings with Taser. Keller believes Schultz committed "substantial violations" of city and state ethics laws in his dealings with Taser called the case a "rampant disregard for all of those things that protect our taxpayer dollars."
The investigation brings more tumult to the Albuquerque Police Department as it deals with the fallout over a U.S. Justice Department investigation and a rash of police shootings. Brought in as a reformer in 2005, Schultz stepped down in 2013 under a cloud of bad morale.
"You want the police chief of the Albuquerque Police Department to be this sort of shining star in public office. In this case, it points to the opposite direction," Keller said.
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Auditor Tim Keller forwarded his findings to prosecutors, who will decide if Ray Schultz broke the law in his dealings with Taser. Keller believes Schultz committed "substantial violations" of city and state ethics laws in his dealings with Taser called the case a "rampant disregard for all of those things that protect our taxpayer dollars."
The investigation brings more tumult to the Albuquerque Police Department as it deals with the fallout over a U.S. Justice Department investigation and a rash of police shootings. Brought in as a reformer in 2005, Schultz stepped down in 2013 under a cloud of bad morale.
"You want the police chief of the Albuquerque Police Department to be this sort of shining star in public office. In this case, it points to the opposite direction," Keller said.
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United States of Amnesia: What White America Doesn't Understand About the Baltimore Protests
The protests are only mysteries to American policymakers and members of the public who live in a state of denial.
Baltimore’s young people responded to the police theft of Freddie Gray’s life with protests that eventually grew into a spasm of violence. While the direct motivator, Gray’s death is not the only direct cause of the uprising. The protests and violent exhalations by Baltimore’s black youth (and others) are the result of a long pattern of police abuse, harassment and violence toward that city’s African-American community in the context of systemic class inequality, custodial citizenship and mass incarceration.
The causes of black urban unrest in the United States are not “unknown unknowns.” Rather, they were described in great and compelling detail by the 1968 Kerner Commission, which was tasked by President Johnson with determining the causes of the urban riots during the 1960s.
The reasons young people in Baltimore and other parts of the United States have been moved to street protests in response to police violence are only mysteries to those American policymakers and members of the public who choose to live in a state of denial.
(White) America is a country with a limited historical perspective and a very short-term memory. As Gore Vidal famously said, “We live here in the United States of Amnesia. No one remembers anything before Monday morning. Everything is a blank. They have no history.”
More
Baltimore’s young people responded to the police theft of Freddie Gray’s life with protests that eventually grew into a spasm of violence. While the direct motivator, Gray’s death is not the only direct cause of the uprising. The protests and violent exhalations by Baltimore’s black youth (and others) are the result of a long pattern of police abuse, harassment and violence toward that city’s African-American community in the context of systemic class inequality, custodial citizenship and mass incarceration.
The causes of black urban unrest in the United States are not “unknown unknowns.” Rather, they were described in great and compelling detail by the 1968 Kerner Commission, which was tasked by President Johnson with determining the causes of the urban riots during the 1960s.
The reasons young people in Baltimore and other parts of the United States have been moved to street protests in response to police violence are only mysteries to those American policymakers and members of the public who choose to live in a state of denial.
(White) America is a country with a limited historical perspective and a very short-term memory. As Gore Vidal famously said, “We live here in the United States of Amnesia. No one remembers anything before Monday morning. Everything is a blank. They have no history.”
More
US Tense as Russian Satellite Full of Toxic Fuel Falls
The "Progress-M 27M" satellite, which was meant to resupply the International Space Station, went out of control on Wednesday at 3:04 a.m., and is being monitored by a US Air Force center at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, reports the Washington Free Beacon.
"Currently, the (center) can confirm that the resupply vehicle is rotating at a rate of 360 degrees every five seconds," read an Air Force statement, indicating how the satellite is out of control.
The paper noted that the satellite regularly passed over the northern US and Canada.
US army commanders are aware of the potential threat of the satellite crashing into populated areas while laden with toxic fuel, according to a defense official who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon. However, he said plans to shoot it down before reentry have not yet been discussed.
The satellite is anticipated to reenter the atmosphere on May 9 around 1:30 p.m.
Igor Komarov, director of the Russian space agency, said the satellite - which was due to bring food and fuel to the Space Station - is a loss. It cost $51 million, and malfunctioned for reasons that remain unclear.
More here
George Soros May Face a Monster Tax Bill
George Soros likes to say the rich should pay more taxes. A substantial part of his wealth, though, comes from delaying them. While building a record as one of the world’s greatest investors, the 84-year-old billionaire used a loophole that allowed him to defer taxes on fees paid by clients and reinvest them in his fund, where they continued to grow tax-free. At the end of 2013, Soros—through Soros Fund Management—had amassed $13.3 billion through the use of deferrals, according to Irish regulatory filings by Soros.
Congress closed the loophole in 2008 and ordered hedge fund managers who used it to pay the accumulated taxes by 2017. A New York-based money manager such as Soros would be subject to a federal rate of 39.6 percent, combined state and city levies totaling 12 percent, and an additional 3.8 percent tax on investment income to pay for Obamacare, according to Andrew Needham, a tax partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. Applying those rates to Soros’s deferred income would create a tax bill of $6.7 billion. That calculation is based on publicly available information such as the Irish regulatory filings, which provide only a partial glimpse into Soros’s finances. The actual tax bill would be affected by factors specific to the billionaire. Soros declined to comment, according to Michael Vachon, a spokesman, as did Anthony Burke, an IRS spokesman.
Just before Congress closed the loophole, Soros transferred assets to Ireland—a country seen by some at the time as a possible refuge from the law. The filings show for the first time the extent to which Soros’s almost $30 billion fortune—he ranks 23rd on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index—came from finding ways to delay taxes and reinvesting the money in his fund.
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Congress closed the loophole in 2008 and ordered hedge fund managers who used it to pay the accumulated taxes by 2017. A New York-based money manager such as Soros would be subject to a federal rate of 39.6 percent, combined state and city levies totaling 12 percent, and an additional 3.8 percent tax on investment income to pay for Obamacare, according to Andrew Needham, a tax partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. Applying those rates to Soros’s deferred income would create a tax bill of $6.7 billion. That calculation is based on publicly available information such as the Irish regulatory filings, which provide only a partial glimpse into Soros’s finances. The actual tax bill would be affected by factors specific to the billionaire. Soros declined to comment, according to Michael Vachon, a spokesman, as did Anthony Burke, an IRS spokesman.
Just before Congress closed the loophole, Soros transferred assets to Ireland—a country seen by some at the time as a possible refuge from the law. The filings show for the first time the extent to which Soros’s almost $30 billion fortune—he ranks 23rd on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index—came from finding ways to delay taxes and reinvesting the money in his fund.
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Dems: GOP Spending Cuts Go Too Far
Democrats are gearing up for a showdown with Republicans over their "devastating" spending cuts in a budget that could push Washington lawmakers to the brink of another government shutdown.
According to The Hill, Senate and House Republicans released a joint 2016 budget proposal that lays out the party's legislative program, which includes slashing domestic programs and repealing Obamacare, as well as several other cutbacks demanded by their conservative base.
But the GOP budget blueprint has already run into trouble, with Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee putting the package briefly on hold, believing that it does not make steep enough cuts. The House then canceled a vote Wednesday evening on a spending bill linked to the budget.
The White House has threatened to veto the first two Republican spending bills due to what it calls excessive cuts, while House Democrats are prepared to go to battle to support the vetoes.
After the GOP had vowed to run government efficiently ahead of the 2016 elections, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker John Boehner assured voters that during the current cycle there would be no debt defaults or government shutdowns, such as the one that hurt the GOP politically in 2013, The Hill said.
But a shutdown is possibly in the cards later this year as a string of leading Democrats slammed the Republican spending cuts.
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According to The Hill, Senate and House Republicans released a joint 2016 budget proposal that lays out the party's legislative program, which includes slashing domestic programs and repealing Obamacare, as well as several other cutbacks demanded by their conservative base.
But the GOP budget blueprint has already run into trouble, with Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee putting the package briefly on hold, believing that it does not make steep enough cuts. The House then canceled a vote Wednesday evening on a spending bill linked to the budget.
The White House has threatened to veto the first two Republican spending bills due to what it calls excessive cuts, while House Democrats are prepared to go to battle to support the vetoes.
After the GOP had vowed to run government efficiently ahead of the 2016 elections, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker John Boehner assured voters that during the current cycle there would be no debt defaults or government shutdowns, such as the one that hurt the GOP politically in 2013, The Hill said.
But a shutdown is possibly in the cards later this year as a string of leading Democrats slammed the Republican spending cuts.
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McDonald’s Employee Caught On Camera Knocking Out Unruly Customer
An apparent attempt to remove an unruly customer from a Michigan McDonald’s resulted in a knockout punch from an employee at the fast food chain.
The above video was shot in the early hours of the morning last week at a McDonald’s in East Lansing, MI.
The man who shot the video tells Mlive.com that there was a belligerent, possibly drunk customer, spit on the counter and knocked over a “Caution: Wet Floor” sign.
In the video, you can’t initially see that customer because he’s hidden in the darkness by the door, but you can see a McDonald’s employee and another man attempting to talk to him.
Then a second McDonald’s worker comes into the picture and appears to pick the man up. There looks to be some resistance from the customer and this second employee then punches him once, knocking him to the floor, and apparently rendering him unconscious.
The customer “definitely instigated it,” says the man who shot the video. “But, it got taken too far. He didn’t have to get punched, he could have got pushed out and told not to come back.”
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The above video was shot in the early hours of the morning last week at a McDonald’s in East Lansing, MI.
The man who shot the video tells Mlive.com that there was a belligerent, possibly drunk customer, spit on the counter and knocked over a “Caution: Wet Floor” sign.
In the video, you can’t initially see that customer because he’s hidden in the darkness by the door, but you can see a McDonald’s employee and another man attempting to talk to him.
Then a second McDonald’s worker comes into the picture and appears to pick the man up. There looks to be some resistance from the customer and this second employee then punches him once, knocking him to the floor, and apparently rendering him unconscious.
The customer “definitely instigated it,” says the man who shot the video. “But, it got taken too far. He didn’t have to get punched, he could have got pushed out and told not to come back.”
More
Surveillance Video Shows Looting Inside Mondawmin Mall
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Business owners across the city are surveying the damage following Monday’s riots. One of the stores that was looted is sharing the surveillance video with WJZ.
Amy Yensi has more.
We’ve seen plenty of images at this point of looters leaving stores with stolen items. Nowone business owner is sharing shocking video of what they did inside his store.
A nonstop rush of looters has a free-for-all inside the Sports Mart in Mondawmin Mall.
“Look at him. He’s got jackets, everything.”
More
Amy Yensi has more.
We’ve seen plenty of images at this point of looters leaving stores with stolen items. Nowone business owner is sharing shocking video of what they did inside his store.
A nonstop rush of looters has a free-for-all inside the Sports Mart in Mondawmin Mall.
“Look at him. He’s got jackets, everything.”
More
Fox News’ Eric Bolling to Rapper Azealia Banks: ‘Be a Role Model, Not a Hate-Filled Agitator’
(CNSNews.com) - Fox News' Eric Bolling on his "Cashin' In" show on Friday called out female rapper Azealia Banks for calling Bolling biased because he's white and saying he can't see that white privilege and capitalism are holding black people back.
"Teach don't preach. Be a role model, not a hate-filled agitator. Here's a start, repeat after me: Instead of, 'I hate America,' try this, Azealia, 'God bless America,'" Bolling said in response to a series of tweetsBanks wrote about him.
Bolling had named Banks the "Fool of the Week" during his show the week before for comments that Banks made in an interview with Playboy magazine.
When asked if she wanted to leave the country, Banks told Playboy, “Yes! I hate everything about this country. Like, I hate fat white Americans. All the people who are crunched into the middle of America, the real fat and meat of America, are these racist conservative white people who live on their farms. Those little teenage girls who work at Kmart and have a racist grandma—that’s really America."
"Last week I noted a rising hip hop star who had just done an interview in Playboy. In that spread she said that she hates America and that she hates fat, white people. She blamed the white privilege and capitalism for everything wrong in America," Bolling said.
"Azalea Banks herself is a multimillionaire off the system she so virulently trashes. Therefore, I named Azalea Banks my Fool of the Week. Well that didn’t sit well with the rapper," he said.
"She tweeted that I’m the problem and that just because I’m white, I don’t get it, and I’m biased, and I just can’t see that capitalism and white privilege is holding blacks back from success. This attack on me is ridiculous and riddled with holes.
“Yes, Azalea, I do understand black unemployment and poverty levels are far higher than for whites, and I honestly believe that we should never forget slavery, legal segregation, and ongoing stereotyping that leads to racial bias,” Bolling said.
“And yes, it’s true, very true, I’m a free market advocate, but the free market is color blind. It doesn’t see black or white. The only color it recognizes is green. By the way, your self-professed hatred for America is far more damaging to black opportunity than me calling you a fool,” he said.
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"Teach don't preach. Be a role model, not a hate-filled agitator. Here's a start, repeat after me: Instead of, 'I hate America,' try this, Azealia, 'God bless America,'" Bolling said in response to a series of tweetsBanks wrote about him.
Bolling had named Banks the "Fool of the Week" during his show the week before for comments that Banks made in an interview with Playboy magazine.
When asked if she wanted to leave the country, Banks told Playboy, “Yes! I hate everything about this country. Like, I hate fat white Americans. All the people who are crunched into the middle of America, the real fat and meat of America, are these racist conservative white people who live on their farms. Those little teenage girls who work at Kmart and have a racist grandma—that’s really America."
"Last week I noted a rising hip hop star who had just done an interview in Playboy. In that spread she said that she hates America and that she hates fat, white people. She blamed the white privilege and capitalism for everything wrong in America," Bolling said.
"Azalea Banks herself is a multimillionaire off the system she so virulently trashes. Therefore, I named Azalea Banks my Fool of the Week. Well that didn’t sit well with the rapper," he said.
"She tweeted that I’m the problem and that just because I’m white, I don’t get it, and I’m biased, and I just can’t see that capitalism and white privilege is holding blacks back from success. This attack on me is ridiculous and riddled with holes.
“Yes, Azalea, I do understand black unemployment and poverty levels are far higher than for whites, and I honestly believe that we should never forget slavery, legal segregation, and ongoing stereotyping that leads to racial bias,” Bolling said.
“And yes, it’s true, very true, I’m a free market advocate, but the free market is color blind. It doesn’t see black or white. The only color it recognizes is green. By the way, your self-professed hatred for America is far more damaging to black opportunity than me calling you a fool,” he said.
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Senate Investigating For-Profit Foster Care Industry
The federal government provides around $7 billion each year in funding for foster care providers around the country, but leaves much of the oversight of these operations up to the states and local governments. These entities may then contract out foster care to private, for-profit providers. Recent reports have raised questions about the safety of the children placed into the care of some of these privatized foster networks, and now the U.S. Senate is beginning to ask questions.
In February, a BuzzFeed News investigative report looked into allegations of sexual abuse and deaths involving the country’s largest for-profit foster care provider, National Mentor, which tends to some 3,800 minors in 15 states. The company now trades on the NYSE as Civitas Solutions Inc. and reports more than $1 billion in annual revenue.
Earlier this month, the company decided to stop offering its services in Illinois. In a press release, Civitas makes no mention of state investigators’ findings that the company has placed two pre-teen girls in a house with a foster mother who had previously committed fraud by adopting two children then sending them to live with a relative while still saying they were caring for the kids.
“Rather than ensuring their actions were in the best interest of the children and the families they are enlisted to serve, agency staff cultivated a culture of incompetence and lack of forthrightness,” reads the investigators’ report. ”The absence of good faith demonstrated by the private agency undermined any faith the Department or the public would be able to place in the organization.”
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In February, a BuzzFeed News investigative report looked into allegations of sexual abuse and deaths involving the country’s largest for-profit foster care provider, National Mentor, which tends to some 3,800 minors in 15 states. The company now trades on the NYSE as Civitas Solutions Inc. and reports more than $1 billion in annual revenue.
Earlier this month, the company decided to stop offering its services in Illinois. In a press release, Civitas makes no mention of state investigators’ findings that the company has placed two pre-teen girls in a house with a foster mother who had previously committed fraud by adopting two children then sending them to live with a relative while still saying they were caring for the kids.
“Rather than ensuring their actions were in the best interest of the children and the families they are enlisted to serve, agency staff cultivated a culture of incompetence and lack of forthrightness,” reads the investigators’ report. ”The absence of good faith demonstrated by the private agency undermined any faith the Department or the public would be able to place in the organization.”
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'Wheels Coming Off' Hillary's Campaign
There are signs that Hillary Clinton's second try at the White House is already stalling out, two veteran political activists told Newsmax TV's John Bachman and Miranda Khan on Wednesday.
Ed Pozzuoli, a Fox News political analyst and former co-chairman of the Jeb Bush for Governor campaign, and Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, joined "The Roundtable" on "Newsmax Now" to take stock of the former secretary of state's nascent run for president — and found it to be in early trouble.
Pozzuoli and Pratt discussed the refusal of New York City's liberal mayor, Bill de Blasio, to endorse Clinton and a leak of State Department emails seemingly designed to absolve Clinton of wrongdoing in her response to the 2012 Benghazi, Libya, embassy compound attack.
"It may be indicative of the signs of the wheels coming off the Clinton campaign car," said Pratt. "She seems to be running out of gas. People are not buying into the old narrative and, as Marco Rubio put it, she's so yesterday."
Pozzuoli agreed that "the wheels are falling off the Scooby-mobile for Hillary Clinton," a reference to the van she rode in to Iowa this month as part of her new, woman-of-the-people campaign pitch.
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Ed Pozzuoli, a Fox News political analyst and former co-chairman of the Jeb Bush for Governor campaign, and Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, joined "The Roundtable" on "Newsmax Now" to take stock of the former secretary of state's nascent run for president — and found it to be in early trouble.
Pozzuoli and Pratt discussed the refusal of New York City's liberal mayor, Bill de Blasio, to endorse Clinton and a leak of State Department emails seemingly designed to absolve Clinton of wrongdoing in her response to the 2012 Benghazi, Libya, embassy compound attack.
"It may be indicative of the signs of the wheels coming off the Clinton campaign car," said Pratt. "She seems to be running out of gas. People are not buying into the old narrative and, as Marco Rubio put it, she's so yesterday."
Pozzuoli agreed that "the wheels are falling off the Scooby-mobile for Hillary Clinton," a reference to the van she rode in to Iowa this month as part of her new, woman-of-the-people campaign pitch.
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Breaking News: Accident In Ocean City
You Can Now Rent A Chicken To Get The Freshest Of Fresh Eggs
Because there are inevitably going to be those people who cannot stand to have something even one second after other people can get it, one company has started offering up chickens for rent, giving poultry hipsters a chance to get the very freshest eggs possible.
In all seriousness though, the whole thing is pretty funny — “Rent The Chicken” doesn’t roll off the tongue without a giggle, the owner tells the Associated Press.
“When I answer the phone and I say, ‘Rent The Chicken, this is Jenn,’ they giggle and say, ‘I would like to rent the chicken.’ And then they giggle some more,” she says.
Her Pennsylvania-based company is now in three other states as well as Toronto after two years of leasing chickens to people who want fresh eggs from humanely raised hens.
“As a society, we don’t really like commitment,” the owner explained. “We don’t want a contract on our cellphones; we don’t want long-term commitment with our cable company. With chickens, they can live to seven or 10 years, and people are a bit scared of that.”
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In all seriousness though, the whole thing is pretty funny — “Rent The Chicken” doesn’t roll off the tongue without a giggle, the owner tells the Associated Press.
“When I answer the phone and I say, ‘Rent The Chicken, this is Jenn,’ they giggle and say, ‘I would like to rent the chicken.’ And then they giggle some more,” she says.
Her Pennsylvania-based company is now in three other states as well as Toronto after two years of leasing chickens to people who want fresh eggs from humanely raised hens.
“As a society, we don’t really like commitment,” the owner explained. “We don’t want a contract on our cellphones; we don’t want long-term commitment with our cable company. With chickens, they can live to seven or 10 years, and people are a bit scared of that.”
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New Law Would Ban Companies From Penalizing Customers Who Write Negative Reviews
For the last couple of years, we’ve been telling you about ridiculous, so-called “non-disparagement” clauses that threaten customers with financial penalties for writing (or threatening to write, or evenencouraging someone else to write) something negative online about a company. California hasalready outlawed these clauses, which tend to fail when challenged in court, but an attempt to enact legislation at the federal level has so far fallen short. But that’s not stopping some members of Congress from trying to ban this form of consumer bullying.
Maine’s Governor Requires Food Stamp Recipients to Work Just 6 Hours a Week, This Happens Immediately After
This is a brilliant idea that I agree with wholeheartedly. This makes sense and is totally reasonable and doable for any childless able-bodied adult, minus those with mental issues. If you are unable to find work for even 20 hours a week or afford job training while you get to that place in your life, you can at least volunteer six hours a week. That’s less than one day and you are giving back for what you receive. It’s called ‘exchange’ and is pretty much the basis for morale and getting your mindset ready to hold a job. You are switching from a ‘welfare’ mentality, to a ‘work’ mentality.
Governor Paul LePage of Maine fired a wake-up call at all able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) who were receiving food stamps.
LePage informed all ABAWDs they would only receive food stamp benefits for three months if they did not get a job working 20 hours a week, take job training or volunteer six hours a week.
Upon enforcing this new rule, nearly 80 percent of the people receiving the welfare program were cut off because they refused to find a part time job or agree to volunteer for even six hours a week!
According to the New York Times:
The food pantry here, just off the main drag in this neat college town, gets busiest on Wednesdays, when the parking lot is jammed and clients squeeze into the lobby, flipping through books left on a communal shelf as they wait their turn to select about a week’s worth of food.
The Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program is intended to be a supplemental food pantry, but a growing number of clients here and at pantries around the state have little else to rely on because of a change in state policy this year.
Last year, the administration of Gov. Paul R. LePage, a Republican, decided to re-impose a three-month limit (out of every three-year period) on food stamps for a group often known as Abawds — able-bodied adults without minor dependents — unless they work 20 hours per week, take state job-training courses or volunteer for about six hours per week. The number of Abawds receiving food stamps in Maine has dropped nearly 80 percent since the rule kicked in, to 2,530 from about 12,000.
“It means life gets tougher for those childless adults who face barriers already getting back into work,” said Ed Bolen, a senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. He said those adults tended to have limited education and faced a post-recession labor market in which many people who want to work still cannot find jobs.
Six hours a week is less than one hour a day. That leaves all kinds of time to study to upgrade or acquire skills for a new job. Or, it leaves all kinds of time to search for another job.
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Governor Paul LePage of Maine fired a wake-up call at all able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) who were receiving food stamps.
LePage informed all ABAWDs they would only receive food stamp benefits for three months if they did not get a job working 20 hours a week, take job training or volunteer six hours a week.
Upon enforcing this new rule, nearly 80 percent of the people receiving the welfare program were cut off because they refused to find a part time job or agree to volunteer for even six hours a week!
According to the New York Times:
The food pantry here, just off the main drag in this neat college town, gets busiest on Wednesdays, when the parking lot is jammed and clients squeeze into the lobby, flipping through books left on a communal shelf as they wait their turn to select about a week’s worth of food.
The Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program is intended to be a supplemental food pantry, but a growing number of clients here and at pantries around the state have little else to rely on because of a change in state policy this year.
Last year, the administration of Gov. Paul R. LePage, a Republican, decided to re-impose a three-month limit (out of every three-year period) on food stamps for a group often known as Abawds — able-bodied adults without minor dependents — unless they work 20 hours per week, take state job-training courses or volunteer for about six hours per week. The number of Abawds receiving food stamps in Maine has dropped nearly 80 percent since the rule kicked in, to 2,530 from about 12,000.
“It means life gets tougher for those childless adults who face barriers already getting back into work,” said Ed Bolen, a senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. He said those adults tended to have limited education and faced a post-recession labor market in which many people who want to work still cannot find jobs.
Six hours a week is less than one hour a day. That leaves all kinds of time to study to upgrade or acquire skills for a new job. Or, it leaves all kinds of time to search for another job.
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Flakka, synthetic drug behind increasingly bizarre crimes
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — One man ran naked through a Florida neighborhood, tried to have sex with a tree and told police he was the mythical god Thor. Another ran nude down a busy city street in broad daylight, convinced a pack of German shepherds was pursuing him.
Two others tried separately to break into the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. They said they thought people were chasing them; one wound up impaled on a fence.
The common element to these and other bizarre incidents in Florida in the last few months is flakka, an increasingly popular synthetic designer drug. Also known as gravel and readily available for $5 or less a vial, it's a growing problem for police after bursting on the scene in 2013.
It is the latest in a series of synthetic drugs that include Ecstasy and bath salts, but officials say flakka is even easier to obtain in small quantities through the mail. Flakka's active ingredient is a chemical compound called alpha-PVP, which is on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's list of the controlled substances most likely to be abused. It is usually made overseas in countries such as China and Pakistan.
Flakka, a derivative of the Spanish word for a thin, pretty woman, is usually sold in a crystal form and is often smoked using electronic cigarettes, which are popular with young people and give off no odor. It can also be snorted, injected or swallowed.
"I've had one addict describe it as $5 insanity," said Don Maines, a drug treatment counselor with the Broward Sheriff's Office in Fort Lauderdale. "They still want to try it because it's so cheap. It gives them heightened awareness. They feel stronger and more sensitive to touch. But then the paranoia sets in."
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Two others tried separately to break into the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. They said they thought people were chasing them; one wound up impaled on a fence.
The common element to these and other bizarre incidents in Florida in the last few months is flakka, an increasingly popular synthetic designer drug. Also known as gravel and readily available for $5 or less a vial, it's a growing problem for police after bursting on the scene in 2013.
It is the latest in a series of synthetic drugs that include Ecstasy and bath salts, but officials say flakka is even easier to obtain in small quantities through the mail. Flakka's active ingredient is a chemical compound called alpha-PVP, which is on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's list of the controlled substances most likely to be abused. It is usually made overseas in countries such as China and Pakistan.
Flakka, a derivative of the Spanish word for a thin, pretty woman, is usually sold in a crystal form and is often smoked using electronic cigarettes, which are popular with young people and give off no odor. It can also be snorted, injected or swallowed.
"I've had one addict describe it as $5 insanity," said Don Maines, a drug treatment counselor with the Broward Sheriff's Office in Fort Lauderdale. "They still want to try it because it's so cheap. It gives them heightened awareness. They feel stronger and more sensitive to touch. But then the paranoia sets in."
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MSNBC Police Brutality Experts Are Incredible -- Not In A Good Way
It's beginning to look as if the Democratic Party can't whip African-Americans into an anti-white frenzy to turn out on Election Day, and then say, "OK, thanks, guys! That's all we need."
How else do liberals explain the upsurge in racial unrest since Obama became president? Why would white racism -- their view -- latent for the previous 15 years, burst forth meteorically just as the country elected its first black president?
Did we elect this bumbling incompetent, then suddenly remember that we're racists?
I have an explanation! It's subtly alluded to in the title of my book, "Mugged: Racial Demagoguery From the Seventies to Obama." What's theirs?
I've tried looking on Salon, which is like a liberal website from IFC's "Portlandia" (typical headline: "Smashing police cars is a legitimate political strategy"), but Salon shows no interest in exploring why white racism has suddenly exploded under Obama.
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It’s Official: Police Were Ordered To Stand Down And Let The Baltimore Riots Rage Out Of Control
We now have official confirmation that the rioting in Baltimore on Monday was purposely allowed to spiral out of control. Up until now, there had been some unconfirmed reports that police in Baltimore had been ordered to “stand down” during the riots, but nobody had been willing to come forward and go on the record. Now that has all changed. Michael Lewis is the Sheriff of Wicomico County, Maryland and what he has to say is absolutely jaw dropping. When he saw what was happening in Baltimore, he gathered up some of his fellow officers and drove down to the city to help. But when he got there, he says that all of the police were being ordered not to take any action and to let the rioters destroy property. Lewis made this astounding claim during a discussion on a Baltimore radio station…
A Maryland sheriff who traveled to Baltimore to help law enforcement stop Monday’s riots told 105.7 The Fan that he was stunned when officers alerted him of the orders to stand down.
Lewis says that he never heard the mayor give any particular orders, but he is very clear about the fact that the police were being instructed to “stand down” and to “let them destroy property“….
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A Comment Worthy Of A Post: DO YOU AGREE?
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post " Jon Stewart Goes Off: Maybe We Should've Cared Abo...":
11:09 chew on this. Black America has failed to take accountability for the horrific black on black murder rate . The out of control drop out rate. The fatherless children. Babies having babies and lots of them. It is pure ignorance by choice.
Blame someone hell it was the teachers. Then it was politicians, now the cops. Keep on blaming. If Black America wants answers just look in the mirror. They don't give it crap about themselves why in hell should I or anyone else waste precious time. The pitty party is over. This is about to get real.
11:09 chew on this. Black America has failed to take accountability for the horrific black on black murder rate . The out of control drop out rate. The fatherless children. Babies having babies and lots of them. It is pure ignorance by choice.
Blame someone hell it was the teachers. Then it was politicians, now the cops. Keep on blaming. If Black America wants answers just look in the mirror. They don't give it crap about themselves why in hell should I or anyone else waste precious time. The pitty party is over. This is about to get real.
PUBLISHERS NOTES: Don't even think of commenting with a racist remark.
Clothing She Wishes You Would Wear
800 women tell us what a man should wear if he wants his clothes torn off. Read up, then hit the mall.
42% of women say, "If I'm sharing your bed, sleep in boxers."
Save your PJ bottoms for solo nights. Women want our sleeping companions in boxers, or nude. However, 58 percent of us prefer a man in boxer briefs for everyday wear. Go with cotton or microfiber, the sexiest-ranking fabrics, according to the ladies.
Save your PJ bottoms for solo nights. Women want our sleeping companions in boxers, or nude. However, 58 percent of us prefer a man in boxer briefs for everyday wear. Go with cotton or microfiber, the sexiest-ranking fabrics, according to the ladies.
Her Other Choices
34% Nothing; sleep naked
11% Boxers and t-shirt
34% Nothing; sleep naked
11% Boxers and t-shirt
9% Pajama pants
3% Pajama pants and t-shirt
Less than 1% Flannel Pajama set
3% Pajama pants and t-shirt
Less than 1% Flannel Pajama set
26% of women say the shoes you should own—and wear often—are leather loafers.
Women size up a man's shoes as indicators of his overall sense of style, social status, and cash flow. What we see in the man in loafers is a casual elegance that hints at a sensual life of sauvignon blanc on the beach and lazy Sunday breakfasts in bed.
Women size up a man's shoes as indicators of his overall sense of style, social status, and cash flow. What we see in the man in loafers is a casual elegance that hints at a sensual life of sauvignon blanc on the beach and lazy Sunday breakfasts in bed.
Her Other Choices
15% Dress Boots
14% trainers
14% wingtip dress shoes
13% running shoes
9% leather sandals
8% rubber flip-flops
7% cowboy boots
15% Dress Boots
14% trainers
14% wingtip dress shoes
13% running shoes
9% leather sandals
8% rubber flip-flops
7% cowboy boots
Missing Dog 5-2-15
Call Me Elise
At Harvard, Elise Stefanik, now the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, was a member of a rare minority group. She was a conservative.
Growing up in a small business family that faced constant challenges from taxes and red tape helped form Stefanik’s political principles. Being a member of such an intellectual minority while a student at Harvard tested her on why she stood for the principles that she did. She says it also taught her to listen to the other side.
“It’s not that I graduated from Harvard that I’m most proud of, it’s that I graduated Harvard and stayed a Republican and a Yankee fan,” she says.
Stefanik’s parents were not political and did not have the opportunity to graduate from college, but taught Elise the hard work it takes to run a business. “Nothing replaces having a strong work ethic in whatever you do. And having an idea or passion about an issue. That’s the message for anybody, not just women, but for anybody.”
It has been a little over one hundred days since Stefanik was sworn into office. She prefers to be known as Elise, which most of her constituents call her when she travels back to the 21st New York district.
“That was my campaign slogan. Instead of Stefanik for Congress, I chose Elise for Congress because I wanted people to see that I want to be something different,” she said.
More here
Jon Stewart Rips Apart Judith Miller Over Iraq Reporting: You Pushed Us Into ‘Devastating’ Mistake
Former New York Times journalist’s reporting on Saddam Hussein’s alleged weapons of mass destruction was widely discredited
Former New York Times journalist Judith Miller walked into the lion’s den on Wednesday when she appeared on “The Daily Show” and went head-to-head with Jon Stewart over her reporting during the lead up to the Iraq War.
Miller’s reporting of Saddam Hussein‘s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) both before and after the 2003 invasion sparked intense controversy when it was discovered to be based on faulty information — especially from now-discredited source Ahmed Chalabi — and Stewart was quick to point the finger of blame for the conflict at the disgraced journalist.
“I believe that you helped the administration take us to the most devastating mistake in foreign policy that we’ve made in 100 years,” Stewart told her. “But you seem lovely,” he added.
“That’s why I wrote the book — I hoped that people like you would read it and determine that it was really, really hard to do this kind of reporting,” said Miller, referring to her new book “The Story: A Reporter’s Journey,” released this month.
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Former New York Times journalist Judith Miller walked into the lion’s den on Wednesday when she appeared on “The Daily Show” and went head-to-head with Jon Stewart over her reporting during the lead up to the Iraq War.
Miller’s reporting of Saddam Hussein‘s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) both before and after the 2003 invasion sparked intense controversy when it was discovered to be based on faulty information — especially from now-discredited source Ahmed Chalabi — and Stewart was quick to point the finger of blame for the conflict at the disgraced journalist.
“I believe that you helped the administration take us to the most devastating mistake in foreign policy that we’ve made in 100 years,” Stewart told her. “But you seem lovely,” he added.
“That’s why I wrote the book — I hoped that people like you would read it and determine that it was really, really hard to do this kind of reporting,” said Miller, referring to her new book “The Story: A Reporter’s Journey,” released this month.
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Obama Administration Says Non-Profit Status ‘Going to Be an Issue’ for Religious Schools If They Don’t Support Gay Marriage!!
Not satisfied with persecuting Chaplains in the military and trying to strip all Christian references from the ranks… not satisfied with businesses being sued and fined for refusing gay advances… not satisfied with bullying churches and nuns into offering abortions through Obamacare… Obama now turns to persecuting religious schools. If they teach that marriage is the union between a man and a woman, they will lose their non-profit tax-exempt status. It’s now time for all those that are Christian, religious leaders and pastors to proclaim, “We will not obey!” Long past due in fact.
From The Daily Signal:
Is the Obama administration about to wage war on religious schools?
One of the more startling portions of oral arguments today at the Supreme Court was the willingness of the Obama administration’s Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, to admit that religious schools that affirm marriage as the union of a man and a woman may lose their non-profit tax-exempt status if marriage is redefined.
Justice Samuel Alito asked Verrilli whether a religious school that believed marriage was the union of husband and wife would lose their non-profit tax status.
The solicitor general answered: “It’s certainly going to be an issue. I don’t deny that. I don’t deny that, Justice Alito. It is it is going to be an issue.”
This should not be an issue. Citizens and organizations that continue to believe the truth about marriage should not be penalized by the government.
Even if the Court says that all 50 states have to recognize a same-sex relationship as a marriage, there is no reason why the government should coerce or penalize institutions of civil society that simply ask to be free—without penalty—to continue to operate in accordance with the belief that marriage is a union of husband and wife.
This line of questioning between Alito and the solicitor general picked up on a theme that Justice Antonin Scalia had started with the lawyer representing the same-sex couples suing the states.
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From The Daily Signal:
Is the Obama administration about to wage war on religious schools?
One of the more startling portions of oral arguments today at the Supreme Court was the willingness of the Obama administration’s Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, to admit that religious schools that affirm marriage as the union of a man and a woman may lose their non-profit tax-exempt status if marriage is redefined.
Justice Samuel Alito asked Verrilli whether a religious school that believed marriage was the union of husband and wife would lose their non-profit tax status.
The solicitor general answered: “It’s certainly going to be an issue. I don’t deny that. I don’t deny that, Justice Alito. It is it is going to be an issue.”
This should not be an issue. Citizens and organizations that continue to believe the truth about marriage should not be penalized by the government.
Even if the Court says that all 50 states have to recognize a same-sex relationship as a marriage, there is no reason why the government should coerce or penalize institutions of civil society that simply ask to be free—without penalty—to continue to operate in accordance with the belief that marriage is a union of husband and wife.
This line of questioning between Alito and the solicitor general picked up on a theme that Justice Antonin Scalia had started with the lawyer representing the same-sex couples suing the states.
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Martin O'Malley Defends Policing Record as Baltimore Mayor
Martin O'Malley, who served two terms as Baltimore's mayor and two terms as Maryland governor, defended his record Thursday amid criticism that his crackdown on crime has fueled the bad feelings between police and black residents.
"This is a setback. It's one of our darkest days," O'Malley said of the rioting that has destroyed businesses and cars in the city in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who died of a spinal cord injury after being arrested earlier this month.
The NAACP, the ACLU and the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network all have been critical of O'Malley, who is expected to challenge former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.
In an interview with CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper," O'Malley said he never used the term "aggressive policing" when he was mayor, but simply tried to balance getting drug dealers off the street while allowing avenues for residents to make complaints about police officers.
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"This is a setback. It's one of our darkest days," O'Malley said of the rioting that has destroyed businesses and cars in the city in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who died of a spinal cord injury after being arrested earlier this month.
The NAACP, the ACLU and the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network all have been critical of O'Malley, who is expected to challenge former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.
In an interview with CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper," O'Malley said he never used the term "aggressive policing" when he was mayor, but simply tried to balance getting drug dealers off the street while allowing avenues for residents to make complaints about police officers.
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Sure Reminds Me Of Former County Executive Rick Pollitt
When Did ‘Thugs’ Become a Radioactive Word?
Why on earth are we having a debate about the word “thugs”?
Isn’t that an utterly appropriate term for people who set police cars and buildings ablaze, loot burning stores and capitalize on an unfortunate death by destroying a community?
And given the seriousness of the issues raised by the Baltimore riots, how did this become a linguistic discussion?
President Obama complained about the “thugs” who rampaged in Baltimore after Freddie Gray’s death in police custody. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake complained about “thugs” as well—and was careful to spell out who she meant. She made a sharp distinction between those who protect peacefully “and the thugs who only want to incite violence and destroy our city.”
But the mayor, whose performance in this crisis might generously be described as erratic, took it back a day later.
“There are no thugs in Baltimore,” Rawlings-Blake declared. “Sometimes my own little anger translator gets the best of me.”
Non-anger translation: I took heat from the black community so I’m now disavowing my own words.
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Isn’t that an utterly appropriate term for people who set police cars and buildings ablaze, loot burning stores and capitalize on an unfortunate death by destroying a community?
And given the seriousness of the issues raised by the Baltimore riots, how did this become a linguistic discussion?
President Obama complained about the “thugs” who rampaged in Baltimore after Freddie Gray’s death in police custody. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake complained about “thugs” as well—and was careful to spell out who she meant. She made a sharp distinction between those who protect peacefully “and the thugs who only want to incite violence and destroy our city.”
But the mayor, whose performance in this crisis might generously be described as erratic, took it back a day later.
“There are no thugs in Baltimore,” Rawlings-Blake declared. “Sometimes my own little anger translator gets the best of me.”
Non-anger translation: I took heat from the black community so I’m now disavowing my own words.
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Customer Saves Waitress From Getting Evicted with 7,000 Percent Tip
A New York City resident saved a struggling waitress from eviction with a $3,000 tip for his bill of $43.50 — all because of a lovely pay-it-forward campaign started by the man’s eighth grade science teacher.
Mike, who asked to remain otherwise anonymous, described his generous impulse to ABC News.
“This woman had been serving us for almost a year now. She’s a lovely individual, and she talked about how she was served an eviction notice last month. I just had also been constantly thinking about for quite some time my teacher’s project and this foundation, and I thought it was an appropriate time.”
The foundation, ReesSpecht Life, was founded by Rich Specht after the death of his 22-month-old son.
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Ad Council Responds to Bizarre PSA Featuring “Martial Law” Announcement
Explanation behind "nationwide riots" audio makes little sense
The Ad Council has responded to concerns about a bizarre PSA it created in partnership with AARP that features a news broadcast reporting on the announcement of martial law following nationwide riots.
The commercial, which promotes the Ad Council’s Caregiver Assistance program, includes the background audio of a TV news anchor announcing, “Riots nationwide have prompted local governments to declare martial law….the President is asking that citizens find safety and remain calm….authorities are working to contain the outbreak.”
The audio cannot be picked up consciously and is only heard with the volume turned up.
After numerous people contacted the Ad Council on Twitter asking for an explanation, the organization published the following response;
“We appreciate those of you who have taken the time to voice your concerns about our Caregivers Assistance PSA and concerns about the background audio file. Our pro bono ad agency who created this video, used a pre-existing, fictional vintage audio file as ambient background noise to invoke an earlier era; it was not intended to provide any additional messaging or for any additional purpose.”
The note goes on to “apologize for any confusion surrounding the video.”
Why the Ad Council’s commercial agency would choose to create a clip announcing martial law after nationwide riots and use it in the context of a serene public service announcement about caregiving still makes little sense.
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The commercial, which promotes the Ad Council’s Caregiver Assistance program, includes the background audio of a TV news anchor announcing, “Riots nationwide have prompted local governments to declare martial law….the President is asking that citizens find safety and remain calm….authorities are working to contain the outbreak.”
The audio cannot be picked up consciously and is only heard with the volume turned up.
After numerous people contacted the Ad Council on Twitter asking for an explanation, the organization published the following response;
“We appreciate those of you who have taken the time to voice your concerns about our Caregivers Assistance PSA and concerns about the background audio file. Our pro bono ad agency who created this video, used a pre-existing, fictional vintage audio file as ambient background noise to invoke an earlier era; it was not intended to provide any additional messaging or for any additional purpose.”
The note goes on to “apologize for any confusion surrounding the video.”
Why the Ad Council’s commercial agency would choose to create a clip announcing martial law after nationwide riots and use it in the context of a serene public service announcement about caregiving still makes little sense.
More
Democrats to Press for Minimum Wage of $12 / hr
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Congressional Democrats will begin a push on Thursday to raise the U.S. minimum wage to $12 an hour, an increase of $4.75 over where it is now.
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia will introduce the legislation Thursday.
The U.S. minimum wage is now $7.25 an hour, an amount that hasn’t changed since 2009.
President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats have backed raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. That effort, however, has sputtered in the face of resistance from Republicans.
Obama has acted by executive order to set a $10.10 minimum wage for federal contract workers.
The proposal from Murray and Scott would raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020. They estimate the legislation would raise the pay of nearly 38 million American workers. Republicans are unlikely to support the effort, especially with elections looming in 2016.
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Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia will introduce the legislation Thursday.
The U.S. minimum wage is now $7.25 an hour, an amount that hasn’t changed since 2009.
President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats have backed raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. That effort, however, has sputtered in the face of resistance from Republicans.
Obama has acted by executive order to set a $10.10 minimum wage for federal contract workers.
The proposal from Murray and Scott would raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020. They estimate the legislation would raise the pay of nearly 38 million American workers. Republicans are unlikely to support the effort, especially with elections looming in 2016.
More
Veterans More Likely to Volunteer, Vote, Serve Community
The report found that veterans, even those who may be struggling with issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, are eager to contribute to their communities and can make neighborhoods safer and friendlier.
In addition to volunteering more hours annually — 160 for an average veteran volunteer compared with 120 for a civilian — veterans are more likely to trust most of their neighbors, the report found. Veterans also are more likely to vote in local elections, contact their public officials and discuss politics frequently with families and friends.
WATCH: This Man’s Heartbroken Rage Comes Out in Furious Message to Baltimore Protesters That Torched His Home
The excuse often used for the actions of rioters in Baltimore and Ferguson is that they’re fighting back against a racist, oppressive system that penalizes black Americans and puts their lives at risk. If that was the truth, though, then why would these rioters be targeting the homes and businesses of their black neighbors? One of those neighbors, who lost his home thanks to the actions of these thugs, is speaking out in a heartbreaking interview.
After embers from a nearby fire floated into his home, Baltimore resident Edward Murray, who has lived in the city for 62 years, was forced to evacuate.
IJReview spoke with Murray after his family was allowed back in their home. Dimly lit, with water dripping from every corner and an overwhelming smell of smoke, the home was in disarray from the catastrophic fire that torched the building’s second floor.
In an exclusive interview, Murray condemned the violence and delivered a message from Baltimore residents to the world:
“Why burn down your neighborhood when you’re supposed to take care of your neighborhood?
Now I ain’t got a place to live … I lost my stuff. My wife is in the hospital. I don’t know how they did it, or why they did it.
Stop thinking black people are violent and destructive, because we not. What’s going on out here is not what God wants. It’s people that don’t care about the city, only care for what they’re doing, is what is happening.
This community was rising. This community was about to thrive again. We want the world to understand that we don’t condone this.”
Police officers have been attacked, businesses have been looted and destroyed, homes have been burned down — and it’s the black community that’s been affected the worst. It’s the epitome of cutting off your nose to spite your face.
More
After embers from a nearby fire floated into his home, Baltimore resident Edward Murray, who has lived in the city for 62 years, was forced to evacuate.
IJReview spoke with Murray after his family was allowed back in their home. Dimly lit, with water dripping from every corner and an overwhelming smell of smoke, the home was in disarray from the catastrophic fire that torched the building’s second floor.
In an exclusive interview, Murray condemned the violence and delivered a message from Baltimore residents to the world:
“Why burn down your neighborhood when you’re supposed to take care of your neighborhood?
Now I ain’t got a place to live … I lost my stuff. My wife is in the hospital. I don’t know how they did it, or why they did it.
Stop thinking black people are violent and destructive, because we not. What’s going on out here is not what God wants. It’s people that don’t care about the city, only care for what they’re doing, is what is happening.
This community was rising. This community was about to thrive again. We want the world to understand that we don’t condone this.”
Police officers have been attacked, businesses have been looted and destroyed, homes have been burned down — and it’s the black community that’s been affected the worst. It’s the epitome of cutting off your nose to spite your face.
More
Hillary Clinton's charity empire hid way more foreign donations than anyone realized
The Clinton Foundation's finance controversies deepened on Thursday, when The Boston Globe reported that a huge affiliate of the charity failed to report its foreign-government contributions to the State Department.
When Hillary Clinton, now the leading Democratic presidential candidate, became secretary of state in 2009, she agreed to have her family's foundation submit new donations from foreign countries for State Department review. This was designed to avoid potential conflicts of interest with her new government role.
But Clinton's foundation, now called the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and its various initiatives repeatedly violated this agreement, reports over the past few months have shown. The Washington Post reported in February that the Clinton Foundation failed to disclose $500,000 from Algeria at the time the country was lobbying the State Department over human-rights issues. And Bloomberg reported this week that the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, a Clinton Foundation affiliate, failed to disclose 1,100 foreign contributions.
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When Hillary Clinton, now the leading Democratic presidential candidate, became secretary of state in 2009, she agreed to have her family's foundation submit new donations from foreign countries for State Department review. This was designed to avoid potential conflicts of interest with her new government role.
But Clinton's foundation, now called the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and its various initiatives repeatedly violated this agreement, reports over the past few months have shown. The Washington Post reported in February that the Clinton Foundation failed to disclose $500,000 from Algeria at the time the country was lobbying the State Department over human-rights issues. And Bloomberg reported this week that the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, a Clinton Foundation affiliate, failed to disclose 1,100 foreign contributions.
More
Telsa Moves into Storage Batteries to Power Homes
HAWTHORNE, Calif -- Seeking to redefine itself as more than a high-tech automaker, Tesla Motorsannounced Thursday night plans to make inroads into residential and business battery systems.
While home batteries aren't as sexy as electric luxury cars, Tesla CEO Elon Musk portrayed the Powerwall Home Battery and the business system, called the Powerpack, as helping to wean the world off oil and gas.
"This is within the power of humanity to do," Musk told the large crowd gathered at Tesla's design center in this Los Angeles suburb. "We have done things like this before. It is not impossible."
Musk says the system could be a boon to those living off the electric grid, similar to moves by other other tech companies to connect some of the most remote regions of the world to services that previously required wires. Facebook is testing a solar-powered drone to bring Internet to some of the most remote places on the globe. Google's Project Loon attempts to accomplish the same with balloons traveling on the edge of space.
Musk says the basic 10 kilowatt-hour Powerwall home system will sell for $3,500 and use much of the same technology found in Tesla electric cars, known for having the longest range per car of any pure electrics on the road. "In a lot of ways it's taking derivative technology from the car," he told reporters before the presentation.
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While home batteries aren't as sexy as electric luxury cars, Tesla CEO Elon Musk portrayed the Powerwall Home Battery and the business system, called the Powerpack, as helping to wean the world off oil and gas.
"This is within the power of humanity to do," Musk told the large crowd gathered at Tesla's design center in this Los Angeles suburb. "We have done things like this before. It is not impossible."
Musk says the system could be a boon to those living off the electric grid, similar to moves by other other tech companies to connect some of the most remote regions of the world to services that previously required wires. Facebook is testing a solar-powered drone to bring Internet to some of the most remote places on the globe. Google's Project Loon attempts to accomplish the same with balloons traveling on the edge of space.
Musk says the basic 10 kilowatt-hour Powerwall home system will sell for $3,500 and use much of the same technology found in Tesla electric cars, known for having the longest range per car of any pure electrics on the road. "In a lot of ways it's taking derivative technology from the car," he told reporters before the presentation.
More
Baltimore riots hurt O'Malley's already slim chances
The POLITICO Caucus, our weekly bipartisan survey of the most important activists, operatives and elected officials in Iowa and New Hampshire, found that Democrats are evenly split over whether racial unrest will be a minor or significant issue in the presidential campaign.
“I really like and respect O’Malley, so it pains me to write that I think the Baltimore violence will essentially disqualify him as a viable presidential candidate for a broad swath of Americans,” said a New Hampshire Democrat, who – like all 73 respondents – completed the questionnaire anonymously in order to speak candidly. “The renaissance of Baltimore has been such a huge part of his biography when he speaks to Democrats, so when your TV shows Baltimore on fire, riot police on the streets and baseball at an empty Camden Yards, one can only wonder what kind of lasting progress he made there.”
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St Francis de Sales Penguin Run/Walk this morning
The Salisbury is flying Old Glory at the St Francis de Sales Penguin Run/Walk this morning. The event is a 5K run/walk...
Posted by Salisbury Fire Department on Saturday, May 2, 2015
Shocking Poll: Only 2% of Young People Trust the News Media
In fact, in this poll, the media comes in dead last in the trust department.
The media limps in dead last among institutions younger voters trust to “do the right thing,” according to a new and massive Harvard University survey.
In the school’s Institute of Politics poll of over 3,000 18-29-year-olds, a tiny 12 percent said they believe the do the right thing. A whopping 88 percent said “sometimes” or “never.” Just 2 percent said they trusted the media to do the right thing “all of the time,” and 39 percent said “never.”
The poll is the latest nail in the media’s coffin, a downward spiral that has resulted in fewer younger Americans reading traditional media and especially traditional platforms such as newspapers and magazines.
The media fails to do its job every single day. In fact, that is why our site here exists in many ways!
Source
[VIDEO] Brave boy, 13, Who was ‘locked in a basement for 11 days’ Testifies Against his Father and Stepmother and Revealing he Attempted SUICIDE to Escape
The heartbreaking testimony of a 13-year old boy, Charlie Bothuell, *allegedly* locked in a basement for 11 days. He testifies against his own father and stepmother in court, and the things he has to say are absolutely horrifying:
He revealed his treatment was so horrific, he attempted suicide in a bid to escape his parents’ torture.
Taking the stand against Charlie Bothuell IV and Monique Dillard-Bothuell on Tuesday, Charlie Bothuell, who was 12 when he was found in the basement, described the horrors of his home life.
‘It was a very terrible place to be,’ he told the court of his family’s Detroit townhouse. ‘I was expected to do everything perfectly. I was never given any leeway, to make a mistake and learn from it.’
Police officers who dramatically rescued the youngster on the eleventh day of a wide-scale search for him also found a blanket, cereal box, drinks bottles and a bowl of chicken bones in the tiny room.
The hearing is meant to determine if there is enough evidence to send Bothuell IV and his partner to trial on charges of torture and child abuse. A 36th District Court judge will make the decision.
During Tuesday’s testimony, Charlie did not look at the prosecutor as he described how he was educated at home from 2012. His daily routine involved waking up at 5am for a protein shake.
He was then forced to endure vigorous workouts that lasted up to two hours, followed by a shower, math and science lessons with old books, chores and another workout, he told the court.
‘What would happen if you didn’t do this routine?’ asked the prosecutor. Charlie replied: ‘I would get in trouble, a whipping.’ The youngster said he tried to run away aged 11, but police found him.
After he was returned home, ‘I was told to basically lay across the dining room table and was spanked on the butt with a wooden stick and then a plastic PVC pipe,’ Charlie told the court.
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He revealed his treatment was so horrific, he attempted suicide in a bid to escape his parents’ torture.
Taking the stand against Charlie Bothuell IV and Monique Dillard-Bothuell on Tuesday, Charlie Bothuell, who was 12 when he was found in the basement, described the horrors of his home life.
‘It was a very terrible place to be,’ he told the court of his family’s Detroit townhouse. ‘I was expected to do everything perfectly. I was never given any leeway, to make a mistake and learn from it.’
Police officers who dramatically rescued the youngster on the eleventh day of a wide-scale search for him also found a blanket, cereal box, drinks bottles and a bowl of chicken bones in the tiny room.
The hearing is meant to determine if there is enough evidence to send Bothuell IV and his partner to trial on charges of torture and child abuse. A 36th District Court judge will make the decision.
During Tuesday’s testimony, Charlie did not look at the prosecutor as he described how he was educated at home from 2012. His daily routine involved waking up at 5am for a protein shake.
He was then forced to endure vigorous workouts that lasted up to two hours, followed by a shower, math and science lessons with old books, chores and another workout, he told the court.
‘What would happen if you didn’t do this routine?’ asked the prosecutor. Charlie replied: ‘I would get in trouble, a whipping.’ The youngster said he tried to run away aged 11, but police found him.
After he was returned home, ‘I was told to basically lay across the dining room table and was spanked on the butt with a wooden stick and then a plastic PVC pipe,’ Charlie told the court.
More
MCE Women’s Business Center Monthly Networking Luncheon in Salisbury
When: May 13, 2015
Where: Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce
144 E. Main St. Salisbury, MD 21801
Registration: Pre-registration is required. To pre-register or for more information regarding this course please contact Lisa Twilley, Administrative Manager MCE Women’s Business Center by telephone: 410-546-1900 or via email: ltwilley@marylandcapital.org.
Sign up Online at www.marylandcapital.org
Course Fee: FREE
Course Description:
Our guest speaker, Stacy Mitchell, will be talking about the importance of self care. Business women often put others first which can be an asset, but can be quite draining and deplete the resources they need to help others and take care of their business. This workshop will give you some tips and techniques that will show you how small changes can make a huge difference.
Where: Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce
144 E. Main St. Salisbury, MD 21801
Registration: Pre-registration is required. To pre-register or for more information regarding this course please contact Lisa Twilley, Administrative Manager MCE Women’s Business Center by telephone: 410-546-1900 or via email: ltwilley@marylandcapital.org.
Sign up Online at www.marylandcapital.org
Course Fee: FREE
Course Description:
Our guest speaker, Stacy Mitchell, will be talking about the importance of self care. Business women often put others first which can be an asset, but can be quite draining and deplete the resources they need to help others and take care of their business. This workshop will give you some tips and techniques that will show you how small changes can make a huge difference.
The other Baltimore woman: Baltimore woman loses her job at CVS and her home both got burned down by rioting mobs from outside her neighborhood
Mayor of Baltimore Stephanie Rawlings-Dinkins should seek out this Baltimore woman and personally explain her decision to stand down the police. She owes it to Katrice Gardner who is now homeless and jobless thanks to a mayor who is ill-equipped to lead the city of Baltimore.
NY Daily News reports in one night of mayhem Katrice Gardner lost her home, her job — and nearly her life.
And when dawn broke Tuesday, the 30-year-old Baltimore woman said she couldn’t understand why the mob that battled the police all night firebombed her house and reduced the CVS where she worked as a manager to ashes.
“I was yelling at them, pleading at them not to burn my house,” Gardner, 30, said outside her boarded-up rowhouse. “They had set the houses around me on fire. They were throwing stuff into the house. They were throwing Molotov’s and very flammable stuff. All I could do was beg them not to burn my house.”
Gardner said she — like most African-Americans in Baltimore — is deeply upset about the death of Freddie Gray, allegedly at the hands of police.
But Gardner said she didn’t recognize the people who starting lobbing bricks at cops and looting businesses after Gray’s funeral on Monday.
“These guys aren’t from here, they go from place to place causing trouble,” she said. “This doesn’t accomplish anything. This is our neighborhood.”
Gardner, who is married, said she now has no place to live and no place to work.
“I can’t live in my house while it gets renovated and the place where I work got burned down,” she said. “I don’t have a home and a place to work. This is a lot of calamity.”
More here
NY Daily News reports in one night of mayhem Katrice Gardner lost her home, her job — and nearly her life.
And when dawn broke Tuesday, the 30-year-old Baltimore woman said she couldn’t understand why the mob that battled the police all night firebombed her house and reduced the CVS where she worked as a manager to ashes.
“I was yelling at them, pleading at them not to burn my house,” Gardner, 30, said outside her boarded-up rowhouse. “They had set the houses around me on fire. They were throwing stuff into the house. They were throwing Molotov’s and very flammable stuff. All I could do was beg them not to burn my house.”
Gardner said she — like most African-Americans in Baltimore — is deeply upset about the death of Freddie Gray, allegedly at the hands of police.
But Gardner said she didn’t recognize the people who starting lobbing bricks at cops and looting businesses after Gray’s funeral on Monday.
“These guys aren’t from here, they go from place to place causing trouble,” she said. “This doesn’t accomplish anything. This is our neighborhood.”
Gardner, who is married, said she now has no place to live and no place to work.
“I can’t live in my house while it gets renovated and the place where I work got burned down,” she said. “I don’t have a home and a place to work. This is a lot of calamity.”
More here
JUST IN: Royal Baby News: Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to a baby girl
The royal couple welcomed the new baby into the world at 8.34am this morning, after being admitted to hospital shortly after 6am.
The new arrival, who has yet to be named, was born weighing a healthy 8lbs, 3oz in the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital, in Paddington.
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Dear Racist, Looting, Rioting Scumbags in Baltimore…
We live in an age of sensationalism. We find ourselves in an era where every headline has to grab your attention, regardless of its substance in order to generate your digital patronage.
That’s the news industry in which we live.
I’m hoping this can cut through that.
To the looters, to the vandals, the felons, the people in Baltimore (and elsewhere) ruining this great Republic of ours: before you call me a racist, before you call me insensitive… understand that to use both would be an oxymoron.
It is my complete lack of any interest in your race, background, gender, personal beliefs and/or struggles that makes me an insensitive jerk. I accept that. It also makes me incapable of discrimination.
You are animals. If you are able to destroy the home or business of your neighbor, you’ve lost your humanity. If you are able to harm your fellow man, to scare their children, to do so with a clean conscience, merely because of something that some cop may or may not have done, which has nothing to do with you… you are a horrible human being. You disgust me, as you should anyone who wishes to be a part of civilized society.
Leftists will come to your defense and demand “understanding”. You deserve none. We are past the point of understanding. You deserve justice.
More
That’s the news industry in which we live.
I’m hoping this can cut through that.
To the looters, to the vandals, the felons, the people in Baltimore (and elsewhere) ruining this great Republic of ours: before you call me a racist, before you call me insensitive… understand that to use both would be an oxymoron.
It is my complete lack of any interest in your race, background, gender, personal beliefs and/or struggles that makes me an insensitive jerk. I accept that. It also makes me incapable of discrimination.
You are animals. If you are able to destroy the home or business of your neighbor, you’ve lost your humanity. If you are able to harm your fellow man, to scare their children, to do so with a clean conscience, merely because of something that some cop may or may not have done, which has nothing to do with you… you are a horrible human being. You disgust me, as you should anyone who wishes to be a part of civilized society.
Leftists will come to your defense and demand “understanding”. You deserve none. We are past the point of understanding. You deserve justice.
More
Time for Ben Carson to run a real race
Ben Carson will declare his presidential candidacy in Detroit next Monday. Not a minute too soon.
The retired neurosurgeon and conservative star formed a presidential exploratory committee on March 3. Since then, he's been traveling around the country in what might be called a non-strategic way — making paid speeches that he had longstanding commitments to give, appearing at events for his Carson Scholars Fund (which awards money to promising students around the country) and, in other ways, not directing any particular focus on the key early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
At the same time, Carson has been absent from some important party gatherings. For example, Carson did not attend the GOP summit in New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago that featured a huge field — almost every serious (and non-serious) 2016 candidate. Nor did Carson go to Iowa last weekend for a big social conservative gathering that showcased a large number of hopefuls.
More
The retired neurosurgeon and conservative star formed a presidential exploratory committee on March 3. Since then, he's been traveling around the country in what might be called a non-strategic way — making paid speeches that he had longstanding commitments to give, appearing at events for his Carson Scholars Fund (which awards money to promising students around the country) and, in other ways, not directing any particular focus on the key early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
At the same time, Carson has been absent from some important party gatherings. For example, Carson did not attend the GOP summit in New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago that featured a huge field — almost every serious (and non-serious) 2016 candidate. Nor did Carson go to Iowa last weekend for a big social conservative gathering that showcased a large number of hopefuls.
More
Bruce Jenner Wants To Change The World When He Should Change His Mind
With the airing of his interview with Diane Sawyer last Friday, Bruce Jenner became the most triumphant, celebrated, photographed, and interviewed transgender in the world. Jenner, a longtime transvestite, now at 65 years of age is going to explore his feminine side by transitioning to female. Along the way, he hopes to inspire others.
Jenner’s interview opened a window for millions of viewers to see the psychological deliberation of a cross-dresser. Jenner shared that the emotional stress of hiding his secret has become unbearable. His internal struggle led him to the question: Would I be happier living as a full-time transgender female or should I continue living as a transvestite?
But there is reason to be concerned for Jenner’s transition. A review of more than 100 international medical studies of post-operative transgenders conducted in the United Kingdom in 2004 found “no robust scientific evidence that gender reassignment surgery is clinically effective.” Chris Hyde, the director of the research facility that conducted the review, said: “There is a huge uncertainty over whether changing someone’s sex is a good or a bad thing. While no doubt great care is taken to ensure that appropriate patients undergo gender reassignment, there’s still a large number of people who have the surgery but remain traumatized—often to the point of committing suicide.”
As a former transgender myself, I found it painful to see Jenner looking so fragile, exhibiting an uncertain nervousness throughout the interview. I see Jenner and my heart sinks with sadness; my stomach aches in pain. When Jenner said, “I want to know how this story ends, you know?” a rush of concern filled me. I know one possible outcome of the story—great pain to kids, wife, family and even to himself. I want to yell at him, “Stop! The bridge is out.”
More
Jenner’s interview opened a window for millions of viewers to see the psychological deliberation of a cross-dresser. Jenner shared that the emotional stress of hiding his secret has become unbearable. His internal struggle led him to the question: Would I be happier living as a full-time transgender female or should I continue living as a transvestite?
But there is reason to be concerned for Jenner’s transition. A review of more than 100 international medical studies of post-operative transgenders conducted in the United Kingdom in 2004 found “no robust scientific evidence that gender reassignment surgery is clinically effective.” Chris Hyde, the director of the research facility that conducted the review, said: “There is a huge uncertainty over whether changing someone’s sex is a good or a bad thing. While no doubt great care is taken to ensure that appropriate patients undergo gender reassignment, there’s still a large number of people who have the surgery but remain traumatized—often to the point of committing suicide.”
As a former transgender myself, I found it painful to see Jenner looking so fragile, exhibiting an uncertain nervousness throughout the interview. I see Jenner and my heart sinks with sadness; my stomach aches in pain. When Jenner said, “I want to know how this story ends, you know?” a rush of concern filled me. I know one possible outcome of the story—great pain to kids, wife, family and even to himself. I want to yell at him, “Stop! The bridge is out.”
More
editorial: Arrest at Pa. public meeting on home rule is "outrageous"
Arrest for making a statement at a public forum in Conestoga Twp.: Outrageous
The LNP Editorial Board
THE ISSUE
Public schoolteacher Kim Kann was arrested Tuesday night at a public forum on home rule organized by Conestoga Township supervisors. It was aimed at providing information about two home-rule questions on the May 19 primary ballot. Kann, a Conestoga Township resident, was removed from the meeting by police, and received a summary citation for disorderly conduct after she refused to stop making statements.
What happened to Kim Kann at a township forum was outrageous.
When a speaker refuses to yield in a public forum, the gavel should be dropped. Not the hammer of the law.
Meetings have rules of order, to be sure, but the American right to freedom of speech, while not absolute, still trumps a municipal official’s desire to enforce a rule that seemed aimed at the content of attendees’ speech.
The supervisors said they wanted to limit public comments to questions in order to avoid politics.
Well, that didn’t work.
Kann felt she needed to clarify what she saw as misstatements about home rule made by experts during the meeting before asking her question.
Craig Eshelman, chairman of the Conestoga Township board of supervisors, responded by asking that she be removed.
Eshelman acknowledged that Kann “had a right to speak,” and later said he didn’t realize she’d been arrested.
“We did not say, ‘Arrest her.’ We just said get her out of here,” Eshelman said.
Debunking Obama’s Bilious Baltimore Babble
It’s never enough. American taxpayers have surrendered billions and billions and billions of dollars to the social-justice-spender-in-chief. But it’s never, ever enough.
The latest paroxysm of urban violence, looting, and recriminations in Baltimore prompted President Obama on Tuesday to trot out his frayed Blame The Callous, Tight-Fisted Republicans card. After dispensing with an obligatory wrist-slap of toilet paper-and Oreo-filching “protesters” who are burning Charm City to the ground (he hurriedly changed it to “criminals and thugs” mid-word), the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner got down to his usual business: hectoring his political opponents and grousing that America hasn’t forked over enough money for him to make the “massive investments” needed to “make a difference right now.”
If we are “serious” about preventing more riots, the president declared, then “the rest of us” (translation: all of us stingy conservatives) have to make sure “we are providing early education” and “making investments” so that inner-city youths are “getting the training they need to find jobs.”
Narcissus on the Potomac wheedled that “there’s a bunch of my agenda that would make a difference right now.” Me, me, me! His laundry list of the supposedly underfunded cures that he can’t get through Congress includes “school reform,” “job training” and “some investments in infrastructure” to “attract new businesses.”
I’ll give POTUS credit: He can lay it on thicker than a John Deere manure spreader.
Let’s talk “massive investments,” shall we?
More
The latest paroxysm of urban violence, looting, and recriminations in Baltimore prompted President Obama on Tuesday to trot out his frayed Blame The Callous, Tight-Fisted Republicans card. After dispensing with an obligatory wrist-slap of toilet paper-and Oreo-filching “protesters” who are burning Charm City to the ground (he hurriedly changed it to “criminals and thugs” mid-word), the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner got down to his usual business: hectoring his political opponents and grousing that America hasn’t forked over enough money for him to make the “massive investments” needed to “make a difference right now.”
If we are “serious” about preventing more riots, the president declared, then “the rest of us” (translation: all of us stingy conservatives) have to make sure “we are providing early education” and “making investments” so that inner-city youths are “getting the training they need to find jobs.”
Narcissus on the Potomac wheedled that “there’s a bunch of my agenda that would make a difference right now.” Me, me, me! His laundry list of the supposedly underfunded cures that he can’t get through Congress includes “school reform,” “job training” and “some investments in infrastructure” to “attract new businesses.”
I’ll give POTUS credit: He can lay it on thicker than a John Deere manure spreader.
Let’s talk “massive investments,” shall we?
More
Marijuana & Marriage
For those who haven't heard,
Washington State recently passed two laws. They legalized
gay marriage and legalized marijuana. The fact that gay
marriage and marijuana were legalized on the same
day makes perfect Biblical sense. Leviticus 20:13 says:
"If a man lies with another man they should be
stoned." Apparently we just hadn't interpreted
it correctly before!