Category: Society

Venezuela Awards First Hugo Chavez Peace Prize To Vladimir Putin

200px-Hugo_Chavez_in_Brazil-1861225px-Vladimir_Putin_official_portraitVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has held on to power as he and his predecessor Hugo Chavez ruined the strongest economy in Latin America with their “Socialist Revolution.”  They combined disastrous economic policy with a crackdown on civil liberties, including unrelenting attacks on journalists and political dissidents.  With the vast majority of the nation calling for his resignation and new elections, Maduro and his cronies in government have delayed any elections while allowing the country to descend further into economic and social chaos.  However, it is not like he is doing nothing.  He has created a new award:  the Hugo Chavez Peace Prize.  The first winner?  The paragon of peace . . .   Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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German Government Set To Pay Compensation To Gays Convicted Of Violating Anti-homosexuality Laws

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor.

gay-pride-flagA long-overdue measure to compensate persons convicted of violating Germany’s 19th century anti-homosexuality law–since repealed–is to finally arrive. The German government set aside a reported thirty-million euros to be distributed among potentially an estimated fifty-thousand men convicted of homosexuality. The award stems for convictions spanning seventy years since the destruction of the Nazi Government.
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In Memoriam: Sergeant Steve Owen, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor.

Steve Owen
Steve Owen

Another Law Enforcement Officer suffered a senseless death at the hands of a career criminal. This time, as is usually the case, a caring, officer who established himself within his community and by simply doing his job, died far too early.

Sergeant Steve Owen, who worked for the Los Angeles County Sheriff for twenty-nine years, was ambushed and assassinated after responding to a burglary complaint.

His fellow community members shared much grief over the loss of a well liked deputy who served many and fostered remarkable attention to those in need–above expectations and for the benefit of many.
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SpongeBob SquarePants Posed Existential Threat To Turkey

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor.

A nefarious, existential threat was recently vanquished by the post-coup censorship offices of Turkish President Erdoğan. No, it was not the PKK, nor ISIS, nor Fethullah Gülen. It was SpongeBob SquarePants and Smurfette, broadcast on a Kurdish Language children’s television network.

The media crackdown in the aftermath of the failed coup in Turkey has led to closures of dozens of news services and thousands of firings among journalists. Cartoon networks can now become labeled as seditious.

Apparently, SpongeBob’s cohort Squidward Tentacles nefariously slithered into the fabric of the state’s security apparatus and cunningly attempted to dismantle it from within. His ink: it sows discord by fueling the printing presses of subversives.
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CUBS WIN FIRST PLAYOFF GAME AGAINST THE GIANTS

thumb chc_1200x630For the first time in decades, the Cubs won a playoff game without giving up a run.  The San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs showed incredible pitching tonight and this is going to be a hard fought series.  Indeed, I was hoping that my Cubs would face the Mets.  (I am equally concerned about facing the Los Angeles Dodgers down the road).  However, for all Chicagoans, it was a sweet start to the series.

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Learn Empathy For The Homeless: Give Them Cigarettes

By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor.

cigaretteIt’s time for some out of the box thinking.

I performed a very informal study to discover a way the average person could engage homeless persons in the hope of fostering empathy for these citizens, their lifestyles and outlook.

Most of us are removed from direct interaction with the homeless. The closest approach is perhaps to give them money and to then walk away, with little more than a greeting and a thank-you being the entire discourse. Our time among them is momentary and relegated to simply a transaction initiated and dismissed by each side with expediency.

I discovered cigarettes can change it all. Now, we can have a dialogue.

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Washington Post-ABC Poll: Hillary Clinton’s Unpopularity Hits Record High And Majority of Women Now Hold Unfavorable Views [Updated]

unknownunknown-1Hillary Clinton has campaigned tirelessly for women votes, including heralding her nomination as a historic moment for all women. However, she continues to be unpopular not only with voters as a whole but a majority of women.  The new Washington Post-ABC poll shows her at a record low despite spending roughly $100 million in political advertisements and an overwhelming media barrage against Trump.  While seen by supporters as more of an anti-establishment figure, Trump has equally shocking figures and even top Clinton in unpopularity with many groups.  Voters continue to reject both Trump and Clinton but that overwhelming voter anger at these choices does not appear to matter in our political system.  The importance of this poll is not to suggest that Clinton will win. Rather, for voters, many believe it simply does not matter. Their views of Trump or Clinton seem immaterial to a system that is detached from the wishes of the majority of the electorate. While the Washington Post reports that Clinton has halted the polling “swoon” in August, the overwhelming distrust factor from the earlier poll continues.

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Police Arrest Third Suspect In The Murder Of Professor Dan Markel [UPDATED]

unknown1405809806000-Dan-MarkelWe have been following the investigation of the murder of Florida State Professor Dan Markel – a case that has cast suspicions on the family of his ex-wife and fellow professor Wendi Adelson. Much of this suspicion has been drawn to Adelson’s brother, Charlie Adelson. Charlie Adelson was reportedly romantically involved with Katherine Magbanua, who just happened to be the mother of two children with Sigfredo Garcia, one of the two accused hit men (with Luis Rivera). Now, Magbanua has been arrested — drawing the case even closer to the Adelson family. UPDATE: Rivera has cut a deal to cooperate in a guilty plea. That deal appears connected to this arrest and will likely increase the pressure on Magbanua to cut her own deal.

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Trump Charity Ordered To Halt Further Solicitations Due To Alleged Violations Of State Law

495px-Donald_Trump_by_Gage_SkidmoreLast night I appeared on Fox to discuss the Trump tax disclosure and my view that such use of debt or losses to avoid taxation are allowed under federal law.  This is not say that such practices are based on good tax policy but rather that such practices are not unlawful.  Conversely, I have previously stated that the allegations over the status and operation of the Trump Foundation do raise potential liability.  Now, the F0undation has been ordered by New York AG Eric Schneiderman’s office to  “cease and desist” from soliciting charity contributions.

 

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New York Attorney General Moves Against Trump Foundation

495px-Donald_Trump_by_Gage_SkidmoreWe have been discussing the serious allegations against Donald Trump’s charitable foundation, which have been used in transactions that are linked to Trump’s businesses rather than charities.   — which has been sustained for years by donors outside the Trump family — has never obtained the certification that New York requires before charities can solicit money from the public, according to the state attorney general’s office.  Now, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) has made the surprising allegation that the Donald J. Trump Foundation does not have the necessary registration and annual audit to operate as a large foundation.  I have been critical of Schneiderman in his investigation of climate change skeptics.  However, the failure to obtain this necessary registration and comply with basic auditing is quite surprising. Once again, I am unclear how any attorneys representing Trump could continue to maintain the charity without satisfying such basic legal requirements, particularly one (the auditing) designed to prevent the very type of intermingling of funds that been raised by critics.

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Queen’s Gambit: Top Women Chess Players Planning To Boycott World Championship In Iran After Being Told To Wear Hijabs

unknownTop women chess players are considering a boycott in the face of a decision by the World Chess Federation (or “Fide”) to hold the world championship in Iran where female grandmasters will be required to play in hijabs to avoid arrest by the Islamic morality police.  It is another example of an international organization disregarding the interests of competitors in cutting deals with countries like Iran.  Not only is Iran an authoritarian theocracy, but the country denies women, journalists, political dissidents and others basic rights.   One would think that a condition of being considered as host would be a guarantee that competitors will be afforded their human rights.

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Comey: Combetta Insisted That He Acted Alone In Destroying Evidence After He Was Given Immunity

I recently wrote a column on FBI investigation into the Clinton email scandal and revised my view as to the handling of the investigation in light of the five immunity deals handed out by the Justice Department.  I had previously noted that FBI Director James Comey was within accepted lines of prosecutorial discretion in declining criminal charges, even though I believed that such charges could have been brought. However, the news of the immunity deals (and particularly the deal given top ranking Clinton aide Cheryl Mills) was baffling and those deals seriously undermined the ability to bring criminal charges in my view.  Now, Comey has testified before both the Senate and the House. His answers only magnified concerns over the impact and even the intent of granting immunity to those most at risk of criminal charges.

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Michigan Orders Faculty to Use Student Designated Pronouns Including “They” and “Ze”

university_of_michigan_medical_school_835605The University of Michigan this week have issued a new directive to faculty that they must accommodate students in their preferred pronouns, including “they” and “ze.” Those pronouns will appear on class lists and professors are told to acknowledge any mistaken pronoun use and correct the mistake as “one of the most basic ways to show your respect for their identity and to cultivate an environment that respects all gender identities.” That may not sit well with faculty who have deep-seated objections to the use of pronouns like “they” to refer to a single person as a matter of personal, religious, or intellectual matter.  However, the university added that “If there were a persistent pattern of ignoring a student’s preference, we would address that as a performance matter.”  One student has already registered his protest by changing his pronoun to “His Majesty.”

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Comey: Clinton Aides Refused To Cooperate Without Immunity

Hillary_Clinton_Testimony_to_House_Select_Committee_on_BenghaziHillary Clinton’s position on the email scandal has repeatedly changed from its first emergence in the presidential campaign from denial of bad judgment to the denial of the use of the private server for any classified information to the denial of any material “marked” as classified to the denial of seeing or understanding classified markings. However, one claim has remained unchanged. Clinton has maintained that she and her staff have “cooperated fully” with investigators. That claim was previously shown to be untrue when it was revealed that neither Clinton nor her staff would agree to speak with State Department investigators even though they said that such interviews were needed to determine the scope any damage to national security or security breaches. Now, however, the lack of cooperation has been put into sharper relief with the testimony of FBI Director James B. Comey this week. My column this week raised serious misgivings over the handling of the investigation with the disclosure of five immunity grants by the Justice Department, including one given to Cheryl Mills. Those misgivings were raised with Comey before the United States Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee where Comey revealed the extent to which Clinton aides refused to cooperate, including an assertion of the privilege against self-incrimination raised before answering questions about a key telephone conference conversation before the infamous “bleaching” over email records being sought by Congress. Comey testifies today before the House Oversight Committee. I am currently scheduled to discuss these issues tonight on the O’Reilly Factor.

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Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks