Wednesday, December 31, 2014


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/scalise-suggestion-he-was-involved-with-duke-group-is-ludicrous/

Scalise: Suggestion he was involved with Duke group is "ludicrous"
CBS NEWS/AP
December 30, 2014

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, said of his address at a white supremacist conference in 2002, "I didn't know who all of these groups were and I detest any kind of hate group. For anyone to suggest that I was involved with a group like that is insulting and ludicrous." Scalise spoke with NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Monday.

He delivered the speech at issue to the European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO), which was founded by white supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. Blogger Lamar White Jr., who writes about Louisiana state politics, was the first to report the speech. The EURO confererence, held at a Best Western hotel in Metairie, Louisiana, was benignly described in promotional material unearthed by White as an "all-day training workshop designed to teach the most effective and up-to-date methods of civil rights and heritage related activism."

Scalise told NOLA.com that at the time, he was making speeches to groups all over Southern Louisiana about his opposition to a state tax plan. "I spoke to the League of Women Voters, a pretty liberal group. ... I still went and spoke to them," he said. But, he said, "David Duke was never at any group I spoke to." Technically, this is true. Duke was not scheduled to be physically present in Metairie, but he would certainly be heard there. The EURO conference promotions said Duke would be attending a EURO event in Europe at the same time as the Metairie conference, and he would address both at the same time by teleconference.

Scalise also seemed to deny that David Duke was affiliated with EURO at all, saying to NOLA.com, "I would not go to any group he was a part of." But BloombergPolitics' Mike Bender talked with Duke, who thought Scalise knew about his connection to EURO. He said Scalise had been invited to speak to EURO by Duke's former campaign manager, Kenny Knight, and "he [Scalise] knew Kenny. I mean, he knew me. But I can't swear to it. When you're running around different places and talking to events you're invited and you just see a name and you've got three or four others to do and you don't have anyone to vet them, that's possible."

Now, Scalise says he "would not go to speak to" an organization like EURO. And now, he has a bigger staff that is able to vet his speech invitations--"[w]e turn down requests from organizations we don't approve of."


Incoming House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., delivers the weekly Republican address on July 19, 2014.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS VIA YOUTUBE

The story comes just days before a new Congress convenes, with Scalise poised to shape House Republicans' agenda in his first full term as whip.

At the same time, American voters have been showing increased racial polarization in their political preferences, with white majorities siding overwhelmingly with Republicans in the 2014 midterms and racial minorities continuing their strong support for Democrats. Many strategists say both parties must figure out how to reach beyond their respective bases.

Scalise, 49, ascended to his leadership post in June in the chain of events that followed then-Majority Leader Eric Cantor's surprise defeat in a Republican primary.

Scalise won the whip race with the solid backing of House conservatives, particularly Southerners who wanted a greater leadership voice, given the region's role in giving Republicans their largest House majority since the start of the Great Depression.

He won his seat in a 2008 special election after helping build a more cohesive Republican caucus in a Louisiana statehouse that historically had not operated along party lines. His district includes majority white portions of New Orleans and surrounding suburbs, reaching to coastal and bayou communities anchored by the energy and fishing industries.



European-American Unity and Rights Organization
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO) is a white supremacist organization in the United States. Led by former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke, it was founded in 2000.

Initially, it was to be called the National Organization for European-American Rights (or NO FEAR), until the use of the name was legally challenged by No Fear Inc. The group was one of the original signatories of the New Orleans Protocol, a mostly US-based alliance of white nationalist and white supremacist groups.

It is designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.[1]

Ideology[edit]

The statement of principles sets out eight main goals for the organization, which are as follows:

Equal rights for White Americans, particularly through an end to affirmative action.

An end to desegregation busing, which they blame for declining educational standards, increased racial tension, and the wasting of public money.

Welfare reform that would see welfare recipients made to work for their money, and the encouragement of family planning.
Tougher sentencing for violent crime, alongside the repealing of hate crime legislation.
Very strict limitations on immigration.
An end to media portrayal of whites as oppressors.
The preservation of white heritage.
A demand for excellence in all things.[2]

The main areas of activity for EURO are Louisiana, South Carolina and Mississippi, with other groups active in the south.[3]

Its website, defunct as of 2014, included a number of anti-Jewish articles, including the suggestion that Israel was involved in the bombing of the World Trade Center.[4]

In an October 2007 article the author wrote (commenting on what he called Hitler's "workers paradise" "The beautiful Germany of the 1930s with blonde children happily running through every village has been replaced with a multi-racial cesspool. Out of work Africans can be seen shuffling along the same streets, which used to be clean and safe in the days of the National Socialists. One day, people in Germany will grow tired of the politically correct police state that is destroying their lives. They will recover their national pride and start speaking the truth about their past regardless of what the militant lesbians or thought police tell them. Once that happens, Germany may finally be a great nation again -free of foreign control."[5]

Activities[edit]

In 2006 the group's ex-leader in Idaho Stan Hess courted controversy when he ran unsuccessfully for election to theNorth Idaho College Board of Trustees. His campaign focused on what he described as "the European American human rights movement", with Hess advocating the establishment of a European American Studies programme and the designation of a "European American Heritage Month" in October.[6] According to an article in the Spokesman Review "he said he severed ties with the group about a year ago. Started by Ku Klux Klansman David Duke, Hess said the group’s ties to the KKK concerned him and that he found it difficult to work within a large organization. He served as president of the organization’s California chapter prior to moving to North Idaho in 2003.".[6]

See also[edit]

List of white nationalist organizations
References[edit]
1. Jump up^ "Active White Nationalist Groups". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
2. Jump up^ European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO) Statement of Principles
3. Jump up^ Active U.S. Hate Groups in 2006 from Southern Poverty Law Center
4. Jump up^ Buchanan, James. "Low Jewish Casualties in 911 Attack at WTC". EURO. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
5. Jump up^ Mosley, Ian. "Germans Still Remember their Historical Greatness". October 30, 2007. EURO. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
6. ^ Jump up to:a b Cuniff, Meghann (August 24, 2006). "Advocate for whites runs for NIC post: Hess wants more European studies.". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved May 23, 2014.

Under “Stan Hess” –

" EURO Hour .. " My Awakening .. The Life of Stan Hess ...
www.stormfront.org › News › Newslinks & Articles

Stormfront
Mar 16, 2005 - 2 posts - ‎1 author
Idaho EURO representative and EURO Hour Host Stan Hess presents : " My Awakening .. The Life of Stan Hess " Tonight Wed . March 16th ...
Authentic European Voices .. The Real Story of the Holocaust
Feb 2, 2005

The European American Hour: Interview with “Iranian for Aryans” ... Host Stan Hess discusses white ethnicity with an Iranian-American (“Iranian for Aryans”).
1. MR Radio: Stan Hess, DanielS and GW discuss the ...
majorityrights.com/.../stan_hess_daniels_and_gw_discuss_the_seventies_...

Sep 30, 2014 - On the radio page: Stan Hess, formerly of Voice of Reason Radio, ... in the Stan Hess conversation: Stan suggested that we Europeanmen …

The European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO) is a white ... In 2006 the group's ex-leader in Idaho Stan Hess courted controversy when he ran ...





“Scalise spoke with NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Monday.
He delivered the speech at issue to the European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO), which was founded by white supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. Blogger Lamar White Jr., who writes about Louisiana state politics, was the first to report the speech. The EURO confererence, held at a Best Western hotel in Metairie, Louisiana, was benignly described in promotional material unearthed by White as an "all-day training workshop designed to teach the most effective and up-to-date methods of civil rights and heritage related activism."... The EURO conference promotions said Duke would be attending a EURO event in Europe at the same time as the Metairie conference, and he would address both at the same time by teleconference.... The story comes just days before a new Congress convenes, with Scalise poised to shape House Republicans' agenda in his first full term as whip. At the same time, American voters have been showing increased racial polarization in their political preferences, with white majorities siding overwhelmingly with Republicans in the 2014 midterms and racial minorities continuing their strong support for Democrats. Many strategists say both parties must figure out how to reach beyond their respective bases.”

My Google search just now under the term “Stan Hess” was to see if I could find any inference that he is related by blood or marriage to Rudolph Hess, but I found nothing about his personal life. I confess I didn't go through the whole ten pages or more of Net mentions. The search did produced many interesting articles, of which these are a few. He speaks not just against blacks and immigrants, but drags in the same old things against Jews. “The Jews were responsible for 9/11,” and “the real story of the Holocaust.” He also calls for “more European Studies,” a take-off from Black Studies college courses, I suppose. There are lots of European history and cultural courses available in colleges across the nation – what's the beef?

The most disturbing thing I saw in this news article was the fact that David Duke formerly of the KKK was out of town “attending a EURO meeting in Europe.” I suppose he is either beefing up his European (for which we should read white Protestants only) skills, or he is trying to spread a new and virulent generation of hate from our shores. Of course, I had read that there is a disturbing new uprising of Nazi sentiments in Europe in the last decade or so, so this shouldn't surprise me. Birds of a feather do flock together, they say.

It is sad and more than a little frightening, however. It really disturbs me that this man Scalise was elected to the House. I don't believe for a minute that he didn't realize that the sentiments he saw at the EURO in the Louisiana meeting meant that they are a White Supremacist group. Now that he has been elected to office, he is finding his viewpoints to be dangerous, I think, so he is backing away from them. There have been several similar cases among the Tea Partiers in the last year or so. They blurt out something racist or otherwise incriminating and then apologize (after they get a few hundred telephone calls.) Most of it has been against blacks, not Jews, but it's all the same brand of hatred.

The Republican Party members who are honest citizens and believers in human rights should push these Tea Party interlopers out of their ranks by simply voting moderately and thoughtfully, and speaking out against them. I was proud of Sen. John McCain when he quickly and sharply reprimanded a woman at a town meeting who implied that Obama was a Muslim. He's not afraid to buck the party line sometimes. I found an article about him just now, however, in which he is tangling with the Tea Party in Arizona and may be sanctioned. See http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/john-mccain-arizona-tea-party-113849.html, McCain's big purge: The Arizona senator’s team has been ridding the state’s GOP apparatus of his tea party foes, By Alex Isenstadt, 12/30/14 5:33 AM EST.






http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-police-officers-view-of-violent-protests/

A police officer's view of violent protests
By JOHN BLACKSTONE CBS NEWS
December 30, 2014

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- At demonstrations in cities across the country, squads of riot equipped police have been facing emotional, angry crowds, often feeling empowered by using cell phone video cameras.

"There are some who would like to capture on video police doing something that will look bad," said James Gonzalez, a detective with the San Jose Police Department.

Gonzalez has seen the demonstrations from the other side. Early in his career, his own police car was with hit bricks during a protest.

"We are always outnumbered," Gonzalez told me. "The first thing that goes through any police officer's mind is how do we get all the people home safely."

In his 15 years in the San Jose Police Department, Gonzalez has become experienced in pulling on full riot gear. While officers may look intimidating and impervious behind the protective equipment, Gonzalez says it's not how officers feel.

"You feel extremely vulnerable," he said. "There's a big difference in perception of what we see from one side of the riot glass and what protesters see from the other side."

When officers try to separate troublemakers from peaceful protesters, making an arrest can incite more trouble.

"That's a very difficult thing to do and that crowd will often turn on the police doing that very difficult job," said Gonzalez.

It happened recently in Gonzales' own department, at a football game. When San Jose officers tried to remove a drunk and disorderly man from the stadium, fans shouted for the police to stop. The video quickly circulated online.

"Video is only one angle, one perspective, it doesn't tell the whole story," Gonzalez told me.

Soon officers in San Jose, like those in many other other cities, will be wearing their own video cameras -- adding a police perspective to the debate.




"There are some who would like to capture on video police doing something that will look bad," said James Gonzalez, a detective with the San Jose Police Department.... In his 15 years in the San Jose Police Department, Gonzalez has become experienced in pulling on full riot gear. While officers may look intimidating and impervious behind the protective equipment, Gonzalez says it's not how officers feel. "You feel extremely vulnerable," he said. "There's a big difference in perception of what we see from one side of the riot glass and what protesters see from the other side." When officers try to separate troublemakers from peaceful protesters, making an arrest can incite more trouble.... Soon officers in San Jose, like those in many other other cities, will be wearing their own video cameras -- adding a police perspective to the debate.”

There has been evidence cited on those cities which have already switched to body cameras that the incidence of police violence has been reduced. The more cameras the better. As for arresting onlookers who were using their cell phones to take videos, that is illegal. The public has a right to all the information they can get on what happens on our streets, and it isn't against the law to photograph police actions. That adds another layer of supervision of police which, unfortunately, has been absent until now. Ferguson has opened up a light on the inner life of police when they abuse their power. We must also make some more limitations legally on exactly how much power they do have, too.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/australias-koalas-are-spreading-chlamydia/

Australia's koalas are spreading chlamydia
By MAJOR GARRETT CBS NEWS
December 30, 2014

Photographs – Photos of President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin embracing a koala

BRISBANE, Australia -- Koalas are in a cuddly class by themselves. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin concur and they don't agree on much.

Koalas live in in eastern Australia where they compete with humans for habitat. It's a tough equation: each koala needs 100 eucalyptus trees to survive.

Karen Nilsson is head koala keeper at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, part of Australia's effort to protect a national mascot whose population has declined by 30 percent since 1990.

"The loss of their habitat not only loses where they live, it loses what they eat too," said Nilsson. "You lose that, you lose everything."

Little pockets of habitat don't work because they get fragmented, according to Nilsson.

"The populations within that group become severely inbred and then they lead to other problems," she told me.

By "other problems" Nilsson means a stunning and slightly uncomfortable reality threatening koalas: chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease.

Koalas sleep 18 to 20 hours a day and they eat a lot -- more than two pounds of eucalyptus leaves daily.

But they also mate and inadvertently spread the virus that causes infertility and blindness. Red eyes are its signature.

It's not too dire to suggest that koalas could face extinction, according to koala conservationist Adam Polkinghorne.

"There are koala populations that have experienced localized extinctions across its home range," Polkinghorne told me.

He's developing a new vaccine that would offer hope for a cure and a lifetime of protection.

"The idea of the vaccine is that we are going to be able to train the immune system of koalas such that if they're ever exposed to this infection in the wild, their immune system will be able to defend themselves against the infection," Polkinghorne said.

Researchers need more funds to prove the vaccine works so they can give koalas a chance to thrive while sleeping, eating, and doing everything else.




“Koalas live in in eastern Australia where they compete with humans for habitat. It's a tough equation: each koala needs 100 eucalyptus trees to survive. Karen Nilsson is head koala keeper at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, part of Australia's effort to protect a national mascot whose population has declined by 30 percent since 1990.... "The populations within that group become severely inbred and then they lead to other problems," she told me. By "other problems" Nilsson means a stunning and slightly uncomfortable reality threatening koalas: chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease. Koalas sleep 18 to 20 hours a day and they eat a lot -- more than two pounds of eucalyptus leaves daily. But they also mate and inadvertently spread the virus that causes infertility and blindness. Red eyes are its signature.... "The idea of the vaccine is that we are going to be able to train the immune system of koalas such that if they're ever exposed to this infection in the wild, their immune system will be able to defend themselves against the infection," Polkinghorne said.

“Train the immune system”? I've never heard the action of vaccines put that way. Is it possible to cause an external event like a vaccination to induce an immunity that would then be inherited? I don't think so. However, the following article may explain the statement, but surely this must be what “gene therapy” is? If so, why don't they just call it that?? Continuing to argue with myself, I have found the probable answer to the question by searching gene therapy and found a comparison between gene therapy and genetic engineering, which is basically one of purpose. Gene therapy is to cure a genetic disease, and genetic engineering is to change the species to cope with something in a better way – in this case chlamydia.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/new-vaccine-trains-t-cells-kill-melanoma-genetic-modifications-immune-system-could-transform-skin, New Vaccine Trains T-Cells To Kill Melanoma: Genetic Modifications To Immune System Could Transform Skin Cancer Treatment, Nov 19, 2013, By John Ericson.

“The body could soon hold its own against melanoma, according to a new study. Researchers at Loyola University Medical Center have created a new type of experimental vaccine that “trains” the body’s immune system to recognize and destroy tumor cells. The vaccine, which is currently undergoing a Phase 1 trial, could revolutionize treatment strategies for one of our most common cancers.

The research effort centers on an innovative delivery mechanism whereby a patient’s own T-cells are artificially prepared to do battle with rogue cells that drive tumor growth. According to principal investigator Joseph Clark, the project is the first of its kind. "This clinical trial is a unique attempt to manipulate a person's own immune system to attack their cancer in a more effective and specific manner,” he said in a press release.

Judging by lab results, the experimental treatment is as effective as it is mind boggling. Basically, a substantial chunk of the patient’s T-cell volume is extracted and sent to a genetic"boot camp," where the cells receive two key genes that allow them to target cancerous cells. In the meantime, the patient undergoes intense chemotherapy that dramatically reduces his or her T-cell count. Finally, the new cancer-killing T-cells are reintroduced to the patient’s body, where they (ideally) begin to proliferate and subdue tumor growth.”





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hail-and-farewell-to-those-we-lost-in-2014/

Hail and farewell to those we lost in 2014
CBS NEWS
December 28, 2014

THE FOLLOWING IS A SELECTION FROM THE REMEMBRANCES OF FAMOUS AND BELOVED PEOPLE WHO DIED IN 2014. SEE THE WEBSITE ABOVE FOR THE WHOLE LIST.

Robin Williams touched down, as if from a distant galaxy, speaking a language ("Nanu nanu!") we had never heard before, but which we instantly understood.
He held up his own funhouse mirror to the rest of us, exploring not only comic possibilities, but deeper truths.
"You don't know about real loss. Because that only occurs when you love something more than you love yourself," he said in the 1997 film, "Good Will Hunting."
Robin Williams dead at 63 (CBS News, 08/11/14)

Mike Nichols won every entertainment award there is -- and one, in 1959, that doesn't exist, for Total Mediocrity, presented by his comic partner, Elaine May.
"Graduate" director Mike Nichols dead at 83 (CBS News, 11/20/14)

And to Richard Kiel, whose enormous size usually got him cast as the bad guy (Jaws from the James Bond series), or an alien, monster, or the Soviet spy prowling on "Gilligan's Island."
Actor who played famous James Bond nemesis dies at 74 (10/10/14)

And to Ann B. Davis, Alice on "The Brady Bunch."
Ann B. Davis, "Brady Bunch" housekeeper, dead at 88 (CBS News, 06/02/14)

And to Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., who always got his man.
Efrem Zimbalist Jr., star of "The FBI," dead at 95 (05/03/14)

And farewell to Russell Johnson -- he played the brainy Professor on that crazy island of castaways:
Ginger: "You can hold me a little closer, I won't break."
Professor: "Well, I don't want to crush your dress."
Ginger: "Try."
Russell Johnson, "Gilligan" professor, has died (01/16/14)

Ralph Waite died this year. As patriarch of the Walton clan, he guided his large brood through the Depression days. Good night to you, Ralph Waite.
"Waltons" patriarch Ralph Waite dead at 85 ("CBS Evening News," 02/14/14)

And to you, Shirley Temple: You buoyed American spirits during those dark Depression years with your brilliant smile and precocious talent -- then walked away from it all and became a successful diplomat.

Shirley Temple Black taught us all a thing or two about life.
Shirley Temple Black dies at age 85 ("CBS This Morning," 02/11/14)

Mickey Rooney TORE through life with exuberance, talent and charm. He could do it all, and he DID it all, for most of his 93 years.
Good night and good luck, Mickey Rooney!
Mickey Rooney, Hollywood legend, dead at 93 (CBS News, 04/07/14)

Lauren Bacall, we fell in love with you right from the start. Bacall died this year at 89, her charm and her beauty intact.
Legendary actress Lauren Bacall dies at age 89(CBS News, 08/12/14)

James Garner, you were one smooth operator. He never took acting too seriously, but he was good at it. Farewell to you, James Garner ...
Gallery: James Garner 1928-2014
James Garner, TV and movie legend, dead at 86 (07/20/14)

And you, Maximilian Schell.
Gallery: Maximilian Schell 1930-2014
Oscar-winning actor Maximilian Schell dies at 83 (02/01/14)

Polly Bergen -- what a beautiful, long run YOU enjoyed.
Emmy-winning actress and singer Polly Bergen dies at 84 (09/21/14)

Ruby Dee, your extraordinary talents onstage were inspirational. Offstage, with your husband Ossie Davis, they were even more so.

Thank you, for showing us all what it means to stand up for what is right.
Ruby Dee, actress and activist, dead at 91(06/12/14)

Franklin McCain took his stand when he SAT, when he was refused service at a Greensboro, N.C., lunch counter, and the civil rights "sit-in" was born.
"There are many people who will plant the seed, but they will never reap the harvest," McCain said. "And I considered myself and my colleagues those people."
Passage: Men of conviction ("Sunday Morning," 01/12/14)
Legacy of the Greensboro Four ("CBS Evening News," 01/18/09)

James Brady took a bullet meant for President Ronald Reagan in 1981, and crusaded for gun control for the rest of his life.
"Damn it, don't let the vocal minority dictate your position," he said. "Morally, it's the right thing to do."
James Brady, Reagan spokesman and anti-gun activist, dies at 73 (CBS News, 08/04/14)





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-do-selfies-with-tigers-and-truants-have-in-common/

What do selfies with tigers, and truants have in common?
CBS/AP
December 31, 2014

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Everything from tigers to taxes and wine to sexual willingness is covered by laws taking effect in the new year.

In California, driver's licenses will be available for people in the country illegally.

The minimum wage goes up in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Maryland, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

A New York law bans tiger selfies starting in February. They've been increasingly used by young men as social media profile photos. No photos with lions or other big cats, either.

Wine gets a boost in the Bay State. Out-of-state wineries can ship bottles directly to consumers in Massachusetts.

California is trying to end any question over whether "no" really means "yes." The new standard for sex between college students is "yes means yes". That means active consent. Silence or lack of resistance isn't enough.

California is also requiring more living space for egg-laying hens, breeding sows and veal calves.

Michigan is trying to cut down on the manufacture of meth by restricting the purchase of cough and cold medicines.

And school-skipping students in Nevada could lose their driving privileges.




“A New York law bans tiger selfies starting in February. They've been increasingly used by young men as social media profile photos. No photos with lions or other big cats, either.... Wine gets a boost in the Bay State. Out-of-state wineries can ship bottles directly to consumers in Massachusetts.... California is trying to end any question over whether "no" really means "yes." The new standard for sex between college students is "yes means yes".... And school-skipping students in Nevada could lose their driving privileges.”

No more tiger selfies? Even if the tiger is safely behind bars? That sounds simply unnecessary to me. In the pen with the tiger, yes. That makes sense. As for wine being shipped to your house in Massachusetts – that sounds like what the article is referring to – that doesn't sound legal. How are the taxes paid on it? On college campuses rape trials have been in the news several times this year, and yes, I believe the woman or the man either should be required to give a verbal affirmative. Otherwise, the young people will continue to fall into each others arms as they always have done in the past, and then get a rush of post-coitus guilt and cry rape. It also gives the reluctant party a basis for the cases of rohypnol and other “date rape drugs” which certainly do make it a clear case of rape. Any woman who wakes up after such an episode should go immediately for a blood test for the drug. As for taking kids driver license away from them for skipping school, there is no logical relationship between the driving of a car and skipping school. That makes it “unusual” punishment, which some judges have been doing over the last decade or so and I don't think such things are fair and just. I think the ACLU or someone should pursue law suits on the basis of that.





http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/12/30/374030974/u-n-to-vote-on-palestinian-resolution-to-end-israeli-resolution

U.N. Security Council Rejects Palestinian Statehood Resolution
Krishnadev Calamur
DECEMBER 30, 2014

The U.N. Security Council failed to pass a Palestinian draft resolution that called for, among other things, an end to the Israeli occupation by late 2017. The proposal faced strong U.S. opposition, which threatened to veto the measure if it passed.

The measure needed support from at least nine of the 15 members of the Security Council for it to be adopted. It received eight "yes" votes and two "no" notes. Five countries abstained.

"We don't think this resolution is constructive," State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said in Washingtonbefore the measure failed. "We think it sets arbitrary deadlines for reaching a peace agreement and for Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank, and those are more likely to curtail useful negotiations than to bring them to a successful conclusion."

He added that other countries on the Security Council saw similar problems with the resolution, which, he said, "fails to account for Israel's legitimate security needs." The U.K., another veto-wielding member of the panel, also said it could not back the Palestinian proposal.

The Palestinian ambassador to the U.N., Riyad Mansour, said his side would present the resolution despite the opposition. It's time for the Security Council "to shoulder its responsibility," he said.

U.S.-brokered talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority stalled in April. Israel says the Palestinian resolution would only make the conflict worse.

The Palestinian draft resolution also called for, according toReuters, "negotiations to be based on territorial lines that existed before Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war. It also calls for a peace deal within 12 months and ending Israeli occupation by the end of 2017." The proposal added that East Jerusalem will be the capital of an independent Palestinian state and called for an end to the construction of Israeli settlements.




“The measure needed support from at least nine of the 15 members of the Security Council for it to be adopted. It received eight "yes" votes and two "no" notes. Five countries abstained. "We don't think this resolution is constructive," State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said in Washingtonbefore the measure failed. "We think it sets arbitrary deadlines for reaching a peace agreement and for Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank, and those are more likely to curtail useful negotiations than to bring them to a successful conclusion." He added that other countries on the Security Council saw similar problems with the resolution, which, he said, "fails to account for Israel's legitimate security needs."

As far as rightful actions go, I don't think the acquisition of land by war is moral or ethical, even though it certainly is a long-standing method of making such decisions. The Jews in Bible times simply came in and conquered the “promised land,” with Jahweh's help, of course. Unfortunately the Babylonians and others also conquered them later. I think the UN should stand up against that kind of action in modern times. Russia should be made to cough up Crimea and behave themselves. Ideally the territory should be allocated to the various tribal and cultural groups who for, say 300 years, have occupied a piece of land. The problem with some groups like the Palestinians and the Kurds is that they don't have a defined nation and central government that is theirs, but rather have lived there for thousands of years and feel that it is their home.

The Jews, on the other hand, had a claim on Israel, but I could argue that they lost their right to it when they were dispersed around the globe under the Babylonians. When the rabidly inhumane Nazis performed the atrocities upon them as they did across most of Europe, they gained the right to retribution. Unfortunately the Palestinians have never consented to that, feeling that the land given to the Jews in Israel is rightfully theirs. It's a complicated mess. At this point, I do strongly feel that Israel should give up the conquered land from the 1967 war and stop building Jewish settlements there, and proceed toward a peaceful resolution to their disagreement. The Palestinians, on the other hand, should give up the claim to half of Jerusalem and stop sending rockets and bombs into Israeli land. None of them are going to do those things, of course. It's really very sad.






http://www.npr.org/2014/12/28/373564985/tennessees-medicaid-deal-dodges-a-partisan-fight

Tennessee's Medicaid Deal Dodges A Partisan Fight
BOBBY ALLYN
DECEMBER 28, 2014

Tony Smith's disability check puts him over the income limit to receive standard Medicaid, but it's too little for him to qualify for a subsidy.

Sitting next to a federal health-care navigator at a Nashville, Tenn., clinic, he said he hopes lawmakers think of his plight and that of thousands of others when considering Medicaid expansion.

"I'm not looking for a handout," Smith says. "I'm just looking for some help ... because I need it."

Expanding Medicaid has until recently been seen as a political poison pill in Tennessee. But the hospital lobby has struck a unique deal with Republican Gov. Bill Haslam to pay for the expansion, a move that has paved the way for greater GOP support.

Hospital administrators saw no other choice, says Craig Becker, president of the Tennessee Hospital Association.

"We basically left over $800 million on the table in federal dollars, which is a lot of money that could've done a lot of different things," Becker says, referring to the new Medicaid money Tennessee turned away in 2014.

"Look, we're stressed," he says. "Each individual hospital has gone to [Haslam] and said, 'Look we're gonna have to lay people off.' We've seen layoffs here. We've seen hospitals close, and they're saying, 'We're not just crying wolf here.' "

The association will pay for the state's contribution under the deal — taking state taxpayers off the hook. It's not the first time the hospital group has helped finance the state's Medicaid program.

"I've heard from several of my counterparts, and they have all said the same thing — that they're really hopeful that perhaps their states will follow the lead of Tennessee," Becker says.

Tennessee's Senate leader, Ron Ramsey, who once fiercely opposed Medicaid expansion, now says it's an "opportunity that must be taken seriously."

Haslam heads the Republican Governors Association, and the hospital deal might be up to him to reassure other state leaders that accepting federal Medicaid money doesn't have to trigger a bitter partisan fight.

Other states have sought Affordable Care Act waivers, but Tennessee's approach stands out, says John Graves, who studies health care at Vanderbilt University.

"The state views itself as an innovator," Graves says. "They want to create a program that's amenable to not only the governor, but the legislature ... something with their own Tennessee spin on it."

Whether that spin will be enough to satisfy the state's Republican super-majority won't be known until lawmakers reconvene in January.




“Expanding Medicaid has until recently been seen as a political poison pill in Tennessee. But the hospital lobby has struck a unique deal with Republican Gov. Bill Haslam to pay for the expansion, a move that has paved the way for greater GOP support. Hospital administrators saw no other choice, says Craig Becker, president of the Tennessee Hospital Association. "We basically left over $800 million on the table in federal dollars, which is a lot of money that could've done a lot of different things," Becker says, referring to the new Medicaid money Tennessee turned away in 2014.... The association will pay for the state's contribution under the deal — taking state taxpayers off the hook. It's not the first time the hospital group has helped finance the state's Medicaid program. "I've heard from several of my counterparts, and they have all said the same thing — that they're really hopeful that perhaps their states will follow the lead of Tennessee," Becker says....
“Haslam heads the Republican Governors Association, and the hospital deal might be up to him to reassure other state leaders that accepting federal Medicaid money doesn't have to trigger a bitter partisan fight.”

Ultra-conservative State governments fears of alienating their angry white base by paying more toward medical care for the poor, thus being “not conservative enough,” has put many poor people in the position of being unable to pay for their individual premiums under the Affordable Care Act, but unable to get the federal stipend to help cover it. When I have tried to get Medicaid to cover my Medicare premium I have been too rich – I have $200.00 above the poverty level cutoff for the Medicaid funded “Extra Help”. As a result I currently have to live on under $1000.00 a month and budget the best I can. States have been very much like Mr. Scrooge with Medicaid, on general principals, begrudging their contribution to the Medicaid fund because they basically believe that being poor is our fault anyway (we refuse to work) and we should be punished, or at any rate it's a case of “not my problem.” In other words, “tough turkey.”

I'm glad to see Tennessee taking the lead on this, and the Hospital Association stepping up to help the state on the matter. They should help, because it is their outrageously high bills that are running the medicals costs up for the most part. Maybe all states who are now following the same path will make the changes necessary and expand their Medicaid coverage, too. I hope so. As for my personal situation, I have now had some automobile expenses and a medical procedure, so I hope my checking account won't look like I'm too wealthy for Medicaid assistance anymore. I plan to reapply soon.