Saturday, February 7, 2015


News Clips For The Day


www.salon.com/2015/02/06/wingnuts_latest_meltdown_conservatives_go_nuts_over_obamas_remarks_on_christianity_and_islam/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Wingnuts’ latest meltdown: Conservatives go nuts over Obama’s remarks on Christianity and Islam
Obama reminds fellow Christians that their religion has been far from perfect. Cue conservative freak-out
Luke Brinker
February 6, 2015

Speaking before the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, President Obama denounced those “who hijack religion for their own murderous ends,” citing, for instance, the Islamic State militant group, “a brutal, vicious death cult that, in the name of religion, carries out unspeakable acts of barbarism.” Given the group’s gruesome executions of its hostages and its utterly horrific execution of children, including the mentally disabled, one could hardly dispute the president’s characterization of its fundamentalist adherents.

Nevertheless, the president’s speech rankled conservative critics. Obama, you see, committed the grievous error of pointing out that brutality and violence have hardly been the province of any one religion.

“[L]est we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ,” Obama noted.  ”In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ,” he added, referring to segregationists’ fondness for Biblical injunctions against interracial mingling.

The right-wing reaction was swift — and, at times, nothing short of hyperbolic.

“The president’s comments this morning at the prayer breakfast are the most offensive I’ve ever heard a president make in my lifetime,” proclaimed former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, 65, who lived through the presidency of Richard Milhous Nixon, whose bigoted utterances would make even Steve Scalise blush. Gilmore, for what it’s worth, is one of approximately 7,000 Republicans floating a 2016 presidential bid, despite the fact that he lost his last election, a 2008 U.S. Senate race, by 31 percentage points.

Bill Donohue, the perpetually red-faced leader of the Catholic League — a “league” that appears to consist primarily of Bill Donohue — charged that the president’s remarks were designed to “deflect guilt from Muslim madmen,” castigating the president’s comparisons as “pernicious.”

Donohue’s comments come one month after he responded to the terror attack on the satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo by saying that the paper had “provoked” the attack by lampooning Islam and other faiths.

Fox News commentator Todd Starnes, meanwhile, cast the president’s remarks aside by writing that the Crusades “ended some 700 years ago” — an argument that may have proven more persuasive if not for the far more recent use of Christianity to justify atrocities from segregation to the slaughters, rapes, and kidnappings perpetrated by Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army, which seeks to take over and rule Uganda based on the Ten Commandments.

For his part, Starnes’ Fox colleague Erick Erickson wasn’t even sure the president’s remarks merited a response. “I’d be more inclined to listen to the President talk about faith if he showed he had faith in anything other than himself,” the meathead pundit tweeted. Still, Erickson took to his RedState.com blog to express his wish that Obama “would stop professing himself to be a Christian.”

Erickson, it bears mentioning, has raised funds for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a right-wing Christianist legal group that works internationally to defend draconian laws that prescribe prison sentences for gay people. But don’t let the president dare say that Christian extremism has ever existed.




“Erickson, it bears mentioning, has raised funds for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a right-wing Christianist legal group that works internationally to defend draconian laws that prescribe prison sentences for gay people. But don’t let the president dare say that Christian extremism has ever existed.”

I'm sure Obama isn't surprised by this white backlash to his forthright statements that are verified by history. Fundamentalism is illogical, uneducated and based in group hostility. Liberal Christianity is not like that – United Methodists, Quakers, Episcopalians, Unitarians, for instance – and neither are Islamic people who are not politically based and trying to establish dominance over other culture's lands. Liberal Christians base their faith on Jesus' commandments to his apostles to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. They never start wars or promulgate enmity against other groups and beliefs. They don't threaten abortion clinics and doctors, nor protest and picket at soldiers' burials. It isn't Islam and Christianity that are at fault, but the dogmatic and narrow minded viewpoints of the Fundamentalists of all religions. I'm sure Obama is used to being treated badly by now. It is, after all, a race war that is occurring.





ISIS NEWS


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/6-people-charged-in-u-s-with-supporting-isis/

​6 people charged in U.S. with supporting ISIS
CBS NEWS
February 6, 2015

WASHINGTON -- Six Bosnian immigrants have been charged in the U.S. for allegedly supporting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Department of Justice said Friday.

The suspects, five of whom were arrested in the U.S., are all charged with providing material support to terrorists and conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, the DOJ said in a statement.

They were identified as Ramiz Zijad Hodzic, 40, his wife Sedina Unkic Hodzic, 35, and Armin Harcevic, 37, who live in St. Louis County, Missouri; Nihad Rosic, 26, of Utica, New York; Mediha Medy Salkicevic, 34 of Schiller Park, Illinois; and Jasminka Ramic, 42, of Rockford, Illinois.

The suspects immigrated from Bosnia, the Justice Department said. Three of them became naturalized U.S. citizens and the others have legal resident of refugee status.

According to an indictment unsealed Friday, the defendants sent weapons, U.S. military uniforms and tactical equipment to a man named Abdullah Ramo Pazara, a Bosnian who traveled from St. Louis to Syria in 2013 to join ISIS. They also used Western Union and PayPal to transfer money to Turkey and Saudi Arabia, where third parties sent it to Syria and Iraq. Some of the equipment was also transferred through intermediaries.

Pazara was not charged because it is believed that he was killed last year. He communicated with the defendants through social media, according to the FBI and DOJ, and bragged online about killing and kidnapping several people.

Ramiz Zijad Hodzic and Rosic face the additional charge of conspiring to kill and main persons in a foreign country.

Hodzic allegedly provided tactical advice to Pazara and other foreign fighters, the indictment said, and sent rifle scopes and range finders to Pazara, intending that they be used on sniper rifles. Rosic attempted to travel to Syria, according to the indictment.

"Today's charges and arrests underscore our resolve to identify, thwart, and hold accountable individuals within the United States who seek to provide material support to terrorists and terrorist organizations operating in Syria and Iraq," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin said in a statement. "Preventing the provision of supplies, money, and personnel to foreign terrorist organizations like ISIL remains a top priority of the National Security Division and our partners in the law enforcement and intelligence communities."

The suspects face up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count if convicted. Hodzic and Rosic could be sentenced to life in prison if they are convicted on the additional conspiracy charge.




“The suspects immigrated from Bosnia, the Justice Department said. Three of them became naturalized U.S. citizens and the others have legal resident of refugee status. According to an indictment unsealed Friday, the defendants sent weapons, U.S. military uniforms and tactical equipment to a man named Abdullah Ramo Pazara, a Bosnian who traveled from St. Louis to Syria in 2013 to join ISIS. They also used Western Union and PayPal to transfer money to Turkey and Saudi Arabia, where third parties sent it to Syria and Iraq. Some of the equipment was also transferred through intermediaries.... The suspects face up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count if convicted. Hodzic and Rosic could be sentenced to life in prison if they are convicted on the additional conspiracy charge.”

There are two Bosnian brothers who work at my apartment buildings here. They are both very nice men, but they do have distinctly Mediterranean coloring, and one of them is very shy. He is also having a problem with English. They may not be assimilated very well in this country, and therefore be vulnerable to a religious or cultural group composed of their own faith. I wouldn't suspect either of these two of any jihadi activities, though. Of course having a steady job probably helps. In France where there are so many Islamic refugees living, they are having trouble with native Frenchmen being less than welcoming, and they are having a problem with joblessness. I think it is a matter of individual refugees assimilating either better or more poorly. It's hard to be very different from ones neighbors and too poor to live without working. Anyone who is caught aiding a national enemy is going to have to pay the penalty, however, so these six are probably doomed unless lawyers can disprove the case against them.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jihadi-preacher-abu-mohammed-al-maqdesi-blasts-isis-methods-jordan-pilot-burned/

Jihadi preacher latest to condemn ISIS' methods
AP
February 6, 2015

AMMAN, Jordan -- A prominent jihadi preacher lashed out Friday against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants for burning to death a Jordanian pilot, saying this is "not acceptable in any religion."

Abu Mohammed al-Maqdesi, considered a spiritual mentor for many al Qaeda militants, spoke a day after being released from more than three months in detention in Jordan.

His release and harsh criticism of ISIS comes at a time when the Jordanian government is trying to win broad popular backing for intensified airstrikes against the militants in response to the killing of the pilot.

Earlier this week, ISIS militants released a video showing the pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, being burned to death in a cage.

In an interview with the Jordanian TV station Roya, al-Maqdesi said that such an act "is not acceptable by any religion and by anyone."

The cleric indicated that he had been involved in back-channel talks to arrange a possible prisoner swap to win the release of the pilot, who was captured after his plane crashed over Syria in December. Jordan offered last week to swap an al Qaeda prisoner for the pilot, but said after the release of the video that it became clear that the pilot had already been killed in early January.

Al-Maqdesi said he believed the militants were never serious about arranging a swap.

"During my communication, they lied and they were evasive," he said. "They acted like they were interested (in a swap), but in fact they were not interested."

He also criticized ISIS for declaring a caliphate last year in the areas under its control in Syria and Iraq. Al-Maqdesi said a caliphate, or state run according to Islamic law, is meant to bring Muslims together, but that the militants have been a divisive force.

A decade ago, Al-Maqdesi was considered a mentor of the al Qaeda branch in Iraq, a precursor to ISIS. However, the cleric fell out with his protégés over their methods, including attacks on fellow Muslims, and has since repeatedly spoken out in videos and written diatribes against ISIS.

Jordan arrested the cleric in October, after he criticized Jordan's participation in a U.S.-led military coalition against ISIS. Jordan, which borders Syria and Iraq, joined the coalition in September.

In the wake of the killing of the pilot, Jordan said it would intensify its attacks. On Thursday, dozens of fighter jets struck ISIS weapons depots and training areas, the military said.




“A prominent jihadi preacher lashed out Friday against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants for burning to death a Jordanian pilot, saying this is "not acceptable in any religion." Abu Mohammed al-Maqdesi, considered a spiritual mentor for many al Qaeda militants, spoke a day after being released from more than three months in detention in Jordan. His release and harsh criticism of ISIS comes at a time when the Jordanian government is trying to win broad popular backing for intensified airstrikes against the militants in response to the killing of the pilot.... A decade ago, Al-Maqdesi was considered a mentor of the al Qaeda branch in Iraq, a precursor to ISIS. However, the cleric fell out with his protégés over their methods, including attacks on fellow Muslims, and has since repeatedly spoken out in videos and written diatribes against ISIS. Jordan arrested the cleric in October, after he criticized Jordan's participation in a U.S.-led military coalition against ISIS. Jordan, which borders Syria and Iraq, joined the coalition in September. In the wake of the killing of the pilot, Jordan said it would intensify its attacks. On Thursday, dozens of fighter jets struck ISIS weapons depots and training areas, the military said.”

We need more Islamic preachers speaking out against all fundamentalists, not just ISIS. Still, this is a start. Peaceful Islam as a whole has the ultimate control over radical groups within their umbrella. Saudi Arabia and Iran are moving against ISIS, and the ever dependable Kurds. It would be much better if the fighters against this (so far) regional group of Islamists would do most of the fighting to protect what is, after all, their own lands.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/no-power-or-water-in-ukrainian-villages-only-despair/

​No power or water in Ukrainian village, only despair
By ELIZABETH PALMER CBS NEWS
February 6, 2015

CBS News' Elizabeth Palmer has been reporting from Ukraine for the last week. This is part of a series of reports from the front lines of eastern Ukraine where Ukrainian troops and civilians are struggling to fend off attacks from pro-Russian separatists.


Photograph – A convoy of buses escorts stranded Ukrainian villagers out of a battle zone
 CBS NEWS

DEBALTSEVE, Ukraine -- With the shelling on temporary hold, convoys of buses were sent in by both sides to rescue anyone desperate to leave. Thousands have been trapped for three weeks - on the receiving end of constant shelling.

Russian-backed separatists have been pounding the area around Debaltseve with grad rockets, trying to force the Ukrainian army out and leaving exhausted residents without power or water.

On Friday they lined up for badly needed aid that had just arrived, amid the sounds of explosions and the evidence of weeks of war - ruined buildings and a puddle of blood.

By day's end the Ukrainian government said its buses had evacuated 600 people. But just ten miles up the road Ukrainian troops were on the move, regrouping for the next battle. And in a village nearby - that had also been under fire - there were no buses, just despair.

"Where are we supposed to go?" yelled one woman. "Why are they bombing us? Why can't they stop this war?"

The women we spoke to told us they don't care who wins this fight. They say they just want to live in peace, in a normal country.

But they - like the families who made their escape by bus today - know what they're probably facing is life shattered by more war.

As for the peace talks that took place in Moscow Friday, there was no breakthrough. However, they are due to resume on Sunday as a four-way conversation with the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine.




“With the shelling on temporary hold, convoys of buses were sent in by both sides to rescue anyone desperate to leave. Thousands have been trapped for three weeks - on the receiving end of constant shelling.... By day's end the Ukrainian government said its buses had evacuated 600 people. But just ten miles up the road Ukrainian troops were on the move, regrouping for the next battle. And in a village nearby - that had also been under fire - there were no buses, just despair. "Where are we supposed to go?" yelled one woman. "Why are they bombing us? Why can't they stop this war?".... As for the peace talks that took place in Moscow Friday, there was no breakthrough. However, they are due to resume on Sunday as a four-way conversation with the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine.”

The article shows a line of buses covering a mile or more driving down the road, and a round-faced, grandmotherly, very Slavic woman holding back tears. She is one of the real citizens of the Ukrainian East. It happens to be a territory that the Russians want back – after all they used to control thousands of miles in the Baltic region, so they have a right to interfere with their modern day government and take over the land, right? Not to the Western leaning Kiev faction, who want democracy at any cost. Besides, they aren't originally Russian, but Ukrainian, an ancient language and ethnic group. This is something that is true all over Europe. There are nationalistic groups with diverging cultural backgrounds that go back 2,000 years. The same is true in the Middle East. It's hard to couple such groups together under one government sometimes. Maybe they should just split the groups up into smaller countries with their own languages and religions. Of course there will still be the problem that exists in Israel and Palestine – they have both legitimate claims to the territory and neither is willing to compromise. It makes me feel tired to think too much about it.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/war-memorial-separating-dead-by-white-and-colored-divides-greenwood-south-carolina/

War memorial separating dead by race divides S.C. city
AP February 6, 2015

GREENWOOD, S.C. -- Along Main Street in a small South Carolina city, there is war memorial honoring fallen World War I and II soldiers, dividing them into two categories: "white" and "colored."

Welborn Adams, Greenwood's white Democratic-leaning mayor, believes the bronze plaques are relics of the South's scarred past and should be changed in the spirit of equality, replaced like the "colored" water fountains or back entrances to the movie theater that blacks were once forced to use.

Yet the mayor's attempt to put up new plaques was blocked by a state law that brought the Confederate flag down from the Statehouse dome in 2000. The law forbids altering historical monuments in any way without approval from legislators.

Historians, black and white, have reservations about replacing the plaques, saying they should serve as a reminder of the once-segregated U.S. Military.

"Segregation was the accepted social order of that time," said Eric Williams, who spent 32 years as a historian with the U.S. Park Service. "If we alter the monument, we alter its historical integrity."

The memorial is owned by the American Legion post in Greenwood and is on city property. On two of its sides, it lists soldiers who died in World War I and World War II that were from Greenwood County. A third side lists Korean and Vietnam War dead from the county without any racial distinction because the military was integrated by that time.

Adams said he asked other South Carolina mayors and doesn't know of any other similar memorials in the state. Several historians also said they haven't heard of a monument where fallen soldiers are separated by race.

About a year ago, American Legion post members asked the mayor if he thought he could raise $15,000 privately to change the monument. He was so sure he could, he took out a loan to pay for the new plaques so they could be dedicated onMartin Luther King Jr. Day.

Forty-three donors, almost all white, came through with the money. Adams wrote a $1,000 check himself.

But there was opposition, in part because of a quote from the mayor in a December story in The Index-Journal of Greenwood. "I think if history offends people, it needs to be rewritten if possible," Adams said.
The mayor acknowledged he didn't choose his words carefully. He later said he meant that while history doesn't change, the way a community presents itself does.

Days before the King Day ceremony, opponents threatened to try to have Adams arrested - perhaps on a misconduct in office charge - if he went forward with the new plaque. The mayor said he cried in his office when the city's lawyer told him that opponents were right about the law.

"I wonder if some of the opposition is racism hiding behind history," said Adams, who was elected mayor in 2008 in this city of 23,000, where about 45 percent of the population is black.

The Confederate flag law says no historical monument, erected by the state or by a local government, may be relocated, removed, disturbed, or altered without a two-thirds vote from state lawmakers. The law lists 10 wars, including the "War Between the States," - the genteel, Southern name for the Civil War.

The purpose of this part of the law was to appease people who worried 15 years ago that Confederate memorials and street and park names in honor of generals would be torn down in wake of the flag being removed from the Statehouse dome and being put in front of the South Carolina Capitol alongside a Confederate soldier monument. The flag is still a sore point for the NAACP and other black leaders.

A bill has been filed to change the Greenwood memorial and half of the members of the state Senate are listed as sponsors, but some legislators who helped craft the Confederate flag law are leery to bring the divisive issue up again.

"I'll look at the bill," said Sen. John Courson, a Republican from Columbia who has been in the Senate since 1985. "But I don't want to reopen the whole debate. That was last century's battle."

Williams, the former Park Service historian, has been one of the most vocal critics. Williams, who is white, wants to see a small display nearby saying the military was segregated back then and that's why the names are listed the way they are.

Activist Joseph McGill, who spends the night in old slave cabins to get attention to preserve them, agrees. He says talk about switching plaques reminds him of schools that don't want students reading "Huckleberry Finn" because of racially offensive language from the 1800s is in the book.

"That could just spread the perception that segregation did not exist or wasn't that bad," McGill said.

Chad Williams of Brandeis University in Boston has extensively studied black soldiers in World War I. He said he understands the desire to correct a historical injustice, but another sign explaining why the soldiers were separated by race is much more powerful and historically accurate.

"I think it is important to acknowledge the specific context in how African-American soldiers had to serve in the military," Williams said.

Will Moredock, a freelance journalist trying to get South Carolina to remove the statue of segregationist Gov. Ben Tillman from the Statehouse grounds, said that is shortsighted. Americans are given the power to change laws and even the framework of its government with amendments to the Constitution. So why should historical monuments be any different?

"Every generation has the right to choose the people and the causes it wishes to enshrine in its public places," Moredock said.

The mayor planned to put the old plaques in the county museum. For now, they remain on the monument and the new ones sit in City Hall storage, waiting for the Legislature to act.

"I am fully aware this is much tougher than I ever expected," Adams said. "But it's the right thing to do."




“Welborn Adams, Greenwood's white Democratic-leaning mayor, believes the bronze plaques are relics of the South's scarred past and should be changed in the spirit of equality, replaced like the "colored" water fountains or back entrances to the movie theater that blacks were once forced to use.... About a year ago, American Legion post members asked the mayor if he thought he could raise $15,000 privately to change the monument. He was so sure he could, he took out a loan to pay for the new plaques so they could be dedicated onMartin Luther King Jr. Day. Forty-three donors, almost all white, came through with the money. Adams wrote a $1,000 check himself. But there was opposition, in part because of a quote from the mayor in a December story in The Index-Journal of Greenwood. "I think if history offends people, it needs to be rewritten if possible," Adams said.... Days before the King Day ceremony, opponents threatened to try to have Adams arrested - perhaps on a misconduct in office charge - if he went forward with the new plaque. The mayor said he cried in his office when the city's lawyer told him that opponents were right about the law.... "I'll look at the bill," said Sen. John Courson, a Republican from Columbia who has been in the Senate since 1985. "But I don't want to reopen the whole debate. That was last century's battle."... “Activist Joseph McGill, who spends the night in old slave cabins to get attention to preserve them, agrees. He says talk about switching plaques reminds him of schools that don't want students reading "Huckleberry Finn" because of racially offensive language from the 1800s is in the book. "That could just spread the perception that segregation did not exist or wasn't that bad," McGill said. Chad Williams of Brandeis University in Boston has extensively studied black soldiers in World War I. He said he understands the desire to correct a historical injustice, but another sign explaining why the soldiers were separated by race is much more powerful and historically accurate.”

Fine. Put up an explanatory sign and forget it. It isn't worth threatening to arrest the mayor over or bringing him to tears of frustration. It's the old Aesop story my father was fond of telling about “The man, the boy and the donkey.” In Daddy's words it ends with “I tried to please everybody, I couldn't please anybody, and besides I lost my ass.” We kids loved it when Daddy talked a little dirty, and even my very conservative mother would grin a little.

My home town in NC, as far as I know, has no historical markers of that kind at all, black or white. I do remember “colored” and white bathrooms in Belk's Department Store and another one at the bus station, but no colored water fountain; however, there were absolutely no black people fed at tables in the one and only restaurant downtown. They could order food, but they had to stand up and wait for it to be prepared and then leave with it. Sambo's and Denny's within the last 15 years did get in the news for denying service to black people, but they backed down quickly and I now see black people wherever I eat. Good. That's real progress.





NO TOLERANCE ON VACCINATIONS


http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/02/06/384322665/to-get-parents-to-vaccinate-their-kids-dont-ask-just-tell

To Get Parents To Vaccinate Their Kids, Don't Ask. Just Tell
Patti Neighmond
FEBRUARY 07, 2015

As California's measles outbreak continues to spread beyond state borders, many doctors nationwide are grappling with how best to convince parents to have their children vaccinated. Inviting a collaborative conversation doesn't work all that well, many are finding. Recent research suggests that being more matter-of-fact can work a lot better.

Pediatrician Eric Ball, who practices in southern California, says, in his experience, the families skeptical of vaccines can be divided into two types.

"There are people who believe in grand conspiracies — that the whole medical community is trying to make money at the expense of their child," he says. "They don't really believe in science. They don't believe in data, and no amount of discussion is going to really convince them."

Ball says he sees other skeptical parents who are on the fence, and he works really hard, using a collaborative approach, to convince these parents that vaccines are safe and effective.

"We try to assess what their fears are," he says, "why they're not vaccinating — what they've read, what they've heard. And then we try to dispel myths."

But some surprising research by Dr. Doug Opel, a pediatrician at Seattle Children's Hospital and a researcher at the University of Washington, suggests Ball might want to try a less collaborative approach.

In the study Opel and colleagues described in the December issue of Pediatrics, they enrolled 111 parents, some hesitant about vaccines and some not.

He videotaped the parents talking with their doctor about vaccines during a routine well-child visit. The doctors, he noticed, handled the conversation in one of two ways.

The first, Opel calls "presumptive."

"The doctor," he noticed, "just simply presumed that the parent was going to be fine with the vaccines that the doctor was going to recommend," saying something like " 'So, Johnnie's due for DTaP and Hib today' – period. Move on."

Some other doctors, Opel observed, invited parents to discuss their feelings about vaccines — "sort of invoking a shared decision-making approach, inviting the parent to be part of this conversation." These doctors, he says, were more likely to ask, " 'So, Mom: What do you want to do about vaccines today?' "

The study's surprising results: When doctors assumed parents would be OK with vaccines, they were. More than 70 percent had their child vaccinated.

On the other hand, when physicians were more flexible and allowed for discussion, most of the parents — 83 percent — decided against vaccination.

"It was quite a difference," Opel says, "just based on how the doctor began the conversation."

When it comes to public health, he says, "shared decision making" doesn't make sense."There's an incredible amount of robust evidence that is behind the recommended immunization schedule."




“Pediatrician Eric Ball, who practices in southern California, says, in his experience, the families skeptical of vaccines can be divided into two types. "There are people who believe in grand conspiracies — that the whole medical community is trying to make money at the expense of their child," he says. "They don't really believe in science. They don't believe in data, and no amount of discussion is going to really convince them." Ball says he sees other skeptical parents who are on the fence, and he works really hard, using a collaborative approach, to convince these parents that vaccines are safe and effective. "We try to assess what their fears are," he says, "why they're not vaccinating — what they've read, what they've heard. And then we try to dispel myths."... The study's surprising results: When doctors assumed parents would be OK with vaccines, they were. More than 70 percent had their child vaccinated. On the other hand, when physicians were more flexible and allowed for discussion, most of the parents — 83 percent — decided against vaccination. "It was quite a difference," Opel says, "just based on how the doctor began the conversation." When it comes to public health, he says, "shared decision making" doesn't make sense."There's an incredible amount of robust evidence that is behind the recommended immunization schedule."

When the whole world was delighted with the news that our astronauts had been to the moon and back and newspapers told all about their experience, I was in a small corner store in Thomasville buying some milk. I asked the sour-faced middle aged woman behind the counter what she thought of it and she said that she didn't “believe” they really went to the moon because God didn't mean for humans to leave the earth. I left the store without speaking any more to her. A year or so later there was a movie about a vast conspiracy and hoax perpetrated by our government to fake the whole moon shot. There, supposedly, was a place in the desert, barren and empty, where the “astronauts” moving around “on the moon's surface” were being filmed by NASA for the public's news feed. People will believe or disbelieve anything.

Public health requires at times that people be forced if necessary to take shots or pills. I know one man who never goes to doctors, and a woman who will go to a chiropractor or a homeopathic practitioner, but not a regular doctor. She “believes” in the manipulation of the spine and the magical influence of very small doses of medications. I don't know what the man's reasons are, but the woman was treated, she felt, rudely by a doctor when she kept going to him for minor symptoms. In other words, she is a hypochondriac. I don't understand the substitution of “faith” for knowledge. I leave such people alone and keep my mind open to new information which comes from good sources and makes sense.





http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/02/06/384399550/university-of-california-system-will-require-measles-vaccine-for-new-students

University Of California System Will Require Measles Vaccine For New Students
EYDER PERALTA
FEBRUARY 06, 2015

The University of California system, with an enrollment of about 233,000, will require incoming students to be vaccinated for measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, meningococcus, tetanus and whooping cough beginning in 2017.

Currently, the university requires only that students be vaccinated against hepatitis B.

In a statement, the university said that this new plan has been in the works for a year, but the current measles vaccine has made it more "pressing."

The Los Angeles Times reports:

"The move comes amid growing calls for more action to stop the spread of the disease and get more people immunized.

"On Wednesday, Gov. Jerry Brown appeared open to legislation that would eliminate all but medical waivers.

"The governor's new flexibility highlighted a growing momentum toward limiting vaccination exemptions partly blamed for the state's worst outbreak of measles since 2000 and flare-ups of whooping cough and other preventable illnesses."

So far this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has counted 102 cases of measles. Most of those stem from an outbreak at Disneyland that began in December.




“The University of California system, with an enrollment of about 233,000, will require incoming students to be vaccinated for measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, meningococcus, tetanus and whooping cough beginning in 2017.
Currently, the university requires only that students be vaccinated against hepatitis B. In a statement, the university said that this new plan has been in the works for a year, but the current measles vaccine has made it more "pressing."... "On Wednesday, Gov. Jerry Brown appeared open to legislation that would eliminate all but medical waivers. "The governor's new flexibility highlighted a growing momentum toward limiting vaccination exemptions partly blamed for the state's worst outbreak of measles since 2000 and flare-ups of whooping cough and other preventable illnesses."

An article last week or so said that measles can be caught by simply being in the same room with someone who has it like the flu. It's highly contagious and spreads by the air. A few cases at Disneyland in December is the source of this nationwide outbreak over half the states and over miles apart. I'm glad to see firm steps being taken to stop the spread of it. True, it's not ebola, but it has killed vulnerable people and will again.





http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/02/06/384103870/outrage-over-governments-animal-experiments-leads-to-usda-review

Outrage Over Government's Animal Experiments Leads To USDA Review
Allison Aubrey
FEBRUARY 06, 2015

Revelations about animal suffering at a federal animal research facility have sure gotten the attention of lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

They've also prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the facility through its Agricultural Research Service, to name its first ever animal welfare ombudsman — as well as review and update its animal welfare strategy.

If you read Michael Moss' investigation in The New York Times about research practices at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Nebraska, you might recall some of these details:

An experiment where pigs died after being locked in steam chambers. The goal of this taxpayer-funded study was to evaluate how varying temperatures influenced the pigs' appetites.
A study that left lambs abandoned by their mothers in pastures to die of exposure or starvation.
An account of the fetuses of 119 pigs being "gently crushed" during an experiment. According to the Times, "the aim was to see if empty space in the uterus affected the intervals between pregnancies. But trial results, published in 2011, were inconclusive."

Animal rights activists were outraged by these and other activities at the center over the past few decades. "An American Horror Story" is how Matthew Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), dubbed it.

Rep. Louise Slaughter, a Democrat from New York, expressed alarm as well. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Slaughter wrote: "Such heinous examples of egregious cruelty, which would violate the minimum standards of any approved research protocol ... should not occur anywhere for any reason."

As the Times report points out, farm animals used in agricultural research are exempt from protections spelled out in the Animal Welfare Act. Many institutions, including universities and companies, that conduct research on animals abide by independent animal-welfare protocols. But the federal law has big loopholes, according to animal welfare advocates.

Slaughter is hoping to change the law. This week, Slaughter, along with a bipartisan group of co-sponsors, introduced a bill known as the Animal Welfare in Agricultural Research Endeavors (AWARE) Act. It aims to end exemptions from protections under the Animal Welfare Act for farm animals used in agricultural experiments at federal facilities.

One of the co-sponsors of the legislation, Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, said in a statement: "As stewards of taxpayer dollars, we felt a responsibility to present a legislative fix that holds the USDA to the same humane standards that countless research facilities across the country are held to."

The USDA issued a statement this week saying it is "taking action to ensure animals are respected and treated humanely."

Catherine Woteki, undersecretary for research, education and economics at USDA, added in a statement that "two of the research projects featured in the Times article had already been terminated," and "some of the specific incidents described were from many years or decades ago."

The statement went on to say that Vilsack has ordered a review of research practices at the Nebraska center and other USDA research facilities. The agency says reviewers will provide recommendations to strengthen the procedures for humane handling of animals.

Perhaps the strongest sign of growing accountability over animal welfare at the agency is the appointment of the agency's first animal welfare ombudsman. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, the administrator of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, informally named Eileen Thacker — an ARS veterinarian — to the post. She announced the appointment in an email to ARS staff.

In the email to her staff, Jacobs-Young wrote, "Please remember we all own the responsibility for animal welfare; if you see something that disturbs you, please report it."

The email also announced the development of an updated animal welfare strategy within 60 days.



http://www.navs.org/legal/animal-welfare-act

ABOUT NAVS
History

Founded in 1929, the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) is an educational organization whose ultimate goal is the elimination of animal use in product testing, education and biomedical research. For more than 80 years, we have sought to identify the cruelty and waste of vivisection and to convince the general public to work actively for its ultimate abolition. We strive to educate researchers, physicians, manufacturers, teachers and government leaders in the discovery of new, humane methods that will save millions of animals each year and still give our children a safer, healthier and happier future.
Driven by our mission statement, our efforts are focused in the following areas:

Public Awareness
Student/Teacher Outreach
Legal/Legislative Issues
Science Programs
Special Initiatives/Cooperative Efforts

What is Vivisection?

Vivisection is the practice of cutting into or using invasive techniques on live animals or dissecting the bodies of animals. Anti-vivisectionists are people who oppose these practices for ethical and scientific reasons.

What Do We Believe?

Anti-vivisectionists oppose animal experimentation for many reasons. First, we believe that it is inhumane to confine animals in an artificial environment, which deprives them of experiencing the ecological niche nature intended for them. These animals may be subjected to extreme pain, deprivation and distress, and their lives of agony often end in a premature and horrible death. Equally important, however, is the undeniable fact that as a scientific methodology, animal experimentation is often invalid and misleading.




“An experiment where pigs died after being locked in steam chambers. The goal of this taxpayer-funded study was to evaluate how varying temperatures influenced the pigs' appetites. A study that left lambs abandoned by their mothers in pastures to die of exposure or starvation. An account of the fetuses of 119 pigs being "gently crushed" during an experiment. According to the Times, "the aim was to see if empty space in the uterus affected the intervals between pregnancies. But trial results, published in 2011, were inconclusive.".... "An American Horror Story" is how Matthew Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), dubbed it. Rep. Louise Slaughter, a Democrat from New York, expressed alarm as well. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Slaughter wrote: "Such heinous examples of egregious cruelty, which would violate the minimum standards of any approved research protocol ... should not occur anywhere for any reason.".... But the federal law has big loopholes, according to animal welfare advocates. Slaughter is hoping to change the law. This week, Slaughter, along with a bipartisan group of co-sponsors, introduced a bill known as the Animal Welfare in Agricultural Research Endeavors (AWARE) Act. It aims to end exemptions from protections under the Animal Welfare Act for farm animals used in agricultural experiments at federal facilities. One of the co-sponsors of the legislation, Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, said in a statement: "As stewards of taxpayer dollars, we felt a responsibility to present a legislative fix that holds the USDA to the same humane standards that countless research facilities across the country are held to."... The USDA issued a statement this week saying it is "taking action to ensure animals are respected and treated humanely." Catherine Woteki, undersecretary for research, education and economics at USDA, added in a statement that "two of the research projects featured in the Times article had already been terminated," and "some of the specific incidents described were from many years or decades ago."

“Perhaps the strongest sign of growing accountability over animal welfare at the agency is the appointment of the agency's first animal welfare ombudsman. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, the administrator of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, informally named Eileen Thacker — an ARS veterinarian — to the post. She announced the appointment in an email to ARS staff. In the email to her staff, Jacobs-Young wrote, "Please remember we all own the responsibility for animal welfare; if you see something that disturbs you, please report it." This is a terrible story with a good ending. I think real progress will be made now. I'm glad to see a Republican behind this new law. Sometimes they seem heartless, either toward humans or animals, but in this case they are stepping forward to stop the practices which are still going on. Some of them happened “decades ago.” The current appointing of an Ombudsman – a person who is directly responsible for attending to reports of animal abuse will really help. Large governmental bodies are too often faceless and therefore there is nobody who is really going to do anything about the problem. I will keep my eyes open for any more news on this topic. A similar story came out last year about two large animal farms that were using highly inhumane killing procedures. I don't know what happened on those. The Rolling Stone article here is on that topic: http://www.rollingstone.com/feature/belly-beast-meat-factory-farms-animal-activists. This is about a group of radical animal rights activists who infiltrate one of the huge “factory farms” and observe what goes on, attempting to stop it.





http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/02/06/384256123/jordan-strikes-at-isis-obama-said-to-be-preparing-to-request-war-powers

Jordan Strikes At ISIS; Obama Said To Be Preparing To Request War Powers
Bill Chappell
FEBRUARY 06, 2015

Repeated air strikes on the self-described Islamic State are "the beginning of our retaliation" for the extremist group's brutal killing of a captured pilot, Jordan's foreign minister says.

Nasser Judeh made the remark on CNN, adding that Jordan will continue to target ISIS fighters and facilities in both Iraq and Syria.

"We are upping the ante. We're going after them wherever they are, with everything that we have," Judeh said.

The fight against ISIS is also a hot topic in Washington, where President Obama reportedly plans to ask Congress to authorize the use of military force against the extremist group. The Associated Press notes that the president has been relying on Sept. 11-era authorizations, and that the process of getting new legislation won't be simple.

"His actions are going to be an important part of trying for us to get the votes to actually pass an authorization," House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday. "This is not going to be an easy lift."

There's no word yet on the timing of the request, which the AP says would cover three years.

In the meantime, the U.S. military is putting search and rescue crews closer to the fighting in northern Iraq.

From Amman, Jordan's capital, NPR's Peter Kenyon reports:

"After Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh was captured by the so-called Islamic State when his plane crashed in December, the United Arab Emirates withdrew its aircraft from anti-ISIS coalition airstrikes.

"A retired Jordanian air force general tells NPR that the UAE move was understandable, because search and rescue capabilities need to be improved.

"So news that U.S. search and rescue crews are moving to northern Iraq to be closer to the battle space has been greeted warmly here. Al-Kaseasbeh's brutal killing has many Jordanians backing their country's role in the fight against ISIS, and the king says Jordan's response will be harsh and ongoing."

As the Two-Way reported Thursday, a U.N. report issued this week gave more details about ISIS' brutal tactics, noting "several cases of mass executions of boys, as well as reports of beheadings, crucifixions of children and burying children alive."




“The fight against ISIS is also a hot topic in Washington, where President Obama reportedly plans to ask Congress to authorize the use of military force against the extremist group. The Associated Press notes that the president has been relying on Sept. 11-era authorizations, and that the process of getting new legislation won't be simple. "His actions are going to be an important part of trying for us to get the votes to actually pass an authorization," House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday. "This is not going to be an easy lift." There's no word yet on the timing of the request, which the AP says would cover three years. In the meantime, the U.S. military is putting search and rescue crews closer to the fighting in northern Iraq.... "So news that U.S. search and rescue crews are moving to northern Iraq to be closer to the battle space has been greeted warmly here. Al-Kaseasbeh's brutal killing has many Jordanians backing their country's role in the fight against ISIS, and the king says Jordan's response will be harsh and ongoing." As the Two-Way reported Thursday, a U.N. report issued this week gave more details about ISIS' brutal tactics, noting "several cases of mass executions of boys, as well as reports of beheadings, crucifixions of children and burying children alive."

These latest abuses against children are intolerable. If Obama means “boots on the ground” by his statement, I personally think it's high time for that. ISIS has threatened to attack the West on our own territory, and has already hit France. The air strikes alone are not enough.