Sunday, July 5, 2015


News Clips For The Day


TRUMP TODAY -- TWO ARTICLES


http://lovethatnews.com/donald-trump-black-lives-dont-matter-go-back-to-africa/

Donald Trump: “If Black Lives Don’t Matter Here Go Back to Africa”
By lovethatnews
Jun 29, 2015

“If I don’t like the food the waitress brings me I send it back to the kitchen. And I go eat somewhere else” Said Donald Trump attempting to clarify the idiotic statement he made moments ago.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump has put his foot in his mouth two times first his rape statements about Mexicans and secondly his thoughts on the recent uproar in white on black crimes going unsolved.

“IF YOU THINK WE KILL YOU TOO MUCH? GO SOMEWHERE WHERE YOU’RE GONNA JUST KILL MORE OF EACH OTHER” – DONALD

Donald_Trump_by_Gage_Skidmore_2

Just for good measure Donald gave the world his reason for why he could never be a racist “It’s impossible for me to be racist. I employ 100’s of Blacks and Mexicans as maids in my Trump Tower hotels”




For more Donald Trump quotations go to this website: http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/donald-trump-%E2%80%9Cif-black-lives-don%E2%80%99t-matter-here-go-back-to-africa%E2%80%9D.454516902/. He never fails to entertain.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-i-didnt-expect-business-backlash-to-be-quite-this-severe/

Donald Trump: I didn't expect business backlash to be "quite this severe"
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
July 4, 2015

On the heels of several major corporations distancing themselves from Donald Trump's various business interests, the Republican presidential candidate admitted Saturday that he didn't think the corporate backlash to his inflammatory comments about Mexican immigrants would be "quite this severe."

"I knew it was going to be bad because I was told this. All my life I have been told this: If you are successful, you don't run for office," Trump said in an interview on Fox News, addressing the recent spate of businesses that have severed their relationships with his brand. "I didn't know it was going to be quite this severe, but I really knew it was going to be bad."

During his presidential campaign announcement last month, Trump emphasized the need to curtail immigration from the southern border and criticized Mexican immigrants for "bringing crime" and being "rapists."

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," the Republican presidential candidate said in June. "They're sending people that have lots of problems ... they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

Trump's comments have since led a spate of corporations -- including Macy's, NBC Universal, Univision and mattress company Serta -- to disavow their partnerships with the business mogul.

The Republican presidential candidate has since defied those companies -- even suing Univision for $500 million because of their dropped pageant contract -- and defended his statements on immigration.

"It seems like I'm sort of the whipping post because I bring it up. And I don't understand whether you are liberal or whether you are conservative or whether you are Republican, Democrat -- why wouldn't you talk about a problem?" Trump said Saturday. "The crime is raging. It's violent, and people don't want to even talk about it. If you talk about it, you are a racist. I don't understand it."

Some Republicans vying for the White House, like former New York Gov. George Pataki, rallied against Trump because of his comments about the Latino population -- a growing voter bloc with increasing political clout. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, himself the son of Cuban immigrants, also criticized the business man and reality television star for statements that were "not just offensive and inaccurate, but also divisive."

But Trump had a few scathing words for his rivals in the crowded 2016 Republican field.

"I know Pataki well, and, you know, he's a sad figure. He's got zero in the polls, and he was a terrible governor of New York. Terrible," Trump said. "If he would have run again, he would have failed."

"And, you know, as far as Rubio," he continued, "he is very weak on immigration, and I have been saying that for a long time about him."

The GOP's current establishment front-runner, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, has also weighed in on what he called Trump's "extraordinarily ugly types of comments."

"He's not a stupid guy, so I don't assume that he thinks every Mexican crossing the border is a rapist," Bush told reporters Saturday in New Hampshire. "So he's doing this to inflame and to incite and to draw attention to his campaign, which seems to be his organizing principle of his campaign, and it doesn't represent the Republican Party or its values."

Trump's beliefs, according to Bush, are "wrong" and "way out of the mainstream of what Republicans think." And when asked if the comments struck a personal chord with Bush and his wife, who is Mexican, the Florida Republican said, "Of course it does, absolutely."

"Politically, we're going to win when we're hopeful and optimistic and big and broad rather than just 'grrrrrrr,' just angry all the time," Bush continued. "This is an exaggerated form of that, and there is no tolerance for it."

These political reprimands might seem par for the course to Trump, but criticism from his business partners seems more unexpected. On Fox News, Trump also said that he was "very surprised" at NASCAR, which recently said it would move a series of banquets and conferences -- previously scheduled to be held at the Trump National Doral Miami resort -- to a different location.

"Because I have so many fans at NASCAR. I love the NASCAR people. I'm really surprised with NASCAR to be honest with you," Trump said. "You know, I have properties in the best locations. The property you are talking about in the case of NASCAR is Trump National Doral, which is probably one of the top resorts in the world. If they don't go, somebody else does, so, you know, it's not a big deal."

All in all, Trump said, his presidential run so far has been "bad for my brand."

"For the people who say I'm doing it for my brand - this isn't good for my brand. I think it's bad for my brand," he said. "You know, maybe I'm leading in polls, but this is certainly not good. I lose customers, I lose people.

"I had one of the top shows on television, 'The Apprentice,' and I decided not to do it because I wanted to do this. I give up hundreds of millions of dollars of deals where I'm doing this. Then you hear about NASCAR, and you hear about NBC, and you hear about, you know, different people that drop Trump because Trump wants safety in the United States. If you think of it, what am I doing? I say let's make our country safe, and people are offended. It's incredible to me."




“…like I'm sort of the whipping post….” I hate to be overly picky, but it’s “whipping boy” that he is searching for here. He needs to read up on Southern history and then he would understand more where his opponents are coming from in their extreme opposition to his words and candidacy. …. Some Republicans vying for the White House, like former New York Gov. George Pataki, rallied against Trump because of his comments about the Latino population -- a growing voter bloc with increasing political clout. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, himself the son of Cuban im-migrants, also criticized the business man and reality television star for statements that were "not just offensive and inaccurate, but also divisive." …. The GOP's cur-rent establishment front-runner, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, has also weighed in on what he called Trump's "extraordinarily ugly types of comments." "He's not a stupid guy, so I don't assume that he thinks every Mexican crossing the border is a rapist," Bush told reporters Saturday in New Hampshire. "So he's doing this to inflame and to incite and to draw attention to his campaign, which seems to be his organizing principle of his campaign, and it doesn't represent the Republican Party or its values." …. "Politically, we're going to win when we're hopeful and optimis-tic and big and broad rather than just 'grrrrrrr,' just angry all the time," Bush continued. "This is an exaggerated form of that, and there is no tolerance for it." …. All in all, Trump said, his presidential run so far has been "bad for my brand." "For the people who say I'm doing it for my brand - this isn't good for my brand. I think it's bad for my brand," he said. "You know, maybe I'm leading in polls, but this is certainly not good. I lose customers, I lose people.”

Bush is speaking from the viewpoint of the more centered Republicans of ten years ago, whereas Trump is absolutely without the touch of civilization that Bush has. Bush is married to a Mexican woman. He is correct that what Trump is usually profoundly “ugly,” but I disagree with Bush that he “isn’t a stupid man.” I think that is probably exactly what’s wrong with him. His only expressed regret is that “his brand” is losing customers. I can’t wait to see what he will say next and about whom.






http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2015/07/03/bernie-sanders-unite-democrats-presidential-campaign/29682335/

Bernie Sanders urges Iowa crowd of 2,500 to 'think big'
Kevin Hardy and Jennifer Jacobs
July 3, 2015

Photograph -- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders greets supporters upon arriving in downtown Denison.
(Photo: Kevin Hardy/The Register)

Photograph -- Supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders gather in the staging area before the Denison Independence Day Parade on Friday afternoon. (Photo: Kevin Hardy/The Register)

Photograph -- Sanders 5Buy Photo -- A supporter in Denison holds a sign referring to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who was active in the 1960s Civil Rights movement. (Photo: Kevin Hardy/The Register)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Ia. – Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders attracted nearly 2,500 people to listen Friday night to his passionate call for "a massive jobs program," free public college education and two weeks of mandatory paid vacation for all working Americans — all as part of a political revolution led by the people.

It was the Vermont U.S. senator's biggest crowd in Iowa yet, and it was the largest for any single candidate in the 2016 presidential election cycle here so far.

"Our job is not to think small. It is to think big!" Sanders said, his voice booming, during a 74-minute speech in a cavernous room at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs. "We are the wealthiest country in the history of the world. There is nothing that we cannot accomplish if we stand together!"

One audience member, 59-year-old Council Bluffs Democrat Richard Grondek, said he didn't think Sanders had a realistic chance of winning the Iowa caucuses "until he started drawing crowds like this."

"This feels like the Obama synergy the first time he ran," Grondek said. "The crowds just kept getting bigger and bigger."

Grondek recalled going to see three candidates in Council Bluffs on New Year's Day just days before the 2008 caucuses: Clinton in the morning, Obama in the afternoon, John Edwards at night. "And none of the crowds were this big," he said.

Sanders drew 800 at an event at Drake University last month, and as his popularity climbs with Democratic voters, he has drawn stadium-sized audiences outside of Iowa — including 5,000 in Minnesota and 10,000 in Wisconsin recently.

None of the other three Democratic White House hopefuls — former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Virginia U.S. Sen. Jim Webb — have logged crowd counts as big in Iowa. Clinton attracted 700 in Des Moines last month when she held her first public rally. O'Malley was also in Iowa on Friday, and his biggest event of the day was at a coffeehouse in Newton, where he drew about 60 people.

Sanders' crowd Friday night to cap the second of a three-day Iowa tour was racially diverse, with a prominent youth presence and representation from multiple states, including Nebraska and Kansas.

Several Iowans said they're undecided about whom to caucus for, but they're beginning to lean toward Sanders.

Mary Andrie, a retired special education teacher from Council Bluffs, said her son and daughter-in-law are leaning Sanders, and they're pulling her his way, too.

"I was a really staunch Clinton candidate. I'm a woman and I really want a woman to be president," Andrie said. "But she's not as strong a candidate as she was. She doesn't quite have the energy she had before. There's something lacking there. I haven't quite figured out what it is."

Andrie said she's also "really concerned because Hillary's not getting young people out. They're so discouraged because they wanted so much more from Obama than what he gave them." Sanders is the kind of candidate that can fire up the youth, she said.

Earlier in the day, after his event in Storm Lake that pulled in 140 people, Sanders told reporters that his campaign is "putting together a strong infrastructure which is going to give us a strong chance of winning Iowa."

But he came under question Friday for his ability to unite Democrats.

Jason Winter, 28, of Sibley said he's worried about building up the party in rural Iowa, where he said it's difficult to get progressives elected to statewide and local offices. Winter, who works as an organizer for the National Education Association in South Dakota, asked Sanders about his plans for uniting the party at an event in Sheldon on Friday morning.

Sanders responded by touting a track record of engaging voters. During a run for mayor of Burlington, Vt., he said he doubled voter turnout by making local government relevant to working-class citizens. Sanders said he's committed to building the Democratic Party, even in very conservative states.

"If you claim to be the party of the working people — if that's what the Democrats are supposed to be, in the legacy of F.D.R., even Harry Truman — how do you abandon the poorest states in America and not talk to those people?" Sanders said to a crowd in Sheldon. "How are you not running strong candidates, putting money into those areas?"

He said Republicans are good at capitalizing on wedge issues such as abortion, gay rights and immigration. But he said Democrats need to go on the offensive by relentlessly focusing on economic issues.

"What you've got to do is say to people, 'Look, we may disagree on that issue, but don't you think your kid has a right to a college education? Don't you think you deserve a decent-paying job? Do you really believe we should be giving tax breaks to millionaires?' " Sanders said. "Those are the issues we've got to take to working people all over this country."

Winter said he's drawn to that message, but still wonders about Sanders' party loyalty. Winter is a longtime Hillary Clinton fan, having served as one of her delegates during her last presidential run in 2008.

"But I came here because I like what Bernie's talking about," Winter said. "If he can show he's committed to the party, I would be open to supporting him."


DES MOINES REGISTER -- Sanders calls for unity in taking on 'billionaire class'

After stumping in Sheldon, a sweat-soaked Sanders addressed an elbow-to-elbow crowd at a cafe in downtown Storm Lake.

"I liked everything he said," said 77-year-old Koy Wolverton, a retired librarian. "But I'm a lifelong Democrat."

The senator went on to march alongside supporters in Denison's Independence Day Parade on Friday afternoon.

In Denison, local plumber Brian O'Neal convinced Sanders to climb aboard his antique John Deere tractor to pose for a picture. He said Sanders seems to be more down-to-earth than other candidates, especially those running on the right.

"Most of the GOP candidates tell you what you what they think you want to hear," O'Neal said. "But Bernie tells you what you ought to hear."

Still, O'Neal, a Democrat, isn't fully committing to one candidate.

"There's still a long time to go yet," he said.

Sanders and his wife, Jane, marched alongside 36 supporters in the town's Independence Day Parade, which also included Clinton supporters, a contingency of anti-abortion activists and local politicians and businesses. Sanders, wearing worn sneakers and a New England College hat, shook hands with locals who stood along the route or sat on lawn chairs as supporters tossed candy.

"Give 'em hell, Bernie!" one bystander yelled.

After introducing herself to one family sitting on a tailgate on the route, Jane Sanders received a puzzled look.

"This is the first I've heard of you guys," a woman said.

"Well," Jane Sanders replied, "hopefully it won't be the last."


AT THE EVENTS

SETTING: A community room in a downtown Sheldon city building, a coffee shop and cafe in Storm Lake and a downtown parade in Denison.

CROWD: In Sheldon, about 180 people packed into a community room, with a few supporters standing out in a lobby. In Storm Lake, 140 supporters packed the narrow Better Day Cafe from its front door to the exit and into the alley. In Denison, 36 people marched along Sanders in the Independence Day parade.

REACTION: His stump speeches were interrupted several times for applause. Supporters especially liked Sanders' rhetoric on curbing income inequality, taking on Wall Street and getting money out of politics.

OTHER STOPS: Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs.

WHAT'S NEXT: Sanders continues his three-day Iowa tour with stops in Creston, Waukee and Cedar Rapids. For details, go to DesMoines Register.com/candidate tracker.




“Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders attracted nearly 2,500 people to listen Fri-day night to his passionate call for "a massive jobs program," free public college education and two weeks of mandatory paid vacation for all working Americans — all as part of a political revolution led by the people. It was the Vermont U.S. sena-tor's biggest crowd in Iowa yet, and it was the largest for any single candidate in the 2016 presidential election cycle here so far. …. One audience member, 59-year-old Council Bluffs Democrat Richard Grondek, said he didn't think Sanders had a realistic chance of winning the Iowa caucuses "until he started drawing crowds like this." "This feels like the Obama synergy the first time he ran," Grondek said. "The crowds just kept getting bigger and bigger." …. After introducing herself to one family sitting on a tailgate on the route, Jane Sanders received a puzzled look. "This is the first I've heard of you guys," a woman said. "Well," Jane Sanders re-plied, "hopefully it won't be the last." …. He said Republicans are good at capital-izing on wedge issues such as abortion, gay rights and immigration. But he said Democrats need to go on the offensive by relentlessly focusing on economic issues. "What you've got to do is say to people, 'Look, we may disagree on that issue, but don't you think your kid has a right to a college education? Don't you think you de-serve a decent-paying job? Do you really believe we should be giving tax breaks to millionaires?' " Sanders said. "Those are the issues we've got to take to working people all over this country." …. In Denison, local plumber Brian O'Neal convinced Sanders to climb aboard his antique John Deere tractor to pose for a picture. He said Sanders seems to be more down-to-earth than other candidates, especially those running on the right. "Most of the GOP candidates tell you what you what they think you want to hear," O'Neal said. "But Bernie tells you what you ought to hear." …. Sanders' crowd Friday night to cap the second of a three-day Iowa tour was racially diverse, with a prominent youth presence and representation from multiple states, including Nebraska and Kansas. Several Iowans said they're unde-cided about whom to caucus for, but they're beginning to lean toward Sanders. …. His stump speeches were interrupted several times for applause. Supporters espe-cially liked Sanders' rhetoric on curbing income inequality, taking on Wall Street and getting money out of politics.”

I’m feeling more encouraged about Sanders chances to win the White House as time goes on. He’s drawing large crowds on the road and compared to the other leading Democrats are well behind him at this point. True, he is an Independent, but he has stated that rather than be “a spoiler” he will run on the Democratic ticket. He is advocating “… a massive jobs program," free public college education and two weeks of mandatory paid vacation for all working Americans — all as part of a political revolution led by the people.” The word revolution may scare some Americans, especially since he is a self-described socialist. In the view of many here the word socialism is synonymous with “Communist,” which still hasn’t recovered from the assault by Joseph McCarthy of the 1950s on many innocent Americans, especially in Hollywood. I remember coming home from school one afternoon and finding my mother watching with horror the hearings to censure McCarthy, though she always said she was a Republican. I think a similar aversion is beginning to grow among many US voters today over some of the radical things that Tea Party members have been doing and saying. See these excerpts on McCarthy from the ar-ticles below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy

With the highly publicized Army–McCarthy hearings of 1954, and following the death of Senator Lester Hunt of Wyoming by suicide that same year,[8] McCarthy's support and popularity faded. On December 2, 1954, the Senate voted to censure Senator McCarthy by a vote of 67 to 22, making him one of the few sena-tors ever to be disciplined in this fashion. McCarthy died in Bethesda Naval Hospi-tal on May 2, 1957, at the age of 48. The official cause of death was acute hepatitis; it is widely accepted that this was caused, or at least exacerbated, by alcoholism.[9]


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism
McCarthyism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. It also means "the practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism."[1] The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from 1950 to 1956 and characterized by heightened political repression against communists, as well as a campaign spreading fear of their influence on American institutions and of espionage by Soviet agents. Originally coined to criticize the anti-communist pursuits of Republican U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, "McCarthyism" soon took on a broader meaning, describing the excesses of similar efforts. The term is also now used more generally to describe reckless, unsubstantiated accusations, as well as demagogic attacks on the character or patriotism of political adversaries.

During the McCarthy era, thousands of Americans were accused of being communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government or private-industry panels, committees and agencies. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists. Suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence, and the level of threat posed by a person's real or supposed leftist associations or beliefs was often greatly exaggerated. Many people suffered loss of employment and/or destruction of their careers; some even suffered imprisonment. Most of these punishments came about through trial verdicts later overturned,[2] laws that were later declared unconstitutional,[3] dismissals for reasons later declared illegal[4] or actionable,[5] or extra-legal procedures that would come into general disrepute.

The most famous examples of McCarthyism include the speeches, investigations, and hearings of Senator McCarthy himself; the Hollywood blacklist, associated with hearings conducted by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC); and the various anti-communist activities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under Director J. Edgar Hoover. McCarthyism was a widespread social and cultural phenomenon that affected all levels of society and was the source of a great deal of debate and conflict in the United States.

Origins[edit]

Herbert Block (aka Herblock) coined the term McCarthyism in this Washington Post cartoon of March 29, 1950.

The historical period that came to be known as the McCarthy era began well before Joseph McCarthy's own involvement in it. Many factors contributed to McCarthyism, some of them extending back to the years of the First Red Scare (1917–20), inspired by Communism's emergence as a recognized political force. Thanks in part to its success in organizing labor unions and its early opposition to fascism, the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) increased its membership through the 1930s, reaching a peak of about 75,000 members in 1940–41.[6] While the United States was engaged in World War II and allied with the Soviet Union, the issue of anti-communism was largely muted. With the end of World War II, the Cold War began almost immediately, as the Soviet Union installed Communist puppet régimes across Central and Eastern Europe, while the United States backed anti-communist forces in Greece and China.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/godparents-for-princess-charlotte-announced-ahead-of-christening/

Godparents for Princess Charlotte announced
AP July 5, 2015

Photograph -- Britain's Princess Charlotte is held by her brother, 2-year-old Prince George, in this image taken by Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, at Amner Hall, England, in mid-May 2015 and made available by Kensington Palace June 6, 2015. DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE VIA AP

LONDON - Britain's Princess Charlotte, the nine-week-old baby of Prince William and his wife Kate, is to be christened Sunday at a church on Queen Elizabeth II's country estate.

The queen, her husband Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Kate's family were among a small group of guests attending the event at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, near England's eastern coast.

The church, close to William and Kate's country house Anmer Hall, is where the royal family traditionally gathers for a Christmas service. It is also where Charlotte's late grandmother, Princess Diana, was christened in 1961.

Charlotte, the fourth in line to the throne, is likely to make a rare appearance for the cameras. It's only the second glimpse of the princess in public since she was born May 2.

Sunday's event will see the Cambridges - William is known as the Duke of Cambridge and Kate the duchess - appear in public for the first time as a family of four. Celebrity photographer Mario Testino will take official photos of the royal family after the service.

Like her elder brother George, Charlotte will be christened in a replica of the intricate lace-and-satin christening gown made for Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, also named Victoria, in 1841. Since then until 2008, that original gown had been worn by all royal babies - including the queen - at their baptism.

Following royal tradition, the water used for the christening will be holy water from the River Jordan, where it is said Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

Ahead of the ceremony, palace officials announced that William and Kate have chosen five godparents for Charlotte. They included William's cousin Laura Fellowes, Kate's cousin Adam Middleton, and three of the couple's friends.

Although the ceremony is private, royal fans were gathering near the church, hoping to get a glimpse of the baby as the royals arrive and leave.

"We just love the royal family. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it to London to see Princess Charlotte when she was on the drive home from hospital. So we thought the next best thing, let's be here for the christening," said resident Lindy Diaper.




The church, close to William and Kate's country house Anmer Hall, is where the royal family traditionally gathers for a Christmas service. It is also where Charlotte's late grandmother, Princess Diana, was christened in 1961. …. Like her elder brother George, Charlotte will be christened in a replica of the intricate lace-and-satin christening gown made for Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, also named Victoria, in 1841. Since then until 2008, that original gown had been worn by all royal babies - including the queen - at their baptism. Following royal tradition, the water used for the christening will be holy water from the River Jordan, where it is said Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. …. Although the ceremony is private, royal fans were gathering near the church, hoping to get a glimpse of the baby as the royals arrive and leave. "We just love the royal family. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it to London to see Princess Charlotte when she was on the drive home from hospital. So we thought the next best thing, let's be here for the christening," said resident Lindy Diaper.”

Tradition is the key here. From Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II and her grandkids comes an undoubtedly beautifully wrought christening gown, and the holy water comes from the River Jordan. I’m glad to see the young family growing and happy.






http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/02/419557692/white-house-we-have-a-beef-with-gmo-regulations

White House: We Have A Beef With GMO Regulations
Dan Charles
July 2, 2015

The U.S. government's system for regulating the products of biotechnology, including GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, was born in 1986, and it has been controversial from the start. Now, it will be getting a makeover — in part to assure the public that GMOs really are adequately regulated.

The White House has ordered three federal agencies with a hand in biotech regulation to "update" this system, which is formally called the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology. The White House directive says there are several problems with the current system. Its complexity "can make it difficult for the public to understand how the safety of biotechnology products is evaluated," small companies can have a difficult time navigating the process, and new technologies are emerging that existing rules didn't anticipate.

The current system is cobbled together using traditional roles of three different agencies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, with existing authority to regulate "plant pests," approves all releases of GMOs to make sure that they don't create an environmental hazard. The Environmental Protection Agency, with authority over pesticides, must approve all crops that contain insect-killing genes. And the Food and Drug Administration is responsible for evaluating whether GMOs are safe to eat. In general, the system treats GMOs like any other crop, food, or pesticide.

Chipotle restaurant workers in Miami fill orders on April 27, the day the company said it would use only non-GMO ingredients in its food. Some critics feel that this approach is wrong-headed, and that new crops demand new rules.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, for instance, pointed out in a press release that when the USDA evaluates crops that have been modified to tolerate weedkillers, the agency currently is supposed to decide only if the crop might become a "plant pest." According to the CSPI, the agency should look at a wider range of risks, such as whether widespread planting of the crop might lead to overuse of herbicides.

Similarly, GMO crops are treated much like any other food. If it turns out that they cause health problems, the FDA can order them taken off the market, but the FDA does not currently require biotech companies to submit these crops for approval before they go on the market. In practice, though, biotech companies that develop a new GMO have waited for the FDA to issue a letter certifying that the agency has looked at the product and found no safety issues with i

Greg Jaffe, director of CSPI's biotechnology project, tells The Salt that he welcomes the update of the regulation. It's "positive," he says, that the White House recognizes that it needs to show the public that its biotechnology regulations are, in fact, protecting public health and the environment.

Jaffe says that the update also will give regulators a chance to figure out how they will handle new technologies such as "gene editing." These techniques don't introduce novel genes, but use genetic "scissors" to alter a plant's existing DNA.




“Now, it will be getting a makeover — in part to assure the public that GMOs really are adequately regulated. The White House has ordered three federal agencies with a hand in biotech regulation to "update" this system, which is formally called the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology. The White House directive says there are several problems with the current system. Its complexity "can make it difficult for the public to understand how the safety of biotechnology products is evaluated," small companies can have a difficult time navigating the process, and new technologies are emerging that existing rules didn't anticipate. …. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, with existing authority to regulate "plant pests," approves all releases of GMOs to make sure that they don't create an environmental hazard. The Environmental Protection Agency, with authority over pesticides, must approve all crops that contain insect-killing genes. And the Food and Drug Administration is responsible for evaluating whether GMOs are safe to eat. …. when the USDA evaluates crops that have been modified to tolerate weedkillers, the agency currently is supposed to decide only if the crop might become a "plant pest." According to the CSPI, the agency should look at a wider range of risks, such as whether widespread planting of the crop might lead to overuse of herbicides. Similarly, GMO crops are treated much like any other food. If it turns out that they cause health problems, the FDA can order them taken off the market, but the FDA does not currently require biotech companies to submit these crops for approval before they go on the market.”

I went to the Web to try to find what the specific damages thought to be done by GMOs are, and I couldn’t’ find much, and none that was clearly and positively described. One thing this article didn’t mention was the probable danger to honeybees of some pesticides and modified genes that are used by seed companies to discourage insects. When you kill a bean beatle you may be killing honeybees also, and our flowering plants depend on bees almost exclusively for pollination.

The following article, however, gave suspicions and possible proven results of abnormalities in animals fed on GMO plant material – mice whose pups were born small and unhealthy for instance. Go to http://responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers, which states “Genetically modified foods -- Are they safe? The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) doesn’t think so. The Academy reported that “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. The AAEM asked physicians to advise patients to avoid GM foods. …. Before the FDA decided to allow GMOs into food without labeling, FDA scientists had repeatedly warned that GM foods can create unpredictable, hard-to-detect side effects, including allergies, toxins, new diseases, and nutritional problems. They urged long-term safety studies, but were ignored.”

Personally, I am not afraid of GMOs just because they are GMOs, as some people seem to be. I do approve of the US regulatory agencies checking more thoroughly on all foods that are allowed on the market, and as a political matter, I am opposed to the whole Factory Farming trend today. Not only is it running small farmers out of business, which doesn’t help our economy or monopoly control in general, but it has also put the public access to truly fresh vegetables, that are picked ripe rather than immature and available at a reasonable price, ever more difficult. Local farmers in the old days brought their vegetables into town to sell in small grocery stores, but now there are almost no such stores. I do see occasional produce stands, and I have bought from there. I was disappointed when I asked the farmer if his supplies were local and he said no, that they came from Georgia. As for Publix, etc., I hate the way most grocery store tomatoes, corn and green beans taste now – overly sweet and without the distinctive plant flavor they should have. Tomatoes should have a “nightshade” flavor that they share with their cousins the peppers. I only buy frozen vegetables such as turnip greens, Brussles sprouts, broccoli and whatever fresh fruits look good and are affordable.





http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/07/04/420090633/u-n-report-on-irans-atomic-program-possible-by-years-end

U.N.: Report On Iran's Atomic Program Possible By Year's End
Scott Neuman
July 4, 2015

Photograph -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (not pictured) at a hotel in Vienna on Friday.
Carlos Barria/Reuters/Landov

Yukio Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, says that if Iran cooperates, the agency could issue a report on the country's past atomic research by the end of the year.

NPR's Peter Kenyon, reporting from Vienna, says that progress is also being reported on sanctions relief for Tehran — but a deal has yet to be finalized.

"With cooperation from Iran, I think we can issue a report by the end of the year," Amano, the head of the U.N. agency, says.

Iran has dragged its feet on answering the IAEA's questions even amid marathon talks held in a Vienna hotel involving the U.K., China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, aimed at reaching a deal that would lift United Nations sanctions.

Reuters notes:

"The six powers had yet to agree on a United Nations Security Council resolution that would lift U.N. sanctions and establish a means of re-imposing them in case of Iranian non-compliance with a future agreement.

" 'We still haven't sorted a Security Council resolution,' a diplomat close to the talks told Reuters. 'We don't have Iran on board yet.' "




“Yukio Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, says that if Iran cooperates, the agency could issue a report on the country's past atomic research by the end of the year. NPR's Peter Kenyon, reporting from Vienna, says that progress is also being reported on sanctions relief for Tehran — but a deal has yet to be finalized. …. " 'We still haven't sorted a Security Council resolution,' a diplomat close to the talks told Reuters. 'We don't have Iran on board yet.' " So there is hope, but the sides can’t agree yet. Some Republicans have criticized Obama for not being forceful enough in negotiating with Iran. I will look for more articles on this and clip them.





http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/07/04/419443253/la-police-unit-intervenes-to-get-mentally-ill-treatment-instead-of-jail

LA Police Unit Intervenes To Get Mentally Ill Treatment, Not Jail Time
STEPHANIE O'NEILL
July 4, 2015

Photograph -- Officer Ted Simola, a member of the LAPD mental evaluation unit, responds to a call in February.
Maya Sugarman/KPCC

The Los Angeles Police Department's mental evaluation unit is the largest mental health policing program of its kind in the nation, with 61 sworn officers and 28 mental health workers from the county.

The unit has become a vital resource for the 10,000-person police force in Los Angeles.

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LOS ANGELES –

Officer Ted Simola and his colleagues in the unit work with county mental health workers to provide crisis intervention when people with mental illness come into contact with police. On this day, Simola is working the triage desk on the sixth floor at LAPD headquarters. Triage duty involves helping cops on the scene evaluate and deal with people who may be experiencing a mental health crisis.

Today, he gets a call involving a 60-year-old man with paranoid schizophrenia. The call is typical of the more than 14,000 fielded by the unit's triage desk last year.

"The call came out as a male with mental illness," says the officer on the scene to Simola. "I guess he was inside of a bank. They said he was talking to himself. He urinated outside."

If it were another department, this man might be put into the back of a police car and driven to jail, so that the patrol officer could get back to work more quickly. But LAPD policy requires all officers who respond to a call in which mental illness may be a factor to phone the triage desk for assistance in evaluating the person's condition.

Officer Simola talks to the officer on the scene. "Paranoid? Disorganized? That type of thing?" The officer answers, "Yeah, he's talking a lot about Steven Seagal, something about Jackie Chan." Simola replies, "OK, does he know what kind of medication he's supposed to have?" They continue talking.

The triage officers are first and foremost a resource for street cops. Part of their job entails deciding which calls warrant an in-person visit from the unit's 18 cop-clinician teams. These teams, which operate as second responders to the scene, assisted patrol in more than 4,700 calls last year.

Sometimes their work involves high-profile interventions, like assisting SWAT teams with dangerous standoffs or talking a jumper off a ledge. But on most days it involves relieving patrol officers of time-consuming mental health calls like the one Simola is helping to assess.

The man involved in this call has three outstanding warrants for low-grade misdemeanors, including public drinking. Technically, any of them qualifies him for arrest. But Simola says today, he won't be carted off to jail.

"He'll have to appear on the warrants later," Simola says, "but immediately he'll get treated for his mental health."

That's the right approach, says Peter Eliasberg is legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. "The goal is to make sure that people who are mentally ill, who are not a danger to the community, are moved towards getting treatment and services as opposed to getting booked and taken into the jail."

Detective Charles Dempsey heads training for LAPD's mental evaluation unit. He says pairing a cop or detective with a county mental health worker means the two can discuss both the criminal justice records that the health worker isn't privy to and the medical records that a cop can't access because of privacy laws.

About two-thirds of the calls are resolved successfully, he says. "We engage them, they get help, they get services and we never hear from them again," he says.

But there are complicated cases, too. And these, Dempsey says, are assigned to the unit's detective-clinician teams. Dempsey says most of the 700 cases they handled last year involved both people whose mental illness leads them them to heavily use or abuse emergency services or who are at the greatest risk for violent encounters with police and others.

"It requires a lot more work," he says.

For nearly a decade, the LAPD has helped trained dozens of agencies both in and out of the U.S. in this type of specialized policing. Its emphasis is diversion over incarceration, for those who qualify.

Lt. Lionel Garcia commanded the unit for seven years until his retirement in April. "Low-grade misdemeanors we'll try to divert them to placement rather than an arrest," he says. But, he continues, "if it's a felony in this city, they're going to jail."

Last year, Garcia says, about 8.5 percent of the calls resulted in the person getting arrested and jailed. When that happens, he says the unit tracks the person through custody and then, upon their release, reaches out to them with links to services. "It's just common sense," he says.

"Jails were not set up to be treatment facilities," says Mark Gale, who serves as criminal justice chairman for the LA County Council of the National Alliance On Mental Illness. "People get worse in jail."

Gale and other mental health advocates praise the LAPD unit's approach and call it a good first step. But for diversion to work well, they say, the city and county need to provide treatment programs at each point a mentally ill person comes into contact with the criminal justice system — from interactions with cops all the way through the courts.

This story is part of a reporting partnership with NPR, KPCC and Kaiser Health News.



“The Los Angeles Police Department's mental evaluation unit is the largest mental health policing program of its kind in the nation, with 61 sworn officers and 28 mental health workers from the county. The unit has become a vital resource for the 10,000-person police force in Los Angeles. .... Today, he gets a call involving a 60-year-old man with paranoid schizophrenia. The call is typical of the more than 14,000 fielded by the unit's triage desk last year. "The call came out as a male with mental illness," says the officer on the scene to Simola. "I guess he was inside of a bank. They said he was talking to himself. He urinated outside." If it were another department, this man might be put into the back of a police car and driven to jail, so that the patrol officer could get back to work more quickly. But LAPD policy re-quires all officers who respond to a call in which mental illness may be a factor to phone the triage desk for assistance in evaluating the person's condition. …. The triage officers are first and foremost a resource for street cops. Part of their job entails deciding which calls warrant an in-person visit from the unit's 18 cop-clinician teams. These teams, which operate as second responders to the scene, as-sisted patrol in more than 4,700 calls last year. …. The man involved in this call has three outstanding warrants for low-grade misdemeanors, including public drink-ing. Technically, any of them qualifies him for arrest. But Simola says today, he won't be carted off to jail. "He'll have to appear on the warrants later," Simola says, "but immediately he'll get treated for his mental health." That's the right ap-proach, says Peter Eliasberg is legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. ….. And these, Dempsey says, are assigned to the unit's de-tective-clinician teams. Dempsey says most of the 700 cases they handled last year involved both people whose mental illness leads them them to heavily use or abuse emergency services or who are at the greatest risk for violent encounters with po-lice and others. "It requires a lot more work," he says. …. Last year, Garcia says, about 8.5 percent of the calls resulted in the person getting arrested and jailed.”

To be fair to police department heads across the country where in too many cases this kind of careful analysis of the suspect’s condition is NOT done, mental health is still the red-headed stepchild of our communities. The average US citizen is still not very well educated about mental illness, and in too many cases just doesn’t care what happens to those people. By default, the cop on the beat gets handed the con-trol of a person who may behave in a wild, dopey, addled or otherwise dangerous way. The fact that they are “out of it mentally” is likely to cause them to fight the officer or simply fail to “obey orders.” A number of the police reports that hit the news after Ferguson last year involved an officer shooting for the simple reason that the suspect was “not obeying orders.” One horrific dashcam film showed a highway patrolman – I can’t remember where now – beating a weak older woman to a pulp for “walking in the traffic lane.” He wasn’t even trying to put her in the police car. He had her down on her back and was beating her in the face. It emerged that she was a homeless person who was in the throes of a psychotic break. I’m delighted to see Los Angeles doing this enlightened brand of policing, but the same needs to occur across the country too. Still, this is a great story about good that is happening instead of the bad cases that have made the news so much this last year. I hope that other city departments across the country will imitate them and bring about their own reforms rather than waiting for the DOJ to step in.