Monday, August 31, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/08/28/435637815/scientist-who-wrote-protest-song-about-canadas-pm-is-put-on-leave

Scientist Who Wrote Protest Song About Canada's PM Is Put On Leave
Bill Chappell
August 28, 2015

Youtube – Harperman, A Protest Song
Photograph -- Tony Turner, a physical scientist and folksinger who lives in Ottawa, is on paid leave while Canada's environmental agency determines whether he broke the agency's ethics code.


Both the song and its video fit many people's idea of Canada: clever and smiling. But the man who wrote lyrics telling Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, "It's time for you to go," has been put on leave from his job as a federal scientist at Canada's environmental agency.

Tony Turner wrote and performed the song "Harperman," leading a (barefooted) choir known as the Crowd of Well Wishers through lyrics that ask questions such as "Who squashes all dissent?" and "Who muzzles all the scientists?"

A physical scientist and folksinger who lives in Ottawa, Turner is still being paid while the government looks into whether his folky tune, "Harperman," represents a breach of the ethics code, according to his union, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. He was placed on leave this week.

The union's president, Debi Daviau, tells the CBC that Environment Canada is alleging that Turner "violated the departmental code of values and ethics in that the writing and performing of this song somehow impeded his ability to impartially study migratory birds."

The song has been on YouTube since June, but it's rising to new prominence as Canada's elections loom in October. It now has more than 60,000 views. Turner and his allies are organizing a sing-along of "Harperman," to be held next month.

Since news of Turner's suspension from work spread, the hashtag #Harperman has been trending on Twitter in Canada. In one tweet, the title was placed over an image of Harper as the Joker. In another, the choir was compared to the dissident Russian band Pussyriot.

Turner leads the song on acoustic guitar, backed by a spirited choir whose members include several ladies in colorful straw hats. In the song's credits, Turner is identified only as an "Ottawa folksinger."

At one point, a man asks, "Who's a two-bit controlling freak?" – a line that was echoed in the Canadian press this week, when a senator who was expelled from Harper's Conservative party caucus called the prime minister a "control freak."

Sen. Patrick Brazeau wrote an essay about his experience, which was quoted by The Hamilton Spectator:

"When you contradict, shame or make the PM look bad regardless of its significance, watch out because some of his soldiers are coming after you."

Brazeau, we'll note, is on trial for assault and sexual assault; he was kicked out of the Conservative caucus after his arrest on those charges in 2013.

As for Turner, the CBC notes that after working for the government for nearly 20 years, he had been planning to retire this fall.




CBS -- “Both the song and its video fit many people's idea of Canada: clever and smiling. But the man who wrote lyrics telling Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, "It's time for you to go," has been put on leave from his job as a federal scientist at Canada's environmental agency. Tony Turner wrote and performed the song "Harperman," leading a (barefooted) choir known as the Crowd of Well Wishers through lyrics that ask questions such as "Who squashes all dissent?" and "Who muzzles all the scientists?" A physical scientist and folksinger who lives in Ottawa, Turner is still being paid while the government looks into whether his folky tune, "Harperman," represents a breach of the ethics code, according to his union, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. He was placed on leave this week. ….

Wikipedia -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatch_Act_of_1939, Hatch Act of 1939, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia -- The Hatch Act of 1939, officially An Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities, is a United States federal law whose main provision prohibits employees in the executive branch of the federal government, except the president, vice-president, and certain designated high-level officials of that branch, from engaging in some forms of political activity. The law was named for Senator Carl Hatch of New Mexico. It was most recently amended in 2012. …. Criticism centered on swing states such as Kentucky,[1] Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. In Pennsylvania, Republicans and dissident Democrats publicized evidence that Democratic politicians were consulted on the appointment of WPA administrators and case workers and that they used WPA jobs to gain unfair political advantages.[2] In 1938, a series of newspaper articles exposed WPA patronage and political contributions in return for employment, prompting an investigation by the Senate Campaign Expenditures Committee, headed by Sen. Morris Sheppard, a Texas Democrat.[3] …. Despite that investigation's inconclusive findings, many in both parties determined to take action against the growing power of the WPA and its chief administrator, Harry Hopkins, an intimate of the president. The Act was sponsored by Senator Carl Hatch, a Democrat from New Mexico. At the time, Roosevelt was struggling to purge the Democratic party of its more conservative members who were increasingly aligned with the administration's Republican opponents. The president considered vetoing the legislation or allowing it to become law without his signature, but instead signed it on the last day he could do so. His signing message welcomed the legislation as if he had called for it and emphasized the protection his administration would provide for political expression on the part of public employees.[4]”

When I read the description of the motivation and situation originating in the Hatch Act, I can see the reason for limiting political work by government employees. The 1938 case involved corruption. This Canadian case appears to me to be about suppression of valid opinions on very important issues – the degradation of our environment. Squashing dissent and muzzling scientists, when the Koch Brothers income is put alongside world carbon emissions and weighed in the scale of public opinion, is the story in Canada. “…the writing and performing of this song somehow impeded his ability to impartially study migratory birds." Right. It thrills me to hear of this ploy of his. It reminds me of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s in the US. Folksinging and parodies are potent tools, and as a result the Canadian government is going after him and his barefoot choir. I hope he will have enough popular appeal to win the political wrestling match with the government. We are already seeing larger, meaner and more unpredictable storms and the Arctic ice is melting. I had hoped to be able to flee across the border to Canada if the radical fundamentalist Christians succeed in making this country a theocracy, but now it looks as though Canada may not be safe for progressives after all.

Do listen to Turner’s song. It’s pretty good music and funny. The video states that Turner is a Unitarian Universalist. I’m proud of him!





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/defendant-in-st-pauls-rape-trial-guilty-of-misdemeanor-sex-assault/

St. Paul's School rape defendant found guilty of misdemeanor sex assault
By CRIMESIDER STAFF CBS/AP
August 28, 2015

Play VIDEO -- Rape case exposes alleged sexual culture at elite prep school
Play VIDEO -- Prep school rape suspect says he stopped sexual encounter


CONCORD, N.H. -- A jury has found former New Hampshire prep school student Owen Labrie not guilty of all three felony sex charges but guilty of lesser offenses -- including three charges of misdemeanor sex assault -- in his rape trial for allegedly assaulting a 15-year-old female student two days before he graduated last year.

Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, faced nine charges, including the three felony sex assault charges that carried potential sentences of 10 to 20 years in prison.

Labrie was also found guilty of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, and of using a computer to lure the girl, a Class B felony. He was found not guilty on a simple assault charge.

He faces up to a year in jail for each of the misdemeanors and 3 ½ to 7 years for the felony. Prosecutor Joseph Cherniske says Labrie will have to register as a sex offender.

The jury deliberated for seven and a half hours.

Labrie exhaled loudly after he was found not guilty on the most serious felony sex assault charges. As he was found guilty on the misdemeanor charges, he slumped over and wept. His mother sobbed into a tissue.

The girl remained stoic in court after the verdict.

Prosecutors said Labrie, now 19, took his victim by surprise before she could resist or flee.

Labrie denied having intercourse with the girl, telling police that they partially disrobed, kissed and touched. He also acknowledged putting on a condom. Labrie said the freshman girl was eager to have sex, but the aspiring divinity student said he had a "moment of self-restraint" and stopped.

Labrie did testify that he bragged to friends that the two did have sex.

Prosecutors said Labrie raped the 15-year-old freshman as part of a St. Paul's School tradition known as Senior Salute in which seniors try to romance and have sex with underclassmen.

In graphic and sometimes tearful testimony, the girl, now 16, said she willingly went with Labrie to the rooftop of an academic building after he invited her to take part in Senior Salute, a tradition she said she knew about. But she said she was prepared for kissing at most.

Essentially, the jury by its verdicts signaled it didn't believe Labrie's assertion that there was no intercourse, but it also didn't believe her contention that it was against her will. For that, it found Labrie guilty of statutory rape, because she was underage and could not legally consent to sex.

Defense attorney J.W. Carney said Labrie was "devastated" by the verdict, though he said the jury acquitted Labrie of "every charge that he engaged in any conduct with the complainant without her consent."

"It's the force that drove this case. It's the argument that prosecutors made right until the end - 'this was a forcible rape,'" Carney said. "The jury came back and said, 'No it wasn't.'"

Before the verdict was read, the victim's father hugged prosecutors, saying, "Thank you for everything you've done."

The victim's family released a statement Friday, saying that while Labrie was not convicted on all charges, he was "held accountable in some way by a jury of his peers for crimes he committed against our daughter."

The statement blasted St. Paul's School, which they said "allowed and fostered a toxic culture that left our daughter and other students at risk to sexual violence."

"We continue to feel anger and disappointment for the lack of character and integrity that the young men of St. Paul's School showed, laughing and joking with Owen Labrie at graduation about 'slaying' our daughter," the statement read. "Both the school and these young men should bear the shame of these crimes along with Owen Labrie."

The family praised their daughter for her bravery in taking the stand.

"It is truly her courage that has made this measure of justice possible today," the statement read.

Merrimack County Attorney Scott Murray said the verdict sends a message to the community: "If young people are sexually abused on campus, the perpetrator is going to be charged, prosecuted, sentenced and punished," Murray said.

During the trial, his accuser testified she fought to keep Labrie from removing her underwear during the encounter. She said she told Labrie "no" three times, and that she was "frozen" as she felt the pressure of him penetrating her and blamed herself for not doing more to try to kick and push him off.

Prosecutor Joseph Cherniske said the girl didn't report the rape for several days because she didn't want to disrupt her sister's graduation and because she "thought she could handle it all."

"She thought she could handle going with an 18-year-old boy for a Senior Salute," Cherniske said. "She thought she could say no by holding onto her clothing and saying no and make it stop."
In their final arguments Thursday, lawyers on both sides criticized Concord's St. Paul's School and offered different interpretations of email and Facebook messages the teens exchanged after the encounter in a campus building's dark and noisy mechanical room on May 30, 2014.

Carney told the jury the girl testified she had no recollection of her conversation with her best friend before meeting Labrie because to admit she stated graphically what conduct she was prepared to engage in "would destroy the whole image she'd been trying to create."

"If you conclude she was not being truthful then I submit it taints her entire testimony," Carney said. "In order to put forward this story, she was willing to tell a lie about a critical fact right in front of you."

After the trial, Carney said the most damning evidence against his client were Labrie's own statements he made to his friends in which he said Labrie boasted "about a sexual conquest that never happened."

He blasted St. Paul's school, describing both the accuser and Labrie as victims of the "Senior Salute" because he said the tradition is "something that's expected" at the school.

St. Paul's rector, Michael G. Hirschfeld, commended "the remarkable moral courage and strength demonstrated by the young woman who has suffered through this nightmare," and said the prep school is committed to teaching its students to act honorably.

After Labrie's arrest, school officials said they would expel anyone participating "in any game, 'tradition,' or practice of sexual solicitation or sexual conquest under any name" and throw out those possessing keys or access cards they aren't entitled to. Labrie was said to have used a key that was shared among seniors to get to restricted areas.

Labrie was bound for Harvard on a full scholarship and planned to take divinity school classes but testified his plans are on hold.

Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 29.




“He faces up to a year in jail for each of the misdemeanors and 3 ½ to 7 years for the felony. Prosecutor Joseph Cherniske says Labrie will have to register as a sex offender. The jury deliberated for seven and a half hours. Labrie exhaled loudly after he was found not guilty on the most serious felony sex assault charges. As he was found guilty on the misdemeanor charges, he slumped over and wept. His mother sobbed into a tissue. The girl remained stoic in court after the verdict.”

Young people of both sexes have the body of an adult and the mind of an adolescent. Both sexes need to be supervised in these residential school settings. They aren’t even in college, yet, and are even more immature than they were when I was young, and plenty of girls got pregnant in those days.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kentucky-clerk-asks-supreme-court-to-intervene-in-same-sex-marriage-case/

Kentucky clerk asks Supreme Court to intervene in same-sex marriage case
CBS/AP
August 28, 2015

Photograph -- Rowan County Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis shows emotion as she is cheered by a gathering of supporters during a rally on the steps of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort Ky., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. Davis spoke at the rally organized by The Family Foundation of Kentucky. The crowd of a few thousand included churchgoers from around the state. Davis has been sued by The American Civil Liberties Union for denying marriage licenses to gay couples. She says her Christian faith prohibits her from signing licenses for same-sex couples AP
Photograph -- rowanclerkoffice.jpg
A sign posted on the door of the Rowan County, Kentucky clerk's office, Aug. 27, 2015. CBS AFFILIATE WKYT
Play VIDEO -- Three states are holding out after Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling


MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Two months after it legalized gay marriage nationwide, the U.S. Supreme Court is being asked by a Kentucky county clerk for permission to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis objects to same-sex marriage for religious reasons. The Supreme Court says the constitution guarantees gay people have the right to marry, but Davis contends the First Amendment guarantees her the right of religious freedom.

She stopped issuing all marriage licenses the day after the Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage nationwide in June.

Two gay couples and two straight couples sued Davis, arguing she must fulfill her duties as an elected official. A federal judge ordered Davis to issue the licenses and an appeals court upheld that decision. Davis' lawyers said they petitioned the Supreme Court on Friday to delay that decision until her appeal is finished, a process that could take months.

ap130995615485.jpg
William Smith Jr., left, and his partner James Yates talk outside the Rowan County Courthouse following their denial of a marriage licence by the Rowan County Clerk in Morehead, Ky., Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015. AP PHOTO/TIMOTHY D. EASLEY

Her attorneys with the Christian law firm Liberty Counsel wrote in their appeal to the court that Davis is seeking "asylum for her conscience."

Justice Elena Kagan, who joined the majority opinion effectively legalized gay marriage in the U.S., will hear Davis' case.

University of Louisville law professor Sam Marcosson said he believes Kagan will deny Davis' request based on the court's earlier decision.

Davis has refused to comply with several court orders in recent weeks, turning away gay couples over and over. She says they could easily drive to a nearby county to get a marriage license. But gay couples argue they have a right to get a marriage license in the county where they live, work and pay taxes.

(Play VIDEO) Kentucky clerk defies Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling
Davis has said she will not resign her $80,000-a-year job and will never issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples -- even if the Supreme Court denies her request.

"If a (same-sex marriage) license is issued with Davis' name, authorization and approval, no one can unring that bell," she wrote the court. "That searing act of validation would forever echo in her conscience."

Her attorney, Jonathan D. Christman, wrote that forcing her to issue licenses is akin to forcing a person who objects to war into the battlefield, or forcing a person against capital punishment to carry out an execution.

Davis cannot be fired because she is an elected official. The Legislature could impeach her, but that is unlikely given that many state lawmakers share her beliefs. The Republican president of the state Senate spoke at a rally last week in support of Davis.

The gay couples that sued her could ask U.S. District Judge David Bunning to hold Davis in contempt. That would trigger another court hearing and would likely include testimony from Davis herself. The judge could then order hefty fines or even put her in jail until she complies with the order.

A familiar scene repeated itself at a rural Kentucky courthouse on Thursday: a gay couple marched into the clerk's office, requested a marriage license and insisted that a mounting pile of court orders proves they are entitled to one.

Then, Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis' office again turned them away Thursday morning. The standoff has now stretched into its second month.

CBS affiliate WKYT reports that Friday afternoon, Davis asked U.S. District Judge David Bunning to extend his stay on his marriage license order while she appeals to the Supreme Court.

"It's getting tedious. We get torn down, built back up, torn down, built back up," said David Ermold. He and his partner, David Moore, have been rejected by Davis' office twice. "It's emotionally draining."

Days after the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling, Davis announced that her Christian faith prevents her from sanctioning a gay marriage. She has since refused licenses to any couple, gay or straight.

On Thursday a deputy clerk in Davis' office told William Smith Jr. and James Yates, a couple for nearly a decade, that the office believes Bunning's delay remains in effect until Aug. 31. He refused to give them a license.

Davis, meanwhile, sat in her office with the door closed, ignoring the commotion of television cameras surrounding Yates and Smith as they demanded answers.

Rejected for the third time, Yates and Smith left shaking their heads.

Lawyers with Liberty Counsel, the Christian law firm representing Davis, said the fight is far from over.

"The court of appeals did not provide any religious accommodation rights to individuals, which makes little sense because at the end of the day it's individuals that are carrying out the acts of the office," said attorney Mat Staver. "They don't lose their individual constitutional rights just because they are employed in a public office."

Davis's appeal to the nation's highest court would first be considered by Justice Elena Kagan, who oversees the 6th Circuit. Kagan, a liberal judge, sided with the majority this summer when it ruled gay marriage bans unconstitutional.

Kagan could reject it outright within days and exhaust Davis' options for appeal, said Marcosson.

"Once the stay is denied then the question will be right there on the front burner of whether she will comply because there will be no further avenue for her," Marcosson said.

The question will then become what Davis chooses to do.

She has said she will not resign and pledged to never issue a license to same-sex couples.

If she continues to defy court orders, the couples' attorneys are likely to ask Bunning to hold her in contempt of court. The law offers the judge wide discretion on how to force her hand: he can sanction her with fines or order she be jailed.

The couples waiting to be married think the end may be in sight.

"They're running out of options," Ermold said.

Activists with signs and rainbow umbrellas lined up Thursday on a street outside Davis' window, shouting "Do your job."

But she has her supporters, too.

Casey County Clerk Casey Davis, also opposed to issuing licenses to same-sex couples, got on his bike at 4:30 a.m. Thursday and began cycling more than 450 miles across the state to bring attention to her predicament.

"I cannot let my sister go to jail without my doing something to let others know about her plight," Casey's statement said. Although the two are not related by blood, The Family Foundation says they are bonded by religious conviction.

WKYT reports that early Friday several people showed up to the clerk's office to rally outside the courthouse. Their presence was strong early Friday morning, but it calmed down toward lunch time. A rally in support of gay marriage is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday outside the Rowan County courthouse.

© 2015 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.




“Two months after it legalized gay marriage nationwide, the U.S. Supreme Court is being asked by a Kentucky county clerk for permission to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis objects to same-sex marriage for religious reasons. The Supreme Court says the constitution guarantees gay people have the right to marry, but Davis contends the First Amendment guarantees her the right of religious freedom. She stopped issuing all marriage licenses the day after the Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage nationwide in June. …. Her attorneys with the Christian law firm Liberty Counsel wrote in their appeal to the court that Davis is seeking "asylum for her conscience." Justice Elena Kagan, who joined the majority opinion effectively legalized gay marriage in the U.S., will hear Davis' case. University of Louisville law professor Sam Marcosson said he believes Kagan will deny Davis' request based on the court's earlier decision. Davis has refused to comply with several court orders in recent weeks, turning away gay couples over and over. She says they could easily drive to a nearby county to get a marriage license. But gay couples argue they have a right to get a marriage license in the county where they live, work and pay taxes.” …. Davis cannot be fired because she is an elected official. The Legislature could impeach her, but that is unlikely given that many state lawmakers share her beliefs. The Republican president of the state Senate spoke at a rally last week in support of Davis. …. Davis's appeal to the nation's highest court would first be considered by Justice Elena Kagan, who oversees the 6th Circuit. Kagan, a liberal judge, sided with the majority this summer when it ruled gay marriage bans unconstitutional. Kagan could reject it outright within days and exhaust Davis' options for appeal, said Marcosson.”

“…Christian law firm Liberty Counsel …” It seems to me that liberty would be the right of each to do what they want to do, not a tool to force Christianity as the only accepted religion. The clerk Davis should have a list of duties assigned to her, including issuing marriage licenses to all comers, unless THE COUNTY and not Davis herself decides to issue NO MARRIAGE LICENSES. That would be a fair situation. Everyone would have to seek out a minister, a ship’s captain, or a wedding parlor of the type that exist in Las Vegas. The clerk can then resign her job if she doesn’t want to do marriage licenses.

I had no idea a clerk in a county court could make as much as $80,000. No wonder she doesn’t want to give up her job. She must be a lawyer. I just checked Wikipedia, and it says that there are clerks who assist judges in administrative duties, who are NOT lawyers, but a “Law Clerk” assists in making decisions and can affect case law by their influence on the judge. A “Law Clerk” is usually a recent law school grad who made top grades, and is on a path to higher career opportunities.

Of course the issue isn’t really about duties and salaries, but about forcing the US to be “a Christian nation” in all ways, which it never has been. The early American settlers came here in many cases specifically to escape a government-enforced religion. England, which is like a democracy in many ways, because we here in the US got our laws essentially from the ancient British Common Law. England, to this day, however has a declared state religion – the Anglican faith. That doesn’t mean that her citizens don’t – in today’s world – have the right to go to any church or to none at all, as we do in the US. The Brits may be a bit more conservative as a society than we are, but not much.

The Dominionists want Biblical law to be set up in this country rather than a rationally based secular law, with individual freedoms built in. The most extreme Christians are just like the radical Islamic groups, who want laws that are based on the Koran. The US government was set up as a secular nation with no religious bias. Everybody can have their individual religious views and practices and that should be good enough – ideal, actually – free of any unfair binding on the exercise of faith. State Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake of Arizona, made the comment within the last year that the US would perhaps be “more moral” if everyone were required to go to church. I would never conform to something like that, and I don’t think most Americans would. It is very clear to me that everyone has a slightly, or greatly, different idea of what should be moral. I don’t want to have sex with another woman, but I know some young women are already oriented in that direction by the time they reach their teens. “Imprinting” or hormonal differences may cause this. I don’t consider it sinful. I consider being abusive to someone because of their sexual orientation to be sinful. See the full text from that article below.





http://www.kpho.com/story/28620533/az-senator-church-attendance-should-be-mandatory, AZ Senator: Church attendance should be mandatory, Mar 26, 2015.

PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK) - Each year a few ideas get proposed at the state Capitol that have people shaking their heads.

This year: Mandatory church attendance.

An Arizona state senator thinks it is a good idea for the American people.

State Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake, brought it up during a committee meeting Tuesday while lawmakers were debating a gun bill concerning concealed weapons permits, not religion.

Allen explained that without a "moral rebirth" in the country, more people may feel the need to carry a weapon.

"I believe what's happening to our country is that there's a moral erosion of the soul of America," she said.

"It's the soul that is corrupt. How we get back to a moral rebirth I don't know. Since we are slowly eroding religion at every opportunity that we have. Probably we should be debating a bill requiring every American to attend a church of their choice on Sunday to see if we can get back to having a moral rebirth," she told the committee.

Do you agree with State Sen. Sylvia Allen's idea that church attendance should be mandatory?

"But since that would not be allowed and we would not even be debating that, I'm going to vote yes that people who are responsible who have a CCW permit don't have to worry about their guns as they're out and about and doing business in whatever building they're in except ones that where they aren't allowed," she said.

Democratic Sen. Steve Farley of Tucson, who was at that same meeting, posted Allen's comments on social media, and said he believes the idea goes against the U.S. Constitution.

"Even if you believe that would stem the moral decay, I think the Constitution makes it very clear that our country is founded on the pillar of separation of church and state," Farley said.

Read more: http://www.kpho.com/story/28620533/az-senator-church-attendance-should-be-mandatory#ixzz3kQe242wS





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wall-street-combats-white-house-crackdown-on-financial-advisors/

Wall Street opposes White House crackdown on financial advisers
By WYATT ANDREWS CBS NEWS
August 28, 2015

Photograph -- andrews-advisors-transferframe0.jpg
Ethyl Sprouse CBS NEWS
Play VIDEO -- Women face tough challenges for retirement savings


WASHINGTON -- Ethyl Sprouse, 68, says she's devastated by the loss of $400,000 from her retirement account. She blames her stockbroker who invested in high-risk stocks despite her order to play it safe.

"I felt like not only had I been betrayed by my broker, I'd been betrayed by the system," said Sprouse. "The system I thought was there to protect me."

To better protect retiree savings, the Obama administration has proposed a new federal rule that sounds simple. It demands that any professional investor handling a retirement account - 401(k) or an IRA - give advice "in the best interests" of that client.
Under the current rule, brokers can sell any investment deemed "suitable," but under that standard officials say retirees lose $17 billion a year thanks to hidden fees paid to stockbrokers on investments that make them, not the client, the most money.

"It's the most important thing that we can do to help people saving for retirement," said Secretary of Labor Tom Perez. "That adviser needs to put your best interest ahead of their self-interest."

Most of Wall Street and the insurance industry is pushing back hard, with an ad campaign saying the rule will raise retirement costs for small businesses.

One ad claims it'll make it harder for employees of small businesses to get information their company's 401(k).

The industry complains the new rule is not simple. As written, it's 900 pages long. Peter Schneider, president of insurance giant Primerica, says the rule is too complicated.

"We all agree we must act in the clients best interests, but it's so complex, so onerous and so costly, it's unworkable," said Schneider.

With retirement accounts now a $12 trillion industry, Wall Street is fighting to keep the fee system that pays its brokers billions, but the White House wants savers to keep more of that money and all of those fees disclosed.




“She blames her stockbroker who invested in high-risk stocks despite her order to play it safe. "I felt like not only had I been betrayed by my broker, I'd been betrayed by the system," said Sprouse. "The system I thought was there to protect me." …. The industry complains the new rule is not simple. As written, it's 900 pages long. Peter Schneider, president of insurance giant Primerica, says the rule is too complicated. …. With retirement accounts now a $12 trillion industry, Wall Street is fighting to keep the fee system that pays its brokers billions, but the White House wants savers to keep more of that money and all of those fees disclosed.

This country is ruled by the law of the jungle, a fine old Republican tradition. “Greed is good,” as the guy in the movie that I didn’t watch, but probably should have, said. Primerica is complaining about the length and complexity of the bill, which is a problem with two thirds of the laws that come through in this country. It’s a game in Congress to keep attaching unrelated and onerous material onto a bill until it is so long that nobody has time to read it. They do that in the hope that the liberals will fail to see that another restriction on aid to the poor has just been inserted in the law. The real reason that the law will be fought, however is the latter statement above – “Wall Street is fighting to keep the fee system that pays its brokers billions.” Wall Street is one of the biggest tigers in our jungle, and it only wants to make as much money for those who are already very rich as possible. They are simply not into the business of “protecting” anyone.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-driving-to-alcoholics-anonymous-meeting-killed-by-alleged-drunk-driver/

Man driving to AA meeting killed by alleged drunk driver
CBS NEWS
August 28, 2015

Photograph -- Reed Hindle, 61, killed by an alleged drunk driver. CBS BOSTON
Photograph -- screen-shot-2015-08-28-at-4-52-32-pm.png
Scene of the accident that killed Reed Hindle. CBS BOSTON

SOMERSWORTH, N.H. -- A recovering alcoholic on his way to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle in Somersworth, N.H., reports CBS Boston.

Reed Hindle, 61, battled addiction his entire life, according to his family. His sister Meredith Patrick was helping her brother on the road to sobriety.

"Alcohol got to him in the end, but not by his own doing," Patrick told CBS Boston. "I just see all these things, important things falling into line and then gone. It's awful."

Hindle's family said he struggled. He had demons, moved frequently and had trouble holding down a job. But things started to look up for him in the last few years.

Hindle had even reconnected with his daughter Nicole Kearbey, who says her father was making amends.

"My father worked so hard to be a better person, to be not 'that' person," she said. "He loved his motorcycles and was loving being at peace."

But that all came to an end after his encounter with an accused drunk driver. CBS Boston reports that police say 57-year-old Scott Berry was behind the wheel of the pickup truck that struck and killed Hindle.

According to police, Berry said he drank three beers and smoked some marijuana before the accident.

Family and friends tell CBS Boston they now believe Berry is someone Hindle may have been able to help. After he got sober, family and friends say Hindle dedicated his life to helping others.

"He needs help just like my brother did, because my brother very easily could have done the same thing," said his sister.

It wouldn't be the first time Hindle had helped someone in need.

Rick Gerbrands tells CBS Boston he credits Hindle with encouraging him to stay in recovery.

"One of the first nights I met him early in my recovery. He put his hand out and said welcome. He made me feel welcome," said Gerbrands, who would have seen Hindle at an AA meeting this week. The AA group help a moment of silence for Hindle.

Hindle's family now hopes his death sends a strong message about the dangers of drinking and driving, and his decision to take a different road.

Berry is jailed on drunken driving and negligent homicide charges. He is being held on $10,000 bail.




This is just another sad story, except of course for the irony of the victim’s being on his way to an AA meeting. People know better than to drive after they’ve had enough alcohol to feel woozy, but some of them actually will say that they can drive “better” when they’ve had a drink. It’s like the even more idiotic pattern of teens and even supposedly mature adults “texting” while driving. I don’t get my phone out unless I have pulled the car over. I wish others would do the same. I confess I have eaten a hamburger while driving, which is also against the law and dangerous. I haven’t done that in years, and will never do it again.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tsa-agent-accused-sexual-assault-laguardia-airport-bathroom/

TSA agent accused of sexual assault at LaGuardia
CBS NEWS
August 28, 2015

Photograph -- A TSA agent watches an xray monitor while screening luggage at a special TSA Pre-check lane at Terminal C of the LaGuardia Airport on January 27, 2014 in New York City. JOHN MOORE, GETTY IMAGES


NEW YORK-- A TSA agent has been arrested on charges he sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman at LaGuardia Airport Tuesday night, CBS New York reports.

The incident happened in a restroom in Terminal B around 8 p.m. after the agent allegedly told the victim that she had to be searched there, 1010 WINS reported.

The woman, a college student from Korea, identified the suspect out of a group of photos, 1010 WINS reported.

Port Authority spokesman Joe Pantangelo said Maxie Oquendo, of Manhattan, is charged with forcible touching, official misconduct and unlawful imprisonment.

Oquendo was arrested in his TSA uniform on Wednesday night, 1010 WINS reported.

TSA Administrator Peter V. Neffenger said in a statement on Friday that the agency has terminated Oquendo.

"TSA holds its employees to the highest standards. As such, we expect our employees to conduct themselves with integrity, professionalism, and with respect for the public we serve," the statement said.

Neffenger said when TSA employees fail to meet these fundamental ethical standards they must be held "appropriately accountable."

"The vast majority of the TSA workforce serves with honor and integrity, and treats every passenger with dignity and respect," the statement continued. "TSA is working in close partnership with the Port Authority Police Department in support of this investigation."




I thought I remembered another TSA sex charge similar to this one from last year. I found only two that appeared to be real cases on a cursory search, both of which were older than last year, and dozens that read like “conspiracy theories.” A lot of energy has been put on this theme from the Internet agents of fear. I personally wouldn’t like being searched in this way, and would prefer the X-ray type machine that shows the outline of bodily parts, but does not involve any touching. Some things are just too tempting for the weak minded individuals who get hired for a job like that.

I do think there is a need for the searching of everyone who goes on an airplane since 9/11 as there have been at least half a dozen bombs, etc. on the bodies of would be attackers, one being in the perp’s underwear. Ugh! The fact is that the “bad guys” are still trying to score from time to time, and as Middle Eastern problems heat up we must be more vigilant. Twice in the last year or so a train has been attacked. I travel to NC by train once a year at Christmas, so I do hope that wrecking trains doesn't become the newest fad among the fanatics now.

I do think TSA people should be absolutely mentally competent, decent and have no felonies in their background. Same with the police. Getting hired without an exhaustive background check still happens, however. Getting groped is repulsive and infuriating, but it is generally harmless.