September 24, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/pope-francis-challenges-congress-to-heal-world%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%98open-wounds%e2%80%99/ar-AAeJiHU?li=AAa0dzB&ocid=iehp

Pope Francis Challenges Congress to Heal World’s ‘Open Wounds’
The New York Times
By PETER BAKER and JIM YARDLEY
September 24, 2015

Photograph -- REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) and Vice President Joe Biden (R, top) applaud as Pope Francis arrives to give his speech to the U.S. Congress in Washington, September 24 2015.
Photograph -- President Obama and Pope Francis at the arrival ceremony on the South Lawn.


WASHINGTON — Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Catholics, challenged Congress and by extension the mightiest nation in history on Thursday to break out of its cycle of polarization and paralysis to finally use its power to heal the “open wounds” of a planet torn by hatred, greed, poverty and pollution.

Taking a rostrum never before occupied by the bishop of Rome, the pontiff issued a vigorous call to action on issues largely favored by liberals, including a powerful defense of immigration, a critique of the excesses of capitalism, an endorsement of environmental legislation, a blistering condemnation of the arms trade and a plea to abolish the death penalty.

In particular, Francis beseeched a nation that generates a disproportionate share of the world’s wealth to not let money drive its decisions at the expense of humanity. “If politics must truly be at the service of the human person, it follows that it cannot be a slave to the economy and finance,” he told a joint meeting of Congress in an address that cited American icons like Abraham Lincoln and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Politics is, instead, an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one, the greatest common good.”

But in his much-anticipated speech, Francis also defended religious liberty and the traditional family at a time when the United States has just legalized same-sex marriage and a Kentucky court clerk went to jail rather than issue marriage certificates violating her religious beliefs. He was less explicit in condemning abortion but called for a defense of life at “every stage of development.”

“I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened perhaps as never before, from within and without,” he said at the end of his speech, delivered in slow, cautious English. “Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.”

Francis became the first pope ever to address a joint meeting of Congress, a milestone in the journey of the Catholic Church in the United States, and it generated enormous interest. Lawmakers, aides and invited guests jammed the historic chamber of the House of Representatives, while 50,000 more people were invited to watch on jumbo screens on the West Lawn of the Capitol.

His high-profile address came at a time of deep partisan and ideological ferment over divisive policy questions that have so fractured the Congress that it is just days away from a government shutdown. Both sides were looking to his words for moral support for their arguments from a figure deliberately resistant to clean political definitions.

In the end, both sides could walk away citing parts of his message. But the liberal agenda items in his speech were explicit and clear while the conservative ones were more veiled.

While he checked boxes in calling for religious liberty and defending the family, the heart of his address, and the most time, was dedicated to aspects of Catholic teaching embraced by progressives, especially the overriding need to help the poor and destitute. He was at his most passionate in embracing immigration, alluding to his own family’s history of moving from Italy to Argentina, where he was born.

“We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners,” Francis said. “I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants.”

“On this continent,” he continued, “thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is that not what we want for our own children? We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation.”

He cited the do-unto-others Golden Rule. “The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us,” Francis said. “The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.”

While that represents typical code for abortion, Francis segued immediately to calling for the abolition of the death penalty. “I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes,” he said.

He also warned of the excesses of globalization, though in far more measured tones than he has in the past, when he used fiery language and the memorable phrase “dung of the devil” to describe unbridled capitalism. With some observers long wondering whether he has forsaken the middle class in his focus on the poor, he made a point of reaching out to working Americans who are “paying their taxes” and sustaining a society. But his emphasis was still on the neediest.

“I would encourage you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty,” he said. “They too need to be given hope.” He added that “it goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth.” While “business is a noble vocation,” he said, it must be “an essential part of its service to the common good.”

He was less restrained about the arms trade. “Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society?” he asked. “Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money – money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.”

How influential his message will be in Congress remains to be seen. He was invited by Speaker John A. Boehner, a proud Catholic Republican from Ohio, who has tried for 20 years to get a pope to come to Capitol Hill. His Democratic counterpart, Nancy Pelosi of California, is also a Catholic with a strong affinity for the pope.

In a video previewing the speech, Mr. Boehner said he was eagerly anticipating the appearance. “There’s a lot of interest in what the pope is saying, his outreach to the poor, the fact that he thinks people ought to be more religious,” he said. “He’s got other positions that are a bit more controversial, but it’s the pope.”

While Mr. Boehner’s invitation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to address Congress to criticize President Obama’s negotiations with Iran provoked a partisan furor, the pope brought the parties together. It has been a long time since a world figure who commands as much authority as Francis has addressed Congress.

Not that long ago, the prospect of the head of the Catholic Church addressing Congress would have been unthinkable. Catholics in politics were a source of suspicion and a subject of slander for generations. Even as John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic elected president, he felt compelled to defend his faith by asserting that he would not take orders from the pope.

Today, the pendulum has swung significantly. The Congress that Francis addressed Thursday includes 138 House members who are Catholic and 26 senators, or nearly 31 percent, compared with 22 percent of the overall adult population. Not only are both House leaders Catholic, but so is Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who serves as president of the Senate.

The pope’s speech was the longest and most challenging English-speaking appearance of his papacy. Francis, who speaks native Spanish and fluent Italian, has admitted his discomfort in speaking English. He spoke some English during a 2014 visit to South Korea.

In his White House speech on Wednesday, Francis struggled with some words and pronunciations but showed much improvement. Vatican officials and friends of the pope say he studied the language regularly this summer.

In addition to citing Lincoln and King, Francis mentioned two American Catholics to make his points, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton. Both lived radically simple lives, close to the poor and rejecting ambition — symbols of the Francis model of humility and devotion.

Ms. Day was a convert to Catholicism who founded the Catholic Worker movement that served the poor; she also had an abortion to her deep regret and urged other women not to follow her example. Mr. Merton was a Trappist monk and scholar who wrote on social justice and promoted interfaith understanding.

“A nation can be considered great,” Francis said, “when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters a culture which enables people to dream of full rights for all their brothers and sisters as Martin Luther King sought to do, when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.”




“…. to finally use its power to heal the “open wounds” of a planet torn by hatred, greed, poverty and pollution. …. including a powerful defense of immigration, a critique of the excesses of capitalism, an endorsement of environmental legislation, a blistering condemnation of the arms trade and a plea to abolish the death penalty. In particular, Francis beseeched a nation that generates a disproportionate share of the world’s wealth to not let money drive its decisions at the expense of humanity. …. “Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.” …. Both sides were looking to his words for moral support for their arguments from a figure deliberately resistant to clean political definitions. In the end, both sides could walk away citing parts of his message. But the liberal agenda items in his speech were explicit and clear while the conservative ones were more veiled. …. “On this continent,” he continued, “thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is that not what we want for our own children? We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation.” …. . “I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes,” he said. He also warned of the excesses of globalization, though in far more measured tones than he has in the past, when he used fiery language and the memorable phrase “dung of the devil” to describe unbridled capitalism. …. “Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money – money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.”

“Lawmakers, aides and invited guests jammed the historic chamber of the House of Representatives, while 50,000 more people were invited to watch on jumbo screens on the West Lawn of the Capitol.” One of those legislators was in the news yesterday for planning to boycott Pope Francis’ speech, saying that his views are “too political,” but he was clearly in the minority. The Pope is a fascinating man, and a real “preacher.” So many have been passive compared to him, perhaps too old for the job, and interested mainly in matters of dogma. This man is not afraid of the world’s ultraconservative and money-grubbing populations which are found in every nation, including those who espouse Communism as their philosophy. I have feared that, like Lincoln, someone may try to assassinate him for constantly “stirring the pot” of ideas and political feelings. I can only hope that such an event won’t happen, and that he will live to a ripe old age, “fighting the good fight” and then die in peace. The following article takes the opposite view Pope Francis.





http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/some-american-catholics-really-don%E2%80%99t-like-pope-francis-here%E2%80%99s-why/ar-AAexX50

Some American Catholics really don’t like Pope Francis. Here’s why.
The Washington Post
Amanda Erickson
September 21, 2015


When Steven Skojec heard that Jorge Mario Bergoglio had been elected pope, he got a queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He can’t say why, exactly — though he follows Vatican politics closely, he didn’t know much about Francis then. But as he watched the new Catholic leader greet the crowds from his office computer in Manassas, Va., he was filled with dread.

“I felt a discontinuity,” he said. “A disruption.”

At first, he didn’t want to make too big a deal of it. Though Skojec blogs regularly about Catholicism at the Web site he founded, One-PeterFive (tag line: “Rebuilding Catholic culture. Restoring Catholic tradition.”), he mostly avoided the subject. “I wanted to withhold judgment,” he said.

Six months later, he was ready to judge. What really turned Skojec against Francis was the pope’s October 2013 interview in the Jesuit magazine America. Buried in the transcript was a comment, by Francis, that the world’s biggest evils are youth unemployment and loneliness.

“That’s a jarring statement . . . when you’re on the front lines of the culture wars, looking at the death toll of abortion,” Skojec said. “There was definitely a sense that this could be trouble.”

Among American Catholics, Francis is wildly popular, with an approval rating hovering near 90 percent. The faithful are flocking back to the pews, pollsters say, drawn by the pope’s humility and inclusive message. But a growing number in the church’s conservative wing don’t feel so welcome. Just 45 percent of conservative Catholics have a favorable opinion of Francis, down from 72 percent a year ago.

They worry that Francis is loosening the church’s strict teachings on morality (he famously told a prominent Italian atheist that “everyone has his own idea of good and evil” and has said “who am I to judge” when asked about gay priests). They accuse him of deserting them on issues such as abortion and contraception (he has said he avoids those issues because the church has become too “obsessed” with them.)

And they say his attacks on capitalism are ill-conceived and amount to a plea for redistribution of wealth — or worse.

Those fears make sense to Julie E. Byrne, a Hofstra University professor who studies American Catholics and was raised Catholic. “The so-called bedroom issues have always been important to conservatives, and to Catholic conservatives in particular,” she said. “There’s a sense that the church is the only place holding the line on divorce [and] on adultery.”

Though Francis hasn’t changed church doctrine on these issues, he has shown a willingness to loosen the rules on who should receive Communion or forgiveness for their sins. “When Francis lightens up on that,” Byrne says, “people wonder what’s next.”

That, in a nutshell, is Skojec’s question. He was raised Catholic, though his parents took him to a modern church. As a young adult, however, he became curious about the more traditional components of his faith. He pored over old encyclicals, he said, and read church history. Today, he and his wife, who run a real estate business, strive to live up to these ideals. They take their seven children to Latin Mass at churches such as St. Mary Mother of God in Northwest Washington. Few parishes offer Latin services, which went out of fashion after Vatican II, the ecumenical council that modernized church doctrine.

He has spent his life making hard choices — sticking with his marriage in the moments when things seemed hard and advocating for a variety of what he sees as essential Catholic teachings (particularly the fight against abortion) in his spare time. Francis, he worries, has made it seem like these priorities, the ones he has framed his life around, are no longer central to the church.

“He’s giving the impression that he’s changing teachings that cannot be changed,” Skojec said. “He makes it seem like even if the rules on the books can stay the same, but if we change the practice, that’s not a problem. . . . He’s sowing confusion about what we believe.”

That worries Skojec, and not just because it means some Catholics now feel free to disregard church doctrine. When people are confused, they may sin without knowing it. And that could reshape their “eternal outcome.” Skojec hears these concerns echoed by friends, by priests whose parishioners think adulterers can now receive Communion and by professors who wonder about what they’ll tell their students.

He also dislikes the pope’s focus on economics. Francis’s talk of the poor, his encyclical on climate change and his criticism of capitalism make Catholicism “sound more like a social program. . . . It’s like this dropping away of focus.”

That criticism has been echoed in opinion pieces by prominent Catholics in the Wall Street Journal, in free market think tanks, and by business leaders around the world. This summer, the Heartland Institute sent a delegation to Rome to “educate” the pope on climate change (the organization believes that man-made climate change is a myth). The Heritage Foundation warned that the pope has aligned himself “with the far left and has embraced an ideology that would make people poorer and less free.”

Even Catholic publications have piled on, in unusually harsh language. A writer for the conservative Catholic publication First Things has called Francis “an ideologue and a meddlesome egoist.” An August church bulletin from the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in St. Hedwig, Tex., bemoaned the pope’s encyclical Laudato Si, writing that “it’s too bad that he acquired and used phrases that are scientifically unproven and used by the segment of world leaders that strive to ‘control people’ by controlling energy issues usages.” Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke has even suggested it might be necessary to “resist” the Pope’s doctrinal shifts.

One of those critics is the Rev. Robert A. Sirico, who heads the Acton Institute, a conservative think tank. Although he applauds the pope’s inclusive approach, he’s skeptical of his economic message.

“Pope Francis is not an economist,” he says. “He talks about how his father would bring home work having to do with finance and the economy and he ‘had an allergy to it.’ He just doesn’t understand economics very well.”

And really, Sirico says, the Vatican shouldn’t be thinking about markets at all. Its job is to guide people’s spirits, not their purchases. “The church doesn’t profess to be an economic think tank,” Sirico says. “If that’s allowed to persist, it, in effect, dilutes the church’s brand.”

Sirico says he has heard echoes of Skojec’s critiques from a wide swath of conservative Catholics. Many, he says, are not anti-Francis exactly. But they are confused by his message. Francis often speaks off the cuff, without much preparation. “But as the pope, he speaks simultaneously to a wide variety of cultures and context,” he says. “In my memory, I’ve never seen the papal spokesman having to walk back as much as this in just two years.”

That uncertainty puts conservative Catholics in a tough position. More so than most other lay people, they are invested in the hierarchy of the church and the infallibility of its leaders. When the pope challenges the very core of their beliefs, they don’t know how to react.

“Progressives are more interested in the message, the politics,” Sirico says. “But conservatives believe the church needs the pope. So it’s hard when they don’t feel like the pope is an ally.”

Skojec grapples with this, too. When he writes that Francis is wrong to suggest that we all have our own definition of good and evil, or that the pope’s position on evangelization is misguided, Skojec’s readers accuse him of leading them to sin because advising against church doctrine is forbidden. But Skojec says they’re wrong. He is simply highlighting the truth of the church. “Popes make mistakes,” he says. “There are good popes and there are bad popes.”

Over the past few months, though, he has begun to wonder whether Francis might harm the church more permanently. He has even started to worry that there might be a schism — a break between some Catholics and the Vatican.

Experts say that seems unlikely. “American Catholics have always felt that the pope doesn’t understand their situation,” said Kathleen Cummings, who directs the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame. “It’s a recurring phenomenon.”

In the 1950s, she said, some Catholic schools resisted integrating even after being ordered to do so by Rome. Beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, there was widespread disregard of the church’s teaching on contraception — a trend that continues today.

“Conservative Roman Catholics who are really outraged were outraged long before Francis,” she said. “But most Roman Catholics who care, care enough about church unity not to split.”

The contrast between what Francis says and how little actual doctrine has changed was on display at a recent panel on marriage, hosted by the Opus Dei-funded Catholic Information Center. About 50 people gathered in the center’s small back chapel to hear Father Antonio Lopez and Nicholas J. Healy lay out the theological reasons why Communion should not be granted to divorced or remarried Catholics.

“Marriage is indissolvable,” Lopez told the audience, and they nodded in agreement. To treat it otherwise, he went on, trivializes sex, harms intimacy and fundamentally reshapes our relationship with God. After his talk, a questioner asked whether she would be allowed to disregard the Vatican if it suggested otherwise. A synod of bishops will consider this question in October.

Healy brushed off the question. “It would be impossible,” he said. “The fundamentals of the church cannot be changed.”



http://blog.steveskojec.com/

About

My name is Steve, and this is my blog.

In one form or another, I’ve been blogging since 2003. I’ve been writing online since 2400bps modems were cool. I remember the Internet before it had pictures. (True story.)

I’m a writer, idea-builder, and all-around creative guy. I’ve written in a professional capacity for organizations ranging from mom and pop non-profits to Fortune 500s. …. I’m a Catholic who loves the Traditional Latin Mass and sacraments, and I’ve studied theology for over 20 years, both personally and at the college level. I got my BA in Communications and Theology in 2001. I am absolutely passionate about the restoration of authentic Catholic culture. I believe we are currently experiencing the greatest crisis the Church has ever faced, and we all need to work and pray together to find our way through it. …. For fun, I do graphic design, sculpt cool little robots, engage in the photographic arts, and argue with people on the Internet.

I’m married to one absolutely incredible, beautiful woman, who happens to also be a kick-ass real estate broker. Together, we live with our six evil genius adorable children in Northern Virginia.




“But as he watched the new Catholic leader greet the crowds from his office computer in Manassas, Va., he was filled with dread. “I felt a discontinuity,” he said. “A disruption.” …. Six months later, he was ready to judge. What really turned Skojec against Francis was the pope’s October 2013 interview in the Jesuit magazine America. Buried in the transcript was a comment, by Francis, that the world’s biggest evils are youth unemployment and loneliness. “That’s a jarring statement . . . when you’re on the front lines of the culture wars, looking at the death toll of abortion,” Skojec said. “There was definitely a sense that this could be trouble.” .… They worry that Francis is loosening the church’s strict teachings on morality (he famously told a prominent Italian atheist that “everyone has his own idea of good and evil” and has said “who am I to judge” when asked about gay priests). They accuse him of deserting them on issues such as abortion and contraception (he has said he avoids those issues because the church has become too “obsessed” with them.) …. And they say his attacks on capitalism are ill-conceived and amount to a plea for redistribution of wealth — or worse. …. Though Francis hasn’t changed church doctrine on these issues, he has shown a willingness to loosen the rules on who should receive Communion or forgiveness for their sins. “When Francis lightens up on that,” Byrne says, “people wonder what’s next.” …. He also dislikes the pope’s focus on economics. Francis’s talk of the poor, his encyclical on climate change and his criticism of capitalism make Catholicism “sound more like a social program. . . . It’s like this dropping away of focus.” That criticism has been echoed in opinion pieces by prominent Catholics in the Wall Street Journal, in free market think tanks, and by business leaders around the world. This summer, the Heartland Institute sent a delegation to Rome to “educate” the pope on climate change (the organization believes that man-made climate change is a myth). The Heritage Foundation warned that the pope has aligned himself “with the far left and has embraced an ideology that would make people poorer and less free.” …. ’ He just doesn’t understand economics very well.” And really, Sirico says, the Vatican shouldn’t be thinking about markets at all. Its job is to guide people’s spirits, not their purchases. “The church doesn’t profess to be an economic think tank,” Sirico says. “If that’s allowed to persist, it, in effect, dilutes the church’s brand.” …. . “In my memory, I’ve never seen the papal spokesman having to walk back as much as this in just two years.” That uncertainty puts conservative Catholics in a tough position. More so than most other lay people, they are invested in the hierarchy of the church and the infallibility of its leaders. When the pope challenges the very core of their beliefs, they don’t know how to react. “Progressives are more interested in the message, the politics,” Sirico says. “But conservatives believe the church needs the pope. So it’s hard when they don’t feel like the pope is an ally.” …. “Francis, he worries, has made it seem like these priorities, the ones he has framed his life around, are no longer central to the church. “He’s giving the impression that he’s changing teachings that cannot be changed,” Skojec said. “He makes it seem like even if the rules on the books can stay the same, but if we change the practice, that’s not a problem. . . . He’s sowing confusion about what we believe.” …. Over the past few months, though, he has begun to wonder whether Francis might harm the church more permanently. He has even started to worry that there might be a schism — a break between some Catholics and the Vatican.”

Uncertainty among the people on what is and isn’t sinful, relaxation of some penalties such as banning sinners from the Communion table, and in the South even racial issues have been a problem, notably forced integration. The Pope’s statement in an interview that “youth unemployment and loneliness” are the world’s biggest evils was Skojec’s breaking point on his fear of Pope Francis. The fear of schism is mentioned, with conservatives breaking away from the Vatican. At least he didn’t mention assassination, which is what I had feared most.

Well, as for me, I consider schism to be a natural part of achieving consensus; and most of Skojec’s feared changes sound like a good idea to me, because I stand on the shoulders of the Protestant tradition. The Catholic Church in the Middle Ages had become so full of antagonisms toward logical thought and even reasonable access to basic information, so that many thoughtful and pretty well educated Europeans were at a breaking point on the matter, like this one which we may be approaching today. The Protestants questioned the intervention between humans and God by the priesthood, the irrational and money-based sale of the bodily parts of saints as relics, etc. which were supposed to bring healing. The worst of all was the fact that “the people” in their various European countries had a different native language from Latin, so that they couldn’t understand what they were saying when they said the Mass. The church also had become financially and sexually corrupt. Priests molesting altar boys didn’t begin recently. People just started becoming furious about it recently and bringing expensive and embarrassing lawsuits, and the law stopped turning a blind eye to such abuse. Martin Luther, outraged against what he had observed as a Catholic priest, then stepped forward onto the stage of time and nailed his radical manifesto onto the door of the cathedral. His people followed him into the conflict and the religious wars of the last four hundred years began.

I assume you read the blog excerpts written by Skojec. He is a hard-core ultra conservative Catholic, including the Latin mass and all the unlikely sounding things that I have always considered to be completely illogical and too full of minutiae for me to imagine myself keeping track of, much less believing them to be truth. To me, Pope Francis is just standing up again for logic, honesty, intelligent action, sincere human faith and the simple commandments of Jesus to his followers such as “Feed my sheep” and “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” one day when his followers asked him what they should do and how they should live. Jesus himself was standing up against another long and intricate tradition of minute and mysterious rules which certain powerful Jewish sects followed to the hilt. Jesus just stripped away the chaff and got down to the kernel of nourishing grain – love and maintaining good human relations is the most important thing we have to do and believe in. That’s why when I hear Fundamentalist Christians tell me that if I don’t believe in the Virgin Birth and the Dying and Rising Lord belief (an ancient religious tradition of some of the barbarian groups from the North – definitely not new to Jesus), I simply tell myself that some of the brightest and most benign people in history had faith in love, fairness, honesty and compassion. That’s what my Unitarian Universalist Church teaches, and I believe it.






http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-university-investigation-unresolved-lawsuits/

For some, "big time net loss" after attending Trump University
CBS NEWS
September 24, 2015

28 PHOTOS -- Donald Trump


At a speech in South Carolina Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump brought up one of his former ventures: Trump University.

It's been the subject of increased scrutiny ever since New York's attorney general sued Trump in 2013, saying the school was a scam.

While a number of students said they were satisfied with the value of their Trump University investment, 150 filed affidavits with an attorney general, and two class-action lawsuits were filed by students demanding their money back. The lawsuits are still ongoing and just last week, a judge decertified part of one class-action suit relating to Trump University, handing Trump a partial victory.

During a three-month investigation, CBS News reached out to dozens of former students and reviewed hundreds of comments about the program.

Trump has become the Republican frontrunner in part because of his reputation as a top businessman who gets things done, reports CBS News correspondent Julianna Goldman. But that's also brought unresolved lawsuits, several related to Trump University, which even his own lawyer acknowledges would likely extend into a potential Trump administration.

In 2010, former New York City Transit worker Gary Smith was unemployed and said he was desperate to make money. He saw an ad for Trump University and turned to a known brand.

"Particularly what I was really looking for was guidance in how to finance real estate transactions," Smith said.

Trump was "definitely" a draw for him, Smith said, because he thought the real estate mogul was a "top-notch guru of sorts."

Smith spent more than $35,000 on Trump University. He contacted the attorney general of New York after he heard about its $40 million lawsuit against Trump claiming the billionaire defrauded students and made an estimated $5 million.

"I didn't want to put my name on anything having to do with education unless it was going to be the best," Trump could be seen saying in the university's promotional video.

Trump University began in 2004. In 2007 it started offering live events around the country.

"If you don't learn from the people that we're going to be putting forward, and these are all people who are handpicked by me," Trump said in the commercial.

CBS News found three of those instructors had previously filed for bankruptcy. Others like Smith's instructor, James Harris, were motivational speakers paid on commission to sell additional Trump training.

CBS News verified at least 17 affidavits specifically mention Harris, who was hired in 2008.

While thousands attended the three-day, $1,500 seminar around the country, the company's main revenue source was an extended $35,000 mentorship called the Trump "Gold Elite" package.

Smith and other former students told CBS News that instructors urged them to increase the credit limit on their credit cards for investing and to fund their training.

One former student's affidavit reads: "When people said that they didn't have enough money to pay for the Trump Elite programs, Mr. Harris suggested using the newly increased credit card limit."

"It certainly wasn't something that was encouraged or something that was implemented across the board," Trump's attorney Alan Garten said. "Unfortunately, I think with any business you're going to get some students who aren't satisfied."

Smith said he was told he would get support from real estate mentors but said they didn't deliver. Smith concedes he gave positive reviews to two mentors, and even writing: "I'm very optimistic that I will be a very successful real estate investor in the near future."

"I didn't get any financial gain; it's been a big time net loss at this point," Smith said.

"People have to take responsibility for themselves, and you use the tools and move forward. As far as just simply, 'oh, Mr. Trump is rich and should just refund everyone money'... Trump University was not a charitable institution," Garten said.

An internal 2010 memo shows Trump employees acknowledged the mentorship program was too difficult for the company to "fulfill" and "expectations are not always realistically set or consistently met." The school stopped accepting students and began winding down in the summer of 2010.

Garten cites surveys showing a 98 percent satisfaction rate. But court documents indicate that of the 6,698 students who signed up for the three-day seminar or more, 2,539 of them -- almost 40 percent -- received a refund. Garten said that number is in "no way" indicative of student satisfaction. He said it "demonstrates Trump University's generous refund policy."

"We provided students with valuable resources, with online instructions, with in-person training. Mentoring, seminars. Substantive curriculum. And the vast majority of students, almost all the students, got their money's worth and were satisfied," Garten said.

Smith said the pitch that drew him to Trump University isn't so different from the Republican frontrunner's presidential campaign.

"Behind that veneer is to me somebody that could care less for the average person and you know people that you know he's dealing with in general, I think it's all about him," Smith said.

In Wednesday's speech, Trump said that he had intended to give the profits from Trump University to charity.

A few students CBS News spoke with said the program was worthwhile. One man in New Jersey, who did not want to be named, said the $35,000 he paid got him the hands-on knowledge he needed to start his own real estate business.




“At a speech in South Carolina Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump brought up one of his former ventures: Trump University. It's been the subject of increased scrutiny ever since New York's attorney general sued Trump in 2013, saying the school was a scam. While a number of students said they were satisfied with the value of their Trump University investment, 150 filed affidavits with an attorney general, and two class-action lawsuits were filed by students demanding their money back. The lawsuits are still ongoing and just last week, a judge decertified part of one class-action suit relating to Trump University, handing Trump a partial victory. …. Smith spent more than $35,000 on Trump University. He contacted the attorney general of New York after he heard about its $40 million lawsuit against Trump claiming the billionaire defrauded students and made an estimated $5 million. "I didn't want to put my name on anything having to do with education unless it was going to be the best," Trump could be seen saying in the university's promotional video. Trump University began in 2004. In 2007 it started offering live events around the country. "If you don't learn from the people that we're going to be putting forward, and these are all people who are handpicked by me," Trump said in the commercial. CBS News found three of those instructors had previously filed for bankruptcy.Smith said he was told he would get support from real estate mentors but said they didn't deliver. Smith concedes he gave positive reviews to two mentors, and even writing: "I'm very optimistic that I will be a very successful real estate investor in the near future." "I didn't get any financial gain; it's been a big time net loss at this point," Smith said. "People have to take responsibility for themselves, and you use the tools and move forward. As far as just simply, 'oh, Mr. Trump is rich and should just refund everyone money'... Trump University was not a charitable institution," Garten said. …. "We provided students with valuable resources, with online instructions, with in-person training. Mentoring, seminars. Substantive curriculum. And the vast majority of students, almost all the students, got their money's worth and were satisfied," Garten said. …. "Behind that veneer is to me somebody that could care less for the average person and you know people that you know he's dealing with in general, I think it's all about him," Smith said.”

“While thousands attended the three-day, $1,500 seminar around the country, the company's main revenue source was an extended $35,000 mentorship called the Trump "Gold Elite" package. Smith and other former students told CBS News that instructors urged them to increase the credit limit on their credit cards for investing and to fund their training. One former student's affidavit reads: "When people said that they didn't have enough money to pay for the Trump Elite programs, Mr. Harris suggested using the newly increased credit card limit." Why is it that everything I hear about Trump makes me nauseous? This Trump University is just a scam, complete with “motivational speakers,” and a pyramid plan.

Why don’t students choose to go to a legitimate and well-known business school to learn these things? If they would do that they would come out with more than a mentor of questionable worth for their $35,000. Hopefully from a good school they would get some theoretical and practical sales training, some business law, some business/financial theories and training, more than one personal instructional relationship for future support, some accounting, some solid knowledge on how to write and interpret contracts, coursework about investment and banking and more, or so it seems to me.

His ex-student Mr. Smith says of Trump that he “could care less for the average person,” and that “I think it's all about him." His simple desire to make more and more money while he cheats people in the process, and his monumental egotism shine through in most of the news stories about him this year. This article mentions that Trump University “is not a charitable institution,” so it should not have to give money back to students for failing to deliver any sort of “University” education, just shows how so many business people do think. They are immoral and unethical and I have no respect for them.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mack-breed-texas-football-coach-who-allegedly-ordered-referee-hit-out-of-job/

Texas football coach who allegedly ordered referee hit out of job
CBS/AP
September 24, 2015

Photograph -- Two Texas high school football players are accused of targeting a referee. KENS
Play VIDEO -- Report: Football coach admits ordering players to tackle referee


AUSTIN, Texas -- A Texas school administrator says an assistant football coach who allegedly ordered players to strike a referee during a game no longer works for the district.

The principal and head football coach at John Jay High School told state officials Thursday they believe assistant Mack Breed told players to retaliate against an official in the closing minutes of a game earlier this month.

John Jay players told their coaches earlier in the game that referees had been directing racial slurs at them.

Robert Watts, the referee who was struck by the players, has denied those allegations.

An attorney for Watts also told a state governing board Thursday that his client didn't tell the players to "speak English, this is America."

Watts didn't attend the fact-finding hearing in Austin. Jay Downs, his attorney, handed the board copies of family photos that show Watts at his wedding with his best man, who is black, and another of Watts' grandmother, who is from Mexico.

Watts said in a written statement he has post-concussion syndrome. He said one John Jay player who struck him told him, "You're in the way" and laughed.

Brian Woods, the school superintendent, didn't specify whether the assistant coach had been fired or resigned. The players who struck the referee have been suspended to an alternative school.

Jesse Hernandez, a lawyer for the boys, said Wednesday that the two were paying for their actions and trying to move forward.

"The boys' focus here was on accepting responsibility for their actions," Hernandez said, according to CBS affiliate KENS. "They're not the type of kids to do something like this. They admitted it was something a coach directed them to do."




“John Jay players told their coaches earlier in the game that referees had been directing racial slurs at them. Robert Watts, the referee who was struck by the players, has denied those allegations. An attorney for Watts also told a state governing board Thursday that his client didn't tell the players to "speak English, this is America." Watts didn't attend the fact-finding hearing in Austin. Jay Downs, his attorney, handed the board copies of family photos that show Watts at his wedding with his best man, who is black, and another of Watts' grandmother, who is from Mexico. …. He said one John Jay player who struck him told him, "You're in the way" and laughed. Brian Woods, the school superintendent, didn't specify whether the assistant coach had been fired or resigned. The players who struck the referee have been suspended to an alternative school. Jesse Hernandez, a lawyer for the boys, said Wednesday that the two were paying for their actions and trying to move forward.”

Hyper-competitiveness and a blurring of the line between fair and unfair is becoming a factor in high school sports these days, as it always was in professional sports. I would like to point up the sick emphasis by so many in this country on violent sports in particular. Whatever happened to good old baseball? Sure, the players would sometimes spill out onto the field and have a big brawl, but that was just an excess of “teamwork.” It was the basic structure of the game, as with football. There was a disturbing news report a few years ago about some parents who were involved in a similar incident to this one in little league hockey, also a very violent sport.

People when I was in high school used to claim that team sports promote teamwork in general and therefore were psychologically good for a kid, but I personally think we need to stick to church youth fellowship, non-violent clubs at school, the Boy and Girl Scouts (setting aside the recent unfortunate episodes about gay leaders and members) etc. I would like to see ALL hazing incidents disappear entirely, and more adult leaders such as coaches and band directors fired as this man was for participating in or encouraging violence and what we used to call “poor sportsmanship” of all kinds. “Good sportsmanship” was the goal when I was young, but now it is “winning,” exclusively. Firing the bad guys, properly defining who is a “bad guy,” would really help. Perhaps sports could really be the “good influence” on our kids character which it is purported to be. Unfortunately, MONEY is too much involved in sports for it to be really “pure,” in my opinion, especially on the college level, and in high school the games are usually well attended by parents and sports fans alike, and that brings in cash for the school. There are even gamblers involved in some situations. You know, “the root of all evil.”