November 3, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/11/02/reports-hacktivist-groud-anonymous-publishes-names-alleged-ku-klux-klan-members/75039282/

Denials quickly follow 'Anonymous' list of alleged KKK members
Matthew Diebel and Elizabeth Weise, USATODAY
November 2, 2015

Photograph -- KKK members on horses in a 1923 parade, Tulsa, OK
Insert -- USA TODAY, Who or what is the hacktivist group Anonymous? (See article below.)


The mayor of Lexington, Ky., says he's not a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Anonymous postings saying otherwise are "false, insulting and ridiculous," Jim Gray said in a statement on Monday.

Gray, the city's Democratic mayor, was responding to the release of names of purported KKK members by someone claiming to be with the hacktivist group Anonymous.

"I have never had any relationship of any kind with the KKK. I am opposed to everything it stands for. I have no idea where this information came from, but wherever it came from, it is wrong," Gray said.

Others also named began to take to Twitter Monday to deny they were members. The postings came from someone using the Twitter handle TheAnonMessage who claimed to represent the group Anonymous. That global online activist network said last week it would expose Ku Klux Klan members and publish personal details about alleged KKK adherents.

The murky world of online activists was in full display later in Monday, when another person or group that says it's affiliated with Anonymous — Operation KKK — posted that it had not released any information and implied that to do so was reckless.

----Operation KKK @Operation_KKK
We respect the work of our fellow freedom fighters. However, we are unable to confirm, deny or take credit for any work that we did not do.
3:53 PM - 2 Nov 2015

----Operation KKK @Operation_KKK
This account has NOT YET released any information. We believe in due diligence and will NOT recklessly involve innocent individuals #OpKKK
3:03 PM - 2 Nov 2015

The data dump began to hit PasteBin, a site used to share and store text and computer code, on Sunday evening.

As of Monday morning there had been four listings, including 57 phone numbers and 23 email addresses. Some also included spouses of the supposed KKK members.

Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., whose name appeared on one list, tweeted Monday that he was in no way involved with the KKK.

----Amos Brown @Amoswtlcindy
Hey @SenDanCoats My Listeners in Indy are BOMBARDING Me About The KKK Mess. Can Someone From Your Staff send Me Your Statement About It??

----Senator Dan Coats ✔ @SenDanCoats
@Amoswtlcindy Amos, completely false. I have never had any affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan and deplore all forms of discrimination
2:07 PM - 2 Nov 2015
13 13 Retweets 7 7 favorites

The Ku Klux Klan was founded after the Civil War by former Confederate soldiers to fight against the reforms imposed by the North during Reconstruction. It had a huge national resurgence in the 1920s on a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment, largely fueled by bigotry against Jews, Catholics and blacks.

The Klan gained prominence again in the 1950s and 1960s, infamously employing murder and terror in its efforts to counter the Civil Rights movement. Since then, the KKK, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as an "American racist terrorist organization," has been weakened and now exists as a loose grouping of individual chapters, still espousing a doctrine of racial hatred.

Anonymous claimed it would reveal the identity of 1,000 KKK members after gaining the information through a compromised Twitter account associated with the group.

Anonymous also is promising to unleash a social media campaign against the KKK on Nov. 4, using the hashtag #HoodsOff.

As detailed in a news release from the group, the event is timed to the first anniversary of the grand jury decision not to prosecute Darren Wilson, the white police officer who shot unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in August 2014.

"This is just the beginning," read a news release issued by Anonymous Sunday.



http://ux.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/11/02/anonymous-hacktivist-hacktivism-guy-fawkes/75050064/

Who or what is the hacktivist group Anonymous?
Elizabeth Weise, USATODAY
November 2, 2015

Photograph—Anonymous demonstrators wearing Guy Fawkes masks in Budapest, Hungary 2012


Anonymous is an amorphous group of hacker activists who have inserted themselves into several conflicts worldwide, including actions in Israel, the United States and Europe.

There is no one Anonymous group but rather several individuals and groups that make statements and take action under the broad umbrella of the name.

Their YouTube videos often include a stylized image of a black and white suit with a question mark where the head should be. The voiceovers are done using computer software, giving them an eerie, and untracable,[sic] tone.

Anonymous actions frequently include hacking into and disseminating information that purportedly belongs to people in power, in order to discredit or embarrass them. In November of 2015, for example, the group released names and email addresses of people it said were members of the racist hate group the Ku Klux Klan.

Their YouTube videos often include a stylized image of a black and white suit with a question mark where the head should be. The voiceovers are done using computer software, giving them an eerie, and untracable, tone.

Anonymous actions frequently include hacking into and disseminating information that purportedly belongs to people in power, in order to discredit or embarrass them. In November of 2015, for example, the group released names and email addresses of people it said were members of the racist hate group the Ku Klux Klan.

In public protests, those representing themselves as Anonymous often wear Guy Fawkes masks. Fawkes was an English Catholic who participated in a plot to overthrow King James I and put a Catholic back on the English throne in 1605. The plot failed and Fawkes was condemned to death.

In recent years, Fawkes has been taken up as an icon by some anarchist groups, in part because of the use of a Guy Fawkes mask by the central character in the graphic novel "V for Vendetta" by Alan Moore and the subsequent movie.

In general, the decentralized collection of Internet savvy activists believe in freedom and and end to censorship. It supported the Occupy movement in the United States and has been active in issues surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown in the Ferguson, Mo. in 2014.





Usatoday – “Gray, the city's Democratic mayor, was responding to the release of names of purported KKK members by someone claiming to be with the hacktivist group Anonymous. "I have never had any relationship of any kind with the KKK. I am opposed to everything it stands for. I have no idea where this information came from, but wherever it came from, it is wrong," Gray said. Others also named began to take to Twitter Monday to deny they were members. The postings came from someone using the Twitter handle TheAnonMessage who claimed to represent the group Anonymous. That global online activist network said last week it would expose Ku Klux Klan members and publish personal details about alleged KKK adherents. …. The murky world of online activists was in full display later in Monday, when another person or group that says it's affiliated with Anonymous — Operation KKK — posted that it had not released any information and implied that to do so was reckless. ----Operation KKK @Operation_KKK: We respect the work of our fellow freedom fighters. However, we are unable to confirm, deny or take credit for any work that we did not do. 3:53 PM - 2 Nov 2015 …. The data dump began to hit PasteBin, a site used to share and store text and computer code, on Sunday evening. As of Monday morning there had been four listings, including 57 phone numbers and 23 email addresses. Some also included spouses of the supposed KKK members. Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., whose name appeared on one list, tweeted Monday that he was in no way involved with the KKK. …. Anonymous claimed it would reveal the identity of 1,000 KKK members after gaining the information through a compromised Twitter account associated with the group. Anonymous also is promising to unleash a social media campaign against the KKK on Nov. 4, using the hashtag #HoodsOff. …. In general, the decentralized collection of Internet savvy activists believe in freedom and and end to censorship. It supported the Occupy movement in the United States and has been active in issues surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown in the Ferguson, Mo. in 2014.”

Anonymous – “Their YouTube videos often include a stylized image of a black and white suit with a question mark where the head should be. The voiceovers are done using computer software, giving them an eerie, and untracable, tone. Anonymous actions frequently include hacking into and disseminating information that purportedly belongs to people in power, in order to discredit or embarrass them. In November of 2015, for example, the group released names and email addresses of people it said were members of the racist hate group the Ku Klux Klan. They often use the tag line, "We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us." …. In general, the decentralized collection of Internet savvy activists believe in freedom and and [sic] end to censorship. It supported the Occupy movement in the United States and has been active in issues surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown in the Ferguson, Mo. in 2014.”


While I believe there is a need for social warriors on the left and in the middle, who are actually effective against the upsurge of extremely rightwing activity that has emerged since the 9/11 attack and the USA Patriot Act, I am afraid of all “anonymous” groups simply because they act in the dark and until their names and phone numbers are published, we will not know who they are. We also cannot trust the accuracy of their statements until they are verified. Mayor Gray is a Democrat and therefore not likely to be in the KKK nowadays, even in Kentucky, and Sen. Coates says he despises the KKK. If those two men are not actually members, then the list by Anonymous is suspect at best. I hope the investigative press will hop on this and try to verify the information.

The Southern Poverty Law Center does similar things, but out in the open and they prove their case. They are the role model for freedom fighters to me. The KKK was finally forced by federal law to declare its’ membership, and perhaps the same law should be used to identify Anonymous individuals and groups. I don’t know how far the feds can go in uncovering the identities of Internet groups. Some good hackers might be able to trace their locations and names, or at least that’s what they say in all the modern TV police procedurals.

While I’m glad to see that modern day undeclared KKK members who are in government positions are being exposed, I don’t trust people who hide behind masks, even the cleverly artistic Guy Fawkes mask. Things like that tend to stir up mutual hatred to an even higher pitch than what we have now.

About the Anonymous motto sic semper tyrannis, see the article below.


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

Sic semper tyrannis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sic semper tyrannis is a Latin phrase meaning "thus always to tyrants".

History[edit]

The phrase is often said[who?] to have originated with Marcus Junius Brutus during the assassination of Julius Caesar on 15 March 44BC, but according to Plutarch, Brutus either did not have a chance to say anything, or if he did, no one heard what was said:

Caesar thus done to death, the senators, although Brutus came forward as if to say something about what had been done, would not wait to hear him, but burst out of doors and fled, thus filling the people with confusion and helpless fear.[1]

The phrase has been invoked historically in Europe and other parts of the world as an epithet or rallying cry against abuse of power.

Usage in the US[edit]

In American history, John Tyler's father uttered the phrase to a school-teacher who had been tied up by Tyler and his fellow pupils.[2]

John Wilkes Booth wrote in his diary that he shouted "Sic semper" after shooting U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, in part because of the association with the assassination of Caesar.[3][4]

Timothy McVeigh was wearing a T-shirt with this phrase and a picture of Lincoln on it when he was arrested on April 19, 1995, the day of the Oklahoma City bombing.[5]

The phrase was recommended by George Mason to the Virginia Convention in 1776, as part of the commonwealth's seal.

The phrase is also the motto of the United States Navy attack submarine named for the state, the USS Virginia (SSN-774). Before that, it was the motto of the nuclear-powered cruiser USS Virginia (CGN-38). It is also the motto of the U.S. city Allentown, the third largest city in Pennsylvania, and is referenced in the official state song of Maryland




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-not-crucial-syria-bashar-assad-in-power-syrian-people-must-decide/

Russia changing stance on backing for Assad?
CBS/AP
November 3, 2015

Photograph -- Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Syrian President Bashar Assad at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Oct. 20, 2015. REUTERS
Play VIDEO -- John Kerry attempts to broker Syria ceasefire in Vienna talks
Play VIDEO -- Syrian President Assad makes surprise visit to Russia
Related article -- Obama: No U.S. troops on Syrian front lines


MOSCOW -- A Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Tuesday that Moscow does not consider it a matter of principle that Syrian President Bashar Assad should stay in power, seemingly stepping back from its previous position of strong support for him.

Asked whether it was crucial for Moscow that Assad stays, Maria Zakharov said on the Ekho Moskvy radio station: "Absolutely not, we've never said that."

"What we did say is a regime change in Syria could become a local or even regional catastrophe," she said, adding that "only the Syrian people can decide the president's fate."

Not long after the remarks were made, Zakharov sought to clarify them with another Russian media outlet; "I can confirm that Russia's position on resolving the Syrian (crisis) has not changed," she said.

Russia is believed to be Assad's strongest backer and has previously balked at the West's suggestions that the Syrian president should be ousted.

Russia in September began carrying out airstrikes against opposition fighters in Syria. While Moscow initially said its focus would be militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), it quickly became apparent that the primary targets were other rebel groups closing in on Assad's strongholds -- including some groups backed by the U.S.

Earlier on Tuesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Russian news agencies that Moscow is aiming to host a round of talks between Syrian officials and opposition leaders next week.

Bogdanov said the Syrian government has agreed to participate, but that it is unclear which opposition groups might come. He did not give a specific date for the proposed talks.

The talks are expected to be discussed Wednesday at a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.N. Syrian envoy Staffan de Mistura, Bogdanov said.

Assad made a surprise visit to Moscow last month, which was viewed as a signal that Russia ultimately seeks a political settlement after weeks of heavy airstrikes in Syria, although the terms of such an arrangement are uncertain.




“A Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Tuesday that Moscow does not consider it a matter of principle that Syrian President Bashar Assad should stay in power, seemingly stepping back from its previous position of strong support for him. Asked whether it was crucial for Moscow that Assad stays, Maria Zakharov said on the Ekho Moskvy radio station: "Absolutely not, we've never said that." "What we did say is a regime change in Syria could become a local or even regional catastrophe," she said, adding that "only the Syrian people can decide the president's fate." …. Earlier on Tuesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Russian news agencies that Moscow is aiming to host a round of talks between Syrian officials and opposition leaders next week. Bogdanov said the Syrian government has agreed to participate, but that it is unclear which opposition groups might come. He did not give a specific date for the proposed talks.”


Relations in the Middle East tend to resemble a soap opera. Tit for tat violence, but no real change. I do hope they can make some progress in the talks scheduled for next week. If it looks as though something has changed, I’ll clip the article.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/vatican-leaks-arrests-pope-francis-reform-catholic-church-book-nuzzi/

Will Vatican leaks reveal pope's battle for reform?
CBS NEWS
November 3, 2015

Play VIDEO -- Two arrested in scandal over leaked Vatican documents
Photograph -- pope-francis-health-rumour.jpg, Pope Francis waves as he arrives to lead the weekly audience in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican, Oct. 21, 2015. REUTERS


At the center of the controversy surrounding leaked Vatican documents is a pair of books due out later this week. CBS news obtained a copy Tuesday of the more explosive of the two, in which author Gianluigi Nuzzi lays out what he calls "a true battle between good and evil."

In his book, titled "Merchants at the Temple," Nuzzi says Pope Francis' efforts to reform the administration of the Catholic Church have seen battle lines drawn; "the Pope's men are lined up on one side, while on the other are his enemies, the defenders of the status quo, adverse to any and all change."

CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen reports that change began shortly after Pope Francis was elected. He set up a special commission to examine the Vatican's finances. The book claims the commission, known by the acronym COSEA, found numerous shortcomings and areas where there was virtually no accounting for how money was spent.

Nuzzi also singles out in the book, "the procedures for beatification and canonization -- a marketplace in which millions of dollars change hands."

The Vatican's response to the book has been two-fold; first, a statement attacking both of the new books as "the fruit of a grave betrayal of the pope's trust."

Second, the Vatican police force arrested two people who were on the commission, a Spanish priest and a woman who served as a public relations expert for COSEA. It's believed they leaked information on the commission, including actual recordings of the pope at private meetings.

Candida Moss, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, told CBS News that while the arrests just days before the books' release may give the appearance that the new pope is "in line with everyone else in the church," in fact "the actual revelations themselves only promote him as someone who has been trying to change the atmosphere and culture at the Vatican."

The second book, called "Avarice," details a lavish lifestyle for Vatican officials. Incidents like a $26,000 helicopter ride for the Vatican's then Secretary of State -- who was later fired from his job by Pope Francis.

In the end, Francis' efforts at cleaning up the Vatican's administration may be helped by the revelations.

"There must be a cleanup of Vatican finances," said Moss. "So in a way, Pope Francis comes out as looking quite good."

The second book, called "Avarice," details a lavish lifestyle for Vatican officials. Incidents like a $26,000 helicopter ride for the Vatican's then Secretary of State -- who was later fired from his job by Pope Francis.



“In his book, titled "Merchants at the Temple," Nuzzi says Pope Francis' efforts to reform the administration of the Catholic Church have seen battle lines drawn; "the Pope's men are lined up on one side, while on the other are his enemies, the defenders of the status quo, adverse to any and all change." CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen reports that change began shortly after Pope Francis was elected. He set up a special commission to examine the Vatican's finances. The book claims the commission, known by the acronym COSEA, found numerous shortcomings and areas where there was virtually no accounting for how money was spent. Nuzzi also singles out in the book, "the procedures for beatification and canonization -- a marketplace in which millions of dollars change hands." The Vatican's response to the book has been two-fold; first, a statement attacking both of the new books as "the fruit of a grave betrayal of the pope's trust." Second, the Vatican police force arrested two people who were on the commission, a Spanish priest and a woman who served as a public relations expert for COSEA. It's believed they leaked information on the commission, including actual recordings of the pope at private meetings. …. The second book, called "Avarice," details a lavish lifestyle for Vatican officials. Incidents like a $26,000 helicopter ride for the Vatican's then Secretary of State -- who was later fired from his job by Pope Francis. …. The second book, called "Avarice," details a lavish lifestyle for Vatican officials. Incidents like a $26,000 helicopter ride for the Vatican's then Secretary of State -- who was later fired from his job by Pope Francis.”

Politics is the same everywhere, especially if big money is tied into it. I pray this Pope will not be assassinated or driven out of office. I will truly grieve if that occurs. I really want to know more about the two who were arrested, who ordered the arrest and what secrets they leaked, if they actually did. I’ll follow this as the weeks go by. I have worried about him ever since I realized what kind of man he is. I have always believed that right wing forces in the US had John Kennedy assassinated because he was too “liberal” and entirely too popular. That was probably the first act of Eisenhower’s “military-industrial complex.” Eisenhower was a Republican, but not right wing. I was young then, of course, but I liked him very much.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marshall-leonard-confederate-flag-bombs-walmart-police/

Miss. man bombs Walmart over Confederate flag: police
CBS/AP
November 3, 2015

Photograph -- Marshall Leonard WJTV
25 PHOTOS -- Places the Confederate flag still flies


TUPELO, Miss. -- A man known for flying a 4-foot-long Mississippi state flag on his car has been accused of bombing a Walmart because the chain stopped selling the flag, the police chief said Monday.

The explosive made a loud bang but did no damage when it was thrown early Sunday into the 24-hour Walmart in Tupelo, Police Chief Bart Aguirre said Monday. He said bomb technicians reported that the package held enough explosive to damage the store if it had been assembled differently.

Marshall E. Leonard of Tupelo, a northeast Mississippi city of 34,500, was jailed on a charge of detonating an explosive, and police were searching his car and home, Aguirre said.

Walmart is among retailers that stopped selling merchandise bearing reproductions of the Confederate battle flag - which makes up the upper left section of the Mississippi state flag - after the June 17 killing of nine black worshippers at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Some Mississippi cities and institutions also have stopped flying the state flag.

"He's a strong supporter of keeping that flag flying. ... This is his way of bringing attention to that," Aguirre said.

Leonard did not yet have an attorney who could comment Monday, Aguirre said. His bond hearing probably will be held Tuesday, and the judge will appoint an attorney if Leonard, who lives alone and has no job, cannot afford one, the police chief said.

Aguirre says Leonard allegedly lit a newspaper-wrapped package and threw it into the store around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

"An employee was sitting the vestibule taking a break. He told the employee to run - that he was going to blow the place up. He throws this package into the front entrance of Walmart. He flees and the employee flees," Aguirre said.

He said Leonard's silver Mazda is bedecked with stickers of the Mississippi state flag and the Confederate battle flag, and it sports a big state flag on a flexible pole. Leonard was arrested about 2 a.m. for running a red light near the Walmart, Aguirre said.

The state of Mississippi got swept up in the debate over the Confederate flag that erupted after a young white supremacist shot and killed nine in a black church in South Carolina. It has been among the most recalcitrant of Southern states to remove that and other Confederate symbols from the public sphere.

The University of Mississippi recently took the historic step of removing the state flag, which still sports a depiction of the Confederate flag.

"As Mississippi's flagship university, we have a deep love and respect for our state," the university president said. "Because the flag remains Mississippi's official banner, this was a hard decision. I understand the flag represents tradition and honor to some. But to others, the flag means that some members of the Ole Miss family are not welcomed or valued."

Since 1894, the Mississippi flag has had the Confederate battle emblem in the upper left corner - a blue X with 13 white stars, over a field of red. Residents chose to keep the flag during a 2001 statewide vote.




“The explosive made a loud bang but did no damage when it was thrown early Sunday into the 24-hour Walmart in Tupelo, Police Chief Bart Aguirre said Monday. He said bomb technicians reported that the package held enough explosive to damage the store if it had been assembled differently. Marshall E. Leonard of Tupelo, a northeast Mississippi city of 34,500, was jailed on a charge of detonating an explosive, and police were searching his car and home, Aguirre said. Walmart is among retailers that stopped selling merchandise bearing reproductions of the Confederate battle flag - which makes up the upper left section of the Mississippi state flag - after the June 17 killing of nine black worshippers at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. …. "He's a strong supporter of keeping that flag flying. ... This is his way of bringing attention to that," Aguirre said. Leonard did not yet have an attorney who could comment Monday, Aguirre said. His bond hearing probably will be held Tuesday, and the judge will appoint an attorney if Leonard, who lives alone and has no job, cannot afford one, the police chief said. …. "An employee was sitting the vestibule taking a break. He told the employee to run - that he was going to blow the place up. He throws this package into the front entrance of Walmart. He flees and the employee flees," Aguirre said. He said Leonard's silver Mazda is bedecked with stickers of the Mississippi state flag and the Confederate battle flag, and it sports a big state flag on a flexible pole. Leonard was arrested about 2 a.m. for running a red light near the Walmart, Aguirre said.”

This man is going to pay a high penalty for being foolish and undereducated. He’s a poor man and probably depressed, but above all he believes in the tradition of states’ rights and white supremacy. I was impressed by the fact that he warned the Walmart employee – he didn’t apparently want to kill anyone. So many whites in rural areas have no job and are really down and out. I blame our economy for that, and the educational system which cares more about keeping blacks out and not teaching any liberal ideas (or any ideas, perhaps) in the school system. Some people still believe that all a person needs is religious faith, patriotism and a little “readin’, writin’ and ‘rithmetic,” and anything beyond that is contaminating. Some Amish groups actually do teach only the basics in their schools because the fear the hubris that can go along with learning more. They believe in the simple life at all costs. Things like this attack on a Walmart for stopping the sales of the Dixie flag remind me of Caesar’s line in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, “Caesar: Let me have men about me that are fat, Sleek-headed men and such as sleep a-nights. Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look, He thinks too much; such men are dangerous.” Julius Caesar Act 1, scene 2, 190–195.

Some of our poor whites and undoubtedly blacks as well are becoming desperate. Thinking thoroughly and well is a good thing, but the kind of radicalization that is happening lately -- because too many people have become suspicious of outsiders and of the government itself -- can lead to real instability. I’ve never been one to fly a flag outside my home, but I do value our government strongly for its’ strengths, just as I want to change its’ unjust laws when I see them. People who speak out against the government as a whole worry me, because we simply can’t have a nation of 320,090,857 people (I just verified that figure) without a solid, STRONG and just government.

There are, unfortunately, a good many people in rural, Southern, Western areas and amazingly in cities as well who want to destroy the system we have because Jim Crow is no longer the law of the land. KKK fliers have ended up in northern areas as well. When they’re worried about the fact that they can’t get a job they start looking for a scapegoat and there are always the “spooks, spics and the Jews” for that purpose. Oh, yes, and the “rag heads” as well. Liberal ideas have actually made a good bit of progress since Franklin Roosevelt, but the forces which I consider to be evil still exist all across this country. Still, I say “God bless America,” because the black-hearted ones haven’t won the cultural war yet.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/6-booted-from-spirit-airlines-flight-in-l-a-claim-discrimination/

Several booted from flight in L.A. claim discrimination
CBS NEWS
November 3, 2015

Video—News report, CBS LA


LOS ANGELES -- Several passengers kicked off a Spirit Airlines plane at Los Angeles International Airport Monday night accused a flight attendant of discrimination, reports CBS Los Angeles. The travelers said they were singled out and booted off the aircraft because they are black.

"I'm really humiliated just for the simple fact that you hear about this type of stuff happening in America, discrimination issues and stuff like that, but to actually experience it first-hand... " said passenger Alexandria Wright.

Witnesses told CBS Los Angeles the passengers were removed from Flight 868 after a white flight attendant accused a member in the group of being a threat.

But cell phone video provided by Wright shows the man involved in the dispute over the seat telling police there were witnesses to prove the flight attendant had been rude.

In a statement to CBS News, Spirit said, "Four passengers became unruly and were causing trouble with other passengers. Flight crew asked them to stop. When they did, not law enforcement was called and they were removed from the flight."

CBS Los Angeles put the number of passengers shown the door at 6, as did one of the irate passengers.

It started with confusion over a seat, which the travelers claimed was double-booked. Then police came and escorted three couples, all black, off the plane.

"It was more than just us having the conversation. Why is that six black people got kicked off the plane?" Wright asked.

The flight left for Dallas at 8 p.m. local time Monday without those six passengers, who said they were had not been rebooked as of 11:30 p.m.

After arriving at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, witnesses from the flight told reporters the banned passengers were being disruptive.



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

Spirit Airlines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spirit Airlines, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAVE) is an American low-cost carrier headquartered in Miramar, Florida. Spirit operates scheduled flights throughout the U.S. as well as the Caribbean, Mexico, and Latin America. Major focus cities include; Ft. Lauderdale, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Las Vegas, Chicago-O'Hare, Houston, Atlantic City, and Myrtle Beach. As of 2015, Spirit remains the only airline in the United States with a 2-Star Skytrax airline rating.[4]

2011-present

In April 2012, citing the airline's strict refund policy, Spirit Airlines representative Misty Pinson announced that the airline would not issue a refund to dying veteran Jerry Meekins, who had purchased a non-refundable ticket between Florida and Atlantic City.[17] The 76-year-old Vietnam veteran and former Marine tried to get his $197 back after learning his esophageal cancer was terminal and being told by his doctor not to fly.[18] The decision caused outrage among veterans' groups and the general public, some of whom threatened to boycott Spirit unless both a refund and apology were issued. On May 4, Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza apologized for how the situation was handled and personally refunded Meekins' ticket. Additionally, the airline made a $5000 donation to the Wounded Warrior Project in Meekins' name.[19]

. . . .

On Monday, July 1, 2013, a Spirit Airlines jetliner came within two miles of a skydiving aircraft, but was found by the FAA to be in full regulatory compliance.[22] In August 2013, Spirit reached an agreement on a new five-year deal with Teamsters, who represent the airline's flight dispatchers.

On August 7, 2014, Spirit Airlines began new service out of Kansas City, Missouri to five destinations.[23] In November 2014, Morgan Stanley named Spirit the top growth airline pick for investors.[24]

Criticism[edit]

A Department of Transportation Statistics report concluded that in 2008 Spirit had the highest number of complaints per passenger among U.S. airlines that carry more than 5 million passengers.[32]

On Thursday September 17, 2009, the Federal Aviation Administration fined Spirit Airlines $375,000 for violating the agency's consumer protection regulations, including not compensating bumped passengers, violating various rules regarding delayed baggage compensation, and not including fees in advertised fares.[33]
Spirit Airlines has received generally extremely negative reviews from passengers. In January 2013, Skytrax Airline Quality Research downgraded Spirit Airlines to a ranking of 2 out of 5 stars.[34]

Controversial advertising campaigns[edit]

Over the years, Spirit has worked to get publicity, good and bad, by advertising using current controversial events. . . . .




“Witnesses told CBS Los Angeles the passengers were removed from Flight 868 after a white flight attendant accused a member in the group of being a threat. But cell phone video provided by Wright shows the man involved in the dispute over the seat telling police there were witnesses to prove the flight attendant had been rude. In a statement to CBS News, Spirit said, "Four passengers became unruly and were causing trouble with other passengers. Flight crew asked them to stop. When they did, not [sic] law enforcement was called and they were removed from the flight." CBS Los Angeles put the number of passengers shown the door at 6, as did one of the irate passengers. …. It started with confusion over a seat, which the travelers claimed was double-booked. Then police came and escorted three couples, all black, off the plane.”


Go to the Wikipedia website about Spirit Airline for the most bizarre list of “advertising” schemes you could imagine. Their management is not too savvy in general, I think, so if they have racially harassed some people it doesn’t surprise me. Remind me never to fly Spirit. I am embarrassed to say that this airline is based in Florida. Florida draws people for its beautiful climate and has a result has good people and very bad people. This is, after all, the “Deep South,” and I can tell you that my upbringing in an industrial city in Piedmont North Carolina was better about the racial conflicts. Most people had jobs in those days if they wanted them and as a result were more peaceful than nowadays. I notice that the North Carolina legislature has enacted some laws that are anti-gay, anti-black and anti-free thought of all kinds. These are hard times economically, and folks are really getting a little crazy.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-meets-with-families-of-trayvon-martin-other-gun-violence-victims/

Hillary Clinton meets with families of Trayvon Martin, other gun violence victims
By HANNAH FRASER-CHANPONG CBS NEWS
November 2, 2015

Photograph -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton listens to a question from the audience at a campaign town hall meeting in Keene, New Hampshire October 16, 2015. REUTERS
Twitter -- Hillary Clinton ✔ @HillaryClinton, Grateful to spend time today with mothers who have lost a child to violence and turned their grief into a national call to action. -H
7:05 PM - 2 Nov 2015


CHICAGO Hillary Clinton held a private meeting in Chicago on Monday with the family members of victims of gun violence, including Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice.

According to a campaign aide, Clinton and the family members discussed their personal stories of loss and the need for gun safety reform, as well as a restoration of trust between communities and law enforcement agencies.

Among the family members who attended were Sabrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, Samaria Rice, mother of Tamir Rice, Lesley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown, Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontre Hamilton and Joy McCormack, mother of Francisco "Frankie" Valencia.

The meeting comes just days after Clinton spoke about the need for gun safety and criminal justice reform during a campaign stop in Charleston, South Carolina.

Clinton, who supports reversing the 2005 law which shields gun dealers and manufacturers from lawsuits, has called for universal background checks on prospective gun buyers and the closing of loopholes that make gun purchases easier at gun shows and online.

But beyond reform, Clinton called on Americans to reflect daily on the meaning of tragedies of gun violence, like the shooting that killed nine people at a church in Charleston over the summer.

"One of the challenges that we need to confront is how we look at each other with respect," she said Saturday, "and how we build a country that truly does hold out the promise of the American dream to everybody."




“Hillary Clinton held a private meeting in Chicago on Monday with the family members of victims of gun violence, including Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice. According to a campaign aide, Clinton and the family members discussed their personal stories of loss and the need for gun safety reform, as well as a restoration of trust between communities and law enforcement agencies. …. The meeting comes just days after Clinton spoke about the need for gun safety and criminal justice reform during a campaign stop in Charleston, South Carolina. Clinton, who supports reversing the 2005 law which shields gun dealers and manufacturers from lawsuits, has called for universal background checks on prospective gun buyers and the closing of loopholes that make gun purchases easier at gun shows and online. But beyond reform, Clinton called on Americans to reflect daily on the meaning of tragedies of gun violence, like the shooting that killed nine people at a church in Charleston over the summer. …. "One of the challenges that we need to confront is how we look at each other with respect," she said Saturday, "and how we build a country that truly does hold out the promise of the American dream to everybody."


I’m glad both Hillary and Bernie are taking stands on issues surrounding blacks now. The black outrage against police and whites after these killings, and some two dozen others as well over the last year and a half, did not emerge out of a vacuum. Do any of you remember the riots after King was assassinated? I do, and I was scared. Even when I was young and living in Thomasville there were cops who were known for being bullies. You didn’t read about black people being particularly brutalized in that place and time because it was the Jim Crow era, and it was just like a man kicking his dog, often for nothing at all. It was considered to be a bad thing, but it wasn’t against the law and it wasn’t “news,” either. Dogs, children and wives are possessions under that code, and can be treated any way at all. We have come a long way, by and large, from those days, but it still occurs. So Dems, go into the House and the Senate and write some just and equitable laws to replace these local ones that are often deeply unfair, and clean out the courts to put in fair-minded prosecutors and judges as well. Then there will be real change. As for black people, we need to start talking to them one to one rather than grouping them in an inately inferior group in our minds. When that happens, white juries won't acquit violent police officers and stand your ground believers any more. I believe it's already starting to happen.





http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/11/03/454063182/poll-finds-americans-especially-millennials-moving-away-from-religion

Poll Finds Americans, Especially Millennials, Moving Away From Religion
Tom Gjelten
Correspondent, Religion and Belief, National Desk
NOVEMBER 03, 2015

Related Article: Person using a tablet. ALL TECH CONSIDERED. America's Less Religious: Study Puts Some Blame On The Internet

Graphics -- Poll: Small Decreases In Religious Affiliation And Participation
Photograph -- A woman prays at Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The shift away from religion among Americans has taken place in a relatively short period of time.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images


Religion is apparently weakening in America. A new report from the Pew Research Center shows that the percentage of Americans who say they believe in God, pray daily, and attend church regularly is declining.

Among the findings:

The share of Americans who say they are "absolutely certain" that God exists has dropped eight percentage points, from 71 percent to 63 percent, since 2007, when the last comparable study was made.

The percentage of adults who describe themselves as "religiously affiliated" has shrunk six points since 2007, from 83 percent to 77 percent.

The shares of the U.S. adult population who consider religion "very important" to them, pray daily, and attend services at least once a month have declined between three and four percent over the last eight years.

The shift is small but statistically significant, according to the authors, given that the changes have taken place in a relatively short period of time, and the survey sample is large enough (about 35,000 U.S. adults) to be considered reliable.

Skepticism about religion is especially evident among young people. The Pew study found that barely a quarter of "millennials" (born between 1981 and 1996) attend church services on a weekly basis, compared with more than half of U.S. adults born before 1946. Only about 4 in 10 millennials say religion is important in their lives, compared with more than half of those who are older, including two thirds of those born before 1946.

The Pew researchers acknowledge that some young people may become more religious as they grow older, but their data suggest that the generational differences in religiosity could well endure. "The oldest Millennials, now in their late 20s and early 30s, are generally less observant than they were seven years ago," the authors write. "If these trends continue American society is likely to grow less religious even if those who are adults today maintain their current levels of religious commitment."

The weakening of religious beliefs and practices has clear political overtones. The growth in the number of religiously unaffiliated people is largely benefiting Democrats, for whom "nones" are now the single largest religious constituency. Evangelicals, meanwhile, constitute the largest religious group in the Republican Party, and the share of evangelicals who identify with the Republicans has grown since 2007.

Indeed, the Pew report suggests that polarization along religious lines may be increasing in the United States. While the percentage of Americans who say they don't affiliate with any religious tradition is growing, those people who still identify with a religion are becoming even more devout. A growing share of the "religiously affiliated" say they regularly read scripture, participate in prayer groups, and share their faith with others.

Correction, Nov. 3, 2015: A graphic on this post initially stated that 6.7 percent of recipients answered "Don't know/refused" to a question about religious identity in a 2007 survey. The correct number is 0.8 percent.




“The share of Americans who say they are "absolutely certain" that God exists has dropped eight percentage points, from 71 percent to 63 percent, since 2007, when the last comparable study was made. The percentage of adults who describe themselves as "religiously affiliated" has shrunk six points since 2007, from 83 percent to 77 percent. …. The shift is small but statistically significant, according to the authors, given that the changes have taken place in a relatively short period of time, and the survey sample is large enough (about 35,000 U.S. adults) to be considered reliable. Skepticism about religion is especially evident among young people. The Pew study found that barely a quarter of "millennials" (born between 1981 and 1996) attend church services on a weekly basis, compared with more than half of U.S. adults born before 1946. …. The Pew researchers acknowledge that some young people may become more religious as they grow older, but their data suggest that the generational differences in religiosity could well endure. …. The weakening of religious beliefs and practices has clear political overtones. The growth in the number of religiously unaffiliated people is largely benefiting Democrats, for whom "nones" are now the single largest religious constituency. Evangelicals, meanwhile, constitute the largest religious group in the Republican Party, and the share of evangelicals who identify with the Republicans has grown since 2007.”

I’ve never believed any of the miracles of the Bible, but I have always believed the morality issues except for the emphasis on virginity until marriage, and no sex outside of marriage. I think sex is important to personal fulfillment emotionally and a good instinct. At its best, however, it is between committed individuals whether or not they are married. Most couples who are really in love want to have at least two or three children and help them into adulthood. The goal of a loving couple should be loving children. If that were always the case, the crime rate would go down drastically and owning a gun would not be a priority as it is today.

To me the goal of a good religion whatever its creeds, should be gentleness, self fulfilment, a contemplative turn of mind, a hopeful positive attitude and yes, happiness. Happy people tend to be good people. Criminals are almost universally unhappy. Many young people who end up in prison, especially if their crimes are terribly violent, have had lives that read like a horror story. Just like with bringing up dogs, vicious treatment will yield a vicious temperament. If Christians are good people they will not beat one of their boys to death in an effort to get him to “repent” for some sin he committed. That story hit the news within the last month. What Jesus said of how we should judge religions was “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” Beating a child to death is not “good fruit.” Many Christians are illogical, but Jesus himself wasn’t.

Many Democrats are like me – largely but not perfectly logical, free-thinking, pragmatic, humanistic, and hopeful, but not obedient or doctrinaire. They don’t swallow unlikely stories hook line and sinker, because they just don’t sound like they are true; and the more strongly some religious group pushes its dogmas and rules on such a person, the less likely a free thinker is to join in or give their hard-earned money. One of the big turnoffs to me, is the money connection. I’ll never forget the Televangelists of fifteen or so years ago. Remember Tammy Fay with her thickly coated mascara running down her face? That was all about fundraising.

That has recently come up in the Catholic Church too in an article in today’s blog on Vatican issues and the political war that appears to be breaking out within the Church. I have feared that this Pope could actually be assassinated for his beliefs and outspoken leadership, though I certainly hope that won’t happen. He’s a good man, but he is bold and committed. Such people are in danger in such strongly established societal groups whose interests are more strongly aligned with Big Money and power than with helping the poor and downtrodden. No, it doesn’t surprise me that many young people are turning away from religion. They want to live a free life and be happy.

Undoubtedly they will decide eventually that they have done some things that are wrong and want to follow a more moral path, but not all of them will go for a miracle and magic laden religion that was in its natural place in the world two thousand years ago. Christianity is basically like the mystical religions of ancient Greece and nearby areas in its dogmas, in which animal sacrifice and the consumption of blood as a ritual was normal. To me it has simply never sounded normal or holy or good. I personally don’t think Jesus, who was a Jew, would have approved of the union with primitive Greek beliefs that occurred after Jesus died as the Church began to come together as an entity. That’s how things like snake handling and the drinking of Jesus’ blood came into the religion. They were of pagan origin.

My beliefs are to follow as nearly a moral path as I can, be gentle as often as I can, repent of my anger, dishonesty and self-centeredness, and be mentally healthy and rational in what I do as much as I can. I believe I will live, hopefully happily, until I die, and that I will then remain dead. At a certain point we humans have done our jobs as humans, and we will rest. Forever. That’s why I want to be cremated, so I can blend with the molecules of the universe. That’s completion and peace.