January 14 and 15, 2016


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/alan-rickman-star-of-die-hard-harry-potter-series-dies/

Alan Rickman, star of "Die Hard" and "Harry Potter" films, dies
By DAVID MORGAN CBS/AP
January 14, 2016

Gallery: Alan Rickman 1946-2016


British actor Alan Rickman, a stage and screen actor best recognized as Professor Snape in the "Harry Potter" films, has died. He was 69.

His agent confirmed his death to CBS News on Thursday.

Born in 1946 to a working-class London family, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His performance as a scheming French aristocrat in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1985 production of Christopher Hampton's "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" was his breakout role.

He came to the attention of movie audiences in the 1988 action film, "Die Hard," playing the villain opposite hero cop Bruce Willis.

He starred as memorably delicious villains in such films as "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," and "Rasputin," a 1996 TV movie for which he won a Golden Globe.

Rickman also played the romantic, in the 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility," "Truly, Madly, Deeply," and "Love Actually."

His other film credits include "Michael Collins," "Galaxy Quest," "The January Man," and "Lee Daniels' The Butler" (as Ronald Reagan).

He was also the voice of Marvin the android in the 2005 film of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," and of Blue Caterpillar in Tim Burton's "Alice" films.

On Broadway, he earned two Tony Award nominations for Best Actor for "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" and "Private Lives."

He also took turns behind the camera, directing Emma Thompson in "The Winter Guest," and Kate Winslet in "A Little Chaos."

Frequently charming in person, Rickman was, by his own account, uncompromising as an actor. During the filming of the "Harry Potter" films, he maintained Snape's air of haughty disdain even off-camera.

"The animal in me takes over," Rickman told The Associated Press in 2011 when he appeared on Broadway in Theresa Rebeck's play "Seminar." "You're as polite as possible, but it's not always possible."

Rickman is survived by his partner of 50 years, Rima Horton, whom he married in 2012. Funeral details were not immediately available.



“He starred as memorably delicious villains in such films as "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," and "Rasputin," a 1996 TV movie for which he won a Golden Globe. Rickman also played the romantic, in the 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility," "Truly, Madly, Deeply," and "Love Actually." I didn’t recognize Rickman’s name except very vaguely, but when I saw his photograph I knew him immediately. He was the vicious and corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, 1991, with Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman. That’s one movie that I would be happy to watch every year or so in order to enjoy the scenery and the excellent acting in all the major roles. I then remembered him from Sense and Sensibility in 1995. I didn’t have the courage to watch Sweeny Todd at the time it came out, but knowing he is the main character, I think I will check it out from the public library if they have a copy.

He is one of those men who is only so appealing to me as a leading man. His ability to play a lover, however, is clear. In Sense and Sensibility 1995, he played a gentleman from the neighborhood who falls for Marianne Dashwood played by Kate Winslet. He wasn’t a dashing lover like Hugh Grant, but was charming and appealing in a masculine and attractive way. Like many of the good character actors he has played a wide variety of roles in movies and on TV, such as the blue caterpillar in Alice and Wonderland, of 2010. I am so sorry to hear that he died. He was very near my own age, having been born in 1946. See also the following Wikipedia biography:

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Rickman

Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016)[1] was an English actor and theater director. He was a well known stage actor in modern and classical productions and he used to be a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Rickman was known for being in movies.

Personal life[change | change source]

Rickman was born on 21 February 1946 in Hammersmith, London, England. He studied in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Rickman married his partner of 50 years Rima Horton in 2015. He lives in London and in Los Angeles, California. His family confirmed on 14 January 2016 that he had died. [2] He had been suffering from cancer.




http://www.addictinginfo.org/2016/01/13/kim-davis-utters-four-words-to-describe-obamas-speech-gets-burned-alive-for-it-video/

Kim Davis Utters Four Words To Describe Obama’s Speech – Gets Burned Alive For It (VIDEO)
AUTHOR: ANTIPHON FREEMAN JANUARY 13, 2016 9:45 AM

Video -- Featured image via screen capture.


Rowan county clerk Kim Davis already had her five minutes of fame; her time is over and done with. Or is it? At, least, it was until some Republican by the name of Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) gave tickets to President Obama’s last State of the Union address to the Family Research Council, who then, in turn, gave the exclusive rights to one of the tickets to Mrs. Davis.

Now, unfortunately, her five minutes of fame has been extended to six minutes. Heck, we wouldn’t even grant her that right if she wasn’t one of the top trending topics in the internet chatter world Tuesday night. But, the reality is, she is. For some reason, people can’t get enough of Kim Davis – she must have all the makings of a star.

A reporter caught up with Davis after Obama concluded his last remarks for the night, and uttered just four words of what she thought about her experience:

“It was a speech.”

While not the kindest reply (it certainly was much more of a speech), it also wasn’t the most thought-provoking either. But, hey, what else do you expect coming from the mouth of Kim Davis? Here is a suggestion for Kim, in four words: just do your job.

In all fairness, the internet was much harsher to her than her characterization of the president’s speech ever was, and it’s not even close. While it’s never a good thing to be mean, she must have known a good roasting was coming her way.

Here are a few of the top (and funniest) comments she received on the internet after so brazenly deciding to show her face on the most important day in politics.

What can we say? Kim keeps showing up in the limelight and we, as a people, continue taking the bait. She may not be relevant, but she sure is a target – no one can disagree with that. Her facial expressions were probably some of the most scrutinized, right up there with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. He appeared virtually emotionless throughout the entire speech, with a few slight movements here and there. It was almost like there was an unannounced contest between him and Kim Davis on who could appear to be the least interested in whatever the president was saying. Maybe they were playing chicken with each other; we don’t know. What is clear is that Kim Davis will forever be in our memories, if not in our hearts.



I have a certain empathy for Davis. She is acting out of her concept of Christianity, after all, but I still don’t want humans to be punished in all the various ways that people of differing sexual or gender identifications are – not in business, in their personal life, on the playground, in housing or any other unfair way. Who knows when they will be stripped of their citizenship and voting rights or even jailed? People of the liberal bent mustn’t let discrimination creep into the law itself or the culture as a whole. Such Christian activists, of course, think that they are trying to create Jesus’ “heaven on earth” based on Biblical law, in other words to create a theocracy. As a result, I absolutely do have to oppose those like her who are so politically active in a negative way since Obama came into office, and in addition I don’t like the hard-faced expression that she almost always carries in the photographs I’ve seen of her. I don’t see any Christian love there, just judgmentalism.




https://www.yahoo.com/politics/he-has-a-dream-liberty-university-defends-choice-224222438.html

He has a dream: Liberty University defends choice of Trump as MLK Day speaker
Michael Walsh, Reporter
January 14, 2016

Photographs -- Donald Trump speaks at a convocation at Liberty University, as Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., left, and Rep. Michele Bachmann, right, in Lynchburg, Va., on Sept. 24, 2012. (Photo: The News & Advance, Parker Michels-Boyce/AP)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at a press conference in Chicago on March 24, 1967. (Photo: Charles Harrity/AP)


In the face of opposition from students, Liberty University officials are defending the school’s invitation to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to speak on campus Monday – Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

A peaceful protest is planned by demonstrators who will hold signs and sing when Trump speaks at one of Liberty University’s “convocations,” a thrice-weekly student gathering at the evangelical Christian school in Lynchburg, Va.

Law student Eli McGowan is an organizer of the protest. “I immediately felt that it was somewhat inappropriate, and then I started to hear from people who felt the same way,” McGowan said in an interview with Yahoo News. “Mr. Trump, by his actions and his words, he’s really revealed that he is antagonistic to the ideals that Dr. King lived for and ended up dying for.”

Mark Hine, the senior vice president for student affairs at Liberty University, said the school always holds a convocation on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and it usually includes a video to honor his memory.

“I think this one was picked to afford Mr. Trump the opportunity to, among other things, honor Dr. King. It wasn’t like we said, ‘Let’s go find someone who would be anti-Martin Luther King,’” Hine told Yahoo News. “I don’t know that absolutely everything Trump would say aligns with Martin Luther King, but I don’t see him in any way as being the total opposite.”

McGowan, who identifies as a libertarian, said Trump’s actions over the years appear to conflict with King’s message and legacy. He said Trump has been accused of discriminating in rental policies, calling for the death penalty for black teenagers convicted (and later exonerated) of rape, and demeaning undocumented immigrants. Trump has denied these charges, and, for his part, claims to have “a great relationship with the blacks.”

“Mr. Trump is someone who enjoys and profits from dividing people among racial, gender, national and ethnic lines, and mocking those he doesn’t have much in common with. Whereas Dr. King was a great unifier and sought to understand even his enemies,” McGowan said.

Hine said he sees people trying to silence others who disagree with them on American campuses or shaming schools into not inviting certain guests to the campus. But at Liberty, he said, convocation speakers cross the political spectrum.

“We want to give students exposure to all kinds of ideas from all different fronts,“ Hine said. "And we take it on the chin, by the way, for doing that from the left and the right.”

The protesters do not think Trump should be barred from speaking on campus altogether. They had no problem with his visit in 2012. They just wish for him to speak on a different occasion.

From Hine’s perspective, the list of allegations against Trump stretching back to the 1970s “seemed more like ‘gotcha politics’ than anything.”

Joel Ready, an alum of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, part of the university, said in a Facebook post that he supports having speakers with diverse opinions visit the school but was disappointed in the Trump invitation.

Citing scripture (1 Corinthians 5:9-13), Ready said that those who profess to be believers but are “immoral or greedy” should be expelled.

“Trump is the grotesque personification of everything that is wrong with American political discourse, and his repeated claims that he is a Christian should disqualify him from speaking at Liberty,” he wrote.

Trump identifies as Presbyterian and says that the Bible is his all-time favorite book (his second favorite book is his own business advice book, “The Art of the Deal.”) When asked, he has declined to name his favorite biblical passage but told the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) that he benefits from profound wisdom in the Book of Proverbs.

A cross erected on Candlers Mountain overlooks Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., Tuesday, April 21, 2015. (Photo: Steve Helber/AP)

Despite his braggadocio and flamboyant lifestyle, Trump has been polling strongly among white evangelicals — with 33 percent support in a recent NBC News/Survey Monkey survey.

Last week, in response to the uproar, Liberty University’s Student Government Association said that the student body should be able to hear from any person who is influential in his or her field of work.

“Regardless of whether we agree with their views and opinions it is our responsibility to show Christian hospitality and respect. Showing someone who we disagree with hospitality and respect doesn’t forsake our values as followers of Jesus, but helps our witness,” the group said in a post on Facebook.

The Student Government Association encouraged students to engage with other viewpoints that might cause them turn to the Bible “in search of truth.”

“Every guest we host for convocation affords us this opportunity,” the statement continues.

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., the son of late televangelist and university founder Jerry Falwell, says he thinks Trump upholds the principles of equality King enunciated in his famous 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, making him an appropriate speaker for King’s birthday. Falwell told the Lynchburg News & Advance, “Liberty stands for that principle and I believe that Mr. Trump does as well.”

To court evangelical votes, other presidential candidates have already spoken at the Christian university this election cycle: retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — all Christian Republicans — as well as, perhaps surprising to some, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent running as a Democrat, who is Jewish.

In a recent Fox News appearance, Falwell Jr. revealed that his favorite White House hopefuls are Trump, Carson and Cruz.

“I think Trump reminds me so much of my father. He says exactly what he thinks no matter what anybody cares,” Falwell told host Sean Hannity last month. “Carson is so intelligent and so levelheaded. And Cruz is just — I love Ted Cruz. So I’m still undecided, but those are definitely my three favorites.”

The convocation, considered the largest thrice-weekly gathering of Christian students in North America, hosts more than 80 guest speakers per year. It is held on campus at the Vines Center, where regular attendance is mandatory for residential undergraduate students and free to the general public.

CBN reports that Trump will get another opportunity to win over more young evangelicals on February 24, when he is scheduled to speak at Regent University, a Christian school in Virginia Beach, Va.



“A peaceful protest is planned by demonstrators who will hold signs and sing when Trump speaks at one of Liberty University’s “convocations,” a thrice-weekly student gathering at the evangelical Christian school in Lynchburg, Va. …. Law student Eli McGowan is an organizer of the protest. “I immediately felt that it was somewhat inappropriate, and then I started to hear from people who felt the same way,” McGowan said in an interview with Yahoo News. “Mr. Trump, by his actions and his words, he’s really revealed that he is antagonistic to the ideals that Dr. King lived for and ended up dying for.” Mark Hine, the senior vice president for student affairs at Liberty University, said the school always holds a convocation on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and it usually includes a video to honor his memory. …. He said Trump has been accused of discriminating in rental policies, calling for the death penalty for black teenagers convicted (and later exonerated) of rape, and demeaning undocumented immigrants. Trump has denied these charges, and, for his part, claims to have “a great relationship with the blacks.” “Mr. Trump is someone who enjoys and profits from dividing people among racial, gender, national and ethnic lines, and mocking those he doesn’t have much in common with. Whereas Dr. King was a great unifier and sought to understand even his enemies,” McGowan said. Despite his braggadocio and flamboyant lifestyle, Trump has been polling strongly among white evangelicals — with 33 percent support in a recent NBC News/Survey Monkey survey. …. It is held on campus at the Vines Center, where regular attendance is mandatory for residential undergraduate students and free to the general public.”


When I was in high school I was unaware of Liberty University, if it had even been established by then, but we had Bob Jones University, the alma mater of Billy Graham Sr. Graham. He was the foremost religious prognosticator of his time and considered to be almost a god by young Baptists of my age group. One acquaintance from my neighborhood was clearly in love with him. Graham was a wild-eyed, ranting, and highly sexual preacher, though there were no scandals against him. He was much like Elmer Gantry of the Sinclair Lewis novel, without all of the public sin.

The Wikipedia article below on Elmer Gantry and Lewis show much of what Evangelical Christians were like then and still are now. It was set in the 1920s, but the same pattern of beliefs and social attitudes survives to this day. Evangelical religious thinking is a danger to our society in that it destroys free and logical thought by a message of fear of hell, mainly because free thought actively combats the hold that dogmatic leaders have on their parishioners and on society itself. It reduces their political power and their coffers by attrition.

See the articles below on Sinclair Lewis and Elmer Gantry. Hysterical US religious people threatened Lewis’ life and one preacher called for him to be imprisoned. Meanwhile his book became “as the number one fiction bestseller of 1927, according to "Publisher's Weekly".


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

Elmer Gantry

Elmer Gantry is a novel written by Sinclair Lewis in 1926 (published in 1927) that satirically represents aspects of the religious activity of America within fundamentalist and evangelistic circles and the attitudes of the 1920s public toward it. This ferocious satire by Lewis deals with fanatical religiosity and hypocrisy in the United States during the 1920s by presenting a preacher (the Reverend Dr. Elmer Gantry) who starts by preferring booze, easy money (though eventually renouncing tobacco and alcohol) and chasing women. After various forays into evangelism, he becomes a successful Methodist minister despite his hypocrisy and serial sexual indiscretions.[1]

Lewis performed research for the novel by observing the work of various preachers in Kansas City in his so-called "Sunday School" meetings on Wednesdays. He first worked with William L. "Big Bill" Stidger (not Burris Jenkins), pastor of the Linwood Boulevard Methodist Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri. Stidger introduced Lewis to many other clergymen, among them the Reverend Leon Milton Birkhead, a Unitarian and an agnostic. Lewis preferred the liberal Birkhead to the conservative Stidger, and on his second visit to Kansas City, Lewis chose Birkhead as his guide. Other Kansas City ministers Lewis interviewed included Burris Jenkins, Earl Blackman, I. M. Hargett, Bert Fiske, and Robert Nelson Horatio Spencer, who was rector of a large Episcopal parish, Grace and Holy Trinity Church, which is now the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri.[2][3]

The character of Sharon Falconer was loosely based on elements in the career of the Canadian-born American radio evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, who founded the Pentecostal Christian denomination known as the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in 1927.

Mark Schorer, then of the University of California, Berkeley, notes: "The forces of social good and enlightenment as presented in Elmer Gantry are not strong enough to offer any real resistance to the forces of social evil and banality." Schorer also says that, while researching the book, Lewis attended two or three church services every Sunday while in Kansas City, and that: "He took advantage of every possible tangential experience in the religious community." The result is a novel that satirically represents the religious activity of America in evangelistic circles and the attitudes of the 1920s toward it.

On publication in 1927, Elmer Gantry created a public furor. The book was banned in Boston and other cities and denounced from pulpits across the United States.[4] One cleric suggested that Lewis should be imprisoned for five years, and there were also threats of physical violence against the author. Evangelist Billy Sunday called Lewis "Satan's cohort".[5] Elmer Gantry ranked as the number one fiction bestseller of 1927, according to "Publisher's Weekly".

Shortly after the publication of Elmer Gantry, H. G. Wells published a widely-syndicated newspaper article called "The New American People", in which he largely based his observations of American culture on Lewis' novels.

Elmer Gantry also appears as a minor character in two later, lesser-known Lewis novels: The Man Who Knew Coolidge and Gideon Planish.



http://latelastnightbooks.com/2015/02/23/dangerous-characters/
2/23/15 DANGEROUS CHARACTERS BY SONIA LINEBAUGH

“ . . . Elmer Gantry is amoral, but equally memorable. Billy Sunday, one of those satirized in the novel, labelled Lewis “Satan’s cohort,” and said publicly that if he were God, he would have “soaked Mr. Lewis so hard that there would have been nothing left for the devil to levy on.” There were calls for the author to be imprisoned for five years, and threats of physical violence. Lewis survived until 1951 when his alcoholism caught up with him at age 65.”




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/republican-debate-fact-checking-ted-cruz-on-working-americans/

Republican debate: Fact checking Ted Cruz on working Americans
CBS NEWS
January 15, 2016

Photograph -- Republican U.S. presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz speaks during the Fox Business Network Republican presidential candidates debate in North Charleston, South Carolina January 14, 2016. REUTERS/CHRIS KEANE


In Thursday night's Republican debate, Ted Cruz made the claim, "We have the lowest percentage of Americans working today of any year since 1977. Median wages have stagnated."

While the unemployment rate has dropped by half -- from 10 percent in 2009 to 5 percent -- there are fewer Americans as a percentage participating in the workforce. In Sept. 2015, labor force participation hit a low for the year of 62.4 percent and remained under 63 percent for the whole year.

Cruz is right that this figure has not been as low since 1977 and that wages have stagnated.

Part of this is structural -- the baby boomers are aging out of the workforce. The White House Council of Economic Advisers estimates that reductions for this reason between 2007 and 2014 make up about half of the drop-off in participation.

However, there are still many "discouraged workers" -- those who didn't look for jobs even though they wanted jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that these workers represented a little over 5 percent of the labor force in December.



“In Sept. 2015, labor force participation hit a low for the year of 62.4 percent and remained under 63 percent for the whole year. Cruz is right that this figure has not been as low since 1977 and that wages have stagnated. …. However, there are still many "discouraged workers" -- those who didn't look for jobs even though they wanted jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that these workers represented a little over 5 percent of the labor force in December.”

Anyone who has looked for work since well before Obama was elected is aware that there have been fewer jobs available and that many have indeed “become discouraged” about looking for work. People didn’t just quit their jobs and go get on welfare, as Republicans tend to think. They lost their jobs and had to go for aid, first Unemployment and then “welfare.” The number of homeless people also increased, which is again just not something that people voluntarily do.

Anyway, the lack of jobs and stagnated wages has more to do with Republican policies on economic matters than with Obama or any other Democrat. The Great Recession of 2008 came about through a banking and real estate crisis which threatened to destroy some banks and perhaps bring about a 1929 style total economic breakdown. Everybody in both parties panicked and one of Roosevelt’s techniques was employed, though insufficiently and without most of the programs of FDR which were aimed at the poor. Instead banks and other huge corporations were buoyed up financially, while businesses were allowed to continue their tightfisted policies on employment and wages. That’s why we still don’t have jobs today. A public works project throughout the nation like a new WPA would both rebuild our roads and bridges and give people jobs. That would be a win-win, and if only Sanders can be elected this year and work for a more broadscope rebuilding of our economics we may get the relief we need. A “jobless recovery” is not a recovery.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/latest-poll-has-bernie-sanders-closing-in-on-hillary-clinton/

Claws come out, as Sanders closes in on Clinton
By NANCY CORDES CBS NEWS
January 14, 2016

Photograph -- december-debate.jpg, Bernie Sanders, left, offers an apology to Hillary Clinton during a Democratic presidential primary debate Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015, at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. JIM COLE, AP
Play VIDEO -- RNC: We're OK with Donald Trump as nominee

WASHINGTON D.C. -- On the Democratic side, it can't get much tighter than this.

The latest poll in Iowa shows Hillary Clinton just two points ahead of Bernie Sanders -- and that is within margin of error, virtually a tie.

"I have felt for the last several weeks that we had the wind at our back," Bernie Sanders previously said.

Sanders' feelings were confirmed on Thursday. And the latest poll brought back vivid memories of 2008 when Clinton's commanding lead in Iowa slipped away at the end.

Then and now, her powerful campaign and its war chest were supposed to overpower insurgent opponents. But it is Sanders who is holding down larger rallies while Clinton sticks to town halls.

Sanders is also airing more television ads reaching voters like Tim Pool of Topeka, Iowa.

"I totally agree with Senator Sanders, you can't have 2 percent of the people in this country making 400 times more than everybody else," said Pool.

On Thursday, Sanders surprised Clinton with a television ad that seemed to be aimed at her.

"There are two Democratic visions for regulating Wall Street," he said in the advertisement. "One says it's okay to take millions from big banks and then tell them what to do."

The Clinton campaign accused him of violating a longtime promise.

"You're looking at someone who has never run a negative TV ad in his life, and never will," Sanders had previously said.

Clinton Campaign Manager Robby Mook convened a conference call with reporters to drive the point home.

"They made a repeated pledge to their supporters and donors and they're clearly backing off on that," he said.

But even that was reminiscent of 2008, when Clinton routinely tried to convince voters Barack Obama was just another politician, not a visionary. She can take heart that she is still leading by ten points among those who say they will definitely caucus on February 1.



“Sanders' feelings were confirmed on Thursday. And the latest poll brought back vivid memories of 2008 when Clinton's commanding lead in Iowa slipped away at the end. Then and now, her powerful campaign and its war chest were supposed to overpower insurgent opponents. But it is Sanders who is holding down larger rallies while Clinton sticks to town halls. Sanders is also airing more television ads reaching voters like Tim Pool of Topeka, Iowa. "I totally agree with Senator Sanders, you can't have 2 percent of the people in this country making 400 times more than everybody else," said Pool. …. The Clinton campaign accused him of violating a longtime promise. "You're looking at someone who has never run a negative TV ad in his life, and never will," Sanders had previously said. Clinton Campaign Manager Robby Mook convened a conference call with reporters to drive the point home. "They made a repeated pledge to their supporters and donors and they're clearly backing off on that," he said.”


I am glad to see that Sanders is fighting back, because Hillary won’t make a promise like that. Probably Sanders shouldn’t have either. I really do deeply and fervently prefer him to Hillary, and I think he is just as “electable” as she is. He is following a set of principles that helps those who need it most, and from all I’ve heard he hasn’t played footsie under the table with Wall Street and the Koch Brothers. I’m no communist, but financial relief and life improvements for the poor in all ways is needed. Free in state tuition at all state colleges is a very good goal, and a much higher minimum wage with EQUAL PAY FOR WOMEN would be a big step ahead. Many of those families living in poverty have only one worker – the mother. Go, Bernie!





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lindsey-graham-will-endorse-jeb-bush-for-president/

Lindsey Graham endorses Jeb Bush for president
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
January 15, 2016

Photograph -- Senator Lindsey Graham delivers his opening statement during a forum for lower polling candidates held prior to the main Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas, Dec. 15, 2015. MIKE BLAKE/REUTERS
Play VIDEO -- Lindsey Graham drops out of presidential race


Former Republican presidential candidate and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham announced his endorsement of Jeb Bush for the presidency Friday morning.

As he stood next to Bush at an event in North Charleston, South Carolina, Thursday's Republican debate was held, Graham praised Bush.

"I have concluded without any hesitation, without any doubt that Jeb Bush is ready on day one to be commander-in-chief," he said.

Bush hasn't tried to get ahead in a contested primary with demagoguery, Graham said. And he went on to say that Bush was the most conservative person who can win, a fiscal and social conservative, and a conservative on national security.

"Lindsey Graham is probably the most knowledgeable person on the Hill as it relates to national security, military affairs, foreign policy, and his endorsement is very meaningful," Bush told Fox News on Friday.

Bush's chief strategist, David Kochel, told donors this week that Bush had received endorsements from local GOP leaders who had supported Graham's bid, and he said it would be "enormously helpful" to secure Graham's endorsement.

The support of the South Carolina senator is welcomed by Bush, who has struggled in the polls of early-nominating states, overshadowed by Donald Trump and the recent rise of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Graham, a one-time GOP contender, exited the White House race last month, after a bid centered on his foreign policy credentials and his strategy against ISIS failed to gain traction among voters.

Graham explained his run, saying "I got into this race to put forward a plan to win a war that we cannot afford to lose and to turn back the tide of isolationism that was rising in our party. I believe we made enormous progress in this effort."




“As he stood next to Bush at an event in North Charleston, South Carolina, Thursday's Republican debate was held, Graham praised Bush. "I have concluded without any hesitation, without any doubt that Jeb Bush is ready on day one to be commander-in-chief," he said. Bush hasn't tried to get ahead in a contested primary with demagoguery, Graham said. And he went on to say that Bush was the most conservative person who can win …. Graham explained his run, saying "I got into this race to put forward a plan to win a war that we cannot afford to lose and to turn back the tide of isolationism that was rising in our party. I believe we made enormous progress in this effort."


Moderate conservatives are speaking out against the Tea Party influence, perhaps because they want to forward their own goal of winning the nomination, but just possibly because those Far Righters have gone over the line into a No Man’s Land of thinking which is simply undemocratic, un-American and un-Republican. This encourages me. To stand against the tide of such fanatical voices takes courage, which is always admirable in my book. If a Republican has to become President in 2016, I would prefer Bush, Graham or Kasich, especially Kasich. He simply seems less doctrinaire and simple-minded than most, and therefore less dangerous.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/strasburg-high-school-basketball-program-suspended-amid-sex-misconduct-allegation/

Va. HS hoops program suspended amid sex misconduct claims
AP January 15, 2016


STRASBURG, Va. -- A northern Virginia high school's boys basketball program has been suspended indefinitely following allegations of sexual misconduct on a team bus.

Shenandoah County Schools Superintendent Jeremy Raley on Thursday announced the suspension of the Strasburg High boys varsity and junior varsity practices and games until further notice.

Raley said the incident was reported to county school administrators earlier this week.

In a statement emailed to The Associated Press on Friday, Raley said the basketball program was suspended until further notice "due to the serious nature of the allegations, and in an effort to preserve the integrity of the fact-finding and review process."

Shenandoah County Sheriff's Maj. Scott Proctor said his office is investigating an alleged sexual assault on a team bus in mid-December. Proctor told news outlets that the alleged victim was a 16-year-old male who was traveling with the team. The incident involved only students and no one required medical attention, he said.

Proctor said Strasburg police reported the incident to the sheriff's office Tuesday and that the investigation was in the early stages.

It wasn't immediately known whether adults were on the bus or whether disciplinary action was taken against anyone. Proctor didn't immediately return a telephone message, and Raley said he couldn't comment directly on personnel or student discipline matters.

"The safety and well-being of our students is and will continue to remain a priority for our school division," he said.

Strasburg, a town of 6,400 residents, is about 80 miles west of Washington, D.C.

In another case in Tennessee, the schools superintendent in Hamilton County announced Thursday that three high school officials charged with failing to report the sexual abuse of four basketball players were suspended without pay until an investigation into an incident last month is complete.

Three Ooltewah High School basketball players have been charged with the aggravated rape of a teammate while on a trip to Gatlinburg. A criminal complaint against the school officials says four freshmen boys were apparently abused. No other charges have been filed in the incident.



“Proctor said Strasburg police reported the incident to the sheriff's office Tuesday and that the investigation was in the early stages. It wasn't immediately known whether adults were on the bus or whether disciplinary action was taken against anyone. Proctor didn't immediately return a telephone message, and Raley said he couldn't comment directly on personnel or student discipline matters. …. In another case in Tennessee, the schools superintendent in Hamilton County announced Thursday that three high school officials charged with failing to report the sexual abuse of four basketball players were suspended without pay until an investigation into an incident last month is complete. …. Three Ooltewah High School basketball players have been charged with the aggravated rape of a teammate while on a trip to Gatlinburg. A criminal complaint against the school officials says four freshmen boys were apparently abused.”


When I was in high school I was in the band, and we traveled by bus to various other schools for games. The majorettes traveled with us and the cheerleaders traveled with the football players. I notice in these Virginia cases that the students involved are basketball players instead of football, but they apparently also have issues with fighting, considering themselves to be hot shots and behaving unfairly in many ways. Ball players tend to be treated like little kings, and excused when they fail in their classes or abuse their fellow students in the hallway. Back in the early 60s in T’ville, there were rumors of inappropriate activities on the football team buses, but no legal cases were brought against anyone and never any allegations of rape. Frankly when I was young, I know it happened, but I never heard about it. Also, in those days, it wasn’t boys attacking boys that I ever heard about, but girls and boys mixing it up inappropriately. Again, it may well have happened, but I didn’t hear about it. There were also no public scandals about coaches molesting kids of either sex, though that very probably happened. Illicit sex of this kind goes back to the cave man, I’m sure. Some people in authority simply will abuse their authority, even in that grotesque way.

Now that we are LOOKING FOR such things, however, we are seeing them. No surprise. We do need some watchdog organizations to report criminal events to, however, which will discipline the responsible school when they occur. If three or four boys on a bus are ganging up on others for something as extreme as homosexual rape, there is probably a “culture” of sexual abuse going on, and I personally think that the cases are likely to involve coaches. Where there is massive misbehavior on the bottom rung of the ladder, there is probably a corrupt attitude about it from above, or even outright participation by coaches. The same holds true in police departments which have many cases of illicit shootings and other abuse. Someone is either looking away so as to avoid seeing it or taking money to keep their silence.

Unfortunately, many of the people involved in sports are not known for their academic brilliance, though that stereotype certainly doesn’t always hold true, and sports do tend to involve an overall physical arousal that can accompany a high level of exercise. Also, that goal of sports, “team spirit,” can involve a “group think” of an extreme and negative sort rather than merely the building of a reasonable amount of loyalty and “good character,” which has always been mentioned as the reason to encourage sports participation in the young. Even loyalty is not as virtuous a characteristic as are empathy and logical thought within a group. People need to be able to see the upcoming cliff edge in time to refrain from following the leader over the edge. Personally, I think that a great deal of loyalty is at the basis of all close group activity, from sports to politics to police and military relationships. Several recent military scandals were in the news concerning rapes, usually of underlings by their superiors, and the act of reporting the crime by the victim could get them stripped of their seniority and “punished” for speaking up.

Therefore, I hope schools, both at the secondary and college level, will look closely at their sports programs for corruption. My beloved alma mater UNC-CH was recently (last two years) in the news for a major scandal in which professors were passing basketball players by having “paper classes” which required no class attendance and little work of any kind. The following article details the matter -- https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/unc-chapel-hill-chief-speaks-out-on-paper-class-scandal/2014/10/29/c27f28ce-5ec8-11e4-9f3a-7e28799e0549_story.html.

Money and prestige are at the heart of that school’s temptation to allow the “paper courses” to go on over a period of some 20 years, during which the top people there “knew nothing about it.” I will go on to say, though, that I’m sure UNC is not the only school to do these things. The sports program is the “cash cow” in all academic circles. The stress on sports and other competition in the USA in general is by no means healthy, even when there is no corruption. A stress on competition is a good thing only as long as it is fair, and people should be able to opt out -- "the pursuit of happiness." Otherwise, it plays into forming a society that fights the development of individualism and personal honor, producing instead more obedience and less of what I consider to be intelligence. Intelligence to me isn’t just how easily we learn in school, but how we think things out for ourselves and make decisions.