February 13, 2016


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/catholic-college-mount-st-marys-university-reinstates-2-fired-professors/

Catholic college reinstates 2 fired professors after scandal goes national
CBS/AP
February 12, 2016, 5:54 PM

Photograph -- Snow covers the ground in front of Bradley Hall at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Md., Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. BILL GREEN/THE FREDERICK NEWS-POST VIA AP
Play VIDEO -- Scandal rages at Mount St. Mary's University after professors fired
Photograph -- professor.jpg, Professor Ed Egan. CBS NEWS


EMMITSBURG, Md. -- The embattled president of a small Catholic university said Friday he's reinstating two faculty members he fired this week amid an uproar over a plan to identify freshmen most likely to fail and offer them refunds if they chose to leave.

Mount St. Mary's University President Simon Newsman said in a statement Friday afternoon that philosophy professor Thane Naberhaus and law instructor Edward Egan would be reinstated immediately.

They were dismissed Monday, and the school's provost was demoted, after an investigation into the student newspaper's report that Newman had likened struggling freshman to baby rabbits that should be killed.

Some faculty members resisted and the school paper The Moutain Echo reported that Newman told them: "This is hard for you because you think of the students as cuddly bunnies. But you can't. You just have to drown the bunnies ... put a Glock to their heads."

Many students and faculty were outraged.

"It's not just the words, but it's the plan the words described," Egan told CBS News. "Weeding out students because we think they might not do well in order to make the numbers look better? That's not Mount Saint Mary's."

Egan was the faculty adviser to the school paper and said he's being punished for accurate, but embarrassing reporting by the students. But he said he did not tell them what to write.

"I did not ... no. Anybody on campus who knows the students knows that nobody would manipulate these students," Egan said. "They are independent, strong, bright people."

Egan said he received a letter from a school official which called him "persona non grata" and said he was "not welcome to visit the university's campus" because he violated his "duty of loyalty" to the school.

Newman has apologized for the comment. He says he's committed to mending his relationship with the faculty and wants to "make a new beginning as a unified team."



“The embattled president of a small Catholic university said Friday he's reinstating two faculty members he fired this week amid an uproar over a plan to identify freshmen most likely to fail and offer them refunds if they chose to leave. Mount St. Mary's University President Simon Newsman said in a statement Friday afternoon that philosophy professor Thane Naberhaus and law instructor Edward Egan would be reinstated immediately. …. Egan was the faculty adviser to the school paper and said he's being punished for accurate, but embarrassing reporting by the students. But he said he did not tell them what to write. "I did not ... no. Anybody on campus who knows the students knows that nobody would manipulate these students," Egan said. "They are independent, strong, bright people." …. Newman has apologized for the comment. He says he's committed to mending his relationship with the faculty and wants to "make a new beginning as a unified team."


This story isn’t finished until Newman himself is fired. He simply doesn’t deserve a position of trust any more than Donald Trump does. I’ll bet that within another week he’ll be gone. Situations like this drag a school down more than some low performing students will. Heck, get some tutors in to help them. Higher performing upper classmen would be glad to do that for a modest amount of money, at the tuition those kids are having to pay.

High school students nationwide have been scoring low on things like their reading and writing skills on a widespread basis. Don’t lower the quality of your courses, just give aid where it is needed. I remember the Freshman year of college, and it is distinctly more difficult than high school. They will have to work to catch up. That’s okay. That’s part of what they are in college to do. High schools haven’t pulled their share of the load since the integration of school in the 1960s. That isn’t because the black kids aren’t bright, but because teachers have cynically believed them to be slow and have pitched their courses at too low a level, rather than tutoring any kid black or white who needs help in basic skills. Catch that problem young enough and by the 12th grade they will have caught up. Teachers need to challenge and interest the kids. An interested kid will be a better student automatically.



3HOSPITALS REFUSE MEDICAID AND OBAMACARE -- THREE ARTICLES


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-hospital-cited-for-forcing-dying-woman-barbara-dawson-from-emergency-room/

Florida hospital cited for forcing woman who died from ER
CBS/AP
February 13, 2016, 12:02 AM

Photograph -- Barbara Dawson WCTV
Play VIDEO -- Woman dies after being forcibly removed from Florida hospital


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The hospital where a black woman died after she was forcibly removed from the emergency room by a white police officer was cited for 10 "deficiencies," including failing to properly examine the woman when she complained of difficulty breathing, state health officials said.

Elizabeth Dudek, the secretary for Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration, said Friday the violations at Calhoun-Liberty Hospital in Blountstown were "egregious."

The hospital must submit correction plans by next Friday and if the problems are not fixed by March 1, it could be suspended from the Medicaid program. The 25-bed facility is also facing fines that could total $100,000.

The review comes after the death of Barbara Dawson, a 57-year-old woman who was treated in the emergency room Dec. 21 but refused to leave when she was discharged because she didn't think she was OK.

She was handcuffed by Blountstown Police Officer John Tadlock and collapsed when he tried to put her in a patrol car. She died about 90 minutes later.

Three hospital staffers were placed on unpaid administrative leave. A nursing supervisor is still on leave, a paramedic who was working in the ER that night resigned and another employee returned to work but has not been put back on patient care.

Hospital CEO Ruth Attaway told CBS affiliate WCTV the hospital has started to take steps to fix the problems, especially involving the emergency room.

"Yes it was a negative report but we'll use it as a springboard. From this we will shore up our defenses. We will correct the issues that are out there and we will come out of this better than ever before," Attaway said.

During its investigation, the Florida agency reviewed 24 emergency room visits and found violations with two of them, including Dawson's. The names of both patients were redacted, but the details of Dawson's case make it easy to identify her as Patient 10 in the report.

The 79-page report cited the nursing staff for failing to follow hospital policy when it didn't notify a physician or conduct an assessment to address Dawson's complaints and released her without her concerns being properly documented.

Dashcam audio and video released last month by Blountstown police showed a nearly 18-minute gap between the time Dawson collapsed and when she was taken back to the emergency room for a second time. AHCA also viewed the audio and video as part of its investigation.

"We have heard that time and time again how everyone was acting with due speed to assist her. Now that we have that tape we know that is not true," attorney Darryl Parks said after the video was released. "There was not deliberate speed and who was assessing her at the side of the car was inconsistent."

In the other case, a patient in the emergency room was never treated. The ER was staffed by a nurse practitioner, who was not able to dispense medication. The patient told investigators that they never saw a physician or the nurse practitioner during the visit.

Changes at the hospital include hiring a nationally certified emergency nurse to manage the ER, hiring a licensed risk manager who will monitor patient complaints and a new chief nursing officer. The agency has also mandated that a physician certified in emergency care be hired as a consultant.

Dawson's family has hired attorney Benjamin Crump's law firm, which has handled cases including Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Lawyer Parks said the firm is continuing its own investigation.

"Without question you knew the hospital was primarily responsible for her safety and they did very little given the medical emergency," Parks said.

Hospital spokeswoman Sandi Poreda said Medicaid funding accounts to up to 18 percent ($1.5 million) of the hospital's operating budget.

The Rev. R.B. Holmes, a civil rights leader who appeared with the hospital chief at the news conference, said the community needs the facility.

"For 23,000 people in a rural area sometimes going there is a step to help them live. We need that hospital to be strong moving forward," he said.

The Florida State Conference of the NAACP called the state report "a major step forward by State Health Officials to insure that all the citizens of Calhoun and Liberty Counties can receive the best and most appropriate medical assistance possible when they go to the hospital," WCTV reported.

In a statement, the local NAACP conference called Dawson's death "avoidable and inexcusable" and "a direct result of the failure of the hospital to provide services in accordance with State law and reasonable medical guidelines."

The Blountstown Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Department of Health are also investigating. Federal health care officials are reviewing the state report.

Gov. Rick Scott's spokeswoman Jackie Schutz said the governor appreciates the state agency "holding Calhoun Liberty Hospital accountable."



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/video-shows-dying-florida-woman-barbara-dawson-final-moments/

Video shows dying Florida woman's final moments
CBS/AP
January 6, 2016, 9:24 PM

Play video -- Police attempting arrest and patient collapse

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A woman who collapsed and later died after being forcibly removed from a Florida hospital lay in the parking lot beside a police officer's car for nearly 18 minutes before a doctor readmitted her, according to police dash-cam audio and video released on Wednesday.

Attorneys for the family of Barbara Dawson renewed their charges of negligence against Liberty Calhoun Hospital and Blountstown Police as multiple state agencies continue their investigation into Dawson's Dec. 21 death.

"We have heard that time and time again how everyone was acting with due speed to assist her. Now that we have that tape we know that is not true," attorney Darryl Parks said. "There was not deliberate speed and who was assessing her at the side of the car was inconsistent."

The Tallahassee law firm Parks & Crump received the video on Monday night and reviewed it. The family saw it for the first time following a press conference where media received the video.

"We think what they did was put criminality over health care. We think what they did here was compromise public safety by failing to give her the medical attention that she deserved and needed," said state Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, who is a co-counsel for Dawson's family.

The recording is roughly 2 ½-hours long, but only the first half covers what happened at the hospital. The recording begins with the officer arriving at the hospital. He enters the 57-year-old Dawson's hospital room and tries to persuade her to leave. The officer tells Angela Donar, who is Dawson's aunt and also in the room, "she can walk out peacefully or be arrested."

Dawson repeatedly replies, "I can't breathe." Her tone is panic-stricken.

After refusing to seek health care elsewhere, Dawson is arrested for disorderly conduct and trespassing. The oxygen hose is disconnected and the officer walks the 270-pound woman out to the police car, holding her by the arm, nudging her along.

Dawson falls to the ground one to two feet from the patrol car while the officer reaches for his keys. Dawson cut her feet and knees.

After she collapses, the officer tells Dawson that "falling down and laying down, that's not going to stop you from going to jail. If I have to get help to get you in this car. ... You are only making things worse on you."

For 18 minutes she lay propped against the police cruiser as the officer and nurses made multiple attempts to get her into the car. The nurses also checked her pulse. Not until a doctor came out was she readmitted.

"Get her on the stretcher. This is totally different from what I discharged her for," the doctor says on the recording.

The Blountstown police officer who arrested Dawson is heard saying that he thought Dawson "was being non-compliant by not trying to get in my car and faking it."

When Dawson was brought back into the emergency room, one of the nurses is heard saying, "I've never seen Barbara down like this."

The medical examiner's office found that Dawson died from a blood clot due to being excessively overweight.

"Why didn't she get the benefit of the doubt from the hospital and police department? Not only that but the benefit of humanity?" attorney Benjamin Crump asked.

Calhoun Liberty Hospital CEO Ruth Attaway said in an emailed statement that they have also received a copy of the video and are still reviewing it. Attaway also reiterated that the hospital is cooperating with state investigations and is in the process of setting up a community task force with local leaders to review hospital practices.

CBS affiliate WCTV reports that Barbara's brother, Stafford Dawson, said, "When I had seen the video and seen that they were taking the oxygen away, I knew it wouldn't be long. Then just to watch them out there for over 20 minutes, just letting her lie on the ground, thinking that she was just playing possum. You know, I don't know if I can ever overcome this."

Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokesman Steve Arthur and Agency for Health Care Administration communications director Mallory Deason said their investigations are ongoing. Jackie Schutz, the communications director for Governor Rick Scott, said their office has been in communication with FDLE, AHCA and the state NAACP.

Eight members of Dawson's family attended Wednesday's press conference, including Dawson's cousin Martha Smith Dickson, who spoke for the family.

"The police is supposed to protect and serve. The hospital is supposed to save lives. When Barbara went to the hospital she was denied all of those rights," she said. "So her family is saying today we cannot bring her back therefore we want justice for Barbara so that this will not happen to anyone else."

Dickson said watching the video was very tough for her, reports CBS affiliate WCTV.

"I had my napkins, and I was just crying, and it was very surprising to me," she said. "The video has some things in there that I was so shocked of, because the hospitals are supposed to save people. That's their goal, is to save. Not hurt and harm."



http://statelaws.findlaw.com/florida-law/hospital-liability-the-federal-emergency-medical-treatment-and-l.html

Hospital Liability & The Federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act in Florida - See more at: http://statelaws.findlaw.com/florida-law/hospital-liability-the-federal-emergency-medical-treatment-and-l.html#sthash.HoV1VvED.dpuf


"Imagine taking a loved one to the hospital for an emergency only to be turned away because you cannot afford the treatment. You know that without immediate medical care he or she may not survive. Can a hospital refuse to treat a patient simply based on that person’s ability to pay? Luckily, federal law known as “EMTALA” prohibits hospitals from doing so. This article provides an overview of EMTALA in Florida.

What is EMTALA?

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, EMTALA, is known as the "anti-dumping" statute for its ban on patient dumping. Congress passed EMTALA in 1986 in response to a number of widely reported horror stories about emergency rooms turning away seriously ill or injured patients who had no insurance and no money to pay for treatment. Prior to EMTALA, there was no requirement that hospitals treat everyone who came to the emergency room and, in many states, hospitals were not held responsible for damages caused by their refusal to treat patients. A hospital could choose not to treat a patient who lacked insurance or enough money to pay for the required medical treatment. In some cases, patients died or suffered serious injuries because of a transfer or delay in treatment.

Does EMTALA Apply to All Hospitals?

EMTALA applies to all hospitals that have emergency rooms and participate in the Medicare program. Since almost all hospitals, public and private, receive Medicare funds, nearly all hospitals are covered by EMTALA.

What Actions Must a Hospital Take Under EMTALA?

EMTALA imposes two essential obligations on hospitals:

When a person seeks treatment at a hospital emergency room, the hospital must provide an appropriate medical screening examination (MSE) to determine whether an emergency medical condition (EMC exists). Generally, an EMC is a medical condition where failure to provide immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected to result in serious harm to bodily functions, serious damage of a bodily organ or part, or serious risk to the health of an individual and/or unborn child.The hospital does not have an obligation under EMTALA to treat the patient if after the MSE the hospital determines there is no EMC.
If the MSE reveals an EMC, the hospital must treat the patient and "stabilize" the medical condition before transferring the patient to another hospital or discharging the patient from the emergency room. Under EMTALA, “stabilized” means that no significant worsening of the patient’s medical condition is likely to result because of a transfer or discharge. In the circumstance of a woman in active labor, stabilization means the woman has delivered the child and placenta. An unstabilized patient may be transferred if the hospital cannot further stabilize the patient and a different facility has the necessary treatment. Hospitals must follow very specific procedures for such transfers.
What If a Hospital Does Not Follow EMTALA?

If a person is injured because a hospital did not provide an MSE or because it did not stabilize the patient before release or transfer, the patient may sue the hospital for money damages based on a violation of EMTALA. Suing a hospital under EMTALA is different than suing for state medical malpractice. EMTALA is not a substitute for suing for a wrong diagnosis or improper performance of a medical procedure.

Generally, if a patient is properly given a MSE but misdiagnosed, the hospital has followed EMTALA but may be responsible for damages under state malpractice law. However, an inadequate MSE may still violate EMTALA. Many courts have concluded that an appropriate MSE is one that the hospital would have offered to any other patient with the same symptoms, regardless of whether the patient was insured or could pay for the medical screening. Therefore, a hospital violates the MSE requirement of EMTALA only when individuals who are perceived to have the same medical condition receive different treatment.

Similarly, EMTALA’s stabilization requirement is intended only to regulate a hospital’s care of a patient immediately after admitting the patient for emergency care. Once a patient is admitted to the hospital and placed under the care of physicians, state medical malpractice law, not EMTALA, covers the actions of hospital and doctors.

What Does a Patient Have to Prove in a Lawsuit?

In a lawsuit, the patient must establish that the hospital treated him or her differently from other patients. Some courts have determined that in order to prove he or she did not receive an appropriate MSE, the patient must show there was an improper motive on the part of the hospital. That means, the decision as to what type of screening to provide was motivated by improper factors such as the inability to pay, race, or the sex of the patient. The majority of courts, however, no longer apply the "bad motive" requirement. The United States Supreme Court has ruled there is no such bad-motive requirement to establish that a hospital failed to adequately stabilize a patient before transferring or discharging.

Is There a Penalty for Violating EMTALA?

Depending on the facts of the case, hospitals or physicians that violate EMTALA are subject to fines and may lose Medicare provider agreements.

If you are concerned about how you were screened or treated at a hospital emergency room, you should seek the advice of an experienced attorney."



FLORIDA HOSPITAL CITED -- “The hospital where a black woman died after she was forcibly removed from the emergency room by a white police officer was cited for 10 "deficiencies," including failing to properly examine the woman when she complained of difficulty breathing, state health officials said. …. The hospital must submit correction plans by next Friday and if the problems are not fixed by March 1, it could be suspended from the Medicaid program. The 25-bed facility is also facing fines that could total $100,000.” …. "Why didn't she get the benefit of the doubt from the hospital and police department? Not only that but the benefit of humanity?" attorney Benjamin Crump asked. Calhoun Liberty Hospital CEO Ruth Attaway said in an emailed statement that they have also received a copy of the video and are still reviewing it. Attaway also reiterated that the hospital is cooperating with state investigations and is in the process of setting up a community task force with local leaders to review hospital practices.”

VIDEO OF DYING WOMAN -- “Attorneys for the family of Barbara Dawson renewed their charges of negligence against Liberty Calhoun Hospital and Blountstown Police as multiple state agencies continue their investigation into Dawson's Dec. 21 death. …. The Blountstown police officer who arrested Dawson is heard saying that he thought Dawson "was being non-compliant by not trying to get in my car and faking it." When Dawson was brought back into the emergency room, one of the nurses is heard saying, "I've never seen Barbara down like this." …. "Why didn't she get the benefit of the doubt from the hospital and police department? Not only that but the benefit of humanity?" attorney Benjamin Crump asked. Calhoun Liberty Hospital CEO Ruth Attaway said in an emailed statement that they have also received a copy of the video and are still reviewing it. Attaway also reiterated that the hospital is cooperating with state investigations and is in the process of setting up a community task force with local leaders to review hospital practices.”

FINDLAW -- “Can a hospital refuse to treat a patient simply based on that person’s ability to pay? Luckily, federal law known as “EMTALA” prohibits hospitals from doing so. This article provides an overview of EMTALA in Florida. What is EMTALA? The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, EMTALA, is known as the "anti-dumping" statute for its ban on patient dumping. Congress passed EMTALA in 1986 in response to a number of widely reported horror stories about emergency rooms turning away seriously ill or injured patients who had no insurance and no money to pay for treatment.
. . . .
Does EMTALA Apply to All Hospitals? EMTALA applies to all hospitals that have emergency rooms and participate in the Medicare program. Since almost all hospitals, public and private, receive Medicare funds, nearly all hospitals are covered by EMTALA.
. . . .
What Does a Patient Have to Prove in a Lawsuit? In a lawsuit, the patient must establish that the hospital treated him or her differently from other patients. Some courts have determined that in order to prove he or she did not receive an appropriate MSE, the patient must show there was an improper motive on the part of the hospital. That means, the decision as to what type of screening to provide was motivated by improper factors such as the inability to pay, race, or the sex of the patient. The majority of courts, however, no longer apply the "bad motive" requirement. The United States Supreme Court has ruled there is no such bad-motive requirement to establish that a hospital failed to adequately stabilize a patient before transferring or discharging. …. Is There a Penalty for Violating EMTALA? Depending on the facts of the case, hospitals or physicians that violate EMTALA are subject to fines and may lose Medicare provider agreements. If you are concerned about how you were screened or treated at a hospital emergency room, you should seek the advice of an experienced attorney.”


Within the last two years there were several articles about a hospital charging the much higher self-pay rate to numerous patients who were known to be eligible for Medicaid. That is not only illegal, it’s unconscionable; likewise, this case of “patient dumping” in a little known Florida town. When I was young we all thought that doctors, hospitals, churches and police officers were almost above reproach. That is so clearly not the case. With hospitals and doctors who are clearly placing a profit motive above patient care, it is especially disgusting to me.

This hospital will almost certainly face fines and may lose its’ Medicare status. It was also disturbing that the ER had no doctor on hand at the time and the Nurse Practioner who was there lacked the ability to prescribe medicine. It looks as though they were cutting costs at every turn, despite state requirements. I’m glad to see that Governor Scott is looking at the matter as well as state health and law enforcement agencies. I hope some really useful action will occur soon. The hospital’s spokesman’s comment that they will “use it as a springboard” sounds disgustingly political. I tend to doubt that anything will be done unless the action is forced. Why did this situation occur in the first place? The complaint that a patient can’t breathe should be fully investigated, and immediately.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/12/466583045/photos-obama-declares-3-new-national-monuments-in-california-desert

Photos: Obama Declares 3 New National Monuments In California Desert
MERRIT KENNEDY
Updated February 12, 20168:35 PM ET
Published February 12, 20165:22 PM ET

Photograph -- The Sand to Snow National Monument is one of three California areas designated as national monuments on Friday. Together they protect nearly 1.8 million acres of public lands., Bob Wick/Bureau of Land Management
Photograph -- Castle Mountains National Monument connects two important mountain ranges. Bob Wick/Bureau of Land Management
Photograph -- The Mojave Trails National Monument is the largest new monument, at 1.6 million acres. Bob Wick/Bureau of Land Management


President Obama has designated three desert areas in California as national monuments.

The move permanently protects "nearly 1.8 million acres of America's public lands," the White House says in a news release.

All three areas lie east of Los Angeles. Two of the new monuments — Castle Mountains and Mojave Trails — are near California's border with Nevada.

And crucially, "the new monuments will link already protected lands, including Joshua Tree National Park, Mojave National Preserve, and fifteen congressionally-designated Wilderness areas, permanently protecting key wildlife corridors and providing plants and animals with the space and elevation range that they will need in order to adapt to the impacts of climate change," the release says.

The Los Angeles Times explains how this designation was reached:

"The designation was requested by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who for a decade has sought to protect land that wasn't included in the 1994 California Desert Protection Act. That measure covered nearly 7.6 million acres, elevated Death Valley and Joshua Tree to national park status and created the Mojave National Preserve.
"Unable to gain momentum on her California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act last year, Feinstein and conservation groups asked Obama to act unilaterally to create the three monuments overlapping biological zones between roughly Palm Springs and the Nevada border."

The White House says Obama has now protected more than 265 million acres of land and water. That's more than any other U.S. administration.

And now, meet the three newest national monuments:

1. Mojave Trails National Monument

At 1.6 million acres, Mojave Trails is by far the largest of the three new monuments and includes "a stunning mosaic of rugged mountain ranges, ancient lava flows, and spectacular sand dunes," the White House says.

The White House proclamation describes it as a "landscape defined by scarcity and shaped by travel." Here's more:

"With historic American trading routes, trails followed by Spanish explorers, a transcontinental rail line, and the Nation's most famous highway [Route 66], the Mojave Trails area tells the American story of exploration, migration and commerce."
The rugged area features a striking series of sand dunes, rare plant species and endangered birds.

2. Sand To Snow National Monument

Sand to Snow National Monument boasts the tallest mountain in Southern California, according to the White House proclamation. The 11,500-foot San Gorgonio Mountain rises from the Sonoran Desert floor.

The new national monument, which spans 154,000 acres, is diverse terrain: It includes a range from "lowland deserts, fresh water marshes, and Mojave riparian forests, to creosote bush scrub ecosystems, and alpine peaks," the White House says.

An estimated 1,700 Native American petroglyphs (carved art on rock faces) will be protected as a result of the new designation.

Sand to Snow National Monument is also home to more than 240 species of bird.

3. Castle Mountains National Monument

Castle Mountains National Monument is the smallest of the three, at 20,920 acres. Its wildlife inhabitants include golden eagles, bighorn sheep, mountain lions and bobcats.

And the newly designated area "provides a critical linkage for plants, animals, and water between two mountain ranges within the Preserve, the New York Mountains to the northwest and the Piute Mountains to the southeast," the White House says.

This linkage will contribute to the survival of a herd of desert bighorn sheep, according to the White House.

Also in the protected area is the ghost town of Hart, which has been abandoned since 1920.

correction
Feb. 12, 2016
A previous version of this story said the monuments are west of Los Angeles, but they are east of the city.


Here is another case of Obama's "overreach" in these Executive Orders, but again it's a very good thing to do. We need land set aside to be free of development, farm use, mining, etc., and yes, GRAZING, so there will be some kind of environment left for the few wild animals we'll probably have in the 2030s or so, to live in. I'm grateful that I have lived at a time when deer were numerous enough to be considered pesky critters, and black bears come foraging in the city trash. When I think of this I'm reminded of the sad, sad ending of the great movie "Soylent Green." Go check it out from the library some day and watch it.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/12/466574580/pope-head-of-the-russian-orthodox-church-meet-for-the-first-time

Pope, Head Of The Russian Orthodox Church Meet For The First Time
LAURA WAGNER
Updated February 12, 20166:42 PM ET
Published February 12, 20163:39 PM ET

Photograph -- The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill (left), kisses Pope Francis as they meet at José Martí International Airport in Havana on Friday. Max Rossi/AP
Photograph -- Pope Francis (center) and Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill (second from left) met Friday at José Martí International Airport in Havana. Gregorio Borgia/AP


Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill came face to face Friday in Havana — the first time leaders of the two churches have met since a schism 1,000 years ago divided Christianity.

The religious leaders "embraced and kissed one another three times on the cheek as they met in a wood-paneled VIP room at the Havana airport," The Associated Press reports. The news service adds that Francis said, "Finally!" when he embraced Kirill, and "We are brothers." Through an interpreter, Kirill told the pope, "Now things are easier."

After the meeting, Francis and Kirill signed a joint declaration on religious unity that calls for an end to violent conflicts, notably in Syria and Iraq. One part of the 30-point declaration read:

"Thousands of victims have already been claimed in the violence in Syria and Iraq, which has left many other millions without a home or means of sustenance. We urge the international community to seek an end to the violence and terrorism and, at the same time, to contribute through dialogue to a swift return to civil peace. Large–scale humanitarian aid must be assured to the afflicted populations and to the many refugees seeking safety in neighbouring lands."

As we reported last week, the historic meeting is the result of an "intersection of the itineraries," as both leaders will be visiting Latin America next week.

The meeting at José Martí International Airport came just before Francis is scheduled to visit Mexico and meet with victims of drug violence and human trafficking in some of the country's poorest, most violent regions. Kirill is in Cuba to visit President Raul Castro.

In a joint statement, The Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate called the meeting an "important stage in relations between the two churches. The Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate hope that it will also be a sign of hope for all people of goodwill. They invite all Christians to pray fervently for God to bless this meeting, that it may bear good fruits."



This really is a long awaited pleasure. I hope they will start communicating regularly. Now if the Jews, Islamic groups and Protestants would get involved as well, I would feel more hopeful about out future. Maybe we could shut down the war in the Middle East.



http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/02/12/466506966/colonialism-comment-puts-facebook-under-scrutiny

Colonialism Comment Puts Facebook Under Scrutiny
AARTI SHAHANI
Updated February 12, 20166:48 PM ET
Published February 12, 20162:44 PM ET

Photograph -- Facebook board member Marc Andreessen, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who uses Twitter prolifically, has apologized for tweets suggesting he supported colonialism. Kimberly White/Getty
Photograph -- Members of Indian Youth Congress — a wing of the National Congress party — and National Students Union of India protest for Internet freedom in April 2015 in New Delhi. ALL TECH CONSIDERED
Photograph -- A new project announced by Facebook seeks to make it more affordable to access the Internet via cellphones around the world. In Africa, 16 percent of the population currently uses the Internet. Here, a man looks for a network signal in Somalia. THE TWO-WAY


In India, Facebook has a program to give people free Internet access — just to use Facebook and a handful of other services. Earlier this week, regulators in that country ruled that the program is discriminatory to other websites and is illegal. A Facebook board member took to Twitter to criticize the ruling. And in so doing, he sparked a global controversy.

It got ugly.

Marc Andreessen — Facebook board member and celebrated venture capitalist — started by tweeting: it is "morally wrong" to deny the "world's poorest free partial Internet connectivity."

He then called India's decision "another in a long line of economically suicidal decisions made by the Indian government against its own citizens." And then came this tweet: "Anti-colonialism has been economically catastrophic for the Indian people for decades. Why stop now?"

His tweetstorm quickly drew fire from across the Web, including the tech community in India. The country is Facebook's second-largest market and could rise to be the largest by next year, according to eMarketer. Andreessen soon withdrew his controversial tweets and apologized, but the colonialism remarks left many people scrutinizing Facebook's intentions for India.

"Does he really think this way? Does he really believe that colonialism is a good thing for a lot of countries in the emerging markets?" asks Mukund Mohan, director of strategy at Microsoft. "Or did he just say that as a comment that was uninformed and off the cuff on Twitter?"

Mohan, who splits his time between Seattle and Bangalore, says these are questions he was getting from his investor friends in India.

Should India's Internet Be Free Of Charge, Or Free Of Control?

Tech Giants Launch Internet.org, A Global Plan To Widen Access

He says that as U.S. companies seek to appeal to the everyday consumer abroad, they need perspective: "Most people, I would say the world over, don't think that colonialism was a good thing."

Political correctness varies country by country. According to Mohan, Indians can be more racist and open to jokes about skin color than Americans, but Indians are far more sensitive to being depicted as backward — a land of snake charmers and child brides.

Mohan believes Andreessen has never visited India, and that could be why he underestimated the sensitivity of the topic. "I don't necessarily think he thinks that, but there are enough people asking that question," Mohan says.

Andreessen Horowitz, the venture capital firm that Andreessen co-founded, declined to comment on whether Andreessen has traveled to India or on the Twitter maelstrom.

Andreessen has now tweeted: "To be clear, I am 100% opposed to colonialism, and 100% in favor of independence and freedom, in every country, including India."

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has chastised his board member in a Facebook post.

For months, Zuckerberg has been trying his hand at diplomacy: hosting India's prime minister at Facebook headquarters, lobbying in India for the free Facebook plan, writing an op-ed and placing ads in newspapers (not just on his platform).

Facebook presents its restricted free Internet program, called Free Basics, as connecting the poor. The company will not disclose how many new Internet users have joined Free Basics. Its telecommunications partner, Reliance Communications, has told The Times of India that 1 million people signed up.

But another news report says, of those new subscribers, only 20 percent had not been previously active on mobile phones, meaning 800,000 were not new to the Internet. Sumanth Raghavendra, a startup founder in India, says they're people who "were just looking to sort of scrimp on their data plan and get to surf a bit without having to pay for it."

Facebook doesn't pay for the data plan either. The company has persuaded telecom providers to give it away. And Raghavendra worries the American tech giant is sending the wrong signal to Asian telecom companies — saying it's OK for them to pick and choose what content they're willing to stream online.

"Everybody who comes in through a particular telco basically gets to see a different part of the Internet and that's all he gets to see when he first comes on board," Raghavendra says.

And Mohan notes, Facebook isn't the only game in town. Other companies, including Google, are also launching programs to expand Internet access, most recently in Indian train stations. But they don't limit users to Google or other preferred parts of the Web.

"I'm still shocked and I'm not able to understand why Facebook didn't follow that same plan," Mohan says.

To Raghavendra, setting aside the drama of Andreessen's ill-advised tweets, what really deserves scrutiny are the facts about Facebook's plans for India.

"It is about control, and it's especially about controlling it on their terms."



“He says that as U.S. companies seek to appeal to the everyday consumer abroad, they need perspective: "Most people, I would say the world over, don't think that colonialism was a good thing." Political correctness varies country by country. According to Mohan, Indians can be more racist and open to jokes about skin color than Americans, but Indians are far more sensitive to being depicted as backward — a land of snake charmers and child brides. Mohan believes Andreessen has never visited India, and that could be why he underestimated the sensitivity of the topic. "I don't necessarily think he thinks that, but there are enough people asking that question," Mohan says. …. Does he really think this way? Does he really believe that colonialism is a good thing for a lot of countries in the emerging markets?" asks Mukund Mohan, director of strategy at Microsoft. "Or did he just say that as a comment that was uninformed and off the cuff on Twitter?" Mohan, who splits his time between Seattle and Bangalore, says these are questions he was getting from his investor friends in India. …. Facebook doesn't pay for the data plan either. The company has persuaded telecom providers to give it away. And Raghavendra worries the American tech giant is sending the wrong signal to Asian telecom companies — saying it's OK for them to pick and choose what content they're willing to stream online. …. And Mohan notes, Facebook isn't the only game in town. Other companies, including Google, are also launching programs to expand Internet access, most recently in Indian train stations. But they don't limit users to Google or other preferred parts of the Web. "I'm still shocked and I'm not able to understand why Facebook didn't follow that same plan," Mohan says. To Raghavendra, setting aside the drama of Andreessen's ill-advised tweets, what really deserves scrutiny are the facts about Facebook's plans for India. "It is about control, and it's especially about controlling it on their terms."


It has occurred to me that Facebook, Twitter, etc. are too large for the good of the Internet in general. I tend to call that monopoly, which is one of my bugaboos. They are able to exercise control and also they have been monitoring content on our personal accounts. I don’t like that, even if they say it is a business decision whose purpose is to understand the interests of the members better. The goal of that is to tailor ads to the reader’s interests. If they only knew that every time I see an ad I click that little X at the top right corner, which usually will get rid of the annoying thing, so they aren’t going to sell anything to me. I also fear that those ads are spreading viruses.

I love the connectedness of Facebook and those photos of family and friends, but I am not comfortable with the amount of information about me personally that they store. That’s why I haven’t gone to any of those little games that people invite me to join, like “Candy Crush.” I did go to that web site once and, just like Facebook, they wanted to know everything about me. I wonder who they sell all that information to.

They say that their goal in India is to offer free Internet to those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it, which is good, but one of those who object to their plan calls it a form of control rather than merely access. They offer a limited number of sites. It is a lot like the discussions of the whole free Internet movement in the US. I object to monopolistic operations, no matter who they are. With the government, unlike the far right, I think they do need to know a lot about the population for security, economic welfare and the dissemination of necessary information in some cases -- tornado warnings, CDC information, etc.

What I like about the Internet is that I can find information on almost any subject, though it may not be fully accurate of course, but there are usually enough articles on the subject that I can form some opinion for myself. I frequently look up words for spelling or meaning, and basic information, from sources such as Wikipedia to more or less scholarly articles and quick info sites like FindLaw. I don’t want someone’s opinion without data most of the time, unless it comes from a free and liberal source. I do think liberal views tend to be freer and broader, and therefore better. My favorites for opinion are NPR, Huffington Post, and the very assertive DailyKos.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/12/466559439/einstein-a-hunch-and-decades-of-work-how-scientists-found-gravitational-waves

Einstein, A Hunch And Decades Of Work: How Scientists Found Gravitational Waves
GEOFF BRUMFIEL
Updated February 12, 20165:27 PM ET
Published February 12, 20162:55 PM ET

Photograph -- The Laser Interferometer Gravity-Wave Observatory measures tiny changes in the lengths of each of its 2.5-mile-long arms. The arms stretch and squeeze as gravity waves pass by. Caltech/MIT/LIGO Lab
Video clip -- A Simulation Of Two Black Holes Merging, Source: SXS Collaboration
Photograph -- LIGO co-founder Rainer Weiss uses a visual aid as he speaks during a news conference Thursday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., announcing that scientists have finally detected gravitational waves, the ripples in the fabric of space and time that Einstein predicted a century ago. Andrew Harnik/AP


On Thursday, researchers announced the discovery of gravitational waves —wrinkles in the very fabric of space-time.

But behind the headlines and news conferences were decades of hard work, hundreds of scientists and more than a billion dollars in taxpayer funds.

"It's profoundly satisfying that it came out the way that we intended, we'd hoped, we'd dreamed," says Kip Thorne, a gravitational theorist at Caltech who co-founded the project.

The idea of gravitational waves started 100 years ago, when Albert Einstein revolutionized physics with a theory of gravity called general relativity — which reimagined the force of gravity as a warping of dimensions of space and time. The theory made a lot of startling predictions. One of them was that very heavy objects such as black holes should produce ripples in space-time itself.

The ripples stayed in the realm of theory until the 1960s, when a researcher named Joseph Weber began working on ways to actually detect them. At the time, another researcher named Rainer Weiss was teaching at MIT and some of his students started asking him about Weber's work.

"That was the beginning for me," Weiss says.

Catching a wave is a tough problem. Gravitational waves bend space only a tiny, tiny amount — a small fraction of the diameter of a subatomic-particle.

Weiss and other researchers spent more than a decade just tinkering, trying to figure out how to do it. Eventually, they came up with a plan.

The idea was to build a giant laser and place it between two-high precision mirrors set in an L-shape. Bouncing light off the mirrors, each of which would be miles away, would provide a stunningly accurate measure of distance. On paper at least, it could detect the stretching and squishing of space by gravitational waves.

But the giant lasers and long tunnels needed would be enormously expensive. Weiss and his colleagues went to the National Science Foundation for money. There were doubts, in part because other scientists recalled Weber's failed attempts decades earlier. But eventually, a panel of eminent scientists endorsed the project.

"They said, 'Hey this is a great idea. You should do it. It's risky, but it's exactly what the country needs,' " Weiss recalls.

His MIT group joined forces with a team from Caltech. Using NSF funding, they built two detectors, one in Louisiana and the other thousands of miles away in Washington state. Known as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), the machines began to search. Throughout the 2000s, their highly sensitive lasers registered trees being logged in Louisiana and earthquakes in rural Washington.

But they failed to detect gravitational waves.

The scientists were undaunted. "It was always exciting," says Gabriela González, a researcher at Louisiana State University and spokesperson of the LIGO scientific collaboration. "Just working on such a high-precision instrument was what I always liked."

NSF approved an upgrade to LIGO in 2004, and four years later, researchers got to work on the enhancements. They completely overhauled the lasers and mirrors and turned on Advanced LIGO in 2015.

All told, the U.S. and other nations invested $1.5 billion into the esoteric project, according to NSF Director France Córdova. It was the riskiest thing the NSF had ever done. So she was more than a little relieved when one of her deputies burst into her office last fall with the latest on LIGO.

"He said, 'France, you want to hear some good news for a change?' " Córdova says, chuckling.

The gamble had worked. On Sept. 14, 2015, at 5:51 a.m. ET, an alarm went off in Louisiana. Researchers in Germany, who were already analyzing the data, quickly identified a possible wave. The Washington state detector had seen it, too. The distortion in space was just 1/1,000 the diameter of a proton, but it was there.

"I felt disbelief," Weiss says. "Until we really did the checks, and then little by little, all of us began to believe."

Credit: NSF/NPR -- It was the collision of two black holes, each about 30 times the mass of the sun. They had smashed together far outside our galaxy, some 1.3 billion light-years away. The researchers spent months making sure, but in the end, there was no doubt. The signal was real.

For Weiss, who'd started working on the project five decades before, there was joy, but also relief. "A monkey came off my back," he says.



“On Thursday, researchers announced the discovery of gravitational waves —wrinkles in the very fabric of space-time. But behind the headlines and news conferences were decades of hard work, hundreds of scientists and more than a billion dollars in taxpayer funds. …. which reimagined the force of gravity as a warping of dimensions of space and time. The theory made a lot of startling predictions. One of them was that very heavy objects such as black holes should produce ripples in space-time itself. …. The idea was to build a giant laser and place it between two-high precision mirrors set in an L-shape. Bouncing light off the mirrors, each of which would be miles away, would provide a stunningly accurate measure of distance. On paper at least, it could detect the stretching and squishing of space by gravitational waves. …. Using NSF funding, they built two detectors, one in Louisiana and the other thousands of miles away in Washington state. Known as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), the machines began to search. …. On Sept. 14, 2015, at 5:51 a.m. ET, an alarm went off in Louisiana. Researchers in Germany, who were already analyzing the data, quickly identified a possible wave. The Washington state detector had seen it, too. The distortion in space was just 1/1,000 the diameter of a proton, but it was there. …. They had smashed together far outside our galaxy, some 1.3 billion light-years away. The researchers spent months making sure, but in the end, there was no doubt. The signal was real. For Weiss, who'd started working on the project five decades before, there was joy, but also relief. "A monkey came off my back," he says.”


Pardon me for asking, but how can we have only two mirrors “set in an L shape?” Wouldn’t it take at least three? Also, how do we form space and time – two very different things, right? – into “a continuum.” How can two things, only one of which could be a physical reality, connect and merge?? Also, “1/1,000 the diameter of a proton” is as hard to believe as the Bible stories. I also have trouble dealing with a measurement of something which is “1.3 billion light-years away."

Yet I do tend to trust scientists these days – until a new theory comes along, that is -- because I believe in the “scientific method” of analysis; our technology keeps getting better and better; and even though I can’t, there are those who can visualize/conceptualize and believe in things like the “space/time continuum.” I leave them to it. I tried to read the CBS article yesterday on this and it was all jargon with inadequate explanation. This one tells me the actual size of a micro-mini-measurement which amounts to an unimaginably minute part of a proton. Now that’s small. I do know what a proton is, luckily. I still don’t understand how they can detect any physical evidence of something that size, however. Are they eating mushrooms, perhaps? No. Just teasing. It’s great that they have detected this gravitational wave, and hopefully it will help us get to Mars or even further away in time for earth to be decimated by an asteroid or incinerated due CO2 atoms in the air.




http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/12/466568272/texas-a-m-investigates-report-of-slurs-yelled-at-black-high-school-students

Texas A&M Investigates Report Of Slurs Yelled At Black High School Students
BILL CHAPPELL
Updated February 12, 20162:54 PM ET
Published February 12, 20162:05 PM ET


"I am outraged and tremendously disappointed in the behavior displayed by a group of students," says Texas A&M University President Michael Young, after a group of students from an inner-city high school were called racial slurs and told, "Go back where you came from."

That last quote was relayed by state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, who says that he was briefed by Texas A&M officials. The incident occurred during a visit to the College Station campus Tuesday by 60 juniors, part of a program called the Road to College at Uplift Education.

University officials who were with the Dallas high school students reported the confrontation and called police, who filed their own report — although, West notes, "A campus officer initially said the A&M students were expressing their First Amendment rights."

"Uplift Hampton school officials said Thursday that they were disappointed by the incident," member station KERA reports. "The charter school is devoted to helping economically disadvantaged students get into college. Many come from families with no experience in higher education, and campus tours are their first encounters with universities."

One of the students who was on the field trip is Tariq Smith, 17.

"I just thought it was another day of hate," Smith tells local TV station WFAA. "People are going to hate people for certain things," he added. "Sometimes it's not fair what they hate you for."

Even after the experience, Smith tells WFAA, he'd still like to attend Texas A&M.

"I still want to go to that college, because there's great people there," he said. "But now I know there are some negative people there, too."

The incident began, West says, when a white female student approached two black female students from Uplift Hampton Preparatory, a school in his district. The A&M student asked the high school students what they thought about her Confederate flag earrings.

Soon afterward, a group of white male and female students told a larger group of students, "Go back where you came from," and began taunts "using the most well-known racial slur that's directed toward African-Americans," West says.

"West wasn't there when the incident occurred, but he said he was briefed on it later by A&M System Chancellor John Sharp," KERA reports. "A spokeswoman for Uplift Education, which operates the charter school, said West's description was accurate."

In an email sent to the university community, Young said, "the actions of a few certainly do not represent our institution as a whole." He also said that he has met with the student-led inclusion council to discuss how Texas A&M "can improve in making all people feel welcome and safe on our campus."



“That last quote was relayed by state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, who says that he was briefed by Texas A&M officials. The incident occurred during a visit to the College Station campus Tuesday by 60 juniors, part of a program called the Road to College at Uplift Education. University officials who were with the Dallas high school students reported the confrontation and called police, who filed their own report — although, West notes, "A campus officer initially said the A&M students were expressing their First Amendment rights." …. "The charter school is devoted to helping economically disadvantaged students get into college. Many come from families with no experience in higher education, and campus tours are their first encounters with universities." One of the students who was on the field trip is Tariq Smith, 17. "I just thought it was another day of hate," Smith tells local TV station WFAA. "People are going to hate people for certain things," he added. "Sometimes it's not fair what they hate you for." …. "He also said that he has met with the student-led inclusion council to discuss how Texas A&M "can improve in making all people feel welcome and safe on our campus."


When I think of racial taunts like that I think mainly of the emotional pain they bring. I have to remember that once in a third or so of such incidents, there may be physical violence involved as well. That may be getting worse since the uprising of the Right, which has been marching along for the last 15 or 20 years. I know it was going on down through our history, but it’s worse now. There are even some Militia members, etc., who speak of a race war. I pray that doesn’t happen.

I’m glad that the young 17 year old Tariq is able to put the verbal assault into a proper perspective and go on about his business. If he keeps that attitude he will probably have enough hope and courage to get him through, perhaps to a law degree or something equally as good. He will make a good income, have a house in the suburbs in a racially mixed and pleasant neighborhood, teach his kids to study and in general work hard, and above all spend time with them talking about life and sharing love. That creates a mentally healthy person. I am reminded of that old saw, “Living well is the best revenge.” I thought it was Mark Twain who said that, but it was George Herbert, a Welsh poet, born April 3, 1593. It’s a phrase that is so good it has lasted over 400 years.



http://www.npr.org/2016/02/12/466465333/sanders-favors-a-speculation-tax-on-big-wall-street-firms-what-is-that

How Bernie Sanders' Wall Street Tax Would Work
JIM ZARROLI
Updated February 12, 20166:17 PM ET
Published February 12, 20165:00 AM ET


As Bernie Sanders sees it, Wall Street got a big boost when U.S. taxpayers bailed out some of the largest financial institutions in 2008. Now it's time for Wall Street to return the favor.

Sanders has proposed something he calls a speculation tax, a small levy on every stock, bond or derivative sold in the United States.

The revenue would go toward free tuition at public colleges and universities and would also be used to pare down student debt and pay for work-study programs, as well as other programs, Sanders says.

While Hillary Clinton has proposed a similar tax on high-speed trading, Sanders' plan would go much further.

Both candidates say their tax would cut back on computer-generated, high-speed trading, which is often accused of destabilizing the markets and giving an unfair advantage to large firms.

"These high-frequency traders ... make enormous amounts of money, billions and billions of dollars, and do nothing of any social value for the economy," said Len Burman, co-director of the Tax Policy Center, a joint project of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution. "They're just kind of the modern-day equivalent of skimming pennies out of the till."

The idea of a tax on financial transactions is anything but new. Over the years, versions of it have been proposed by economists John Maynard Keynes and James Tobin. The United States actually had such a tax until 1966, as do numerous countries today. The European Union is expected to impose one as soon as next year.

Under the Sanders proposal, trades would be taxed at a rate of 0.5 percent for stocks and 0.1 percent for bonds. A stock trade of $1,000 would thus incur a cost of $5.

Burman believes the tax "would have mixed effects."

"On the one hand, it will raise the cost of investment," he said. "It's going to be a little bit more costly to get capital to businesses and others who have got useful things they want to do with it, and that's a cost to the economy.

"On the other hand, to the extent that it discourages unproductive trading ... that's a good thing for the economy."

Given the huge size of the financial markets and the enormous volumes of trading that take place today, such a tax could also raise a lot of revenue, although estimates of exactly how much vary widely.

Robert Pollin, co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who has studied the issue for years, said the Sanders proposal mirrors a tax proposed by Democratic U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota in a bill called the "Inclusive Prosperity Act."

Pollin believes such a tax could raise as much as $340 billion a year over the next decade. But the Tax Policy Center said the potential revenue would be less than one-tenth of that.

One reason for the big disparity between the estimates is that no one really knows how Wall Street firms would respond if such a tax was imposed.

John Cochrane, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, said many firms would find ways to get around the tax, by routing transactions through overseas markets, or trading options instead of stocks, for instance.

"It'll induce some very clever financial innovation of how to get around it," Cochrane said, "because there's ways to trade without incurring the tax, and, as a result, I don't think it'll gain much revenue."

"The cleverness of our financial engineers shouldn't be underestimated," he added.

Although the tax would be imposed on big banks and other large financial institutions, at least some of the pain would end up getting passed on to small investors, through higher costs to pension and insurance funds that invest in Wall Street, Burman said.

But Warren Gunnels, policy director for the Sanders campaign, argued that if Wall Street firms pass on the cost to investors, tax credits would be available to help low- and moderate-income people defray the cost.



“Now it's time for Wall Street to return the favor. Sanders has proposed something he calls a speculation tax, a small levy on every stock, bond or derivative sold in the United States. The revenue would go toward free tuition at public colleges and universities and would also be used to pare down student debt and pay for work-study programs, as well as other programs, Sanders says. While Hillary Clinton has proposed a similar tax on high-speed trading, Sanders' plan would go much further. …. The idea of a tax on financial transactions is anything but new. Over the years, versions of it have been proposed by economists John Maynard Keynes and James Tobin. The United States actually had such a tax until 1966, as do numerous countries today. The European Union is expected to impose one as soon as next year. Under the Sanders proposal, trades would be taxed at a rate of 0.5 percent for stocks and 0.1 percent for bonds. A stock trade of $1,000 would thus incur a cost of $5. …. Pollin believes such a tax could raise as much as $340 billion a year over the next decade. But the Tax Policy Center said the potential revenue would be less than one-tenth of that. One reason for the big disparity between the estimates is that no one really knows how Wall Street firms would respond if such a tax was imposed. …. Although the tax would be imposed on big banks and other large financial institutions, at least some of the pain would end up getting passed on to small investors, through higher costs to pension and insurance funds that invest in Wall Street, Burman said. But Warren Gunnels, policy director for the Sanders campaign, argued that if Wall Street firms pass on the cost to investors, tax credits would be available to help low- and moderate-income people defray the cost.”


“We had such a tax until 1966.” I wonder what Republican got that repealed? Even if this tax is evaded by lots of investors and the revenue realized is less than we hope for, dedicating it strictly to spending on the Free College plan so that it won’t go into a general fund and be used for something else – like I’ve heard the Social Security income is – will allow considerable aid to low income students, I would think. Or maybe there wouldn’t be an income limitation on who could qualify for free tuition. If they did it that way, the Republicans perhaps wouldn’t yell as loudly about it. Of course a fair number of them think that there should be no free education at all, even in grammar school and high school. They seem to want a profoundly ignorant population who will gladly take very low paying and low status jobs – cleaning toilets, for instance. If things ever go that way, we will end up with a caste system like India with Untouchables and such. That’s why I’m going to vote for Bernie!



http://www.npr.org/2016/02/11/466451287/cliven-bundys-arrest-caps-years-of-calls-for-government-to-take-action

Cliven Bundy's Arrest Caps Years Of Calls For Government To Take Action
KIRK SIEGLER
Updated February 12, 201610:29 AM ET
Published February 11, 20167:46 PM ET

Photograph -- Cliven Bundy stands along the road near his ranch after speaking with media in Bunkerville, Nev., on Jan. 27. His sons led the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, and he was arrested Wednesday on charges stemming from a 2014 standoff with federal agents. John Locher/AP
THE TWO-WAY -- U.S. Agency Backs Down In Standoff With Cattle Rancher
THE TWO-WAY -- Cliven Bundy Is Charged With Conspiracy And Extortion
"Get in line" is what William Anderson, former chairman of the Moapa Band of Paiutes, says of the current take-back-federal-lands movement.
THE TWO-WAY -- Dispute Over Cattle Grazing Disrupts Patrols Of Federal Land
THE TWO-WAY -- Of Ranchers And Rancor: The Roots Of The Armed Occupation In Oregon
AROUND THE NATION -- Year After Denying Federal Control, Bundy Still Runs His Bit Of Nevada
AROUND THE NATION -- Tensions Still High In 'Nevada Land' Over Cattle Dispute
Photograph -- Bundy at his home outside Bunkerville, Nev., in 2014, a few months after the standoff with federal agents. Kirk Siegler/NPR


The defiant leader of the anti-federal lands movement, Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, is now facing multiple felony charges — including conspiracy and assault on a federal officer — in the 2014 standoff at his Nevada ranch.

Bundy, who inspired the occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, was arrested at the airport in Portland, Ore., Wednesday night, apparently on his way to Malheur.

In a 32-page criminal complaint, prosecutors allege Bundy and his co-conspirators led a massive, armed assault against federal officers in April 2014 near the town of Bunkerville, Nev.

Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy was arrested late Wednesday in Portland, Ore.

Protesters in Burns, Ore., march toward the home of Dwight Hammond Jr., a local rancher convicted of arson on federal land. The Jan. 2 protest was peaceful, but ended with a group of militiamen occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Rancher Cliven Bundy holds his 5-month-old grandson Roper Cox on Saturday in Bunkerville, Nev. Bundy was hosting an event to mark one year since the Bureau of Land Management's failed attempt to collect his cattle.

Rancher Cliven Bundy stands near a gate on his 160-acre ranch in Bunkerville, Nev., the site of a standoff with the government last month. If the federal government comes back, Bundy promises, his militia supporters will also return in force.

Rancher Cliven Bundy (center) walks with his grandson Braxton Louge along with armed security guards near his ranch house Friday. Bundy's ranch, west of Mesquite, Nev., has become a rallying point for protesters who back his fight against the Bureau of Land Management over grazing fees.

According to the U.S. attorney for Nevada, Bundy and his armed supporters on horseback effectively ambushed federal Bureau of Land Management officials as they were trying to round up 400 of Bundy's cows illegally grazing on federal land.

The tense dispute ignited a fierce debate over federal land management and cattle grazing that continued for the past month in Oregon. But Bundy's self-described "range war" has always been about more than cows.

"What's at stake here? Freedom, liberty and statehood, that's what's at stake here," Bundy told me when I visited his ranch in southeastern Nevada shortly after the 2014 standoff.

That hot summer day, Bundy sat between two bodyguards. Photos of his 14 children and framed Mormon scripture hung on the wall behind him.

"[Federal authorities] was acting like an army coming against 'we the people,' " Bundy said at the time.

"We the people" is a constant Cliven Bundy refrain. He has flouted federal grazing laws and four prior court orders because he believes his Mormon ancestors arrived in the region and claimed a "right" to this land, predating the federal territories — an argument often disputed by historians who study the American West.

Bundy owes the federal Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, more than $1 million in leases and fines.

After the 2014 standoff, Bundy enjoyed a few weeks in the national spotlight, and was a darling of some talk show hosts. Most distanced themselves from the rancher when a video surfaced of him espousing racist views about the African-Americans he said he's came into contact with in nearby Las Vegas.

"I've often wondered, were they better off as slaves, picking cotton, having family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy?" Bundy said in the video, apparently filmed a few days after the 2014 standoff.

But after all the attention started to fade, the federal government still didn't act against Bundy. The BLM completely pulled out of the region, and Bundy and his supporters declared victory — until Wednesday night.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time," says Alan O'Neill, a retired park superintendent at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which spans the Arizona-Nevada border near Bundy's ranch.

O'Neill's first brushes with Cliven Bundy's defiance began in the late 1990s, when Bundy's cows were illegally grazing on park service land. He said there was a plan in place to remove them, but it was stopped back then at the last minute because the federal government worried about another Waco.

"I thought that the government should have moved quicker on Cliven Bundy, but I'm just happy that they did," O'Neill says.

It's not clear how Bundy's arrest will affect his followers and the larger anti-federal lands movement. Reached by cellphone on Wednesday before she began negotiating with the Oregon occupiers and encouraging them to surrender, Nevada state Rep. Michele Fiore was as defiant as ever.

"Across the Western states, this is a pattern of behavior where the BLM has literally become a bureaucracy of terrorism," she said.

If convicted, prosecutors say, Cliven Bundy faces up to 42 years in prison and fines up to $1.5 million.



“In a 32-page criminal complaint, prosecutors allege Bundy and his co-conspirators led a massive, armed assault against federal officers in April 2014 near the town of Bunkerville, Nev. Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy was arrested late Wednesday in Portland, Ore. …. If the federal government comes back, Bundy promises, his militia supporters will also return in force. …. But Bundy's self-described "range war" has always been about more than cows. "What's at stake here? Freedom, liberty and statehood, that's what's at stake here," Bundy told me when I visited his ranch in southeastern Nevada shortly after the 2014 standoff. …. "We the people" is a constant Cliven Bundy refrain. He has flouted federal grazing laws and four prior court orders because he believes his Mormon ancestors arrived in the region and claimed a "right" to this land, predating the federal territories — an argument often disputed by historians who study the American West. …. Most distanced themselves from the rancher when a video surfaced of him espousing racist views about the African-Americans he said he's came into contact with in nearby Las Vegas. "I've often wondered, were they better off as slaves, picking cotton, having family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy?" Bundy said in the video, apparently filmed a few days after the 2014 standoff. …. "I've been waiting for this for a long time," says Alan O'Neill, a retired park superintendent at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which spans the Arizona-Nevada border near Bundy's ranch. O'Neill's first brushes with Cliven Bundy's defiance began in the late 1990s, when Bundy's cows were illegally grazing on park service land. He said there was a plan in place to remove them, but it was stopped back then at the last minute because the federal government worried about another Waco. …. It's not clear how Bundy's arrest will affect his followers and the larger anti-federal lands movement. Reached by cellphone on Wednesday before she began negotiating with the Oregon occupiers and encouraging them to surrender, Nevada state Rep. Michele Fiore was as defiant as ever. "Across the Western states, this is a pattern of behavior where the BLM has literally become a bureaucracy of terrorism," she said. If convicted, prosecutors say, Cliven Bundy faces up to 42 years in prison and fines up to $1.5 million.”


“He has flouted federal grazing laws and four prior court orders because he believes his Mormon ancestors arrived in the region and claimed a "right" to this land, predating the federal territories — an argument often disputed by historians who study the American West.” The very negative picture I have of Mormonism, the abuse of women and the antigovernment views that they used to hold if not now, come mainly from “Riders Of The Purple Sage,” by Zane Grey. It appears to me that those Mormon attitudes may have been handed down to Cliven, at least the hatred of the federal government and the preference of the use of force over the law. Might makes right.

Like many readers of the news I have been disgusted by the lack of action against Cliven due to a fear of “another Waco.” If the Feds don’t keep a stern hold on certain parts of this country we easily could have another Civil War, which very likely will involve black people again, unfortunately, as Bundy’s statements about picking cotton show. Some Westerners are no more liberal and law abiding than Southern militants. I personally don’t see why White Power groups of that type are any less illegal and immoral in their activities than are the archenemies of the 1960s, the “Communists,” when they “advocate the overthrow of the government.” The same law covers every citizen.

A violent disruption of a really pretty good set of laws and society, all in all, by a bunch of wild eyed, bearded, and gun totin’ poor whites, is no better than by any other group. I came up in the South, but it was pretty quiet in that little niche in history. I did hear of one cross burning outside town, however, I saw no white policemen abusing blacks. I’m sure they did, especially in the black segregated neighborhoods, but Thomasville was too small to be dangerous overall. The problem of harassment of blacks has been with us since the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War, I’m sure though, and in the 1920s and ‘30s it was severe, even in Northern areas.

See the comments on Grey and Mormonism below. The Mark Twain comment below is acidic and grossly unfair, but humorous as always. If you want to read something amusing and profoundly disrespectful, read his “Letters From The Earth.”


https://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/arizona_quarterly_a_journal_of_american_literature_culture_and_theory/v057/57.1.handley.pdf
Distinctions without Differences: Zane Grey and the Mormon Question
William R. Handley
From: Arizona Quarterly: A Journal of American Literature, Culture, and Theory
Volume 57, Number 1, Spring 2001
pp. 1-33 | 10.1353/arq.2001.0006

"In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:
William R. Handley is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Southern California. He has recently completed a study of marriage and nation in twentieth-century western American literature, and is co-editing, with Nathaniel Lewis, an essay collection that explores the problem of authenticity in the West's cultural history.

Notes
I would like to thank Stephen Tatum, Nathaniel Lewis, and Melody Graulich for their helpful comments on later versions of this essay.

1. "The ruthlessness of Mormonism in that period of Western development is laid hare [sic] with great accuracy," wrote one reviewer of the novel in 1912 (qtd. in Jackson 41). While Jackson argues that in his "treatment of changing Mormonism, Grey put the stamp of historical research on his novels" and "contributed to an understanding of that period in American history" (21), Tompkins' reading of the novel scarcely mentions the Mormon distinction (157-77). Slotkin does give it some attention (211-17), but argues that "the characters and conflicts of the novel are nor [sic] attempts at representing distinctive frontier types or situations but a distillation and abstraction of literary conventions" (215). Other critics see the Mormon threat as an analogical vehicle for the voicing of other cultural anxieties and concerns: in an extended discussion of Grey's novel, Mitchell argues in part that Grey "replaces the panderers of the white slavery tracts with equally ruthless Mormons" (144), while Tatum reads the Mormon "invisible hand" motif in the context of "then-contemporary concerns over the corporate form of ownership evolving in the era's finance capitalism based on industrial technology." Grey's characterization of the soulless Mormon patriarchy, Tatum asserts, "recapitulates the critique of modern corporate ownership" in American culture at the turn of the century, which saw it as "invisible" and "soulless" (177). See also Topping's 1978 article for a discussion of Grey's Mormon novels.

2. For an account of Grey's travels among Mormons beginning in 1907, his friendship with Jim Emmett and his experiences with Buffalo Jones, their effect on his Mormon novels, and his sympathy particularly for Mormon women, see May, Zane Grey 46-65; Gruber 68-77; and Stott.

3. Julius C. Burrows, "Another Constitutional Amendment Necessary," The Independent 62 (May 9, 1907): 1074-78; Harvey J. O'Higgins, "A Reply to Colonel Roosevelt Regarding the New Polygamy in Utah," Collier's 67 (June 10, 1911): 35-37; Burton J. Hendrick, "The Mormon Revival of Polygamy," McClure's Magazine 36 (February 1911): 458-64, (January 1911): 345-61; Alfred Henry Lewis, "The Viper on the Hearth," Cosmopolitan 50 (March 1911): 439-50, "The Trail of the Viper," ibid. (April 1911): 693-703, and "The Viper's Trail of Gold," ibid. (May 1911): 823-33. Alfred Henry Lewis had also written an introduction to John Doyle Lee's 1905 The Mormon Menace.

4. Zane Grey to David Dexter Rust, 4 December 1910, 2 and 15 January and 15 February 1911, Box 4, Folder 7, David Dexter Rust Collection, Church Archives, Historical Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of the most scathing articles, such as Arthur Henry Lewis's series (see fn. 1), had yet to appear when Grey wrote these letters.

5. Reversing the common claim that polygamy ran entirely counter to Christianity, Twain argued, with reference to Mormon women's homeliness, that "'The man that marries one of them has done an act of Christian charity which entitles him to the kindly applause of mankind, not their harsh censure—and the man that marries sixty of them has done a deed of open-handed generosity so sublime that the nations should stand uncovered in his presence and worship in silence'" (97-98)."