March 22, 2016


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/brussels-attacks-isis-claims-responsibility-deadly-bombings-airport-subway/

Police issue photo, wanted notice for suspect after Brussels attacks
CBS/AP
March 22, 2016, 12:50 PM
Last Updated Mar 22, 2016 2:05 PM EDT

Play VIDEO -- American on Brussels subway explosion: "Everyone dropped to the floor"
Photograph -- brussels-attacks-possible-suspects.jpg, A picture taken from a security camera in the Brussels airport before the attacks. Belgium's VTM network broadcaster said police and security services consider these three men suspects in the attacks. VTM NETWORK,BELGIUM
Play VIDEO -- Zarate on disrupting ISIS' adaptability, threat to Belgian nuclear plants
32 PHOTOS -- Deadly explosions in Brussels
Play VIDEO -- Security analysts assess Belgium terror attacks
Play VIDEO -- Special Report: Obama addresses deadly Brussels attacks
Play VIDEO -- Witnesses describe scenes of Brussels terror bombings


BRUSSELS -- Federal police in Belgium have issued a wanted notice for a suspect in the Brussels airport bombing that they are still trying to identify.

A man wearing a thick light-colored jacket with a black hat and glasses is suspected of committing an attack at Zaventem airport on Tuesday morning.

Police are urging the public to call them if they recognize the suspect, tweeting the image of the suspect with a message: "Who recognizes this man?"

Earlier, security video shown by Belgium's VTM network shows three men that the broadcaster says police and security services consider to be suspects. One of the men appears to be the same as the suspect sought by police. Belgian federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw said police raids are happening around the country after two men "probably" staged suicide bombings at the Brussels airport and a third fled.

At least 36 people were killed in what Van Leeuw said were terrorist attacks in the city, which has been on high alert since the Paris carnage last year.

Meanwhile, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attacks at the airport and one of the city's metro stations, saying its extremists opened fire in the airport and "several of them" detonated suicide belts.

The ISIS posting in the group's Amaq news agency said another suicide attacker detonated in the metro.

The posting claimed the attack was in response to Belgium's support of the international coalition arrayed against it. Another ISIS statement posted online threatened more attacks against countries staking [sic] part in the coalition in Syria and Iraq.

"We promise the countries taking part in the coalition against the Islamic State that they will see black days in response to their aggression against the Islamic State," the statement said. "What's yet to come is worse and more bitter."

Two sources confirmed to CBS News that a Kalashnikov assault rifle was found in the airport terminal, and there were reports that an unexploded explosive device was also found in the airport.

Belgium's public broadcaster RTBF said at least one suicide bomber was behind the two explosions at the airport. A U.S. official told CBS News that at least 16 people were killed and dozens injured in the blasts in the departure hall at Brussels Airport.

About an hour after the airport blasts, another bomb exploded on a rush-hour subway train near the European Union headquarters. Terrified passengers had to evacuate through darkened tunnels to safety.

"What we feared has happened," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told reporters. "In this time of tragedy, this black moment for our country, I appeal to everyone to remain calm but also to show solidarity."

Belgium raised its terror alert to the highest level, diverting planes and trains and ordering people to stay where they were. Airports across Europe immediately tightened security.

"We are at war," French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said after a crisis meeting in Paris. "We have been subjected for the last few months in Europe to acts of war."

Added French President Francois Hollande: "Terrorists struck Brussels, but it was Europe that was targeted."

European security officials have been bracing for a major attack for weeks, and warned that ISIS was actively preparing to strike. The arrest Friday of Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in the November attacks in Paris, heightened those fears, as investigators said many more people were involved than originally thought and that some are still on the loose.

Former Deputy Director of the CIA Michael Morell, now a senior CBS News security contributor, said the attacks were likely planned and could have been "accelerated" by the arrest of Abdeslam.

"This particular attack, I believe, was something that they had in train... He (Abdeslam) was probably aware of this. They were probably concerned that he was going to talk to authorities and they moved this up," Morell said on "CBS This Morning."

Michel said there was no immediate evidence linking them with Abdeslam. After his arrest, Abdeslam told authorities he had created a new network and was planning new attacks.

U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to "do whatever is necessary" to help Belgian authorities seek justice.

"We stand in solidarity with them in condemning these outrageous attacks against innocent people," Obama said in Havana, where he was closing a three-day visit.

Western Europe has lived for decades under the threat of violence from homegrown nationalist and revolutionary movements. Muslim extremists from North Africa and the Middle East have attacked civilian targets without warning, ranging from France's 1960s war in Algeria through Libya's 1988 downing of an airline over Scotland to the 2004-05 attacks on the public transportation systems of London and Madrid.

Certain neighborhoods in Brussels, like the Molenbeek quarter, have bred extremists and supplied foreign fighters. Plotters linked to the Paris attacks, and other strikes over at least the last several decades, have either moved through or lived in parts of the city.

Tuesday's explosions at the airport in the Brussels suburb of Zaventem came shortly after 8 a.m., one of its busiest periods. Belgian Health Minister Maggie de Block said 11 people were killed and 81 wounded. Eleven people had serious injuries, Marc Decramer of the Gasthuisberg hospital in Leuven told broadcaster VTM. The nails apparently came from one of the bombs.

Zach Mouzoun, who arrived on a flight from Geneva about 10 minutes before the first blast, told BFM television that the second, louder explosion brought down ceilings and ruptured pipes, mixing water with victims' blood.

"It was atrocious. The ceilings collapsed," he said. "There was blood everywhere, injured people, bags everywhere."

"We were walking in the debris. It was a war scene," he said.

Video taken moments after the explosions showed travelers huddled next to airport check-in counters and lying near luggage and trolleys as dust and the cries of the wounded filled the air. Dazed people stumbled from the scene, some with clothes and shoes blown off.

Anthony Deloos, an airport worker for Swissport, which handles check-in and baggage services, said the first explosion took place near the Swissport counters where customers pay for overweight baggage. He and a colleague said the second blast hit near a Starbucks cafe.

"I jumped into a luggage chute to be safe," Deloos said.

The bomb on the subway train came after 9 a.m., killing 20 people and wounding more than 100, Mayor Yvan Majeur said.

"The metro was leaving Maelbeek station for Schuman when there was a really loud explosion," said Alexandre Brans, 32, wiping blood from his face. "It was panic everywhere. There were a lot of people in the metro."

Near the entrance to the station, rescue workers set up a makeshift medical treatment center in a pub. Dazed and shocked morning commuters streamed from the metro entrances as police tried to set up a security cordon.

The metro shut down after the attacks, as did the airport. More than 200 flights to Brussels were diverted or canceled, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24.

Travelers fled the airport as quickly as they could. In video shown on France's i-Tele television, men, women and children dashed from the terminal in different directions. Security officers patrolled a hall with blown-out paneling and ceiling panels covering the floor.

Marc Noel, 63, was about to board a Delta flight to Atlanta, to return to his home in Raleigh, North Carolina. A Belgian native, Noel said he was in an airport shop buying automotive magazines when the first blast struck about 50 yards away.

"People were crying, shouting - children. It was a horrible experience," he said, adding that his decision to shop might have saved his life. "I would probably have been in that place when the bomb went off."


This horrifying event is definitely scary to me, because Jacksonville could easily become such a target, though NYC or DC is more likely to be their next goal as a result of their central relationships to the US economy and government. The article above is really thorough and informative, and somewhat comforting in that the European governments and ours as well are pulling out the stops on tackling this human Kraken that apparently has us in its' tentacles. We need to get a grip fast, but without ruining our democratic governments.


http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/03/22/bernie-sanders-decries-barbarism-of-brussels-attacks/?_r=0

Bernie Sanders Decries ‘Barbarism’ of Brussels Attacks
First Draft, By the New York Times
Mar.22, 2016

Photograph -- Senator Bernie Sanders held a campaign rally in Salt Lake City on Monday, a day before Utah’s caucuses.Credit Kim Raff for The New York Times

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, condemned the “cowardly” terrorist attacks in Brussels on Tuesday, saying in a statement:

“We offer our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones in this barbaric attack and to the people of Brussels who were the target of another cowardly attempt to terrorize innocent civilians. We stand with our European allies to offer any necessary assistance in these difficult times.

“Today’s attack is a brutal reminder that the international community must come together to destroy ISIS. This type of barbarism cannot be allowed to continue.”

Find out what you need to know about the 2016 presidential race today, and get politics news updates via Facebook, Twitter and the First Draft newsletter.



CBS -- “The posting claimed the attack was in response to Belgium's support of the international coalition arrayed against it. Another ISIS statement posted online threatened more attacks against countries staking part in the coalition in Syria and Iraq. …. "This particular attack, I believe, was something that they had in train... He (Abdeslam) was probably aware of this. They were probably concerned that he was going to talk to authorities and they moved this up," Morell said on "CBS This Morning." Michel said there was no immediate evidence linking them with Abdeslam. After his arrest, Abdeslam told authorities he had created a new network and was planning new attacks. …. "What we feared has happened," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told reporters. "In this time of tragedy, this black moment for our country, I appeal to everyone to remain calm but also to show solidarity." Belgium raised its terror alert to the highest level, diverting planes and trains and ordering people to stay where they were. Airports across Europe immediately tightened security. …. Added French President Francois Hollande: "Terrorists struck Brussels, but it was Europe that was targeted." European security officials have been bracing for a major attack for weeks, and warned that ISIS was actively preparing to strike. The arrest Friday of Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in the November attacks in Paris, heightened those fears, as investigators said many more people were involved than originally thought and that some are still on the loose. Former Deputy Director of the CIA Michael Morell, now a senior CBS News security contributor, said the attacks were likely planned and could have been "accelerated" by the arrest of Abdeslam. …. Video taken moments after the explosions showed travelers huddled next to airport check-in counters and lying near luggage and trolleys as dust and the cries of the wounded filled the air. Dazed people stumbled from the scene, some with clothes and shoes blown off. …. Near the entrance to the station, rescue workers set up a makeshift medical treatment center in a pub. Dazed and shocked morning commuters streamed from the metro entrances as police tried to set up a security cordon. The metro shut down after the attacks, as did the airport. More than 200 flights to Brussels were diverted or canceled, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24.”


I woke up this morning and before getting out of bed, switched on the TV as I always do, to find appalling scenes from these bombings being shown on the air. The body count is high, and the terror created is great. Worse still, authorities don’t think the attacks are at an end, or that all the conspirators are identified, much less arrested. A photo of a wanted poster has been issued. That wasn’t with this article or I would have mentioned it. I am also unable to find it by a direct search on Google. Maybe later.

The French Prime Minister Manuel Valls stated in response “We are at war.” In the article above Bernie Sanders is quoted as saying, “Today’s attack is a brutal reminder that the international community must come together to destroy ISIS. This type of barbarism cannot be allowed to continue.” I do hope he means that, as not only the US government but those of other nations have done, in my view, the minimum in order to avoid being enmeshed in another overseas operation like Iraq.

It is clear, however, that we are already enmeshed, and that we can be attacked here in the US as easily as they are in Europe. Of course, if the US and certain European nations would stop the dangerous practice of letting people from anywhere and of any personal background through without even a visa, I would feel better. Some things are democratic principles and others are foolhardy.

Unlike Trump, I don’t feel that “all Muslims” should be automatically excluded, but I do think that our powerful computers should be used to scan lists of known or suspected terrorists with photographs if possible, and not allow them in. Many of our terrorists have been holders of outdated student visas who came to the US to study and overstayed their time limit. We allow people in and then don’t make a sufficient effort to see what they are doing, where they are, and when they leave.

Listen also on the CBS News site to the newly received comments on this situation by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Only audio is available at this time. She speaks carefully and intelligently. She sounds cogent and wise, as always, and not foolishly naïve about border and also internal security – very “presidential.” She also comments on European security matters. Trump clarifies his position on the border – he doesn’t want to “close” the border but simply to greatly increase our caution about each person coming in, especially those who don’t have good documentation. Trump sounds much more intelligent and responsible when he gives himself time to think and doesn’t try to “excite the crowd.” One of his main problems is that he is deeply immature and narcissistic.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-cities-on-alert-after-brussels-bombings/

American cities on alert after Brussels attacks
CBS/AP
March 22, 2016, 10:06 AM
Last Updated Mar 22, 2016 2:12 PM EDT

Play VIDEO -- Ex-Homeland Security chief on impact of Brussels attacks on U.S.
Play VIDEO -- American on Brussels subway explosion: "Everyone dropped to the floor"


NEW YORK- The FBI is stepping up surveillance of potential terror suspects in the United States who could try to carry out copycat attacks on the homeland, a federal law enforcement official told CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton.

The official was not aware of any specific, credible threats of that nature, but said the agency is redoubling its efforts, including looking closely at open working investigations and making sure the FBI knows where certain individuals previously on their radar are located.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said earlier Tuesday that it was closely monitoring unfolding events after bombings in the Brussels airport and subway system and "would not hesitate to adjust our security posture, as appropriate, to protect the American people."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent out a bulletin with information about the attack to law enforcement agencies across the U.S.

Much, if not all of the information in the report, is not classified. A source who's seen the bulletin says much of the information it contains has already been reported publicly, and includes a map of where the attacks occurred.

DHS has reiterated that members of the public should report any suspicious activity in their communities to law enforcement authorities.

Last week U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Homeland Security officials constantly monitor world events and evaluate whether there is a need to either publicly raise the nation's security posture or issue another bulletin via the government's National Terror Advisory System.

Such a bulletin was issued in December advising the public that federal law enforcement was concerned about the possibility of homegrown violent extremists and terrorist-inspired individuals.

Much like all of Europe's capitals, police in Washington, D.C., said they will also be stepping up their visible presence at all key infrastructure and public interest points in the city in the wake of the Brussels bombings.

The NYPD is increasing visible presence of officers on the streets and in the subway system across the city's five boroughs, reports CBS New York. The Port Authority Police Department is stepping up security at its three major airports. It's also employing high visibility anti-terrorist patrols throughout the PATH system and the World Trade Center site.

In a statement, Gov. Andrew Cuomo laid out some of the additional security measures the state of New York was taking: "The New York National Guard this morning activated its quick reaction force from Fort Hamilton to provide additional security detail at JFK International Airport. The National Guard has 400 service members on duty today in the NYC area. The Guard is adding additional service members to transportation infrastructure hubs downstate, including JFK and LaGuardia airports. The New York State Police will have State Troopers assigned to Penn and Grand Central Stations as well as the Queens Mid Town Tunnel and the George Washington Bridge."

Authorities in Massachusetts said they're stepping up security after the Brussels attacks.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said Tuesday that staff will be "stepping up their vigilance and visibility" with Transit Police posted at stations and platforms.

State police said they've increased patrols near transportation centers and are monitoring information related to the terror attacks.

Logan Airport's operator said it doesn't discuss specific security measures but said in a statement they're "multi layered and constantly evolving."

Gov. Charlie Baker took to Twitter to assure residents that security has been strengthened on public transit systems and airports and that law enforcement "will remain vigilant." He also said he's "deeply saddened" at the deaths of victims in Belgium attacks.

The Chicago Police Department said it has increased security.

Interim Chicago Police Superintendent John Escalante said Tuesday morning that he has stepped up security presence at the city's airports, transportation sites and other high-profile locations. He said there's no specific threat to Chicago but the department wants to be prepared and ready to safeguard critical infrastructure.

Chicago authorities said they're in contact with federal and state officials. Chicago officials are encouraging everyone to be aware of their surrounding and call 911 to report suspicious activity.



“The official was not aware of any specific, credible threats of that nature, but said the agency is redoubling its efforts, including looking closely at open working investigations and making sure the FBI knows where certain individuals previously on their radar are located. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said earlier Tuesday that it was closely monitoring unfolding events after bombings in the Brussels airport and subway system and "would not hesitate to adjust our security posture, as appropriate, to protect the American people." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent out a bulletin with information about the attack to law enforcement agencies across the U.S. …. DHS has reiterated that members of the public should report any suspicious activity in their communities to law enforcement authorities. Last week U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Homeland Security officials constantly monitor world events and evaluate whether there is a need to either publicly raise the nation's security posture or issue another bulletin via the government's National Terror Advisory System. …. The National Guard has 400 service members on duty today in the NYC area. The Guard is adding additional service members to transportation infrastructure hubs downstate, including JFK and LaGuardia airports. The New York State Police will have State Troopers assigned to Penn and Grand Central Stations as well as the Queens Mid Town Tunnel and the George Washington Bridge."


When things like this happen I am grateful for the Department of Homeland Security. Supposedly they act as a clearinghouse for FBI and other surveillance an protection forces. A visible presence will make citizens feel safer, but the undercover agents mentioned in this article may be even more important. A bad guy, when confronted with armed guards and National Guard members will probably go to another site to make his attack. The officer whose presence may not be visible should be in a better position to foil the plan. Also, since we do have a large “Big Brother” file, hopefully that monitoring will catch an assault that is in the planning stage. Several times there has been an article about the FBI and police participating in sting operations. Prevention is better than a cure.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-hole-in-belgiums-police-force-that-could-put-us-all-in-danger/

The hole in Belgium's police force that could put us all in danger
By CHRISTINA CAPATIDES CBS NEWS
January 25, 2016, 7:30 PM

Play VIDEO -- Les Banlieues: Seeds of Terror
Related articles:
Molenbeek: Terror recruiting ground
Les Banlieues: Searching for the seeds of terror


In today's post-9/11 world, most people probably assume that police departments in major global cities have sizable contingents devoted to counterterrorism. And some do. The NYPD, for example, essentially has miniature equivalents of the CIA and the FBI working within its own ranks. Other police departments in other cities, however, are not so well-equipped ... even in some of the world's most dangerous hotbeds of terror.

Take Belgium, for example. Authorities suspect there are currently as many as 800 jihadists in Belgium; 450 in the Belgian capital of Brussels; 85 just in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek. In fact, at least six of the terrorists who attacked Paris in November 2015, killing 130 people and injuring 368, had connections to Molenbeek. So, what's really going on in this Belgian neighborhood? And why are all of these terrorists slipping through the cracks? CBS News correspondent Vladimir Duthiers travelled to Brussels to get the bottom of it.

"It's a big number," Molenbeek's Mayor, Francoise Schepmans, told him. "But here in Molenbeek, you have a lot of people who are Muslim, a lot of people who are coming from Morocco. So ... it is one of the reasons why we have so many people in contact with radicalism and with jihadism."

Traditionally, Belgian citizens only speak two languages, French and Dutch. However, as Mayor Schepmans states, the city has seen a huge influx of immigrants from Morocco in recent years, who speak Arabic. And in the CBSN Originals documentary, "Molenbeek: Terror Recruiting Ground," the borough's police commissioner tells Duthiers that there are simply not enough cops who speak Arabic on Molenbeek's police force to combat the growing threat of homegrown terror on its streets.

What's more, he reveals there are only four police officers in Molenbeek specifically assigned to investigating radicalism, a number which pales in comparison to the counterrorism units in other cities. And in a nation that now has more citizens fighting in Iraq and Syria, per capita, than any other country in Europe, that may be a very small bandaid on a much larger wound.



The NYPD, for example, essentially has miniature equivalents of the CIA and the FBI working within its own ranks. Other police departments in other cities, however, are not so well-equipped ... even in some of the world's most dangerous hotbeds of terror. …. the city has seen a huge influx of immigrants from Morocco in recent years, who speak Arabic. And in the CBSN Originals documentary, "Molenbeek: Terror Recruiting Ground," the borough's police commissioner tells Duthiers that there are simply not enough cops who speak Arabic on Molenbeek's police force to combat the growing threat of homegrown terror on its streets. …. What's more, he reveals there are only four police officers in Molenbeek specifically assigned to investigating radicalism, a number which pales in comparison to the counterrorism units in other cities.”


There was a series of articles several years ago about an Islamic neighborhood somewhere in France. I’m, but I can’t remember the details. That neighborhood, though, was poor and treated poorly by the French people of the area, and they had started rioting. One thing I remember is the France made a law that Muslim women were not allowed to wear their traditional clothing. I can understand the banning of those long garments that literally cover their whole body, face and all. Anybody including men can wear that and slip into an area to do some sort of bombing like this and people will have no idea who it is or what they really look like. That is a danger, and the French government had been having trouble with some of those areas.

Unfortunately, a proud group of people with a strongly united group identity will rebel after a while and start “acting out” bigtime. It is happening here in black neighborhoods, exacerbated by the too common police brutality. Several cops have been shot in ambush this year, two in Jacksonville and one at least in NYC. It’s like a dog or a cat. If you corner it, harass it and frighten it you would do well not to try to get too close to it anytime soon. My husband didn’t like my large tomcat who, mutually, didn’t like him. One night he chased that cat around the apartment acting like an ape. The next morning, he had to put the cat out because I had already left. When he tried to get his hands on it, it bit clear through the flesh at the base of his thumb, causing him to have to go to the hospital for first aid and a tetanus shot. Actions sometimes have unforeseen consequences.




http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/bernie-sanders-wins-democrats-primary-160321213821907.html

Bernie Sanders wins Democrats Abroad primary
Socialist senator receives 69 percent of the vote among Americans living abroad, adding nine delegates to his total.
22 Mar 2016 09:27 GMT | US Election 2016, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, United States

Photograph -- People hold signs in support of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders [Jacquelyn Martin/AP]
Photograph -- Bernie Sanders surprises with Michigan primary win
Photograph -- Socialism, Bernie Sanders-style


Down but not out, Senator Bernie Sanders scored a big win in the Democrats Abroad global primary as the contest to become the party's candidate in November's US presidential election heats up.

"We are waging a strong campaign and plan to take it all the way to the Democratic National Convention this summer," Sanders said after his win on Monday.

The party said 34,570 American citizens living abroad in 38 countries cast votes by internet, mail, and in person from March 1 to 8.

Sanders received 69 percent of the vote to earn nine of the 13 delegates at stake. Hillary Clinton won 31 percent, picking up four delegates.

It is an important victory for Sanders, who was beaten by Clinton in five states last Tuesday.

Still, Sanders continues to trail Clinton by more than 300 delegates.

Clinton now has 1,163 delegates to Sanders' 844 based on primaries and caucuses.

In the US primary system, voters select delegates supporting their candidates in each state and then the delegates vote for the candidates in parties' national conventions.

When including superdelegates, or party leaders who can support any candidate, her lead is even bigger - 1,630 to Sanders' 870. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the nomination.

Halfway into the primary season, the Democratic race now moves to western states this week that Sanders is counting on winning to cut into Clinton's lead.

On Tuesday, Democrats vote in Arizona, Idaho and Utah, with 131 delegates up for grabs; on Saturday, Alaska, Hawaii and Washington hold caucuses with 142 delegates at stake.


"We are waging a strong campaign and plan to take it all the way to the Democratic National Convention this summer," Sanders said after his win on Monday. The party said 34,570 American citizens living abroad in 38 countries cast votes by internet, mail, and in person from March 1 to 8. Sanders received 69 percent of the vote to earn nine of the 13 delegates at stake. Hillary Clinton won 31 percent, picking up four delegates.”


I like Bernie because he stands up for the issues that I believe in and he is a serious fighter. His socialism is nothing but the New Deal with some additions, like a single payer health system from which all citizens receive free care, a $15.00 an hour minimum wage, the restoration of support for unions rather than the restrictions which are in certain laws on union activity, free education for everyone at all at our state supported universities, and an attempt to reduce the dangerous gap in per capita income. He wants to make those whose income is from investment rather than wages to have to pay a higher amount than they currently do in taxes. It is shocking that the wealthy actually pay less than the Middle Class who work for wages. I think he would at least try to cut back on the untaxed income that the upper economic class(es) make, and it’s high time that this should happen, in my view. Sanders is also socially progressive, despite the too common black opinion that he hasn’t said enough about their particular issues. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about and support the upward mobility and basic rights of all the minority groups.

He is for a much improved economic situation for all of the 99%, and despite the black impatience with his strong focus on economic problems, he is a social progressive. I, personally, do believe that the too frequent lack of success in school and the workplace by blacks, American Indians, Hispanics, and let’s not forget many whites, have to do directly with deeply ingrained generational poverty. Such conditions don’t produce physically and mentally healthy good citizens, but is the root cause of the poor living conditions, lack of good nutrition, lack of education, rampant drug/alcohol addiction, unemployment, lack of hope, etc. etc. etc. that we see in almost all of our cities and small town around this country. Sanders’ programs would help poor blacks and whites alike, in the ways that they most need help. Their children are still, too often, not thriving in the big world. If they get a job, it’s often a poor quality job with no skills and too little pay. Sanders’ free tuition at colleges would be an especially important aid to improving upward mobility, especially that generation to generation transfer of negativity.

Sometimes I speak of “deep poverty,” by which I mean a certain kind of grinding deprivation of the basic human needs and the resulting discouragement that comes from that. Kids from that background, though not all of them, are likely to do poorly in school and largely fail in life, and that’s even without the true racial bias in our schools and police interactions. Let’s face it, our poor whites who are now rallying behind Donald Trump are victims of the very same negative circumstances that we tend to ascribe to blacks, Hispanics, and all other socially shunned minorities. From my view, a free higher education, nutritional and housing supplements as necessary, and above all a good job which pays a living wage with a little extra to build on, will greatly improve our poverty problem nationwide and produce many more educated and ethical “good citizens,” which in a fully integrated democracy is what we should be striving to achieve. A person who, because of his privilege, does not care a whit about those who are less well educated, less well dressed, and relatively unskilled in social matters, is just another form of villainous brute, no matter how much money he has. The worst problem with the 1% is that they, too often, are utterly shallow and thoughtless about the life issues of the human race – except for their own class, of course.

The old saw “It takes three generations to make a gentleman” sounds very clever, but it simply isn’t true. I think that statement, touted by many Upper Crust individuals, is merely conceited. It takes one generation of people whose parents, whether or not they had a high level of education, BELIEVE in education and make every effort to maneuver their kids into working hard enough to get good grades in high school and then a place in a good institution of higher education at a brick and mortar state university. These darned Internet “universities” which give very little information for very high fees are nothing but scams. They should be outlawed in my opinion. Free tuition at fully qualified state supported colleges would really help the poor of all types. It would be unfair if the wealthy were not allowed to get such free tuition also, if they do attend a school of that type. Students who insist on going to Harvard or other expensive private colleges had better get some scholarships other than sports related programs, of course, because their tuition will undoubtedly not be “free” or even affordable.

Tangentially related and very frightening is the following subject on another use of the term “three generations.” It is a shocking example of the opposite view on how to achieve a “higher” class of people. I fear that we may be hearing this again if too many Tea Partiers get into influential positions in our governments, both state and federal. Most of the recent fascist-leaning laws I’ve been reading about while doing this blog are happening in state legislatures, especially on models suggested by the Koch-sponsored organization ALEC. If you are not aware of what ALEC is, go to Google and look it up. Digressing from the main subject here, I would like to present another subject and article.

The article on “three generations,” is about our American “experiment” with eugenics in the 1920s and Oliver Wendel Holmes’ disgusting statement about the “inferior” members of our populace. Women were literally sterilized for having a depressive condition or for seeming “slow” intellectually. That was the last period with such a huge gap between rich and poor as we have now, the tight stranglehold on the path of social and economic politics. See http://www.amazon.com/Three-Generations-No-Imbeciles-Eugenics/dp/0801898242, on the Supreme Court case “Buck v. Bell.” Note, many of those sterilized women were not “Imbeciles” at all, but emotionally or mentally ill people, whom we would now treat with carefully selected drugs and/or talk therapy. Not surprisingly, many of those women who were sterilized were also black.


When I was young my parents couldn’t pay for our college, but we got scholarships or work scholarships – in campus settings such as the library or the hospital – and even worked a part time or full time job while taking courses. Degrees don’t have to be earned within four years in order to be a good basis for work or higher education. Free college tuition would give our poor people a leg up in that process. The same debilitating impoverishment occurs among whites. We tend to think that “the poor” means “the minorities,” but that just ain’t so. That is really why a Donald Trump has such a following in our country today. That class of whites have been racist and radical rightists, to a certain degree, as long as I can remember, and especially are, now that a black president has been elected. They are furious that a person from the class below theirs has been unfairly elevated to such a high position. Untouchables are not supposed to receive such honor, after all.

That is another good reason that I’m for Bernie Sanders. I’ve lived with the consciousness of those things as long as I can remember, and I want it stopped. So there!!