March 30, 2016


News Clips For The Day


http://www.wxii12.com/news/company-invents-gun-that-folds-up-to-look-like-cellphone/38750158?utm_source=Social&utm_medium=FBPAGE&utm_campaign=WXII%2012%20NEWS

Company invents gun that folds up to look like cellphone
By NBCNews.com
Published 4:48 PM EDT Mar 29, 2016


A Minnesota company has invented a handgun that folds up to look just like a smartphone.

The .380-caliber pistol, called Ideal Conceal, will be available later this year and "will be virtually undetectable because it hides in plain sight," Ideal Conceal says on its website.

In locked position, the two-shot plastic gun with a metal core can be discreetly slipped into pockets, like a real phone. But "with one click of the safety it opens and is ready to fire," Ideal Conceal claims.

The creator, Kirk Kjellberg, told NBC News the idea came to him after he attracted attention for carrying a concealed weapon in a restaurant.

A Facebook page for Ideal Conceal already has more than 13,000 likes. But the product has attracted concern too, with critics arguing its design could pose a security threat at airports and other places.

Kjellberg denies that.

"It's kind of an erroneous idea that this is any different from any other pistol, because when you run it through an x-ray, it has barrels and triggers and hammers -- all the things other guns have. It has enough metal in it that it can't escape the metal detector," he said.



Ah, we needed this! Another almost undetectable hand gun for those who apparently “fear for their lives” at restaurants and airports and schools, etc. We live in an increasingly illogical and emotionally disturbed society. Trump and his group are the tip of the iceberg, I think. If a large percentage of our society weren’t in this category, he wouldn’t even be in the running as president. The things he does would make him so unpopular that he would go into hiding somewhere.



http://www.ewao.com/a/worlds-poorest-president-explains-why-we-should-kick-rich-people-out-of-politics/

‘World’s Poorest President’ Explains Why We Should Kick Rich People Out Of Politics
Earth We Are One
Written by Roque Planas of www.huffingtonpost.com
Posted on Feb 28th, 2016

Photographs -- Jose “Pepe” Mujica: source – indy100.independent.co.uk

After five years in power, the man described as the “world’s most humble president” has stepped down from office in Uruguay in 2015. Jose “Pepe” Mujica, who leaves with approval ratings of nearly 70 per cent, is a real person with real advice for leading a nation.

People who like money too much ought to be kicked out of politics, Uruguayan President José Mujica told CNN en Español in an interview posted online Wednesday.

“We invented this thing called representative democracy, where we say the majority is who decides,” Mujica said in the interview. “So it seems to me that we [heads of state] should live like the majority and not like the minority.”

Dubbed the “World’s Poorest President” in a widely circulated BBC piece from 2012, Mujica reportedly donates 90 percent of his salary to charity. Mujica’s example offers a strong contrast to the United States, where in politics the median member of Congress is worth more than $1 million and corporations have many of the same rights as individuals when it comes to donating to political campaigns.

“The red carpet, people who play — those things,” Mujica said, mimicking a person playing a cornet. “All those things are feudal leftovers. And the staff that surrounds the president are like the old court.”

Here Are Eight Reasons Why We Will Miss President Jose “Pepe” Mujica

Mujica explained that he didn’t have anything against rich people, per se, but he doesn’t think they do a good job representing the interests of the majority of people who aren’t rich.

“I’m not against people who have money, who like money, who go crazy for money,” Mujica said. “But in politics we have to separate them. We have to run people who love money too much out of politics, they’re a danger in politics… People who love money should dedicate themselves to industry, to commerce, to multiply wealth. But politics is the struggle for the happiness of all.”

Asked why rich people make bad representatives of poor people, Mujica said: “They tend to view the world through their perspective, which is the perspective of money. Even when operating with good intentions, the perspective they have of the world, of life, of their decisions, is informed by wealth. If we live in a world where the majority is supposed to govern, we have to try to root our perspective in that of the majority, not the minority.”

Mujica has become well known for rejecting the symbols of wealth. In an interview in May, he lashed out against neckties in comments on Spanish television that went viral.

“The tie is a useless rag that constrains your neck,” Mujica said during the interview. “I’m an enemy of consumerism. Because of this hyperconsumerism, we’re forgetting about fundamental things and wasting human strength on frivolities that have little to do with human happiness.”

He lives on a small farm on the outskirts of the capital of Montevideo with his wife, Uruguayan Sen. Lucia Topolansky and their three-legged dog Manuela. He says he rejects materialism because it would rob him of the time he uses to enjoy his passions, like tending to his flower farm and working outside.

“I don’t have the hands of a president,” Mujica told CNN. “They’re kind of mangled.”

source – waking times.com
cover photo – noticias.starmedia.com



“We invented this thing called representative democracy, where we say the majority is who decides,” Mujica said in the interview. “So it seems to me that we [heads of state] should live like the majority and not like the minority.” Dubbed the “World’s Poorest President” in a widely circulated BBC piece from 2012, Mujica reportedly donates 90 percent of his salary to charity. Mujica’s example offers a strong contrast to the United States, where in politics the median member of Congress is worth more than $1 million and corporations have many of the same rights as individuals when it comes to donating to political campaigns. “The red carpet, people who play — those things,” Mujica said, mimicking a person playing a cornet. “All those things are feudal leftovers. And the staff that surrounds the president are like the old court.” …. “I’m not against people who have money, who like money, who go crazy for money,” Mujica said. “But in politics we have to separate them. We have to run people who love money too much out of politics, they’re a danger in politics… People who love money should dedicate themselves to industry, to commerce, to multiply wealth. But politics is the struggle for the happiness of all.” …. Even when operating with good intentions, the perspective they have of the world, of life, of their decisions, is informed by wealth. If we live in a world where the majority is supposed to govern, we have to try to root our perspective in that of the majority, not the minority.” …. “The tie is a useless rag that constrains your neck,” Mujica said during the interview. “I’m an enemy of consumerism. Because of this hyperconsumerism, we’re forgetting about fundamental things and wasting human strength on frivolities that have little to do with human happiness.” …. . He says he rejects materialism because it would rob him of the time he uses to enjoy his passions, like tending to his flower farm and working outside. “I don’t have the hands of a president,” Mujica told CNN. “They’re kind of mangled.”


I don’t really expect very many politicians to follow his lifestyle, but I wish they would. Interestingly, the Pope has been criticized by some American Tea Party politicians for espousing a similar view on wealth and for his life style. They think he’s a radical Leftist. He doesn’t live in the Vatican, but in the Guest House and speaks often about helping the poor as Christian duty. (See article: http://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/pope-of-the-people-pope-francis-to-live-in-vatican-guesthouse-not-papal-apartments/13355.)



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/15-year-old-pepper-sprayed-outside-donald-trump-rally/

15-year-old pepper-sprayed outside Donald Trump rally
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
March 30, 2016, 9:22 AM


A teenage girl was pepper-sprayed outside of a Donald Trump campaign rally in Janesville, Wisconsin on Tuesday, and she alleged she was sexually assaulted, according to the Janesville Police Department.

In a statement, the police department said: "A 15 year [old] girl from Janesville was peppered sprayed in the crowd by a non-law enforcement person... A male in the (crowd) groped the 15 year [old] girl, when she pushed him away; another person in the (crowd) sprayed her. We are currently looking for two suspects, one for the sexual assault and one for the pepper spray."

A 19-year-old woman from Madison, Wisconsin also received second-hand spray the police said.

Video of the pepper-spraying incident was posted to a Janesville community Facebook page late Tuesday.

In the video, a blonde girl screamed at a man in the crowd that "you f***ing touched my chest." Later, the man denied the accusation, putting his hands up and saying, "I never touched her."

Approximately 30 seconds in, another member of the crowd sprays the teenage girl's face in close range.

Another video posted to YouTube.com shows a little more of the altercation between the man and the teenager. As she held up a sign, they exchanged words, and he pointed at her with a sheaf of papers.

Janesville Police Sgt. Aaron Ellis told the Associated Press Wednesday that the girl told police she punched the man whom she accused of groping her, named by the Wisconsin State Journal as Dan Crandall of Milton.

"I didn't touch her," Crandall, a Trump supporter, told the newspaper. "She started to challenge why I was at the Trump rally since I was a grown man. I told her I was at the Trump rally because I was a grown man and I cared about my country."

Ellis said the girl could also face charges for punching Crandall.

The incident took place outside the Holiday Inn Express and Janesville Convention Center, where over 1,000 supporters gathered at a Donald Trump rally held Tuesday afternoon. About a thousand more attendees, including both supporters and protesters, convened outside the venue.

On Monday night, six protesters were arrested by the Janesville Police Department after refusing to leave the venue's lobby as part of an anti-Donald Trump protest. Trump, for his part, was campaigning in Wisconsin as part of a last-minute bid for support ahead of the state's primary on April 5.

This only the latest in a string of violent incidents and assaults involving Trump supporters at his events.

Just this week, Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was charged with "simple battery" after he grabbed and allegedly bruised a former Breitbart reporter earlier this month at a press conference.

Trump stuck by Lewandowski after the charge, even threatening to sue the reporter after she tried "to grab me and shout questions."

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Janesville Police Department's investigation.



“In a statement, the police department said: "A 15 year [old] girl from Janesville was peppered sprayed in the crowd by a non-law enforcement person... A male in the (crowd) groped the 15 year [old] girl, when she pushed him away; another person in the (crowd) sprayed her. We are currently looking for two suspects, one for the sexual assault and one for the pepper spray." …. Video of the pepper-spraying incident was posted to a Janesville community Facebook page late Tuesday. In the video, a blonde girl screamed at a man in the crowd that "you f***ing touched my chest." Later, the man denied the accusation, putting his hands up and saying, "I never touched her." Approximately 30 seconds in, another member of the crowd sprays the teenage girl's face in close range. …. Janesville Police Sgt. Aaron Ellis told the Associated Press Wednesday that the girl told police she punched the man whom she accused of groping her, named by the Wisconsin State Journal as Dan Crandall of Milton. "I didn't touch her," Crandall, a Trump supporter, told the newspaper. "She started to challenge why I was at the Trump rally since I was a grown man. I told her I was at the Trump rally because I was a grown man and I cared about my country." Ellis said the girl could also face charges for punching Crandall. …. On Monday night, six protesters were arrested by the Janesville Police Department after refusing to leave the venue's lobby as part of an anti-Donald Trump protest. …. Trump stuck by Lewandowski after the charge, even threatening to sue the reporter after she tried "to grab me and shout questions."


Every day there’s more. It’s a disgusting spectacle and a really dangerous sign of the sort of things that may be to come. Interestingly, the police usually arrest the anti-Trump faction and not the radical Rightists behind Trump. I wonder why that is?



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nypd-commissioner-bill-bratton-harsh-words-mailman-arrest-brooklyn/

NYPD commish has harsh words over mailman's arrest
CBS NEWS
March 30, 2016, 10:35 AM

Photograph -- A still from a cellphone video showing mailman Glenn Grays' arrest in Brooklyn on March 17, 2016.
Play VIDEO -- NYPD investigating after postal worker arrested


NEW YORK -- Police Commissioner Bill Bratton had some harsh words for the officers accused of handcuffing a postal worker while he delivered packages on his route in Brooklyn.

CBS New York reports Bratton said he was "very concerned" about the March 17 confrontation between 27-year-old Glenn Grays and four plainclothes officers and a lieutenant.

"I'm very concerned about the performance of the officers, about the leadership role of the lieutenant involved and about the processing of the arrest at the precinct stationhouse," Bratton said Tuesday.

He also questioned the legitimacy of Grays' arrest for disorderly conduct.

"Based on what I witnessed on that, the various videos I've reviewed now, I have strong concerns about the charge against the individual," Bratton said.

The entire incident was captured on cellphone video.

DNA info reports the officers involved have been "removed from their normal posts as the NYPD investigates the incident."

Grays was in the middle of his shift on Saint Patrick's Day when he claims an unmarked police car nearly ran him over in Crown Heights. He said he then shouted at the officers, who stopped and demanded identification.

"My ID right there on the side of the truck," Grays can be heard saying in the video.

"Let's go get your ID," an officer says.

"I'm not going nowhere," Grays responds. "I'm delivering my postal route."

The video then shows the officers telling Grays to "stop resisting" even though it doesn't appear that he is resisting.

"I'm not resisting!" Gray yells back.

Grays is then handcuffed and put in the unmarked patrol car, his mail truck left unattended. That's when the video ends.

Bratton said the NYPD's Internal Affairs is investigating. He said the officers were members of a conditions unit and were supposed to work in uniform.

"Out of the investigation into that incident will be why were they in plainclothes, for what purpose, who authorized it," he said.

The commissioner was also concerned that a USPS truck was left unattended.

Grays said he hasn't yet returned to work.

In an interview with "CBS This Morning," Grays said: "The only thing I think saved me is that it was on videotape."

"Never been arrested, never received a summons. I was extremely terrified. I wouldn't say afraid - I passed the stage of afraid," Grays said. "I was afraid that if I didn't comply that something was going to happen to me."

The NYPD has been hit with other caught-on-camera incidents of alleged police harassment against people of color, including the 2014 death of Eric Garner.

Grays said he wants justice. To him, that means disciplinary action.

"I don't want them to be jobless because they might have family, kids they need to support," Grays said. "It's sad that I thought that when I put on a uniform that I'll be treated a little different, but it's no difference. You know, I'm just another brother with a uniform."



Thank goodness for cell phone cameras, and for Bratton’s action on the part of good over evil. Not only did four officers who were NOT supposed to be in plain clothes at all rough the man up and charge him with resisting arrest. Many times with police these days people are shot for “resisting arrest.” That should be grounds for a murder charge unless the officer is injured. These officers will, I hope, be disciplined soundly, if not fired. Personally I think officers who do these pointlessly aggressive things should be fired and never hired again on a police force in the US. They’re the “bad apples” that we’re supposedly trying to “weed out.” That means stop these incidents!



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-flip-flops-on-pledge-to-support-any-gop-nominee/

Donald Trump flip flops on pledge to support any GOP nominee
By STEPHANIE CONDON CBS NEWS
March 29, 2016, 11:56 PM


Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Tuesday said he is no longer committed to supporting the GOP nominee, regardless of who it is.

"Do you continue to pledge whoever the Republican nominee is?" CNN moderator Anderson Cooper asked Trump during a televised town hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Trump replied, "No. I don't anymore."

Last year, Trump signed a pledge to the Republican National Committee (RNC) that he would not run as a third-party candidate, should he lose the GOP nomination.

"I have been treated very unfairly," Trump said, "I think by, basically, the RNC, the Republican party, the establishment."

Donald Trump: Republican Party "not treating me right"

He pointed to Mitt Romney's active efforts to campaign against him as an example of the unfair treatment against him.

In separate town hall events, Trump's GOP rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich both refused to pledge their support to any GOP nominee, though they didn't go as far as Trump did.

Asked whether he could support Trump, Cruz answered, "Donald is not going to be the GOP nominee. We're going to beat him."

He did, however acknowledge, "I'm not in the habit of supporting someone who attacks my wife and attacks my family. I think that is going beyond the line."

Kasich similarly refused to say explicitly whether or not he could support Trump as the nominee. If a candidate is "really hurting the country, I can't stand behind them," Kasich said.

Cruz insisted that he can win the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination. Kasich, however, is depending on a contested convention to win the nomination. The chances for a contested convention could increase next week, if Trump doesn't win the Wisconsin primary on April 5.



“Last year, Trump signed a pledge to the Republican National Committee (RNC) that he would not run as a third-party candidate, should he lose the GOP nomination. "I have been treated very unfairly," Trump said, "I think by, basically, the RNC, the Republican party, the establishment." …. Kasich similarly refused to say explicitly whether or not he could support Trump as the nominee. If a candidate is "really hurting the country, I can't stand behind them," Kasich said. Cruz insisted that he can win the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination. Kasich, however, is depending on a contested convention to win the nomination. The chances for a contested convention could increase next week, if Trump doesn't win the Wisconsin primary on April 5.”


I hope they do have a contested convention, but even if Trump were to be the nominee, either Sanders or Clinton will probably be able to beat him in a general election. He really isn’t “presentable” as our President and I think most Americans understand that.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/30/472412304/justice-department-reaches-agreement-with-newark-n-j-on-police-reforms

Justice Department Reaches Agreement With Newark, N.J., On Police
MERRIT KENNEDY
March 30, 20161:23 PM ET

Photograph -- People walk by a police car in downtown Newark, N.J., in May 2014.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images


The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it has reached an agreement with Newark, N.J., on changes to the city's police department.

NPR's Carrie Johnson tells our Newscast unit that this comes after "civil rights investigators had uncovered a pattern of unconstitutional stops and property thefts." She adds:

"The Justice Department team studied thousands of unjustified stops and searches by the Newark police that had a disparate impact on minorities.

"Federal civil rights investigators also found law enforcement had used excessive force and stolen people's property.

"The new agreement between the Obama administration and authorities in Newark will impose more police training, change the way people are searched, and deploy body-worn cameras."

And as Carrie reports, the proposed consent decree requires the approval of a federal judge.

"We found practices that not only broke the law but also eroded trust," Vanita Gupta, head of the civil rights division, said at a press conference in Newark. "We found policies that not only harmed residents but also lacked accountability. And we found systems that not only failed the community but also failed officers themselves."

Paul Fishman, U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, said in a statement, "The department is challenged in fundamental ways and has engaged in a pattern and practice of unconstitutional policing in a broad range of areas." He added, "It is also clear that the Police Department's relationship with the people of the city has suffered dramatically from the combination of those practices."

Fishman called this agreement "a major step towards breaking that cycle."

NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reported last July that the Justice Department's investigation had found "that about 75 percent of stops made by Newark police were illegal, many targeting black residents for loitering or wandering."

Samuel Walker, an expert on police accountability, told Hansi at the time that "lasting change will come after the consent decree and a federally appointed monitor are in place to overhaul how Newark does policing."

Walker added that there's a "huge learning curve" when it comes to scrutinizing officer conduct. "It may take a while," he said.



“The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it has reached an agreement with Newark, N.J., on changes to the city's police department. NPR's Carrie Johnson tells our Newscast unit that this comes after "civil rights investigators had uncovered a pattern of unconstitutional stops and property thefts." She adds: "The Justice Department team studied thousands of unjustified stops and searches by the Newark police that had a disparate impact on minorities. "Federal civil rights investigators also found law enforcement had used excessive force and stolen people's property. …. "The department is challenged in fundamental ways and has engaged in a pattern and practice of unconstitutional policing in a broad range of areas." …. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reported last July that the Justice Department's investigation had found "that about 75 percent of stops made by Newark police were illegal, many targeting black residents for loitering or wandering." Samuel Walker, an expert on police accountability, told Hansi at the time that "lasting change will come after the consent decree and a federally appointed monitor are in place to overhaul how Newark does policing." Fishman called this agreement "a major step towards breaking that cycle."


Unfortunately, Newark is only one of the police departments that use illegal and unethical practices on a daily basis. That’s largely because there is not an honest and sufficiently forceful person as their head who issues strong discipline and thorough investigations. An article last year quoted an officer as saying anonymously that the lack of department discipline is the primary reason for all the illegal police behavior. They do it because they can.