April 7, 2016


News Clips For The Day


http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/first-read-democratic-race-takes-nastier-turn-n552321

First Read: The Democratic Race Takes a Nastier Turn
by CHUCK TODD, MARK MURRAY and CARRIE DANN
MEET THE PRESS APR 7 2016, 10:29 AM ET

Photos -- Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders spar over who is 'qualified' to be president 3:33
Play -- Clinton Launches Wave of New Attacks in Wake of Sanders Victories 2:23


First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.

The Democratic race takes a nastier turn

The 2008 Barack Obama-vs.-Hillary Clinton presidential race was combative, competitive, and polarizing for Democratic voters. ("Shame on you, Barack Obama"; "You're likeable enough, Hillary.") But one thing that never happened was either Obama or Clinton directly saying that their rival wasn't qualified to be president. Yet that's exactly what happened last night at Bernie Sanders' event in Philadelphia. The dispatch from NBC's Danny Freeman: "'Now the other day, I think, Secretary Clinton appeared to be getting a little bit nervous,' began Sanders in front of thousands at Philadelphia's Temple University Wednesday night. 'And she has been saying lately that she thinks that I am, quote-unquote not qualified to be president,' he said as the raucous crowd booed. 'Well let me just say in response, to Secretary Clinton, I don't believe that she is qualified if she is…through her Super PAC, taking tens of millions of dollars in special interest funds," Sanders declared… 'I don't think that you are qualified if you get 15 million dollars from Wall Street through your Super PAC,' said Sanders. 'I don't think you are qualified if you have voted for the disastrous war in Iraq. I don't think you are qualified if you've supported virtually every disastrous trade agreement, which has cost us millions of decent paying jobs.'" Wow. So long for the days when Clinton and Sanders were shaking hands on the debate stage, huh?

PlaySanders Says Clinton 'Not Qualified' to be President Facebook Twitter Google Plus Embed
Sanders Says Clinton 'Not Qualified' to be President 2:18
Fact-checking Unqualifed-Gate

But there are two important points to make in this dispute. One, Clinton never uttered the words "unqualified," as Sanders charged last night (even though she and her campaign have been much more aggressive toward Sanders after losing Wisconsin). In fact, she dodged the question. Here's what she said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" yesterday:

SCARBOROUGH: But do you think he is qualified? And do you think he is able to deliver on the things he is promising to all these Democratic voters?
CLINTON: Well, let me put it this way, Joe. I think that what he has been saying about the core issue in his whole campaign doesn't seem to be rooted in an understanding of either the law or the practical ways you get something done. And I will leave it to voters to decide who of us can do the job that the country needs, who can do all aspects of the job, both on the economic domestic issues and on national security and foreign policy.
And two, some of the things that he said makes Clinton unqualified to be president -- having a Super PAC, raising money from Wall Street, supporting trade agreements -- would also disqualify President Obama. There is no doubt that Sanders and his campaign have been facing extra scrutiny and heat, even after their big win in Wisconsin. But saying in response that Clinton is unqualified (for the same things that about 95% of Democratic politicians do) seems akin to a George Costanza moment when you realize that the insult you intended doesn't go over that well.

Team Sanders stuck in No Man's Land

Given the escalation in the Democratic race, Sanders and his campaign have a question to ask themselves: What is their campaign about -- the ideas they want to push, or capturing the Democratic nomination? Because right now, they're not winning on either front. Sanders is significantly behind in the delegate race, and the ideas he might want to discuss are now getting buried in this war of words. As our colleague John Harwood puts it, "[It] seems as if Team Sanders has gotten itself stuck in no-man's land between message campaign and genuine threat for nomination." Both campaigns are clearly frustrated right now -- Team Clinton got blown out in Wisconsin; Team Sanders, even after their win, realizes the math isn't in its favor. And it's showing.

Where the Democratic delegate race stands

In pledged delegates, Clinton holds a 246-delegate lead over Sanders (with Washington state delegates still to be allocated)

Clinton 1281 (55% of delegates won)
Sanders 1035 (45%)
In overall delegates (including superdelegates), Clinton holds a 673-delegate lead over Sanders

Clinton must win 33% of remaining delegates to hit 2,383 magic number

Sanders must win 67% of remaining delegates to hit 2383 magic number (was 66%)

Ted Cruz has a New York problem

Turning to the Republican race, Ted Cruz probably regrets criticizing "New York values" like he did earlier in this campaign. Because Donald Trump last night unloaded on that line, per NBC's Ali Vitali: "We all lived through it. We all know people that died [in the 9/11 terrorist attacks]," Trump recalled, before turning around to attack Ted Cruz for speaking badly of New York's values. "I've got this guy standing over there, looking at me, talking about New York values with scorn in his face, with hated, with hatred of New York." Folks, there are still 12 days to go until the New York primary, but it's going to be hard to stop Trump from getting all - or close to all - of the state's 95 delegates.

Obama travels back to Chicago to make the case for Senate Republicans to consider his SCOTUS pick

At 3:30 pm ET from the University of Chicago Law School, where he once served as an instructor, President Obama will make his case why the Republican-led Senate should give Supreme Court pick Merrick Garland hearings and an up-or-down vote. According to last month's NBC/WSJ poll, 48% of American voters said that the Senate should vote on a replacement this year, versus 37% who said it should wait until there's a new president, as Republicans have argued. And 55% of voters said they disapproved of Senate Republicans' decision not to even consider Obama's nominee. But the downside for Team Obama: The Democratic doesn't seem as fired up about this issue as the presidential race (and Trump and Cruz). The presidential race is helping Senate Majority Mitch McConnell here -- at least for now.

On the trail

Bernie Sanders speaks to the AFL-CIO in Philadelphia at 10:00 am ET… Bill Clinton also stumps for his wife in Pennsylvania… Ted Cruz campaigns in New York… As does John Kasich, who hits Brooklyn and the Bronx.



"'Now the other day, I think, Secretary Clinton appeared to be getting a little bit nervous,' began Sanders in front of thousands at Philadelphia's Temple University Wednesday night. 'And she has been saying lately that she thinks that I am, quote-unquote not qualified to be president,' he said as the raucous crowd booed. 'Well let me just say in response, to Secretary Clinton, I don't believe that she is qualified if she is…through her Super PAC, taking tens of millions of dollars in special interest funds," Sanders declared… 'I don't think that you are qualified if you get 15 million dollars from Wall Street through your Super PAC,' said Sanders. 'I don't think you are qualified if you have voted for the disastrous war in Iraq. I don't think you are qualified if you've supported virtually every disastrous trade agreement, which has cost us millions of decent paying jobs.'" …. I think that what he has been saying about the core issue in his whole campaign doesn't seem to be rooted in an understanding of either the law or the practical ways you get something done. Given the escalation in the Democratic race, Sanders and his campaign have a question to ask themselves: What is their campaign about -- the ideas they want to push, or capturing the Democratic nomination? Because right now, they're not winning on either front. Sanders is significantly behind in the delegate race, and the ideas he might want to discuss are now getting buried in this war of words.”



http://www.mediaite.com/online/bernie-lied-hillary-clinton-actually-refused-to-call-him-unqualified-three-times/

Bernie Lied! Hillary Clinton Actually Refused to Call Him Unqualified… Three Times
by Tommy Christopher | 7:25 am, April 7th, 2016


“It doesn’t look like Sanders is thus far inclined to walk this back, but he may reconsider once he’s seen the interview, which I very much doubt he had when he formulated this attack. If I were a betting man, I’d wager it was campaign manager Jeff Weaver who got Bernie spun up about this without giving him the facts.

I also don’t think this is the disaster that many are making it out to be. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell panel was fretting that this makes party unity impossible now, and everyone’s acting like Bernie was checking out a baby’s tits or something. Simply calling your opponent “unqualified” isn’t wise, but if it’s how you feel, it also isn’t some earth-shattering heresy. Anyone who thinks this can’t be walked back after the nomination obviously doesn’t remember 2008. This will probably help Bernie with the aggrieved and angry voters he’s targeting, but it will hurt him with everyone else, mostly because she didn’t say what he says she said.”



This isn’t good, and Sanders may have to “walk it back,” but I still believe he will make a better president than Clinton. The things he said about her are true, whether or not they make her unqualified for the presidency. What they say, in my view, is that she has some uncomfortable similarities to the classic Republican views, and Obama has too. The New Democrats are more “conservative,” especially in economic matters, than we Old ones and they are indeed linked much too closely with the new Robber Baron class of modern businessmen. They are also friends with the Wall Street crowd.

I’ve been thinking for a number of years that this was the case, and I am concerned. I especially don’t like the trade agreements which allow American businesses to send their operations overseas where the labor is usually cheaper. Heck, they make money hand over fist as it is. Our workers who don’t have a professional qualification – Doctor, lawyer, accountant, college professor – have been increasingly disadvantaged ever since the Bill Clinton presidency. It’s a real economic and social problem. We need to get serious about it, and that’s what Sanders does!



https://www.yahoo.com/news/paypal-axes-north-carolina-expansion-over-200622429.html

PayPal axes North Carolina expansion over transgender law
By Michael Walsh
April 05, 2016

Photograph -- PayPal’s headquarters is located in San Jose. (Photo: Jeff Chiu/AP)
Photograph -- LGBT activists march against House Bill 2 in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Photo: Whitney Keller/The Herald-Sun via AP)


By losing PayPal, North Carolina might have just suffered the most palpable financial consequence of having a law that many consider discriminatory against transgender people.

The California-based online payment company announced Tuesday that it is abandoning its plan to set up a new $3.6 million global operations center in Charlotte, N.C., which it said would have employed more than 400 people in skilled jobs.

Dan Schulman, president and CEO of PayPal, said House Bill 2 (HB2) invalidates protections of rights for LGBT citizens and denies them equal rights under the law.

“This decision reflects PayPal’s deepest values and our strong belief that every person has the right to be treated equally, and with dignity and respect,” Schulman wrote in a statement. “These principles of fairness, inclusion and equality are at the heart of everything we seek to achieve and stand for as a company. And they compel us to take action to oppose discrimination.”

He said PayPal regrets that it will not have the opportunity to become part of the Charlotte community and work with the region’s many talented people.

“While we will seek an alternative location for our operations center,” Schulman continued, “we remain committed to working with the LGBT community in North Carolina to overturn this discriminatory legislation, alongside all those who are committed to equality.”

Under HB2, people in North Carolina are only permitted to use public restrooms that correspond with their biological sex, defined as “the physical condition of being male or female, which is stated on a person’s birth certificate.” The bill also forbids local governments from passing local ordinances that would outlaw discrimination against particular groups of people.

Proponents of HB2 argue that it would stop violent men from sneaking into women’s restrooms to sexually assault them. Opponents of HB2 argue that this is a scare tactic to legalize discrimination.

Many businesses have already spoken out against the bill. PayPal’s announcement comes just days after Lionsgate pulled the plug on filming a new Hulu show in Charlotte.

The Human Rights Campaign, which advocates for LGBT rights in the state, said PayPal is sending a loud and clear message to North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, who signed HB2 into law on March 23.

“With every passing day that HB2 remains on the books, Governor McCrory is inflicting damage on the state’s economy and reputation,” Griffin said in a news release. “The fact also remains that this destructive and appalling bill continues to put people across the state at risk of harm and discrimination. It is time for Governor McCrory to stop this senseless crusade against equality and repeal HB2 once and for all.”

The North Carolina Family Policy Council, a conservative nonprofit supporting HB2, argued that the Human Rights Campaign and other activist groups have manufactured this outrage on behalf of the “LGBT agenda.”

“Far from an ‘organic’ outrage by the business community, you have to hand it to the Human Rights Campaign for orchestrating a masterful PR and lobbying campaign against House Bill 2,” NCFPC president John Rustin wrote.

Lawmakers in North Carolina approved HB2 in March to counteract an ordinance passed by the Charlotte City Council that prohibited discrimination against LGBT people and affirmed the right of transgender people to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity.



“Dan Schulman, president and CEO of PayPal, said House Bill 2 (HB2) invalidates protections of rights for LGBT citizens and denies them equal rights under the law. “This decision reflects PayPal’s deepest values and our strong belief that every person has the right to be treated equally, and with dignity and respect,” Schulman wrote in a statement. “These principles of fairness, inclusion and equality are at the heart of everything we seek to achieve and stand for as a company. And they compel us to take action to oppose discrimination.” …. “While we will seek an alternative location for our operations center,” Schulman continued, “we remain committed to working with the LGBT community in North Carolina to overturn this discriminatory legislation, alongside all those who are committed to equality.” …. “With every passing day that HB2 remains on the books, Governor McCrory is inflicting damage on the state’s economy and reputation,” Griffin said in a news release. “The fact also remains that this destructive and appalling bill continues to put people across the state at risk of harm and discrimination. …. “Far from an ‘organic’ outrage by the business community, you have to hand it to the Human Rights Campaign for orchestrating a masterful PR and lobbying campaign against House Bill 2,” NCFPC president John Rustin wrote.”


Conservatives don’t want to admit it, but these things are not being “manufactured.” The LGBT community is very much organized and active on the grassroots level. Millions of people are LGBT and even if we (me) aren’t, we know a number of individuals personally who are. What I have noticed about them is that they are truly committed in their relationships for the most part, and they are well-behaved good citizens. That’s all I need to know. I just don’t care about their sexual orientation or identity. Quite a few gays and lesbians are in my church. I believe we should be a “welcoming” church and society as a whole in the US, rather than exclusionary and even physically/socially abusive. We need to step away from being a potentially dangerous society to the “city on the hill” that we claim to be. Donald Trump is only the tip of an iceberg of increasingly Rightist people in this country. I not only despise that, I fear it.



http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/planned-parenthood-aclu-sue-indiana-abortion-law-38218679

Planned Parenthood, ACLU Sue Indiana Over New Abortion Law
By ARIC CHOKEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
INDIANAPOLIS — Apr 7, 2016, 1:44 PM ET


The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky sued the state of Indiana on Thursday over its recently signed abortion law that bans the procedure if sought because of genetic abnormalities, calling the law unconstitutional.

The federal lawsuit, which also challenges a provision that mandates an aborted fetus be buried or cremated, seeks an injunction to keep the law taking effect on July 1.

"The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly stressed that a woman, not the state, is to determine whether or not to obtain an abortion," ACLU of Indiana Legal Director Ken Falk said at a news conference midday Thursday. "The State of Indiana's attempt to invade a woman's privacy and to control her decision in this regard is unprecedented and unconstitutional."

Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky president and CEO Betty Cockrum said the law, which was passed by the GOP-led Legislature and signed by Gov. Mike Pence last month, shows the state doesn't respect women.

The law makes Indiana one of the most restrictive states in the U.S. for abortions, joining only North Dakota in banning abortions sought because of genetic fetal abnormalities. It's also spurred a campaign called "Periods from Pence," in which women call Pence's office to tell him about their periods, and a planned protest this weekend.

Pence's deputy press secretary, Stephanie Hodgin, said in an emailed statement that the Republican governor "has every confidence this law is constitutional."

"We will work with the Attorney General to defend the law that enhances information expectant mothers receive and enhances protection for the unborn," Hodgin said.

A spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General was not immediately available for comment. State Sen. Travis Holdman, the Markle Republican who sponsored the bill, would not comment on the lawsuit.

However, Indiana Right to Life, an anti-abortion group who backed the measure, leveled that Planned Parenthood has fiscal motives for the lawsuit.

"This is the same song and dance we have seen from the abortion provider anytime they feel their lucrative abortion business is threatened," group president Mike Fichter said in a statement. "They oppose any common sense law that protects women and children because they want to protect their bottom line."

The lawsuit says the new law puts an "undue burden on women's right to choose an abortion" since it bans the procedure in some circumstances, even when the fetus won't survive. The suit also says women have a right to choose an abortion in the first trimester "for any reason."

Planned Parenthood said the bill also violates privacy rights. The organization does not ask patients why they are seeking an abortion, but the new law would require physicians to report if a fetal anomaly had been present prior to the abortion, which the groups say puts doctors at risk of being reprimanded. The law also requires fetuses to be buried or cremated, which the lawsuit called a costly requirement that does not exist for the disposal of medical waste for other types of operations.

The case will go to U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, who in 2011 ruled against a law that would have prohibited entities who perform abortions from getting state funding.

North Dakota's Republican-led Legislature passed a measure in March 2013 that blocks abortions based on unwanted gender or a genetic defect. The state's sole abortion clinic, the Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo, has said the ban doesn't affect it in part because most genetic abnormalities are not detected until after 16 weeks into a pregnancy, when the clinic ceases providing abortions.

Minnesota, Oklahoma and Arizona require women to receive counseling on perinatal hospice services if they are seeking abortions because of a lethal fetal abnormality, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports legal access to abortion. Kansas requires counseling on perinatal hospice services before all abortions.



“The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky sued the state of Indiana on Thursday over its recently signed abortion law that bans the procedure if sought because of genetic abnormalities, calling the law unconstitutional. …. A spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General was not immediately available for comment. State Sen. Travis Holdman, the Markle Republican who sponsored the bill, would not comment on the lawsuit. However, Indiana Right to Life, an anti-abortion group who backed the measure, leveled that Planned Parenthood has fiscal motives for the lawsuit. …. A spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General was not immediately available for comment. State Sen. Travis Holdman, the Markle Republican who sponsored the bill, would not comment on the lawsuit. However, Indiana Right to Life, an anti-abortion group who backed the measure, leveled that Planned Parenthood has fiscal motives for the lawsuit. …. The lawsuit says the new law puts an "undue burden on women's right to choose an abortion" since it bans the procedure in some circumstances, even when the fetus won't survive. The suit also says women have a right to choose an abortion in the first trimester "for any reason." …. Planned Parenthood said the bill also violates privacy rights. The organization does not ask patients why they are seeking an abortion, but the new law would require physicians to report if a fetal anomaly had been present prior to the abortion, which the groups say puts doctors at risk of being reprimanded. …. The case will go to U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, who in 2011 ruled against a law that would have prohibited entities who perform abortions from getting state funding. …. The state's sole abortion clinic, the Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo, has said the ban doesn't affect it in part because most genetic abnormalities are not detected until after 16 weeks into a pregnancy, when the clinic ceases providing abortions. …. Minnesota, Oklahoma and Arizona require women to receive counseling on perinatal hospice services if they are seeking abortions because of a lethal fetal abnormality, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports legal access to abortion. Kansas requires counseling on perinatal hospice services before all abortions.”


I’m really fascinated with this genetic abnormality language. The only possible reason I can think of which would affect Republican thinking is that a genetic abnormality might be viewed by fundamentalist churches as “God’s will,” and therefore not to be prevented. In all cases which come up before the 20 weeks, however, the woman’s right to choose should be honored. If I were pregnant and for ANY REASON there were determined to be a handicap, either mental or physical, I would choose an abortion. If it were a genetically caused flaw, I would be even more likely to have it aborted. I would also probably get my tubes tied to prevent further pregnancies.



http://abcnews.go.com/US/mother-girl-allegedly-body-slammed-school-cop-couldnt/story?id=38220253

Mother of Girl Allegedly Body-Slammed by School Cop 'Couldn't Believe' It
By AVIANNE TAN
Apr 7, 2016, 1:02 PM ET

Related Articles: San Antonio Schools Investigating Video Showing Officer Body-Slamming Girl to the Ground
2 Baltimore School Police Officers Charged in Assault of Student Caught on Video
SC Student 'Brutalized' by School Resource Officer, Lawyer Says
PHOTO: A shocking video appearing to show a school police officer body-slamming a young girl has prompted an investigation by the district. ABC NEWS


The mother of a 12-year-old girl seen on video appearing to be body-slammed by a school district police officer in San Antonio, Texas, said today "she couldn't believe" what happened to her child.

"She’s my daughter, and I just want justice for her," Gloria Valdez told ABC News’ "Good Morning America.”

"I was upset. I was angry because I still couldn’t believe he had done that to her and then she told me, 'Mom, I wasn’t fighting. Why did he do that?'"

Gloria's daughter, Janissa Valdez, told “GMA” today that she was "still bruised" from the alleged incident that school officials said happened on March 29 at Rhodes Middle School.

Pointing to discoloration above her eye, Janissa said the bruise actually got "bigger" the day after the incident. And though it has "gone down" since then, it's still visible, she said.

School district officials are now conducting an investigation into the incident, which they say they only became aware of after cellphone video of it was posted on YouTube Tuesday, according to Leslie Price, spokeswoman for the San Antonio Independent School District.

The beginning of the video appears to show a school police officer, identified by the district as Joshua Kehm, lifting Janissa from behind before turning and slamming her on the floor face-down.

A shocking video appearing to show a school police officer body-slamming a young girl has prompted an investigation by the district.

Price told GMA that the video was "very concerning."

"We will not tolerate excessive force in this district, but I can also say we need to find out all the details as to what occurred," she said.

Kehm has been working as a police officer for the school district since February 2015, Price said. He has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the district's investigation, she added.

The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, which is representing Kehm, said, "There is an ongoing investigation and Officer Kehm fully intends to cooperate with the investigation."

As of this morning, it was still unclear what happened before the video was shot.

"All we know at this point is it seems like the incident began with two students having a verbal altercation," Price said.

Janissa said she admits to having a verbal argument with another student but that it didn't escalate beyond that.



http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2015/10/the-problem-with-highland-park-isd-isnt-the-people-its-the-law.html/

Opinion Blog
The problem with Highland Park ISD isn’t the people, it’s the law
Rudolph Bush -- Follow @dallaspolitics Email rbush@dallasnews.com
Published: October 6, 2015

Photograph -- Highland Park High School

The morning after I wrote a toughly worded item about racist emails circulating around the upcoming Highland Park ISD bond referendum, a person I respect very much rang me up.

He lives in University Park and had just taken his children to school in HPISD.

“Just dropping off the Hitler youth,” he said, with not a little anger in his voice.

Here’s a guy who, like so many Highland Park residents, works hard to build a good life for his family, to give his kids the best opportunity he can who felt like the local newspaper writer had just taken a below-the-belt swipe at him and his family.

No. And I’m sorry he felt that way. That was never the intention. And if that’s what you read in what I wrote, I’d ask you to read it again. Or better yet, please keep reading here.

All of this started with a racist email suggesting that voters should oppose the bond issue in HPISD because it might draw in poor children and even refugees – in other words, the sort of students who populate the surrounding school district.

Whoever wrote that e-mail – yes, you deserve to be called out, and I’ve no regrets for doing it. Since your courage is based in anonymity, let me add coward to the list of names I’ll call you.

But the residents of Highland Park don’t deserve those kinds of words, nor did they get them from me.

See, Highland Park is like the poorest neighborhood in Dallas in at least one way. There are plenty of good people, and there are surely some bad people too.

The problem, as my conservative friends would tell me, isn’t people. It’s government.

See, in Texas, we have a legal structure that created our ISD system with the entirely logical idea of grouping students into schools based on geography.

The problem is this logical idea is creating a really bad consequence for society. It is destroying the economic diversity of cities.

Highland Park is probably the most extreme example, but it is hardly the only one. Southlake, Frisco are among them. On the other side, Grand Prairie, Wilmer Hutchins. In the middle Lewisville, Garland. We could do this all day.

The ISD system tiers our cities according to income. The economic homogeneity that results creates enormous invisible costs, mainly in infrastructure, as people move further and further away from the city for “good” schools, by which they often mean schools where poverty isn’t the defining factor of the student body.

Another thing my conservative friends are fond of telling me is that government shouldn’t be in the business of picking winners and losers. I agree. Government should be in the business of making sure the playing field is fair and that there is some kind of safety net for those who just can’t play.

The ISD system we have is not a fair playing field. The nature of the law creates winners and losers. The losers are usually big cities and the aging suburbs that permitted the construction of significant amounts of apartments and middle to lower class housing.

The city, of course, will get a share of the wealthy because of its centrality. But its economy will become an ugly barbell, with a heavy share of the poor, a small bubble of the rich and nothing in the middle.

The wealthiest suburbs, meanwhile, will continue to see values increase until they are out of reach for all but the uber-wealthy.

(In 2013-2014, Dallas ISD had 159,487 students. 130,780 were economically disadvantaged. Highland Park had 7,012 registered students that year. Zero were economically disadvantaged.)

Now, imagine a system that sought to address this sort of disparity – this glaring example of government picking winners and losers through the structure of law.

What if each ISD were required not only to serve the students within its geographical borders but a significant share of students outside of those borders?

Imagine that this system were structured along the lines of a lottery, even a complex one with chances of winning diminishing the further one got from the geographical boundaries of the ISD in question.

Such a system could have dramatic beneficial effects in boosting the economic prospects of cities and inner-ring suburbs while reducing economic homogeneity of all municipalities.

Why would that be a benefit? Because economic segregation is not healthy for society. It not only breeds resentment, it creates intractable class structures that cut against the grain of the American ideal that we can all rise up through hard work and effort. That dream is ever further out of reach the more fully one is engulfed in poverty.

I can understand the sentiment of people in HPISD who have sent me notes over the past week. Their home is often their life’s major investment. And they made that investment in Highland Park precisely so they could send their children to school there. And any suggestion that the ISD system we have is not a good system feels like reaching into their pockets, or worse, chipping at an important foundation of their family life.

But they are benefiting from government no less than the welfare recipient. A structure was put in place that benefits them according to their means. And they are taking advantage of that structure in the same way the welfare recipient is.

Neither should be blamed for that. We accept what is given to our best advantage and to the advantage of those we love. That’s human nature.

But without casting stones at one another, we can step back and consider whether the system we have is the best system we could have. If we are honest, we must conclude that it isn’t.


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

Independent school district
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An independent school district (ISD) is a type of school district in some U.S. states for primary and secondary education, which operates as an entity that is independent and separate from any municipality, county, or state. As such the administrative leadership of such districts is selected from within the district itself and has no direct responsibility to any other governmental authority. This independence normally also implies that the district has its own taxing authority that is outside of the direct control of other governmental entities.

The state of Texas has by far the largest number of independent school districts with almost all of its districts falling into this category (Stafford Municipal School District being the notable exception).[1] The term independent may be used to describe other types of school districts though this is less common.

The use of the term independent can vary in actual application in those states that even use the term. In Kentucky, for example, all school districts there are independent of the state, county, and municipal governments. However a district is normally only referred to as independent if its jurisdiction does not cover an entire county, instead covering a city or cluster of cities.


ABC -- "I was upset. I was angry because I still couldn’t believe he had done that to her and then she told me, 'Mom, I wasn’t fighting. Why did he do that?'" Gloria's daughter, Janissa Valdez, told “GMA” today that she was "still bruised" from the alleged incident that school officials said happened on March 29 at Rhodes Middle School. …. School district officials are now conducting an investigation into the incident, which they say they only became aware of after cellphone video of it was posted on YouTube Tuesday, according to Leslie Price, spokeswoman for the San Antonio Independent School District. …. Price told GMA that the video was "very concerning." "We will not tolerate excessive force in this district, but I can also say we need to find out all the details as to what occurred," she said. …. As of this morning, it was still unclear what happened before the video was shot. "All we know at this point is it seems like the incident began with two students having a verbal altercation," Price said. Janissa said she admits to having a verbal argument with another student but that it didn't escalate beyond that.”


Dallas -- “See, Highland Park is like the poorest neighborhood in Dallas in at least one way. There are plenty of good people, and there are surely some bad people too. The problem, as my conservative friends would tell me, isn’t people. It’s government. See, in Texas, we have a legal structure that created our ISD system with the entirely logical idea of grouping students into schools based on geography. The problem is this logical idea is creating a really bad consequence for society. It is destroying the economic diversity of cities. …. The ISD system tiers our cities according to income. The economic homogeneity that results creates enormous invisible costs, mainly in infrastructure, as people move further and further away from the city for “good” schools, by which they often mean schools where poverty isn’t the defining factor of the student body. …. The city, of course, will get a share of the wealthy because of its centrality. But its economy will become an ugly barbell, with a heavy share of the poor, a small bubble of the rich and nothing in the middle. The wealthiest suburbs, meanwhile, will continue to see values increase until they are out of reach for all but the uber-wealthy. …. (In 2013-2014, Dallas ISD had 159,487 students. 130,780 were economically disadvantaged. Highland Park had 7,012 registered students that year. Zero were economically disadvantaged.) Now, imagine a system that sought to address this sort of disparity – this glaring example of government picking winners and losers through the structure of law. What if each ISD were required not only to serve the students within its geographical borders but a significant share of students outside of those borders? …. Why would that be a benefit? Because economic segregation is not healthy for society. It not only breeds resentment, it creates intractable class structures that cut against the grain of the American ideal that we can all rise up through hard work and effort. That dream is ever further out of reach the more fully one is engulfed in poverty. …. And any suggestion that the ISD system we have is not a good system feels like reaching into their pockets, or worse, chipping at an important foundation of their family life. But they are benefiting from government no less than the welfare recipient. A structure was put in place that benefits them according to their means.


“But without casting stones at one another, we can step back and consider whether the system we have is the best system we could have.” Why did I talk about race and poverty? Because Janissa’s name is Valdez, so I assume she is from an Hispanic background and may very well be treated less respectfully than the White Protestants in the school. Besides, why did this big officer pick up a 12 year old girl and throw her face down on the floor? That’s bullying pure and simple. In fact, in my book, it’s assault. He should be arrested.

She wasn’t fighting. Did she speak angrily to him or “resist” his action against her? Was her race and ethnicity part of the matter? I don’t’ know without knowing more of the background, including what group of kids are predominant among the students there, but it seems to me that some member of the school administration almost certainly sent the cop to the scene of an apparent fight, and perhaps may even have approved of his action.

In trying to dig more deeply here I searched the term Independent School System or ISD. I also wondered if their “independence” had anything to do with racism, etc., and found at least half a dozen articles on that very subject in various places having independent systems. See the following from Dallas Morning News. Also see the Wikipedia article, which states that “almost all” of the Texas districts are of the independent type. What has happened to logic in this country? He should be fired and then sued along with the school system.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/07/473347159/atheist-law-student-hacked-to-death-in-bangladesh

Atheist Law Student Hacked To Death In Bangladesh
CAMILA DOMONOSKE
April 7, 20168:07 AM ET

Photograh -- Bangladeshi students protest on Thursday, seeking the arrest of three motorcycle-riding assailants who hacked and shot student activist Nazimuddin Samad to death as he walked with a friend in Dhaka, Bangladesh. AP
Listen: Zafar Sobhan on All Things Considered
Listen· 4:14 -- Rafida Ahmed On Weekend Edition Sunday


A 28-year-old atheist law student has been killed in Bangladesh. The attack follows a string of murders last year targeting outspoken advocates of secularism.

Nazimuddin Samad, a student at Jagannath University, was hacked and shot on Wednesday night while he was walking in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, The Associated Press reports. Multiple attackers, who were reportedly riding on a motorcycle, have not been identified. They escaped while praising Allah, according to the news service.

Samad was an outspoken atheist who criticized radical Islam and promoted secularism on his Facebook page, the AP writes. It adds:

"A supporter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular Awami League party, Samad also took part in the movement that successfully pushed for prosecutors to have more scope for going after suspected war criminals."

The Dhaka Tribune describes him as an activist with that movement, which is called Ganajagaran Mancha.

The perpetrators and the motive haven't been identified by police, the BBC reports.

Last year, at least four secular bloggers were hacked to death in Bangladesh and a publisher who worked with one of those bloggers was stabbed to death.

After one of those murders, the editor of the Dhaka Tribune, Zafar Sobhan, spoke to NPR's Robert Siegel about the rising tensions between secularists and Islamists in Bangladesh.

"Recently, over the last couple of years, we have had war crimes trials in Bangladesh. This is to do with our War of Independence in 1971," Sobhan said, referring to the trials that Ganajagaran Mancha had successfully advocated for.

"Most of the people who have been put on trial are Islamists ... who were collaborating with the Pakistan occupation army back in 1971. Now, war crimes trials are very important. However, I think the downside is that they have been painted as a movement against religious people, against Islamists.

"So I think as a result, those who are of a religious bent feel targeted. I think they feel as though they are on the defensive. And so they have decided to step up their opposition and step up their campaign of terror and violence."

The government of Bangladesh — which is officially secular — has been criticized for failing to protect prominent secularists.

Last May, Rafida Ahmed, the widow of one of the bloggers, spoke to NPR's Rachel Martin about the attack. Ahmed was injured in the attack that killed her husband.

"You can do very little when your elected government doesn't give you any support, especially when these kind of brutal murders are happening," she said. "The government has stayed completely quiet about this. The prime minister called my father-in-law privately and tried their best to keep it a secret so that nobody knows that they have sympathized with us at all.

"The prime minister's son ... gave an interview to [the press]. Pretty much said that they are walking a fine line, and they're scared. They don't want to side with the atheists," Ahmed said.

After the attack on Samad, the director of public policy at the Center for Inquiry, a U.S.-based secular advocacy group, called the murder "heartbreaking and maddening."

"The government of Bangladesh must do much more to protect its own people from marauding Islamist killers," CFI's Michael De Dora said in a statement. "These murders keep happening because they are allowed to happen."



“Multiple attackers, who were reportedly riding on a motorcycle, have not been identified. They escaped while praising Allah, according to the news service. Samad was an outspoken atheist who criticized radical Islam and promoted secularism on his Facebook page, the AP writes. It adds: "A supporter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's secular Awami League party, Samad also took part in the movement that successfully pushed for prosecutors to have more scope for going after suspected war criminals." The Dhaka Tribune describes him as an activist with that movement, which is called Ganajagaran Mancha. …. Last year, at least four secular bloggers were hacked to death in Bangladesh and a publisher who worked with one of those bloggers was stabbed to death. …. "Most of the people who have been put on trial are Islamists ... who were collaborating with the Pakistan occupation army back in 1971. Now, war crimes trials are very important. However, I think the downside is that they have been painted as a movement against religious people, against Islamists. …. The government of Bangladesh — which is officially secular — has been criticized for failing to protect prominent secularists. …. "The prime minister's son ... gave an interview to [the press]. Pretty much said that they are walking a fine line, and they're scared. They don't want to side with the atheists," Ahmed said. …. "The government of Bangladesh must do much more to protect its own people from marauding Islamist killers," CFI's Michael De Dora said in a statement. "These murders keep happening because they are allowed to happen."


Whether it be Islam, Christianity, Judaism or any other large religion, if it rules the thought and especially the government of any nation, that country will become more and more lawless and backward. Such warfare is possible in the US also if we aren’t careful what kind of laws we allow to be made here. I’m not referring to Sharia Law, but to socially unfair laws of any kind. I want neither Sharia Law nor any other religion to command the laws and government.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/07/473352129/states-cities-limit-official-travel-to-mississippi-over-religious-freedom-law

States, Cities Limit Official Travel To Mississippi Over 'Religious Freedom' Law
CAMILA DOMONOSKE
April 7, 201612:24 PM ET

Graphics -- Map of states with laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, IT'S ALL POLITICS
Did You Know It's Legal In Most States To Discriminate Against LGBT People?
THE TWO-WAY -- Here's Why Mississippi's 'Religious Freedom' Bill Is So Controversial


Photograph -- A crowd of around 500 protest against House Bill 1523 outside the governor's office during a rally by the Human Rights Campaign on Monday in Jackson, Miss. James Patterson/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign


Several states and cities around the country have instructed their officials to avoid nonessential travel to Mississippi, in reaction to that state's recent passage of a law protecting those who deny services to LGBT people because of religious beliefs.

The bans are similar to those enacted in response to a controversial LGBT law in North Carolina.

Meanwhile, the business backlash has been relatively muted, compared with recent faceoffs in North Carolina and Georgia.

The Rev. Chris Donald, a Methodist chaplain at Millsaps College, joins other human rights advocates Wednesday at the state Capitol's rotunda, calling for the Mississippi Senate to defeat what they believe is a discriminatory anti-LGBT bill. The Senate passed the bill, which is now on the governor's desk.

The law in question, the "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act," protects three specific religious beliefs: that marriage is between a man and a woman, that sex should only happen within such a marriage, and that a person is male or female based on their genetics and anatomy at birth. Under the law, anyone who denies certain services to someone based on one of those beliefs can't be punished.

Supporters say it's a way of protecting individuals with religious objections to homosexuality from "discrimination" from the state — that is, any possible punishment administered by the state government.

Opponents say the law amounts to the state declaring its support for open discrimination against LGBT people.

Since the bill was signed into law on Tuesday, five states — Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington — and three cities — San Francisco, Santa Fe and Seattle — have banned their officials from any state-funded, nonessential travel to Mississippi.

"We cannot allow this injustice to go unanswered," Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton said in a statement. "When the rights of some Americans are threatened, it is the responsibility of all Americans to stand in opposition to those discriminatory acts."

"This is 2016. America is better than this," Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said on Twitter.

Mayor Javier Gonzales of Santa Fe and Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York both called the law "hateful," while Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said it was "rooted in backwards thinking and backwards values."

Some business groups have also spoken out against the bill — but their opposition has been far more subdued than that from state and city leaders.

The Mississippi Manufacturer's Association, for instance, had previously called the bill "troubling" and called for Gov. Phil Bryant to veto it.

But once the bill was passed, The Associated Press reports, the MMA's response was muted: "The Mississippi Manufacturers Association's position continues to reflect the concerns manufacturers have with this bill and its potential to conflict with their policies of diversity and inclusion. However, the MMA respects the wishes of the legislature and governor," the group said.

Several large businesses have spoken out against the law more forcefully — including AT&T, Tyson Foods, MGM Resorts, Nissan, Toyota and Levi Strauss — but none has threatened to stop doing business in the state.

That's a noticeable contrast to the response in other states, where pointed reactions from big business have been celebrated by LGBT advocates and decried as "economic blackmail" by conservative groups.

In North Carolina, the governor recently signed a so-called bathroom bill into law — blocking cities from creating legal protections for LGBT people and mandating that trans people use the bathrooms of their gender as assigned at birth. Paypal canceled plans to establish an operations center in Charlotte, which the company says would have created more than 400 jobs, and the NBA has discussed the possibility of moving the 2017 All-Star game out of Charlotte.

In Georgia, the legislature passed a "religious liberties" bill criticized by LGBT advocates. Disney and its Marvel affiliate threatened to stop filming in the state, and Salesforce, a 16,000-person company, suggested it would move a planned conference out of Atlanta. The state's Republican governor vetoed the bill.

One possible explanation for the disparate reactions is that Mississippi — by some measures the poorest state in the country — has a different relationship with big American businesses.

As the AP puts it: "Mississippi, with a slow-growing economy, no Fortune 500 company headquarters and little technology employment, could be less vulnerable than other states to major corporations exerting economic pressure."

Meanwhile, Tennessee and South Carolina are both currently considering similarly controversial bills.

The Tennessee bill — which has passed the state House and is waiting for Senate approval of a language change — allows counselors and therapists to refuse to treat anyone whose behaviors conflict with the provider's religious beliefs. The bill says no one can be prosecuted or penalized for that, but does require them to refer clients to someone who will treat them.

In South Carolina, a bill similar to the one in North Carolina — blocking local jurisdictions from passing ordinances that permit trans people to use the bathroom of their choice — has been introduced into the state Senate.



"We cannot allow this injustice to go unanswered," Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton said in a statement. "When the rights of some Americans are threatened, it is the responsibility of all Americans to stand in opposition to those discriminatory acts." "This is 2016. America is better than this," Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said on Twitter. Mayor Javier Gonzales of Santa Fe and Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York both called the law "hateful," while Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said it was "rooted in backwards thinking and backwards values." Some business groups have also spoken out against the bill — but their opposition has been far more subdued than that from state and city leaders. …. Several large businesses have spoken out against the law more forcefully — including AT&T, Tyson Foods, MGM Resorts, Nissan, Toyota and Levi Strauss — but none has threatened to stop doing business in the state. That's a noticeable contrast to the response in other states, where pointed reactions from big business have been celebrated by LGBT advocates and decried as "economic blackmail" by conservative groups. …. and Salesforce, a 16,000-person company, suggested it would move a planned conference out of Atlanta. The state's Republican governor vetoed the bill. One possible explanation for the disparate reactions is that Mississippi — by some measures the poorest state in the country — has a different relationship with big American businesses. …. The Tennessee bill — which has passed the state House and is waiting for Senate approval of a language change — allows counselors and therapists to refuse to treat anyone whose behaviors conflict with the provider's religious beliefs. The bill says no one can be prosecuted or penalized for that, but does require them to refer clients to someone who will treat them.”


This article covers several versions of anti-gay laws. The most bizarre is the one that permits “counselors and therapists” to refuse treatment, though the specialist is required to refer the individual to other professionals for treatment. That’s in Tennessee. What the Republicans around the country are trying to do is like the form of torture called “death by a thousand cuts.” It’s also an invitation to mob violence in some cases because it completely removes personal protection from LGBT people, and even encourages “citizens” to use their respective religions as an excuse for their behavior. Where are the civil lawsuits by the ACLU so that these laws can be brought before the Supreme Court?



http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/04/07/473293477/tiny-forage-fish-at-bottom-of-marine-food-chain-get-new-protections

Tiny Forage Fish At Bottom Of Marine Food Web Get New Protections
ALASTAIR BLAND
April 7, 201611:52 AM ET

Photograph -- Peruvian anchoveta being processed at a fish meal factory in Lima in 2009. The small forage species has been heavily fished.
Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty Images
Photograph -- Some forage fish species are already in trouble. Pacific sardines are at their lowest numbers in decades.
Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images
Related: THE SALT -- Herring Headache: The Big Obstacles To Eating Small Fish In California


Sardines, herring and other small fish species are the foundation of the marine food web — they're essential food for birds, marine mammals and other fish. But globally, demand for these so-called forage species has exploded, with many going to feed the livestock and fish farming industries.

Some of these species are already heavily fished, and it will take time for them to recover. But other forage species have not yet been commercially targeted. And this week, the U.S. government passed measures — backed by environmentalists as well as fishermen — to protect these critical fish and invertebrate species in waters off the U.S. West Coast before they're overfished.

A rule passed Monday by the National Marine Fisheries Service makes it illegal for commercial fishermen to develop new fisheries for hundreds of forage species unless scientists have first determined that targeting them will have no negative impacts on the marine ecosystem, existing fisheries and fishing communities.

Herring are delicious, with flaky, mild meat and oil that sizzles on their skin when grilled over a flame. Chefs and ocean advocates have been promoting the environmental and health benefits of eating small fish like this. But the case of the San Francisco Bay's herring shows some of the obstacles to spreading that message.

Forage species include such creatures as lanternfishes, Pacific saury, silversides, eulachon, surf smelt and neon flying squid. Some of these species have hardly been fished at all. They may live in deep water far from shore and are relatively absent from public awareness.

"Just because people haven't heard of a lot of these species yet, it's really only a matter of time and economics before it becomes viable to put out huge nets that catch the entire base of our food web," Geoff Shester, California campaign director with the group Oceana, says in an interview.

Other forage fish species are already in trouble. Pacific sardines are at their lowest numbers in decades. Pacific herring have also declined. In the waters off Peru, the anchoveta has been heavily fished.

Shester says demand for forage species, which are potentially easy targets due to their tendency to gather in dense schools, is growing as aquaculture and livestock industries expand. A study published last year in Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture reported that aquaculture production doubled from 2000 to 2012, when about 55 million tons of fish and crustaceans were reared on farms. These animals rely heavily on fishmeal and oil, and in 2012, about 18 million tons of wild-caught seafood was rendered into these products, according to the report.

"The demand for fish oil and fishmeal is going through the roof," Shester says.

The new rule comes on the heels of two similar initiatives, both passed in 2009. One prohibits targeted commercial fishing for West Coast krill, an important marine food source for which fishing interest has rapidly grown in other parts of the ocean. Another law limits commercial fishing in parts of the Arctic Ocean as global warming melts sea ice and makes the region accessible to vessels.

Yvonne deReynier, senior resource management specialist with the National Marine Fisheries Service, says lanternfishes are one of the most ecologically important groups of fishes that will benefit from the new protections. Lanternfishes, also called myctophids, may be the most abundant vertebrate group on the planet in terms of biomass, or weight. According to a report by Oceana, the 246 species of myctophids in the ocean represent about two-thirds of the biomass, or weight, of all deep sea fishes.

But large natural abundance of lanternfishes and other forage species doesn't necessarily buffer them against overfishing.

"We don't know what the effects of fishing on these species could be in 50 years, but we aren't taking any chances," says Anna Weinstein, marine program director for Audubon California, one of the groups that supported the restrictions.

She says saury and neon flying squid have already become subjects of commercial fishing interest in other nations.

"So this action couldn't have come at a better time," Weinstein says.

The forage fish protections affect the band of water between 3 and 200 miles from shore off the coast of California, Oregon and Washington — an area covering about 280,000 square miles. Weinstein says the rule will have a wide array of trickle-down benefits for fishermen, marine mammals and seabirds. A great deal of conservation effort and money, she says, has already been focused on protecting islands where birds like albatrosses, puffins and shearwaters breed. Now, she says, their key food sources are protected, too.

Scientists around the world have endorsed the idea of protecting important forage species before they become exploited. A 2012 report from a group of 13 scientists called the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force called for paying closer attention to the vulnerabilities of forage fishes and how overfishing these species can negatively impact many larger species that prey on them. According to the report, titled Little Fish, Big Impact, overfishing has contributed to the declines of the Peruvian anchoveta, Chesapeake Bay menhaden and other ecologically critical species. The authors call for setting lower catch limits for important forage species while boosting the minimum biomass that must be left in the water.

Oceana's Shester says the new policy is long overdue and that many overfishing crises, including the current collapse of the Pacific sardine, could have been avoided if fishery regulators had taken a more precautionary approach to management years ago.

"With Pacific sardines, the fishery's managers waited until numbers were at 10 percent," Shester says. "We saw warning signs that the fishery was collapsing five years ago, but only when it had collapsed did we do anything."

Protecting forage species now, he says, doesn't put them off-limits forever.

"It just means that we need to take a step back before we proceed and start catching them," Shester says. "It puts the burden of proof on the fishermen to show beforehand that they aren't going to harm the ecosystem if they catch these species, and only then can they put nets in the water."


“A rule passed Monday by the National Marine Fisheries Service makes it illegal for commercial fishermen to develop new fisheries for hundreds of forage species unless scientists have first determined that targeting them will have no negative impacts on the marine ecosystem, existing fisheries and fishing communities. …. "Just because people haven't heard of a lot of these species yet, it's really only a matter of time and economics before it becomes viable to put out huge nets that catch the entire base of our food web," Geoff Shester, California campaign director with the group Oceana, says in an interview. …. "We don't know what the effects of fishing on these species could be in 50 years, but we aren't taking any chances," says Anna Weinstein, marine program director for Audubon California, one of the groups that supported the restrictions. She says saury and neon flying squid have already become subjects of commercial fishing interest in other nations. "So this action couldn't have come at a better time," Weinstein says. …. The authors call for setting lower catch limits for important forage species while boosting the minimum biomass that must be left in the water. Oceana's Shester says the new policy is long overdue and that many overfishing crises, including the current collapse of the Pacific sardine, could have been avoided if fishery regulators had taken a more precautionary approach to management years ago.”


I’ve been concerned about the ocean life which is sometimes considered unimportant. Feeding sea critters to livestock is a very bad idea. We tend to think of the seas as being inexhaustible in their bounty, but to my shock, we are even now causing extinctions. It’s not merely that I think sea animals are beautiful and interesting, but that to me it is one of our most sacred duties to preserve the earth’s life forms and not deplete them carelessly. This new National Marine Fisheries Service rule comes just in time, if not too late, but I’m glad to see that it is now in place. I wonder what so many people in this country and around the world think about how the world will look 50 to 100 years from now. I do hope they care at least enough to stop this destruction that we have going on now.