June 20, 2016


News and Views


THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-announces-corey-lewandowski-is-leaving-his-campaign/

Corey Lewandowski leaves Donald Trump's campaign
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS
June 20, 2016, 10:01 AM

WATCH: Corey Lewandowski is no longer Trump's campaign manager
Related: Donald Trump Fires Corey Lewandowski, His Campaign Manager … The embattled campaign manager’s dismissal comes amid concerns from allies and donors about Mr. Trump’s preparedness for a general election. nytimes.com


Donald Trump has parted ways with his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, CBS News has confirmed.

The presumptive GOP nominee's campaign spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, confirmed the news in a statement Monday.

"The Donald J. Trump Campaign for President, which has set a historic record in the Republican primary having received almost 14 million votes, has today announced that Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign," she said in a statement.

"The campaign is grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future."

A source told CBS News that his firing was due to "a confluence of louder and louder voices" voicing their concerns with Lewandowski and urging Trump to cut bait.

In an interview on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" on Monday, Trump senior adviser Barry Bennett said that Paul Manafort is "totally in charge."

"He's the campaign chairman, so yeah, he's the person in charge," Bennett said.

Lewandowski's ouster comes as Trump's general election poll numbers have been sliding -- RealClearPolitics, which aggregates polls, does not show a single poll with Trump leading Clinton, and his unfavorable numbers have been rising. The New York Times was the first to report Lewandowski's departure.

Around the time the story published, Trump senior adviser Michael Caputo tweeted a link to the Wizard of Oz's "Ding dong the witch is dead" song on YouTube.


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Michael Caputo @MichaelRCaputo
Ding dong the witch is dead! http://youtu.be/rHJoj9IqeKg
9:49 AM - 20 Jun 2016


Lewandowski has been expected to represent the New Hampshire delegation at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next month. According to the New Hampshire Republican Party rules, Trump cannot remove Lewandowski as chairman of the state delegation. He can only be replaced if he resigns.

Earlier this year, Lewandowski was charged with battery of former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields. Florida officials, however, decided not to prosecute him.

Fields joked Monday that there is an opening for Lewandowski at her former employer.


Follow
Michelle Fields ✔ @MichelleFields
Hey @CLewandowski_ I hear @BreitbartNews is hiring http://nyti.ms/28IY4KG
9:48 AM - 20 Jun 2016


Corey Lewandowski, at Trump Tower in New York in early May, has guided Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign, until now.

Lewandowski was supposed to be heading up Trump's search for a running mate, with some help from Trump's former rival, Ben Carson.

There has been some tension in the top levels of the campaign since Trump brought on Paul Manafort in April to help professionalize and reorganize. Initially hired as "convention manager," Manafort was promoted to campaign chairman and chief strategist in May. And Manafort, a longtime veteran of GOP presidential campaigns, was also charged with repairing and rebuilding Trump's relationship with the Republican party.

CBS News' Sopan Deb, Steve Chaggaris and Jacqueline Alemany contributed to this report.


EXCERPT -- “A source told CBS News that his firing was due to "a confluence of louder and louder voices" voicing their concerns with Lewandowski and urging Trump to cut bait. In an interview on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" on Monday, Trump senior adviser Barry Bennett said that Paul Manafort is "totally in charge." …. Lewandowski's ouster comes as Trump's general election poll numbers have been sliding -- RealClearPolitics, which aggregates polls, does not show a single poll with Trump leading Clinton, and his unfavorable numbers have been rising. The New York Times was the first to report Lewandowski's departure. Around the time the story published, Trump senior adviser Michael Caputo tweeted a link to the Wizard of Oz's "Ding dong the witch is dead" song on YouTube. …. Michelle Fields ✔ @MichelleFields,
Hey @CLewandowski_ I hear @BreitbartNews is hiring http://nyti.ms/28IY4KG .... There has been some tension in the top levels of the campaign since Trump brought on Paul Manafort in April to help professionalize and reorganize. Initially hired as "convention manager," Manafort was promoted to campaign chairman and chief strategist in May. And Manafort, a longtime veteran of GOP presidential campaigns, was also charged with repairing and rebuilding Trump's relationship with the Republican party.”


Apparently Trump is using his brain, at least somewhat. He still rants like a maniac in front of the crowds, but speaks clearly and without the bravado on the Sunday morning news shows lately. I still don’t want him for president, but I’m relieved at the change, just in case he is by accident elected in November. I really love the “witch is dead” tweet!



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/corey-lewandowski-says-he-doesnt-know-why-he-was-fired/

Corey Lewandowski says he doesn't know why he was fired by Donald Trump
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS
June 20, 2016, 3:22 PM


A few hours after Corey Lewandowski was dismissed from Donald Trump's presidential campaign, he was asked in an interview why he was fired.

"I don't know. I don't know the answer to that," he told CNN's Dana Bash.

He downplayed the circumstances surrounding his departure, continuing, "What I know is that what we've been able to achieve in this election cycle has been historic."

He didn't answer a question about whether he thought it was right for Trump to have let him go.

"I had a nice conversation with Mr. Trump and I said to him, 'It's been an honor and a privilege to be part of this. I mean that from the bottom of my heart,'" Lewandowski said.

Lewandowski said "it's been truly amazing" being Trump's campaign manager--a comment that was made after he was escorted out of Trump Tower Monday morning. He denied reports that security escorted him out, and said that "a friend from the office" had walked him out.

Asked about reports that Trump's children such as Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner were forceful in calling for his ouster, Lewandowski suggested that nothing was wrong between him and them.

"Look, I can say I've had a great relationship with the family, and I think I continue to do so," he said. "Everybody has their own opinions."

"I've had a great relationship with Jared," he added. "He's helped us from the onset of having a better online presence...He's very good in that regard."

Lewandowski said he still intends to remain loyal to Trump by staying on as the chair of the New Hampshire delegation at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next month.

"I can tell you that me and every person that I know will continue to vote for Donald Trump," he said.

Lewandowski was also asked to react to campaign staffers describing him as a "hothead." He said, "Look, I think I'm a very intense person...My expectation is perfection because I think that's what Mr. Trump deserves. He deserves the very best."

In a separate interview that aired on MSNBC, Lewandowski said that his strategy to "let Trump be Trump" has been successful.

"You got a person who has completely changed the way that politics is viewed in this country for the better. And you've got a thoroughbred, a person like Donald Trump, who has had his, his heart and his finger on the pulse of the American people for a long," he said.

Lewandowski said he plans to spend his free time now playing with his four children back home in New Hampshire.


EXCERPT -- “He didn't answer a question about whether he thought it was right for Trump to have let him go. "I had a nice conversation with Mr. Trump and I said to him, 'It's been an honor and a privilege to be part of this. I mean that from the bottom of my heart,'" Lewandowski said. Lewandowski said "it's been truly amazing" being Trump's campaign manager--a comment that was made after he was escorted out of Trump Tower Monday morning. He denied reports that security escorted him out, and said that "a friend from the office" had walked him out. Asked about reports that Trump's children such as Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner were forceful in calling for his ouster, Lewandowski suggested that nothing was wrong between him and them. …. Lewandowski was also asked to react to campaign staffers describing him as a "hothead." He said, "Look, I think I'm a very intense person...My expectation is perfection because I think that's what Mr. Trump deserves. He deserves the very best." In a separate interview that aired on MSNBC, Lewandowski said that his strategy to "let Trump be Trump" has been successful.”


“Letting Trump be Trump” is just a lazy way of saying he is a “Yes Man,” and as a result the unpredictable Trump has had no firm guidance. For awhile he reveled in the joy of the crowd at his totally entertaining antics – if you believe that being outrageously “politically incorrect” is a great thing, that is. In our increasingly rude culture, saying crap like “had blood coming out of her wherever” will gain him some acclaim as a hero. Antifeminism is on the rise along with racism, classism, and religionism. About two thirds of the Republican voters have already turned against him, and he knows that has to change, so he let his soulmate go. Sad for them, great for us!


TRUMP THREATENED

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-teen-arrested-at-las-vegas-rally-said-he-wanted-to-kill-donald-trump/

Police: Teen arrested at Vegas rally said he wanted to kill Trump
CBS/AP
June 20, 2016, 5:28 PM

Photograph -- Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump walks on stage before he speaking at a campaign rally at the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada June 18, 2016. REUTERS
Play VIDEO -- Trump campaign manager out as poll numbers drop
Play VIDEO -- Is the Trump campaign in trouble?


LAS VEGAS -- A man arrested at a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas told authorities he tried to grab an officer's gun so he could kill the candidate, according to federal authorities.

A complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Nevada charges Michael Steven Sandford with an act of violence on restricted grounds. He's expected to appear in court on Monday afternoon.

Authorities said Sandford went to a Trump rally on Saturday at the Treasure Island Casino and approached a Las Vegas police officer to say he wanted an autograph from Trump. The report says Sandford grabbed the handle of an officer's gun in an attempt to remove it, and was arrested.

It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney. Las Vegas police say Sandford is 19.

Sandford had a United Kingdom driver's license with him at the time, according to the complaint. He told a special agent that he was in the U.S. for about a year and a half and lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, then drove to the San Bernardino, California area in his car before coming to Las Vegas on June 16.

Sandford told officers he had been planning an assassination for about a year and was convinced he would die in the attempt. He said he also reserved a ticket for a Trump rally in Phoenix, scheduled for later in the day, as a backup.

He told authorities that he went to the Battlefield Vegas shooting range the day before the rally and fired 20 rounds from a 9mm Glock pistol to learn how to use it. Police detectives who visited the range spoke with an employee who confirmed that he provided Sandford shooting lessons, according to the complaint.

About 1,500 people attended the rally, which was held in the Mystere Theater inside the casino. Attendees had to pass through metal detectors manned by Secret Service, police and casino security officials.

Meanwhile also on Monday, Trump fired his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, CBS News confirmed.

Trump's spokeswoman Hope Hicks, confirmed the parting of ways in a statement that announced, "Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign," adding that the campaign was "grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future."

Lewandowski was at home in New Hampshire for Father's Day and flew to New York Monday morning, and he participated in a "daily messaging" conference call with the RNC. Afterward, the Trump campaign held a conference call without him, run by campaign chairman Paul Manafort, to discuss Lewandowski's termination.

A growing chorus of Republican voices, including Trump's children, had called for Lewandowski's ouster. Ivanka Trump urged her father to dump Lewandowski, and it appears her word carried significant weight. There were rumors Lewandowski was planting negative stories about Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, who has taken a prominent role in the campaign.

Lewandowski's firing complicates the already-confusing organizational structure of the Trump campaign. His portfolio included communications and media relations, finance, stage management, the road show.

It is unclear who will now take over his responsibilities.


EXCERPT -- “A complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Nevada charges Michael Steven Sandford with an act of violence on restricted grounds. He's expected to appear in court on Monday afternoon. Authorities said Sandford went to a Trump rally on Saturday at the Treasure Island Casino and approached a Las Vegas police officer to say he wanted an autograph from Trump. The report says Sandford grabbed the handle of an officer's gun in an attempt to remove it, and was arrested. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney. Las Vegas police say Sandford is 19. …. He told authorities that he went to the Battlefield Vegas shooting range the day before the rally and fired 20 rounds from a 9mm Glock pistol to learn how to use it. Police detectives who visited the range spoke with an employee who confirmed that he provided Sandford shooting lessons, according to the complaint.”


I assumed that Sandford was on the left politically, but he may not be because there has been a great outcry in the UK against Trump, and he may have been allied with the rightist anti-EU groups there. Whoever he is, he apparently is in need of hospitalization in a mental asylum. I’m glad Trump hasn’t been shot. I don’t like him, but I hate these killings. The key elements in almost all of them are a YOUNG man and one or more guns. Guns don’t kill, but guns combined with testosterone do. I’m going to look for cases of female shooters on Google. Great search. I was wrong. There have been some, but few. See the LiveScience article below for a fascinating article:

http://www.livescience.com/53047-why-female-mass-shooters-are-rare.html

Human Nature
Female Mass Killers: Why They're So Rare
By Stephanie Pappas, Live Science Contributor | December 10, 2015 11:19am ET

As last week's shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, unfolded, the narrative seemed sickeningly familiar: A few moments of chaos ending in multiple deaths.

But by the end of the day on Dec. 2, the police revealed something surprising. One of the two shooters who attacked a health department training and holiday party that day was female.

That's shocking, according to experts in human behavior, because women are violent at much lower rates than men. And mass killings, even more so than other types of violence, are overwhelmingly a male phenomenon.

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Female mass killers are "so rare that it just hasn't been studied," said James Garbarino, a psychologist at Loyola University Chicago who has researched human development and violence. "There aren't enough cases." [The History of Human Aggression]

Gender and violence

In general, women are far less homicidal than men. Women commit only about 10 percent to 13 percent of homicides n the United States, said Adam Lankford, a criminal justice professor and author of "The Myth of Martyrdom: What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers" (St. Martin's Press, 2013).

When women do kill, they're less likely than men to choose firearms to do it, Lankford told Live Science. Only 8 percent of perpetrators of firearm homicides are female, he said. In comparison, 40 percent of poisonings and 20 percent of deaths by fire are linked to female perps. [10 Surprising Facts About the Male Mind]

The female half of the San Bernardino attackers stands out for her sadism, as well, said Mary Ellen O'Toole, a retired FBI profiler and author of "Dangerous Instincts: How Gut Feelings Betray Us" (Plume; Reprint edition, 2012). Female suicide bombers aren't unheard of, O'Toole told Live Science, but blowing oneself up is a very passive form of violence. Shooting into a room full of innocent people as they cower in fear "is very sadistic," O'Toole said. "And sadistic violence like this is almost exclusively male."

Violence and sex

Most men, of course, go through life without killing anyone. And motives for crime are very individual; not all women and men who kill do so for the same reasons. Each case is unique, experts stress. But something in the combination of male biology and socialization makes men more prone to violence. Notably, the gender gap in violence is found in almost every culture around the world, Garbarino said.

There are no simple answers. The easiest theory to digest is probably an evolutionary one: Males, over hundreds of thousands of years of development, have historically been rewarded for aggression. A tendency toward violence is seen in chimpanzees, humans' closest living primate relative. (Bonobos, humanity's other close primate family member, are far more peaceful.) Violence can beget status for males, both in chimps and in humans (just look at how many action heroes get the girl). And for males, a lack of status can mean missing out on the chance to mate.

Indeed, sexual frustration is a theme running through the writings of many male mass shooters, Lankford said. Many shooters leave manifestos explicitly detailing their hatred of women and of men who seemed to navigate relationships with women with ease.

"By contrast, I'm not aware of any female attackers, even though we have a small sample, I don't know that any of them complained about not being able to have sex," Lankford said.

Status plays a large role in school shootings, a particularly male phenomenon, said Katherine Newman, a sociologist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Newman, author of "Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings" (Basic Books, 2005), argues that there has never been a typical school shooting with a female perpetrator. A case in San Diego in 1979 involved a teenage girl who lived across from an elementary school and started shooting children and staff from her home one morning. But in cases of random shootings on school grounds by a person who is part of that school's community, the perpetrators are all male, Newman told Live Science.

These boys and young men may be responding to a cultural script that equates violence with masculinity, Newman said. Most are not loners. Instead, they try to join social groups but struggle. Their experience is one of disappointment and humiliation. So they decide to trade in their "loser" persona for something more appealing, according to Newman.

"Sadly for all of us, that something more appealing is the role of the antihero," Newman said.

Girls aren't similarly targeted with the notion that becoming a violent antihero is appealing, Newman said. Their reputational struggles play out in other ways, usually involving self-harm or nasty gossip.

The gap in aggression between girls and boys has widened, though, said Garbarino, author of "See Jane Hit: Why Girls Are Growing More Violent and What We Can Do About It" (The Penguin Press HC, 2006). More popular media show girls and women acting in violent ways, which provides role models for female aggression, he said.

Still, the gender gap in lethal violence hasn't shrunk like the gap in general violence, Garbarino said. It's a mystery as to why. Men may be biologically vulnerable: Variations in a gene called MAOA combined with early developmental stressors like abuse or drug use can raise a man's risk of criminality. Men are also more likely than women to base moral decisions on abstract principles rather than on empathy, Garbarino said.

"Whatever the culture offers in the way of justification of righteous violence, males are more likely to implement that," he said.

Unanswered questions

As more details have come to light, it's become apparent that the San Bernardino shooters probably thought their violence was righteous. The FBI is investigating the case as an act of terrorism, making the shooting different from many mass shootings in the United States. It's also unusual that the killers worked in tandem, experts say. Solo shootings are often undertaken by someone who is suicidal and wants to take others out with him, Lankford said. But when two attackers are involved, typically only one is conventionally suicidal, and the other "comes along," he said. [Understanding the 10 Most Destructive Human Behaviors]

There are some similarities to the self-destructive impulses of terrorists and rampage killers, though. Sexual frustration may play a role for many male terrorists as it does for male mass shooters, particularly those from strict religious traditions. Friends and family of the 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta recalled him as extremely shy and repressed around women, for example. The Internet posts of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the "Underwear Bomber," who attempted to blow up a flight en route to Detroit in 2009, revealed a young man who struggled to tamp down his sexual urges in favor of jihad.

In some cultures, including fundamentalist Islam, martyrdom may also act as a "loophole" in prohibitions against suicide, Lankford said. It's unclear if either San Bernardino shooter was conventionally suicidal, he said, but court filings from the divorce of the male shooter's parents claim that his father was abusive and threatened suicide in front of his children. A familial history of mental health problems and suicide attempts is a risk factor for suicidal urges.

"I wouldn't dismiss the idea that some sort of mental health problems or suicidal tendencies could be at play in this case," Lankford said.

Culture interacts with mental illness in surprising ways. For example, researchers reporting in a 2014 article in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that 70 percent of Americans with psychoses who heard voices reported that the voices urged them toward violence. In India, that number was 20 percent, and in Ghana, only 10 percent.

"People who we think of as being 'crazy,' how do they absorb the larger cultural messages and scripts that are out there?" Garbarino said.

Perhaps hardest to understand is how the San Bernardino shooters, as new parents, could leave their 6-month-old daughter in order to go on a killing spree. It's important to remember that shooters don't "just snap," O'Toole told Live Science. The San Bernardino killers had likely been planning their attack for years, investigators have found. Chillingly, many people are very good at mimicking normalcy as they go about their deadly preparations, O'Toole said. The trappings of a happy family life — a marriage, a new baby — could have been, in part, props to maintain that illusion, she said.

"This is a cold-blooded woman, and I can't tell you how many cases I worked in the FBI where parents killed their own kids," O'Toole said. "We're not dealing with a typical woman full of compassion and undying love for her child."

Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.



MEN WHO TREAT WOMEN DISRESPECTFULLY -- TWO ARTICLES

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/polygamous-leader-lyle-jeffs-flees-home-confinement/

Polygamous leader Lyle Jeffs flees home confinement
By CRIMESIDER STAFF AP
June 20, 2016, 5:15 PM

Photograph -- Lyle Jeffs KUTV


SALT LAKE CITY -- Polygamous sect leader Lyle Jeffs has fled home confinement in Salt Lake City less than two weeks after he was let out of jail pending trial on charges in a multimillion-dollar food stamp fraud scheme.

A warrant for Jeffs' arrest was issued Sunday afternoon after he took off sometime over the weekend, said U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch. She said authorities aren't releasing details about how he got loose.

U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart released Jeffs from jail June 9 after several previous requests were denied. Jeffs was ordered to wear a GPS monitor and stay in a Salt Lake County house, except for going to work, doctor's appointments and court hearings.

In granting Jeffs' release, Stewart said the other 10 defendants in the fraud case who have been let out of jail have complied with the court's conditions. Stewart also acknowledged that Jeffs' jail time would be longer than expected with the trial being pushed back to October.

Prosecutors objected to his release, calling Jeffs a flight risk. They also warned that witnesses would clam up out of fear of reprisal from Jeffs, who runs day-to-day operations in the community on the Utah-Arizona border.

He is the brother of the sect's highest leader Warren Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence in Texas after being convicted of sexually assaulting girls he considered brides.

In April, Stewart sided with prosecutors in denying Lyle Jeffs' release. The judge wrote in that ruling that Lyle Jeffs couldn't be trusted to adhere to conditions of release because of his loyalty to his brother, plus a history of evading law enforcement by using aliases and concealing his whereabouts. Stewart wrote that Lyle Jeffs travels with armed guards who are "willing to take extreme efforts to protect him."

Jeffs' attorney, Kathryn Nester, was not immediately available for comment. She argued at the June 9 hearing that her client's constitutional rights would have been violated if he was jailed until trial.

Sam Brower, a private investigator who has researched the church for years, received a phone call from authorities Monday morning asking to get the word out and report any leads about Lyle Jeffs' whereabouts. Brower said he thinks Lyle Jeffs may still be in the region and catchable.

Brower said this proves that prosecutors were right when they said Lyle Jeffs was a flight risk.

"Why the court would ever think the guy in charge of this criminal organization would not run is beyond me," Brower said. "The world needs to stop thinking about them as a religious group."

Lyle Jeffs arrested and indicted in February on charges of diverting at least $12 million worth of federal benefits.

Prosecutors say sect leaders instructed followers to buy items with their food stamp cards and give them to a church warehouse where leaders decided how to distribute products to followers. They say food stamps were also cashed at sect-owned stores without the users getting anything in return. The money was then diverted to front companies and used to pay thousands for a tractor, truck and other items, prosecutors say.

All the defendants have pleaded not guilty to fraud and money laundering charges.

Members of the sect, known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, believe polygamy brings exaltation in heaven. The group is an offshoot of mainstream Mormonism, which disavowed polygamy more than 100 years ago.



“EXCERPT -- Polygamous sect leader Lyle Jeffs has fled home confinement in Salt Lake City less than two weeks after he was let out of jail pending trial on charges in a multimillion-dollar food stamp fraud scheme. …. Jeffs was ordered to wear a GPS monitor and stay in a Salt Lake County house, except for going to work, doctor's appointments and court hearings. In granting Jeffs' release, Stewart said the other 10 defendants in the fraud case who have been let out of jail have complied with the court's conditions. Stewart also acknowledged that Jeffs' jail time would be longer than expected with the trial being pushed back to October. Prosecutors objected to his release, calling Jeffs a flight risk. They also warned that witnesses would clam up out of fear of reprisal from Jeffs, who runs day-to-day operations in the community on the Utah-Arizona border. He is the brother of the sect's highest leader Warren Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence in Texas after being convicted of sexually assaulting girls he considered brides. …. Prosecutors say sect leaders instructed followers to buy items with their food stamp cards and give them to a church warehouse where leaders decided how to distribute products to followers. They say food stamps were also cashed at sect-owned stores without the users getting anything in return. The money was then diverted to front companies and used to pay thousands for a tractor, truck and other items, prosecutors say. All the defendants have pleaded not guilty to fraud and money laundering charges.”


“Brower said this proves that prosecutors were right when they said Lyle Jeffs was a flight risk. "Why the court would ever think the guy in charge of this criminal organization would not run is beyond me," Brower said. "The world needs to stop thinking about them as a religious group." Thank you, Mr. Brower! For once, some common sense! The famous televangelists, especially The 700 Club and a faith healer named Ted Haggard, who was finally arrested for dealing with a homosexual prostitute are two more such cases in my view. Their whole goal, which is to make Megabucks by emotionally defrauding millions of average citizens, who really can’t afford to be giving to their “ministries” at all, should be considered a crime, and such a “church” should not receive any concessions from the IRS. In fact, if the US government would totally stop giving money to “charities, churches,” and other supposedly helpful organizations, we would not only have less fraud in our society, but fewer wild eyed radical religious groups using their “ministry” to fund right wing political organizations.

The goal of all of that, including the “social services” political groups, is to make money and gain raw power. Groups like that should have to pay their own way. It especially angered me when I saw on a list of such groups that a Unitarian Church in the West -- probably in Texas -- had been denied the tax free status because they had political involvement of some sort. Most of them are politically active. The UUs, however, are LIBERALS, so they aren’t allowed to the party. It seems that just some groups get that money.

See this website for more: https://letmetellyouthis.wordpress.com/tag/list-of-christian-evangelist-scandals/, break these endless lies -- Just another WordPress.com site, “List Of Christian Evangelist Scandals.”



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lee-kaplan-officials-girls-were-hiding-when-found-in-pennsylvania-home/

Officials: Girls were hiding when found in Pa. home
By CRIMESIDER STAFF CBS NEWS
June 20, 2016, 11:49 AM

Photograph -- Lee Kaplan is seen in this photo provided by the Lower Southampton Police Department in Pennsylvania.
Photograph -- Lee Kaplan LOWER SOUTHAMPTON POLICE DEPARTMENT VIA KYW-TV
Photograph -- pennsylvania-girls-rescued.jpg , Authorities charged 51-year-old Lee Kaplan with sexual assault and other offenses after he was found living in this house in Feasterville, Pa., with 12 girls, including one who said she was given to him as a gift by her parents. KYW


LANCASTER, Pa. -- Detectives are questioning many of the 12 girls found in a small Pennsylvania home Friday, hoping to figure out who exactly the girls are, and if they ever suffered abuse.

The girls were found without birth certificates and other public records have not yet been located, according to authorities. Lee Kaplan, 51, faces a number of charges including statutory sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault for allegedly fathering two of the children with the oldest girl found, now 18.

When authorities raided Kaplan's Feasterville home on Friday after receiving a tip, the children were found hiding in the basement and in a chicken coop, among other places, according to Lower Southampton Director of Public Safety Robert Hoopes.

A couple is also charged in the case. Daniel Stoltzfus is charged with conspiracy of statutory sexual assault and children endangerment. His wife, Savilla Stoltzfus, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

The Stolftzfus' allegedly told police they gave the oldest girl, who they said was their daughter, to Kaplan several years ago in exchange for financial help.

Savilla Stoltzfus allegedly said that all of the children were her offspring, Hoopes told CBS News on Monday.

"She was in the house, and she said that, but we don't really know," Hoopes said. "There's no documentation."

He added that he is unaware if the Stoltzfus' have had any male children.

Hoopes said the children found in Kaplan's home were outfitted in traditional Amish attire, and as a result, were brought to homes in nearby Lancaster County, which has a large Amish community.

However, it is not clear if the children have had any relationships or experiences outside Kaplan's home, Hoopes said.

At a press briefing on Saturday, Hoopes said that it appeared the children were home-schooled. Musical instruments and homework were found in the basement of Kaplan's home, he said.

The children were brought to two separate locations in Bucks County Monday, where a total of three detectives are questioning them, hoping to learn about their lives, Hoopes said.

"At first, they're just going to try to see general information. Who are their parents? Where are they from?"Hoopes said. He noted that it is possible that the children could identify by the last name Stoltzfus, but not necessarily be related to the suspects.

"Stoltzfus is a very very common name in the Amish community," Hoopes said.

Authorities will spend the next day or two trying to learn about life inside Kaplan's home. In particular, they want to learn whether the other children suffered the same kind of abuse that authorities allege the oldest one did.

Authorities don't currently plan to press more charges against any of the suspects, but that could change after the girls are questioned, Hoopes said.


“EXCERPT -- Detectives are questioning many of the 12 girls found in a small Pennsylvania home Friday, hoping to figure out who exactly the girls are, and if they ever suffered abuse.The girls were found without birth certificates and other public records have not yet been located, according to authorities. …. When authorities raided Kaplan's Feasterville home on Friday after receiving a tip, the children were found hiding in the basement and in a chicken coop, among other places, according to Lower Southampton Director of Public Safety Robert Hoopes. …. "She was in the house, and she said that, but we don't really know," Hoopes said. "There's no documentation." He added that he is unaware if the Stoltzfus' have had any male children. Hoopes said the children found in Kaplan's home were outfitted in traditional Amish attire, and as a result, were brought to homes in nearby Lancaster County, which has a large Amish community. However, it is not clear if the children have had any relationships or experiences outside Kaplan's home, Hoopes said. At a press briefing on Saturday, Hoopes said that it appeared the children were home-schooled. Musical instruments and homework were found in the basement of Kaplan's home, he said. …. Authorities don't currently plan to press more charges against any of the suspects, but that could change after the girls are questioned, Hoopes said.”


This is the kind of thing that can happen whenever a group of people live by very old and traditional rules. There are stories back into the 1800s of girl children being traded for a service, and it wasn’t considered criminal. Thank goodness most people these days don’t live that way, though. Women were possessions and not people.

The Amish people have always fascinated me, partly because the way they look is beautiful to me, but also because they keep folkways that are old. Like the most conservative Jewish people in Europe, they don’t mix with outsiders, and from their dress and traditions to their intact philosophy show the retelling of old stories which give insight into ancient times. I’m fascinated with folk literature, and I do consider it to be – though fragmentary – at least somewhat factual. The old traditions of “history,” don’t meet modern standards, but they were “the truth” to such people. Storytelling is one of the oldest human activities. After all, there was no TV and they were both education for children and entertainment. An archaeologist can learn a lot from that kind of information. Of course fantasy from gods to heroes has been interwoven into the stories, but for me that just makes them more enjoyable. They record the progress of human beings from the deep past into the present, and some of those wild sounding hero stories and mythical beasts are linked to ancient religion. See the following about Amish history.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish#Ethnicity

Amish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about Old Order Amish, but also refers to other Amish sects. For other uses, see Amish (disambiguation).

The Amish (/ˈɑːmɪʃ/; Pennsylvania Dutch: Amisch, German: Amische) are a group of traditionalist Christian church fellowships with Swiss Anabaptist origins. They are closely related to, but distinct from, Mennonite churches. The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, and reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern technology. The history of the Amish church began with a schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann.[2] Those who followed Ammann became known as Amish.[3]

. . . . In the early 18th century, many Amish and Mennonites immigrated to Pennsylvania for a variety of reasons. Today, the most traditional descendants of the Amish continue to speak Pennsylvania German, also known as "Pennsylvania Dutch," although a dialect of Swiss German is used by Old Order Amish in the Adams County, Indiana area. …. Most of the Amish continue to have 6–7 children while benefiting from the major decrease in infant and maternal mortality in the 20th century. Between 1992 and 2013, the Amish population increased by 120%,[8] while the US population increased by only 23%.[citation needed] . . . . The rules of the church, the Ordnung, must be observed by every member and cover most aspects of day-to-day living, including prohibitions or limitations on the use of power-line electricity, telephones, and automobiles, as well as regulations on clothing. Most Amish do not buy commercial insurance or participate in Social Security. As present-day Anabaptists, Amish church members practice nonresistance and will not perform any type of military service. The Amish value rural life, manual labor and humility, all under the auspices of living what they interpret to be God's word. . . . . Almost 90 percent of Amish teenagers choose to be baptized and join the church.[10] During adolescence rumspringa ("running around") in some communities, nonconforming behavior that would result in the shunning of an adult who had made the permanent commitment of baptism, may meet with a degree of forbearance.[11] Amish church groups seek to maintain a degree of separation from the non-Amish world, i.e. American and Canadian society. There is generally a heavy emphasis on church and family relationships. They typically operate their own one-room schools and discontinue formal education after grade eight, at age 13/14.[10] Until the children turn 16, they have vocational training under the tutelage of their parents, community, and the school teacher. . . . . The Amish Mennonite movement descends from the 16th century fellowship known as the Swiss Brethren.[12] The Swiss Brethren were Anabaptists, and are often viewed as having been a part of the Radical Reformation. "Anabaptist" means "one who baptizes again"—a reference to those who had been baptized as infants, but later adopted a belief in "believer's baptism", and then let themselves again be baptized as adults. These Swiss Brethren trace their origins to Felix Manz (c. 1498–1527) and Conrad Grebel (c. 1498–1526), who had broken from reformer Huldrych Zwingli.[13]”


According to History.com, the date that world's most famous cleric named Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of a church in Germany was October 31, 1517. All of those were complaints against the Catholic Church of the day. Now that was a man who “thought for himself!” Go to the following website for a dramatic retelling of the story: “On this day in 1517, the priest and scholar Martin Luther approaches the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nails a piece of paper to it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation.”



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/anton-yelchin-was-killed-by-his-own-vehicle-police-say/

Anton Yelchin was killed by his own vehicle, police say
CBS/AP
June 20, 2016, 6:13 AM


LOS ANGELES -- Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, was killed by his own car as it rolled down his driveway, police and his publicist said.

The car pinned Yelchin, 27, against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home in Los Angeles, Officer Jenny Hosier said. He had gotten out of the vehicle momentarily, but police did not say why he was behind it when it started rolling.

A Los Angeles police spokesperson told CBS News foul play was not suspected.

Lt. Larry Dietz told CBS News the Los Angeles County coroner's office "concluded that Yelchin's death was an accident" caused by "blunt traumatic asphyxia."

It appeared Yelchin had not properly put his car in park, Dietz said, adding it was "just one of those freak accidents."

Los Angeles police told CBS News the vehicle involved was a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave reported last month that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was investigating more than 850,000 vehicles. Most were 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees equipped with "e-shift" transmissions. Those transmissions lack the typical grooves and sensation of moving the car into park, drive or reverse.

Government investigators found the transmissions are "not intuitive" and provide "poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection."

The investigation found reports of 121 crashes and 30 injures linked to the shifter and possible confusion over whether the vehicles had actually been put into park.

In April, Fiat Chrysler recalled more than 800,000 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees, Chrysler 300s and Dodge Chargers equipped with Monostable shifter or E-shift transmissions.

Fiat Chrysler spokesperson Eric Mayne told CBS News recall "notices were mailed to affected customers. Included in those notices were tip sheets describing proper operation of the shifter. This supplemental information echoes the instructions in the owner's manual."

Investigators have not established any connection between the transmission in Yelchin's Jeep and the incident that took his life.

Yelchin was on his way to meet friends for a rehearsal, Hosier said. When he didn't show up, the group came to his home and found him dead early Sunday.

The freak accident tragically cuts short the promising career of an actor whom audiences were still getting to know and who had great artistic ambition. "Star Trek Beyond," the third film in the rebooted series, comes out in July.

Director J.J. Abrams, who cast Yelchin in the franchise, wrote in a statement that he was "brilliant ... kind ... funny as hell, and supremely talented."

His death was felt throughout the industry.

"What a rare and beautiful soul with his unstoppable passion for life," Jodie Foster said. "He was equal parts serious thinker and the most fun little brother you could ever dream of."

Yelchin co-starred in Foster's 2011 film "The Beaver."

"He was a ferocious movie buff who put us all to shame," said Gabe Klinger, who directed Yelchin in the upcoming film "Porto," likely to be released this fall. "He was watching four or five movies every night."

Klinger said Yelchin had a particular affinity for silent films.

Yelchin began acting as a child, taking small roles in independent films and various television shows, such as "ER," ''The Practice," and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." His breakout big-screen role came opposite Anthony Hopkins in 2001's "Hearts in Atlantis."

He transitioned into teen roles in films such as the crime thriller "Alpha Dog" and the comedy "Charlie Bartlett." He also played a young Kyle Reese in 2009's "Terminator Salvation."

Yelchin, an only child, was born in Russia. His parents were professional figure skaters who moved the family to the United States when Yelchin was a baby. He briefly flirted with skating lessons, too, before discovering that he wasn't very skilled on the ice. That led him to acting class.

"I loved the improvisation part of it the most, because it was a lot like just playing around with stuff. There was something about it that I just felt completely comfortable doing and happy doing," Yelchin told The Associated Press in 2011 while promoting the romantic drama "Like Crazy." He starred opposite Felicity Jones.

"(My father) still wanted me to apply to college and stuff, and I did," Yelchin said. "But this is what I wanted."

The discipline that Yelchin learned from his athlete parents translated into his work as an actor, which he treated with seriousness and professionalism, said Klinger, the director.

He drew on his Russian roots for his role as the heavily accented navigator Chekov in the "Star Trek" films, his most high-profile to date.

"What's great about him is he can do anything. He's a chameleon. He can do bigger movies or smaller, more intimate ones," ''Like Crazy" director Drake Doremus told the AP in 2011. "There are a lot of people who can't, who can only do one or the other. ... That's what blows my mind."

Yelchin seemed to fit in anywhere in Hollywood. He could do big sci-fi franchises and vocal work in "The Smurfs," while also appearing in more eccentric and artier fare, like Jim Jarmusch's vampire film "Only Lovers Left Alive" and Jeremy Saulnier's horror thriller "Green Room," a cult favorite that came out earlier this year.

Klinger recalled a conversation with Jarmusch about Yelchin before Klinger cast him in "Porto."

"Jim was like, 'Watch out. Anton read Dostoyevsky when he was like 11 years old!'" Klinger said.

The director said that for Yelchin, every film was an opportunity to learn and study more. He admired Nicolas Cage's laser-focus on the Paul Schrader film "Dying of the Light" and also got to work with one of his acting heroes, Willem Dafoe, on the film "Odd Thomas."

"He used to refer to Willem as an artist, not an actor," Klinger said. "That's the kind of actor he aspired to be, where people didn't regard him as an actor, they regarded him as an artist."

Yelchin's publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed his death and said his family requests privacy.


“EXCERPT -- The car pinned Yelchin, 27, against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home in Los Angeles, Officer Jenny Hosier said. He had gotten out of the vehicle momentarily, but police did not say why he was behind it when it started rolling. A Los Angeles police spokesperson told CBS News foul play was not suspected. …. Los Angeles police told CBS News the vehicle involved was a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave reported last month that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was investigating more than 850,000 vehicles. Most were 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees equipped with "e-shift" transmissions. Those transmissions lack the typical grooves and sensation of moving the car into park, drive or reverse. Government investigators found the transmissions are "not intuitive" and provide "poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection." …. In April, Fiat Chrysler recalled more than 800,000 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees, Chrysler 300s and Dodge Chargers equipped with Monostable shifter or E-shift transmissions. Fiat Chrysler spokesperson Eric Mayne told CBS News recall "notices were mailed to affected customers. Included in those notices were tip sheets describing proper operation of the shifter. This supplemental information echoes the instructions in the owner's manual." …. Yelchin was on his way to meet friends for a rehearsal, Hosier said. When he didn't show up, the group came to his home and found him dead early Sunday. The freak accident tragically cuts short the promising career of an actor whom audiences were still getting to know and who had great artistic ambition. "Star Trek Beyond," the third film in the rebooted series, comes out in July. …. "What a rare and beautiful soul with his unstoppable passion for life," Jodie Foster said. "He was equal parts serious thinker and the most fun little brother you could ever dream of." Yelchin co-starred in Foster's 2011 film "The Beaver."


I remember the first Star Trek episodes. They were in some cases a little dorky, but mainly believable acting, and the characters were each unique. Like all good movie and TV casts they had a “chemistry” that worked beautifully. The producers thought it wasn’t going to be successful and took it off the air. Immediately they began receiving letter from the public, which mounted into the thousands. Not long after that they put it back on the air and the original group, plus some new retellings, have been on the air and in the theatres ever since.

I never saw this actor. I don’t go to many movies and I don’t get cable TV, but this actor has been praised by many people for his pleasant and intelligent personality. I’m sorry that such a talented young man has been killed tragically. I will try to see his film when it comes to the theaters here.

But as for the “new technology” that killed him, I always hate to hear stories like this one. The last thing I remember is the switchkeys which would – all on their own – move themselves while the car was driving down a highway into the off position, with many deaths resulting from it. They have been “recalled” also. Why don’t they thoroughly test these things before putting them out on the market? And if the gear shift technology is new and “not intuitive,” there should have been special instructions delivered with every car sold. Most people aren’t going to read every word of an owners’ manual. My owners’ manual is a small but thick paperback book that I keep in the glove compartment for the times when I need it. There have been no more than three or four such occasions. Luckily my car is very old and has mainly older control features.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nypd-corruption-charges-allege-lavish-bribes-for-cops-on-call/

NYPD corruption charges allege lavish bribes for "cops on call"
By CRIMESIDER STAFF CBS/AP
June 20, 2016, 2:29 PM


NEW YORK - Charges brought against four men arrested Monday in a widening New York City corruption probe include lurid claims that a top police official roomed with a prostitute during a Las Vegas trip as businessmen spent over $100,000 to ensure uniformed officers were available as their private security force.

Two high-ranking New York Police Department officials and a police sergeant who oversaw gun license applications were among the latest arrests in a case that has cast a cloud over the nation's largest municipal police force. The men are charged in "two separate and serious criminal schemes," Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York, said Monday.

Those arrested Friday include NYPD Deputy Chief Michael Harrington, Deputy Inspector James Grant, and Sgt. David Villanueva. Grant and Harrington are accused of accepting lavish bribes from Brooklyn businessman Jeremy Reichberg and another businessman. Reichberg, Harrington and Grant were each charged with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.

Another officer arrested Monday was David Villanueva, an NYPD sergeant assigned to the department's gun license bureau. He was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and accused of accepting cash, liquor and limo rides to push through the approval of gun license applications. A fourth NYPD officer, Richard Ochetal, has pleaded guilty to the same allegation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New York. They say Ochetal is cooperating with federal investigators.

A criminal complaint accompanying the latest charges alleged Reichberg exploited his connections within the police department to arrange arrests, speed up gun application processing, make tickets disappear, obtain police escorts for him and his friends, get assistance from uniformed personnel to resolve personal disputes and boost security at religious sites and events.

Susan Necheles, Reichberg's lawyer, said in an email: "Mr. Reichberg did not commit a crime."

Reichberg's "only mistake," Necheles said, was befriending a government cooperator "who is desperately trying to get others in trouble in order to curry favor with prosecutors and save his own skin." Reichberg's friend, an unidentified businessman, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit honest services fraud, and is providing information to federal investigators "in hopes of leniency when he is sentenced," the criminal complaint says.

The complaint said Reichberg managed to use connections to local law enforcement agencies to shut down a lane of the Lincoln Tunnel connecting New Jersey and Manhattan and obtain a police escort for a businessman visiting the U.S.

In return, the businessman showered his favored police officials with well over $100,000 in benefits from 2012 to 2015, including free flights and hotel rooms, prostitutes, expensive meals, home improvements and prime seats at sporting events, the complaint said.

In announcing the arrests, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Reichberg and the unidentified friend exchanged bribes for "'cops on call,' a private police for themselves and their friends."

Harrington was second in command at police headquarters in an office responsible for all uniformed operations.

The complaint said Harrington and an unidentified police chief let a businessman buy dinner once or twice a week for 18 months at expensive Manhattan restaurants, where bills ran $400 to $500.

Andrew Weinstein, Harrington's lawyer, said the charges against his client were politically motivated.

"Chief Harrington is a loyal and devoted family man who has an unblemished record and has spent the last three decades working tirelessly to keep New York City safe," Weinstein said. "One would be hard-pressed to find a straighter arrow in their quiver."

Among the alleged favors was $59,000 spent on a private jet in February 2013 that took Reichberg, an unidentified detective and James Grant, commander of an Upper East Side precinct, to Las Vegas for Super Bowl weekend, the court papers said. The complaint said Reichberg and the friend arranged for a prostitute to join the flight and spend the weekend with the group, staying in Grant's luxury hotel room.

According to the FBI complaint, the prostitute told law enforcement agents that Grant and others "took advantage of her services" during the trip.

The executive also allegedly paid for Grant's luxury hotel during a trip to Rome, the complaint says.

The court papers also contained allegations that Reichberg and the unidentified businessman wore elf hats as they drove to Grant's Staten Island home on Christmas 2013 to give Grant a video game system for his children and a $1,000 piece of jewelry for his wife. Authorities said they captured Grant on a recorded telephone call a year later grumbling that his two "elves" did not come for Christmas that year.

"The alleged conduct violates the basic principle that public servants are to serve the public, not help themselves to cash and benefits just for doing their jobs," Bharara said in a statement.

NYPD police chief Bill Bratton said Monday Villanueva is being suspended and Ochetal is on modified duty. Harrington and Grant had previously filed notices of retirement which are effective this week, but Bratton said they will retire "under suspension and therefore, not in good standing."

"This case shows whether you are a cop or a chief, if you break the law, you will be treated the same way," Bratton said.

The head of Grant's union declined to comment. His lawyer didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.

Both Riechberg and the unidentified businessman gave generously to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's campaign and were on his inauguration committee, reports CBS New York. De Blasio has not been implicated in any wrongdoing.



“EXCERPT -- Two high-ranking New York Police Department officials and a police sergeant who oversaw gun license applications were among the latest arrests in a case that has cast a cloud over the nation's largest municipal police force. The men are charged in "two separate and serious criminal schemes," Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York, said Monday. Those arrested Friday include NYPD Deputy Chief Michael Harrington, Deputy Inspector James Grant, and Sgt. David Villanueva. Grant and Harrington are accused of accepting lavish bribes from Brooklyn businessman Jeremy Reichberg and another businessman. Reichberg, Harrington and Grant were each charged with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Another officer arrested Monday was David Villanueva, an NYPD sergeant assigned to the department's gun license bureau. He was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and accused of accepting cash, liquor and limo rides to push through the approval of gun license applications. A fourth NYPD officer, Richard Ochetal, has pleaded guilty to the same allegation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New York. They say Ochetal is cooperating with federal investigators. …. David Villanueva, an NYPD sergeant assigned to the department's gun license bureau. He was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and accused of accepting cash, liquor and limo rides to push through the approval of gun license applications. A fourth NYPD officer, Richard Ochetal, has pleaded guilty to the same allegation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New York. …. NYPD police chief Bill Bratton said Monday Villanueva is being suspended and Ochetal is on modified duty. Harrington and Grant had previously filed notices of retirement which are effective this week, but Bratton said they will retire "under suspension and therefore, not in good standing."


So much for good well-written gun laws: “… to push through the approval of gun license applications.” I also wondered if the lane closure mentioned in this story is the same as in Governor Christie’s “Bridgegate,” but it isn’t. Just another person who was willing to pay money to cause chaos. Bridgegate was the Fort Lee lane closure scandal. Scandals abound, apparently.

The term “honest services wire fraud” is a new one to me. Here’s what I get from the Net on that. The Wikipedia article is somewhat confusing, but mainly because the language of the law is confusing, and as the court decided “vague.” In the case of Skilling v. United States (2010). the Supreme Court, this says, made a narrow ruling that it applies only in certain kinds of cases because it is “unconstitutionally vague.” From the way it looks to me, it really only amounts to the idea that a highly placed public servant who does anything at all which is dishonest or even “unethical,” whether or not the victim is deprived of something “tangible” like money or property, and when the act is done in response to a bribe or fraud by a third party, it is still punishable as a crime.

As for what an “intangible right” is, this comes from Google: “The definition of intangible is something with no physical presence that can't be touched, or is something that is vague and difficult to understand or value in concrete terms. Intellectual property laws that protect a copyright are an example of laws that protect an intangible right.” Further on in the next few listings are some other “intangibles” such as “intangible property.” Unfortunately, I’ve come to the point at which I ask the heart of the universe, “Do I Care??”

I do love the way laws read, but it takes a dictionary and Wikipedia’s best efforts at explanation to figure out what it says! It’s like the King James version of the Bible. Not only can we gain insight from many (generally unrelated) parts of it, but the wording is so beautiful that I have tended to remember it down through years of agnosticism. Lord forgive me for saying that!


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honest_services_fraud, “Honest services fraud, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Honest services fraud is a crime defined in a 28-word sentence of 18 U.S.C. § 1346 (the federal mail and wire fraud statute), added by the United States Congress in 1988,[1] which states: "For the purposes of this chapter, the term scheme or artifice to defraud includes a scheme or artifice to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services."[2]

The statute, which has been a target of criticism, was given a narrow construction by the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Skilling v. United States (2010). In order to avoid finding the statute to be unconstitutionally vague, the Court interpreted the statute to only cover "fraudulent schemes to deprive another of honest services through bribes or kickbacks supplied by a third party who ha[s] not been deceived".[3]. . . . Honest services fraud is generally more easily proven in the public sphere than in the private, because honest services fraud by public officials can include most unethical conduct, whereas honest services fraud by private individuals only includes some unethical conduct. Federal courts have generally recognized two main areas of public-sector honest service fraud: bribery (direct or indirect), where a public official was paid in some way for a particular decision or action, and failure to disclose a conflict of interest, resulting in personal gain.[6]

History and case law[edit]

Since at least 1941, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, and prior to 1987, the courts had interpreted the mail fraud and wire fraud statutes as criminalizing not only schemes to defraud victims of money and property, but also schemes to defraud victims of intangible rights such as the "honest services" of a public official.[4] In 1987, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in McNally v. United States that the mail fraud and wire fraud statutes pertained strictly to schemes to defraud victims of tangible property, including money.[5] In 1988, Congress enacted a new law that specifically criminalized schemes to defraud victims of "the intangible right of honest services."[4]