November 26 and 27, 2016


News and Views --
SEE ALSO “COUNTING THE VOTES” IN SEPARATE BLOG


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-millions-voted-illegally-for-hillary-clinton/

Donald Trump: "Millions" voted illegally for Hillary Clinton
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
November 27, 2016, 4:45 PM


President-elect Donald Trump is alleging that he would have won the nation’s popular vote if it weren’t for the “millions of people who voted illegally” for Hillary Clinton, during a series of tweets in which he panned the recount efforts that could take place soon in three states.

Mr. Trump expressed his feelings Sunday afternoon on the “so-called popular vote” on Twitter:

Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally
3:30 PM - 27 Nov 2016
17,012 17,012 Retweets 45,611 45,611 likes

Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
It would have been much easier for me to win the so-called popular vote than the Electoral College in that I would only campaign in 3 or 4--
3:34 PM - 27 Nov 2016
4,207 4,207 Retweets 15,555 15,555 likes

Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
states instead of the 15 states that I visited. I would have won even more easily and convincingly (but smaller states are forgotten)!
3:41 PM - 27 Nov 2016
3,609 3,609 Retweets 14,462 14,462 likes

Mr. Trump won the electoral vote earlier this month by a wide margin, beating out Clinton with 290 votes compared to her 232. But according to the latest count by the Cook Political Report, which regularly updates its popular vote tally, Mr. Trump is currently losing that vote by over 2.2 million.

The president-elect’s tweetstorm comes as he continues to criticize the Green Party’s Jill Stein for her attempts to initiate vote audits in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Stein’s vote recount efforts are motivated, in part, because of fears that illegal votes were cast for Trump due to hacking or other fraudulent activity.

Earlier this weekend, the Clinton campaign announced it would participate in the recount effort in Wisconsin, where paperwork has already been filed, and would do the same in the other two states if they follow suit.

The president-elect’s latest claim seems to contradicts his previous assertions in the days immediately following the general election, when he called the contest “very open and successful.”

Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!
9:19 PM - 10 Nov 2016
71,304 71,304 Retweets 235,327 235,327 likes



I wonder if there is any real basis for his claim of “millions of fraudulent votes.” Of course, he doesn’t need reasons for the claims he makes. He just says whatever occurs to him at the moment.



http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/27/politics/bernie-sanders-electoral-college/

Sanders calls for assessment of Electoral College
By Tom LoBianco, CNN
Updated 12:14 PM ET, Sun November 27, 2016


Washington (CNN)Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said Sunday it is time to re-examine the Electoral College, after Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote to President-elect Donald Trump.

"We have one candidate who had two million more votes than the other candidate but she is not going to be sworn in as president, and I think on the surface that's a little bit weird," the Vermont senator told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union."

Other Democrats, including California Sen. Barbara Boxer, have flatly called for the Electoral College to be abolished and have presidents be elected by a simple popular vote. The effort gained some steam in Democratic-controlled statehouses in the years after Al Gore beat George W. Bush in the popular vote. But since any change would require a constitutional amendment, that appears highly unlikely to happen.

Sanders, meanwhile, hewed close to the line that Clinton's former campaign has walked on a recount effort being led by former Green Party candidate Jill Stein. The former Clinton campaign had been mum on calls for a recount, but said over the weekend that it would help the effort in Wisconsin.

Sanders said that even though Trump has called it a "scam" anyone has a right to a recount.

"The Green Party has the legal right," Sanders said. "Republicans have requested -- I think the governor of North Carolina right now is thinking about doing a recount. That's a legal right. They do it."

Sanders also weighed in on the future of the Democratic Party -- a battle that started almost immediately after Clinton conceded the election and features one of his former backers, US Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota.

The Obama White House is seeking a more moderate alternative to Ellison, but Ellison (the first Muslim elected to Congress) is the right person to rebuild the Democratic Party's "grassroots," Sanders said.

"In the last eight years, the Democrats have lost over 900 legislative seats around the country in state legislatures, I think it's time to take a reassessment of the purpose of where the Democratic Party is and where it wants to go," Sanders said on "State of the Union." "What we need to do right now is to become a grassroots party, which is what Keith Ellison believes, open the doors to working people, open the doors to young people, less emphasis on raising large sums of money, more emphasis on bringing new blood into the political party."



If the Dems don’t go back to being the working class’ party, they might as well call themselves GOP II. They also need to do their “Politickin’” all the time rather than popping up out of the woodwork every four years. I remember first time I tried to find Democratic Party headquarters some 15 years ago, there was only a TELEPHONE NUMBER RATHER THAN AN OPEN OFFICE, AND THAT WAS STAFFED BY AN ANSWERING MACHINE. It was three days before a lady called me back.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/israeli-military-kills-4-isis-militants-in-syria/

Israeli military kills 4 ISIS militants in Syria after ambush
AP November 27, 2016, 10:47 AM

Photograph -- Israeli soldiers on a tank monitor the area near the Israel-Syria border in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on November 27, 2016, following an attack by gunmen linked to the Islamic State (IS) group. JALAA MAREY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Play VIDEO -- Civilian casualties growing in Syria



JERUSALEM -- Israeli aircraft struck a machine gun-mounted vehicle inside Syria Sunday, killing four militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) inside after they had opened fire on a military patrol on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights, the Israeli military said.

Israel has been largely unaffected by the Syrian civil war raging next door, suffering only sporadic incidents of spillover fire over the frontier that Israel has generally dismissed as tactical errors of the Assad regime. Israel has responded to these cases lightly, with limited reprisals on Syrian positions in response to the errant fire.

But Sunday’s event, in the southern part of the Golan Heights, appears to be a rare case of an intentional shooting ambush by Islamic militants targeting Israeli troops.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said the Israeli patrol came under machine gun and mortar fire early Sunday. They returned fire toward Syria before an Israeli aircraft engaged, striking the vehicle in question and killing its passengers. He said all were suspected militants from an IS offshoot that controls the area. No Israeli troops were harmed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended the troops for thwarting the attack.

“We are well prepared on our northern border and will not allow Islamic State elements or any other hostile elements to use the war in Syria to establish themselves close to our borders,” he said at his weekly Cabinet meeting.

Though Israel has generally stayed on the sidelines of the fighting, fearing being sucked into a clash between forces that are all hostile to it, it is widely believed to have carried out airstrikes on arms shipments said to be destined for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, a close ally of the Syrian government.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and the two countries remain enemies.

Amos Yadlin, a former military intelligence chief and current director of the Institute for National Security Studies, an independent think-tank, said it was too early to determine whether the attack marked a shift in ISIS policy or just a local initiative by some of its fighters.

He said ISIS has been very careful to avoid attacking Israel to this point since it has been engaged with so many other adversaries. But with its back against the wall in Syria and Iraq, he said they may be looking for a propaganda victory by targeting Israel. He said they were capable of far worse than a routine ambush.

“We will have to watch closely in the future to see if this is a change of policy,” Yadlin said. “I don’t think this is a planned strategy.”


I do hope ISIS isn’t going to try to broaden the war. From what I know of Israel, though, they would probably respond in a devastating manner. Maybe the ISIS group were testing the water?



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/veterans-protest-hampshire-college-stopped-flying-us-flag/

Veterans protest Hampshire College decision to stop flying U.S. flag
CBS/AP
November 27, 2016, 12:45 PM


AMHERST, Mass. - Veterans protested Sunday at a western Massachusetts college facing criticism from around the country for its decision to stop flying U.S. flags after students allegedly burned a flag in protest of Donald Trump’s presidential election.

Dozens of veterans and other demonstrators held American flags and chanted “U.S.A.” at Hampshire College in Amherst on Sunday, in what organizers called a “peaceful demonstration of freedom.”

Local veterans and others intended to place hundreds of U.S. flags on the streets around the college.

College officials decided to indefinitely stop flying flags earlier this month after the main flag in the center of campus was burned after students lowered the banner to half-staff. Officials replaced the flag, but it was lowered again.

School officials say they welcome peaceful discussions about the flag decision.

In a statement about their decision to remove the flag, college officials said: “This decision is not and was never a commentary on the presidential election.”

Clarifying the statement, Hampshire College President Jonathan Lash told CBS Boston he knows it’s a controversial decision to remove the flag, but he wanted to create a dialogue among those with differing opinions about the symbol.

“There were a range of views on campus, including people whose experience growing up have made the flag a symbol of fear, which was strengthened by the toxic language during the campaign, and people for whom the flag is the symbol of all that’s best throughout the country,” said Lash.

He said the trouble started with a gesture meant to help provoke “meaningful and respectful dialogue” on campus–a stance he outlined in a post on the college’s Facebook page. In that post, he said the Board of Trustees decided to fly the flag at half-staff due to the “environment of escalating hate-based violence” in the wake of the election.

Lash said the gesture was also meant to be an “expression of grief” over deaths around the world, including those of U.S. service members.

But, the move didn’t work as planned and many–especially veterans and families of veterans in the Hampshire College family–saw it as being disrespectful of the tradition of expressing mourning on a national level.

“Frankly, doing that, it didn’t help,” he said. “Flying the flag at half-mast just created more controversy.”

On Veterans Day, someone removed the flag and burned it.

“In the middle of the night, we have no idea who did it or even why,” said Lash.

So that’s why they decided to take down the U.S. flag–and all flags–on campus.

“The flag had become a heated symbol that was making that more difficult,” Lash said. “We really feel our community needs a conversation in which both sides listen to each other, and we wish the nation would have that kind of dialogue. We felt that if we could stop arguing about the symbol, we could get to the underlying issues.”

Of course, that decision has created even more backlash, and Lash said there “certainly is” a lot of anger about the decision.


IS THERE A LAW REQUIRING CORPORATE BODIES LIKE A COLLEGE TO FLY A FLAG AT ALL? THIS ARTICLE FROM CNN BELOW DOESN’T SAY SO. ODDLY, IT DOESN’T MENTION THE ISSUE AT ALL. THE ONLY RULE I KNOW FROM MY GIRL SCOUT DAYS IS THAT THE AMERICAN FLAG SHOULD ALWAYS BE FLOWN (WHEN IT IS THERE) ABOVE A STATE OR ORGANIZATIONAL BANNER. SO, THE VETERANS CAN COMPLAIN IF THEY WANT TO, BUT THEY HAVE NO GROUNDS FOR SUING THE COLLEGE OR ANY SUCH THING. I THINK THE COLLEGE HAS MADE A WISE DECISION.



http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/05/30/fly.american.flag.mf/

Rules on flying the American flag
Mental Floss
By Ethan Trex, MentalFloss.com
May 30, 2011 9:26 a.m. EDT

Photograph -- Show your national pride on Memorial Day by displaying the flag -- but be sure to consult the flag code before you do.


(MentalFloss.com) -- On Memorial Day, we thought it might be a good time to take a look at some of the rules for respectfully displaying the American flag, as dictated by the United States Flag Code.

When did these flag rules fall into place?


Surprisingly late in American history. On Flag Day in 1923, a group of organizations headed by the American Legion outlined the National Flag Code as a set of advisory rules for displaying the flag. These rules became law during World War II and form the bulk of what's now the United States Flag Code.

These rules cover all manner of extremely specific situations, but they're all governed by the same basic principle: the flag is one of the most visible and important symbols of our country, so we should treat it with respect.

Are you really supposed to lower the flag at sunset?

You don't have to. While the flag code notes that displaying the flag only from sunrise to sunset is "universal custom," it makes an exception. "However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness."

When should the flag be displayed?

Section 6 of the flag code states, "The flag should be displayed on all days." However, the code goes on to say that the flag should especially (emphasis added) be displayed on the following days: New Year's Day, Inauguration Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Lincoln's birthday, Washington's birthday, Easter, Mother's Day, Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Father's Day, Independence Day, National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, Labor Day, Constitution Day, Columbus Day, Navy Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, state holidays, states' dates of admission, and "such other days as may be proclaimed by the President of the United States."

Where should the flag be displayed?

Section 6 of the flag code covers this question, too. The flag should be displayed in or near every schoolhouse on school days, on or near the main administration building of every public institution each day, and in or near every polling place on election days.

Why doesn't, say, the Dream Team take the courts in American-flag jerseys at the Olympics?


The flag code thought of that one, too. Section 8 of the code covers "Respect for the Flag," and it explicitly states, "No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations."

Mental Floss: Why do we sing the National Anthem at sporting events?
Any other restrictions on wearing the flag?

Section 8 also states, "The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery."

What about those American flag lapel pins that so many folks wear?

The flag code thought of that one, too. Section 8 rather elegantly states, "The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart."

Is it true you have to retire and burn a flag that touches the ground?

No, that's a myth. The flag code is quite a bit more realistic about this situation. While the code states, "The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise," there's no rule saying that a flag that slips has to immediately be burned.

Instead, the code stipulates, "The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning." Unless hitting the ground once renders the flag unfit for display, there's no need to burn it.

When is it acceptable to fly the flag upside down?

The flag code allows for flying the flag with the union (the blue field of stars) down only "as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."

We know that the American flag is supposed to be displayed in a position of prominence over other flags on American soil. Are there any exceptions to this rule?

Section 7 of the flag code provides one major exception: the flag of the United Nations can be flown in the position of honor or prominence at the U.N. headquarters in New York.

The only other exception involves church services performed by naval chaplains while at sea. In these instances, the church's flag may fly above the American flag during the service.

Mental Floss: Videos: Dogs welcoming home soldiers

What's the penalty for breaking the flag code?

There isn't one. The flag code is an odd duck in this regard. As part of the United States Code, the flag code is technically federal law. However, the code doesn't outline any measures for enforcement or punishment. Basically, the flag code is a set of advisory rules for Americans who want to know the proper and respectful way to display their flag.

Even if the flag code did provide measures for its enforcement, it's not clear that the measures would be constitutional. Individual states used to have their own prohibitions on and penalties for desecrating the flag, but the 1989 Supreme Court decision Texas v. Johnson invalidated these laws as infringements on free speech. Congress responded by passing the Flag Protection Act, which made flag desecration a federal crime. The Supreme Court struck down this law in the 1990 case United States v. Eichman.

Can anyone stop me from displaying the flag?

In 2006 the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 officially became law. This law basically says that no condo board, housing co-op, or residential real estate management group can restrict a person's right to display the American flag on their own residential property as long as the display jibes with federal law and is reasonable.

What days is the flag always flown at half-staff?

The flag always flies on half-staff on Patriot Day (September 11 of each year), Peace Officers Memorial Day (May 15), and Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (December 7). On Memorial Day, the flag flies at half-staff until noon, at which point it is raised to the top of the staff.

What if I can't fly my flag at half-staff?

Some flags, like the ones commonly seen in school classrooms or on houses, are fixed in a certain position on their poles. How does one handle the sticky situation of a flag that physically can't be flown at half-staff? The United States Code doesn't cover this conundrum, but the American Legion advocates adding a black ribbon to the top of the flag's pole to indicate mourning.

Mental Floss: Why is the flag flown at half-staff in times of mourning?

What about adding new stars for new states?

Should we ever pick up a 51st state, Section 2 of the flag code stipulates that the state will get a new star on the flag. It won't be an overnight process, though. The new star will make its debut on the first Fourth of July following the state's formal admission into the union.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/genocide-threatening-letters-sent-to-three-california-mosques/

Genocide-threatening letters sent to three California mosques
CBS/AP
November 27, 2016, 8:16 AM

Photograph -- A hate letter delivered to the Evergreen Islamic Center in San Jose, Calif., threatened that President Donald Trump will “do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the Jews.” CAIR
Play VIDEO -- Trump addresses reports of violence: "Stop it"
18 Photos -- CBS Los Angeles reports local Muslims have been rattled by the incident.


LOS ANGELES - A civil rights group has called for more police protection of mosques after several in California received letters that praised President-elect Donald Trump and threatened Muslim genocide.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, said the same handwritten, photocopied letter was sent last week to the Islamic Center of Long Beach, the Islamic Center of Claremont and the Evergreen Islamic Center in San Jose, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

The L.A. area mosques received it Wednesday and the San Jose mosque on Thursday.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Bay Area chapter released a copy of the letter, which read:

To the children of Satan, You Muslims are a vile and filthy people. Your mothers are whores and your fathers are dogs. You are evil. You worship the devil. But your day of reckoning has arrived.

There’s a new sheriff in town -- President Donald Trump. He’s going to cleanse America and make it shine again. And he’s going to start with you Muslims. He’s going to do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the Jews. You Muslims would be wise to pack your bags and get out of Dodge.

This is a great time for patriotic Americans. Love live President Trump and God bless the USA.

“There’s a new sheriff in town - President Donald Trump. He’s going to cleanse America and make it shine again. And, he’s going to start with you Muslims,” the letter states, according to CAIR. “And, he’s going to do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the jews (sic).”

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR-LA, said people at the L.A. County mosques were disheartened by the hateful letters and added that the “irresponsible, hateful rhetoric” of the Trump campaign has fueled “a level of vulgarity, vile hatred and anger among many self-proclaimed Trump supporters.”

“I’m not saying (Trump) created racist people,” he said. “He normalized it. While he might say he’s not responsible, and I respect that, I remind President-elect Trump that he has a responsibility to act as a president for all Americans.”

San Jose Police Department spokesman Sgt. Enrique Garcia said police have opened an investigation and are treating it as a “hate-motivated incident.”

“It’s kind of sad to see this kind of thing still exists,” said Nadya Aweinat.

She said it was hard to accept this letter in this day and age.

“That ignorance is shocked to me,” she said, “That there’s still that level of ignorance in our society.”

People in the mosque who have read the letter, postmarked from Santa Clarita with a fake name and phony address, said in addition to hate-filled it was rather juvenile.

“The handwriting is somewhat, no much of what they wrote, it’s someone that doesn’t have much intelligence. It’s written on a childish level,” said Regina Smadi.

The Southern Poverty Law Center reported that since Election Day, there have been more than 700 reports of hate crimes across the country -- vandalism, physical and verbal assaults, harassment and destruction of property -- directed against Muslims, African-Americans, Asians, immigrants, women and gays. In many cases the perpetrators allude to Mr. Trump, whose campaign was often criticized as playing to white nationalist prejudices. Critics charge that Mr. Trump’s campaign rhetoric, and subsequent election victory, has emboldened racists to speak up or act out, leading to nationwide demonstrations against racism and misogyny.

In an interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes” in the days following the election, Mr. Trump denounced the acts of violence and told people involved in such incidents to “stop it.”


IT’S A GREAT SHAME THAT ANY FLAG TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER PEOPLE. OUR SOCIETY IS SICK.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/delta-sorry-for-not-kicking-pro-trump-passenger-off-plane/

Delta says it's "sorry" for vulgar pro-Trump passenger
CBS/AP
November 27, 2016, 4:17 PM

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Delta Air Lines is apologizing for not removing a passenger from a flight to Pennsylvania who rudely professed his support for President-elect Donald Trump and insulted those who didn’t.

The (Allentown) Morning Call first reported on a video posted on Facebook by a fellow passenger on Flight 248, traveling from Atlanta to Allentown on Tuesday. The video shows the man standing in the aisle, yelling and insulting Hillary Clinton supporters.

In the video, the man asks loudly: “We got some Hillary b*****s on here?”

Referring to Trump’s victory, he says: “If you don’t like it, too bad.”

(Below is video purporting to show more of the encounter. WARNING: Some may find the language in the video offensive.)

Delta said on its website Saturday that it is “sorry to our customers who experienced this disruption.”

“We have followed up with the teams involved and all agree that this customer should not have been allowed to continue on the flight,” the statement said. “Our responsibility for ensuring all customers feel safe and comfortable with Delta includes requiring civil behavior from everyone. The behavior we see in this video does not square with our training or culture and follow up will continue so we can better ensure our employees will know they will be fully supported to make the right decisions when these issues arise.”

Follow
Delta ✔ @Delta
Statement regarding disruptive passenger on Flight 248 here: http://news.delta.com/statement-regarding-disruptive-passenger-flight-248 …
5:47 PM - 26 Nov 2016
151 151 Retweets 242 242 likes


ANTI-LIBERAL, ANTI-ISLAMIC EPISODES ON DELTA

Muslim couple says they were kicked off Delta flight for using phone ...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/.../muslim-couple-says-they-were-kicked-...
Aug 7, 2016 - Faisal and Nazia Ali claim they were taken off an international Delta flight ... It is another symptom of the anti-Muslim behavior we see during the ...

Anti-Muslim Profiling At Airports Goes Beyond The TSA - ThinkProgress
https://thinkprogress.org/anti-muslim-profiling-at-airports-goes-beyond-t...
Jan 20, 2016 - Anti-Muslim Profiling At Airports Goes Beyond The TSA. Travelers on Delta Airlines waits for flights in 2012. ... The group's lawyer noted that the airline didn't accuse any of the men of inappropriate behavior or of being a ...

Black Female Doctor: Delta Discriminated, Barred Me ... - NBC News
www.nbcnews.com/news/...news/black-female-doctor-delta-discriminate...
Oct 14, 2016 - A black doctor has accused Delta Air Lines of discrimination after a flight attendant allegedly shooed her away from a passenger in need of ...

Soda-can dispute joins list of 'flying while Muslim' cases - LA Times
www.latimes.com/.../la-trb-united-flight-muslim-discrimination-claim-20...
Jun 1, 2015 - ... recognizable pattern: A claim of anti-Muslim mistreatment is lodged, Twitter hashtags are ... “if they witnessed this discriminatory and disgusting behavior. ... flight tomorrow and purchasing a new flight from @Delta right now.

Four Arab Muslims taken off Delta Flight for suspicious behavior ...
www.barenakedislam.com/.../four-arab-muslims-taken-off-delta-flight-fo...
Jun 10, 2012 - Four Arab Muslims taken off Delta Flight for suspicious behavior ... convert to islam as muslim is now Jihadi anti national anti Hindu a perfect ...

Muslim woman detained for 'suspicious behaviour' while reading book ...
globalnews.ca/.../muslim-woman-detained-for-suspicious-behaviour-whil...
Aug 5, 2016 - Faizah Shaheen, a British Muslim woman, was detained by airport ... her for “suspicious behaviour” while reading a book about Syria. ... READ MORE: Spree of anti-Muslim attacks across U.S. during Ramadan: Islamic group ... a Muslim couple in Ohio who were allegedly removed from a Delta Airline flight.