July 2, 2017


News and Views


"I THINK DONALD TRUMP IS THE LEAST COMPETENT PERSON WHO HAS EVER HELD THE OVAL OFFICE," ONE MARCHER TOLD THE STATION.” MANY PEOPLE FEEL THAT WAY. AS THE DAYS PASS THERE IS SOME NEW STORY ALMOST DAILY, OR AT LEAST WEEKLY. IT’S JUST TOO PREPOSTEROUS TO BELIEVE. AND HE KEEPS TALKING ABOUT HOW WELL HE’S DOING. I AM WAITING IMPATIENTLY FOR THE CONGRESS TO DO WHAT IT HAS TO DO AND GET IT OVER WITH. THIS IS DAMAGING TO OUR COUNTRY. I’M REMINDED OF QEII WHEN SHE DECLARED IN ONE OF HER ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION SPEECHES, THAT SHE HAD FINISHED AN “ANNUS HORRIBILIS.” THIS IS MY ANNUS HORRIBILIS, ON THE POLITICAL FRONT. OUR SITUATION AS A COUNTRY IS NOT ONLY ANGERING, IT’S FRIGHTENING.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/president-trump-impeachment-marches/
CBS NEWS July 2, 2017, 7:03 PM
Marches across U.S. cities call for Trump's impeachment

LOS ANGELES -- Protesters gathered Sunday in cities across the U.S. calling for the impeachment of President Trump.

Thousands gathered Sunday in downtown Los Angeles as protesters marched from Pershing Square to Fletcher-Bowron Square in an effort to urge Congress to impeach the president, CBS Los Angeles reports.

Trump tweet attacks CNN with video showing takedown

The march was one of 45 sister marches in cities across the nation including New Orleans, Seattle, Philadelphia and New York City.

In Manhattan, protesters chanted outside Trump International Hotel and Tower at Columbus Circle and Central Park West, CBS New York reports.

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Demonstrators hold signs during the Impeachment March to call for Congress to start impeachment hearings against US President Donald Trump, in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sun., July 2, 2017. GETTY

"I think Donald Trump is the least competent person who has ever held the Oval Office," one marcher told the station.

A social worker from Queens who took part said she does not expect impeachment to happen overnight. But she said the protest was a start.

"It's a process, so I absolutely believe that the process should take forth, and then whatever the results of that, you know, will be determined," she said.

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Protesters rally outside a Trump hotel to call for the impeachment of President Trump, on Sun., July 2, 2017, in New York. AP

Organizers believe Mr. Trump has violated the U.S. constitution and obstructed justice.

"We believe president Trump has committed constitutional breaches, consistently lied, cheated and enforces laws that primarily benefit him and his billionaire friends at the expense of the country," says the organization's website, impeachmentmarch.org.

Is President Trump in impeachment territory?
Play VIDEO
Is President Trump in impeachment territory?

Supporters of Mr. Trump also held counter-protests to rally in support of his 2020 re-election.

A lone supporter of Mr. Trump showed up to the Manhattan protest. He admitted that Mr. Trump could stand to improve one aspect of his presidency.

"I think the Twitter thing could probably slow down a little bit," he told CBS New York. "But that's Donald Trump. He's been the same way for exactly 40 years. He's never changed."


http://www.impeachmentmarch.org/

On July 2nd, We March for Impeachment!

Donald Trump has been in blatant violation of the Constitution from the day he was sworn into the office of President. The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the sole power to impeach an official, and it makes the Senate the sole court for impeachment trials. It is time that congressional representatives do their job and start the process to impeach this president. We believe president Trump has committed constitutional breaches, consistently lied, cheated, and enforces laws that primarily benefit him and his billionaire friends at the expense of the country. Join on July 2nd!



JUST BECAUSE THERE IS A PLACE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT THAT SAYS GOD GAVE MAN “DOMINION” OVER THE ANIMALS, “SPARE THE ROD AND SPOIL THE CHILD,” “AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH,” ETC., THOSE WHO ARE ESSENTIALLY CRUEL TO BEGIN WITH WILL DO DISGUSTING THINGS, AND THEN CLAIM THAT GOD GAVE THEM PERMISSION TO DO SO. I THINK THINGS LIKE THAT ARE GOING TO CAUSE THE HIGHER POWER TO THROW THEM INTO HELL, INSTEAD OF THEIR RELATIVE ABILITY TO BELIEVE EACH WORD IN THE BIBLE EXACTLY AS WRITTEN. I SOMETIMES DO QUESTION THE ESSENTIAL INTELLIGENCE OF THE HUMAN ANIMAL.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/disturbing-footage-of-circus-animal-abuse-leads-to-widespread-reform-2/
Disturbing footage of circus animal abuse leads to widespread reform
By secretly infiltrating circuses with hidden cameras, Animal Defenders International has helped protect and save the lives of wild animals around the world
Jul 02, 2017
Bill Whitaker, CORRESPONDENT

For 25 years, Jan Creamer and Tim Phillips have made it their mission to stop animal abuse in circuses. They caused a furor in their native England when they released video they'd secretly recorded of one of Britain's most prestigious trainers abusing circus animals. Prosecutors used their footage to convict the trainer of animal cruelty. Then, this relentless couple went global, sending teams to infiltrate circuses around the world to document the mistreatment of animals. Their work helped lead to local laws banning most wild animals from circuses in more than 15 U.S. states; and to national bans in more than 20 countries.

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A lion is transported to safety by Animal Defenders International CBS NEWS
As we first reported in March, their latest successes have been across South America where they spent years recording animal cruelty on hidden cameras. We caught up with Jan and Tim in Peru, along with two dozen lucky lions they'd recently rescued from traveling circuses.

*A warning: some of the pictures, later in this report, are disturbing.

These caged lions have never had it so good. They got to this temporary rescue center thanks to the unrelenting efforts of Jan Creamer and Tim Phillips and members of the organization they founded: Animal Defenders International. Creamer and Phillips told us all 24 lions here had been repeatedly beaten in traveling circuses. The lions sounded like they wanted to tell us themselves.

Lions interrupt 60 Minutes interview 60 MINUTES OVERTIME
Lions interrupt 60 Minutes interview
Bill Whitaker: Hold on just a second.

This was the first time we had an interview interrupted by roaring.

Jan Creamer: This is their morning song--

Bill Whitaker: Morning song.

Tim Phillips: If it was you or I, it'd be, "Where's the hell my coffee?"


The lions roar a loud "morning song" before their daily feeding during a 60 Minutes interview. CBS NEWS
Bill Whitaker: I do sound like that when I haven't had my coffee.

Jan and Tim rescue more than lions. They launched their South America campaign after seeing a chimpanzee, named Toto, chained outside a circus in Chile.

"Lots of our evidence has been used by prosecutors for cruelty convictions. Just one beating of an animal isn't going to secure a conviction. You have to show a pattern of behavior."
Jan Creamer: They'd smashed his teeth to punish him. They were stubbing cigarettes out on him.

Tim Phillips: Jan shot that picture. And he just gazed across at the Andes. It almost looked like he was looking mournfully at what he'd lost. We determined to rescue him. And we took him all the way home to Africa.

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Animal Defenders International founders Jan Creamer and Tim Phillips CBS NEWS
A judge appalled by Toto's treatment had given custody to Jan and Tim.

Jan Creamer: Our role is to take them from where they are, where they're suffering, put them where they need to be.

In South America, their team recorded this hidden camera footage of abuse, which is hard to watch.

Tim Phillips: What we did was we put a team undercover inside the South American circuses and they stayed there for almost two years just gathering evidence, filming, photographing.

Tim Phillips: And so, you're living in the heart of the circus. But that's how you get the really amazing evidence.

Many of their pictures were taken by undercover cameraman Alexis Diaz. When circus workers discovered what he was doing, they beat him up and broke his leg. Still he kept working to collect evidence.

Jan Creamer: Lots of our evidence has been used by prosecutors for cruelty convictions. Just one beating of an animal isn't going to secure a conviction. You have to show a pattern of behavior.

Some circuses claim they train wild animals without abuse, using food and positive reinforcement. But Creamer and Phillips insist beatings are routine because performing tricks is unnatural for wild animals. They only comply out of fear.

Tim Phillips: If you've got a dangerous animal, that means subjugation and so—

Bill Whitaker: Subjugation means beating?

Jan Creamer: Absolutely. It's all about control. And how they are going to make it do what they want it to do? So it's a kick. It's a punch. It's a beating.

Tim Phillips: And really we've seen that everywhere we've gone. This is--

Bill Whitaker: Everywhere?

lion-main.jpg
Tim Phillips: Yeah. In Europe. In America. In South America. There are certain consistencies in the way that these circus animals are looked after.

Jan Creamer: Using violence is the way that these animals are made to do things that they don't want to do. They don't want to get up and perform. So they have to force them to do it.

Bill Whitaker: So when you made this video evidence public, what was the reaction?

Tim Phillips: The reaction was instant. I mean it really was just outrage. And then the politicians were starting to hear about it and say, "Well, we should probably have legislation here."

Bill Whitaker: Bolivia was the first country in South America to ban wild animal acts. Other countries have followed suit?

Jan Creamer: Absolutely. Colombia, Peru. There's over 30 countries.

But in Peru, the new law led to their next challenge: enforcement. Lion acts were outlawed, but local police were not equipped to pickup the lions or care of them. So Jan and Tim said their organization would take in the lions. They brought police for protection during the seizures, because circuses resisted handing over their money makers.

Tim Phillips: Yeah. They threaten to release the animals into the streets and we try to—

Bill Whitaker: Seriously? To let wild animals run through the streets if you come down hard on them?

Tim Phillips: That's right.

When they raided the circus in Cusco, Peru, they rescued three lions. But the circus refused to release its star attraction, a lion named Smith. The circus demanded police get another court order for Smith. While Jan and Tim worked on Smith had to keep performing.

Jan Creamer: He was unstable and upset because his family had been broken up, and then he was forced into the ring. That was not the time to put someone in the ring with him.

A grade school teacher volunteered to have Smith jump over her. But Smith had other ideas.

Amazingly she jumped right up and was not badly hurt because he'd grabbed her by her collar. Some viewers wanted Smith killed, but Jan and Tim came back to save him. And after what Smith did to the teacher, the circus was forced to give him up.

One year later, Smith's favorite toys are soccer balls. They don't last long.

Bill Whitaker: So have you seen a big difference in his behavior since he came here?

Jan Creamer: Huge difference.

Bill Whitaker: What's changed?

Jan Creamer: He's not frightened, he's playful, confident.

Bill Whitaker: How was he before?

Jan Creamer: Wired, nervous, neurotic.

Bill Whitaker: Why does he not have a mane?

Jan Creamer: When you castrate the males they lose their mane.

Bill Whitaker: Do you have a favorite?

Jan Creamer: I do have a very soft spot for Leo.

Jan Creamer: So Leo's getting special attention again.

Tim Phillips: The very first lion we rescued and loaded on this was an old lion called Leo. And he just looked broken. Every tooth had been smashed. All of his canines. And he just looked like he'd given up. Within weeks, his coat was looking healthier. And he's just blossomed. He's like a real kitten again.

He too likes playing with soccer balls, but with few teeth…

Bill Whitaker: He's the one who just gums it.

Jan Creamer: Yes.

Each ball lasts a lot longer.

Rapunzel also has made a remarkable transition. Jan said when they came to take her from the circus, Rapunzel had never been out of her cage.

Jan Creamer: She'd been born in there, her mother had died in there, her father had died in there and she'd never been outside. So when we brought our cage up to it and we opened the doors to try and transfer her, she was afraid.

lioness.jpg
Jan said it took more than an hour to entice her out. Rapunzel was also afraid of hay because she'd never seen it. But, as you can see, she's gotten over that.

Plenty of circuses like this one still are crisscrossing Peru, with lots of human acts to entertain. But the government told us that, thanks to the efforts of Jan and Tim, there are no more wild animals -- not a single one -- still performing in Peru.

Lions that had been malnourished now get to feast on whole chickens. After plenty of food and medical attention, Jan and Tim found them a permanent home at a sanctuary in South Africa. But that would mean a long flight from Peru. And they'd have to coax two dozen skittish lions into travel crates in time for takeoff. Tim told us the transfers would be tricky and dangerous.

Tim Phillips: Might have a few problems. Worst case scenario is we have to anesthetize an animal to get them loaded in order to catch the flight. There can be problems with it. The big lion anesthetic it does lead to seizures.

The transfers didn't start well.

Jan Creamer: Come on people we don't have all night.

But then, one by one they lured the lions into their crates.

Bill Whitaker: That was easy. God he's a big fella.

Several objected to the smaller space.

Jan Creamer: OK, this one needs to be moved.

Bill Whitaker: This is going quite well.

Jan Creamer: We're actually really fast.

Vet: Ven Smith. Ven Smith.

Smith, who had dragged the teacher, also seemed ready to leave.

Vet: Muy bien. Muy bien.

Finally, the last lion was reluctant Rapunzel. Remember, during her rescue it took more than an hour to get her to leave her circus cage? Once again, she refused to leave the known for the unknown. With time running out, they had to tranquilize her.

Jan Creamer: This is the scariest thing we have to do with an animal. But we had no choice but to do it. She wasn't settling down.

Alexis: Uno. Dos. Tres.

Fearing she could suffer a seizure, they quickly gave Rapunzel the antidote. And hoped they'd given it to her in time.

Jan Creamer: She's awake.

Tim Phillips: She should be OK now.

Jan Creamer: The cages. The cages are empty. They really are. That feels good.

The drive to the airport began what would be a two-day journey. Jan, Tim, and a vet flew with the lions, without incident.

Then, in South Africa, we caught up with them being transported through the countryside, after what had been the biggest lion airlift in history. Thirty-three lions including nine rescued from Colombia.

Tim Phillips: Seeing these animals when you've taken them to as close as we can give them to freedom really is what it's all about.

The lions are still fenced in, but they have plenty of room to roam -- more than 30 acres. These cats couldn't survive in the wild. Most don't have claws, and their teeth have been smashed. Here, they'll get fed and they can bask in a world of new experiences -- many had never stepped on grass, had never touched a tree. Life's simple pleasures; long denied.

Since our story first aired, despite having armed guards to protect the lions, two of the rescued lions were poisoned and killed in their South African sanctuary by poachers. Animal Defenders International called the killings "evil and cowardly." They are working to increase security.

To learn more about Animal Defenders International and how you can help, visit their website

Robert G. Anderson and Aaron Weisz, producers. Ali Rawaf, associate producer.



OFT REPEATED LIES BECOME DOGMA BEFORE OUR VERY EYES. SEE THE FOLLOWING TWO ARTICLES ON THE REPUBLICAN HEALTH CARE BILL.

THE HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF $75,000 IS NOT A “FORGOTTEN” GROUP OF PEOPLE; BUT A GROUP WHO, IF THEY DON’T SPEND WILDLY, SAVE AND INVEST, CAN HAVE A (ONE) SPACIOUS AND LOVELY HOME, THREE MODERATELY PRICED NEW CARS, COLLEGE EDUCATIONS FOR ALL THEIR KIDS, AND GOOD QUALITY AND ATTRACTIVE NON-DESIGNER CLOTHING. ON TOP OF THAT, THEY’LL BE ABLE TO DRAW SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WHEN THEY GET OLD ENOUGH, AND IF THEY’RE DISABLED AND CAN NO LONGER MAKE THAT $75,00 A YEAR BY WORKING, THEY CAN PROBABLY GET DISABILITY PAYMENTS. PARDON ME, BUT THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR ANYBODY, WHEN HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BLACK, WHITE OR PURPLE CHILDREN DON’T EVEN GET A GOOD BREAKFAST.

IN THE MIKE LEE PLAN BELOW, I DO SEE A COUPLE OF GOOD THINGS – THERE WILL ALWAYS BE AT LEAST ONE “OBAMACARE COMPLIANT” PLAN AVAILABLE; THERE WILL BE “OPIOID” TREATMENT (IF THAT ALSO INCLUDES GOOD OLD-FASHIONED “MENTAL ILLNESS” OF THE MORE NORMAL KINDS THAT ATTACK WELL OVER 20% OF THE POPULATION); THE RIGHT TO SPEND GOVERNMENT APPROVED HEALTH CARE MONEY ON PREMIUMS RATHER THAN JUST HOSPITAL AND DRUG COSTS; AND A PHASED REPLACEMENT PROGRAM IF OBAMACARE IS ACTUALLY REPEALED. I STILL DON’T LIKE IT, BUT IT’S BETTER THAN WHAT THE RADICAL RIGHTIST REPUBLICANS WANT TO SEE. SADLY, I DIDN’T SEE PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH, AND BIRTH CONTROL FACTORED IN. MAYBE IT’S THERE, BUT NOT MENTIONED. IF “WOMEN’S HEALTH” IS NOT INCLUDED, THEN MEN’S SIMPLE DESIRES, SUCH AS PILLS FOR ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION, SHOULDN’T BE IN THERE EITHER. SAUCE FOR THE GOOSE, SAUCE FOR THE GANDER, ETC.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-lee-says-if-his-health-fix-isnt-supported-repeal-now-and-replace-later/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS July 2, 2017, 12:18 PM
Sen. Mike Lee says if his health fix isn’t supported, repeal now and replace later

Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, who is pushing for a fix to the Senate Republicans' new health care bill, says the Senate's proposed legislation leaves out the "forgotten" man and woman.

"Look this bill, the one we've been discussing in the Senate, has bailouts for insurance companies. It has hundreds of billions of dollars in tax relief for the affluent. It even has some provisions for the poor," Lee said Sunday on "Face the Nation."

"Who it leaves out are the forgotten man and the forgotten woman. Those earning a combined household income of $75,000 or so who have been left behind," he said. "And these are the people who helped propel President Trump to victory last November. We need to do more to help them and to make sure they can purchase the kind of health care they want and the kind of health care that is affordable for their families."

Transcript: Sen. Mike Lee on "Face the Nation"
Lee, in conjunction with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, drafted the Consumer Freedom Act, in order to sway more Conservative members and provide a fix to the bill's current issues.

"By guaranteeing them at least one Obamacare compliant plan, we're guaranteeing them exactly what they have now but giving them more options. Options that would inevitably unleash free market forces, that would in turn bring down the price of health care. That's what we want to do. As to those who would be on the Obamacare compliant plan still, there are ways of funding those. There are ways of making sure that those don't go down into a downward spiral," Lee said of his proposed plan.

He added "We've got to do something to reinject free market forces into this environment. And look if we can't get this done, I have made clear if we can bring free market forces to bear, we can bring down cost for middle Americans."

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Sen. Mike Lee, on "Face the Nation." CBS NEWS

But Lee urged lawmakers to adopt a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act and a replacement at a later date if politics get in the way of passing his and Cruz's health care fix.

"This is consistent with what basically what every Republican who has campaigned for federal office over the last seven years has promised to do. This is consistent with what we did in December 2015 and this is probably what we ought to be doing now if we can't save this effort," said Lee.

Lee's suggestion echoes a remark made recently by President Trump. After Republican leadership announced a voting delay until after the July 4 recess, Mr. Trump said in a tweet Friday that if Republican Senators are "unable to pass what they are working on now," they should repeal, then replace at a later date.

Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date!
6:37 AM - 30 Jun 2017
23,801 23,801 Retweets 88,212 88,212 likes

The comment seemingly contradicted what Mr. Trump previously said. In an interview in November with CBS' "60 Minutes," he said that a repeal and replace effort would be done "simultaneously."

"We're not going to have, like, a two-day period and we're not going to have a two-year period where there's nothing," Mr. Trump told "60 Minutes'" Lesley Stahl. "It will be repealed and replaced. And we'll know. And it'll be great health care for much less money. So it'll be better health care, much better, for less money. Not a bad combination."

Lee and Cruz, along with several other Republican members, including Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Dean Heller of Nevada, put the Senate's bill in jeopardy of passing last week, after expressing doubts the bill would ever provide a clean repeal and replace of Obamacare.

In a last ditch effort to sway Republican moderates before the holiday recess, $45 billion was added for opioid treatment. New language was also added to allow for Health Spending Accounts funds to be used for insurance premiums, to quell members' concerns.

Lee said that if Congress instead was to pass a measure to repeal Obamacare, but put in a "delayed implementation measure," lawmakers would then undertake a "step-by-step process" of deciding what comes next.

"Sometimes when you lump too many things into one piece of legislation, you doom its likelihood of success and I fear that that might be where we are today," he said.



WHEN THERE IS A REDUCTION OF $800,000,000,000 IN FEDERAL MEDICAL FUNDING, THE IDEA THAT THERE WILL NOT BE REDUCTIONS TO THE NECESSARY LIFE SAVING FUNDS FOR THE POOR AND THE LOWER/MEDIAN EARNERS IS, AS BENEN STATED, TOTALLY RIDICULOUS. IT GOES ALONG WITH THE ARTICLE SOME THREE OR SO WEEKS AGO IN WHICH A REPUBLICAN LEGISLATOR WAS ASKED BY A REPORTER WHETHER OR NOT HE “BELIEVED” THAT HUMANS/AMERICANS HAVE A “RIGHT” TO HEALTHCARE. HE FIRST BRUSHED IT OFF, THEN SAID THAT “NOBODY EVER DIES” FROM LACK OF HEALTH CARE. HOW COULD GOOD (IF BENIGHTED) AMERICANS SWALLOW SUCH A STATEMENT? CAN WE BELIEVE THAT WE INDIVIDUALLY WON’T BE AT SOME POINT DRIVEN BANKRUPT BY HEALTHCARE COSTS OF THE TYPE THAT WE FACE THESE DAYS?

SEN. MARK LEE IN THE ARTICLE ABOVE STATES THAT THE REPUBLICAN PLAN WILL “STIMULATE” “THE MARKET” TO “REDUCE HEALTH CARE COSTS.” THIS PARTICULAR LIE IS TOLD OVER AND OVER AGAIN BY ALMOST EVERY REPUBLICAN ALIVE, BECAUSE THEY WERE TAUGHT FROM BABYHOOD THAT IF “THE MARKET” IS NOT “RESTRAINED,” IT WILL ALWAYS LOWER PRICES, THUS “RAISING ALL THE BOATS.” IT JUST AIN’T SO, BABY! WHAT’S SO IS THAT “THE RICH GET RICHER AND THE POOR GET POORER,” AS THE OLD DEPRESSION ERA SONG GOES; AND THAT IS TRUE IN ANY UNRESTRAINED MARKETPLACE IN THE WORLD – NOT JUST IN AMERICA. LYIN’, CHEATIN’ AND STEALIN’ IS A KEY PART OF BUSINESS AS USUAL IN THE CORPORATE WORLD. THEIR GOSPEL IS TO “MAXIMIZE PROFITS,” NO MATTER HOW IT’S DONE. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT OTHER EARLIER GOSPEL WHICH SAYS THAT WE SHOULD “GIVE TO THE POOR” AND BEHAVE FAIRLY IN OUR DAILY LIFE IS PASSÉ.

TO UNDERSTAND IT ALL, AND TO ENJOY A GOOD READ, BUY YOURSELF A USED PAPERBACK COPY OF ROBERT B. REICH’S EXCELLENT BOOK, “SAVING CAPITALISM FOR THE MANY, NOT THE FEW.” MY “GENTLY USED” COPY ONLY COST ABOUT $6.00 FROM AMAZON. I OFTEN WISH I WERE LIVING IN NEW ENGLAND IN THE TIME OF THOREAU AND EMERSON WITH MY “NINE BEAN ROWS.” I WOULDN’T HAVE BIG PROFITS, BUT I WOULD HAVE FOOD, LONG WALKS IN THE WOODS, MAYBE A BORDER COLLIE, AND A LOVELY CALMING VIEW OF LIFE. BY THE WAY, BOTH OF THOSE MEN WERE UNITARIANS, ALTHOUGH THOREAU STOPPED GOING TO MEETINGS AND WITHDREW HIS MEMBERSHIP. THE UU CHURCH HAS SINCE ADOPTED HIM ENTHUSIASTICALLY ANYWAY, BECAUSE HIS WRITINGS ARE EXCELLENT, BASIC UNITARIAN THINKING. ON THE SUBJECT OF THOREAU, GO TO HTTP://WWW.UUWORLD.ORG/ARTICLES/THOREAU-ORIGINAL-NONE.

BENEN IS WRONG IN ONE STATEMENT, THOUGH. FOR THE REPUBLICANS TO BE “REDUCED TO LYING” IS EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS THAN IS THIS PROPOSED SENATE HEALTH PLAN. WHO WAS THAT OLD GREEK GUY WHO WENT AROUND “LOOKING FOR AN HONEST MAN?” OH, YES. IT’S DIOGENES. HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE PHILOSOPHY WHO ARE CALLED CYNICS.” FOR A NEAT ARTICLE ON THE FIRST RECOGNIZED CYNICS, GO TO HTTP://WWW.ANCIENT.EU/DIOGENES_OF_SINOPE/.” I DO BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE CORRECT. LYING IS THE MEAT AND BREAD OF BUSINESSMEN AND WOMEN ONCE A BUSINESS INCREASES IN SIZE TO THAT OF THE TYPICAL CORPORATION. I’M SORRY TO SAY IT THAT WAY, BECAUSE PEOPLE AREN’T ALL ALIKE, AND THERE ARE CARING AND HONEST BUSINESSMEN, OF COURSE, BUT THEY AREN’T IN THE MAJORITY, I FEAR. ON THE OTHER HAND, I DON’T VIEW THE TRUE “SMALL BUSINESSMAN” THAT WAY, AT ALL. THEY OWN A CORNER GROCERY STORE OR A HAIRDRESSING BUSINESS, AND THEY PROBABLY WON’T WANT TO GET A BAD REPUTATION IN THEIR COMMUNITY AS BEING DISHONEST. THEY WOULD LOSE MONEY IN THAT KIND OF ENVIRONMENT RATHER THAN GETTING AHEAD. IN THE LARGE BUSINESS WORLD, THEY JUST HIRE AN AD AGENCY AND A LARGE LEGAL STAFF AND DO EVERY THING THAT THEY THINK MAY MAKE THEM SOME MORE MONEY. LIKE DIOGENES, I THINK THE PROBLEM IS HUMAN NATURE.

OH, YEAH. THAT IS A 1950S VIEW, SO JUST UP THE ANNUAL PROFIT RANGE TO TEN MILLION DOLLARS, THEN; BUT EVEN ON THE LARGER SCALE, THINGS DON’T REALLY HAVE TO GET AS DEEPLY CUTTHROAT AND DIRTY AS NEARLY ALL LARGE BUSINESSES ARE, THESE DAYS. LOOK AT THE ROBERT REICH BOOK ON THE WAY ALL THOSE LAWS COME TO BE WRITTEN IN FAVOR OF THE WEALTHY. RIGHT NOW IT’S CITIZENS UNITED. THE BIG BOYS PAY THE BAD BOYS AND GET THEM ELECTED, SO THE IMMORAL WILL BE WRITTEN INTO THE LAW. THE LAW DOESN’T CURB THEIR BEHAVIOR BECAUSE THEY HAVE TOTALLY ROOTED OUT THE OTHERS (US AND THE SMALL BUSINESSMEN) AT THE GOVERNMENT FEEDING TROUGH, AND HAVE PUSHED THROUGH LAWS THAT FAVOR THEIR PRACTICES.

I JUST LOOKED UP “SMALL BUSINESS” AND FOUND A DEFINITION ONLINE AT “HTTP://WWW.YOURDICTIONARY.COM/SMALL-BUSINESS.” THE DEFINITION DOESN’T GIVE A MONEY FIGURE, BUT STATES THAT THE SPECIFIC SIZE DEPENDS ON THE, USUALLY LOCAL, BUSINESSES OF A SIMILAR SORT. IT READS, “A PRIVATELY-OWNED AND OPERATED BUSINESS WITH RELATIVELY SMALL TURNOVER AND STAFF NUMBERS, TYPICALLY SEEN AS CONSTITUTING PART OF A SPECIFIC COMMERCIAL OR ECONOMIC SECTOR.” MOST LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES AREN’T THAT LARGE, THOUGH, ESPECIALLY IN PLACES LIKE THOMASVILLE, NC, WHERE I GREW UP. THEY ARE WHAT IS OFTEN CALLED A “MOM AND POP SHOP.”

ONE OF THE WORST PROBLEMS THESE DAYS IS THE SHEER SCALE OF “THE BIG BOYS.” COMPETITION IS ALL BUT DEAD. IF THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO GIVE MONEY TO BUSINESSES, IT SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE SMALL BUSINESSES. THEY ARE THE MAINSTAY OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES. I READ A STATISTIC SOME YEARS AGO THAT A LARGE MEASURE OF ALL JOBS COME FROM SMALL BUSINESSES, NOT FROM EXXON, AND THAT’S WHAT KEEPS TOWNS AND CITIES ALIVE. STIFLING THE GROWTH OF THE LOCAL ECONOMY IS THE GROUNDS UPON WHICH A SEVERE ECONOMIC DEPRESSION LIKE THAT OF THE 1930S IS BASED, AND WE ARE CLOSE TO THAT EDGE AGAIN.

UNFORTUNATELY, WE KEEP ELECTING REPUBLICANS WHO KEEP DOING THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC IN THE MARKETPLACE, CUTTING JOBS AND WAGES RUTHLESSLY. IN THAT UNRESTRICTED BUSINESS-RULED ENVIRONMENT OF THE 1920S AND ‘30S, THE WORKER PAY WAS STAGNANT AND THE COST OF LIVING WAS HIGH AND GROWING. THAT DOESN’T SERVE ANYONE, EXCEPT EXXON, BECAUSE WHEN PEOPLE CAN’T SPEND AND BUY THINGS THEY NEED AND WANT, JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE TOO LITTLE MONEY, BUSINESS DRIES UP, WHICH STULTIFIES THE MONEY FLOW IN GENERAL, EVEN SPREADING INTERNATIONALLY.

IN THAT ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT OF AN INTENSE WORLDWIDE DEPRESSION, 1929 TO 1933, THE NAZI PARTY TOOK OVER IN GERMANY, BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WERE DESPERATE AND THE NAZIS PROMISED FINANCIAL RELIEF AND PROSPERITY; THEIR TECHNIQUE FOR GETTING PEOPLE TO TRUST THEM, SHAMEFULLY, WAS TO BLAME THE PROBLEM ON JEWS. WHEN THAT SNOWBALL STARTED ROLLING DOWN THE HILL, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WERE HEARTLESSLY AND POINTLESSLY SLAUGHTERED. I KEEP SAYING THAT BECAUSE WE ARE IN A VERY SIMILAR SITUATION NOW. THE SAME PSYCHOLOGICAL DANGERS ARE PRESENT, AGAIN.

FOR A DETAILED AND COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF THOSE EVENTS, GO TO: HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/ADOLF_HITLER%27S_RISE_TO_POWER#SEIZURE_OF_CONTROL_.281931.E2.80.931933.29. THAT, FOLLOWED BY WWII, WAS THE BIRTHPLACE OF OUR CENTURY, WHICH WE ARE FINISHING NOW. I KEEP HOPING THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL WAKE UP AND SMELL THE FOREST FIRE IN TIME TO ESCAPE. BERNIE SANDERS AND OTHERS LIKE HIM ARE OUR MOST LOGICAL SAVIORS, POLITICALLY AND CULTURALLY – NO STARVATION, NO AMERICAN HOLOCAUST. AS LONG AS I LIVE, AND HE LIVES, I HAVE HOPE.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/republicans-reduced-lying-about-gop-health-plans-medicaid-cuts?cid=eml_mra_20170626
Republicans reduced to lying about GOP health plan’s Medicaid cuts
06/26/17 08:00 AM—UPDATED 06/26/17 01:27 PM
By Steve Benen

Photograph -- White House press secretary Sean Spicer delivers his first statement in the Brady press briefing room at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 21, 2017. SHAWN THEW / EPA SHAWN THEW / EPA

Donald Trump promised Americans, over and over again, in writing and in public remarks, that he would never cut Medicaid. And yet, the president is now an enthusiastic proponent for a Republican health care plan that makes brutal cuts to Medicaid.

I’ve been curious as to how the White House and its allies would defend this. Now we know: they’re defending it by lying.

THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW, 6/22/17, 9:00 PM ET
GOP threat to Medicaid threatens liberty of millions of Americans

The first real indication of the GOP’s rhetorical direction came on Friday, when White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer had this exchange during the official briefing:
Q: When you look at the House bill and the Senate legislation, is the Senate legislation the preferred vehicle for this going forward?

SPICER: I think the President is very supportive of the Senate bill. There’s a lot of ideas in there. He’s talked about having heart, and he likes a lot of the reforms that have been in there. He’s committed to making sure that no one who currently is in the Medicaid program is affected in any way, which is reflected in the Senate bill, and he’s pleased with that.

For anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of the Republican plan, the idea that Medicaid beneficiaries won’t be “affected in any way” is hopelessly bonkers.

And yet, Spicer isn’t alone in pushing this outlandish line. Asked yesterday about the GOP plan’s Medicaid cuts, Kellyanne Conway said with a straight face, “These are not cuts to Medicaid.” HHS Secretary Tom Price made the same argument.

The nonsense isn’t limited to Trump administration officials. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), for example, argued yesterday that “no one” would lose coverage through Medicaid from his party’s plan. (The Congressional Budget Office estimated that 14 million Americans who rely on Medicaid would lose coverage under the House bill, and the Senate bill cuts deeper.)

Around the same time, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) bragged about his party’s proposal to increase Medicaid spending.

We’re stuck in a very strange conversation, but no one should be confused about reality.

One of the key purposes of the Republican plan is cutting Medicaid. For far-right lawmakers, this is a feature, not a bug. Republicans have wanted to change the nature of the program for many years, and they see this week as a unique opportunity to fulfill an ideological dream.

The New York Times reported the other day:

Since its founding, Medicaid has operated as a partnership between the federal government and the states. Each pays a share of patients’ medical bills, with no overall limit on spending. The [Republican plan] would try to slim down the federal share of that spending, by limiting how much the federal government would pay for each person enrolled in the program. […]

The results, according to independent analyses, would be major reductions in federal spending on Medicaid over time. States would be left deciding whether to raise more money to make up the difference, or to cut back on medical coverage for people using the program. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the changes would lead to a reduction in spending on Medicaid of more than $800 billion over a decade.

For Republicans, reducing spending on Medicaid by more than $800 billion is not a “cut” and wouldn’t adversely affect any of the program’s beneficiaries.

What’s more, they apparently expect Americans to believe this.

Latest Comments

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Tony Reno
6 DAYS AGO

This tax cut disguised as a health care bill is another set up to fail that somebody will have to clean up down the road, just as the ACA, originally a Republican proposal, has been systematically weakened by the GOP. All the GOP does is lie, scheme, and dupe their idiot base of voters.


user
Bpisciot
6 DAYS AGO

You can't drop millions of sick people from Medicaid and not expect to see a flood of them in emergency rooms. How will we pay for this?? Emergency rooms are widely regarded as the least cost-effective means of treating sickness. Are Republicans prepared to save money by saying that poor...


user
Beregond
6 DAYS AGO

You're forgetting Phase II of the Republican's health care "reform" plan -- massive tax cuts for the already-wealthy.

According to Republican Holy Writ, tax cuts for the already-wealthy will conjure the Supply Side Fairy to rise up out or the pumpkin patch and flitter across the country,...



MORE SILLY, CHILDISH AND EVIL TRICKS. I DO WISH WE WOULD EDUCATE OUR PEOPLE BETTER, OR PUT THEM ON MENTAL HEALTH MEDS, OR SOMETHING.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/anti-jewish-banner-holocaust-memorial-new-jersey-lakewood-synagogue/
AP July 2, 2017, 8:58 PM
Vandals hang anti-Jewish banner at Holocaust memorial in New Jersey

LAKEWOOD, N.J. -- Vandals posted a banner containing an anti-Jewish slur on a Holocaust memorial in front of a New Jersey shore town synagogue where several residents were recently accused of misrepresenting their incomes to improperly obtain public welfare benefits.

Photos posted online Sunday by the state chapter of the Anti-Defamation League show the covering on the memorial in Lakewood. A message on the covering included an ethnic slur for Jewish people and stated they "will not divide us," along with the name of a group supposedly responsible for the covering.

State authorities announced Sunday they were offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to conviction of those responsible.

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Brazen anti-Semitic hate on full display as #Holocaust memorial in #Lakewood is defaced
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Seven married couples who live in Lakewood, including a rabbi and his wife, now face charges they misrepresented their incomes to get a combined $2 million in public welfare benefits they weren't entitled to.

Three couples were arrested late Tuesday in Lakewood after four couples, including Rabbi Zalmen Sorotzkin, of Congregation Lutzk, and his wife, Tzipporah, were arrested Monday.

The couples eventually were released without bail after making initial court appearances. Prosecutors say they failed to disclose income from numerous sources on applications for Medicaid, housing, Social Security and food assistance benefits.

The state and federal investigation centers on Lakewood, which is home to a large and growing ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

Lakewood is the state's fastest growing town and has more than 100 private religious schools. The population increase has intensified concern over how public money is spent and sparked complaints from neighboring communities that say they face overly aggressive solicitation from real estate agents looking to find homes for the Jewish community.

In another incident, anti-Semitic fliers referencing the recent arrests were placed on the windshields of dozens of cars in Lakewood. It wasn't clear if the same people are responsible for both acts.

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Brazen anti-Semitic hate on full display as #Holocaust memorial in #Lakewood is defaced pic.twitter.com/7CMCh2ivkl
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New Jersey's chapter of the Anti-Defamation League tweeted Sunday, saying that town officials, residents and community leaders "must offer full throated condemnation of this anti-Semitic attack."



NOW FOR THE LIGHTER SIDE – MOTHER NATURE, A MAGNIFICENT ROSE BUSH AND MORE, ON THE CBS SUNDAY MORNING NEWS

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/storm-chasers-val-and-amy-castor/
CBS NEWS July 2, 2017, 9:08 AM
Storm chasing couple's whirlwind life
CBS NEWS July 2, 2017, 9:08 AM
Storm chasing couple's whirlwind life

19 Tornado photos -- http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/craziest-storm-chaser-photos-of-tornado-season/

It's the long Fourth of July weekend, and we can only hope that bad weather doesn't spoil any of your holiday plans. But one Oklahoma couple actively chases bad weather, video camera in hand. Manuel Bojorquez tagged along with them for our "Sunday Morning: Cover Story:

They're among the most destructive forces of nature: tornadoes that roam the Midwest this time of year in shapes both mesmerizing and terrifying.

In Oklahoma, where tornado warnings can mean the difference between life and death, there are no bigger names in storm-chasing than Val and Amy Castor, a husband-and-wife team who serve as a mobile early warning system for approaching storms.

The Castors are part of a network of storm chasers who broadcast live for Oklahoma City's CBS station, getting as close as possible to pinpoint a tornado's path.

"Most people would run away from these things; here you are driving into them," said Bojorquez. "What's that like?"

"Well, it can get pretty intense," Amy laughed.

storm-chasers-amy-and-val-castor-620.jpg
Storm chasers Amy and Val Castor, who broadcast for CBS Affiliate KWTV in Oklahoma City. CBS NEWS

Though most common in the Midwest, tornadoes can happen in all 50 states.

So far this year more than 1,000 tornadoes have been reported across the country. This past week alone, 35 tornadoes touched down in a broad swath through Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri. Thirty-four people have been killed in 2017 so far -- almost double the number of people who died all last year.

And damage from major tornadoes like the one that hit south Georgia in January can run into the tens of millions of dollars.

storm-chasers-funnel.jpg
An object of the Castors' mutual attraction. CBS NEWS

Val Castor has been chasing tornadoes for 25 years. He was working as a studio camera operator at Oklahoma City's Channel 9 when he volunteered one stormy day in April 1991, quickly proving that storm chasing should be his fulltime job.

"We ended up getting video of three tornadoes that day," he recalled. "And it just so happened that none of the Channel 9 photographers were able to capture any video that day, and so they were very excited about that."

Val became the station's first storm chaser, and a household name. A few years later, a meteorology student named Amy asked to ride along for a college project.

"I really got hooked at that point," Amy said. "I thought this is so fascinating to actually be in the field and experience it first-hand."

And that school project? "That never happened! I met him and we started storm-chasing, and then about a year later we started dating, got engaged and then got married."

The Castors now have six children, and a devout faith they rely on before going on the hunt.

"Just put us where we need to be, Lord, and keep us safe, you know, in the process."

They took Bojorquez storm chasing in their decked-out, three-quarter-ton truck. Val drives and broadcasts; Amy helps navigate and runs the camera.

"There's a lot of work involved to try and get this all put together," Amy said. "Make a shot look great for the news and be mindful of what our purpose is.

"It's a really high-stress environment, especially when you have a tornado on the ground."

When asked what their closest call has been, Val recalled when they were hit by two or three "small" tornadoes.

"Was there ever a moment when you thought, oh man, this is it?"

"I have a lot of those," Amy laughed.

One of those came in 1999 as a deadly category-five tornado roared through Moore, Okla.

"Sometimes when I'm just so focused on getting close, getting up to it, I'm just blocking everything else out," Val said. "And so she says, 'Well, I think we better stop and not get up so close.'"

storm-chaser-tornado-val-and-amy-castor-b-620.jpg
A "rope tornado" captured on camera by the husband-and-wife storm chaser team of Val and Amy Castor. VAL AND AMY CASTOR

"He's watching the road and so having an extra set of eyes really helps," said Amy. "Because I can turn around and look behind us. And that's happened quite a few times, that a tornado developed right behind us."

In 2013, they decided to back away from a tornado in El Reno, Okla. "Absolutely the biggest tornado I'd ever seen," Val said. "And I could see that it was growing and very unpredictable."

Unpredictable -- and deadly. The tornado took an unexpected turn that killed three storm-chasers.

Bojorquez asked, "Do you ever have that moment when you think, Maybe it's not worth it -- we have six children at home?"

"Oh, I do, yes," Amy replied. "But then I have to think again, you know, the greater purpose behind it is saving lives"

Has anyone ever come up to them and said "You saved my life"? "Quite a bit," Val said.

"It's quite humbling, too," Amy added.

It's not just tornadoes. Last year the Castors started out covering a wildfire, and ended up saving a man.

storm-chasers-wildfire-620.jpg
A man whose grader was stuck and about to be enveloped in flames was rescued by the Castors. CBS NEWS

The couple's need for a front-row seat to Nature's wrath may be rubbing off. Their eldest daughter, Grace, snapped a photo of a tornado near their home before running into the storm cellar last spring. "It was really cool, it was my first one!" Grace said. "I'd never seen one before. It was really awesome."

But for at least the next few tornado seasons, it'll just be mom and dad in the truck.

When asked if storm chasing ever gets old, Val replied, "No. We have chased five days in a row, okay? We have probably driven around 4,000 miles in the last week. That part, you know, is starting to get a little tiring, but it doesn't get old. We're still excited every time we go out."


ONE OF THE GRAND OLD MEN OF CONGRESS AND A SOLDIER IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLES

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/note-to-self-congressman-john-lewis-civil-rights-leader/
CBS NEWS June 29, 2017, 8:48 AM
Note to Self: Congressman John Lewis

Georgia Congressman John Lewis was born and raised on a cotton farm outside Troy, Alabama. He later became one of the most prominent leaders of the civil rights movement and was known as the godfather of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, fighting 15 years for its creation.

In our ongoing series, "Note to Self," he tells his younger self – "so full of passion" – about the 45 times he'll be arrested in his "mission to help redeem the soul of America."

"In 1956, when you were only 16 years old, you and some of your brothers and sisters and first cousins went down to the public library trying to get library cards, trying to check out some books, and you were told by the librarian that the library is for whites only, and not for coloreds," Lewis recalls.

"I say to you now, when you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to continue to speak up, to speak out," he says.

Lewis was so inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks that he got involved in the civil rights movement.

"Something touched you and suggested that you write a letter to Dr. King. You didn't tell your teachers, you didn't tell your mother and you father," Lewis says.

King wrote him back and invited Lewis to Montgomery, Alabama. Meanwhile, Lewis was admitted to a school in Nashville, Tennessee, where he would get involved in the sit-ins.

"You'd be sitting there in an orderly, peaceful, non-violent fashion and someone would come up and spit on you, or put a cigarette out in your hair or down your back, pour hot water, hot coffee, hot chocolate on you," Lewis says.

"You got arrested the first time, and you felt so free. You felt liberated. You felt like you had crossed over," he added.

"The Boy from Troy," as King called Lewis, would go on to become the embodiment of non-violence in America.

"Two years after you speak at the March on Washington, you will see the face of death leading the march for voting across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. You were beaten on that bridge. You were left bloody. You thought you were going to die. But you will make it. You will live to see your mother and father cast their first votes," Lewis says.

From a segregated nation, Lewis would go on to eventually see the country send an African-American president to the White House.

"Guess what, young John? By some divine providence, as if to send a message down through the ages, that man will be nominated on the 45th anniversary of the March on Washington," Lewis says. "And all of those signs that you saw as a little child that said, 'White Men,' 'Colored Men,' 'White Women,' 'Colored Women' – those signs are gone. And the only places you will see those signs today would be in a book, in a museum, or a video."

Lewis was sad when he was denied a library card as a teenager, but he would go on to be elected to Congress and write a book called "Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement." The same library that rejected him would invite him back for a book signing – and present him with a library card.

"I believe as Dr. King and A. Philip Randolph and others taught you, that we're one people and it doesn't matter whether we're black, or white, Latino, Asian-American or Native American. That maybe our foremothers and our forefathers all came here in different ships, but we're all in the same boat now," Lewis says.

"John, you understood the words of Dr. King when he said we must learn to live together as brothers and sisters, if not we will perish as fools," he says.