October 6 and 7, 2017


News and Views


A NEW TRUMP TRAVESTY IS ON ITS’ WAY OUT – THE REAMING OUT OF THE OBAMA PLAN TO REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS BY 30% BELOW THE 2005 LEVELS BY THE YEAR 2030. MY CALCULATOR SAYS THAT IS 2.142% A YEAR. SO HOW WOULD THAT BE POSSIBLE – USE MORE RENEWABLE ENERGY BY ADMIXTURE OF POWER SOURCES, ENCOURAGE HOMEOWNERS TO PUT SOLAR ARRAYS ON THEIR ROOFS OR IN THEIR YARDS, PROMOTE TO THE PUBLIC WAYS OF REDUCING HOME AND BUSINESS USE OF ELECTRICITY, UPGRADE POWER PLANT EFFICIENCY, ENCOURAGE MORE EFFICIENT LIGHTING ON CITY STREETS AND IN GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS, SPONSOR AND PUBLISH THE RESULTS OF RESEARCH GROUPS AND HOLD MEETINGS OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY ENGINEERS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THE AMOUNT OF PUBLIC USE OF ELECTRICITY. THE OBAMA PLAN OFFERS WIDE LATITUDE ON HOW POWER PLANTS CAN ACCOMPLISH THE GOALS, SO THEY SHOULDN'T BE COMPLAINING, BUT STILL A NEW TRUMP-STAMPED PLAN IS TO EMERGE “WITHIN DAYS.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trumps-epa-to-ease-emissions-restrictions/
AP October 7, 2017, 10:32 AM
Trump's EPA to ease emissions restrictions: AP

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is moving to roll back the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's efforts to slow global warming, seeking to ease restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.

In a plan expected to be made public in coming days, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared the Obama-era rule exceeded federal law by setting emissions standards that power plants could not reasonably meet. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the 43-page document, which underscored President Trump's bid to revive the struggling coal industry.

The EPA's new proposal would make good on Mr. Trump's campaign pledge to unravel Obama's efforts to curb global warming and follows Mr. Trump's promise to pull the United States out of the landmark Paris climate agreement. Nearly 200 countries have committed to combat global warming by reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.

The EPA won't prescribe an immediate replacement to the plan, but will seek public comment on whether to curb climate-warming emissions from coal and natural gas power plants.

A spokeswoman for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt declined to comment Friday on the authenticity of the leaked document but said the Obama administration "pushed the bounds of their authority so far" that the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay to prevent the Clean Power Plan from taking effect.

"Any replacement rule that the Trump administration proposes will be done carefully and properly within the confines of the law," EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman said.

The plan was first reported by Bloomberg News.

The Obama administration's cost-benefits analysis of the Clean Power Plan was "highly uncertain" in multiple areas, Bowman said, vowing that the Trump administration will present a range of scenarios to the public "in a robust, open and transparent way."

Obama's plan was designed to cut U.S. carbon dioxide emissions to 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The rule dictated specific emission targets for states based on power-plant emissions and gave officials broad latitude to decide how to achieve reductions.

The Supreme Court put the plan on hold last year following a legal challenge by industry and coal-friendly states.

Coal bastion Wyoming sees huge growth in renewable energy jobs
Play VIDEO
Coal bastion Wyoming sees huge growth in renewable energy jobs

Even so, the plan has been a factor in a wave of retirements of coal-fired plants, which also are being squeezed by lower costs for natural gas and renewable power and state mandates promoting energy conservation.

Repealing the Clean Power Plan without a timeline or a commitment to propose a rule to reduce carbon pollution "isn't a step forward, it's a wholesale retreat from EPA's legal, scientific and moral obligation to address the threats of climate change,'" said former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.

While the Supreme Court has concluded that EPA is obligated to regulate greenhouse gases, "this administration has no intention of following the law," said McCarthy, who led the EPA when the Clean Power Plan was completed. "They are denying it just as they are denying the science. They're using stall tactics to defer action, ignoring the courts and the demands of the American people."

Industry groups cheered the planned repeal, saying it would reverse regulatory overreach by Obama and McCarthy.

"The Clean Power Plan represented an unlawful attempt to transform the nation's power grid ... and raise costs on American consumers," said Hal Quinn, president and CEO of the National Mining Association.

The Obama-era plan would have sharply reduced the number of coal-fired plants, making the grid more vulnerable to reliability concerns and increasing costs with "trivial environmental benefits," Quinn said.

The new plan will save an estimated 240 million tons of annual coal production and safeguard more than 27,000 mining jobs and almost 100,000 additional jobs throughout the supply chain, he said.

In the leaked document, the Trump administration argues that repealing the Clean Power Plan could spare an estimated $33 billion in compliance costs in 2030, arguing that the Obama administration overstated the rule's potential health benefits.

Previously, the EPA had estimated that by 2030 the Clean Power Plan would prevent 90,000 asthma attacks and up to 3,600 premature deaths a year.

The leaked document casts doubts on those numbers and says the EPA plans to perform updated modeling and analysis of health benefits and other impacts of the rule.

Liz Perera, climate policy director for the Sierra Club, said repealing the Clean Power Plan "is about one thing and one thing only: helping corporate polluters profit."


THIS MAN WAS LAUGHING, ACCORDING TO A WITNESS. SO MUCH FOR ANY IDEA THAT THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT. SOME OF OUR OTHERWISE CIVILIZED POPULATION ARE MISSING THE EMPATHY AND ETHICAL STRUCTURE THAT WOULD MAKE INDISCRIMINATE MASS MURDER UNACCEPTABLE TO THEM. I’M AFRAID THAT’S BECAUSE WE TEACH DOGMATIC RELIGIOUS VIEWS, FROM CHRISTIANITY TO ISLAM, BUT NOT THE VALUE OF LIFE. THAT MAKES INTROSPECTION AND A CONSCIOUS ATTEMPT AT DECIDING WHAT IS RIGHT VERSUS WRONG A NECESSITY. WE DON’T SIMPLY ACCEPT WHAT PEOPLE SAY; WE RECONFIRM IT FOR OURSELVES, IF WE ARE TO BECOME GOOD CITIZENS AND GOOD HUMANS. WE MUST BELIEVE THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN GROUPS OR “BELIEFS,” AND THAT LIFE ITSELF IS OF BASIC IMPORTANCE. WHEN YOU PULL THAT DANDELION, CONTEMPLATE ITS’ LOVELINESS FIRST. IF YOU ARE TOLD TO DUMP THAT COAL RESIDUE INTO THE NEAREST STREAM, DON’T DO IT. WHEN INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT VALUED, NEITHER WILL LIFE ITSELF BE; AND SOCIETY WILL BREAK DOWN, SO THAT RUNNING DOWN INNOCENT PEOPLE BECOMES ACCEPTABLE IF THERE IS SOME RATIONALE BEHIND IT. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED IN THIS WORLD.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/london-natural-history-museum-car-hits-pedestrians-live-updates/
CBS/AP October 7, 2017, 11:57 AM
Car hits pedestrians near London's Natural History Museum -- live updates

LONDON -- British emergency services raced to London's Natural History Museum after a car struck pedestrians Saturday outside the building.

Police said a number of people were injured and one person was detained at the scene. BBC News reports at least one person was taken away in an ambulance.

A Met police spokesperson tells CBS News that officials don't know yet whether the incident was related to terrorism.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was in contact with police and emergency officials. He says "details are still emerging" about the incident.

Video captured on the scene showed a man on the ground being detained. It was not immediately clear if he was pinned down by police or others at the scene.

Photograph -- bbc.png, Police detain a man on the sidewalk after a car struck pedestrians near the London Natural History Museum. @ROSARODANEWS / TWITTER

Witness Katie Craine said she was coming out of the museum when she saw a man in handcuffs being pinned down on the ground by police near a damaged car.

"He looked really proud of himself," she told the Associated Press. "He was laughing."

The crash happened at 2:20 p.m. on a day when the central London museum is usually teeming with pedestrians, including international tourists.

A witness told BBC News that there were "tables knocked over at restaurants. People were screaming. And it was quite a scene at that stage."

"Panic rippled across the crowd. And it was busy, people were having to struggle to get out of there," the witness said.

BBC reporter Chloe Hayward said she was leaving the museum as the incident happened.

"I could see was a car diagonally across the road, looking like it was going into one of the boulders on the side of the road, and I could see a crowd of people around what was clearly one or two people on the pavement," she said.

Hayward added armed police were at the scene.

"We have had lots of police coming onto the scene, helicopters above, and I can see an ambulance which is definitely having someone put in, but it isn't clear how bad that injury is," she said.

The London Ambulance Service was tending to the injured. There was no immediate statement on the number or severity of the injuries.

Shopkeepers in the immediate area were told to evacuate and police established a large security cordon around the area minutes after the incident, closing some roads. Police helicopters circled the scene overhead.

Downing Street said British Prime Minister Theresa May was being briefed on the incident.

This is a developing story and will be updated.



AN HISPANIC MAN STEPPED UP AND DID WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE. WE SHOULD RETHINK OUR PREJUDICES, JUST AS THIS SHERIFF DID. PADDOCK, THE ARTICLE SAYS, STOPPED FIRING AT THE PEOPLE BELOW AND CONCENTRATED ON JESUS CAMPOS INSTEAD, FIRING “WELL OVER 200 ROUNDS” INTO THE HALLWAY, AS CAMPOS HELPED THE POLICE OFFICERS UNLOCK EACH ROOM AND CLEAR IT. THAT WAS JUST LIKE BEING ON THE BATTLEFIELD IN A WAR. I DO HOPE HE GETS AN AWARD FOR HIS PERSISTENCE UNDER EXTREME STRESS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jesus-campos-las-vegas-shooting-police-reveal-new-details-about-hero-security-guard/
CBS NEWS October 6, 2017, 4:38 PM
Las Vegas shooting: Police reveal new details about "hero" security guard Jesus Campos

Las Vegas police have released new details on the "hero" Mandalay Bay security guard who helped stop the gunman who killed 58 people and injured hundreds of concertgoers on Oct. 1.

"Jesus Campos is a true hero," Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said in a news conference Friday. "We now know that he was dispatched to a door alarm on the 32nd floor. He went up there to investigate the open door, and as he was doing his job, he came under fire by our suspect."

Campos was struck in the leg, retreated and notified his dispatcher, McMahill said. "This was a remarkable effort by a brave and remarkable man," he said.

"I don't think we've done enough in recognizing [Campos] and his actions, and today, I want to apologize, and clear the record that he's an absolute hero," McMahill said.

Play VIDEO -- Event organizers beef up security after Las Vegas shooting

Paddock fired well over 200 rounds into the hotel hallway but Campos was only struck in the leg, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said Thursday. "It's amazing that [Campos] didn't sustain an additional injury," he said.

Lombardo said that Campos' bravery was "amazing" because he remained with officers, provided them with the key to enter the hotel room, and "continued to help [officers] clear rooms until our officer demanded that he go seek medical attention."

David L. Hickey, the union president representing the hotel's security officers, told The New York Times that Paddock did not resume firing on concertgoers after focusing his attention on Campos.

In another development in the investigation, CBS News justice and homeland security correspondent Jeff Pegues reports that the gunman's vehicle may have been primed to explode.

Law enforcement sources say there were at least 1,000 rounds of ammunition in a suitcase and Tannerite in a duffle bag inside the vehicle in a parking garage. Tannerite, used in target shooting, explodes when hit by rifle fire.

Could Paddock have been planning to shoot at it? Could he have used it as an explosive if fired upon by police while trying to escape? These are some of the questions investigators are considering as they try to determine a motive for the mass shooting, Pegues reports.



WE NEED TO REWRITE THE GUN LAWS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. FOR LEGISLATORS TO PRETEND THAT THEIR HESITANCE TO DO THAT IS ALL ABOUT OUR “RIGHTS” IS SO DISHONEST. IT’S ABOUT MONEY, JUST LIKE AT LEAST HALF OF WHAT THEY DO. THEY BOW TO THE GUN CULTURE, SO THEY WILL DO NOTHING TO PREVENT THE FIREARMS INDUSTRY AND THE NRA FROM MAKING HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY. IN TOO MANY CASES, THAT IS THEIR BASIC BELIEF. “THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/steve-hartman-leaders-must-do-something-anything-to-stop-mass-shootings/
By STEVE HARTMAN CBS NEWS October 6, 2017, 6:55 PM
Steve Hartman: Leaders must do something -- anything -- to stop mass shootings

NEW YORK -- This may have been one of the worst mass shootings in history, but it's still a familiar script. We witness the nightmare, meet the heroes who risked their lives and honor the victims.

Now it's supposed to fall on me to say something hopeful and life-affirming, right? That's what I do.

It's what I've done after just about every mass shooting. At this point I would say I'm out of words, but I already said that last year.

hartman-las-vegas-aircut-frame-980.jpg
Steve Hartman CBS NEWS

Which is why I was so struck by what The Onion published this week. It may be a satirical newspaper, but this article was a serious gut-punch.

The headline reads, 'No Way to Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens. There was a phony quote from a made-up person that said, "This was a terrible tragedy, but sometimes these things just happen and there's nothing anyone can do to stop them."

It seemed topical, until I realized it's the same article they've published after nearly every shooting since 2014. They change the town and the body count, but that's about it.

Let's face it, our indignation has taken on a hollow sameness. We say we want to wash away this epidemic, but all we do is "pray, mourn and repeat." We're on a treadmill. And it's killing us -- 58 at a time now.

Las Vegas shooting victims

I keep hoping that someday a life will flash by, that someone in this endless procession of funerals will make us say, "That one, that one there, is the last straw." If not the special ed teacher, then maybe the nursing student. If not the devoted mom, then maybe the Navy vet, who survived a war in Afghanistan, but couldn't make it out alive from a country concert.

So, to those in charge -- we know we'll be back here again. No one is expecting you to actually stop the next shooting. All we're asking, more than anything, is that you try -- anything.

To contact On the Road, or to send us a story idea, email us: OnTheRoad@cbsnews.com



ON THE PAINFUL QUESTION OF WHY THERE IS NO CRIMINALIZATION OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM, I HAVE A PERSONAL VIEW: FREEDOM OF SPEECH OR OF ASSOCIATION IS ALWAYS GIVEN AS THE EXCUSE FOR ALLOWING THE AGGRESSOR TO GET AWAY WITHOUT PUNISHMENT; LAWMAKERS, CITIZENS AND THE COURTS ARE NERVOUS ABOUT DRAWING CLEAR LINES AROUND HATE SPEECH OR SIMPLE BULLYING. IT ALMOST ALWAYS INVOLVES A MORE POPULOUS GROUP ASSAULTING A LESS POWERFUL OR WELL-REPRESENTED “UNDERDOG.” THE UNDERDOG WILL USUALLY BE A LOWER STATUS INDIVIDUAL, AND THE PUBLIC OPINION WILL GO TO THE GROUP FAVORITE, BECAUSE THE AVERAGE US CITIZEN HAS NO INTEREST IN “JUSTICE,” AT ALL. WE NEED TO MOVE AWAY FROM ALLOWING VIOLENCE TO GO UNPUNISHED, UNLESS IT IS DONE IN PURE SELF-DEFENSE OR THE DEFENSE OF ANOTHER. THOSE SITUATIONS USUALLY START WITH NAME CALLING, AND “HATE SPEECH.” WE NEED TO PUT A LEGAL PENALTY ON THAT SORT OF PROVOCATIVE ACTION.

THERE IS A FORM OF FAIRNESS IN SOME SITUATIONS, AND UNDER SOME JUDGES, CALLED “RESTORATIVE JUSTICE,” WHICH DOES NOT INVOLVE JAIL OR OTHER INCARCERATION. IT’S VERY INTERESTING TO ME, THOUGH IF THERE IS VIOLENCE, SUCH AS A FIST FIGHT IN A BAR, I THINK “TALKING IT OUT,” IS A LITTLE TOO EASY ON THE AGGRESSOR. PERHAPS HE SHOULD PAY A FINANCIAL PENALTY OF AN ACCEPTABLE AMOUNT IN ADDITION THE MEDICAL BILLS OF THE VICTIM AND WORK WITH THE RIVAL ON A COMMUNITY PROJECT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE POOR OR DISADVANTAGED. IN MORE SERIOUS CASES, MANDATORY MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING IS A GOOD IDEA IN MY VIEW, BECAUSE IT WILL GET DOWN INTO THE CAUSE OF THE ABUSIVENESS. CLASSES TEACHING MORE PEACEFUL AND FAIR MEANS OF SOLVING PROBLEMS WOULD ALSO BE IMPORTANT, I BELIEVE, AS MOST KIDS OR ADULTS WHO ARE AGGRESSIVE ARE NOT FULLY AWARE OF HOW TO SOLVE INTERPERSONAL PROBLEMS WITHOUT FIGHTING.

[SEE: HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/RESTORATIVE_JUSTICE.]
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

Restorative justice is an approach to justice that personalizes the crime by having the victims and the offenders mediate a restitution agreement to the satisfaction of each, as well as involving the community. This contrasts to more punitive approaches where the main aim is retributive justice or to satisfy abstract legal principles.

Victims take an active role in the process. Meanwhile, offenders take meaningful responsibility for their actions, seizing the opportunity to right their wrongs and redeem themselves, in their own eyes and in the eyes of the community.[1] In addition, the restorative justice approach aims to help the offender to avoid future offenses.

The approach is based on a theory of justice that considers crime and wrongdoing to be an offense against an individual or community, rather than the State.[2]

Restorative justice that fosters dialogue between victim and offender has shown the highest rates of victim satisfaction and offender accountability.[3]

Definition[edit]

According to John Braithwaite, restorative justice is:[4]

...a process where all stakeholders affected by an injustice have an opportunity to discuss how they have been affected by the injustice and to decide what should be done to repair the harm. With crime, restorative justice is about the idea that because crime hurts, justice should heal. It follows that conversations with those who have been hurt and with those who have inflicted the harm must be central to the process.

In a restorative justice process, the citizens who have been affected by a crime must take an active role in addressing that crime. Although law professionals may have secondary roles in facilitating the restorative justice process, it is the citizens who must take up the majority of the responsibility in healing the pains caused by crime.[4] The process of restorative justice thus shifts the responsibility for addressing crime.

Dr. Carolyn Boyes-Watson (2014) at Suffolk University's Center for Restorative Justice defines restorative justice as:

...a growing social movement to institutionalize peaceful approaches to harm, problem-solving and violations of legal and human rights. These range from international peacemaking tribunals such as the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission to innovations within the criminal and juvenile justice systems, schools, social services and communities. Rather than privileging the law, professionals and the state, restorative resolutions engage those who are harmed, wrongdoers and their affected communities in search of solutions that promote repair, reconciliation and the rebuilding of relationships. Restorative justice seeks to build partnerships to reestablish mutual responsibility for constructive responses to wrongdoing within our communities. Restorative approaches seek a balanced approach to the needs of the victim, wrongdoer and community through processes that preserve the safety and dignity of all."[5]

Dr. Carolyn Boyes-Watson (2014) at Suffolk University's Center for Restorative Justice defines restorative justice as:

...a growing social movement to institutionalize peaceful approaches to harm, problem-solving and violations of legal and human rights. These range from international peacemaking tribunals such as the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission to innovations within the criminal and juvenile justice systems, schools, social services and communities. Rather than privileging the law, professionals and the state, restorative resolutions engage those who are harmed, wrongdoers and their affected communities in search of solutions that promote repair, reconciliation and the rebuilding of relationships. Restorative justice seeks to build partnerships to reestablish mutual responsibility for constructive responses to wrongdoing within our communities. Restorative approaches seek a balanced approach to the needs of the victim, wrongdoer and community through processes that preserve the safety and dignity of all."[5]

Difference from other approaches[edit]

According to Howard Zehr, restorative justice differs from traditional criminal justice in terms of the guiding questions it asks. In restorative justice, the questions are:

Who has been hurt?
What are their needs?
Whose obligations are these?
What are the causes?
Who has a stake in the situation?
What is the appropriate process to involve stakeholders in an effort to address causes and put things right?[6]

In contrast, traditional criminal justice asks:

What laws have been broken?
Who did it?
What do the offender(s) deserve?[7]

Restorative justice is also different from the adversarial legal process or that of civil litigation.

As Braithwaite writes, "Court-annexed ADR (alternative dispute resolution) and restorative justice could not be philosophically further apart". While the former seeks to address only legally relevant issues and to protect both parties' rights, restorative justice aims at "expanding the issues beyond those that are legally relevant, especially into underlying relationships."[8]



APPARENTLY, AN INDIVIDUAL WITH NO POLITICAL GRIEVANCE OR GOAL IS NOT A “TERRORIST,” BUT A MASS MURDERER. LIKEWISE, GANGSTERS SUCH AS THE MAFIA ARE NOT TERRORISTS, BUT CRIME ORGANIZATIONS. WORSE STILL, GANGS (CHILD OR ADULT) WHO ASSAULT OR TERRORIZE ANYONE FOR ANY REASON ARE NOT TERRORISTS, BUT STILL ANY GROUP ASSAULT SHOULD BE GIVEN A MUCH STIFFER PENALTY THAN A PLAYGROUND BRAWL OR A MANO A MANO FIGHT. SOMETIMES THOSE THINGS ARE ACTUALLY “HATE CRIMES,” BUT ONLY IF THEY ARE EXPLICITLY BASED ON A PROTECTED MINORITY STATUS, AND THAT’S HARD TO PROVE MANY TIMES.

WHY DON’T WE, RATHER THAN ALLOWING THE KKK TO RIDE THE STREETS AGAIN AS THEY DID IN THE PAST, JAIL EVERY KKK MEMBER OR NEO-NAZI OR ANARCHIST WHO MAKES ANY AGGRESSIVE ACT AGAINST ANYONE. THAT’S WHAT THE PEOPLE AT GUANTANAMO BAY ARE DOING THERE. THEY’RE A DANGER TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. YES, THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD REQUIRE A REWRITING OF THE WHOLE IDEA OF THE HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE RIGHT TO JOIN A GROUP WHOSE ACTIVITIES OR GOALS ARE HARMFUL TO ANYONE ELSE, ESPECIALLY TO ANY MINORITY GROUP, OR TO THE GOVERNMENT. LET’S TAKE OUT THE BLURRY EDGES AROUND HARMFUL BEHAVIOR AND GOALS AND OUR RIGHT OF ASSEMBLY OR FREE SPEECH. FOR WHATEVER REASON, GROUPS LIKE THAT ARE LAWLESS AND MALICIOUS. I THOUGHT THAT WAS WHAT THE RICO ACT WAS FOR. IT HAS BEEN USED THAT WAY IN THE PAST, AT LEAST.

“CBS NEWS JUSTICE REPORTER PAULA REID EXPLAINS U.S. TERRORISM LAWS HAVE EVOLVED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE THE SEPT. 11 TERROR ATTACKS TO EMPHASIZE FOREIGN TERRORISM TIES.” THIS IS A REAL PROBLEM, BECAUSE THE KKK, THE VARIOUS ALT-RIGHT ELEMENTS WHO ARE THE PRIMARY INSTIGATORS OF VIOLENCE AT THIS TIME, ARE MERELY BEING CONSIDERED TO BE ORDINARILY VIOLENT, EVIL THOUGH IT IS, AS FAR AS PUNISHMENT GOES. AS FOR PEOPLE LIKE TIMOTHY MCVEIGH AND HIS PARTNER IN CRIME, THEY DID HAVE POLITICAL MOTIVATION AND MCVEIGH, AT ANY RATE, RECEIVED THE DEATH PENALTY; SO, THEIR CRIME SHOULD SURELY BE “TERRORISM,” AS SHOULD THOSE OF PEOPLE WHO MURDER WORKERS AT ABORTION CLINICS.

I DON’T KNOW WHAT SORT OF PENALTY THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAVE MAINLY RECEIVED. WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT A RELIGIOUS MOTIVE, EVEN IF IT IS A POPULAR RELIGION, SHOULD NOT MAKE BOMBINGS AND SHOOTINGS MINIMIZED IN THE EYES OF THE LAW. THEY SHOULD BE PUNISHED SEVERELY. WE NEED TO GET TO A POINT AT WHICH WE NO LONGER FEEL THAT OUR FINEST INNER BELIEFS AND FEELINGS ARE EVER, EVER GROUNDS FOR MURDER, OR THAT ONLY OUTSIDER CRIMES ARE TO BE HARSHLY PUNISHED. ONE IS EQUALLY AS MUCH A CRIME AGAINST AMERICAN SOCIETY AS THE OTHER.

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE CONTAINS ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST A SET OF LAWS CREATED EXPRESSLY FOR DOMESTIC TERRORISM, WHICH HAS HERETOFORE BEEN LITERALLY IGNORED. THE LAS VEGAS MAYHEM IS CAUSING THE QUESTION OF “DOMESTIC TERRORISM” TO BE A CURRENT SUBJECT OF DISCUSSION INSIDE AND OUT OF THE LEGISLATURE. I FEAR THAT THIS HESITANCY TO TALK ABOUT “DOMESTIC TERRORISM” IN THE SAME WAY WE DO OF ALIEN OR FOREIGN RELATED EVENTS -- HAS A GREAT DEAL TO DO – NOT MERELY WITH A PROTECTION OF OUR FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION AND SPEECH – BUT WITH THE APPROVAL AMONG A POWERFUL GROUP IN THE USA AND TOO MANY ORDINARY CITIZENS, OF THE RIGHTIST GROUPS’ HARSHEST AND MOST UNFAIR ACTIONS. THE BELIEF THAT BLACK PEOPLE, RELIGIOUS MINORITIES, LGBT INDIVIDUALS, AND MANY FOREIGNERS OF ALL KINDS ARE TO BE SUPPRESSED AT ANY COST STILL EXISTS.

THE NEWS REPORTS TODAY MAKE THAT OBVIOUS EXCEPT TO COMMITTED DENIERS. THE POWER TODAY OF THE ALT-RIGHT, USHERED IN BY THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN STRATEGISTS AND CONTAINED IN THEIR BASIC BELIEFS, IS THE REASON WHY WE MUST DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE AGAIN NOW. IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHY I SAY THAT, WATCH THESE VIDEO, PHOTOGRAPHIC, AND TEXTUAL MATERIALS FROM THE 1920S AND LATER ON OUR FASCIST AND NATIVIST LEANING IN THE USA. --

HTTP://WWW.GEORGIAENCYCLOPEDIA.ORG/ARTICLES/HISTORY-ARCHAEOLOGY/KU-KLUX-KLAN-TWENTIETH-CENTURY
HTTP://WWW.CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM/NEWS/CT-KKK-CHICAGO-FLASHBACK-0125-20150123-STORY.HTML.
HTTP://WWW.GEORGIAENCYCLOPEDIA.ORG/ARTICLES/HISTORY-ARCHAEOLOGY/LEO-FRANK-CASE

VIDEOS

THIS LINKED SERIES OF VIDEOS FROM THE PAST IS AN ALMOST EXACT DEPICTION OF THE SOCIAL VIEWS THAT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN HAS USHERED IN BY OPEN OR TACIT APPROVAL. THE TERM IS POPULIST NATIVISM, WHICH COVERS THE WHOLE ANTIDEMOCRATIC SET OF AMERICAN BELIEFS. SEE: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=5U1QARLCPH0.



ON AMERICAN DOMESTIC TERRORISM LAW, OR THE LACK OF IT --

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/las-vegas-shooting-domestic-terrorism-not-clear/
By JIM AXELROD CBS NEWS October 6, 2017, 7:10 PM
Why is there no criminal statute for domestic terrorism?

This week, we've seen a nation can be terrified without the cause necessarily labeled terrorism.

At this point investigators are still looking a motive for Stephen Paddock, but we have seen other domestic mass casualty attacks where it is clear that the intent is to intimidate and coerce leading some to call for a federal crime of domestic terrorism.

"So, I think it's time for a variety of reasons to have a domestic terrorism criminal statute," said former federal prosecutor Mary McCord, who is now at Georgetown Law.

Las Vegas shooting: Why it's too soon to call the attack terrorism

Currently there is a criminal statute for international terrorism, but not domestic, which McCord thinks needs to be changed in the era of mass casualties.

axelrod-domestic-terrorism-2017-10-6.jpg
Former federal prosecutor Mary McCord says the terrorism statue needs to be changed to include domestic incidents. CBS NEWS

"Violent extremism isn't limited to Islamist extremism or extremism that's done on behalf of at the direction of a foreign terror organization," McCord said.

With no specific penalties on the books for domestic terrorism, mass killers like Timothy McVeigh face charges of using a weapon of mass destruction, or Dylann Roof, who faced murder and weapons charges.

But the label domestic terrorism makes the motive clear, McCord said, in a way that sharpens our response.

"It shows the significance of this type of a crime and why it's important for it to be looked at and treated for what it is, which is terrorism. It's an intent -- it's a crime done for the very purpose of terrorism," McCord said.

First responders recount Las Vegas shooting
Play VIDEO
First responders recount Las Vegas shooting

Federal domestic terror law would also mean FBI-led investigations -- and the creation of deeper, wider data bases to keep track of mass violence.

Of course here's the potential problem: Labeling domestic hate groups as terrorists -- like al Qaeda or ISIS -- raises constitutional questions.

"That starts to get very close to the line of potentially infringing on free speech, freedom to associate and express one's views, however abhorrent they may be to others in the population," McCord said.

During the Obama administration, the Justice Department considered creating a domestic terrorism statute. As for now CBS News asked the Justice Department if they were continuing the work, and a spokesman decline to comment.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jim Axelrod
Jim Axelrod is the anchor of the Saturday edition of the "CBS Evening News" and a national correspondent for CBS News, reporting for the "CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley" and other CBS News broadcasts.



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/las-vegas-shooting-is-it-terrorist-attack-stephen-paddock/
CBS NEWS October 2, 2017, 12:47 PM
Las Vegas shooting: Why it's too soon to call the attack terrorism

While the scene of the Las Vegas mass shooting -- which claimed the lives of at least 59 people and wounded more than 500 others during a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip -- was surely terrifying, experts say it is too early to know whether the attack meets the definition of an act of terrorism.

The gunman was identified by police as 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock of Mesquite, Nevada.

"We believe it's a solo actor. A lone wolf," said Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo.

Two law enforcement sources told CBS News that there does not appear to be a connection to terrorism at this time, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Aaron Rouse confirmed at a news conference Monday that Paddock had no known connection to any international terrorist group.

However, "It's really too early to rule anything like that out," said CBS News justice and homeland security correspondent Jeff Pegues.

Investigators are busy digging into Paddock's past and potential contacts to understand what may have motivated his actions.

Las Vegas music festival shooting

ISIS posted a statement online claiming that the gunman had recently converted to Islam and was acting on behalf of the group, but it offered no evidence. Terrorism experts noted that the group has made false claims in the wake of other incidents in the past.

Of course, association with a known terrorist group is not required for an attack to be considered terrorism, but the attacker's motivation is a key piece of the puzzle. An attack driven by, for example, personal grievance or financial gain, or as a result of profound mental illness, would not generally meet the definition of terrorism.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines terrorism as "the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims."

CBS News justice reporter Paula Reid explains U.S. terrorism laws have evolved significantly since the Sept. 11 terror attacks to emphasize foreign terrorism ties.

Las Vegas shooting: Hoaxes spread on social media

Stephen Paddock: What we know about the Las Vegas shooter

Domestic terrorism, according to U.S. federal code posted online by Cornell Law School, is defined as: "Activities that involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the U.S. or of any state" that "appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping; and occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S."

The intent to affect government policy is necessary for a case to meet the legal definition as terrorism.

If the investigation reveals that Paddock had a domestic political motivation, the incident could be described as domestic terrorism, Reid reported. But the case could never be charged as such since Paddock died at the scene and will never face criminal prosecution.



PARSCALE FAILS TO MENTION THAT THE HIGHLY TARGETED ADS WERE WRITTEN BY RUSSIAN FAKE NEWS AND SCAM ARTISTS IN MACEDONIA. THE DAY MAY COME WHEN THE TRUMP GROUP WON’T WANT TO BRAG ABOUT WHAT THEY DID. THE RUSSIANS WILL GET AWAY SCOT FREE, BECAUSE WE WON’T GO TO WAR WITH THEM, BUT THE TRUMP CAMP CHEATS AND LIARS MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-facebook-ads-helped-elect-trump/
How Facebook ads helped elect Trump
Trump campaign digital director Brad Parscale says Donald Trump won election on Facebook with highly targeted ads -- and infrastructure was a key issue
Oct 06, 2017

President Donald Trump talked on Twitter, but Facebook was the crucial tool that helped elect him, says the man who directed the digital aspects of the Trump campaign. Brad Parscale tells Lesley Stahl how he fine-tuned political ads posted on Facebook to directly reach voters with the exact messages they cared most about – infrastructure key among them -- and had handpicked Republican Facebook employees to guide him. Stahl's report will be broadcast on 60 Minutes Sunday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Photograph -- parscaleint.jpg, Brad Parscale CBS NEWS

"Twitter is how [Trump] talked to the people, Facebook was going to be how he won," Parscale tells Stahl. Parscale says he used the majority of his digital ad budget on Facebook ads and explained how efficient they could be, particularly in reaching the rural vote. "So now Facebook lets you get to…15 people in the Florida Panhandle that I would never buy a TV commercial for," says Parscale. And people anywhere could be targeted with the messages they cared about. "Infrastructure…so I started making ads that showed the bridge crumbling…that's micro targeting…I can find the 1,500 people in one town that care about infrastructure. Now, that might be a voter that normally votes Democrat," he says. Parscale says the campaign would average 50-60,000 different ad versions every day, some days peaking at 100,000 separate iterations – changing design, colors, backgrounds and words – all in an effort to refine ads and engage users.

Parscale received help utilizing Facebook's technology from Facebook employees provided by the company who showed up for work to his office multiple days a week. He says they had to be partisan and he questioned them to make sure. "I wanted people who supported Donald Trump." Parscale calls these Facebook employees "embeds" who could teach him every aspect of the technology. "I want to know everything you would tell Hillary's campaign plus some," he says he told them.

Both campaigns used Facebook's advertising technology extensively to reach voters, but Parscale says the Clinton campaign didn't go as far as using "embeds." "I had heard that they did not accept any of [Facebook's] offers."

The conservative Parscale sees an irony in all this. "These social platforms are all invented by very liberal people on the West and East Coast. And we figure out how to use it to push conservative values. I don't think they thought that would ever happen," says Parscale.



THE WORLD OF THE GECKO GOES ON, CREATING NEW SPECIES IN A UNIQUE SETTING OF “EVOLUTIONARY ISLANDS.” I DON’T KNOW WHO CLIMBED UP THERE AND STUDIED THE LITTLE FELLERS, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE FUN. BEING A FIELD BIOLOGIST WOULD INTEREST ME VERY MUCH. I HAVE ALWAYS HAD TOO MANY INTERESTS TO FOLLOW UP ON MOST OF THEM. THAT’S WHY I ENJOY DOING ANY KIND OF RESEARCH, WATCHING SCIENTIFIC OR HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARIES, ETC. SOMEHOW THESE MODERN DAY “REALITY SHOWS,” JUST DON’T WORK FOR ME.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2149587-we-just-found-nineteen-new-species-of-gecko-in-one-tiny-area/?utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=ILC&utm_campaign=webpush&cmpid=ILC%257CNSNS%257C2016-GLOBAL-webpush-Gecko
SHORT SHARP SCIENCE
5 October 2017
We just found nineteen new species of gecko in one tiny area
By Michael Le Page

Photograph -- One of the new Cyrtodactylus geckos. L. Lee Grisme

The number of known species of geckos has just jumped upwards, with 15 new species being formally described this week.

“And if you count the four I’m looking at right now it’s 19,” says Lee Grismer of La Sierra University in California. “When you called I was in the process of describing them.”

This is a big increase, as there are only around 1500 known species of these lizards, famed for the sticking power of their feet.

The 19 species all live in a small area of Myanmar just 90 by 50 kilometres in size. “That’s the really amazing thing about it,” says Grismer. “They all come from such a small area.”

It’s common to find lots of closely-related species of invertebrates like snails or insects in such a small area, but it is unprecedented for a backboned animal, say Grismer. “For lizards, it is remarkable.”

Photograph -- Another new Cyrtodactylus gecko, L. Lee Grismer

The reason is likely to do with the unusual landscape. In an otherwise-flat lowland area, great blocks of limestone rise up to 400 metres high. Their surfaces are highly corrugated and sculpted by erosion, and sometimes riddled with caves.

These limestone blocks, some just a kilometre across, are evolutionary islands where isolated geckos have evolved into separate species. The limestone-dwelling geckos tend to have longer legs and toes, and more slender bodies, than their lowland kin.

Grismer’s team was asked to explore the area in Myanmar by the charity Fauna & Flora International, which is campaigning to preserve the unusual limestone habitat.

Photograph -- The new geckos all lived in the same small area, L. Lee Grismer

In their first trip in 2016, the team found the first 15 geckos, as well as new snakes and frogs. “It was fricking crazy, man,” says Grismer. “In 19 days we found 23 new species.”

In a later trip, they found the four geckos yet to be formally described.

While the newly found geckos are restricted to tiny areas, they are abundant there, maybe because they are safe from many of the predators on the surrounding plains.

“It’s like you’re the only one who occupies a 7-Eleven,” says Grismer. “It may not be a Wal-Mart, but it’s all yours.”

Photograph -- Hemiphyllodactylus montawaensis, L. Lee Grismer

Some of the blocks are being mined for limestone, and there were explosions nearby as the team worked, says Grismer. But other blocks have caves regarded as sacred by Buddhists, and these are fiercely guarded by monks.

Most of the new species of gecko belong to a large genus collectively known as bent-toed geckos. But to Grismer’s surprise, the team also found three species of dwarf gecko, which are usually found only on cloudy mountaintops.

The formal descriptions will appear in two papers being published over the coming weeks.

Journal reference: Journal of Natural History, DOI: , DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2017.1367045

Journal reference: Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, DOI: in press


MADDOW REPORTS

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 10/4/17
Emails show Ivanka, Trump Jr. coordinating lies about Trump SoHo
Ivanka Trump and her brother, Donald Trump Jr., were nearly criminally indicted in a case involving Trump SoHo, and the related e-mails show them coordinating their lies. Andrea Bernstein, senior editor of policy and politics for WNYC, discusses the story with Ari Melber. Duration: 6:23


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 10/5/17
Trump signed law to help mentally ill get guns
Rachel Maddow points out the irony of Donald Trump's remarks that the Las Vegas shooter was "sick and demented" when one of Trump's only legislative accomplishments was a law to make it easier for the mentally ill to get guns. Duration: 3:55


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 10/5/17
Russian Kaspersky anti-virus software eyed in serious NSA breach
Kaspersky Lab software, long feared to be a conduit for Russian hackers is believed to have been just that in a break of NSA secrets. Shane Harris, national security reporter for the Wall Street Journal, discusses with Rachel Maddow. Duration: 7:57