NOVEMBER 11 AND 12, 2018


NEWS AND VIEWS


IF IT IS TRUE THAT FOR CONGRESS TO LEGISLATIVELY “PROTECT” MUELLER AND HIS INVESTIGATION FROM PRESIDENTIAL TAMPERING WOULD BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL, THEN TO ME THAT IS ONE MORE WAY THAT THE CONSTITUTION NEEDS TO BE REVISED. A SITTING PRESIDENT, MERELY BECAUSE HE IS STILL HOLDING THE OFFICE, SHOULD NOT, IN MY VIEW, BE PROTECTED FROM CRIMINAL OR OTHER LEGAL PROSECUTION.

THAT SETS UP A SITUATION IN WHICH THE PRESIDENT IS, INDEED, “ABOVE THE LAW,” WHICH IS A GUARANTEE OF MORE AND MORE CORRUPTION AND ABUSES OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER. I DON’T BELIEVE IN PERSONAL HONOR AS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF PREVENTING OVERREACH IN ANY NUMBER OF WAYS. SOME INDIVIDUALS HAVE HONOR IN THAT WAY AND DEGREE, BUT SO MANY PEOPLE IN TODAYS’ WORLD DO NOT. VERY FEW PEOPLE TODAY WOULD SAY, AND REALLY MEAN, “I CANNOT TELL A LIE, FATHER. I CUT DOWN THE CHERRY TREE.” TRUMP, IN PARTICULAR, LIKE NIXON, HAS BEEN ABUSIVE OF HIS LEGITIMATE POWER FROM DAY ONE. CONGRESS NEEDS TO BE IN CONTROL OF THAT.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sen-john-kennedy-on-acting-attorney-general-matt-whitaker/
By DAVID MORGAN CBS NEWS November 12, 2018, 8:55 AM
GOP Sen. Kennedy: Legislation to protect Mueller not "constitutional"

In the face of criticism raised against President Donald Trump's pick to fill the seat of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana advocated patience with Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, given that he is a short-term appointment. After firing Sessions last week, Mr. Trump ignored the line of succession at the Justice Department and appointed Whitaker, who was a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, a cable news pundit, and a vocal critic of the Special Counsel's investigation into Russian interference in U.S. elections.

Whitaker, who has not been confirmed by the Senate, has taken the position amid criticism of his qualifications, his impartiality, and his resume, including his role in a Florida patent company that was fined nearly $26 million for defrauding customers.

1112-ctm-kennedysessionssot-1709776-640x360.jpg
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. CBS NEWS

"CBS This Morning" co-host John Dickerson asked Kennedy, "What is your view about the fact that [Whitaker] is not a Senate-confirmed person?"

"I think he will be there for a short while," Kennedy replied. "I think the president will very shortly announce a permanent nominee. In the interim, I think everybody, including my Democratic friends, ought to give him the chance to find the men's room before they try to beat him half to death."

Dickerson asked Kennedy about Whitaker's past statements regarding Marbury v. Madison, an 1803 pillar of jurisprudence establishing the principle that the judiciary has power to declare acts by the other two branches of government unconstitutional. Whitaker said he thought the case had been "incorrectly interpreted," and that he believes the judiciary does not have a co-equal role in the American system.

"Well, I don't agree with him on that one," Kennedy said. "I would advise him to hit that case a second lick, because that's not quite what it says."

"He also said, 'The courts are supposed to be the inferior branch of the three branches of government.'"

"I don't agree with that, either," said Kennedy.

Who is Matthew Whitaker, the new acting attorney general? (CBS News, 11/07/18)
Acting AG Matthew Whitaker said that states have right to nullify federal law (Daily Beast)
"Nobody is above the law" protests held nationwide to support Mueller's probe (CBS News, 11/08/18)

There have also been calls for Congress to pass legislation protecting special counsel Robert Mueller from being fired before he can complete his investigation into the ties between President Trump's campaign and administration and Russia, and into charges of obstruction of justice in the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.

Whitaker (who now oversees the Mueller probe) has been openly hostile towards the investigation, calling it a "witch hunt" and advocating that Mueller be defunded or fired.

Dickerson asked, "Do you think there should be legislation to protect Mueller?"

"I don't think it's constitutional," Kennedy replied. "I don't think Congress can tell the president who he can fire and can't fire."

Watch for more of John Dickerson's interview with Sen. John Kennedy next week on "CBS This Morning."

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


THIS IS BERNIE’S POSITION STATEMENT ON RACIAL ISSUES. I’M PUTTING IT IN THE BLOG IN THE HOPE THAT SOME BLACK PEOPLE MIGHT POSSIBLY READ THESE POSTS FROM TIME TO TIME. BERNIE HIMSELF MAY HAVE TO GIVE A LONG ADDRESS ON THE RACE ISSUES TO GET OUT OF THE VERBAL TRAP HE FELL INTO WITH AMERICAN BLACKS. HE GAVE THE APPEARANCE OF EXCUSING THE WHITE CULTURALLY INHERITED RACIAL BIAS. THERE IS ONE OTHER ISSUE THAT IS VERY LIKELY RELATED, AND THAT IS A HISTORY OF SOME HOSTILITY BETWEEN JEWS AND BLACKS DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANY SIGN OF IT IN SANDERS, BUT I DON’T KNOW ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM. SEE THIS INFORMATIVE ARTICLE ON THE SUBJECT. -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American%E2%80%93Jewish_relations

https://berniesanders.com/issues/racial-justice/
ISSUES
Bernie Sanders on Racism and Racial Justice

Racial Justice

We must pursue policies to transform this country into a nation that affirms the value of its people of color. That starts with addressing the five central types of violence waged against black, brown and indigenous Americans: physical, political, legal, economic and environmental.

PHYSICAL VIOLENCE

PERPETRATED BY THE STATE

Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Rekia Boyd, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Jessica Hernandez, Tamir Rice, Jonathan Ferrell, Oscar Grant, Antonio Zambrano-Montes, Samuel DuBose and Anastacio Hernandez-Rojas. We know their names. Each of them died unarmed at the hands of police officers or in police custody. The chants are growing louder. People are angry and they have a right to be angry. We should not fool ourselves into thinking that this violence only affects those whose names have appeared on TV or in the newspaper. African-Americans are twice as likely to be arrested and almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police. African-American and Latinos comprise well over half of all prisoners, even though African-Americans and Latinos make up approximately one quarter of the total US population.

PERPETRATED BY EXTREMISTS

We are far from eradicating racism in this country. Today in America, if you are black, you can be killed for getting a pack of Skittles during a basketball game. Or murdered in your church while you are praying. This violence fills us with outrage, disgust and a deep, deep sadness. These hateful acts of violence amount to acts of terror. They are perpetrated by extremists who want to intimidate and terrorize black, brown and indigenous people in this country.

ADDRESSING PHYSICAL VIOLENCE

It is an outrage that in these early years of the 21st century we are seeing intolerable acts of violence being perpetrated by police and racist acts of terrorism by white supremacists.

A growing number of communities do not trust the police. Law enforcement officers have become disconnected from the communities they are sworn to protect. Violence and brutality of any kind, particularly at the hands of the police meant to protect and serve our communities, is unacceptable and must not be tolerated. We need a societal transformation to make it clear that black lives matter and racism will not be accepted in a civilized country.

We must demilitarize our police forces so they don’t look and act like invading armies.

We must invest in community policing. Only when we get officers into the communities, working within neighborhoods before trouble arises, do we develop the relationships necessary to make our communities safer together. Among other things, that means increasing civilian oversight of police departments.

We must create a police culture that allows for good officers to report the actions of bad officers without fear of retaliation and allows for a department to follow through on such reports.

We need police forces that reflect the diversity of our communities, including in the training academies and leadership.

At the federal level, we need to establish a new model police training program that reorients the way we do law enforcement in this country. With input from a broad segment of the community including activists and leaders from civil rights organizations we will reinvent how we police America.

We need to federally fund and require body cameras for law enforcement officers to make it easier to hold them accountable.

We need to require police departments and states to collect data on all police shootings and deaths that take place while in police custody and make that data public.

We need new rules on the allowable use of force. Police officers need to be trained to de-escalate confrontations and to humanely interact with people who have mental illnesses.

States and localities that make progress in this area should get more federal justice grant money. Those that do not should get their funding slashed.

We need to make sure federal resources are there to crack down on the illegal activities of hate groups.

POLITICAL VIOLENCE

DISENFRANCHISEMENT

In the shameful days of open segregation, literacy laws and poll taxes were used to suppress minority voting. Today, through other laws and actions — such as requiring voters to show photo ID, discriminatory drawing of Congressional districts, restricting same-day registration and early voting and aggressively purging voter rolls — states are taking steps which have a similar effect.

The patterns are unmistakable. 11 percent of eligible voters do not have a photo ID—and they are disproportionately black and Latino. In 2012, African-Americans waited twice as long to vote as whites. Some voters in minority precincts waited upwards of six or seven hours to cast a ballot. Meanwhile, thirteen percent of African-American men have lost the right to vote due to felony convictions.

Yet in 2013, the Supreme Court struck down a key part of the seminal Voting Rights Act, even while saying “voting discrimination still exists; no one doubts that.”

This should offend the conscience of every American.

The fight for minority voting rights is a fight for justice. It is inseparable from the struggle for democracy itself.

ADDRESSING POLITICAL VIOLENCE

We need to re-enfranchise the more than two million African-Americans who have had their right to vote taken away by a felony conviction, paid their debt to society, and deserve to have their rights restored.

Congress must restore the “pre-clearance” formula under the Voting Rights Act, which extended protections to minority voters in states and counties where they were clearly needed.

We must expand the Act’s scope so that every American, regardless of skin color or national origin, is able to vote freely.

We need to make Election Day a federal holiday to increase voters’ ability to participate.

We must make early voting an option for voters who work or study and need the flexibility to vote on evenings or weekends.

We must make no-fault absentee ballots an option for all Americans.

We must automatically register every American to vote when they turn 18 or move to a new state. The burden of registering voters should be on the state, not the individual voter.

We must put an end to discriminatory laws and the purging of minority-community names from voting rolls.

We need to make sure that there are sufficient polling places and poll workers to prevent long lines from forming at the polls anywhere.

LEGAL VIOLENCE

Millions of lives have been destroyed because people are in jail for nonviolent crimes. For decades, we have been engaged in a failed “War on Drugs” with racially-biased mandatory minimums that punish people of color unfairly.

It is an obscenity that we stigmatize so many young Americans with a criminal record for smoking marijuana, but not one major Wall Street executive has been prosecuted for causing the near collapse of our entire economy. This must change.

If current trends continue, one in four black males born today can expect to spend time in prison during their lifetime. Blacks are imprisoned at six times the rate of whites and a report by the Department of Justice found that blacks were three times more likely to be searched during a traffic stop, compared to white motorists. Together, African-Americans and Latinos comprised 57 percent of all prisoners in 2014, even though African-Americans and Latinos make up approximately one quarter of the US population. These outcomes are not reflective of increased crime by communities of color, but rather a disparity in enforcement and reporting mechanisms. African-Americans are twice as likely to be arrested and almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police. This is an unspeakable tragedy.

It is morally repugnant that we have privatized prisons all over America. Corporations should not be allowed to make a profit by building more jails and keeping more Americans behind bars. We have got to end the private for-profit prison racket in America. Sen. Sanders has introduced legislation that will end the private prison industry.

The measure of success for law enforcement should not be how many people get locked up. We need to invest in drug courts as well as medical and mental health interventions for people with substance abuse problems, so that people struggling with addiction do not end up in prison, they end up in treatment.

For people who have committed crimes that have landed them in jail, there needs to be a path back from prison. The federal system of parole needs to be reinstated. We need real education and real skills training for the incarcerated.

We must end the over-incarceration of nonviolent young Americans who do not pose a serious threat to our society. It is an international embarrassment that we have more people locked up in jail than any other country on earth – more than even the Communist totalitarian state of China. That has got to end.

We must address the lingering unjust stereotypes that lead to the labeling of black youths as “thugs” and “super predators.” We know the truth that, like every community in this country, the vast majority of people of color are trying to work hard, play by the rules and raise their children. It’s time to stop demonizing minority communities.

In many cities all over our country, the incentives for policing are upside down. Departments are bringing in substantial sums of revenue by seizing the personal property of people who are suspected of criminal involvement. So-called civil asset forfeiture laws allow police to take property from people even before they are charged with a crime, much less convicted of one. Even worse, the system works in a way that makes it very difficult and expensive for an innocent person to get his or her property back. We must end programs that actually reward officials for seizing assets without a criminal conviction or other lawful mandate. Departments and officers should not profit off of such seizures.

Local governments that rely on tickets and fines to pay bills can become dependent on implicit quotas for law enforcement. When policing is a source of revenue tied to the financial sustainability of agencies, officers are pressured to meet internal goals which can lead to unnecessary or unlawful traffic stops and citations which disproportionately affect people of color. Implicit quota systems promote racial stereotyping and breed distrust between officers and communities of color.

Furthermore, we must ensure police departments are not abusing avenues of due process to shield bad actors from accountability. Local governments and police management must show zero tolerance for abuses of police power at all levels. All employees of any kind deserve due process protections, but it must be clear that departments will vigorously investigate and, if necessary, prosecute every allegation of wrongdoing to the fullest extent.

ADDRESSING LEGAL VIOLENCE

We need to ban prisons for profit, which result in an over-incentive to arrest, jail and detain in order to keep prison beds full.

We need to turn back from the failed “War on Drugs” and eliminate mandatory minimums which result in sentencing disparities between black and white people.

We need to take marijuana off the federal government’s list of outlawed drugs.

We need to allow people in states which legalize marijuana to be able to fully participate in the banking system and not be subject to federal prosecution for using pot.

We need to invest in drug courts and medical and mental health interventions for people with substance abuse problems, so that they do not end up in prison, they end up in treatment.

We need to boost investments for programs that help people who have gone to jail rebuild their lives with education and job training.

We must investigate local governments that are using implicit or explicit quotas for arrests or stops.

We must stop local governments that are relying on fines, fees or asset forfeitures as a steady source of revenue.

Police departments must investigate all allegations of wrongdoing, especially those involving the use of force, and prosecute aggressively, if necessary. If departments are unwilling or unable to conduct such investigations, the Department of Justice must step in and handle it for them.

ECONOMIC VIOLENCE

Weeks before his death, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to a union group in New York about what he called “the other America.”

“One America is flowing with the milk of prosperity and the honey of equality,” King said. “That America is the habitat of millions of people who have food and material necessities for their bodies, culture and education for their minds, freedom and human dignity for their spirits … But as we assemble here tonight, I’m sure that each of us is painfully aware of the fact that there is another America and that other America has a daily ugliness about it that transforms the buoyancy of hope into the fatigue of despair.”

The problem was structural, King said: “This country has socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the poor.”

But what King saw in 1968 — and what we all should recognize today — is that it is necessary to try to address the rampant economic inequality while also taking on the issue of societal racism. We must simultaneously address the structural and institutional racism which exists in this country, while at the same time we vigorously attack the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality which is making the very rich much richer while everyone else — especially those in our minority communities – are becoming poorer.

In addition to the physical violence faced by too many in our country we need to look at the lives of black children and address some difficult facts. Black children, who make up just 18 percent of preschoolers, account for 48 percent of all out-of-school suspensions before kindergarten. We are failing our black children before kindergarten. Black students are expelled at three times the rate of white students. Black girls are suspended at higher rates than all other girls and most boys. According to the Department of Education, African-American students are more likely to suffer harsh punishments — suspensions and arrests — at school. Black students attend schools with higher concentrations of first-year teachers when compared with white students. Black students are more than three times as likely to attend schools where fewer than 60 percent of teachers meet all state certification and licensure requirements.

Communities of color also face the violence of economic deprivation. Let’s be frank: neighborhoods like those in west Baltimore, where Freddie Gray resided, suffer the most. However, the problem of economic immobility isn’t just a problem for young men like Freddie Gray. Despite hard-work and the will to get ahead, millions of Americans spend their entire lives struggling to survive on the economic treadmill.

We live at a time when most older workers have no retirement savings, and millions of working adults have no idea how they will ever retire in dignity. An unforeseen car accident, a medical emergency, or the loss of a job could send their lives into an economic tailspin. And the problems are even more serious when we consider race.

Let us not forget: It was the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior on Wall Street that nearly drove the economy off of a cliff seven years ago. While millions of Americans lost their jobs, homes, life savings and ability to send their kids to college, African-Americans who were steered into expensive subprime mortgages were the hardest hit.

Most black and Latino households have less than $350 in savings. The black unemployment rate has remained roughly twice as high as the white rate over the last 40 years, regardless of education. Real African-American youth unemployment is over 50 percent. African-American women earn 64 cents for every dollar white men make. This is unacceptable. The American people in general want change — they want a better deal. A fairer deal. A new deal. They want an America with laws and policies that truly reward hard work with economic mobility. They want an America that affords all of its citizens with the economic security to take risks and the opportunity to realize their full potential.

ADDRESSING ECONOMIC VIOLENCE

We need to give our children, regardless of their race or income, a fair shot at attending college. That’s why all public universities should be made tuition free. We should pay for that with a tax on Wall Street speculators.

We must invest $5.5 billion to create 1 million jobs for disadvantaged young Americans who face high unemployment rates and job-training opportunities for hundreds of thousands of young adults. We should pay for that by ending the loophole allowing Wall Street hedge fund managers to pay a lower tax rate than nurses or truck drivers.

We must increase the minimum wage to a livable wage of $15 an hour by 2020 —which will increase the wages of about half of African-Americans and nearly 60 percent of Latinos.

We must invest $1 trillion to put 13 million Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling cities, roads, bridges, public transportation systems, airports, drinking water systems and other infrastructure needs. We should pay for that by closing offshore tax loopholes.

We must pass federal legislation to ensure pay equity for women.

We must prevent employers from discriminating against applicants based on criminal history by “banning the box.”

We must promote policies to give the formerly incarcerated an opportunity for education, including expanding the Second Chance Pell Pilot Program and reentry programs.

We need to ensure access to quality affordable childcare for working families, especially for parents who work non-traditional hours.

We must fundamentally re-write our trade policies and rebuild factories that were closed as a result of bad trade deals.

ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLENCE

PERPETRATED BY POLLUTING INDUSTRIES

People of color disproportionately experience a daily assault on their health and environment. Communities of color are the hardest hit by air and water pollution from industrial factories, power plants, incinerators, chemical waste and lead contamination from old pipes and paint. At the same time, they lack access to parks, gardens and other recreational green space.

Like income inequality, environmental inequality is rapidly growing in the United States.

Black children are five times more likely than white children to have lead poisoning. Indigenous peoples are impacted disproportionately by destructive mining practices and the dumping of hazardous materials on their lands. As demonstrated by Hurricane Katrina, poor communities of color have a harder time escaping, surviving and recovering from climate-related disasters. Taken together, it is clear that people of color experience a disparate exposure to environmental hazards where they “work, live, and play.”

Nationwide, the health of communities is consistently ignored in favor of the profits of corporate polluters. The fact that people of color breathe 46 percent more nitrogen dioxide —which causes respiratory diseases and heart conditions — than whites helps explain why one in six African-American kids has asthma.

The environmental violence being inflicted on people of color who are denied the full rights of citizenship — especially migrant workers and new immigrants — is especially pronounced. Low-income Latino immigrants are more likely to live in areas with high levels of hazardous air pollution than anyone else. In fact, the odds of a Latino immigrant neighborhood being located in an area of high toxic pollution is one in three.

Latinos and African-Americans are more likely to work in hazardous jobs that place them at higher risk for serious occupational diseases, injuries and muscular-skeletal disabilities. The fatality rate among Latino workers is 23 percent higher than the fatal injury rate for all US workers. Often reluctant to complain about poor working conditions for fear of deportation or being fired, Mexican migrant workers are nearly twice as likely as the rest of the immigrant population to die at work. This is unacceptable and must be addressed.

Taken together, these injustices are largely the product of political marginalization and institutional racism. The less political power a community of color possesses, the more likely they are to experience insidious environmental and human health threats. The environmental violence being inflicted on these communities of color is taking a terrible toll, and must be made a national priority. Access to a clean and healthy environment is a fundamental right of citizenship. To deny such rights constitutes an environmental injustice that should never be tolerated.

ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLENCE

We must protect low-income and minority communities, who are hit first and worst by the causes and impacts of climate change, while also protecting existing energy-sector workers as they transition into clean energy and other jobs.

We must have equal enforcement of environmental, civil rights and public health laws.

We need to address the inadequate environmental cleanup efforts of Superfund hazardous waste sites in communities of color.

We must stop the unequal exposure of people of color to harmful chemicals, pesticides and other toxins in homes, schools, neighborhoods and workplaces and challenge faulty assumptions in calculating, assessing and managing risks, discriminatory zoning and land-use practices and exclusionary policies.

Federal agencies must develop and implement clear, strategic plans to achieve climate and environmental justice and provide targeted action where the needs are greatest.

The environmental analysis for a permit for a polluting facility must consider the disparate and cumulative environmental burden borne by a community.

States should evaluate and report progress made on addressing climate and environmental injustice.

We need to mitigate climate change and focus on building resilience in low-income and minority communities.

We must promote cleaner manufacturing processes, renewable energy systems and safe product designs that end pollution and the use of toxic chemicals, while providing safe jobs and other economic benefits for people of color.


THIS BLACK LAWYER IS VOICING GREAT ANGER AT SANDERS OVER THE VERBAL MISSTEP IN WHICH HE FAILED TO STATE CLEARLY THAT WHITE RACISM HAD CAUSED TWO OF HIS PROTEGES TO LOSE A 2016 RACE IN SOUTHERN STATES, OVER THE FACT THAT THEY HAPPEN TO BE BLACK. SANDERS DIDN’T JUMP TO THEIR DEFENSE OR CALL THE RACISTS OUT. THAT WAS PROBABLY A DESIRE TO AVOID A HUGE WHITE BACKLASH AGAINST HIMSELF PERSONALLY, BUT IT MAY HAVE LOST HIM ALL CHANCES WITH THE BLACKS.

HE HAS CAREFULLY AVOIDED RACIAL POLITICS, AND I DO THINK THAT IT IS A PERMANENT FIXTURE IN AMERICAN SOCIETY. NOTHING HE CAN DO OF ANY SIMPLE SORT WILL MAKE ANY REAL DIFFERENCE. ALL OF THE ANGER IS USELESS. I ALSO THINK, AS BERNIE DOES, THAT MOST OF THE PROBLEM IS MONETARY, EDUCATIONAL, ETC., BUT THE FACT THAT BLACKS WERE SLAVES HAS LEFT A TERRIBLE SHADOW OVER THEM FROM THE FIRST YEARS AFTER THEY WERE FREED.

I THINK IF THEY HADN’T BEEN GIVEN SUCH A LOW PLACE IN AMERICAN SOCIETY FROM THE BEGINNING, REINFORCED SO OFTEN AND SO STRONGLY SINCE THEN, AND ARE NOW QUITE ANGRY AT WHITES, WE MIGHT HAVE A BETTER CHANCE AT PEACE BETWEEN THE RACES. WHAT WE NEED IS A WAY TO BRING US ALL TOGETHER TO DISCUSS ISSUES. I HAVE OFTEN THOUGHT OF COMMUNITY DISCUSSION GROUPS FOR PROBLEM SOLVING, FROM RACE TO POLICING ISSUES.

THIS COUNTRY, THOUGH, IS NOT ONE FOR DISCUSSING. WE’RE ALL ABOUT FIGHTING. IF A BERNIE SANDERS OR SOME STRONG PROGRESSIVE LEADER WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP PUT US AS A PEOPLE ON A NEW FOOTING OF THAT SORT, WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN TRIED THAT I’M AWARE OF, WE MIGHT HAVE A CHANCE. I HAVE LITTLE FAITH IN THAT SORT OF THING EVER OCCURRING, THOUGH. MAYBE WE ARE DUE FOR “THE RACE WAR,” AS SEVERAL WHITE NATIONALISTS HAVE PREDICTED, SEEMING TO BE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT WITH JOY. HOW SICK CAN WE GET?

https://comptonherald.org/bernie-sanders-leave-him-alone/
Bernie Sanders: Time to leave him alone
Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders: ‘There are a lot of White folks … not necessarily racist who felt uncomfortable … [voting] for an African American’ Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was recently quoted by The Daily Beast on
NOVEMBER 12, 2018 Joe Richardson, Esq.00346Views

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was recently quoted by The Daily Beast on the role of racism in the race for Florida governor where Andrew Gillum, an African American, was the Democratic nominee.

“I think you know there are a lot of White folks out there who are not necessarily racist who felt uncomfortable for the first time in their lives about whether or not they wanted to vote for an African American,” Sanders said of the race between Gillum and Republican nominee Ron DeSantis. It resulted (rightfully) in an outcry, as he ignored the reality that discomfort with Black leadership just because it is Black would be racist.

Bernie Sanders is a man who, despite being a relatively under-accomplished as a senator from a very small Northeastern state, found a way to be relevant in the 2016 presidential race. Many people were “Feeling the Bern.” Ultimately, while he lost to Hillary Clinton, he inspired a movement of “progressive” candidates nationwide and is considered in play as a 2020 presidential candidate.

Here is the problem. A big part of the word “Progressive” is the word “progress.” And, while focusing exhaustively on inequities related to class, Sanders has always been weak on issues of race. If I am driving my wife’s Lexus and I get pulled over when I shouldn’t, that’s not a class issue, that’s a race issue.

President Trump is using dog whistles that relate primarily to race, not class. Bernie does not understand race. Meanwhile, African Americans, and African American women particularly are the most loyal component of the Democratic Party. How can any candidate seeking to represent Democrats do so without even attempting to understand issues of race?

On race, there is no question that Sanders “screws the pooch.” Despite claiming connections to the civil rights movement, it affected him so much that he moved to the state of Vermont — not diverse and not his native state, where, frankly, he couldn’t learn much on race. He lost to Hillary Clinton by 50 points among Black voters during the primary. His support among the Congressional Black Caucus, the legislators that would know him best and worked with him every day for over two decades, was virtually non-existent. How can you possibly have a “movement” if you can’t “move” the most loyal component of the party?

And, speaking of the party — the Democratic party — this is still the party that Sanders has not been loyal enough to join. Meanwhile, he wants to open primaries to non-Democrats, which would serve to dilute the influence of real Democrats, who are committed enough to dedicate themselves to the party. Chief among them, again, are African Americans.

Sen. Sanders talks about the system being “rigged.” However, the notion that it is rigged against him has always been a stretch. For the last two years, without being a Democrat, he has weighed in on Democratic races. Notably, he went out of his way to inform us he did not know whether Georgia Democratic Congressional candidate Jon Ossoff was a progressive, when the demographics of those districts dictated that Ossoff’s politics were consistent with the politics of that area. That confusion and half-hearted support may have contributed to Ossoff’s narrow defeat in a race that was a golden opportunity for Democrats to get on the long road to taking back the U.S. House.

Further, political blood is on Sanders’ hands for his anemic endorsement of Hillary Clinton (her imperfections notwithstanding) which contributed to her defeat and the addition of two conservative Supreme Court justices (thus far) that will seek to take the country in another direction for the next 30 years.

The comment Bernie made about Gillum underscores an even larger problem. Certainly, there are many people still uncomfortable with electing someone that does not look like them. That is correct. However, while making that point, Sanders should have also said such a perspective is the essence of racism, and that it must be changed. Yes, you can call out the effects of institutional racism without calling its agents (i.e. all of us) racist. Many people are well intentioned but need to be educated.

What Dems must understand is that Bernie Sanders is not “prime time.” He never was. It may be that the Democratic presidential primary system is imperfectly weighted toward the “Big Boys,” i.e. those already in power, as Bernie claims. But, remember 2008? Can anyone claim that the system was rigged in favor of Barack Obama? If anyone had a system against him it was Obama. He ran against Hillary closer to her prime and defeated her and Bill Clinton, a popular ex-president who fared well with Black people. Nobody gave Obama anything — he took it through his direct and effective appeal to the people.

Mistakenly, because Sanders generated real energy, we understate his inadequacies as a candidate and the weaknesses of his campaign, which included a woeful lack of details. All the systems Bernie complains about existed in 2008. Yet, Obama still won. Bernie’s campaign was not as effective as Obama’s. I submit to you that if Sanders can fly around the country, weigh in on races where progressives like him couldn’t win, and continue to dictate things inside a party he has yet to join, despite his legislative shortcomings, the system is working just fine for him. His relevance despite that system is the proof. Frankly, he has nothing to complain about.

I appreciated the energy Bernie Sanders brought to the 2016 race, and even the ideas to some extent. And people in communities all over the country, particularly young people, are doing valuable things in politics that have been helped by Bernie’s inspiration, which I respect and applaud. But he needs to be put in a proper light once and for all. This last dust up shows us all that Bernie is incapable or unwilling to navigate the issues of race that many, including African Americans, living, schooling, and working in majority situations must navigate every day just to survive.

While we all must “pick our spots,” Bernie should have his to call out a problem that needs to be called out, without demonizing citizens. He failed to do it. And, even if it isn’t a deal breaker for progressives or for liberals, it’s a deal breaker for me.

Joe Richardson is an attorney and free-lance writer living and working in Southern California.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this commentary are not necessarily those of the publisher.


DRIP, DRIP, DRIP, THE RACIAL INSENSITIVITY CLAIMS AGAINST BERNIE SANDERS GO ON. THIS STORY IS FROM 2016, BUT THE ISSUE OF CLASS VERSUS RACE IS STILL IMPORTANT AND IS LAID OUT VERY WELL HERE. AT LEAST TWO OTHER ARTICLES WERE IN THE NEWS TODAY. A KEY PHRASE IN THE GUARDIAN REPORT IS “CODDLE WHITE WORKING-CLASS PEOPLE.” THAT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE ANTI-WHITE RACIST BIGOTRY TO ME. I COULD READ THAT TO MEAN THAT WHITE WORKING-CLASS PEOPLE DON’T REALLY NEED FINANCIAL HELP, OR IF THEY DO IT’S THEIR OWN FAULT AND IT SHOULD BE WITHHELD. AS LONG AS SKIN COLORS DIFFER, THIS WILL BE A PERENNIAL ISSUE. IT CAN’T GO AWAY AMONG ALL CITIZENS, BECAUSE IT’S ONE OF THE MAIN WAYS THAT INSANE PEOPLE ARE DERANGED. IT WILL POP UP FREQUENTLY BECAUSE OF THAT. A PARANOID MIND LOOKS AT ANOTHER’S DIFFERENCES AND RESPONDS WITH FEAR AND HATRED. AS INDIVIDUALS WE CAN REFUSE TO GO THAT ROUTE OURSELVES, AND IF WE CAN GET ENOUGH UNITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO ADDRESS IT, MAYBE IT CAN BE IMPROVED, BUT IT WILL NEVER GO AWAY TOTALLY, SO WE NEED TO “LIVE WITH IT” IN A WAY, BECAUSE OTHERWISE WE WILL DEVOLVE INTO CHAOS. THAT’S WHY BERNIE SANDERS DOESN’T WANT TO MAKE IT HIS FOCUS. I FEEL CERTAIN THAT HE HAS NO PERSONAL ANIMUS AGAINST PEOPLE OF COLOR.

I WANT TO SEE THIS COUNTRY BROADLY AND STRONGLY ADDRESS HATRED, BECAUSE IT IS WORSE HERE IN THE US THAN IT NEEDS TO BE, AND MUCH WORSE THAN I USED TO KNOW. WE HAVE BEEN SO BUSY CONGRATULATING OURSELVES THESE LAST FEW YEARS ON OUR “GREATNESS,” THAT WE HAVE FAILED TO TRY HARD AT ALL FOR BASIC GOODNESS. AS LONG AS THE USE OF ONE WORD, “UNCOMFORTABLE,” CAUSES SANDERS TO BE EXCORIATED AND WEAKENED NATIONALLY, THEN I CAN ONLY THINK THAT BLACK PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW SUCH A PATH REALLY DON’T CARE MUCH ABOUT OUR COUNTRY, UNLESS YOU ARE PERFECTLY HAPPY SEEING A FAR-RIGHT PRESIDENT ELECTED. LIBERALS FAILED TO SEE WHAT KIND OF MAN TRUMP ACTUALLY WAS UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. WE LAUGHED AT HIM (I PERSONALLY DIDN’T) WHEN WE SHOULD HAVE FOUGHT HIM TOOTH AND NAIL. WE DON’T HAVE TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN, BUT WE WILL NEED TO PULL TOGETHER RATHER THAN SPLITTING APART.

IT’S CLEAR TO ME THAT BERNIE SANDERS WANTS TO MOVE TOWARD A POSITIVE GOAL FOR ALL, AND I BELIEVE THAT IF WE DON’T DO THAT, WE WILL END UP WITH MANY MORE PEOPLE IN NEED THAN THERE ARE NOW. WE WILL ALSO HAVE MORE ACTIVE, OVERT, AGGRESSIVE RACISM AS BOTH WHITES AND BLACKS GET MORE ANGRY AT EACH OTHER. WE MUSTN’T FORGET THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER GROUPS IN THE USA AS WELL, AND IF THEY ARE CITIZENS, WE WILL OWE AID TO THEM AS WELL IF THEY ARE IN NEED. ASIDE FROM CITIZENSHIP, THERE IS JUST THE BASIC HUMAN DUTY TO EACH OTHER. I WOULD REALLY HATE TO SEE A SIZABLE PORTION OF BLACK PEOPLE REFUSE TO VOTE FOR BERNIE SANDERS IF HE IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S CHOSEN CANDIDATE FOR 2020 BECAUSE HE USED TOO DIPLOMATIC A WORD RATHER THAN SCREAMING RACISM. IF THIS SITUATION WEREN’T SO SERIOUS, IT WOULD BE RIDICULOUS.

SANDERS BELIEVES IN A FAIR INCOME FOR ALL PEOPLE; HE HAS NEVER MADE IT A RACIAL ISSUE. WHITES ARE JUST AS ENTITLED TO FINANCIAL HELP AS ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND MANY OF US DO NEED HELP AT TIMES. BLACK PEOPLE CAN CONSIDER THEMSELVES INCLUDED IN THAT GROUP. AS FOR BATTLING RACISM IN THE USA, IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE. WE’VE DONE IT SINCE THE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA. IT JUST ISN’T EASY, AND IT IS GOING TO BE, IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, NOT A GROUP ACTION, BUT INDIVIDUAL EFFORT. IT’S A GROUP-THINK ISSUE, AND THE DOMINANT GROUP IS WHITE; THEREFORE, THEY WILL IN MORE CASES THAN I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, MAKE A NEGATIVE JUDGMENT AGAINST ALL PEOPLE OF COLOR.

WHEN THE WHITE WORKING CLASS BECOME BETTER FUNDED AND THEREFORE BETTER EDUCATED, THAT WILL REALLY HELP, THOUGH, AND THAT IS WHAT SANDERS IS TRYING TO DO. FREE COLLEGE IS FOR ALL, AND WILL HELP THOSE WHO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. BLACK PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BE EQUIPPED TO ACTUALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT WILL HAVE TO STUDY HARD IN SCHOOL FROM THE FIRST GRADE UP, THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL, PLACE AS WELL ON ENTRANCE EXAMS AS THEY CAN, AND THEN CHOOSE A STATE COLLEGE FOR IT TO BE FREE. THAT’S WHAT I DID. I WENT TO UNC-CHAPEL HILL, AND IT COST ME LESS THAN AN INFERIOR PRIVATE SCHOOL WOULD HAVE. IT IS ALSO A GOOD ALL-ROUND EDUCATION THERE. PRIVATE COLLEGES ARE NOT EXPENSIVE BECAUSE THEY ARE BETTER, BUT BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT ISN’T INVOLVED IN THEIR FINANCING. I STOPPED COLLEGE AFTER FOUR YEARS, AND MAJORED IN ENGLISH LITERATURE. I WORKED IN OFFICES AND LIBRARIES MOST OF MY WORK LIFE. MY GOAL WAS WRITING AND LIBRARY WORK.

WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE TO DO IS CHOOSE A PATH THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRAVEL AND PREPARE SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT. GO WITH WHAT YOU ENJOY MOST. WHEN I WAS YOUNG, MORE PEOPLE WERE GENERALISTS, AS I WAS, BUT PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GO INTO A SCIENCE OR MATH NEED TO REALLY DIG INTO THOSE SUBJECTS IN HIGH SCHOOL. STUDENTS WHO HAVE READING COMPREHENSION PROBLEMS NEED TO DO MORE OF THAT RATHER THAN AVOIDING IT, BECAUSE IT’S UNPLEASANT FOR THEM. LET’S FACE IT; NOTHING IN LIFE IS VERY EASY, SO GET USED TO THAT. A CLUE ON READING DIFFICULTIES – LOOK AT EACH NEW WORD AS THOUGH IT WERE A NEW FRIEND. APPROACH IT WITH JOY AND YOU WILL COME TO ENJOY LEARNING ANOTHER NEW WORD. LOOK ON THE INTERNET OR IN A GOOD PAPER DICTIONARY TO SEE THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD, SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION.

NO MATTER ONES’ RACE, THE SAME KNOWLEDGE WILL HAVE TO BE ACQUIRED AND IN THE SAME OLD PLODDING, THOROUGH, INDEPENDENT WAY. THERE IS NO WAY TO GET THROUGH COLLEGE WITHOUT THAT INDIVIDUAL EFFORT. GROUP-THINK CAN BE A DRAWBACK IN A SITUATION LIKE THAT, BECAUSE IT’S MISLEADING. NOBODY CAN LEARN FOR YOU.


https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/22/bernie-sanders-identity-politics-class-race-debate
Bernie Sanders still says class is more important than race. He is still wrong
Michael Arceneaux
@youngsinick
Tue 22 Nov 2016 10.29 EST

Sanders spoke about the need to move ‘beyond identity politics,’ apparently not recognizing that this is impossible in America

PHOTOGRAPH -- ‘If Sanders’ insistence on moving past identity politics is the next step in his revolution, may it suffer even more defeat than it did in the primary.’ Photograph: Larry Marano/Rex/Shutterstock

It appears that in the aftermath of a monumental but nonetheless failed presidential campaign, Bernie Sanders remains most comfortable in the spot that made him a loser: trying to separate class and race.

Sanders has never been wrong about the damaging roles establishment politics and economics play in the lives of millions of Americans. Even so, he’s long struggled with acknowledging that focusing on class alone won’t make this country better for many who are struggling. That the revolution cannot be colorblind if it were to truly make this country better for all of the disenfranchised.

At a speech in Boston on Sunday, the Vermont senator advocated “go[ing] beyond identity politics,” declaring, “The working class of this country is being decimated — that’s why Donald Trump won. And what we need now are candidates who stand with those working people, who understand that real median family income has gone down.”

Yes, it has. But Sanders, like the others parading this pedestrian punditry in the aftermath of the news that most white people voted for Donald Trump, is missing the point while continuing to promote the very ideas that sunk him during the primary. He lost many potential voters of color because we know color-blind economic policies alone will not change certain realities of racism in America. They might “make America great again”, but only for people who have always had it pretty good.

In October, when asked in a New Republic profile how uncomfortable he appeared talking about race, he answered, “OK, see, this is an issue I’m not really – what I don’t want to do is get into me.” When told that it wasn’t about him per se, Sanders said, “It’s a complicated answer. It’s a good question, but I prefer not to get into it right now.”

Though Sanders did make some efforts toward minority outreach eventually, it was too late and not good enough. After all this time, that reality has still failed to reach him.

In his Boston speech, he demonstrated this blind spot yet again, when a woman in the audience asked asked Sanders how she could become the second-ever Latina senator.

“It is not good enough for somebody to say, ‘I’m a woman, vote for me,’” Sanders explained. “No, that’s not good enough. What we need is a woman who has the guts to stand up to Wall Street, to the insurance companies, to the drug companies, to the fossil fuel industry. In other words, one of the struggles that you’re going to be seeing in the Democratic Party is whether we go beyond identity politics.”

Why should we pretend “identity politics” hasn’t always been America’s way – that discounting them invalidates the lived experience of the very people that opted against sending him to the general election?

When Bernie Sanders talks about the Democratic party’s failure to reach working-class white voters, he manages to somehow forget he lost to a woman who bested him partly because she spoke of the need of criminal justice reform and the overall role racism plays in America before he did.

Nonetheless, Hillary Clinton went on to lose to a demagogue who promised to restore the nation to an image that excluded Americans like me and like the woman who dreams of becoming a US senator.

Bernie Sanders owed that woman a better answer. He should have mentioned the need to combat voter suppression. He should have mentioned how identity politics matter because one’s identity in this country can very much play into economic status. Instead, Sanders went to what makes him comfortable rather than address reality.

Trump voters proved they were more willing to let a con man break the country than share it with the rest of us. The failure of Democrats wasn’t that they didn’t coddle white working-class people enough; it was that they failed to explain how unless you are wealthy, white and connected like Trump, you will fall like every other person he’s screwed over throughout his career. That a multicultural coalition rooted in economic plurality for all benefits everyone most.

If Sanders’ insistence on moving past “identity politics” is the next step in his revolution, may it suffer even more defeat than it did in the primary.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-46169514
Remembrance Day: In pictures
NOVEMBER 11, 2018 30 minutes ago

PHOTOGRAPHS:

A beacon lights up the sky at Barrington Court in Somerset - one of more than 1,000 lit across the UK PA

David Danks, of the City of Leeds pipe band, plays as a flame burns at Conisbrough Castle in South Yorkshire PA

St Mary's Lighthouse, Whitley Bay, glows red in honour of the centenary PA

The Queen and senior royals attended Westminster Abbey on Sunday evening where flowers were laid on the grave of the Unknown Warrior GETTY IMAGES

Princes William and Harry and the duchesses of Sussex and Cambridge at the Westminster Abbey service copyrightGETTY IMAGES

St Albans Cathedral is bathed in red light REUTERS

The names of people who died in World War One are projected onto the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh PA

A police officer bows his head during the remembrance service. PA

Following the laying of the wreaths hundreds of veterans take part in the annual parade. REUTERS

A Royal Guardsman during the remembrance service at the Cenotaph memorial. PA

The women of The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry take part. The unit was founded in 1907. REUTERS

On 32 beaches around Great Britain the faces of those who served during World War One are being created in the sand. A picture of the British army's first black officer Walter Tull is seen on Ayr Beach. He enlisted in the Army in 1914, rose to become a 2nd Lieutenant and died in the Second Battle of the Somme at the age of 29. SWNS

Piper Louise Marshall, wearing a special commemorative red tartan, plays Battle's O'er, the traditional Scottish lament played at the end of battle, at dawn alongside the Forth Bridge in Scotland PA

Veterans take part in a remembrance parade and service in Fort William, Scotland. PA

Russian President Vladimir Putin is also in attendance. REUTERS

THERE ARE MORE OF THESE, INCLUDING SOME FROM BELGIUM, GERMANY AND FRANCE. IT’S REALLY BEAUTIFUL; SO GO TO THE WEBSITE TO VIEW THEM ALL. NOBODY DOES PAGEANTRY BETTER THAN “THE BRITS.”


MORE PHOTOS FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT
https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-46150297

A rainbow formed over the US Capitol in Washington during the evening of the mid-term elections. The Democrats took control of the US House of Representatives, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump, but the Republicans strengthened their grip on the Senate. JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS

The White House has suspended the credentials of CNN's chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. The White House said his access was removed because he had put "his hands on" a member of staff when she tried to take the microphone from him during a news conference - an accusation Mr Acosta said was a lie. JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS


ONE OF THE COMMONLY ACCEPTED ELECTION PRACTICES THAT DISTURBS ME MOST IS THAT OF ANNOUNCING THE ELECTION RESULT BASED ON A PARTIAL COUNT. WHEN THE GAP IS TEN PERCENTAGE POINTS OR SO, THAT MAY BE OKAY, BUT WHEN THE DIFFERENCE IS A FRACTION OF ONE PERCENTAGE POINT, AS IN THIS GEORGIA ELECTION, IT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT OKAY.

THAT IS SOMETIMES DONE SO THE TV NEWS CAN FINISH THEIR BROADCAST ON TIME. FIRST, THAT IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE REASON TO ME. REPORTERS AND CREW SHOULD JUST ACCEPT THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE BUSY INTO THE WEE HOURS OF THE NEXT DAY, AND BRING COFFEE AND A SANDWICH TO TIDE THEM OVER. IN THE FIRST COAST NEWS STORY BELOW – MY LOCAL JACKSONVILLE STATION -- IT IS PRESIDENT TRUMP WHO WANTS TO RUSH THE PROCESS, JUST AS HE DOES THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION. TRUMP SAID IT’S TIME FOR GEORGIA TO “MOVE ON”! I’M SURE THE REASON IS THE SAME IN BOTH CASES – THE TIDE DOESN’T SEEM TO BE MOVING IN THE DESIRED DIRECTION AS MORE AND MORE VOTES ARE COUNTED.

AS ONE OF OUR FEMALE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES STACEY ABRAMS, WHO IS TRAILING BY LESS THAN ONE POINT FOR GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA, SAID, “WE’RE GOING TO COUNT EVERY BALLOT!” AN ESTIMATE, ESPECIALLY A PROJECTION, IS NOT A COUNT AND WHEN THE HAND COUNT IS DONE, THE RESULTS DO CHANGE. WE AREN’T TAKING OUR ELECTIONS SERIOUSLY ENOUGH THESE DAYS. BESIDES, I REALLY DO LIKE ABRAMS’ UPBEAT PERSONALITY, GOOD LOOKS, HONESTY, PROGRESSIVE POINT OF VIEW AND CLEAR INTELLIGENCE. I REALLY DO WANT TO SEE HER SHOULDER THE REPUBLICAN KEMP ASIDE; ACCORDING TO NEWS REPORTS, AS GA SECRETARY OF STATE HE HAS BEEN BLEEDING THE VOTER ROLLS OF DEMOCRATS (ESPECIALLY BLACK DEMOCRATS) FOR YEARS, AND HE NEEDS TO BE OUSTED FROM HIS POSITION OF POWER. AT ALL LEVELS OF POWER, WE HAVE TOO LITTLE CONTROL OVER TENURE IN THESE POWERFUL POSITIONS.

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/politics/elections/georgias-post-election-drama-finale-at-hand/77-613269529
Georgia's post-election drama finale at hand
Challenges aside, the vote is due to be officially certified next week
Author: Doug Richards
Published: 12:04 PM EST November 10, 2018
Updated: 12:04 PM EST November 10, 2018

President Trump said in a tweet Friday that it’s time for Georgia to “move on” from Tuesday’s election. The drama over the heated race for governor is still playing out in election offices. But it may end by the middle of next week when Tuesday’s election is likely to become official.

Reider Bjornard’s first election was in 1962. He was among the hundreds of thousands of Georgians who went to the polls Tuesday. But because the 100-year-old retired theologian forgot his ID, he had to cast a provisional ballot Tuesday, compelling him to make the Friday drive to the DeKalb election office to get his provisional ballot verified.

"He wanted to make sure his vote was counted and we wanted to make sure it was counted as well," said John Hyatt, Bjornard's son-in-law.

In a governor’s election pitting the state’s chief election officer, Republican Brian Kemp, against a voter registration activist, Democrat Stacey Abrams, the last minute tangle over getting votes counted was perhaps predictable.

In Gwinnett and DeKalb counties, where technical glitches yielded long lines of voters Tuesday – county offices were planning to stay open late Friday to take voters verifying their provisional ballots. But most counties are already done verifying the 21,190 provisional votes cast.

Provisional ballots are cast when there's a discrepancy in the county's voting records. The voter can cast a ballot, but must produce paperwork after the election that explains the discrepancy. It can be as simple as an absence of identification, as in Bjornard's case.

First-time voter William Whatley also had to cast a provisional ballot Tuesday because, he says, the record of his voting address mysteriously changed. He too had to make the Friday drive to the county office to verify his info for county officials to count his provisional ballot.

"I know it’s a civic duty that I have to be a part of, especially because it’s so close," Whatley said. "Like I have to come and fix it. It’s just a pain."

By Tuesday, the 159 counties will certify the results. The state elections board is due to certify them Wednesday.

© 2018 WXIA


MANY YEARS AGO NOW, THAT BUGABOO OF ALL REPUBLICANS, “HIPPIES,” WERE BLAMED FOR A VERY SIMILAR AND SHOCKINGLY MALEVOLENT “PRANK.” SOME CHILDREN WERE HANDED OUT HALLOWEEN APPLES WITH RAZOR BLADES IN THEM. SOME OF THE THINGS I SEE IN NEWS STORIES BORDER ON THE DEMONIC IN MY VIEW, AND THIS KIND OF THING IS ONE OF THEM.

I DON’T BELIEVE IN “DEMONS,” PER SE, BUT I DEFINITELY BELIEVE IN EVIL. I SEE THOSE PEOPLE AS BEING “TWISTED.” IN MY VIEW, THAT IS EQUIVALENT TO BEING “INSANE,” BUT PSYCHIATRISTS DO NOT ALWAYS CLASSIFY IT AS SUCH. “PSYCHOPATHY” IS NOT (OR WASN’T THE LAST TIME I LOOKED IT UP) CLASSIFIED AS “INSANE” OR EVEN “MENTALLY ILL,” BUT “A PERSONALITY DISORDER.” RIGHT! I THOUGHT BEING SOCIALLY SHY WAS A PERSONALITY DISORDER. WELL IT’S A REALLY SEVERE DISORDER TO ME. TO QUOTE OUR DEAR LEADER, “LOCK HER UP!” I’M PONDERING HOW THE VILLAIN MANAGED TO INSERT THAT MANY NEEDLES IN INDIVIDUAL STRAWBERRIES WITHOUT BEING ONE OF THE PICKERS OR SORTERS, WHERE ALL THE NEEDLES CAME FROM, ETC. I WANT MORE INFORMATION!

AS FAR AS FOOD TAMPERING GOES, WE SIMPLY HAVE TO TRUST FATE, TO A CERTAIN DEGREE, AFTER WE WASH THE FRUIT AND CUT IT UP. A SPINACH CROP IN CALIFORNIA SOME 15 YEARS AGO WAS DEADLY BECAUSE FECAL MATTER WAS IN THE SOIL. APPARENTLY, MANURE HAD BEEN USED AS A FERTILIZER. I PUT THIS DOWN TO THE OVERCROWDING OF OUR LIVES THESE DAYS. IN 1950, MANY FARMERS WERE “SMALL FARMERS,” AND PEOPLE KNEW EACH OTHER. THEY DIDN’T GROW THOUSANDS OF BASKETFULS OF BERRIES, EXCEPT MAYBE IN CALIFORNIA AND TEXAS. NOW WE DON’T FEEL AS MUCH TRUST, NOR AS MUCH PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. I’M ANGRY. I THINK I’LL SELL FRUIT WITH NEEDLES IN THEM TO BABIES.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-46168814
Australia strawberry scare: Woman arrested in Queensland
11 November 2018

PHOTOGRAPH -- The strawberry scare spread across Australia, where supermarkets soon pulled the fruit off shelves copyrightREUTERS

A woman has been arrested in Queensland in connection with the "strawberry scare" where sewing needles were found hidden inside fruit.

Police said the 50-year-old was arrested on Sunday "following a complex... and extensive investigation".

The woman is expected to face unspecified charges on Sunday evening.

A nationwide investigation was launched after shocked shoppers first reported the contamination in September.

There were over 100 reports of needles being found in strawberries, though many were suspected to be copycat cases or social media stunts.

Farmers were forced to dump tonnes of berries, and supermarkets pulled the fruit off sale.

The first cases emerged in Queensland, where a man was taken to hospital with stomach pains after eating strawberries.

Australia's strawberry needle scare widens
Apple and banana in Australia needle scares
PM vows crackdown on fruit scare 'idiots'

The scare spread to every Australian state and later to New Zealand, raising public alarm.

In response, Australia's government raised the maximum prison term for fruit tampering from 10 to 15 years.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison vowed to "throw the book" at anyone responsible, saying: "It's not funny, putting the livelihoods of hard-working Australians at risk, and you are scaring children. And you are a coward and a grub*."

In Queensland, where the strawberry industry is worth A$160m (£89m; $115m) a year, the local government pledged A$1m to support the state's stricken farmers. An A$100,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of perpetrators.

The arrested woman, who has not been named, is set to appear in a Brisbane court on Monday.


“grub*” – “a coward and a grub”
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grub

NOUN – “AN IMMATURE BEETLE” – THESE ARE THE UNSIGHTLY-LOOKING WORMLIKE THINGS THAT YOU DIG UP WHEN YOU ARE PREPARING THE SOIL TO PLANT VEGETABLES OR FLOWERS. Yeeecch!

noun – Etymology

From hypothetical Old English root *grubbian, from Proto-Germanic *grubb- (compare Old High German grubilōn (“to dig, search”), German grübeln (“to meditate, ponder”)), from Proto-Germanic *grub- (“to dig”). The noun sense of "larva" (c.1400) may derive from the notion of "digging insect" or from the possibly unrelated Middle English grub (“dwarfish fellow”). The slang sense of "food" is first recorded 1659, has been linked with birds eating grubs or with bub (“drink”)."


TRUMP TOUTS HIS MORAL LEADERSHIP

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/episodes
This Week in God, 11.10.18
By Steve Benen 11/10/18 07:45AM

PHOTOGRAPH – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives for service at First Presbyterian Church in Muscatine, Iowa, Jan. 24, 2016. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/AP)

First up from the God Machine this week is a new argument from Donald Trump about how -- and whether -- he should be seen not only as a political leader, but a moral one, too.

Traditionally, the president's allies have defended his moral failings by questioning their relevance. Shortly before the 2016 election, for example, when Americans heard the "Access Hollywood" recording of Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women, Corey Lewandowski, the Republican's former campaign manager, argued, "We're not choosing a Sunday school teacher here."

It was a concession of sorts, acknowledging Trump's character flaws and messy personal life, while simultaneously making the case that voters need not concern themselves with his morality.

Politically conservative evangelical Christians have made the same calculus throughout the Trump presidency: they don't need him to be moral, the argument goes, so much as they need him to help advance what they see as their moral agenda.

It therefore came as something of a surprise this week when Trump was asked directly about this aspect of his presidency.

Q: How do you see your role as a moral leader?

TRUMP: I think I am a great moral leader, and I love our country.

Whether or not Trump deserves to be seen as a "great moral leader" is a matter of perspective, though the Republican's argument is very much at odds with the line his defenders -- who say they back him despite his moral compass -- usually tout.

But the president's line turned out to be poorly timed. Two days after boasting of his moral standing, the Wall Street Journal published a new, thoroughly detailed report on Trump's direct role in making legally dubious hush-money payments to women, including a former porn star, all of which he repeatedly lied to the public about.

“The Wall Street Journal found that Mr. Trump was involved in or briefed on nearly every step of the agreements,” the article read. “He directed deals in phone calls and meetings with his self-described fixer, Michael Cohen, and others. The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan has gathered evidence of Mr. Trump’s participation in the transactions.”

Perhaps it wasn’t the ideal week for, “I think I am a great moral leader.”

Explore:
The MaddowBlog, Donald Trump and This Week in God


MADDOW BLOG VIDEOS

THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/9/18
Trump struggles to distance himself from his own acting-A.G. pick
Rachel Maddow points out Donald Trump's "tell" of repeating himself when he's saying something that isn't true. In this case, Trump denies knowing his new acting-attorney general, Matt Whitaker, even though just a few weeks ago Trump not only said he knows Whitaker but called him a great guy. Duration: 1:58


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/8/18
Sensing Trump threat, widespread protests call to #ProtectMueller
Rachel Maddow reports on protests in cities large and small across the United States calling for Donald Trump's hand-picked acting attorney general to recuse himself and for Robert Mueller's Trump Russia investigation to continue unimpeded. Duration: 4:22


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/8/18
Trump hand-picked acting-AG raises new obstruction questions
Rachel Maddow reports on why Donald Trump's installation of Matt Whitaker as acting attorney general has raised questions not only about the legality of doing so but whether it's an attempt at obstruction of justice. Duration: 20:00


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/8/18
Cummings vows renewed dedication from Oversight under Democrats
Rep. Elijah Cummings talks with Rachel Maddow about his intention to restore the House Oversight Committee to helping Congress fulfill its constitutional role as a check on the power of the executive branch. Duration: 7:37


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/8/18
Democrats keep winning as Election Day counting continues
Rachel Maddow reports on newly called midterm election races in which Democrats have expanded their majority in the House of Representatives, and a new surge in the tally for Democrat Kyrsten Sinema as Arizona continues counting ballots. Duration: 1:52


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/8/18
Sharice Davids flips Kansas seat, makes history on many fronts
Representative-elect Sharice Davids talks with Rachel Maddow about her status as a groundbreaker, and what she'll focus on once she's sworn in as a member of Congress. Duration: 8:16


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/7/18
GOP hurt by Donald Trump bungling in Democratic midterm victories
Rachel Maddow highlights some of the impressive Democratic gains in Tuesday's election results and points out how Donald Trump's clumsy political sense ended up hurting Republicans in several House races. Duration: 13:43


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/7/18
Panicked by Democrats, Trump installs loyalist to top DoJ spot
Rachel Maddow reports on how Donald Trump, in fear of the coming House Democratic oversight of his administration, has arranged for Trump loyalist and Mueller critic Matthew Whitaker to take over the top spot at the DoJ. Duration: 6:33


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/7/18
Despite obvious impropriety, Whitaker recusal on Mueller unlikely
David Laufman, former Justice Department official, talks with Rachel Maddow about the obvious impropriety of Matthew Whitaker overseeing the Trump Russia investigation in light of his past criticisms of it, though recusal is unlikely since Donald Trump plainly installed Whitaker as protection from Robert Mueller. Duration: 7:00


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/7/18
Senators caution Trump on obstruction of Mueller investigation
Senator Chris Coons talks with Rachel Maddow about his bill to protect Robert Mueller's investigation from Donald Trump, and past warnings senators from both parties have given Trump on abusing his power to obstruct the Russia investigation. Duration: 6:27


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/7/18
Underwood flips GOP seat in first-time run focused on health care
Lauren Underwood, newly elected to Congress from Illinois, talks with Rachel Maddow about what made her first-time candidacy a success and her focus on the health care issues that are a priority of her constituents. Duration: 6:09


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/7/18
'Un-called' congressional race could be another Democratic flip
Rachel Maddow reports on an adjustment in the vote count in a New Mexico congressional race that local news outlets report puts Democrat Xochitl Torres Small ahead of Republican Yvette Herrell for the seat vacated this year by Republican Steve Pearce. Duration: 4:16


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/7/18
Mueller investigation more secure with Democrats leading House
An MSNBC panel discusses what the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives means to the Robert Mueller investigation. Duration: 2:02


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/7/18
House Democrats to replace Trump lap dogs with accountability
An MSNBC panel discusses how House Republicans were so permissive of the Donald Trump administration's transgressions that their acquiescence became expected, and how House Democrats will now be able to issue subpoenas and pursue investigations that Republicans had been quashing to protect Trump. Duration: 4:03


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 11/7/18
Republicans lose claim to 'party of law & order'
An MSNBC panel remark on the willingness of Republican voters to elect candidates under federal indictment, and how that fact contrasts with the Republican Party's desire to present itself as prioritizing law and order. Duration: 2:52


MSNBC LIVE 11/6/18
Rep. Schiff: Mueller likelier to finish his work
Rep. Adam Schiff is poised to become chairman of the House Intelligence Committee when Democrats take control of the House. He says the GOP abdicated their responsibility on the Russia investigation and that he plans to restore relationships between the committee and the intelligence community. Duration: 6:15