New Blogs Part 10 Updated May 18 2018
If you think the Sex Offender Registry is not unconstitutional; than please leave this webpage, now; by official decree, of the author of this webpage.
If you believe it is ok to deny registered sex offenders human rights or U.S. Constitutional rights. If you do not believe registered sex offenders are denied their human and constitutional rights or if you are against free speech.
Please leave this web page now. Thank you.

By remaining on this web page you here by acknowledge that you support human rights and United States constitutional rights for registered sex offenders and that you support freedom of speech.

Freedom of speech is understood to be fundamental in a democracy. The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that comprise the Bill of Rights.

This blog is not for people to be critical of what is posted here and if the reader is critical of anything here than that means they did not read the disclaimer on the top of each of the pages here and are not welcome here and should stop reading and leave this blog upon my request and in the name of freedom of speech, and my rights as a American citizen.

No sexual abuse is ever acceptable. Sex offense laws and policies should be based on sound research and common sense, not fear, panic or paranoia. Current laws and policies that paint all sex offenders with one broad brush are counter- productive, wasteful, and cause needless harm. Each offense must be judged on its own merits with a punishment that fits the crime and does not waste taxpayer dollars. The public sex offender registry and residency restriction laws do not protect children but instead ostracize and dehumanize individuals and their families. Money spent on purely punitive measures would be better used for prevention, healing, and rehabilitation.

The author of SO FAQ does not affiliate with any other organization or people on the internet or the world for that matter. I have been saying this since I first logged on to the internet. Just because I like organizations like the ACLU; does not mean I believe in everything they believe in or stand for. Just like in our great country when we vote; we will never believe in everything the candidate we vote for; believes in or stands for. That doe not mean we are should not vote.

Hey, this blog looks real nice on a cell phone; as I have recently discovered.

Please ignore the official counter on this blog. Shortly after I put this counter on every page of my blog it became impossible to update with it in the html of this blog. I had to take it off all my blog pages. I just realized today it is still on my untouched SOFAQ homepage still and I believe it is true, counting not only computer hits but phone hits as well. I am pasting a copy of it here:

That's right; the home page of this blog registers 215,050 hits.
check the bottom of this page to see for yourself:
https://sexoffenderfaq.blogspot.com/

New Blogs Part 10 Updated May 20 2018

FL: RON BOOKS LOBBYING FIRM RAKES IN THE CASH FROM PRIVATE PRISON COMPANIES

May 18, 2018

[floridaactioncommittee.org

Florida’s lobby firms filed their first quarter results this week and the three-person firm of Ronald L. Book, P.A. came in as one of the highest paid lobbying firms in the State, behind much larger firms Ballard and 200-person firm, Southern Strategy Group. According to the firm’s first quarter report, filed Tuesday, Ron Book’s firm took in $3.4Million for lobbying legislators during the period of January 01, 2018 – March 31, 2018, (source: https://floridalobbyist.gov)

Among his top clients… private, for-profit, prison companies GEO Group and Correct Care Solutions, which runs the Florida Sex Offender Civil Commitment Center. It’s no wonder that in his work for the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust he pushes so hard to lock up sex offenders. It’s also no wonder why his daughter, Senator Lauren Book, sponsors legislation imposing harsher punishment and mandatory minimum sentences for registration violations!

CO-OWNERS ARRESTED ON EXTORTION CHARGES

May 19, 2018

[arstechnica.com 5/17/18]

Two alleged owners of Mugshots.com—Sahar Sarid and Thomas Keesee—have been arrested in south Florida on a recently issued California warrant. The notorious website publishes mugshots and then demands payment for their removal.

On Wednesday, the attorney general of California brought criminal charges against not only Sarid and Keesee, but also Kishore Vidya Bhavnanie and David Usdan. The quartet has been charged with extortion, money laundering, and identity theft.

Bhavnanie was arraigned by a Pennsylvania state judge also on Wednesday—his bail was reportedly set at $1.86 million. According to Tania Mercado, a spokeswoman for the California Attorney General’s office, Usdan is also in custody.

“This pay-for-removal scheme attempts to profit off of someone else’s humiliation,” said Attorney General Becerra in a statement. “Those who can’t afford to pay into this scheme to have their information removed pay the price when they look for a job, housing, or try to build relationships with others. This is exploitation, plain and simple.”

New Blogs Part 10 Updated May 22 2018

CO: POLYGRAPH TESTING AND TREATMENT OF SEXUAL OFFENDERS

May 20, 2018

[jenniferkamorowski.net 5/19/18]

On May 9, the Colorado legislature passed House Bill 1427, which prohibits individuals with a vested economic interest in administration of polygraph tests from serving on the sex offender management board (SOMB). Beyond the issue of conflict of interest, there are other reasons to keep polygraph out of sex offender treatment decisions. The primary reasons are issues with reliability and the coercive nature of compelling disclosures about thoughts and activities (legal or illegal).

Polygraph testing in post-conviction sex offender treatment (PCSOT) is used in approximately 80% of community-based sex offender treatment programs.[1] This high rate of use continues despite the fact that in 2003 the National Research Council found little support for the accuracy of polygraph, particularly when used for screening purposes, as it is in PCSOT.[2] The lack of scientific support for polygraph testing is why the results are generally not admissible in court. Despite this lack of scientific support, some proponents of polygraph are unconcerned with the accuracy, reliability, or validity of the testing as long as it gets people to confess to deviant thoughts and “risky” behaviors.

There is no objective way to measure the accuracy of the polygraph[4], but proponents claim the value is in increased disclosure of information and deterrence of offending.[5] However, claims about the value of polygraph as a deterrent to offending are not supported by research.[6] Increased disclosure of information is also not supported as having either treatment or deterrence value. In fact, a 2007 study found that there was no difference in recidivism rates between sexual offenders who were subjected to polygraph and those who were not.[7] Contrary to the purported value of increased disclosures, there is no evidence increased disclosures means decreased offending.

WV: TWEAKS TO ENFORCEMENT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR COMPLEX SEX REGISTRY LAW

May 20, 2018 ·1 Comment

[wvnews.com 5/19/18]

During a recent sentencing hearing, Harrison Circuit Judge Thomas A. Bedell read sex offender registry rules to a defendant.

Bedell was reading at a steady pace, and it still took 14 minutes.

The Legislature requires that judges read the rules to defendants after they’re convicted, ostensibly to avert the possibility later of offenders saying they never were informed of the requirements.

A judge reading the document aloud in court creates an official record. And it also takes away the possible illiteracy defense from an offender.

But what it doesn’t do is help offenders get a grip on what they’re facing either for the next decade, or the rest of their lives. They’re focused on the sentence that’s about to be imposed, or the one that already has been.

While most taxpayers aren’t going to shed a tear for sex offenders, what should be of interest to them is what this can mean to their bottom line.

GA: PARDON LIFTS REQUIREMENT TO REGISTER AS SEX OFFENDER

May 21, 2018

Georgia’s highest court says a man convicted of sexually abuse no longer must register as a sex offender after receiving a pardon. Full Article: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2018-05-21/court-pardon-lifts-requirement-to-register-as-sex-offender

Tips on Writing to Your Elected Officials

by Florida Action Committee | May 20, 2018 | Articles, Featured Articles

Letters and faxes are an extremely effective way of communicating with your elected officials. Many legislators believe that a letter represents not only the position of the writer but also many other constituents who did not take the time to write.

These tips will help increase the effectiveness of your letter:

Keep it brief: Letters should never be longer than one page, and should be limited to one issue. Legislative aides read many letters on many issues in a day, so your letter should be as concise as possible.

State Who You Are and What You Want Up Front: In the first paragraph, tell your legislators that you are a constituent and identify the issue about which you are writing. If your letters pertains to a specific piece of legislation, it helps to identify it by its bill number (e.g. H.R. ____ or S. _____).

Hit your three most important points: Choose the three strongest points that will be most effective in persuading legislators to support your position and flesh them out.

Personalize your letter: Tell your elected official why this legislation matters in his community or state. If you have one, include a personal story that shows how this issue affects you and your family. A constituent’s personal stories can be the very persuasive as your legislator shapes his or her position.

Personalize your relationship: Have you ever voted for this elected official? Have you ever contributed time or money to his or her campaign? Are you familiar with her through any business or personal relationship? If so, tell your elected official or his staff person. The closer your legislator feels to you, the more powerful your argument is likely to be.

You are the Expert: Remember that your legislator’s job is to represent you. You should be courteous and to the point, but don’t be afraid to take a firm position. Remember that often your elected official may know no more about a given issue than you do.

From: https://floridaactioncommittee.org/tips-on-writing-to-your-elected-officials/

New Blogs Part 10 Updated May 22 2018

Venezuela’s hungry hunt wildlife, zoo animals, as economic crisis grows

21 May 2018

I can not view the starving zoo animals in this article. If you have a strong stomach I suggest you see this page:

https://news.mongabay.com/2018/05/venezuelas-hungry-hunt-wildlife-zoo-animals-as-economic-crisis-grows/

Venezuela is suffering a disastrous economic crisis. With inflation expected to hit 13,000 percent in 2018, there has been a collapse of agricultural productivity, commercial transportation and other services, which has resulted in severe food shortages. As people starve, they are increasingly hunting wildlife, and sometimes zoo animals.

From : https://www.trtworld.com/americas/crime-rate-sours-in-venezuela-17654

Recently, the Venezuelan government has stopped publishing numbers of crimes and homicides around the country.

But according to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory, last year alone has seen nearly 27,000 deaths - putting Venezuela in second place among countries with most lethal violence.

Guess Where The 10 Most Violent Cities In The World Are Located?

March 8, 2018

From: https://www.newsamericasnow.com/guess-10-violent-cities-world-located/

News Americas, MIAMI, Fl, Fri. Mar. 9, 2018: The list of most violent cities in the world is out and according to analysts at the Citizen Council for Public Safety and Criminal Justice, most are in Latin America. Here are the Top 10:

1 Los Cabos, Mexico

2 Caracas, Venezuela

3 Acapulco, Mexico

4 Native, Brazil

5 Tijuana, Mexico

6 Peace, Mexico

7 Strength, Brazil

8 Victory, Mexico

9 Guiana, Venezuela

10 Belém, Brazil

The new study underscored that Latin America remains one of the bloodiest swaths of the planet. The 10th annual ranking was released this week and measures murder rates in cities with more than 300,000 people.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated May 23 2018

I have known about this in the news for about one month now:

'World War III' worries me more than economic sanctions do, Russia's VTB Bank chief says

From: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/23/world-war-iii-worries-me-more-than-sanctions-do-says-vtb-bank-chief.html

Diplomatic tensions and the "aggressive policy" of the U.S. toward Russia are of more concern than sanctions, Andrei Kostin told CNBC.

"People, at least in Russia and probably in America also, have started to feel that there is more danger of World War III," the president and chairman of Russia's VTB Bank said.

Published 7 Hours Ago | Updated 4 Hours Ago

CNBC.com

Diplomatic tensions and the "aggressive policy" of the U.S. toward Moscow are of more concern than economic sanctions, the president and chairman of one of Russia's largest lenders said Tuesday.

"What concerns me more than any economic sanctions, that for the first time since the Cuban (missile) crisis — people, at least in Russia and probably in America also, have started to feel that there is more danger of World War III," Andrei Kostin, the president and chairman of Russia's VTB Bank told CNBC's Geoff Cutmore in Moscow.

"There is a recent public opinion poll (in) Russia (that) showed that 55 percent of Russians now believe or think that World War III is possible because of the aggressive policy of the United States," he added.

"It's very, very serious to reflect on what's happening in national affairs. The world is becoming a much more dangerous place to live," he said. "And that's a great concern."

Kostin's comments come amid a cold front — the coldest in a while —between Russia and the West. Among the sources of tension are Russia's support for the authoritarian regime in Syria, a suspected Moscow-directed nerve agent attack on U.K. soil, and alleged meddling in elections in the U.S. in 2016, alongside accusations of state-sponsored cyber warfare.

Russia is already experiencing ongoing Western-led economic sanctionsfor its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its perceived support for a pro-Russian uprising in eastern Ukraine that same year.

Moscow denies having any part in the U.K. spy nerve agent attack or in political interference in the U.S. Nonetheless, in April, the U.S. Treasury announced more sanctions on Russian individuals — including VTB's Kostin — who it deemed to be government officials, as well as oligarchs and entities that it said wereclose to President Vladimir Putin. VTB is majority-owned by the Russian state.

Kostin said the most recent sanctions, which essentially prohibit him from doing business with U.S. entities and citizens or travel to the country, had so far not affected his daily life. But he called the restrictions "unfair" and denied he was a government official, saying "I am a banker."

On a wider level, although Kostin conceded that economic sanctions had weakened the Russian economy — which went through a recession in 2015 and 2016 amid sanctions and low oil prices, but grew in 2017 — it had helped to unify the population.

"Unfortunately, they strengthened anti-American feelings inside the Russian society," he said.

From: http://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/Kostin-World-War-III-worries-me-more-than-sanctions-do.html

Kostin: 'World War III' worries me more than sanctions do

23 May in 10:20

Kostin: World War III worries me more than sanctions do

Diplomatic tensions and the "aggressive policy" of the U.S. toward Moscow are of more concern than economic sanctions, the president and chairman of Russia's VTB Bank Andrei Kostin said.

"There is a recent public opinion poll (in) Russia (that) showed that 55% of Russians now believe or think that World War III is possible because of the aggressive policy of the United States," he added.

"It's very, very serious to reflect on what's happening in national affairs. The world is becoming a much more dangerous place to live," he said. "And that's a great concern."

I just do not like India lately, since they were so quick to try to buy Venezuela's oil; after we made sanctions against Venezuela.

From: https://www.how2shout.com/news/india-planning-to-use-artificial-intelligence-to-develop-weapon-systems.html

world war

India Planning to use Artificial intelligence to develop weapon systems

Last Updated: May 23, 2018/ news/ No Comments

Indian government officials planning to use the artificial intelligence (AI) technology to develop weapons, defense and surveillance systems.

“The world is moving toward artificial intelligence-driven ecosystems, and India is taking the necessary steps to build our defense forces for future wars,” said Indian Defense Minister Ajay Kumar in a statement. Say.

According to the Times of India report, a 17-person working group is currently developing an artificial intelligence roadmap for the Indian military. In the next two years, the working group will recommend the government ways to apply machine learning to the air force, navy, army, cybersecurity, nuclear, and biological resources. Specifically, it will involve areas such as autonomous weapon systems and unmanned surveillance.

The above-mentioned 17-member team is headed by Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, and also includes members of the Indian Army, Navy, Atomic Energy Commission and Ministry of Finance. It is expected that the group will submit its first report to the Indian government within the next three months.

“The working group will make recommendations… establish tactical deterrence in the region, study potential revolutionary weapons, and develop smart, autonomous robotic systems while strengthening cyber defenses,” an Indian official told the media.

In April of this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated at the national defense expo held in Chennai that artificial intelligence and robots will become the most important determinants of the military in the future. He said that India will use its position in the field of information technology to make full use of artificial intelligence technology.

However, previously, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk and the late astronomer Hawking all calls that the use of artificial intelligence in the development of autonomous weapons, saying that this move is likely to trigger an arms race or even trigger World War III.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated May 27 2018

Click here to send email to Director Collier

Tell Director Collier to budget for fewer, safer prisons!

Crime in Texas dropped precipitously over more than two decades. We now have more prisons than we need, and many of them are hard to staff or require millions in repairs. THIS MONTH Texas agencies are building their new budget requests. Tell Executive Director Bryan Collier to budget for fewer, safer prisons.

Taxpayers can have a prison system that costs less and is also better, by consolidating the shrinking inmate population and shuttering two prisons. The remaining system will be better staffed and safer for everyone. But government won't shrink itself. You have to demand a smaller system or TDCJ will try and solve its problems by asking for even MORE money.

An understaffed prison is an unsafe prison -- unsafe for the guards, unsafe for the inmates, unsafe for the surrounding community. Last year, staff turnover in the Texas prison system hit 28%. Some units lost half their staff in a single year. Prisons struggle to fill those open positions and the state has thousands of open guard jobs right now.

Because the jobs are located in distant rural areas or the facilities have serious safety issues, these are often jobs no one wants. Texans would rather dig an oil well, haul off trash, or change bedpans than live in temporary housing far from family in order to guard inmates four days out of seven.

Some of the prisons that are located close enough to population centers to hire staff are also among the oldest facilities in the state and need millions of tax dollars invested to make them safe for both guards and inmates. Last session, Collier asked lawmakers for more than $50 million in repair costs alone.

Tell Collier to present lawmakers with a budget that shrinks the size of our prison system, closing at least two prisons and consolidating populations among facilities that can be staffed more effectively.

We've made it easy to send a message to the head of the prison system! Executive Director Collier doesn't get a lot of email from the public. He will notice and he will need to respond. He is building his new budget request NOW. Help him do the right thing!

Click here to send email to Director Collier

New Blogs Part 10 Updated May 29 2018

Don’t Destroy Beautiful National Park With Oil Fracking

Click here to sign petition

Target: Brian Steed, Deputy Director, Policy and Programs, Bureau of Land Management

Goal: Abandon plans to lease over 4,200 acres of land near a national park to oil and natural gas companies.

A beautiful national park in Arizona may soon be facing dangerous destruction at the hands of fracking. President Donald Trump has proposed auctioning off 4,200 acres of natural land for oil and gas fracking. The very little untouched natural world our country has left should be protected, not destroyed.

This proposed 4,200 acres of land is adjacent to the Little Colorado River and Petrified Forest National Park. The river is home to valuable groundwater that could be polluted, as well as endangered fish. Human and animal life is in danger.

Action must be taken now to protect our country’s endangered species and the habitats they call home. Sign the petition to demand Trump’s proposal be abandoned.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Steed,

About 4,200 acres of beautiful habitat in Arizona are for sale to the highest bidder. A lush river and beautiful petrified forest will be destroyed if fracking comes within miles of the Little Colorado River and Petrified Forest National Park.

Fracking has been proven to pollute drinking water, cause illnesses for both humans and animals, deplete natural landscapes, lead to long-term economic bust after short-term booms, and even cause explosions. Do not allow one of America’s rich national parks and invaluable natural landscapes to be destroyed.

Click here to sign petition

Demand Justice for Eleven Lions Poisoned and Killed in National Park

Click here to sign petition

Target: Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile, Governor of Uganda

Goal: Find the people that poisoned and killed eleven lions in Uganda.

Eleven lions at the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda were poisoned. Villagers believe that the three lionesses and eight cubs were at fault for killing a cow, which is why the incident occurred. After the poisoning, only about nineteen lions are left in the park, and these lions have the potential of becoming extinct in Africa. Action needs to be taken to stop people from killing lions when there are so few remaining.

The lion population in Africa has fallen drastically and more efforts need to be taken in order to preserve these creatures. A ranger with the authorities, Richard Kamara, posted on Facebook that “all communities living in the park must not have any domestic animals. Or they should be relocated.” The people responsible for the revenge killing of these beautiful creatures need to be caught so they cannot harm any more of the lions in the park. Demand the people involved be found and prosecuted.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Governor Tumusiime-Mutebile,

Villagers poisoned and killed eleven lions at the Queen Elizabeth National Park. There are only nineteen remaining. The three lionesses and eight cubs were victims of revenge for allegedly killing a cow. This is not the first time poisoning has occurred at the Queen Elizabeth National Park, as there has been at least one other incident. These killings cannot be taken lightly. These tree-climbing lions are severely endangered and can only be found in two places throughout the world.

These beautiful creatures need to be rescued from this terrible fate. This revenge killing was cruel and the people responsible for this heinous act need to be found and prosecuted for their horrific and deadly actions. We demand these people be found and prosecuted for their cruel actions.

Click here to sign petition

New Blogs Part 10 Updated May 30 2018

Click her to send message.

The last time you were pulled over by a police officer, did you feel nervous for just a moment? Most of us do. Then we breathe a sigh of relief as we drive away.

No arrest for ticketable violations!

Thousands of Texans each year don’t get to drive away from a traffic stop. Instead of getting a ticket, they are pulled from their cars, arrested and then booked into jail on that same traffic charge, even though jail is not an allowable punishment for a traffic violation. It's time to stop these unnecessary arrests!

That’s right. People are arrested for a traffic ticket that is punishable by a fine. The arrest takes up officer time, jail time, and your time -- with no public safety benefit. You still just get a ticket.

For some departments, every traffic stop is an opportunity to investigate the driver. In such a stop, the officer starts to ask personal questions about your destination, your job or your family. The officer might ask if he can search the car or instead might just arrest you for that traffic violation and conduct a search “incident to arrest.” Finding nothing, the officer takes you to jail for the original traffic charge. Sometimes, drivers think their rights are being violated and resist, making that traffic stop more dangerous for both the officer and the driver.

Tell your Senator to file a bill that returns traffic stops to their original function -- enforcing the traffic laws. Lawmakers are thinking about their priorities for next session now!

Click her to send message.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated May 30 2018

NC: Appeals court reverses twice-convicted sex offender’s lifetime GPS monitoring

May 22, 2018

[wect.com 5/15/18] NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - A state appeals court has reversed a ruling that would have required a twice-convicted sex offender wear a GPS monitoring bracelet for… .

Why Reporters Should Stop Using “Predator”

May 22, 2018

[floridaactioncommittee.org 5/22/18]

“The anonymity of the Internet has allowed predators to easily hide or misrepresent themselves.” – ABC News, August 2017

“Concerns about sexual predators have led communities in 30 U.S. states to adopt laws limiting where registered sex offenders can live.” – Reuters, November 2015

“Convicted Sexual Predator Allowed to Stay in Hotel During Cancer Treatments” – WFTV 9, May 2017

In May, the AP Stylebook changed its guidelines for how reporters should refer to people with substance abuse problems. “Avoid words like alcoholic, addict, user and abuser unless they are in quotations or names of organizations,” says the 2017 version.

For those with addictions, that change won’t just shift how they’re portrayed but how they’re treated. A piece by Zachary Siegel in Slate last month noted that even veteran clinicians were more likely to recommend punitive measures for people described as “substance abusers” and rehab-oriented treatments for those referred to as “people with substance abuse disorders.” Even when people’s conditions are the result of personal choices, reporters avoid charged labels—that’s why those with diabetes aren’t described as “sugar abusers,” Siegel says.

SC: Charleston sheriff unplugs mugshot websites

May 28, 2018

postandcourier.com – 5/26/18]

Once upon a time, we named and shamed by putting the accused in stocks on the town square. Now we put them on the internet.

I am omitting the names because it is impossible to sort the innocent from the guilty. “South Carolina Hottie Bookings,” on a website called Arrests.org, isn’t troubled by such details. On this one website, there are mugshots of 1,000 women arrested in South Carolina over the past two years, many on nothing-burger charges.

Mind you, not one of them was convicted of anything when her mugshot was published. There is the 21-year-old arrested on New Year’s Eve in Charleston for public intoxication. The baby-faced 18-year-old arrested in Myrtle Beach for trying to buy beer. And the 18-year-old from Florence with the ubiquitous “charges unknown.” But no matter, it’s the “hottie’s” mugshot that matters. And there is a place for sometimes lewd comments.

Police mugshots have been around forever — it’s the internet that has changed everything. Nothing in the Constitution requires county jails around the country to post arrest mugshots online, but they do because they are public records.

This has spawned an entire industry of websites that run mugshots. Some charge hundreds or thousands of dollars to take them down. Last week, the California attorney general filed extortion and money laundering charges against four men alleged to be behind Mugshots.com.

Two years ago, the South Carolina Legislature made a good-faith effort to do something by requiring websites to delete the arrest information if the accused can show they have been cleared. The legislation has done little to nothing to slow websites, many of them offshore, or shakedown artists who prey on people desperate to salvage their reputations.

While these efforts are overdue, there is a simpler answer and it is no farther away than your local county jail. The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office just made a change that may save countless people years of grief. Other South Carolina counties should follow suit.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated May 31 2018

I used to tell people at my job at a fast food place, that if you see a guy at night with his penis out; he is not peeing. The lady's at the drive through would say they must be peeing. They were exposing themselves; it was the first thing I thought of, when I was told this took place at the drive through. I point out sex offences to people when ever I can and always encourage them to call the police asap.

If I guy masturbates in front of someone without their consent; that is a sex offence and needs to be treated that way. Exposing your self and peeping tom's could be the first stages leading to rape.

That is why I am compelled to post this:

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018

#MeToo among Texas women prison guards

Go read Keri Blakinger's new Houston Chronicle story on the topic.

Keri writes that, "female officers also have to contend with harassment from coworkers, masturbating inmates and fear of retaliation if they complain, according to lawsuits, state records and interviews." Here are the crux of the allegations:

“You think it’s the inmates you have to worry about,” said one former employee, who asked not to be identified, “but it’s actually the people you work with.”

Some women told the Chronicle of enduring lewd comments or inappropriate contact from co-workers. One female employee said she and other women guards picked jobs working around inmates to avoid having contact with the men who supervised them.

The latest allegations come after the department reached a $250,000 settlement last year in a lawsuit accusing a male lieutenant of raping an officer he supervised — a claim reminiscent of former assistant director Sammy Buentello, who retired in 2004 amid criminal charges and a high-dollar lawsuit by multiple women accusing him of sexual harassment and assault.

TDCJ officials, however, say that sort of workplace environment is a thing of the past.

“Any days of a male-dominated culture are long gone,” said Lorie Davis, director of TDCJ’s Institutional Division and the highest-ranking woman in the agency. “We have a lot of women that move up through the ranks.”

Ms. Davis seems to think that because, as a division manager, nobody sexually harasses her, that it's not a problem at the agency: “I haven’t experienced sexual harassment as a female in our agency in years,” she said. “Years and years, not since I was a corrections officer literally 30 years ago.”

Does anybody really believe that, in Texas' predominantly rural prison system, where guards are paid roughly half the wages of the counterparts in California, for example, and more than one in four positions turn over annually, that the "days of a male-dominated culture are long gone"?

That seems awfully hard to swallow.

POSTED BY GRITSFORBREAKFAST AT 4:46 PM

New Blogs Part 10 Updated May 31 2018

Anyone hear of separation of church and state; the foundation of our country?:

"Separation of church and state" is paraphrased from Thomas Jefferson and used by others in expressing an understanding of the intent and function of the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States which reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an ...

Separation of church and state in the United States - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state_in_the_United_States

day at the California Great America’s Redwood Amphitheatre in Santa Clara and at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cesar Chavez Park on the Berkeley waterfront.

The blue wall of California, Mr. Graham told the gathering, represents secular values that have taken root on the country’s west coast.

“Progressive?” he went on, “That’s just another word for godless.” Now is the time for churches to “suck it up” and vote.

…

[His] mission, Mr. Graham says, is about faith and Jesus, but the parallel political message is just as resounding: Support candidates who will advance the socially conservative causes dear to many evangelicals — especially opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage — and get to the polls and vote for them.

The article shows how white evangelicals are still playing the persecution game, pretending that evangelicals are underdogs in the political sphere, even though they currently control everything (and the country’s gone to shit because of it). No matter how much scandal Donald Trump is mired in, Graham believes he can still use the old playbook of finding wedge issues that will get Christians to the poll, while ignoring all the injustices going on because of the man they elected in 2016.

But notice how he frames the fight: He says “progressive” is “another word for godless.”

He’s right in one respect. Countries where religion doesn’t have a stronghold are indeed progressive in all the right ways. Sociologist Phil Zuckerman has pointed this out very thoroughly:

Those societies today that are the most religious — where faith in God is strong and religious participation is high — tend to have the highest violent crime rates, while those societies in which faith and church attendance are the weakest — the most secular societies — tend to have the lowest.

…

It is the highly secularized countries that tend to fare the best in terms of crime rates, prosperity, equality, freedom, democracy, women’s rights, human rights, educational attainment and life expectancy. (Although there are exceptions, such as Vietnam and China, which have famously poor human rights records.) And those nations with the highest rates of religiosity tend to be the most problem-ridden in terms of high violent crime rates, high infant mortality rates, high poverty rates and high rates of corruption.

In the societies where godlessness is a choice, and people choose it en masse, people fare much better. So cheers to the progressive agenda!

But Graham also implies that Democrats — the progressive party, relatively speaking — somehow embrace godlessness. That’s not true in any meaningful way. Democratic candidates bend over backwards to get religious votes all the time — and they almost always avoid atheists and the non-religious vote.

Hillary Clinton, someone Graham would no doubt claim is progressive, said the most influential book she’s ever read is the Bible, and she selected a former missionary as her 2016 running mate. There is currently one openly non-religious member of Congress, and the Congressional Freethought Caucus has a grand total of five members.

Even thought Republicans can count on the Religious Right turning out in their favor, the Democrats take our votes for granted yet do little to no specific outreach to organizations promoting non-theism.

So to suggest that progressive candidates would automatically promote atheism, as Graham did, makes no sense at all. I wish they would! But they don’t. They actively stay away from us because they still believe it’s toxic to associate with atheists.

Democrats spend far more time wooing progressive Christians than liberal atheists.

I’ll give Graham credit for one thing, though: He knows that winning congressional races isn’t the only game in town.

… In California, one clear goal is to change the makeup of school boards. “Can you imagine if your school boards were controlled by evangelical Christians?” he asked the pastors in Pasadena, a not so subtle reference to conservative religious protests of California’s new sex education curriculum, which includes lessons on LGBTQ sexuality.

And school boards are just the start. He wants Christians to run for city council, for mayor, and every level of government.

Graham and other conservatives are well aware that local elections have far more consequences on our lives than what someone in D.C. can do on a regular basis. They are working to have evangelical candidates in those races, and because so many of them get little attention, it doesn’t take that many votes to decide who’s in charge of local governments.

Graham and the people who support his anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-Jesus agenda may lose a lot of races next week, but he’s well aware that the long-term game lies in local elections that are under the radar. We’d be wise to follow his lead, find sensible candidates for those offices, and support rational thinkers over evangelical theocrats.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated May 31 2018

ACTION ALERT

Sign eBay's Petition to Support Fair Tax Policy for US Sellers and Buyers

Join more than 368,000 people who have already signed

Last week we alerted you to a very important petition. If you’ve been following eBay Main Street recently, you know that the U.S. Supreme Court will make a decision in the coming weeks that could give states the right to tax every small business on the Internet. The issue is just as urgent on Capitol Hill, as states, shopping centers, and large retailers lobby hard to increase taxes on small businesses and their online customers. There has never been a more critical time to stand against new and unfair Internet taxes.

Our leaders in Washington, D.C., and in state capitals across America need to know how you feel about these new and harmful Internet tax burdens. If you have not already done so, please digitally sign this petition to show political leaders that you stand with us against these new taxes. It should take less than three minutes. We'll deliver your signatures to President Trump, key members of Congress, and select state governors.

As always, thank you for taking a stand for millions of small businesses across America.

Sincerely,

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New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 05 2018

I have been a AARP Member for many years now. I was a main contributor to the anti fraud map website about 3 years ago.

My name is some where on this web page: https://action.aarp.org/site/SPageNavigator/FraudMap.html

I get emails from the AARP every day. I am a AARP supporter for life.

I had to post this video from AARP about online identity exploitation:

AARP takes action to stop statewide internet fraud - New Day NW

https://www.king5.com/video/entertainment/television/programs/new-day-northwest/aarp-takes-action-to-stop-statewide-internet-fraud-new-day-nw/281-8139348

AARP recently launched a consumer campaign in response to a survey revealing that Washington State online users are failing to protect their online identities.

Published: 1:13 PM PDT May 24, 2018

It seems RSO's are not the only ones concerned about online identity exploitation.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 07 2018

NJ Supreme Court Bars Retroactive Application of Megan’s Law Amendments

May 30, 2018

[law.com – 5/30/18]

The New Jersey Supreme Court on Wednesday held 2014 amendments to Megan’s Law enhancing certain penalties for sex offenders who violate parole requirements unenforceable against four defendants based on the ex post facto clauses of both the state and federal constitutions.

Read more: https://www.law.com/njlawjournal/2018/05/30/nj-supreme-court-bars-retroactive-application-of-megans-law-amendments/

MI: Unexpected comments from a prosecutor

June 6, 2018

[floridaactioncommittee.org – 6/6/18]

Ingham County (Michigan) Prosecutor Carol A. Siemon, issued a statement concerning the sentencing of former Michigan State football players in connection with a sexual offense.

Below is an excerpt from her statement, quoted directly:

The sex offender registry is a blunt instrument that I believe needs to be reformed and streamlined so that law enforcement can make better use of the information. It would be more effective as a law enforcement tool to keep the public safe if it targeted the cases that are most likely to result in recidivism – child abuse and child sexual assault, for example, or serial rapists.

The sex offender registry is just one example of the types of cases where we have laws that are well-intentioned, but go too far from their original intent – and don’t allow our courts to provide a proportionate response.

From:https://floridaactioncommittee.org/unexpected-comments-from-a-prosecutor/

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 07 2018

A Republican who filmed herself harassing a trans woman lost her election. By a lot.

A Republican candidate for California’s house just lost her primary.

In May, Jazmina Saavedra streamed video of herself harassing a transgender woman in a Denny’s bathroom. For half an hour, Saavedra paced in the restaurant, shouted at the transgender woman through the stall wall, and laughed with a friend about how she carries a stun gun and pepper spray for situations like that.

“So, that guy is violating my right to use the ladies’ room here, and he’s saying he’s a lady! Stupid guy,” Saavedra said in the video, which Facebook removed.

On Tuesday, Saavedra soundly lost the primary election for California’s 44th House District, getting 10% of the vote behind Democrat Nanette Barragan (66%) and Democrat Aja Brown (17%).

California has a “top two” primary system where candidates of all parties run in the same election, and the top two vote-getters face off in the general election. In some districts, this results in general elections with two candidates from the same party.

Since conceding, Saavedra has shown no remorse for harassing a transgender woman in the bathroom. The only tweet she sent out since the election misgendered the victim and referred to her as a “drug addict.”

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 07 2018

Researchers show people who hate gays are generally less intelligent

A study published in the journal Intelligence found a correlation between cognitive ability and anti-LGBTQ attitudes.

The study, led by Francisco Perales at The University of Queensland, examined data from 11,654 individuals in Australia.

According to PsyPost, the researchers used three tests for cognitive ability: the National Adult Reading Test, the Symbol Digits Modalities Test and the Backwards Digit Span Test.

They then asked participants if they agreed with the statement “Homosexual couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples do.”

The researchers found a correlation between disagreeing with that statement and performing worse on the tests, especially when it came to verbal ability.

Cognitive ability still affected homophobia even when demographic variables (including education) were controlled for.

“Altogether, the findings provide clear evidence that cognitive ability is an important precursor of prejudice against same-sex couples,” Perales wrote.

The researchers found that both education and cognitive ability affect levels of homophobia, and suggested education as a way of “counteracting prejudice towards same-sex couples and LGBT people.”

The National Adult Reading Test is used to assess intelligence levels in people who have dementia and is correlated with IQ. The Symbols Digits Modalities Test is used to assess brain damage from injury and disease. The Backwards Digit Span Test is a memory test.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 11 2018

Click here to sign petition.

https://act.credoaction.com/sign/fox-social-security?t=3&akid=28860%2E4914083%2E8nGuju

Demand corrections from FOX affiliates for Social Security propaganda

71% We've reached 71,483 of our goal of 100,000.

Sign the petition

Petition to: News directors at local Fox affiliates

Issue an on-air correction to your recent report saying that Social Security benefit cuts are imminent. Instead of scaremongering that Social Security will go broke in 2022, you should report the truth: Social Security has a $2.9 trillion surplus, can pay out 100 percent of benefits owed for the next 17 years and approximately 80 percent of benefits owed after that. In fact, we could afford to not only protect benefits well into the future, but expand Social Security, simply by asking the wealthy to pay the same rate into Social Security as everyone else.

Demand corrections from FOX affiliates for Social Security propaganda

More than 60 Fox affiliates just launched a coordinated assault on Social Security.

They aired similar versions of a news report claiming that Social Security is in crisis and benefit cuts are imminent. The truth – that the program can pay out full benefits for almost two decades and we can protect and expand benefits by making the wealthy pay their fair share – was nowhere to be found.1

This was a synchronized propaganda push intended to spread fears about Social Security in local markets across the country, and we need to demand immediate, on-air corrections.

Demand corrections from Fox affiliates for Social Security propaganda.

Local news is where right-wing, corporate interests like Fox and Sinclair are at their most insidious: pushing propaganda and outright lies on overworked, underfunded local stations and an unaware public.

The progressive media accountability organization Media Matters caught more than 60 Fox affiliates airing a misleading doomsday report about Social Security with only minor variations. Across the country, local viewers heard that Social Security was in an imminent crisis that would inevitably result in benefit cuts as soon as 2022.2

But these reports deliberately refused to tell the truth:3

Social Security trustees have long anticipated any shortfall due to baby boomer retirements

The nearly $3 trillion trust fund built up for exactly that reason will protect benefits until 2034 – not 2022

Asking the wealthy to pay their fair share by removing the cap that exempts income over $128,400 from being taxed would allow us to protect and even expand Social Security.

Fox affiliates engaged in dangerous fear-mongering at best and outright right-wing propaganda at worst. That's why we're joining our friends at Social Security Works to show these local stations, dependent on viewers and sensitive to public pressure, that we won't let them get away with it.

Demand corrections from FOX affiliates for Social Security propaganda.

Thank you for speaking out.

References:

Zachary Pleat, "Dozens of local Fox affiliates run misleading segments pushing Social Security benefit cuts," Media Matters for America, May 30, 2018.

Click here to sign petition.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 11 2018

I have always compared Nazi Germany to perverted sex offender laws. I am far from the only one to use this comparison. I have also always said that the LGBTQ community and American's of color, and women, experience the same prejudice and ignorance; that so called sex offenders experience. It puts everyone in the same boat; theoretically. That is why I blog the way I do here. I got a email today with a reference to Nazis to LGBTQ folks. I think the only difference between me and most people is I read allot. I just want to scream at people sometimes; READ! I have always had the ability to have a super comprehensive ability; when it comes to reading things that interest me. I don't want to say this with too much emphasis, it seems as though sometimes; everything I read I memorize. That, and believe it or not; I have a unwavering ability to maintain a extreme moral conduct; above and beyond the norm. If you meet me you will know this immediately. Like I have said before here on this blog, I will call you on your lack of sensibility's; especially when it comes to anything inappropriate about sexual behavior. When I meet people I can almost read them after about 3 minutes, this has plagued me since childhood. My dad having been a very strict police officer 24/7; all his life, must be the reason I am like this. It must have been passed down to me.

I am going to list quotes from this email link comparing LGBTQ folks to victims of Nazi oppression.

"Nazis acted on and eventually extended Paragraph 175, the section of the German Penal Code dating back to 1871 with the unification of Germany:

Unnatural vice committed by two persons of the male sex or by people with animals is to be punished by imprisonment; the verdict may also include the loss of civil rights."

"Nazi ideology rested on the assessment that homosexuals (males) lowered the German birth rate; they endangered, recruited, enticed, and corrupted youth; that a possible homosexual epidemic could spread; that homosexuals are “potential oppositionists” and enemies of respectable society; and that sexual relations between people of the same sex impairs their “sense of shame” and undermines morality, which inevitably will bring about the “decline of social community.”

While Nazi ideology and practice rejected lesbianism as well, they did not criminalize same-sex sexuality between women, as they had in Germany’s Paragraph 175 of the Penal Code, because they believed that so-called “Aryan” lesbians could produce Aryan children for the “New Germany.”

On the other hand, Heinrich Himmler, Gestapo head and chief architect of the Reich’s anti-homosexual campaign, justified his actions by arguing that male homosexuals were “like women” and therefore, could not fight in any German war effort. Subsequently, he conducted surveillance operations on an estimated 90,000 suspected homosexuals, arrested approximately 50,000, and transported somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 to several concentration camps throughout the Nazi dominion. Very few survived.

Hitler also proposed eliminating all sexuality education from the German school system and encouraged parents to take on the primary responsibilities for sexuality instruction within the home."

"The common thread running through Nazi ideology regarding sex, gender expression, and sexuality was their intense campaign to control individuals’ bodies and the bodies of members of entire communities in an attempt to control their minds.

Throughout history, examples abound of patriarchal domination over the rights and lives of women and LGBT people, whom they have been constructed as second-class and even third-class citizens not merely in Nazi Germany, but today as the current political climate indicates.

Within a patriarchal system of male domination, cisgender heterosexual male bodies matter more, while “othered” bodies matter less. These “othered” bodies include female and intersex bodies, and bodies that violate the “rules” for the reproduction and maintenance of the dominant patriarchal system, such as trans, gender non-conforming, and gay, lesbian, and bisexual bodies, and bodies with disabilities.

In addition, within many Western societies, non-European-heritage bodies are regarded also as abject bodies – bodies that, to use Judith Butler’s phraseology, do not matter, or, at least, do not matter as much as “white” bodies.

Butler reminds us that the term “abjection” is taken from the Latin, ab-jicere, meaning to cast off, away, or out. On a social level, abjection designates a degraded, stigmatized, or cast out status. In psychoanalytic parlance, this is the notion of Verwerfung (foreclosure).

Butler states that “we regularly punish those who fail to do their gender right,” and similarly punish those who fail to do their “race” right. Doing one’s “race” right often depends on doing one’s socioeconomic class right. The regulatory regimes of “sex,” “sexuality,” “gender,” “ability,” “race,” and “class” are inimically connected, and these connections are socially maintained."

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 12 2018

This church sign is making waves in that antigay baker’s backyard

Denver’s South Broadway Christian Church is stirring controversy following the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of antigay evangelical Christian baker Jack Phillips in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

In a narrow ruling, the court ruled in favor of Phillips, saying the civil rights commission didn’t respect his claim that he was discriminating for Jesus by refusing to make a cake for a gay couple.

The baker’s store is located in Lakewood, and is part of the Denver metropolitan area.

The church’s pastor, Dustin Adkins, however, disagrees with Phillips logic and, as an empathetic man of God, he would seem to be an authority. Adkins points to the Bible’s recounting of Christ’s life as the basis for his stance that the Christian savior would embrace LGBTQ people.

“Jesus worked with folks on the periphery of society, mistreated and marginalized,” Adkins told television station KUSA. “Those folks are the ones he welcomes the most.”

Phillips claimed his religious freedom was being suppressed by forcing him to serve the public equally. The Supreme Court punted on whether or not “religious liberty” includes a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people, instead they sent the case back for reconsideration. The commission could still resolve the case in favor of the gay couple.

this pic of a sign (📷 by: reyrey5280 from Reddit) from a Denver church near me really says a lot of things, and this is…

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 14 2018

I know I have said this on this blog before. It still amazes me how many crimes are committed every day in our country; at fast food restaurants.

I just looked up Fast Food Crime in Google News and found several crimes; just from today alone.

Just put the words Fast Food Crime in Google News; (then press sort by date in tools) and see for yourself.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 15 2018

Some good stuff to report:

ID: SEX OFFENDERS SAY IDAHO LAW HURTS THEM. JUDGE REPLIES: PROVE IT

June 8, 2018

[idahostatesman.com – 5/30/18]

BOISE, Idaho

A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit challenging Idaho’s sex offender registration laws, but the 134 anonymous sex offenders who brought the lawsuit have the option to refile the case if they can show the current laws caused them actual harm.

That could be difficult, U.S. District Judge David Nye warned, because several common arguments have already been shot down in previous court cases.

“Common arguments in this area are that the registration requirements are embarrassing, invasive and burdensome. These challenges, however, have been unavailing as none are based on recognized fundamental rights,” Nye wrote in the ruling made earlier this month.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article212105009.html

MN: SEX OFFENDER WHO SUED WEST ST. PAUL TO GET $84K IN SETTLEMENT

June 11, 2018

A sex offender who sued West St. Paul over its 2016 ordinance that restricted where he could live will receive $84,000 as part of a settlement agreement approved by a federal judge Monday.

Full Article: https://www.twincities.com/2018/06/11/sex-offender-who-sued-west-st-paul-to-get-84g-in-settlement/

CO, LA, VT: MORE STATES ENACT MAJOR “SECOND CHANCE” REFORMS

June 12, 2018

[ccresourcecenter.org 6/11/18]

In recent weeks, three more states — Colorado, Louisiana and Vermont — have enacted laws intended to make it easier for people with a criminal record to find and keep employment, or otherwise to regain rights and status. We are just now noting Wyoming’s amendment in March of more than a dozen occupational licensing laws, to impose new limits on how criminal record may be taken into consideration by licensing agencies.

In the first five months of 2018 alone, a total of 21 states have enacted legislation to improve opportunities for people with a criminal record, with more similar laws evidently on the way. States have enacted several different types of “second chance” laws this year.

On May 25, Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed into law an expansion of the state’s expungement authority for both adult and juvenile offenders, reducing waiting periods and other eligibility criteria for qualifying felony and misdemeanor convictions. The new law also authorizes courts to expunge non-conviction records 12 months after the conclusion of the case, without need for a petition from the defendant, and without regard to the nature of the offense. This is the third time in recent years that Vermont has extended eligibility for expungement.

CANADA: MARNI SOUPCOFF: SEX-OFFENDER REGISTRIES MAY BE DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD

June 12, 2018

[nationalpost.com – 6/11/18]

To call the state of New Hampshire’s computer sex crime law excessive is an understatement. Just a couple of weeks ago, the New Hampshire Supreme Court upheld the felony conviction of a young man who, at age 18, went online and propositioned a 15-year-old girl (whom he knew) for sex. Because of the conviction, the computer sex crime law dictates that he’ll be on the state’s public sex-offender registry for life. If he’d actually had consensual sex with the underage girl, instead of propositioning her online, he’d have been charged with a misdemeanour and wouldn’t have been placed on the sex-offender registry at all.

It makes little sense. But then, sex-offender registries in general make a lot less sense than we tend to assume they do. The problem isn’t with their goal, which is to prevent future offences by sexual predators (the point of the public registries in the United States), or to make it easier to apprehend sex offenders (the point of the Canadian registries, which are accessible only by police).

Haunted by a mugshot: how predatory websites exploit the shame of arrest

Sites are collecting people’s mugshots, then charging huge sums to remove them. Should Google be doing more to stop it?

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/12/mugshot-exploitation-websites-arrests-shame

Tue 12 Jun 2018 03.01 EDT Last modified on Tue 12 Jun 2018 18.54 EDT

Mugshots are often the first thing to appear when someone is Googled, even if innocent, and have serious consequences on work, housing and relationships.

Gregory Rakoczy was asleep in his van at a Maryland campsite when six police officers knocked on his door. A fellow camper had Googled his name and found a mugshot indicating he was a felon on the run. He was not.

Rakoczy was arrested and held for 20 hours. Afterward he immediately Googled his own name and found that his picture had recently gone up on Mugshots.com for criminal charges he had faced 15 years ago.

At that time Rakoczy ran a company that installed audiovisual equipment in homes. He was charged with fraud after his firm sold dozens of clients one model of TV but installed a different one – a mistake he said was made by a distributor, but one he should have noticed.

Say cheese: men who allegedly published thousands of mugshot photos arrested for extortion

Most of the 90 charges – one for every person sold the wrong TV – were dismissed after he replaced the TVs, and he spent five years on probation for the remaining ones.

He contacted Mugshots.com to take the picture down and they demanded $399, which he paid. But the next day he saw his picture was still on the site and he called them again.

“They told me it was $399 for every charge,” he said. He refused and the mugshot has haunted him ever since.

Rakoczy is one of a growing number of people demanding that lawmakers and search engines do more to clamp down on the predatory industry that has emerged around mugshots. It’s a complex debate that raises questions about public records in a digital age, shame culture and the responsibility of platforms like Google.

Last month the alleged owners of Mugshots.com, one of dozens of sites that publish booking photos and demand payment for their removal, were arrested on charges of extortion, money laundering and identity theft. But the site remains online, along with dozens of others like it.

Gregory Rakoczy says he was swindled by Mugshots.com.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gregory Rakoczy says he was swindled by Mugshots.com. Photograph: Courtesy of subject

“It’s really a good sign that finally they’ve been able to get charges against some of the people behind these sites,” said Paolo Cirio, an artist and activist who has dedicated the last few years to campaigning against mugshot extortion. “But it’s a small drop in the ocean.”

Since that incident in May 2012, Rakoczy, who is now an author, has been falsely detained six more times – at the beach, at dinner with his editor, at three other campsites and most recently, in November 2017, he was detained while dining with friends in Alabama. In every case, someone had Googled his name and seen the outdated and inaccurate mugshot record that appears among the top results.

“I’m an old school New Yorker, so every time I am introduced to somebody I say my own name. But then I think ‘oh crap, I’m going to get a knock on my door in 24 hours’,” said Rakoczy, who recently finished his first novel.

Eroding the presumption of innocence

At a federal level, mugshots are not considered public records; they are deemed to be an unwarranted invasion of privacy. But since the early 2000s, local law enforcement agencies in every state – with the exception of Georgia –have shared digital booking photos on their websites as a public notification service.

According to Eumi Lee, a UC Hastings law professor, this shift to the internet transformed mugshots of ordinary citizens from “public records that generally fell into ‘practical obscurity’” into “commodities posted for entertainment and commercial gain”.

Many of the government websites were designed not to be indexed by Google and kept updated. However, sites like Mugshots.com, Busted Newspaper, and Arrests.org, as well as state-level ones like Florida.arrests.org and Phoenixmugs.com, scrape these sites or submit freedom of information requests to get hold of millions of booking records.

The sites then use search engine optimisation techniques to ensure the mugshots rank highly in Google search results – even if the charges were subsequently dropped or the person was arrested due to mistaken identity or law enforcement error.

Thomas Keesee and Sahar Sarid are accused of extracting more than $2m in mugshot-removal fees from over 5,000 people.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest

Thomas Keesee and Sahar Sarid are accused of extracting more than $2m in mugshot-removal fees from over 5,000 people. Photograph: Palm Beach sheriff's office/Broward sheriffs' office

Not only do these pages humiliate their subjects, but they also damage their chance of finding a job, housing or even potential dates because mugshots create a powerful visual association between the subject and criminal activity, regardless of guilt. (The association is deemed so powerful that courts try to avoid showing mugshots to juries to avoid prejudice.)

Beyond the mugshot sites, there’s an entire ecosystem that profits from the humiliation of those arrested, including reputation management firms, mugshot removal services, media companies that publish mugshot galleries and search engines like Google.

It can be a lucrative business. The founders of Mugshots.com are accused of extorting at least 5,703 individuals in the US to rake in more than $2.4m.

“These websites have made people live in terror of their digital reputation,” said Sarah Lageson, a sociologist who studies the criminal justice system. “People opt out of society and avoid social situations that might result in Google search.”

‘My reputation is everything’

Kim (not her real name), a Canadian in her 30s who runs her own design company, is scared that prospective clients might see her mugshot, which was taken after a violent – and what she alleges was wrongful – arrest as she was leaving a gay bar in Florida in 2014.

Police officers were trying to move the crowd along, but Kim had become separated from her friend so took shelter in a doorway. She explained to a nearby police officer why she was waiting, but he insisted she move. She opened her mouth to protest and within seconds, she alleges, the police officer grabbed her wrist and spun her into the cuff position, slamming her face into the door.

These websites have made people live in terror of their digital reputation

Sarah Lageson, sociologist

“My eye was split open, my face pressed against the glass with blood streaming down my face,” she said. “All the people in the crowd started screaming ‘police brutality’.”

Kim was taken to hospital for several stitches above her left eye (the Guardian has seen photos of her injuries) before being taken to jail where she was charged with resisting arrest. The charges were dropped days later.

About a month after the incident, Kim’s lawyer called her to say her photo had been posted online. She turned to Google in a panic. Although her charges were dismissed weeks before, her battered face was staring back at her from several mugshot websites.

“It was mortifying. I’d just started my own company and my reputation is everything,” she said, adding that she feels “revictimised” every time she sees the picture.

She started to pay fees of between $200 and $450 to remove photos. Each time her photo was taken down from one site it would pop up on another. It was an expensive game of whack-a-mole.

“I spent $3,000 in total before realising it was a big scam. The second they see you are sucker enough to pay for one it’s up the next day on another,” she said.

Kim had the resources to hire lawyers and pay the take-down fees, but many aren’t.

“We know that people who are not white and people who are poor or mentally ill are disproportionately more likely to be arrested,” Lageson said. “Mugshots are simply a reflection of police discretion.”

Google’s responsibility

The Italian activist Paolo Cirio, who launched a campaign group called Right2Remove, wants Google to either de-index the mugshot websites or massively down-rank them in search results – offering Americans a similar right to those in Europe, where there is a regulation granting the “right to be forgotten”.

“Google is the gatekeeper. It would be great if they acknowledged that these websites are bad actors and demoted them,” he said.

Google has down-ranked mugshot websites in the past. In response to a 2013 New York Times article, Google tweaked its algorithm to dramatically reduce the sites’ prominence in search results. Since then, the sites appear to have worked around the changes and bubbled back to the top.

Google ads for mugshot removal services.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest

Google ads for mugshot removal services. Photograph: Google

“We recognise that this is a sensitive issue,” said a Google spokeswoman. “Since 2013, we have had systems that work to decrease the visibility of mugshots for searches for people’s names, while being careful not to inadvertently suppress information that is in the public interest, such as sheriff department sites or sex offender registries.”

It’s a tricky problem because even if the mugshots websites are down-ranked, if an arrestee doesn’t have much of a digital presence their mugshot may still be the first result when someone Googles their name.

Facebook accused of conducting mass surveillance through its apps

Cirio argues that Google is dragging its feet over the issue because it gets paid a small fee every time someone clicks on an ad for the reputation management companies that appear when people search for “remove mugshot” or something similar.

In light of Google’s recent decisions to ban advertising for bail bonds and high-interest payday loans, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume they could extend the ban to mugshot extortion sites. And some point to how the company has taken a strong line with other types of photo-based extortion such as revenge porn.

Google said it bans content that “seeks to exploit others”, which includes extortion and blackmail. However, searches reveal it still features many ads promising to remove mugshots for a fee, including one that imitates an official Google website.

This ad looks like it’s an official Google service, but it’s not.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest

This ad looks like it’s an official Google service, but it’s not. Photograph: Google

Some members of Cirio’s group are taking matters into their own hands, using the dark arts of search engine optimisation and cyber-sleuthing to identify the people who run the sites and attempt to tarnish their reputation online.

For others, regulation is the only solution. So far, 18 states have introduced laws to ban removal fees or insist on accurate postings. However, these still place all the burden on the individual to find their mugshots online, contact the company with proof of the status of their case, and negotiate the removal of the picture.

Eumi Lee proposes a different solution: excluding mugshots from the public records, except when there is a specific law enforcement need or by court order.

“We are at such a pivotal mark in terms of criminal justice reform and also at this point of starting to fear the commercialisation of consumer and government data,” the law professor said.

“Society must recognise the greater privacy interests at stake in the digital era.”

Rakoczy remains pragmatic.

“I am not trying to hide the fact I was arrested, but I have a problem with everyone having such easy access and these sites wanting a buttload of money to take it down.”

WA: COUNTY TO PAY $115K TO MAN MISTAKENLY LISTED AS SEX OFFENDER

June 14, 2018

[kimatv.com – 6/14/18]

YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. – The county has agreed to settle a lawsuit involving a man who was wrongfully listed as a sex offender.

Yakima County will pay local man Damian Garza Cantu $115,000 after someone else’s criminal convictions of third degree rape were mistakenly placed on his record.

Read more: http://kimatv.com/news/local/county-to-pay-115k-to-man-mistakenly-listed-as-sex-offender

Read more at this link:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ambigamy/201411/fanaticism-is-disease-alcoholism

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 25 2018

Now for the article that lead me to post (the above post) in the first place:

More great stuff from Grits for Breakfast http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/06/tx-dem-platform-prioritizes-cjreform.html:

TX Dem platform prioritizes #cjreform

Having detailed #cjreform planks added to the Texas state GOP platform, let's now turn to the Democratic platform approved this week in Fort Worth. Criminal-justice reform was the first section in the final platform document (see here), an obeisance not afforded the subject in many a year among Democratic opinion leaders.

The differences in the R and D platforms in large part stemmed from differences in process. The Republican party platform is a completely grassroots affair, with resolutions bubbling up from the precinct-convention level and the final product looking like a hodge-podge list of unrelated and frequently disconnected suggestions.

By contrast, the Democratic platform committee re-wrote the #cjreform section from scratch. So it reads more coherently and includes fewer jarring non-sequiturs than some of the platform planks on the R side. But it's also less of a direct expression of grassroots opinion within the party, for whatever that's worth.

In all, some version of ten of Just Liberty's proposed platform planks ended up in the GOP platform, and about 15, in some form, made it in on the D side.

In many ways, though, the Dem platform goes further than Just Liberty's resolutions. It more systematically gives candidates at different levels - justices of the peace, constables, sheriffs, prosecutors, and judges - issues they could potentially run on as Democrats. And it's a pretty good list, much better developed than the less-reform-minded 2016 version. The various subsection titles include:

Bail reform

Re-entry

Mass incarceration

School-to-prison pipeline

Juvenile justice

Policing and improving community partnerships

Eliminating private prisons

Criminalizing intentional prosecutor misconduct

The reformist approach expressed in the Democratic platform is more comprehensive and fully developed than its GOP counterpart, but because of the party's seemingly permanent minority status, it's also perhaps less consequential.

Still, the Democratic platform had not significantly embraced a reform mindset on criminal-justice in years past. Now, they're suggesting cutting edge reforms and distinctly new approaches. For example, "Treating drug use as a public health challenge rather than a crime," and "Reducing possession of small amounts of controlled substances to a misdemeanor, even when it is a repeat offense."

They also endorsed, echoing a plank in the GOP platform, "Ending the practice of sending poor people to jail or prison for inability to pay fines or court costs."

Soon, Grits will follow up with a post detailing points of agreement between D and R platforms and speculating on prospects for bipartisan #cjreform in the 2019 Texas Legislature.

We just have to tell the democrats we like them; but...

We do not want to totally sell out our country to foreign influences!

If we have a choice between voting democrat and supporting things like, TPP; we will vote republican.

TPP:

Trans-Pacific Partnership - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 29 2018

Every little victory; is still a good one. It may not be obvious to courts that SO registry is cruel and unusual punishment; it is to thee omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God.:

IA: SUPREME COURT – REGISTRATION FOR JUVENILE SEX OFFENDERS IS PUNISHMENT

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 29 2018

The boy’s lawyers argued that the fact that registration as a sex offender was mandatory constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The court’s majority opinion written by Chief Justice Mark Cady found that registration for juvenile sex offenders is punishment, but is not cruel and unusual.

Article – towards the bottom; click here

Decision; click here

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 30 2018

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/06/should-government-give-high-risk.html

FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2018

Should the government give high-risk offenders gaming systems to reduce crime?

Regular readers will recall that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick responded to the school shooting in Santa Fe by suggesting that Texas eliminate subsidies aimed at luring video game companies to the state. Grits responded by disputing the purported link between video-game violence and violent crime.

The more I think about it, though, I wonder if video games might be part of a solution to violent crime?

Here's an outside-the-box (but not the Xbox) suggestion for reducing crime that's cheaper than incarceration and gives authorities a better tool to help offenders comply with probation: Give young people at high risk of committing serious crimes gaming systems as part of probation terms and make taking them away a punishment for violating conditions.

Several different strands of thought led me to this idea, which I've not seen proposed elsewhere.

In recent years, we've seen pilot programs where law enforcement identified the people at the highest risk of committing violent crime and simply paid them not to. And it seems to work! Some of the methods for identifying the most high-risk folk can be pretty sophisticated.

At the same time, we've seen studies showing that youth playing violent video games (or really, any video games) tend to commit less crime because of the voluntary incapacitation effect: The kid playing Grand Theft Auto for hours doesn't have time to be out stealing my car.

(On Twitter, John Pfaff recently pointed to a paper showing a similar voluntary incapacitation effect related to violent movies.)

My personal belief is that the rise of video games and online entertainment caused a much greater proportion of the crime decline witnessed in the past quarter century than most observers have considered.

Young males through about their mid-to-late twenties are the highest risk population group for committing crime. This is also the group with whom video games are most popular.

So what if we combined these observations to create a correctional strategy? What if high-risk young male offenders on probation were given a PlayStation or Xbox and a few popular games when they went on supervision, and allowed to keep the equipment if they successfully completed their probation term?

I see several benefits:

1) The incapacitation effect: The more time these youth spend playing video games, the less likelihood they'll get into trouble.

2) Incentive for good behavior: Just like payment is a positive incentive not to commit crime in the pilot programs described above, access to a video game station is a significant incentive not break the law or violate probation rules, as well as to complete probation.

3) Tool to address rules violations: Similarly, taking access to the video game system away is a significant additional negative incentive, a tool that could be used to punish technical non-compliance (half of all revocations to prison from probation in Texas are for technical violations).

4) Economics: Gaming systems are cheaper than paying a monthly stipend, as in the above-cited examples, and the project could be scaled up more easily.

The complaint would come from people who say, "My kids don't have a Playstation, why should the government buy one for criminals?" But since the answer is so firmly rooted in public-safety goals - particularly if the tactic were reserved for the most serious, high-risk probationers - IMO it could be justified. We spend a lot of money already on these high-risk populations.

The same parental controls that keep young kids from accessing inappropriate stuff could be used to limit improper use of the system (contacting victims, etc.), and of course improper use could be punished by taking it away.

IMO this could reduce crime among the population eligible for the program and make it easier to get people to comply with their probation terms. The cost of each system is significant (~$300 + games), but a lot less than incarceration, and I bet under such circumstances the state could get a bulk-purchase discount.

This is a brainstorming post, not a fully formed policy suggestion. But as cost-effective public safety solutions go, this idea seems to check a lot of the boxes.

POSTED BY GRITSFORBREAKFAST AT 1:26 PM

New Blogs Part 10 Updated June 30 2018

ACLU

We were flooded with news this week. We're sure you've been paying attention. One thing's for certain: It's never been more important to stay informed.

We want to make sure you're among the first to know about At Liberty, the ACLU's brand-new podcast. Subscribe for weekly commentary from ACLU experts and leaders like Cecile Richards, Patrisse Cullors, and more:

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

OTHER WAYS TO LISTEN

For this week's episode, we talk with Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project and the attorney who's on the front lines of the fight against family separation. Lee analyzes the recent court decision to reunite immigrant families and the effect that public pressure has had on this issue. He also walks us through the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Muslim ban and the role of the courts in immigration policy.

Thanks for tuning in,

ACLU

New Blogs Part 10 Updated July 01 2018

From the great and mighty Grits for Breakfast:

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/06/harris-bail-ruling-released-problem.html

Harris County bail ruling released: click for full story

Yesterday, federal District Judge Lee Rosenthal released her revised ruling in the Harris County bail case, the Houston Chronicle reported. I can't find a copy online yet, but this is an important moment: Now, every county in Texas is on notice that they must give individualized bail hearings and can't simply rely on a bail schedule to decide whom to release. Most counties in the state use some version of the same system, so look for county-by-county chaos resulting in either a new legislative framework created for pretrial release in 2019, or else much more litigation as policies are changed through the federal courts county by county. Harris County has spent nearly $7 million in attorneys fees defending their unconstitutional system.

Deaths spur federal litigation vs. Galveston

jail click here for full :storyhttps://cw39.com/2018/06/27/watch-live-federal-lawsuit-filed-against-galveston-jail-after-series-of-inmate-deaths/

The Galveston County Jail faces new federal litigation alleging that several recent inmate deaths resulted from sub-par medical care.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated July 06 2018

I read this recently on Girts for Breakfast and it stuck in my mind:

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/07/study-bad-cops-immune-to-criticism-need.html

Leaving aside the small sample sizes described there, and the VERY small sample sizes from which the opinions of subsets of officers would be drawn, as it turns out, the peculiar definitions of "liberal" and "conservative" may underlie the conclusions in this study. Here's what they were measuring when they say "liberal" and "conservative":

More-liberal individuals believe in creating communal relationships between authority figures, like employees, and the people over whom they hold power, while more-conservative individuals believe in maintaining the dominance of authorities and us-versus-them power dynamics.

First off I am not a liberal. I am middle of the road type voter. I am always open to vote democrat. I never vote 3rd party because it is a wasted vote. If we do not have a choice between two party's then we are not a democracy!

My father was a highly decorated police officer half my life and what seemed like; his entire life. My dad's friends were my friends and are still on the force today. I have never had trouble talking to police; because my dad was a regular guy. He was a quit man and always well dressed especially; when he was in uniform, that was dry cleaned every week. He was actually well liked in the community. Not only was my dad your average guy; but he was allot like me, and I am allot like he was. When I see a police officer I do not see the uniform; I just see another American citizen like me. I would not be good in a protest; because I would take the police officer's side in a second, if it had to be done.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated July 07 2018

AUSTIN COPS SAID THEY SHOT A MAN WHO FIRED ON THEM–BUT IT TURNS OUT HE DIDN’T FIRE A SHOT

He still faces aggravated-assault-with-a-deadly-weapon charges even though police now admit no such assault occurred.

Full Story: Click here

White police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager:

From: https://freespeech.org/stories/cop-charged-antwon-rose-jr/ :

In an unusual outcome for an increasingly common occurrence, a white police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager is now facing criminal homicide charges in Pennsylvania. Michael Rosfeld was officially sworn into the Pittsburgh Police Department just 90 minutes before he fatally shot Antwon Rose, Jr., three times in the back. Video corroborated witness accounts confirming that Rose was unarmed, and showed the officers his raised, open hands before he turned to run from the officers who had pulled over the car he was riding in, incorrectly believing it was a vehicle involved in a drive-by shooting earlier that day.

Advocates and politicians are renewing calls for civilian oversight of Allegheny County’s more than 100 municipal police departments in the wake of the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Antwon Rose II in East Pittsburgh. Read More: Click here

ACLU of Texas

From: https://action.aclu.org/volunteer/da-day-smart-justice-workshop-0

Make decisions as Dallas' top prosecutor for a day.

Dallas DA for a Day Sat., July 21, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

TYRO Champion Center

8500 N. Stemmons Fwy., Ste. 1050

Dallas, TX 75247

As our community’s top prosecutor, the district attorney decides whether someone will be charged with a crime, which crimes to prosecute, and who deserves a second chance. Find out if you can handle being in one of the most powerful elected positions in our community.

SO YOU WANT TO HAVE A REGISTRY FOR COMMUNITY SAFETY

July 1, 2018

New Blogs Part 10 Updated July 07 2018

[sosen.org – 6/30/18]

For those of you who believe we have to have a registry to protect our citizens. I have from time to time thought hard on this and I recognize the fact that there are people out there that just aren’t going to change their beliefs and attitudes towards other people and will continue harming others, so here’s my solution.

If we have to have a registry, which I believe is unconstitutional, then let’s limit it to the most dangerous people. In order to be legal within the Constitution it cannot be limited to just one class of crime or criminal. Plus it must be proven that they are the worst of the worst and a danger to society. So here’s how we go about that.

First of all it has to be a hands on crime, that is it has to have a real victim who has physically been harmed. the claiming of mental or emotional harm without physical harm is unrelated in that we all suffer mental and emotional damage from our daily lives. But were looking for the worst of the worst.

It follows that those that have hands-on crimes involving a victim that suffers physically, mentally and emotionally are the worst. So what would fall within this guideline.The first thing that comes to mind is rape and sexual assault but we can’t stop there that is only one class of crime. We would have to include murder and assault, that could also included home invasion if the victims in the home were physically harmed. This could also include armed robbery or even carjacking if physical harm came to a victim. Also included in this would be things such as DUI, DWI if there was injury to either people in the vehicle that the drunk driver was driving or in another vehicle. I think you get the gist so now we’ve laid out the guidelines for what type of crimes would be on the registry.

PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND ACCOUNTABILITY

July 3, 2018

[sosen.org – 7/3/18]

What would happen if we would require our government employees to be able to pass a written tests where they had to show proof that they understood the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, as well as other matters pertaining to citizenship within this country? Then after these people became employees of the government they would be held accountable both civilly and criminally for actions that violated other people’s constitutional protected rights. No more immunity for people in the government, I believe at that point in time we would start seeing all our government officials doing a better job of protecting all our constitutional rights.

Of course after this opening statement, the first question that comes to my mind is how many legislators and their staff could pass one of these tests? Lets say one not only that included the US citizenship test that must be passed by new citizens immigrating to this country, but also a test that has specific questions about the Constitution and Bill of Rights of the United States. One that would not put together by politics or politicians but by independent law professors and historians. These questions would be designed to find out if people working in government actually understand that these documents were designed to protect INDIVIDUAL freedoms. Failure to pass these tests would result in a person being unemployable by the government.

THOMAS JEFFERSON: AMERICA’S MOST ESTEEMED CHILD PREDATOR

July 5, 2018

[narsol.org – 7/4/18]

By Robin Vander Wall . . . July 4th. A sex offender died today.

Well, not precisely. But, on this day 192 years ago, a sex offender passed away.

This was no common sex offender. In fact, he was more remarkable than most men who’ve ever lived. Governor of Virginia. Minister to France. First Secretary of State. Second Vice President. Third President of the United States. And, perhaps most importantly of all, the person responsible for writing the Declaration of Independence.

Yes, Thomas Jefferson was a sex offender. Or at least he would be.

Here are the relevant facts: Two years after the death of his wife, Martha, from complications with the birth of their sixth child—an event that profoundly affected the remainder of Jefferson’s life—Congress sent Jefferson to Paris to replace Benjamin Franklin as minister to France.

Jefferson took his oldest daughter Patsy with him. It was 1784, eight years after the fledgling nation declared independence from Great Britain and five years before the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

Late in 1787, Jefferson received word about the passing of his youngest daughter, Lucy, and immediately sent for his other daughter, Mary, who had remained at Monticello near Charlottesville, Virginia. Sally Hemings, one of Jefferson’s slaves, was sent along with Mary to accompany her. Mary was 9. Sally was 14.

In the parlance of the time, Sally Hemings was a mulatto. Her mother was a slave. Her father, John Wayles, was a white owner of slaves. Sally became the property of Thomas Jefferson when Mr. Wayles died and his daughter, Martha, Jefferson’s wife, inherited the property.

Let me unpack that for you. Sally Hemings and Martha Jefferson were half sisters because they shared the same father.

By all accounts, Sally was a light-skinned woman whose features were exceptional. And in Martha’s passing, it is likely that Jefferson grew closer to Sally as a means to fill the void created by the tragic and untimely death of his young wife. We now know that Sally’s living quarters were adjacent to Jefferson’s bedroom.

TITLE: EVALUATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SEX OFFENDER TREATMENT INTERVENTION AND PROGRESS SCALE (SOTIPS) [PAPER ON ASSESSING RISK]

July 5, 2018

[nij.gov – 5/2018]

This report that details findings from a study designed to follow sex offenders on probation over time in two geographically diverse settings to assess recidivism and the predictive accuracy of Evaluation of the Implementation of the Sex Offender Treatment Intervention and Progress Scale (SOTIPS). Results indicate that SOTIPS is a promising instrument for assessing dynamic risk factors in sex offenders on probation.

Download the paper: https://nij.gov/publications/pages/publication-detail.aspx?ncjnumber=251747

New Blogs Part 10 Updated July 10 2018

click to sign:

https://act.credoaction.com/sign/stop_war_on_social_security

Stop the secret Republican war on Social Security

70% We've reached 70,436 of our goal of 100,000.

Sign the petition

Petition to Congress:

"Support the Social Security Administration Fairness Act, which would give the Social Security Administration the funding it needs to provide the earned benefits beneficiaries have paid for and deserve."

Stop the secret Republican war on Social Security

Social Security is one of the most successful government programs in U.S. history, helping to keep tens of millions of Americans out of poverty over the past 80 years.

But Republicans have been plotting for decades to undermine Social Security any way they can. Their latest scheme involves quietly slashing the Social Security Administration's operating funding, which the agency uses to maintain offices and provide people with access to the benefits they've earned.

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. John Larson have a smart new plan to fight back and protect Social Security by increasing its administrative budget and making it easier for people to access their earned benefits without unnecessary delays.1 Add your name to our petition now to help build support for this crucial new legislation.

Tell Congress: Stop the secret war on Social Security.

Republicans' systematic underfunding of the Social Security Administration has real consequences for senior citizens, people living with disabilities and other Social Security beneficiaries. Despite an increase in the total number of people receiving Social Security benefits, budget cuts have forced the agency to reduce its staff size and close more than 10 percent of all Social Security field offices nationwide. The closures mean that people with business at a Social Security field office – many of whom are elderly – are being forced to wait in long lines – some outside in unsafe heat.2

The Social Security Administration Fairness Act includes several commonsense provisions that would reverse this troubling trend and make it easier for Americans to access their earned benefits. It would:

Impose a moratorium on the closures of Social Security field offices.

Increase the Social Security Administration's administrative budget.

Eliminate arbitrary and misguided waiting periods that deny people the earned benefits they deserve.

CREDO is proud to be joining our friends at Social Security Works, the AFL-CIO and countless other organizations to build support for the Social Security Administration Fairness Act. I hope you'll add your name to our petition today to help build support in Congress for this vital new bill.

References:

The Office of Sen. Bernie Sanders, "Sanders, Larson Introduce Bill to Improve and Restore Social Security Service," June 27, 2018.

Rudy Trevino, "Occupancy limit has residents lining up in heat at Social Security office," KIII TV, July 5, 2018.

click to sign:

https://act.credoaction.com/sign/stop_war_on_social_security

Presented by Texas Freedom Network, Equality Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Resource Center

Invite:

Monday, July 16 at 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM CDT

Next Week · 26–38° Sunny

Resource Center

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Worried about the fallout after the Supreme Court ruled for the baker in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case? We’re headed to Dallas to answer your questions and strategize about how to fight back!

Join us in Dallas on July 16 to learn more about how Masterpiece affects the fight for equality and what you can do to protect yourself.

Since the Masterpiece decision earlier this month, the opponents of equality have been proclaiming victory, asserting that the Court handed them a big win. The decision has clearly emboldened anti-LGBTQ groups and their supporters, leaving LGBTQ Texans to wonder if it’s open season for discrimination:

Does the Masterpiece decision create a license to discriminate?

If you’re turned away for being gay or transgender, what can you do?

Is it too late to stop anti-LGBTQ activists from passing more religious refusal laws targeting communities they don’t like?

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New Blogs Part 10 Updated July 16 2018

From: http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/07/isolated-incident-at-tdcj-means-things.html

I just got this in my email yesterday; from the fourteenth. I have no idea what is wrong with my AT&T owned Yahoo email lately. I think they are unsubscribing me without me knowing. What is up with the new pop up window that lists my emails and suggest's I should unsubscribe from them? If you use Yahoo email you know what I am talking about. Try and contact Yahoo; I have and gave up. If you have ever gone to the AT&T website, it is the most unfriendly website ever. The pages take forever to load. My family is not getting my email sometimes.

I checked my Yahoo email yesterday; I should have seen this email referring to the following story at least yesterday not today.

SATURDAY, JULY 14, 2018

"Isolated incident" at TDCJ means things that happen to lots of people all the time

Not long ago, Grits parsed statements from Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman and concluded that his consistent pattern of responding to systemic problems with claims that they're "isolated incidents" amounted to a "practice of deflection and deception," corrorborating what a whistleblower called a "culture of coverup" at the agency.

Here's a good example: An article by the indefatigable Keri Blakinger at the Houston Chronicle - focused on a major and three guards who were indicted for planting evidence on inmates and then filing false grievances - included a reference to this now-routine, "isolated incident" response:

A Texas prison spokesman last month called the screwdriver-planting scheme an "isolated incident." Since then dozens of inmates and their families have reached out to the Chronicle, the Office of the Inspector General and Texas Inmates Families Association with similar allegations.

"Officers planting drugs, weapons, and other forms of contraband is a fairly regular occurrence in TDCJ," one inmate said, after detailing another alleged evidence-planting incident he says he witnessed at Ramsey Unit.

In the past five years, there have been more than 75 arrests or charges of tampering with evidence or records filed against TDCJ officers, records show. That figure only includes cases investigated by the Office of the Inspector General, and it doesn't indicate how the cases were ultimately resolved.

Sound like an "isolated incident" to you?

The agency lessens its credibility when it responds to legitimate criticisms of systemic failures by scapegoating the lowest level individuals instead of accepting accountability for things that go wrong.

This is why advocates have called for independent oversight at the agency, a point made in the story by Jennifer Erschabek of the Texas Inmate Family Association:

"We've been fighting for independent oversight for years and haven't been able to get any traction," said Jennifer Erschabek of the Texas Inmate Families Association. "They always say there's the ombudsman, the House Corrections Committee, the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, the board - but that's never been effective for us because we never get the transparency or accountability we need on these issues. It takes the news media to get to the bottom of this and get to facts."

New Blogs Part 10 Updated July 16 2018

In the process of posting a reply to the above post; I found the following post. I have been posting about this online for years; it is good to finally find some web site on the subject. Although I could not find a exact match to the Cognitive Distortions I have studied in the past; I am posting what I found. I am sure if you want to spend some time you can find more. The internet being true to itself; "these days" making it hard to find valuable information for free.

I posted this, this morning and have read through these several times. I like these very much. I will continue to read these over an over. This is a great way to better yourself. Using this as you post online can only help. Trolls need read this. I really think Trolling is a serious mental handicap and hope it is recognized as so; in the US, soon. Trolling is illegal in many country's.

From: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-practice/201301/50-common-cognitive-distortions

50 Common Cognitive Distortions

A giant list of ubiquitous cognitive distortions.

Posted Jan 17, 2013

Becoming mindful of these common cognitive distortions will help you understand yourself and other people better, and improve your decision making.

1. Personalizing.

Taking something personally that may not be personal. Seeing events as consequences of your actions when there are other possibilities. For example, believing someone’s brusque tone must be because they’re irritated with you. (Tips for not personalizing.)

2. Mindreading. Guessing what someone else is thinking, when they may not be thinking that.

3. Negative predictions.

Overestimating the likelihood that an action will have a negative outcome. More info in my book here.

4. Underestimating coping ability.

Underestimating your ability cope with negative events.

5. Catastrophizing.

Thinking of unpleasant events as catastrophes.

6. Biased attention toward signs of social rejection, and lack of attention to signs of social acceptance.

For example, during social interactions, paying attention to someone yawning but not paying the same degree of attention to other cues that suggest they are interested in what you’re saying (such as them leaning in).

7. Negatively biased recall of social encounters.

Remembering negatives from a social situation and not remembering positives. For example, remembering losing your place for a few seconds while giving a talk but not remembering the huge clap you got at the end.

8. Thinking an absence of effusiveness means something is wrong.

Believing an absence of a smiley-face in an email means someone is mad at you. Or, interpreting “You did a good job” as negative if you were expecting “You did a great job.”

9. Unrelenting standards.

The belief that achieving unrelentingly high standards is necessary to avoid a catastrophe. For example, the belief that making any mistakes will lead to your colleagues thinking you're useless.

10. Entitlement beliefs.

Believing the same rules that apply to others should not apply to you. For example, believing you shouldn’t need to do an internship even if that is the normal path to employment in your industry.

11. Justification and moral licensing.

For example, I’ve made progress toward my goal and therefore it’s ok if I act in a way that is inconsistent with it.

12. Belief in a just world.

For example, believing that poor people must deserve to be poor.

13. Seeing a situation only from your own perspective.

For example, failing to look at a topic of relationship tension from your partner’s perspective.

14. Belief that self-criticism is an effective way to motivate yourself toward better future behavior.

It’s not.

15. Recognizing feelings as causes of behavior, but not equally attending to how behavior influences thoughts and feelings.

For example, you think “When I have more energy, I’ll exercise” but not “Exercising will give me more energy.”

16. All or nothing thinking.

e.g., "If I don’t always get As, I’m a complete failure."

17. Shoulds and musts.

For example, "I should always give 100%." Sometimes there are no important benefits of doing a task beyond a basic acceptable level.

18. Using feelings as the basis of a judgment, when the objective evidence does not support your feelings.

e.g., "I don’t feel clean, even though I’ve washed my hands three times. Therefore I should wash my again." (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder example).

19. Basing future decisions on “sunk costs.”

e.g., investing more money in a business that is losing money because you’ve invested so much already.

20. Delusions.

Holding a fixed, false belief despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. For example, believing global warming doesn’t exist. Or, believing you’re overweight when you’re 85lbs.

21. Assuming your current feelings will stay the same in the future.

For example, “I feel unable to cope today, and therefore I will feel unable to cope tomorrow.”

22. Cognitive labeling.

For example, mentally labeling your sister’s boyfriend as a “loser” and not being open to subsequent evidence suggesting he isn’t a loser.

23. The Halo Effect.

For example, perceiving high calories foods as lower in calories if they’re accompanied by a salad.

24. Minimizing.

e.g., “Yes I won an important award but that still doesn’t really mean I’m accomplished in my field.”

25. Magnifying (Cognitively Exaggerating).

For example, blowing your own mistakes and flaws out of proportion and perceiving them as more significant than they are.

Making a mountain out of a molehill, but not quite to the same extent as catastrophizing.

26. Cognitive conformity.

Seeing things the way people around you view them. Research has shown that this often happens at an unconscious level. See the Asch experiment. (video)

27. Overgeneralizing

Generalizing a belief that may have validity in some situations (such as “If you want something done well, you should do it yourself.”) to every situation. This is a type of lack of psychological flexibility.

28. Blaming others.

29. Falling victim to the “Foot in the Door” technique.

When someone makes a small request to get a “Yes” answer, then follows up with a bigger request, people are more likely to agree to the big request than if only that request had been made.

30. Falling victim to the “Door in the Face” technique.

When someone makes an outlandish request first, then makes a smaller request, the initial outlandish request makes the smaller request seem more reasonable.

31. Focusing on the amount saved rather than the amount spent.

e.g, Focusing on the amount of a discount rather than on whether you’d buy the item that day at the sale price if it wasn’t listed as on sale.

32. Overvaluing things because they're yours.

e.g., perceiving your baby as more attractive or smart than they really are because they're yours.

Or, overestimating the value of your home when you put it on the market for sale because you overestimate the added value of renovations you've made.

33. Failure to consider alternative explanations.

Coming up with one explanation for why something has happened/happens and failing to consider alternative, more likely explanations.

34. The Self-Serving Bias The self-serving bias is people's tendency to attribute positive events to their own character but attribute negative events to external factors. (Tips for overcoming the self-serving bias.)

35. Attributing strangers' behavior to their character and not considering situational/contextual factors.

36. Failure to consider opportunity cost.

For example, spending an hour doing a low ROI task and thinking "it's only an hour" and not considering the lost potential of spending that hour doing a high ROI task.

37. Assumed similarity.

The tendency to assume other people hold similar attitudes to your own.

38. In-group bias.

The tendency to trust and value people who are like you, or who are in your circle, more than people from different backgrounds.

39. "You don't know what you don't know."

Getting external feedback can help you become aware of things you didn't even know that you didn't know!

40. The tendency to underestimate how long tasks will take.

41. The belief that worry and overthinking will lead to problem solving insights.

In fact, overthinking tends to impair problem solving ability and leads to avoidance coping.

42. Biased implicit attitudes.

Psychologists use a test called the implicit association test to measure attitudes that people subconsciously hold. Results show people subconsciously associate fat with lazy etc.

It's useful to be mindful that you may subsciously hold biased attitudes, then you can consciously correct for them.

43. The Peak-End Rule.

The tendency to most strongly remember (1) how you felt at the end of an experience, and (2) how you felt at the moment of peak emotional intensity during the experience. Biased memories can lead to biased future decision making.

44. The tendency to prefer familiar things.

Familiarity breeds liking, which is part of why people are brand loyal and may pay inflated prices for familiar brands vs. switching.

45. The belief you can multi-task.

When you're multi-tasking you're actually task (and attention) shifting. Trying to focus on more than one goal at a time is self-sabotage.

46. Failure to recognize the cognitive benefits of restorative activitIes and activities that increase positive emotions.

For example, seeing humor or breaks as a waste of time.

47. Positively biased predictions.

For example, expecting that if you sign up to a one year gym membership you will go, if this hasn't been the case in the past.

48. Cheating on your goals based on positive behaviors you plan to do later.

For example, overeating today if you expect you'll be starting a diet next week. Often the planned positive behaviors don't happen.

49. Repeating the same behavior and expecting different results (or thinking that doubling-down on a failed strategy will start to produce positive results).

For example, expecting that if you nag more, your partner will change.

50. "I can't change my behavior." (or "I can't change my thinking style.")

Instead of telling yourself "I can't," try asking yourself how you could shift your behavior (or thinking style) by 5%.

How to Become Mindful of Your Cognitive Distortions?

Try printing this article and highlighting the cognitive distortions you think apply to you. I suggest you then pick one cognitive distortion at a time and keep a running list for a week of how that cognitive distortion manifests in your life.

From: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-second-noble-truth/201805/top-20-ways-you-are-lying-yourself?amp

Fundamental Attribution Error: In this bias, we attribute our mistakes to circumstances, but others’ mistakes to flawed character. I often use driving as an example for this. When one cuts someone off, it’s a mistake, by accident, or there was little choice. But when someone cuts you off, they are a selfish jerk.

Self-Serving Bias: This bias enhances or preserves self-esteem by viewing oneself in an overly positive manner. With this bias credit for accomplishments is due to hard work, but failure is due to external factors.

Egocentric Bias: People see the world from their own lens and accept it as reality. Over relying on one’s own perspective, which everyone naturally does, is egocentric bias.

In-Group, Out-Group Bias: With this bias people give preferential treatment, and feel more positively, about people they perceive as similar to them, while looking negatively upon others they see as different.

Halo Effect: This is the inclination to attribute positive character traits to those we find attractive. Someone beautiful is also thought to be kind, smart, compassionate, etc.

Doppelgänger Bias: I’ve only recently heard of this bias (Fagan, 2018). This, according to studies by Oriel Feldman Hall, is the propensity to trust someone who looks like someone who, in the past, you found trustworthy.

Mere Exposure Effect: This is the tendency for one to like something simply because it becomes familiar. This explains some songs’ growing popularity, or how one becomes more attracted to people one is around.

Implicit Egotism: This is the affinity to gravitate toward people like ourselves, such as having the same numbers in one’s birthday, or gravitating toward a job like one’s last name (Bakers being a baker, etc.) (Vedantam, 2017).

Self-fulfilling Prophecy: This is the tendency to enact what one believes. For example, if you believe you’ll fail, you do. I write about this in, “You, and the manifesting of reality”.

Stereotype Effect: This is similar to the above. When a group is reminded of a negative stereotype (for example women being bad at math) they do more poorly on tasks. In an interesting study related to how beliefs affect performance, Adam Galinsky and Hajo Adam, demonstrated that wearing a white lab coat believed to be a doctor's coat led to participants performing better on an attention task. When participants wore the same coat, but believed it to be a painter’s coat, they performed significantly worse (Rosin, H., Miller, L.).

Backfire Effect: This is the idea that telling someone facts that counter their beliefs will change their beliefs. In actuality, the person becomes more tied to their beliefs. The podcast, “You’re Not So Smart” has dedicated 4 episodes to this phenomenon (which seems more pronounced in our political times).

Cognitive Dissonance: One holds conflicting beliefs, or acts against one’s beliefs, and experiences cognitive dissonance. Then, due to feeling uncomfortable psychologically, “The person then becomes strongly motivated to lessen the discomfort caused by this conflict, and must either adjust the existing belief to fit the new information, or distort the new information to fit the existing belief”. (Goud, p.156). People might rate something as more pleasurable than they initially thought, simply because they can’t explain why else they did it.

Illusion of Control: This occurs when one overestimates the amount of control one has in life. An example is victims blaming themselves because it is easier to believe they have control than the world is chaotic and horrible things can happen without reason.

Negativity Bias: I’ve written about this one a good amount in other posts. It is the tendency of the human mind to give more weight to negatives than positives. Some psychologists (Gottman, Hanson) have rated the ratio as taking five positives to equal one negative.

Confirmation Bias: The tendency to focus on information that supports one’ beliefs and / or remembering confirming information more than information contradicting one’s beliefs.

Dunning-Kruger Effect: When unskilled people are overconfident about their answers or ability, and remain unaware due to the lack of metacognitive ability to recognize their shortcomings.

Hindsight Bias: When one “feels he knew something all along” this is Hindsight Bias. In experiments, when presented with an outcome such as, “studies indicate 71% of American’s fear financial ruin” (a made-up statistic and study) overwhelmingly people will report that this makes sense and why. However, if you reversed it (studies indicate 71% of people feel financially secure) they will express similar knowing that statistic to be true.

Affective Forecasting: Daniel Gilbert has studied the tendency for one to believe, and overestimate, that her preferences today will remain the same in the future. (For more on this, see my post, “You don’t know what you want”).

Projection: This is my favorite defense mechanism. I have written a good deal about projection (see, “Your dream world”). Projection is taking something that resides in your unconscious and believing another possess it. For example, you are afraid of your dark thoughts, unconsciously suppress them, then see the world as very dangerous.

The final, and, in some ways, ultimate way people are lying to themselves is sometimes referred to as confabulation. This usually means creating false memories, and though the malleability of memory is another way we distort reality (through distorting our personal history), in this case it is creating, and believing, reasons for our behavior without realizing the true motivation.

In, “Selfie” (You are Not So Smart podcast) author Will Storr and host David McRaney describe the left-brain interpreter as confabulating reasons for behavior. Storr posits that we have a voice in our heads that is explaining our behavior, but it has no access to the parts of the brain that control what we do. According to Storr, “It’s basically making stuff up. We really have no access, we have no idea, why we do what we do.” (McRaney, 2018, 5:49-5:55).

The best example of this comes from split-brain studies. Robert Wright (2017) points out several studies that demonstrate this type of confabulation. To explain how this works, people with severe epilepsy are given surgery that separates the two hemispheres of the brain. Though functioning normally most of time, the surgery allows data to be sent to only one side of the brain through that side’s vision field (the opposite eye) (p. 78). In an interesting experiment that utilizes this phenomenon, the command “Walk” was given to right hemisphere. The subject got up and walked. “When the left hemisphere is asked to explain behavior initiated by the right hemisphere, it tries to generate a plausible story.” In one case, the subject replied he got up and walked to get a soda. (p.79). “And the person who comes up with the improvised explanation-or, at least, the person’s left hemisphere, the part of the person that’s doing the talking-seems to believe the story.” (p. 79).

This is true of those whose brain remains intact as well. Wright cites another well cited experiment: Experimenters noticed when people were asked to evaluate four pair of pantyhose, they had a tendency to pick the pair on the far right. When asked to explain why, they discussed the quality of the fabric as well as other explanations. However, all the pantyhose were exactly the same. (p. 80). Wright concludes, “people are capable of convincing themselves of whatever stories about their own motivation it’s in their interest" (p.99).

This last implication that we are making up our reasons for behavior, and are unaware we are doing so, alone could make one question the confidence he has in thinking. The other nineteen (and the dozens I left off the list) just add to the evidence. Whether confabulation is a conglomeration of all the ways one deceives oneself, or the icing on the cake, if you have any faith in science at all, you have to be questioning your thinking.

You might wonder, as some of my students do, “why are you trying to convince us we can’t trust our thinking?”. It is a scary prospect: if you cannot trust your thinking, what do you trust? The best answer I can offer returns me to the Ram Dass quote, “The mind is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master.” (See, “Talk your brain into being a better servant” for more on this). If you become aware of how inaccurate your thoughts can be, how your mind is biased, egotistical, and creates a sense of self where none truly exists (see, “You aren’t you at all”), you are less attached to your mind, your perceptions, and your idea of self. If you are less attached to these, you are more open to genuine, authentic experience. You are more Zen, more mindful, more present. You become what Tolle calls, “the observer”, (p.31) or operate from what Wright calls the default mode (p.45). You are able to detach from thinking, make a more objective decision, or handle things without as much emotion. Additionally, this ability to step out of thinking leads to more mindfulness, which leads to more peace and mental well-being. This overcoming (to the extent we are able) of ego is a step to enlightenment and self-actualization. It all begins by realizing your mind is full of it.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated July 17 2018

Jesus could have had some LGBTQ people around him according to the Pharisees:

Mark 2:16

“And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?”

Thumbs up to the democrats for fighting these bazaar laws:

Two Congressional Democrats have introduced bills in Congress to ban the gay and trans panic defenses.

Representative Joseph Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) introduced the Gay & Trans Panic Defense Prohibition Act in their respective chambers. The bill would ban the gay and trans panic defense in federal courts.

While it’s not an officially recognized defense strategy, the gay panic defense is used in cases where a straight person assaults or kills a gay person. Instead of saying they didn’t do it, the defendant argues that they were so upset that a gay person made a sexual advance towards them that they momentarily lost control, helping them to claim insanity or diminished capacity.

The related trans panic defense argues that the defendant lost control when they found out that the victim is transgender.

Kennedy said that admitting to killing someone because they’re gay or transgender “is not a defense, it is a hate crime.”

“Legal loopholes written into our laws that seek to justify violent attacks against our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender neighbors should never have existed in the first place,” Kennedy said.

In April, the American Bar Association sent a letter to Markey asking for the gay and trans panic defense to be banned.

“These defenses have no place in either our society or justice system and should be legislated out of existence,” the letter said. The American Bar Association adopted a resolution calling for an end to the defense in 2013.

The gay panic defense has been used in several prominent cases. It gained national attention in a 1995 case where a gay man, Scott Amedure, told his straight friend Jonathan Schmitz that he was attracted to him on the Jenny Jones Show.

Three days later, Schmitz shot Amedure and turned himself into police, and he argued in court that he was “embarrassed” on national TV. He avoided a first-degree murder conviction and was convicted of second-degree murder.

The men who killed Matthew Shepard also tried to argue that they were “enraged” to the point of murder because Shepard made a sexual advance toward them. The judge did not allow that defense, and they later changed their story.

The trans panic defense was used by the three men who killed Gwen Araujo in 2004. After having sex with the transgender teen, the men found out that she was transgender.

They called it “a sexual violation ‘so deep it’s almost primal’.” Their first trial ended in a jury deadlock.

California, Illinois, and Rhode Island have already banned the gay and trans panic defense.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated July 18 2018

I made these graphics from this great website. I am going to email the maker of the amazing website and compliment them.

http://crimedatatool.com/index.html

New Blogs Part 10 Updated July 24 2018

It is like I have illustrated here lately:

What would Jesus do?:

Got this cool email from LGBTQ Nation Daily Brief. I used to really like visiting Glastonbury, Connecticut. I worked at a very fancy Italian restaurant there as well in the early 1980's. It was right across the street from a very touristy place. They had a great health food restaurant there that I loved to shop at. I got stuck in the snow there and some church member's rescued me at let me stay at their house. My manager, the owners son, was a gay man; as a matter of fact. At the time I was deeply into religion and seeking a wife; my manager was very respectful of that and was always a good guy to me. He liked me because I was so much against drinking he could trust me to look after the huge alcohol supply. People were always nice there in Glastonbury; so this does not surprise me. :

From: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/07/mcdonalds-throwing-shade-chick-fil-antigay/

A Glastonbury, Connecticut, McDonalds is throwing shade at their soon-to-open competitor,
Chick-fil-A, with a sign that subtly highlights the chicken chain’s notorious anti-LGBTQ history.

From: https://www.statesman.com/news/local/prosecutors-drop-charge-against-man-who-police-accused-pointing-gun-officer/HPFWdjtUZRL0gRjPAG2EGO/

Good news:

A man in Austin sat in jail for 15 months on charges that he pointed a weapon at officers, but authorities have known for much of that time that, in fact, he did not. Once the defense found out about the contrary evidence, they were allowed to plead to a lesser offense and the defendant was released with a sentence of "time served." The man's attorney told the paper the case “exposes how broken our bail system is and is used as a tool of oppression.”

From: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Heat-wave-sparks-concerns-in-sweltering-Texas-13089898.php

First big summer heat blast hits after TDCJ lost temperature litigation

After settling the lawsuit over heat-related deaths at the Pack Unit, acquiescing in most of the plaintiff's demands after the Fifth Circuit refused to grant summary judgment, TDCJ officials must be sweating (pun intended) over the possibility that more inmates could die in un-air-conditioned units thanks to the record setting heat this summer. Maybe that will mean they'll do a better job of providing ice and water, but for people kept essentially in metal boxes in 105+ degree weather - both inmates and staff - that's hardly much comfort. This Houston Chronicle story considered the issue. "Overall, just 29 Texas prisons provide air-conditioned living units, while another 75 facilities do not have it."

RSO articles I picked out:

New Blogs Part 10 Updated July 24 2018

GA: CONVICTED SEX OFFENDERS REMOVED FROM REGISTRY

July 10, 2018

A little over two decades ago, ____ ____ stood before a judge and pleaded guilty to aggravated sodomy with his 6-year-old daughter. “____ ____ molested his biological daughter,” Chatham County Chief Assistant District Attorney Greg McConnell said. “He admitted that he made her perform oral sex on him but said it was accidental.”

____ , who was 37 at the time, was sentenced to 10 years — two to be served in prison — followed by eight years of probation.

____ served his time. And in 2014 the state of Georgia, saying he was rehabilitated, forgave him. The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles granted ____ a pardon, an “order of official forgiveness” that recognized his “good reputation in (his) community following the completion of (his) sentence.””

Full Article: https://www.myajc.com/news/crime--law/court-ruling-removes-pardoned-sex-offenders-from-registry/bpbCHXQFt6NL7CsjXhO2XN/

NE: SEX OFFENDER RESIDENCY RESTRICTION DROPPED BY COUNCIL

July 20, 2018 ·8 Comments

An ordinance that would have banned convicted/registered sex offenders from living within 500 feet of a school or child care facility in York was given a second public reading and then dropped for good.

Full Article: https://www.yorknewstimes.com/news/sex-offender-residency-restriction-dropped-by-council/article_8e55ce2c-8c19-11e8-93c3-afe4f5684bcd.html

PA: JUDGE UPENDS SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION

July 23, 2018

WEST CHESTER >> A Common Pleas Court judge has ruled that a West Goshen man convicted of forcing himself sexually on a sleeping woman will not have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

In an order signed July 10, Judge Anthony Sarcione found that the law that defendant ____ ____ was required to report to state police as a sex offender was unconstitutional. He said the law, the Sexual Offenders Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), violated the fundamental right to reputation under the state Constitution, as well as federal guarantees of due process.

Full Article: http://www.dailylocal.com/general-news/20180723/judge-upends-sex-offender-registration

New Blogs Part 10 Updated August 05 2018

I made a new splash page logo. I am really into salvation lately and spreading the good news. I have not changed anything about myself though.

Nothing has changed about me. I have been a Christian since 1979. I was saved by my mother witnessing to me. She was at her wit's end with me when I was 18 years old. She got saved and thought it would help me too. She was right. She kept giving me Chick Tracts and I memorized John 3:16 the minute I saw it. I got saved by Chick Tracts. Being a artist I could not help but admire the amazing artwork in those old tracts. I can John 3:16 so fast to this day that it sounds like a auctioneer; thanks to that Chick Tract I read in 1979. That was on January 19th 1979, I remember the date; after all this time. I would have never made it this far without the Lord. Out of respect for the Lord, all I can say, if it was not for the Lord; this Blog would not exist.

Putting the gospel tract I used to hand out to people back in 1992 under my logo on this blog; is a perfect fit. My logo is supposed to be me under the weight of people's lack of intelligence concerning RSO's. Actually the SO FAQ logo is me under a giant cement brick; trying to keep it from crushing me. I worked really hard on that logo; when I started this blog. What better thing underneath me than the gospel; supporting me to lift the weight of ignorance. What better foundation is there?

1 Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated August 08 2018

I am not posting this because of China. I am posting this because every time I email my mother Apple blocks and deletes it. Ever since my mom got a IPad instead of a PC I have been unable to email my mom. That is sick! I also suspect Apple of blocking all my websites.

Check this out, I just found out about it:

From: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-apple-icloud-insight/apple-moves-to-store-icloud-keys-in-china-raising-human-rights-fears-idUSKCN1G8060

TECHNOLOGY NEWSFEBRUARY 23, 2018 / 11:14 PM / 5 MONTHS AGO

Apple moves to store iCloud keys in China, raising human rights fears

Stephen Nellis, Cate Cadell

8 MIN READ

SAN FRANCISCO/BEIJING (Reuters) - When Apple Inc begins hosting Chinese users’ iCloud accounts in a new Chinese data center at the end of this month to comply with new laws there, Chinese authorities will have far easier access to text messages, email and other data stored in the cloud.

That’s because of a change to how the company handles the cryptographic keys needed to unlock an iCloud account. Until now, such keys have always been stored in the United States, meaning that any government or law enforcement authority seeking access to a Chinese iCloud account needed to go through the U.S. legal system.

Now, according to Apple, for the first time the company will store the keys for Chinese iCloud accounts in China itself. That means Chinese authorities will no longer have to use the U.S. courts to seek information on iCloud users and can instead use their own legal system to ask Apple to hand over iCloud data for Chinese users, legal experts said.

Human rights activists say they fear the authorities could use that power to track down dissidents, citing cases from more than a decade ago in which Yahoo Inc handed over user data that led to arrests and prison sentences for two democracy advocates. Jing Zhao, a human rights activist and Apple shareholder, said he could envisage worse human rights issues arising from Apple handing over iCloud data than occurred in the Yahoo case.

In a statement, Apple said it had to comply with recently introduced Chinese laws that require cloud services offered to Chinese citizens be operated by Chinese companies and that the data be stored in China. It said that while the company’s values don’t change in different parts of the world, it is subject to each country’s laws.

“While we advocated against iCloud being subject to these laws, we were ultimately unsuccessful,” it said. Apple said it decided it was better to offer iCloud under the new system because discontinuing it would lead to a bad user experience and actually lead to less data privacy and security for its Chinese customers.

As a result, Apple has established a data center for Chinese users in a contractual arrangement with state-owned firm Guizhou - Cloud Big Data Industry Co Ltd. The firm was set up and funded by the provincial government in the relatively poor southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou in 2014. The Guizhou company has close ties to the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party.

The Apple decision highlights a difficult reality for many U.S. technology companies operating in China. If they don’t accept demands to partner with Chinese companies and store data in China then they risk losing access to the lucrative Chinese market, despite fears about trade secret theft and the rights of Chinese customers.

BROAD POWERS

Apple says the joint venture does not mean that China has any kind of “backdoor” into user data and that Apple alone – not its Chinese partner – will control the encryption keys. But Chinese customers will notice some differences from the start: their iCloud accounts will now be co-branded with the name of the local partner, a first for Apple.

And even though Chinese iPhones will retain the security features that can make it all but impossible for anyone, even Apple, to get access to the phone itself, that will not apply to the iCloud accounts. Any information in the iCloud account could be accessible to Chinese authorities who can present Apple with a legal order.

Apple said it will only respond to valid legal requests in China, but China’s domestic legal process is very different than that in the U.S., lacking anything quite like an American “warrant” reviewed by an independent court, Chinese legal experts said. Court approval isn’t required under Chinese law and police can issue and execute warrants.

“Even very early in a criminal investigation, police have broad powers to collect evidence,” said Jeremy Daum, an attorney and research fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center in Beijing. “(They are) authorized by internal police procedures rather than independent court review, and the public has an obligation to cooperate.”

Guizhou - Cloud Big Data and China’s cyber and industry regulators did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Guizhou provincial government said it had no specific comment.

There are few penalties for breaking what rules do exist around obtaining warrants in China. And while China does have data privacy laws, there are broad exceptions when authorities investigate criminal acts, which can include undermining communist values, “picking quarrels” online, or even using a virtual private network to browse the Internet privately.

Apple says the cryptographic keys stored in China will be specific to the data of Chinese customers, meaning Chinese authorities can’t ask Apple to use them to decrypt data in other countries like the United States.

Privacy lawyers say the changes represent a big downgrade in protections for Chinese customers.

“The U.S. standard, when it’s a warrant and when it’s properly executed, is the most privacy-protecting standard,” said Camille Fischer of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

WARNED CUSTOMERS

Apple has given its Chinese users notifications about the Feb. 28 switchover to the Chinese data center in the form of emailed warnings and so-called push alerts, reminding users that they can choose to opt out of iCloud and store information solely on their device. The change only affects users who set China as their country on Apple devices and doesn’t affect users who select Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.

A man looks at the screen of his mobile phone in front of an Apple logo outside its store in Shanghai, China July 30, 2017. REUTERS/Aly Song

Apple doesn’t require an iCloud account to set up and use an iPhone. But if the user enables iCloud during set up, the default settings on the iPhone will automatically create an iCloud back-up. Apple declined to comment on whether it would change its default settings to make iCloud an opt-in service, rather than opt-out, for Chinese users.

Apple said it will not switch customers’ accounts to the Chinese data center until they agree to new terms of service and that more than 99.9 percent of current users have already done so.

Until now, Apple appears to have handed over very little data about Chinese users. From mid-2013 to mid-2017, Apple said it did not give customer account content to Chinese authorities, despite having received 176 requests, according to transparency reports published by the company. By contrast, Apple has given the United States customer account content in response to 2,366 out of 8,475 government requests.

Those figures are from before the Chinese cyber security laws took effect and also don’t include special national security requests in which U.S. officials might have requested data about Chinese nationals. Apple, along with other companies, is prevented by law from disclosing the targets of those requests.

Apple said requests for data from the new Chinese datacenter will be reflected in its transparency reports and that it won’t respond to “bulk” data requests.

Human rights activists say they are also concerned about such a close relationship with a state-controlled entity like Guizhou-Cloud Big Data.

Sharon Hom, executive director of Human Rights in China, said the Chinese Communist Party could also pressure Apple through a committee of members it will have within the company. These committees have been pushing for more influence over decision making within foreign-invested companies in the past couple of years.

(Corrects paragraph 7 to read “contractual arrangement” instead of “joint venture”; corrects to show that Apple does not require an iCloud account to set up an iPhone)

Reporting by Stephen NellisEditing by Jonathan Weber and Martin Howell

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

BUSINESS NEWSAUGUST 7, 2018 / 8:38 PM / UPDATED 7 HOURS AGO

Apple tells lawmakers iPhones are not listening in on consumers

David Shepardson, Stephen Nellis

3 MIN READ

(Reuters) - Apple Inc told U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday that its iPhones do not listen to users without their consent and do not allow third-party apps to do so either, after lawmakers asked the company if its devices were invading users’ privacy.

A man holds an Apple iPhone as he walks on a street in New York, U.S., August 1, 2018. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Representatives Greg Walden, Marsha Blackburn, Gregg Harper and Robert Latta wrote to Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook and Alphabet Inc chief executive Larry Page in July, citing concerns about reports that smartphones could “collect ‘non-triggered’ audio data from users’ conversations near a smartphone in order to hear a ‘trigger’ phrase, such as ‘Okay Google’ or ‘Hey Siri.’”

In a letter to Walden, an Oregon Republican who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Apple said iPhones do not record audio while listening for Siri wakeup commands and Siri does not share spoken words. Apple said it requires users to explicitly approve microphone access and that apps must display a clear signal that they are listening.

The letters, in which lawmakers cited reports suggesting third-party applications had access to and used ‘non-triggered’ data without users’ knowledge, followed congressional hearings in April into Facebook Inc’s privacy practices, which included testimony by its CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Alphabet did not respond to questions about whether it had replied to lawmakers. Apple declined to comment beyond its letter, which was seen by Reuters.

A spokeswoman for the Republican majority on the House Energy and Commerce Committee said “both companies have been cooperative thus far. The Committee looks forward to reviewing and analyzing the responses as we consider next steps.”

Apple wrote that it had removed apps from its App Store over privacy violations but declined to say whether it had ever banned a developer. It also said it was up to developers to notify users when an app was removed for privacy reasons.

“Apple does not and cannot monitor what developers do with the customer data they have collected, or prevent the onward transfer of that data, nor do we have the ability to ensure a developer’s compliance with their own privacy policies or local law,” Apple wrote.

The iPhone maker’s App Store has generated $100 billion in revenue for developers over the past decade. Apple told lawmakers in its letter that it rejected about 36,000 apps from among the 100,000 submitted each week for violations of its guidelines.

Also check out this breaking news story:

The Switch

YouTube, Apple, Facebook and Spotify escalate enforcement against Alex Jones

2:52

Alex Jones’s content stripped from YouTube, Apple, Facebook and Spotify

Apple, Facebook, YouTube and Spotify have moved to remove the content of prominent right-wing talk show host Alex Jones for violating hate speech policies. (The Hollywood Reporter)

By Hamza Shaban, Craig Timberg and Isaac Stanley-Becker

August 6

Email the author

This post has been updated with a statement from Google, which owns YouTube.

Apple, Facebook, YouTube and Spotify took their most aggressive steps yet to penalize conspiracy theorist and prominent right-wing talk show host Alex Jones for violating their hate speech policies.

Late Sunday, Apple stripped the majority of podcasts published by Jones’s website Infowars from iTunes and its podcast apps. “Apple does not tolerate hate speech, and we have clear guidelines that creators and developers must follow to ensure we provide a safe environment for all of our users,” the company said in a statement to The Washington Post. “Podcasts that violate these guidelines are removed from our directory making them no longer searchable or available for download or streaming. We believe in representing a wide range of views, so long as people are respectful to those with differing opinions.”

Apple’s decision came after other popular tech platforms, including Spotify, Facebook and YouTube, had removed some of Jones’s offending content. But Apple’s move was the most sweeping yet. The company’s decision to pull the Infowars podcasts was first reported by BuzzFeed. Apple removed five of the six Infowars programs from its listings, including “The Alex Jones Show” and “War Room.”

YouTube on Monday terminated the Alex Jones Channel, telling The Post in a statement, “All users agree to comply with our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines when they sign up to use YouTube. When users violate these policies repeatedly, like our policies against hate speech and harassment or our terms prohibiting circumvention of our enforcement measures, we terminate their accounts."

In a series of text messages to The Washington Post, Alex Jones called the decisions to remove him from Apple, Facebook and Spotify “a counter-strike against the global awakening.” He accused Apple and Google of colluding with the Chinese government, mainstream news organizations, the Democratic Party and establishment elements of the Republican Party to misrepresent his views and deprive him of platforms that allow him to spread his messages.

“We’ve seen a giant yellow journalism campaign with thousands and thousands of articles for weeks, for months misrepresenting what I’ve said and done to set the precedent to de-platform me before Big Tech and the Democratic Party as well as some Republican establishment types move against the First Amendment in this country as we know it,” he said.

“You’re on the wrong side of history mainstream media,” Jones said in a text message to The Post. “You sold the country out, and now you’re going to pay for it.”

[Spotify removes Alex Jones’s podcasts, citing policy on ‘hate content’]

Jones’s Infowars, an outlet known for spreading baseless information and promoting conspiracy theories claims a massive audience. Its YouTube channel, for instance, has more than 2.4 million subscribers and Jones has gained influence in recent years through his endorsement of Donald Trump.

Jones has also drawn intense criticism. He claimed that the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax and now faces defamation lawsuits brought by some of the families whose children were killed. Jones has also spread conspiracy theories about teenagers who survived the massacre at a high school in Parkland, Fla. and more recently claimed that the left was on the verge of starting another U.S. civil war.

Early Monday, Spotify hardened its stance against Jones. The company announced that “The Alex Jones Show” podcast was banned from the platform. Last week, Spotify removed only certain episodes of the podcast, but the music-streaming company said the program continued to defy its rules against hate content. “We take reports of hate content seriously and review any podcast episode or song that is flagged by our community,” the company said in a statement to The Post. “Due to repeated violations of Spotify’s prohibited content policies, The Alex Jones Show has lost access to the Spotify platform.”

[Facebook removes Alex Jones pages for hate, bullying]

Facebook, too, escalated its enforcement. In a blog post Monday, the social-networking platform said it removed four of Jones’s pages for violating its community standards. Facebook previously erased four videos hosted by these pages, but the company said users continued to report offensive content published by them. Now Facebook has unpublished the pages for glorifying violence and “using dehumanizing language to describe people who are transgender, Muslims and immigrants, which violates our hate speech policies,” the company said. Facebook took down the Alex Jones Channel Page, the Alex Jones Page, the Infowars Nightly News Page and the Infowars Page. Last month, Facebook suspended Jones for 30 days.

from: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/nation/2018/08/07/Alex-Jones-appeals-to-Infowars-fans-after-bans-by-Apple-Facebook-YouTube-and-Spotify/stories/201808070184

New Blogs Part 10 Updated August 10 2018

TEXAS IS READY

From: https://action.aclu.org/petition/texas-ready?

Texas’ addiction to incarceration is ineffective, unfair, and expensive. That’s why we’re fighting for smart justice reforms to make Texas a fair and equal place for all.

Add your name to support smart justice reforms.

Here’s what smart justice means:

Reforming our for-profit bail system that discriminates against low-income Texans.

Voting for your local district attorney — the most powerful elected official you may not know.

Ending the failed War on Drugs that wastes hundreds of millions of dollars and results in racially disparate arrests.

Reforming re-entry so that people returning home have the tools they need to succeed in life after prison.

The tide is turning against incarceration as a one-size-fits-all solution to crime. Conservatives and progressives alike are supportive of thoughtful deincarceration policies. Smart, effective reform is possible.

Sign the petition to show that Texans are ready for smart justice.

In Texas, 1 out of every 4 adults has a felony conviction on their record. And the costs to the state are staggering—not only for taxpayers burdened with funding our overcrowded prisons, but also for those facing sometimes insurmountable challenges as they return to our communities. Formerly incarcerated Texans have difficulty finding and maintaining gainful employment, finding housing, securing occupational licenses to apply their trade, and face a multitude of other obstacles long after their sentences have been served.

These impacts are not just felt by individuals, but by the families they support and care for and the communities in which they live. It is time to make smarter decisions across the board and make our justice system one that prioritizes the long-term strength of communities over the short-term impulse to punish.

Sign the petition: Tell your representatives that Texas is ready for smart justice policies.

Thanks for getting involved

Status message

Thank you for signing the petition to support Smart Justice reforms in Texas. Stay involved with the Smart Justice movement at www.aclutx.org/smartjustice

RSO articles I picked out:

New Blogs Part 10 Updated August 10 2018

NJ: COURT STOPS RETROACTIVE APPLICATION OF LIFETIME REGISTRATION LAW

August 9, 2018

An appellate court in New Jersey has ruled that the state government cannot retroactively apply a new law that requires life-time registration to registrants who had the possibility of relief from that registration at the time they pled guity. According to the Court, the restroactive application of the new law would be “manifestly unfair” to registrants.

“Although the New Jersey court based its decision on the intent of the state legislature and not on the ex post facto clause of the U.S. Constitution, it reached the right decision when it protected registrants from the application of laws passed many years after their conviction,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.

The registrants in the case met the requirement for relief from lifetime registration under the prior law because they were offense free for at least 15 years. In addition, trial courts had found that both registrants “no longer pose a threat to the safety of others.”

In its decision, the Court acknowledged that the requirement to register for life places registrants in danger, including both potential criminal liability (for failure to register) and public opprobrium (shame or scorn). This in turn, “eliminates an incentive integral to Megan’s Law remedial purpose.”

The Court also noted that two state courts — Maine and New Hampshire — have determined that the retroactive application of a lifetime registration requirement violated their state constitutions. The decision includes a discussion of SORNA registration requirements and how New Jersey laws fail to comply with that federal law and therefore is not eligible for federal funding related to those requirements.

Ex Post Facto – New Jersey – Aug 2018: https://all4consolaws.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Ex-Post-Facto-New-Jersey-Aug-2018.pdf

WA: JUDGES DENIES LAKEWOOD’S REQUEST TO STOP SEX OFFENDER RELOCATION

August 8, 2018

[patch.com – 8/6/18]

LAKEWOOD, WA – A Pierce County judge has denied Lakewood’s request to stop the transfer of three sex offenders from McNeil Island to a private residential adult treatment house in the city.

On Friday, Lakewood officials asked Pierce County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Martin to stop the transfer. Although Martin denied that request, the city’s is still engaged in a lawsuit against the state to stop the transfer of sex offenders from facilities like Western State into residential treatment facilities.

NC: COURT DETERMINES GPS TRACKING DEVICES UNCONSTITUTIONAL

August 8, 2018

The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the state government’s requirement that registrants wear a GPS tracking device is an unreasonable search which violates the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Court’s decision is based upon the state government’s failure to prove that GPS tracking is “effective to serve the State’s interest in protecting the public against sex offenders.”

“This is a courageous and wise decision,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “Our hope is that courts throughout the nation will choose to follow it.”

In its decision, the Court stated that unless GPS “is found to be effective to actually serve the purpose of protecting against recidivism by sex offenders, it is impossible for the State to justify the intrusion of continuously tracking an offender’s location for any length of time, much less for thirty years.” The registrant in the case was required to wear a GPS device for a total of thirty years.

Also in its decision, the Court noted that “the continuous and dynamic location data gathered by (GPS) is far more intrusive than the static information gathered as a result of sex offender registration.” The Court also noted that GPS data reflects details about a registrant’s familial, political, professional, religious and sexual associations.

Further, the Court noted that it had criticized the state government in a prior case for its lack of empirical evidence to support the premise that GPS use protects the public from sex offenders. In addition, the Court cited favorably a recent decision by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals which held that social science, scientific research, or legislative findings were required in order to uphold another type of sex offender law.

Decision : https://all4consolaws.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/State-v-Griffin-17-386-1-Sex-Offender-Satellite-Monitoring.pdf

http://my40.tv/news/local/new-nc-court-ruling-against-sex-offender-tracking-devices-has-mixed-reactions

MA: COURT RECOGNIZES HARM TO REGISTRANTS, RULES IN THEIR FAVOR

August 6, 2018

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Council, the state’s supreme court, has ruled in favor of registrants who were trying either to terminate their duty to register or to change the tier level on which they were situated. In doing so, the Court recognized that there are significant challenges facing registrants including stigma and legal restrictions that make it more difficult to find stable housing or employment. The Court also recognized that the effects of registration are “continuing, intrusive, and humiliating” and could lead to threats of physical harm. Further, the Court recognized that dissemination of a registrant’s personal information and photo on the internet magnifies these effects.

“The Court’s rulings in these two cases are truly monumental,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “They speak the truth that so many courts have avoided.”

In addition to its recognition that the requirement to register causes harm to registrants, the Court determined that registrants have a right to counsel in court hearings when they seek either to have their requirement to register terminated or reclassification to a lower tier. The Court also determined that the government, not the registrant, bears the burden of proving that a registrant poses a current risk of re-offense as well as a degree of dangerousness by “clear and convincing” evidence.

“This is a tougher standard than the ordinary preponderance of evidence applied in ordinary civil cases,” stated ACSOL Board Member and recently retired law professor Ira Ellman.

In its decision, the Court noted that over classification of registrants into higher than necessary tiers “strains public resources.” In the State of Massachusetts, a total of 38 factors are considered in order to determine whether a registrant is required to continue registering. By comparison, the widely used Static-99 uses only 10 factors.

Both of the Court’s decisions were issued on the same day. Separate links to both cases follows below.

Doe v. Sex Ofndr Reg Board – Mass 2018 (terminating registration)

https://all4consolaws.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Doe-v.-Sex-Ofndr-Reg-Board-Mass-2018-terminating-registration.pdf

Doe v. Sex Ofndr Reg Board – reclassif – Mass – 2018

https://all4consolaws.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Doe-v.-Sex-Ofndr-Reg-Board-reclassif-Mass-2018.pdf

MA: Court: Board needs proof in sex offender reclassification

https://all4consolaws.org/2018/08/ma-court-board-needs-proof-in-sex-offender-reclassification/

FAILURE-TO-COMPLY ARRESTS REVEAL FLAWS IN SEX OFFENDER REGISTRIES

August 1, 2018

In one Pennsylvania county, more than three times as many people on the registry were charged in 2016 with failing to follow registry requirements than were charged with a new sexual offense.

Full Article: https://theappeal.org/skyrocketing-charges-for-failing-to-comply-with-sex-offender-registries-reveal-their-flaws/

PA: SEX PREDATOR LAW CHALLENGED BY BILL COSBY TO GET COURT REVIEW

August 1, 2018

Pennsylvania’s highest court will consider whether the state can lawfully designate certain sex offenders as sexually violent predators, as it’s seeking to do in the case of Bill Cosby.

Cosby’s attorneys also are challenging the constitutionality of the law.

But the state Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday to review the statute was made in response to an appeal by the state in a different case, not Cosby’s challenge. A lower court judge had found the process by which offenders are deemed predators unconstitutional.

Full Article: https://lancasteronline.com/news/pennsylvania/sex-predator-law-challenged-by-cosby-to-get-court-review/article_73a614f1-2ab5-5256-b972-e0aab6958b46.html

HAWAII ALLOWS DOZENS OF SEX PREDATORS REGISTERED AS LIVING IN OAHU PARKS

July 28, 2018

Hawaii’s sex offender registry is meant to keep people safe by requiring convicted sex criminals to submit their address to an online database. On the site, the public can check to see if a sex offender lives nearby.

But a Hawaii News Now investigation has revealed some alarming gaps in the system, including vague addresses and dozens of convicted sex predators living places where you hope children can be safest.

Full Article: http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/38743071/dozens-of-sex-predators-are-registered-as-living-in-oahu-parks-review-shows

SEX OFFENDERS ACCESS TO SCHOOLS TO VOTE

July 25, 2018

[timesunion.com – 7/24/18]

ALBANY — Schools are generally off-limits for sex offenders, but not when it comes times to vote.

A carveout in the state’s criminal trespass laws allows sex offenders to enter a school for the specific purpose of voting, including school district votes and other government elections, where the school is the polling site.

The issue has jumped into the public’s consciousness as the result of outcry by some Republicans about conditional pardons recently issued by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that could speed up the restoration of voting rights for sex offenders on parole.

“Registered sex offenders who have been released are allowed to vote,” Albany County Board of Elections Republican Commissioner Rachel Bledi said. “Obviously you have a problem when the polling place is at a school. … We’ve never really had this issue raised.”

New Blogs Part 10 Updated August 11 2018

More bazaar reports from my emails from LGBTQ Nation Daily Brief.:

Florida’s plan for bullied LGBTQ kids? Send them to Christian schools.

By Alex Bollinger · Friday, August 10, 2018

From: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/08/floridas-plan-bullied-lgbtq-kids-send-christian-schools/

This past March, Florida became the first state to create a private school voucher program just for bullied students.

The Hope Scholarship Program gives students who report being bullied $6,700 towards tuition at a private school, or $750 for transportation to another public school.

Anti-bullying activists in Florida opposed the bill, pointing out that bullying occurs in private schools at about the same rate as it does in public schools, that bullies will just pick new targets if their victims leave, and that private schools aren’t closely regulated when it comes to bullying so students will find they have few tools to remedy a situation at a private school.

Now a new analysis by the Huffington Post found that many of the private schools that students can attend in the program would just join in the bullying of LGBTQ students.

Around 70 private schools have signed up for the program to take in bullied public school students. Of these schools, 10% have explicit “zero tolerance” policies when it comes to homosexuality.

For example, Trinity Christian Academy’s student handbook says students are required to refrain from “Any action involving pornography or homosexuality.” Harvest Academy calls homosexuality an “abomination” in its parent/student handbook.

An LGBTQ student is unlikely to find much help at these schools.

Moreover, 30% of the schools use curricula that teaches that homosexuality is wrong. For example, some of these schools use textbooks from Abeka. The company’s 8th grade U.S. history textbook calls gay rights a “moral evil.”

DC church encourages ‘shaming & shunning’ LGBTQ people as loving ‘Christian response’

By Bil Browning · Friday, August 10, 2018

From: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/08/dc-church-encourages-shaming-shunning-lgbtq-people-loving-christian-response/

Capital View Baptist Church in Washington, DC, isn’t your typical church in the live-and-let-live city. While other denominations and churches participate in the local pride parade and hang banners welcoming everyone, the predominantly black church has written discrimination into their constitution.

The Washington Blade reports that the church was forced to turn over a copy of its constitution as part of an investigation by city authorities into the group’s not-for-profit status in the District. The document was also produced as part of separate court cases brought by 15 former church members.

“Every Member, Attendee and Participant at Church Events should be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity while on church premises,” the constitution’s Article VII states. “Hateful, harassing, intimidating, mocking behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual or group of individuals at Church Events is to be repudiated and is not considered in accord with Scripture nor the Doctrines of the Church.”

“Yet, Shaming and Shunning are acceptable Christian responses to the outward practice of any form of ungodly behavior such as sexual immorality (adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, transgender, or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, and/or engagement in any other such) described in the Bible as sinful, and are considered offensive to God and man.”

The clause is in the church’s Christian Code of Conduct section and stipulates that compliance is mandatory.

“All persons employed by the Church and serving the Church in any capacity, as Members, Volunteers, Interns, Apprentices, etc., should agree with the Christian Code of Conduct and conduct themselves accordingly,” it says.

The section concludes with a ban on same-sex marriage, declaring “marriage to be a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word ‘spouse’ refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a human being (homo sapien), husband or wife.”

Earline Budd, a local trans activist and person of faith, condemned the church’s bigotry.

“I mean to know that they, meaning their incorporators, agreed that it would be alright to shame someone who is a part of the transgender or gay community is sad,” Budd said to the Blade. “But I never in my dark dreams thought that someone would incorporate this type of hatred into their articles and have a church practicing under these criteria – sad, sad, sad.”

New Blogs Part 10 Updated August 18 2018

You think RSO's, People of Color, LBGTQ folks, The Jewish Community and the like; got it bad?

Now they want to throw people in prison for being a Christian:

From: https://onenewsnow.com/legal-courts/2018/08/17/atheist-group-lock-up-usaf-commander-for-his-faith

Atheist group: 'Lock up' USAF commander for his faith

Friday, August 17, 2018

Christian flag over US flagThe atheistic Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) filed a complaint contending that a Christian commander with the United States Air Force should be fired and imprisoned for expressing his faith.

Earlier this week, MRFF – led by Michael "Mikey" Weinstein – filed the formal complaint with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, accusing the newly installed commander at California’s Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), Brig. Gen. E. John Teichert, of multiple crimes.

“[Teichert] engaged in] intolerance/proselytizing; violations of DoD diversity & civil liberties policies; and Air Force standards violations," MRFF’s complaint states.

Criminalizing Christians

The anti-Christian group also launched a public smear campaign, insisting that Teichert should not just be relieved of his military duties, but also be thrown in jail.

“[Teichert] should be doing time behind prison bars – not commanding a wing wearing general's stars," MRFF’s press release issued Monday reads. “[The commander] has denigrated LGBT individuals, slammed American society at large, and, of course, delivered election voting mandate directives wherein he has effusively urged that only HIS type of approved Christian should ever be elected to American public office."

MRFF also attempted to take a multicultural and religious “tolerance” approach by insisting that 41 members of the Edwards AFB community belonging to a wide array of faith groups found the commander’s profession of faith offensive.

“The military personnel who have complained … include Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and atheists,” CBN News reported, pointing to MRFF’s release.

MRFF particularly has a problem with Teichert portraying himself as a Christian, as evidenced by the group calling his recent prayer request “one of General Teichert’s sermons” – quoting it as if were proof of his criminal activity as a military leader.

"I would ask for your prayers for wisdom in my life of leadership, and discernment and understanding and knowledge for influence over the nation's senior leaders that I get to rub shoulders with,” Teichert was quoted in MRFF’s press release. “My desire in my life is to maximize my impact on people in our country for the Lord."

Not mentioned in the release were dozens of honors and accomplishments achieved by the decorated general while serving his country.

"[Teichert] has directed the F-22 Combined Test Force and commanded the 411th Flight Test Squadron – responsible for F-22 Raptor developmental," his biography posted on Edwards AFB reads. "[He also] commanded the 53d Test Management Group – providing operational test and evaluation of USAF fighters, bombers, combat search and rescue systems – remotely piloted aircraft, aircrew training devices, aircrew flight equipment, weapons and space systems. [Most recently, he] commanded the 11th Wing and Joint Base Andrews – responsible for the security, personnel, contracting, finance, medical and infrastructure support for five wings, three headquarters and over 80 tenant organizations, as well as 60,000 Airmen and families in the National Capital Region and around the world."

Problem with prayer …

Looking past Teichert’s stellar military track record, an MRFF attorney put together what could be considered a rap sheet of the commander’s “offences” over the past several years.

“The ‘demand letter,’ addressed to Mattis by MRFF legal counsel Don Rehkopf, alleges various thought crimes and newspeak violations by the general – most of which were culled from Teichert's website, Prayer at Lunchtime for the United States (PLUS),” PJ Media reported.

Rehkoph insisted that such a display of faith by a leader in the U.S. Armed Forces is unacceptable and punishable by military standards.

"Sometime in early 2013, he created a public webpage and the blog – along with social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter) – to promote his fundamentalist, dominionist 'Christian' beliefs," MRFF’s demand letter allged. "He created an acronym for this he called 'PLUS,' which stands for Prayer at Lunchtime for the United States. [This conduct is a violation of Air Force policy] especially [with its] absence of disclaimers and manifested intolerance for religious diversity. MRFF suggests that one does not need a 'crystal ball' to see that [how] Brig Gen Teichert is using both his military rank – as well as his position and status as an Air Force officer – to aggressively promote his brand of religion, clearly giving the appearance, if not outright impression, that he, in his official status, is endorsing, if not outright proselytizing, his particular brand of politico-religion."

The atheist group was also greatly disturbed that Teichert called for prayer that America would return to its Christian roots, as the general expressed below.

“Ultimately, I pray this tool [PLUS] will prompt Christians to be faithful in prayer such that it will spur widespread revival in our nation,” Teichert wrote on his website. “The goal is to change our national spirit so that the Lord can change our national direction. I’m concerned about our country’s drift away from the foundation on which we were built. I personally believe that those who call themselves Christians are largely to blame because we have failed to stand up for the cause of Christ in our country. We have failed to pray. We have failed to put into practice the principles in 2 Chronicles 7:14. On our watch, we have allowed our country to slip away from its founding Christian principles while it has become increasingly intolerant of Christianity.”

MRFF pulling out America’s Christian roots?

It is argued that MRFF has a problem with anything tracing back to Christianity – especially America’s heritage.

“Weinstein – bigot that he is – has a problem with this kind of religious talk,” PJ Media’s Paula Bolyard asserted. “[MRFF’s letter is] trying to make the case that boilerplate Christian professions are intolerant and in violation of Air Force policy … [and] quibbles about Teichert's telling of history. The letter then detours to include a lengthy diatribe attempting to scrub Christianity from America’s past.”

MRFF attempted in its letter to discredit Teichert and rewrite history according to its atheistic worldview.

"He openly (but falsely) advocates that America was founded as a 'Christian nation,'" the atheist attorney claimed. "Brig. Gen. Teichert and his source ignore commonly known facts – at the 'beginning of the Revolutionary War,' there were no Americans, except the Native Americans, and few of them were Christians. [The statements] demonstrate that Brig. Gen. Teichert’s many religious rants simply have no historical basis."

Weinstein accused Teichert of deliberately misrepresenting U.S. history to those opposed to Christianity.

“[Weinstein] complains of ‘historical falsehoods’ directed toward ‘agnostics, atheists and other non-believers’ – even though he’s not addressing any of those groups,” WND reported. end article

New Blogs Part 10 Updated August 19 2018

Do not ever forget to say: "What's Next".

The ACLU knows what I am saying; ask them, if you don't believe me.

The mob mentality of the media/internet, perverting our justice system; with a lust for putting people in prison; never say "What's Next" when it comes to, so labeled, Registered Sex Offenders.

I have blogs about so called conversion therapy that sound like horror movies. The "What's Next" here is forcing people to undergo so called conversion therapy.

Then "What's Next" maybe we should have conversion therapy for men with long hair or women with short hair.

So I say: Right on California!

California moves closer to classifying ex-gay therapy as ‘fraudulent business practice’

From: my emails from This Week on LGBTQ Nation:

By Bil Browning · Friday, August 17, 2018

California has taken another step toward banning the dangerous “ex-gay conversion therapy” promoted by the religious right to “cure” homosexuality.

While California already bans the practice for minors, the state Assembly passed legislation that would encompass adults earlier this year. After amending the bill, the state senate also passed it.

It now goes back to the Assembly for a concurrence vote. It is expected to pass easily.

The new law would classify the practice as consumer fraud and would allow anyone who paid for the “service” to recoup their payment. There is no scientific basis for the practice and psychological experts say it does more harm than good.

“We, as legislators, have a responsibility to protect Californians from harmful and deceptive practices,” Assemblymember Evan Low, the sponsor of the bill, said in an emailed statement.

“All Californians should be celebrated, cherished, and loved for who they are. I am grateful to my colleagues in the Senate for affirming their support for those in the LGBT community who need it most by voting for this bill.”

Christian activists have angrily defended the practice despite the lack of success. They have gone as far as saying the bill would ban the Bible and have vowed to perform civil disobedience.

The dangerous practice remains legal in most parts of the nation. Only nine states and Washington DC have banned it. Far right Maine Governor Paul LePage is the only governor to veto a ban on the practice.

From: my Net Neutrality email:

We've run into a new obstacle in the fight to save Net Neutrality: Democrats.

Seventeen Democrats in Congress are siding with Comcast and refusing to sign on to the effort to overrule the FCC and save Net Neutrality.1,2

If we're going to win the fight to overrule the FCC and save the free and open Internet, we can't afford to have Democrats siding with Big Telecom. That's why we're putting up billboards to expose those Democrats to their constituents.

It's a simple plan: We call them out. They switch sides. Then we win.

Poll after poll shows that Americans overwhelmingly want their Internet free and open—no website blocking, data throttling, or hidden fees. That includes 75 percent of Republicans and 89 percent of Democrats.3

It's a big reason three Republicans joined with Democrats in the Senate to vote to overturn the FCC's repeal of Net Neutrality. And it's why we have a real chance to convince the House to do the same.

But Big Telecom is pulling out all the stops to block a vote. They've filled congressional campaign coffers with over $100 million. They're sponsoring fake “conservative groups” against Net Neutrality.4 They've got an army of lobbyists wooing members every day.

We need every single Democrat on our side. We simply can't afford for Congresspeople like Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona—who's taken $134,000 from Big Telecom—to vote the wrong way.5

https://openmedia.org/

New Blogs Part 10 Updated August 26 2018

TDCJ budget ask spends less than half on healthcare what providers say is needed for 'minimum standards'

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice put out its Legislative Appropriations Request today,

requesting $7.3 billion for the coming FY 2020-2021 biennium.

Grits will discuss the LAR more thoroughly later, but off the top wanted to point out the health-line item (see exceptional item #6), and TDCJ's comments about what might happen if prisoner healthcare is not adequately funded. The agency said that: an estimated $247.2 million is required to bring the FY 2020-21 funding to the projected levels of expense incurred for the delivery of services currently provided. Funding less than this level, which takes into account the rising costs of health care, could require elimination of services. Mission critical hardware and software systems are well beyond their life cycle and are obsolete. Without these significant upgrades, university providers face serious threats of system failures and security breaches, compromising patient care and safety. However, that's not all. "According to university providers, additional funding of $281.3 million is critical to ensure effective overall quality of care within the system and deliver the level of services required by minimum standards." So TDCJ is asking the state spend less than $250 million per biennium but the medical providers say they should be spending $528.5 million to meet "minimum standards." That "minimum standards" comment is significant. University administrators have been telling the Legislature for years that the system was barely constitutional - "on a thin line," UTMB vice president Ben Raimer has said. Now we learn that the funding to maintain a current level of service is less than half what university providers say they need to "deliver the level of services required by minimum standards." Well, the only minimum standards that apply to prison healthcare are constitutional standards set by the Supreme Court through federal lawsuits. So these data impl- Read More Here - http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/08/tdcj-budget-ask-spends-less-than-half.html

New Blogs Part 10 Updated August 30 2018

Don’t Trade Away the Internet in NAFTA

Click Here To Send Email

The U.S. just announced its new plan for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),1 and it puts our digital rights at serious risk.

The proposal includes a notice-and-takedown regime, and extending copyright terms to 75 years — and that’s only what they’re telling us. Even more disastrous measures could be hidden in the secret details.

Trump is trying to reclaim what he gave away when he walked away from the TPP: the most restrictive copyright rules in the world.2 Don't let that happen.

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland is in Washington RIGHT NOW negotiating Canada’s position on NAFTA, and she's our best chance to stop this dangerous proposal. Send the letter below, and tell Minister Freeland that our digital rights are worth standing up for!

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), puts digital rights at serious risk.

Click Here To Send Email

The proposal includes a notice-and-takedown regime and extending copyright terms to 75 years — and that’s just what they’re telling us. Even more disastrous measures could be hidden in the secret details.

OpenMedia is fighting back by rallying opposition both in the U.S. and Canada. And right now, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland is our best chance to stop this dangerous proposal.

She’s in Washington RIGHT NOW negotiating Canada’s position on NAFTA. If we can convince her to stand strong against these dangerous new rules, we have a real chance to stop them completely.

Tell Minister Freeland to not let an IP Chapter into NAFTA.

ACT NOW!

Trump is trying to reclaim what he gave away when he walked away from the TPP: The most restrictive copyright rules in the world.2

He thinks he can pressure Canada into signing the deal, having already reached an agreement with Mexico, and he is threatening to leave Canada behind if they don’t sign on by tomorrow!3

But there’s still hope! Canada set a precedent that it won’t accept bad copyright proposals when it rejected the IP Chapter in the TPP. And Prime Minister Trudeau has said no deal is better than a bad deal when it comes to NAFTA4 — and this IP Chapter is definitely a bad deal.

We’ve won on this before, and we’ll do it again.

P.S. NAFTA negotiations are moving quickly and it’s going to take everything we’ve got to keep up with whatever comes next. Will you chip in to help us ensure we have the resources we need to keep up the fight?

Footnotes:

[1] United States–Mexico Trade Fact Sheet: Modernizing NAFTA to be a 21st Century Trade Agreement: Office of the United States Trade Representative

[2] Let’s Talk TPP: OpenMedia

[3] Pressure on Canada to forge new trade deal within days after U.S. and Mexico reach two-way agreement: National Post

[4] NAFTA deal by Friday? 'Only a possibility,' Trudeau says: CTV News

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RSO articles I picked out:

New Blogs Part 10 Updated August 30 2018

IL: APPELLATE COURT REVERSES SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION CONVICTION

August 27, 2018

An Illinois appeals court reversed a man’s conviction after he was accused of failing to register as a sex offender.

The Fifth District Appellate Court, in reversing former judge John Baricevic, found the state did not provide enough evidence that ____ had to continually register as a sexual offender on the date of his offense. Prosecutors conceded there was no indication if Kitterman’s imprisonment or subsequent conviction changed the required registration date.

The three-judge panel ruled ____, who represented himself, proved the the Sexual Offender Registration Act (SORA) requires the offender to meet the registration responsibilities on the date of the incident. Full Article

Decision

NATIONAL

TX: PASTOR CONVICTED OF CHILD PORN GETS PROBATION, MUST POST SEX OFFENDER SIGN AT HIS HOME

August 30, 2018

An associate pastor who told police he kept child porn on his computer as part of research for “a possible lesson involving Cupid, love and human trafficking” has been sentenced to eight years’ probation.

____ ____, 79, also was ordered by Judge Mollee B. Westfall to post a sign at his Hurst home that says, “A person on probation for a child sex offense lives here.” Full Article

My comment on story's like this:

I have been saying this since I started this blog: we only hear about sex offence's when it effects rich people. I am convinced that sex offences take place every minute in our country. Sex offence reporting seems to be a selective priority in our community's. Sex offences and sexually offensive behavior, is a part of everyday life; especially in our city's. Yet when a rich person is effected by a sex offence; it always makes front page news.

Second to rich people it is anyone involved in Christianity. What better person do we all want in prison than the Christian. Sad to say the average Christian is a self righteous Christian in our present day, ranting and railing against LGBTQ folks (for instance) saying "I hope you burn in hell" are making headlines all the time.

Let me just say, saying: "I hope you burn in hell" is the most un-Christian thing anyone could say. In fact it may be safe to say it is highly unlikely that a Christian would be able to say that. There are different degrees of suffering in hell and I suspect that those who say: "I hope you burn in hell" may end up in the deepest part of hell.

Not to mention all those Christians that act like Nazi's to blend in with the media/internet and it's lust to put people in prison. Society picks and chooses who it wants to be branded as a RSO, whether conscious or subconsciously. If we locked up every little sex offence of every kind; it would shame us all. Yet we as a country have prioritized our which hunt's of sex offences and have become a country known for it's sex offences. Our efforts to seek out sex offences; especially in our church's, will bring God's wrath on us all. China is delighted as they see our church's as labeled as sex offender producing machines. Check this article out.: https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2160441/sex-abuse-us-churches-stain-americas-human This becomes; promoting killing and torching Christian's in other country's; and that will bring God's rage and wrath against our country.

New Blogs Part 10 Updated August 30 2018

Here is a copy of the article mentioned in the previous post above:

Sex abuse in US churches is a stain on America’s human rights record, and China should point that out

Religious group finds claims of 55 more incidents, half of them allegedly committed by pastors, after firing of church leader who admitted inappropriate behavior

The Chinese government is regularly subjected to charges of human rights abuses. The latest came earlier this month in the form of accusations by a UN human rights panel that 1 million ethnic Uygurs in China were being held in what resembles a “massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy”.

China rejected the report’s findings last week, insisting that freedom of religion in Xinjiang is protected. The issue will not end here, though. Scrutiny of the way China treats Uygurs will continue, as it should, as will similar inquiries into the rights of Tibetans and other groups in the country that have challenged the central government.

But, last week, Beijing got a new counterargument against the US, if the foreign ministry chooses to use it against critics there, in the form of a 900-page report by a grand jury in Pennsylvania. The report unveiled the systematic abuse of more than 1,000 children by “predator priests” in the state over a period of 70 years.

At first glance, you might point out that judicial bodies in the US are publicising the abuse, and therefore conclude that America is doing the right thing.

But that conclusion would overlook several facts.

Explainer: high-profile cases of sex offences in the Catholic Church

For one, only two among hundreds of the perpetrators of the abuse revealed by the report will ever be brought to justice. The reason: too many years have elapsed since they used the smokescreen of the Catholic theological theatre – the incense, the stained-glass windows, the Latin incantations – to keep their paedophilia rackets going.

Also, similar scandals by “predator priests” sheltered by Catholic Church leaders at the highest levels have been brought to light by the media in the past in Boston, Nebraska and Philadelphia, among other areas. Very few convicted church paedophiles have gone to jail and, more importantly, the churches responsible for these atrocities will continue operating, tax free, as though no one was harmed by them.

The psychological scars of sexual abuse last a lifetime, crippling many people, but Catholic dioceses get away with it. Christianity – whether Catholic, Baptist or any of its many other denominations – gets special treatment in the US, often in contravention of the constitutionally mandated separation between church and state.

Churches need to act on claims of abuse

Despite US founding father Thomas Jefferson’s insistence on this separation, religious figures in the US government have found ways to undermine it, helping to keep the church’s darkest deeds from view for decades.

In 1954, Congress added the words “under God” to the American pledge of allegiance. “In God we trust” is emblazoned on US currency. These transgressions against the separation Jefferson wanted are both a reflection of, and pretext for, much of the harm churches inflict on vulnerable Americans.

Not only are Catholic lives destroyed by priests, who are often unable to keep their vow of celibacy and therefore prey on minors. Countless people – women and children in particular – suffer in the US under strict interpretations of the Bible.

The Mormon church, America’s home-grown version of Christianity, has been hit with a series of sexual abuse scandals only recently for crimes that stretched over decades.

If an incident of sexual abuse ever surfaced in a class run by the Confucius Institute in the US, you can bet that the matter would have the attention of law enforcement officials right up to the FBI within hours.

The pattern of abuse within America’s religious communities undermines its authority in human rights

In some fundamentalist Christian communities, the misogyny and homophobia, efforts to keep congregations pliant, and the general disdain for civil society, mirror the restrictions faced by many in theocratic states like Saudi Arabia.

The pattern of unacknowledged mental and physical abuse within America’s most devout religious communities undermines its authority in the area of human rights.

Using these incidents as a defence does not excuse the Chinese government for the increasing pressure it puts on Uygurs to abide by and conform to the Chinese Communist Party’s political agenda. It would, however, expose yet another example of American inconsistencies around what constitutes a human rights violation and would force the US government to take abuse in its most sacred communities more seriously.

Those who criticise China for its one-party rule would need to question whether living in a nation “under God” is any better.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Sex abuse in US churches exposes double standards

New Blogs Part 10 Updated August 31 2018

Hard to believe TDCJ when they make self-interested claims

When TDCJ was arguing before the federal courts against having to require air conditioning in the Wallace Pack Unit, they claimed it would be unreasonably expensive, estimating it would cost more than $20 million. Later, reported the Texas Tribune, "Before settling the lawsuit, the department conducted its own research and the cost dropped to $11 million." At yesterday's House Corrections Committee hearing, however, TDCJ executive director Bryan Collier said the agency now estimates the cost to install air conditioning at $4 million, a more than 80 percent reduction from their original estimate. (Notably, the agency spent more than $7 million fighting the lawsuit!) The agency is rapidly earning a reputation for promoting false, self-interested information, not just to the press and the public but in this case, to the courts.

From: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/08/29/texas-prison-heat-air-conditioning-cost-drop/

Unfunded maintenance piling up at Texas prisons

Grits had highlighted underfunding of prisoner health services in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Legislative Appropriations Request, and the Dallas News' Lauren McGaughy detailed unfunded facilities-maintenance costs from the same document. The agency has identified $400 million in maintenance needs, and requested funding for $146 million of that. However, in the current biennium, the Lege appropriated only $40 million for maintenance, and the larger amount was requested in the agency's "exceptional items."

From: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-legislature/2018/08/24/texas-spend-millions-fix-old-prisons-before-become-public-safety-issue-officials-warn

New Blogs Part 10 Updated September 5 2018

My problem is I usually rely on the emails title to read it. I realized this morning there are allot of great recent petitions out there.

Sign Petition

Stop Taking Advantage of Female Consumers

Target: Andrew Smith, Commissioner of Bureau of Consumer Protection

Goal: Stop charging more for “feminine” products than their male counterparts.

Female consumers are constantly being taken advantage of: in the grocery store, at the pharmacy, and even at the dry cleaner’s. A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office unveiled that women’s products cost more than those of their male counterparts more than 50% of the time. Meaning that if you have two shampoos and one is considered masculine and the other feminine, the feminine one will likely be more expensive. In fact, women’s shampoos have been found to be often 48% more expensive than men’s, along with other prices like dry cleaning bills, deodorants, pants, and razors. This price gouging is a clear attack on women by the industries that sell these products and reflect a cultural attitude of clear disrespect toward women.

Consumer taxes like this are not only unfair to shoppers everywhere, but they also set an unnecessary precedent in the marketplace. There is no reason that products made with the same materials should cost more, especially when produced by the same brand. We need consumer protection to ensure that this price gouging stops on a fundamental level. Sign the petition below to demand accountability within consumer practices.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Smith,

We need consumer protection against price gouging of women’s products by greedy corporations who seek to tax women just for existing. The products being sold at a higher cost are often far more expensive and inaccessible than those of their male counterparts. This comes after the fact that women historically make less than men too, so who has the right to rob them even further?

In order to protect the marketplace, we need to be sure that there is equitable access to consumer products all across the board, not just the “male” ones. Stand with us on the right side of history and demand a change today.

Sign Petition

Justice For Child Who Committed Suicide Due to Homophobic Bullying

This should be for all people who commit suicide because of bullying!

Target: Tom Boasberg, Superintendent of Denver Public Schools

Goal: Hold parents accountable for their children’s alleged taunts that drove a gay classmate to suicide.

A Denver student committed suicide just four days after coming out as gay, allegedly due to intense bullying from his classmates. After successfully coming out to his supportive mother, nine-year-old Jamel Myles felt “proud” enough to come out at school, only for his pride to be shot down by other students’ reactions. According to the boy’s sister, other children reportedly told Myles to kill himself for four days straight.

This is yet another tragic, meaningless suicide caused by the horrors of bullying and homophobia. An innocent child is dead because too many children have been taught that it is okay to harass and harm others because of their sexual orientation. Too many children have taken their own lives due to bullying in recent years, a good number of them being members of the LGBT community. Despite the growing LGBT rights movement, people are still cruel and intolerant and are all too happy to teach their children that this kind of behavior is acceptable.

It is not just the bullies who must be held accountable for the death of Myles, but their parents as well. Anti-bullying laws must be enforced more strongly to instantly hold parents accountable for the actions of their children. Sign this petition to see that justice is obtained for Myles so his death was not in vain.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Superintendent Boasberg,

A nine-year-old student at Joe Shoemaker Elementary School committed suicide mere days after coming out as gay. Despite support from his family, he was reportedly harassed and told to kill himself by his schoolmates for four days straight. The school is doing as much damage control as possible, but it does not change the fact that Jamel Myles is another victim of bullying-related suicides on a list already too long.

It is the fault of parents who have not taught their children better than to hurt others because they are “different.” Even with LGBT rights on the rise, people are still intolerant and refuse to accept LGBT people as human beings, and teach their children that this is the correct way to behave. These parents must be held accountable by the school, as well as by the law, to send the message that such cruelty will not be tolerated. It is too late to save Myles, but there is still time to prevent other such tragedies.

Sign Petition

Stop Senator’s Dangerous Bar Bill Experiment

Target: Jerry Brown, Governor of California

Goal: Stop a potentially hazardous bill that could increase alcohol-related incidents.

Alcohol-related incidents in California may increase dramatically due to a new bill that will increase bar hours from 2 a. m. to 4 a. m. in nine cities. This bill was passed by the California State Assembly Appropriations Committee, despite evidence brought forth last year by Alcohol Justice on how two extra hours of alcohol sales could lead to an increase in street violence, crowding in hospital emergency room, drunk driving, and even death.

The state currently has over 10,500 deaths related to alcohol every year. The California Office of Traffic Safety reported that fatal drunk driving incidents are chronic and worsening problems in the state, and that number will potentially only increase with the successful implementation of Senator Wiener’s bill.

Sign this petition to ask the governor of California to veto the potentially harmful “4 a. m. Bar Bill.” The health and safety of the public should be prioritized over the wealth and success of California’s alcohol-related businesses.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Governor Brown,

The “4 a. m. Bar Bill” that Senator Scott Wiener introduced into legislation has allegedly brought much shock and alarm to individuals concerned about California’s public health and safety. The bill, which will extend bar hours by two hours in nine cities, completely disregards warnings by Alcohol Justice, medical doctors, local government officials, public health experts, law enforcement professionals, and other concerned parties. The bill could potentially increase the number of alcohol-related incidents in the state.

Please think about the public’s safety and veto this potentially harmful bill. The public’s health is much more important than bar owners’ pockets.

Sign Petition

Punish Man Who Allegedly Shot Women Drivers He Thought Were ‘Incompetent’

Target: Kim Ogg, Harris County District Attorney

Goal: Prosecute man who allegedly shot six female drivers in road rage incidents.

A man reportedly shot a female driver in Katy, Texas. The woman was allegedly one of six women that Nicholas D’Agostino has shot based solely on the fact that she was a woman. According to the police, D’Agostino claimed it was self-defense, but his pattern speaks a different story.

Detective Dennis Palmer describes the man’s posts on social media as being “rants and rambles on about female motorists and how incompetent they are and that their sole purpose is to give birth to male children.” This type of hate for women cannot be allowed. This alleged shooter could’ve killed six women. He needs to be prosecuted for his actions. Sign this petition to demand that this alleged shooter, Nicholas D’Agostino, be prosecuted.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear District Attorney Ogg,

A man allegedly targeted six women because he saw them as “incompetent” drivers. The suspect, Nicholas D’Agostino, originally told police that he was acting in self-defense because the woman was “trying to swerve into his lane.” However, according to police, he has shot six different women driving in their cars.

If D’Agostino’s alleged actions are true, he is a danger to women and society. We demand that D’Agostino either be prosecuted or receive mental health care.

Sign Petition

New Blogs Part 10 Updated September 7 2018

From: DemandProgress.org

Brett Kavanaugh just testified that he thinks net neutrality is illegal and that he stands by his opinion that the courts should throw it out as unconstitutional.1

This is a HUGE deal. If the Senate allows Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court, net neutrality would be gone forever, no matter who the president is or who controls Congress.2

This week's hearings are crunch time in the fight to stop Kavanaugh. If we're going to stop him and save net neutrality, we must make our voices heard now and show the Senate that the voters do NOT want a Supreme Court that will let Comcast control what we see and do online.

Kavanaugh's radical, extremist view is that ISPs have a First Amendment constitutional right to control what we see and do online. Not only does Kavanaugh think corporations are people with First Amendment rights, he thinks that blocking data and throttling website speeds is a form of "speech."

Kavanaugh tried to block net neutrality when he was on the D.C. Circuit Court, but he was overruled by the other judges on the panel. But on the Supreme Court, he and the other four right-wing justices would have the final word.

As Senator Richard Blumenthal explained after the hearing, "Make no mistake Judge Kavanaugh would cripple net neutrality… for decades to come. Even if Congress decided to act on the subject of net neutrality, Judge Kavanaugh would still view it in violation of the Constitution."3

Here's the good news: 53 Senators have voted in favor of net neutrality, including three Republicans.4 If just two of those Republicans join every Democrat in voting no on Kavanaugh, his nomination is finished.

This is an uphill fight, but we can win if we keep up the pressure. There are more than enough undecided senators to block Kavanaugh. He is already the least popular Supreme Court nominee in history, and his opposition to net neutrality puts him on the wrong side of 80 percent of the American people.5

Sources:

1. Broadcasting & Cable, "Kavanaugh Defends Dissent in Net Neutrality Decision," September 5, 2018

2. Mother Jones, "Here’s Why Kavanaugh Could Be Bad News for the Internet, Too," September 4, 2018

3. Ibid.

4. The Washington Post, "Senate approves bipartisan resolution to restore FCC net neutrality rules," May 16, 2018

5. Vox, "Brett Kavanaugh is a very unpopular Supreme Court pick," September 1, 2018

Let me just say that the internet is the wave of the future and I believe that is a Biblical fact. Let me just quote my last Bible post:

"Warning speculation here:

The image of the beast could be a computer image. It could also a human animated by computers. When I was in college one of my professors was working on a project that would make a human like interactive android, like human; pupated by computers. I think it is more likely to be a completely interactive human graphic that can be viewed on any cell phone. You can ask it questions and interact with it. At the end of the, over 1 year year long bible study class on Revelation, that my wife and I took under The Pastor of the FBC; The Pastor told my wife and I, he thought the image of the beast was a computer generated image. It was about 1990; before the internet as we know it, when he said this to my wife and I."

Do we want to be the nation that destroys the internet? Do we want to hinder the inevitable future of the internet. What would that mean to our future as a nation? Until the day the internet is controlled by Satan it is still a great tool for helping one another. I am not trying to say, like allot of my old country brethren probably still say: "the internet is the devil".

New Blogs Part 10 Updated September 11 2018

I can not get this story out of my head since I read it. It sounds almost exactly like a movie like One Flew Over the Coo Coo's Nest. :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Flew_Over_the_Cuckoo%27s_Nest_(film)

I complement the Houston Chronicle https://www.chron.com/ for covering this story: Click Here

Claim of planted drill bits sparks another investigation at Texas prison

An allegation that Texas corrections officers planted drill bits in an inmate's cell at a southeast Texas prison has sparked another investigation at the same Brazoria County lock-up where earlier this year four officers were indicted. The current case - apparently involving at least one of the same officials accused of planting screwdrivers in a cell in the spring - stems from the earlier incident documented in a letter from an inmate tipster to an East Texas state representative. "They said it wasn't personal, just doing what they were told to do," the prisoner at the center of the claim later wrote the Chronicle. "The whole unit knew what happened to me, but no one spoke up for fear of losing their job or being set up as well." The investigation is just the latest in a string of troubles at the Rosharon unit, where leaked emails earlier this year revealed a short-lived disciplinary quota system and led to a statewide audit, several demotions, and the decision to toss more than 600 disciplinary cases. In an unrelated matter, the warden - before he was demoted and transferred - was written up for allegedly neglecting maintenance at the aging facility, records show.

To read more: Click Here

New Blogs Part 11 Updated September 12 2018

I take back what I said about wealthy people in our country being the number one target of our s

I think this is a great idea. You can not deny the LGBTQ folks, overall; are geniuses:

From: Here

It’s World Suicide Prevention Day & we want you to stay safe

By Gwendolyn Smith · Monday, September 10, 2018

The 'flag we should not be proud of' reflecting suicide statistics

Gay Times

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day, and the statistics for LGBTQ people remain grim.

Two in six LGBTQ youth are at risk of suicide, which led to a video featuring Olly Alexander from the group Years & Years to speak out, holding a pride flag with two stripes ripped away, unveiled today.

According to The Trevor Project, suicide remains the 2nd leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds, with lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth contemplating suicide at nearly three times the rate of straight youth.

Among transgender people, a study published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine showed that the rate of attempted suicide is anywhere from 32% to 50% across all countries, largely due to stress factors around a lack of acceptance, harassment, and bullying.

If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of suicide, please consider reaching out. Here are some places you can call for help.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255

The Trevor Project

1-866-488-7386

You can also text the word “Trevor” to 1-202-304-1200

Trans Lifeline

1-877-330-6366 (United States)

1-877-330-6366 (Canada)

Every one of us deserves to live, and has value. Please stay safe.

I take back the following (see below in bold after reading the following):

Second to rich people it is anyone involved in Christianity. What better person do we all want in prison than the Christian. Sad to say the average Christian is a self righteous Christian in our present day, ranting and railing against LGBTQ folks (for instance) saying "I hope you burn in hell" are making headlines all the time.

Yet the church of the future according to the Bible will be a house of fornication. This will be the church of the blood thirsty Anti-Christ. Could the devil in his dealings with the future one world church make it illegal to report sex offences? I suspect that could be true. Revelation 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. Revelation 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

:I think second to rich people and Christians;

LGBTQ folks are the number one target of our country's community's; to be charged with sex offences.

I also think religious folks against adultery, are most likely to have their live's destroyed by the sex offender registry.

Of course as always the minority's are always the most popular as well to be charged with these types of crimes. Just like the death penalty.

My point is our so called justice system is perverted!

Our so called justice system continues to become more and more perverted by our emotionally, mob mentality, internet/media; fueled laws, concerning sex offences.

New Blogs Part 11 Updated September 13 2018

From: http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/09/prison-educator-tdcj-inmates-reading.html

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Prison educator: TDCJ inmates' reading and math on a 5th grade level

The average Texas prison inmate's reading and math skills are at a fifth grade level, the superintendent of TDCJ's Windham School District told the Senate Criminal Justice Committee this morning.

Large numbers of the nearly 70,000 inmates leaving Texas prisons every year, he told the committee, do so without a GED. The agency grants about 5,000 GEDs per year.

Chairman John Whitmire briefly raised the question of computer proficiency among inmates leaving the system, and I found myself wishing the superintendent had discussed it more. The ability to use a computer - particularly word processing and spreadsheet software, but even basic internet search functions - can be essential these days, even for retail or service work.

For that matter, in 2018, searching for a job most frequently means searching on the internet. That's harder to do if, first, one has to learn how to ACCESS the internet.

Those skills should be taught in prisons.

POSTED BY GRITSFORBREAKFAST AT 10:55 AM

New Blogs Part 11 Updated September 14 2018

Sign The Petition Click Here

This lady has to learn her lesson. She is trigger happy. She shot some guy for taking her taser and now this. If she is let go with no punishment, most; likely this type of behavior will repeat itself. The internet/media's attempt to discredit the man that was killed by reporting marijuana was found in his home (not apartment) is media hype for rating's and Facebook like's; as always from the media/internet's mob mentality.

"Botham Shem Jean was not a silhouette. He was a Godly man.. And Botham Shem Jean belongs to Jesus Christ our Lord." - friend Dane Felicien at Jean's funeral @wfaa

Prosecute Off-Duty Officer Who Entered Neighbor’s Home and Killed Him

https://forcechange.com/513414/prosecute-off-duty-officer-who-entered-neighbors-home-and-killed-him/

Target: Faith Johnson, Dallas County District Attorney

Goal: Prosecute Amber Guyger to the full extent of the law for shooting and killing her neighbor.

Dallas police officer Amber Guyger walked into the apartment of a neighbor, Botham Shem Jean, and proceeded to shoot and kill Jean when he did not follow her verbal commands. Guyger was off duty and has claimed that she accidentally mistook his apartment for hers. When she encountered Jean, she assumed that he was an intruder in her own apartment. Jean was unarmed, and his family claims that he did not do anything wrong: he was in his own home and, according to Guyger’s own accounts, he was not expecting anyone to enter his apartment.

The case is being sent to a grand jury, which will decide on charges. Sign this petition to urge the Dallas County District to prosecute Guyger to the full extent of the law.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Ms. Johnson,

Earlier this week, Botham Shem Jean was in his own home when off-duty police officer Amber Guyger entered his apartment. Although Guyger was his neighbor and Jean was unarmed, the situation ended with Jean dead. Guyger’s explanation of events is that she mistook Jean’s apartment for her own and, upon entering, believed that Jean was an intruder. When he did not follow verbal commands, she shot him.

These accounts point to a mistake, but a very costly one. An unarmed black man was killed in his own home by a white, off-duty police officer. I urge you to prosecute Guyger to the full extent of the law.

New Blogs Part 11 Updated September 21 2018

This kind of border madness has always got to me since; I first read about: Female homicides in Ciudad Juárez https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_homicides_in_Ciudad_Ju%C3%A1rez

Thanks to: LGBTQ National Daily Brief: click here

The third victim of a serial killer in Texas has been identified as a transgender woman.

Janelle Ortiz, 28, was the third woman killed by Juan David Ortiz (no relation) in his string of misogynist murders.

Janelle Ortiz was one of two women killed this past Saturday in Loredo, Texas, after authorities had already been alerted to Juan David Ortiz, 35, by a victim who escaped.

According to court documents, Juan David Ortiz told police that he planned to “eradicate all the prostitutes.” All five of his victims – the four women he killed and the one who escaped – were sex workers.

Juan David Ortiz, a Border Patrol agent, started killing on September 3, when he shot Melissa Ramirez, 29. Ten days later, he killed Claudine Ann Luera, 42.

On Friday night, the third victim escaped from his truck and reported him to a state trooper.

Within hours, though, Juan David Ortiz killed two other people: Janelle Ortiz and a fourth victim, who has not been publicly identified.

Police say that all the women were shot in the head “execution-style” after Juan David Ortiz drove them to the country and forced them out of his truck. All the victims knew him, and police believe that he deliberately gained their trust so that he could kill them.

Janelle Ortiz’s body was found at 1 a.m. on Saturday morning. At 2:30 a.m., he was found in a hotel parking lot.

He wanted to die and hoped a police officer would kill him, so he pretended his cell phone was a gun as the SWAT team approached.

That didn’t work. He was arrested and has confessed to killing the four women. He provided police with details about the killings, including the location of the bodies of the Janelle Ortiz and the fourth victim.

“We’re certain we have the right individual,” Webb County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Fred Garza said.

“I hurt a lot. All I want is justice. I want that guy to die in jail for taking the life of my daughter,” said Maria Cristina, the mother of the first victim.

He is being charged with four counts of murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and unlawful restraint.

Police deadnamed Janelle Ortiz when her identity was announced, and the Aguero Funeral Home deadnamed her, used “he” pronouns, and used an old picture of her in their Facebook announcement of her funeral.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated September 26 2018

I do not want Kavanaugh to get appointed anymore than the next guy. As posted on this page on September 7 2018; I am against Kavanaugh because he has a "radical, extremist view is that ISPs have a First Amendment constitutional right to control what we see and do online."

As I have commented on this blog before I consider the term "gang bang" to be the same as the term "gang rape" and anyone that is or has been a part of a gang like that is really a rapist and should be in prison. I am sure that if Kavanaugh was involved in something like this; he most likely considered himself a gang bang participant. Alas though at least 90% of the population of our country has gotten away with some type of sex offence and never been charged. Now we as a society, choice carefully who we like to charge sex offences with. As I always say there are different levels of suffering for souls in hell and different forms of rewards in heaven. There are going to be many Christians in heaven that end up being very sorry for getting on the band wagon of taking human dignity, human rights and constitutional rights away from so called, labeled sex offenders; even if they are just people like politicians, Christians, rich people, minority's and who ever else; we do not like at the moment. Being paranoid and Nazi like now; in your cruel and the unusual punishment of them with the scarlet letter or the Jewish Nazi armband; and suffer for eternity for it latter. Make no mistake about it I am a middle of the road voter. If the Democrats get any kind of momentum going I am going to be right there with them full steam ahead. For now the way it is, is the republican's are lying about the democrats and the democrats are lying about the republicans. Meanwhile all our enemy's: most of the world; is claiming a victory, with their control of the internet\/media. I am not against Kavanaugh because he is republican, at all. That is why I have been reluctant to voice my opinion against Kavanaugh; solely upon our convenient choice, of sex offence accusations; from the very people most likely of being not only sex offenders but the loudest against sex offences. Then again like I said; I consider most humans of committing sex offences in their lifetimes. Now that I have made myself sick again; let me just say if Kavanaugh was involved in a gang bang, in other words gang rape; that should be proof enough, of him not making the nomination.

Red more here: https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2018/09/25/oh-my-god-did-porn-lawyer-avenatti-get-pranked-by-internet-trolls-on-kavanaugh-gangrape-ring-allegation-n2522495

There is another allegation lobbed against Brett Kavanaugh. It hasn’t been given much oxygen because, well, the cast of characters is suspect. Stormy Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti reportedly has information that Kavanaugh and Mark Judge had a gang-rape ring that operated in the 1980s. Judge is a man Christine Blasey Ford cited in her allegation of an attempted sexual assault by a drunken 17-year-old Kavanaugh at a high school party. Judge and everyone else mentioned as a potential witness has refuted her story. There are no witnesses, there’s no evidence, and Ford can’t remember key details about the incident, like why there was a party in the first place, how she got there, and who owned the house where it was held to some 30-plus years ago. The allegation is thin. It’s evidence-free—but it’s plunged the whole nomination into chaos. There’s a hearing on this development set for Thursday. But back to Avenatti, Leah has more: https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2018/09/24/avenatti-tweets-n2521963

Toothless prisoners' liquid diet

The Texas prison system has all but stopped giving dentures to toothless inmates, preferring to put their food through a blender and feed them liquids, instead, reported the Houston Chronicle's Keri Blakinger. That seems particularly callous, and unnecessarily chintzy. click here to read more

This is a example of a sex offence report against someone; people liked at the time, going practically unreported. Imagine if every sex offence that has ever been committed was reported and imprisoned. We would have to lock up so many people in our country, it would be, one big prison; like it practically is known for now. See above comment I made to used as a comparison to this comment. Elizabeth Bruenig would be a real asset to the woman's rights folks.

Back to school

Elizabeth Bruenig is a badass, journalistic hero. Hard to overstate from how many angles I admired her coverage of a rape twelve years ago, and the resulting ostracization and torment inflicted upon the victim, that took place during her high-school days in Arlington. Immaculate reporting, sparkling prose. What a story. And one that could be written, I bet, for a lot of high schools, including my own.

click here to read more

'So many people sitting in jail'

In Waco, apparently oblivious to the possibility of reducing pretrial detention through bail reform, McLennan County officials will pay for an extra, associate judge to process cases faster. According to the latest report from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, currently more than 85 percent of McLennan County Jail inmates are being held pretrial. One commissioner lamented, “We’ve got so many people sitting in jail that could plea,” ignoring the fact that the District Attorney's tough-on-crime plea positions play a big role in that calculus. It takes two sides to make a plea deal. click here to read more

Beating by prison guard led to inmate death

A 22-year old Texas prison guard who allegedly beat an inmate to death has been charged with aggravated assault after the man died from his injuries two weeks later. After an episode earlier that day where the inmate allegedly spit on him, the guard's supervisor told him to stay away from the man. Instead, the guard took him to the inmate shower and gave him a beating. In a case resulting in death, that seems awfully intentional to get only an agg assault charge and not manslaughter, or even murder. click here to read more

I have been saying this long before I started this blog online:

Evidence of racial bias in justice system overwhelming

Radley Balko makes the case that, "the evidence of racial bias in our criminal-justice system isn’t just convincing — it’s overwhelming." See his comprehensive summation. click here to read more

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated September 26 2018

No fix in sight for nixed crime lab fees

After Gov. Greg Abbott rescinded new fees authorized by the Legislature last year after they cut the agency's crime lab budget, nobody has ever come up with the extra money, leaving Texas DPS crime labs poised to run out of operating funds before the end of the fiscal year. Here's a brief overview from the Legislative Budget Board, published in April. It indicates caseloads have grown 21 percent over the last two biennium, despite the recent budget cut. Most larger agencies operate their own crime labs or pay for lab functions via fee for service. The agencies responsible for using the most DPS crime lab services are mid-sized agencies: Corpus Christi PD, Lubbock PD, the Montgomery County Sheriff, Plano PD, and the Midland PD.

http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Documents/Publications/Presentation/5207_Crime_Labs.pdf

Understaffed prison unit needs to close

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Connally Unit in Kenedy County is so understaffed they're having to bus in guards from 200 miles away. In a rational system where prison closures were matched to the agency's biggest staffing and management problems, the Connally Unit would probably be the next unit closed.

https://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_ca0a06dc-bda0-11e8-aa48-cb023ec5445d.html

When prosecutors hold the Thin Blue Line

Twice, the San Antonio PD asked District Attorney Nico Lahood to prosecute one of their own for on-the-job mendacity. Both times, his office declined, reported the SA Express-News.

https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/SAPD-said-he-altered-evidence-and-lied-about-it-13248857.php

The ever expanding sex-offender registry

The sex-offender registry in Texas includes nearly 100,000 people. The Austin Statesman has a feature about how it's become so bloated, and the fight over rules changes that apply lifetime registry requirements to offenders who were told when they pled guilty that wouldn't be the case.

https://www.mystatesman.com/news/crime--law/for-some-sex-offenders-their-deal-with-the-state-wasn-really-deal/iPyEx9Mk27DGdGBnI6hjuM/

The reason we have so many people on our sex-offender registry list; verses states like Oregon; is because we have really great police officers, who do their job, above and beyond the normal. This is not such a bad thing. I do not know about you but I love the fact that I am being protected above and beyond; any so called, normal amount. The problem is when our police have to waste thier time because a bunch of Facebook, Twitter, internet/media, Nazi, murder maniac mob mentality, lynch mob, fanatics, that just need someone to hate and be prejudice about. These KKK like; in denial, hatemongers, would normally be burning crosses and killing homosexuals for fun. Since the overthrowing of normal governments by the foreign controlled American internet; many laws of our country have been perverted beyond all recognition. Not only has our legal system become perverted and soiled by the internet gone wild; our very government, of what our constitution has upheld and made our country a oases has ceased to exist. However we try to sweep it all under the rug, it is still there haunting us day and night, strangling us all with unrelenting guilt. That combined with the fact that we are a house divided against itself, to the delight of all our enemy's; at least eighty percent of the rest of the world; all spells certain and sure impending doom on the horizon. I can not forget to mention our country is not mentioned in The Holy Bible during the tribulation as being in power or even remembered by world history at all. The most powerful nation in the world not mentioned during the tribulation at all? That can not be good for our future. Perverting and flat out disobeying our laws, and taking away human rights and constitutional rights of so called sex offenders can only speed up our eventual demise.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated September 29 2018

First off I want to say I am not a politically savvy person. I am a middle of the road voter. I never miss a chance to go to the poles, though. I fail to see how this is any different than Mitt Romney :

From: click here

Is Mitt Romney Making Money Selling Surveillance Cameras to China? MAR 16, 2012
A front page story in The New York Times today attempts to tie Mitt Romney to Chinese state repression, but it really says more about the complexities of international business than his investment strategies. read more: click here

If you want to get really picky: Is this any different than going to the store and buying a product made in China?

I have no idea what happens to our country. One thing is a fact; we are not mentioned in any way during the GREAT TRIBULATION. I have a bad habit of always amusing the worst; like we are blown up. What if we just become the property of China, instead?

From: https://money.cnn.com/2018/09/26/technology/google-dragonfly-senate-hearing/index.html

Google has finally admitted that a "Project Dragonfly" is indeed in the works.

But that's about all a Google executive was willing to divulge Wednesday about the codenamed plan, which has been widely reported to be a search product the company is developing for China — one that would need to comply with government censorship.

The rumored existence of the Chinese search engine came up repeatedly during a Senate committee hearing in Washington, where several major technology and telecommunications executives were testifying about a potential federal law to regulate data privacy.

The prospect of a Google-sanctioned search engine for China has become a hot-button issue. Reports began surfacing last month that Google was working on a product that would block sensitive websites and search terms in accordance with Chinese censorship.

The New York Times later reported that more than a thousand Google employees have questioned the plan. That criticism is ongoing — The Times reported early Wednesday that a former Google research scientist blasted the Chinese search product in a letter to lawmakers this week.

However, Google had refused to comment until Wednseday, when Google (GOOG) chief privacy officer Keith Enright joined executives from AT&T (T), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Twitter (TWTR) and Charter Communications (CHTR) at the Senate hearing (AT&T owns CNN.). The point of the hearing was for the executives to outline what they want out of any new US regulatory proposal — they largely opposed any law as restrictive as the recent data privacy reforms adopted or passed by the European Union and California.

But lawmakers fixated on Enright. They lobbed questions at him about all kinds of controversies facing Google and the rest of the tech industry, privacy-related or otherwise.

Enright did not link "Dragonfly" to the reports about developing a Chinese search engine. He name-dropped it only when pressed about the existence of a "Project Dragonfly" by Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican.

"I am not clear on the contours of what is in scope or out of scope for that project," Enright added.

When Cruz prodded Enright for more information, the privacy officer would only reiterate what CEO Sundar Pichai has already said about the rumored product.

"I need to be clear for the record that my understanding is that we are not close to launching a search product in China," Enright said. "And whether we eventually could or would remains unclear."

Though Google received a lot of the attention at Wednesday's hearing, the other companies did not entirely escape scrutiny. Lawmakers peppered the executives with questions about how they use consumer data, and how they define what is private and what is not.

The concept of a federal law that governs data privacy has become increasingly important to lawmakers, especially in recent months.

The European Union made waves earlier this year when its General Data Protection Regulation went into effect. Those rules forced companies that operate in that region to revise their data privacy policies.

Then in June, California passed the toughest data privacy law in the US. When that law goes into effect in 2020, it will grant consumers the right to know what companies like Facebook and Google are collecting from them, why those companies are collecting it and who they are sharing it with. Consumers will also be able to bar tech companies from selling their data.

AT&T's Len Cali, the senior vice president of global public policy, cited a "host of burdens" associated with the GDPR during his testimony Wednesday.

"Perhaps if it existed at the the companies at this table started, we wouldn't be here, none of them would be here," he said.

Other executives argued along similar lines, adding that whatever law is passed should not be so cumbersome as to hurt innovation, especially at small and medium-sized companies. Many also wanted a law that pre-empts state statutes, like the one California just passed.

Consumer advocacy groups have opposed the industry's objections to GDPR and the California law. In a letter to the Senate committee that conducted the hearing, the American Civil Liberties Union called for legislation that would install safeguards for consumers.

"In the last year, we have seen countless data breaches, sharing of sensitive data without consent, and reports that companies have misled consumers regarding their data practices," the ACLU wrote. "It is past time for Congress to right the imbalance in our laws that has failed to protect consumers from industry practices that strip them over control of their data in the interest of profit."

Senator John Thune, the chairman of the commerce, science and transportation committee and a South Dakota Republican, said Wednesday that lawmakers intend to hold a second hearing next month. He added that a California privacy activist and the head of GDPR enforcement have already agreed to testify.

CNNMoney (New York)

First published September 26, 2018: 3:44 PM ET

Weird, huh?

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated September 30 2018

Top Bexar jailer resigns amidst crime spree by subordinates From: click here

The SA Express-News reported that the top supervisor at the Bexar County Jail has resigned "amid a troubling year for the Sheriff’s Office, which has struggled with escape attempts from the jail and the arrest of 20 deputies on a variety of criminal charges, including domestic abuse, assaulting inmates and driving while intoxicated." Good Lord! Local jails deserve a lot more media attention.

Austin PD shoots too many mental-health patients From: click here and here

Austin PD has "the highest per capita rate of fatal police shootings involving persons believed to be experiencing a mental health crisis" among comparable cities studied, according to a recent audit. The probe also found, according to the Austin Monitor, that "the department did not track and review crisis intervention incidents to improve outcomes and was not providing what are considered the best-practice elements in its training of crisis intervention officers." Moreover, "APD dispatchers were not automatically sending one of APD’s mental health officers to lead in responding to mental health-related calls." See also Austin Statesman coverage. The Austin Justice Coalition has been urging the city to stop using APD as the lead agency on mental-health calls, using an approach being piloted in conjunction with the Meadows Foundation in Dallas - a matter on which the find themselves in agreement with Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn, interestingly enough.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 02 2018

Thanks to my GayUSA email I got a couple days ago I am posting this:

You know me I have to put in some work for the LGBTQ folks. I am dedicated to LGBTQ rights till I die. Why? Because it is the Christian thing to do. I stand up to the world, and say: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at" any LGBTQ human being!.

John 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

From: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/2-Men-Beaten-on-U-Street-in-Possible-Hate-Crime-Police-494083821.html

2 Men Beaten on U Street in Possible Hate Crime: Police

One man was knocked unconscious after four males and a woman attacked, the victims say

Published at 7:28 PM EDT on Sep 23, 2018

Police are searching for five suspects who beat two gay men in the U Street nightlife area, knocking one of them unconscious, in a possible hate crime.

The two men were walking westward on U Street about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16, crossing New Hampshire Avenue, when a car turning right nearly hit them, according to a police report.

"The car, you know, almost his us, wasn't anything that crazy," one of the victims told News4. They wished not to be identified.

One of the men slammed his open hand into the car and yelled at the driver. Police say that driver left, but another car with five or six people inside rolled up.

"They were yelling homophobic slurs at us. We ignored them, cause, you know, it happens," the second man said.

Then, things escalated.

"Five people got out of the car and just attacked us," he said. He says four males and a female began beating them.

The man who hit the car was knocked unconscious and bled profusely from his face, police said. The other suffered a minor injury to his face. They were bruised and cut and said some of their belongings were taken.

Witnesses called 911, and the victim who was knocked out was taken to a hospital.

"I remember waking up, my friend being upset, them trying to get me into the ambulance," he said.

Police got a description of the car but were unable to find it.

The two men are recovering now, but say the incident was disturbing.

"It's terrible, but there are ways to get through it and maybe prevent it from happening to someone else," one of the men said.

From: https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2018/09/2_nj_men_attacked_in_hate-crime_outside_brooklyn_g.html

2 men attacked in alleged hate-crime outside gay bar in N.Y.

Updated Sep 26; Posted Sep 24

Two men were beaten in an unprovoked bias attack outside a gay bar in Brooklyn, New York early Sunday and the search is ongoing for the attacker, police said.

The man police say attacked two Brooklyn residents outside a bar early Sunday. (Photo: NYPD)

The Brooklyn residents had just departed the Metropolitan Bar in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn around 1 a.m. when a man approached them and made anti-gay comments, New York City police said.

The assailant punched the 34-year-old victim in the face and threw the 29-year-old against a tree before fleeing on foot.

The younger man broke his finger, while the older fractured a shoulder. Both lost consciousness.

A bystander took a photo of the alleged attacker and police are asking for the public's help to identify him. He was wearing a black shirt, beige pants and black and white sneakers.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477.

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the crime stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All information is kept confidential.

Editor's note: The post has been updated to reflect information from the NYPD that the victims are from Brooklyn.

From my email from: LGBTQ Nation Daily Brief · Oct 1, 2018: Web Page Link: Click Here

If these Nazi like people were not from Switzerland, they would have most likely been jailed before this attack.

You can now go to jail for being homophobic or transphobic in Switzerland

Monday, October 1, 2018

Switzerland has voted to impose the strictest penalties in the world for trans- and homophobia, putting them on par with racism.

Those found guilty of either could face up to three years in prison.

The Swiss National Council voted 118 to 60 to change their penal code, making it illegal to discriminate based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

“Victory!” said Mathias Reynard, a national councilor who has fought for over half a decade on the law. “By 118 against 60 and 5 abstentions, the National Council accepts my parliamentary initiative against homophobia and Transphobia! A great success for human rights!”

The move comes amidst criticism of Switzerland’s legal landscape surrounding LGBTQ people. Marriage is still not legal in the country, meaning that same-sex couples lack legal standing for adoption, welfare, and taxes.

As a result, the country dropped three places in its rankings on the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association’s (ILGA) annual Rainbow Index in 2017.

This legal change opens the door for a renewed push for marriage rights in Switzerland. At current, Switzerland only allows for civil partnerships for same sex couples.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 06 2018

As always I cannot read a multi post of Grits without seeing something as a Must Post:

As anyone that reads this must know: I hate the death penalty!:

Capital-punishment explainer

The Justice Collaborative has produced a lengthy, abolitionist-oriented explainer document on capital punishment with a lot of good information in it. Check it out Clicking here is a must if you care about humans.

You must also know I love Philadelphia Freedom! If I had my way I would move the White House to Philadelphia.:

The very model of a modern reform prosecutor

In Philadelphia, a couple of items related to new District Atttorney Larry Krasner caught my eye: 1) He is prosecuting police officers for civil rights violations in non-shooting cases, including inappropriate stop and frisks, and 2) he released an video/conversation with sujatha baliga, on the topic of prosecutors and restorative justice. Both are important developments. Click here to read more. and here.

Police-involved deaths by race

A new study estimates the risk of police-involved death by race: "Police kill, on average, 2.8 men per day. Police were responsible for about 8% of all homicides with adult male victims between 2012 and 2018. Black men's mortality risk is between 1.9 and 2.4 deaths per 100 000 per year, Latino risk is between 0.8 and 1.2, and White risk is between 0.6 and 0.7." click to read more

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 10 2018

From: https://www.statesman.com/news/20181006/texas-reneging-states-expansion-of-sex-offender-laws-challenged

At least four sex offenders in Texas have floated a new argument that has earned early legal victories.

When the Beaumont police detective called him in 2014, Curtis wondered what the officer might want. His only run-in with the law had been half a lifetime ago.

In 1985, he had been charged with indecency with a child, his stepdaughter. Curtis, then 34, struck a deal with prosecutors: He would plead guilty — but, if after 10 years he kept out of trouble, the conviction would go away. He paid his fees, performed his community service and attended sex offender counseling. The charge was dismissed in 1996.

Curtis said his crime stayed with him: “It never leaves me; it’s always in front of me.” (The paper is not using his last name, because he is fighting to keep it private and it does not appear in court documents.) He kept a low, steady profile. Over the next three decades, he raised his three boys in the house in which he’s always lived. He worked at a nearby chemical plant until his retirement in 2009.

So, the news from the detective was alarming. Despite the deal he’d cut with the state of Texas 30 years ago, Curtis was dismayed to learn that he now would have to register as a sex offender. His name and photo and details of the crime would appear on the state’s public website. He would need to check in with police regularly. The new rules, the detective informed Curtis, applied for the rest of his life.

Donnie Miller had struck a similar deal with Travis County prosecutors. In 1993, when he was 23, the Wimberley native was charged with sexual assault against a woman outside Exposé, a gentleman’s club on South Congress Avenue. “I was young, and I was stupid, and I was drunk,” he said.

At his trial, the jury couldn’t agree on a verdict. Facing a second trial and owing more than $20,000 in legal fees from the first one, Miller, like Curtis, signed a deal with prosecutors.

In exchange for a guilty plea, his record would be cleaned if he stayed out of trouble for 10 years. Although he’d have to register as a sex offender for that decade, he said the lawyers assured him that his name would be removed after he successfully completed his probation.

With his plan to become a licensed paramedic derailed by his sex offender status, Miller built a career in sales. Court records show he did well enough that he was granted permission to exit probation early.

So, he, too, was surprised to receive a phone call a year later informing him that, contrary to the terms of the deal he’d made a decade earlier, Texas had changed the rules. Whatever he had agreed to then was irrelevant. He would now be on the sex offender registry for life.

“If I’d known, why would I have taken a plea deal?” said Miller, now 48. “I would have borrowed the money for the retrial.”

Over the past 20 years, state and federal lawmakers have passed ever-stricter laws for sex offenses that require more people to be listed on public sex offender registries — typically for life. In some cases, the new laws have reached back to include those whose crimes occurred years before the statutes were enacted, and counter the deals they struck with prosecutors.

The U.S. Constitution prohibits new laws that pile additional punishments onto old crimes. In the past, government lawyers have successfully sidestepped that by arguing that retroactively requiring sex offenders to register for decades-old crimes is not really a punishment. Instead, they contended, it is merely a regulation that promotes public safety.

Now, however, at least four older sex offenders in Texas have floated a new argument that has earned early legal victories. They say the deals they agreed to in the past were essentially contracts between them and the state.

“I felt like it was a legally binding agreement with the district attorney’s office, the state,” said Miller.

By being forced to follow new terms that, in some instances, the men were specifically promised they would never face, “it’s the state of Texas reneging on their deal,” said Richard Gladden, an attorney specializing in sex offender laws.

A growing list

The number of registered sex offenders in Texas climbs by nearly a dozen every day. Although the state has created a legal path to get off the list, the number of successful applicants is inconsequential. Today, according to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which tracks lists in all 50 states, Texas’s sex offender registry includes about 100,000 people — 3.5 per 1,000 residents, considerably above the national average. Most of its registrants are considered low-risk.

Spurring the growth are new laws requiring more sex offenders to be added to the list, for longer periods. Like most states, Texas has adopted a series of increasingly severe statutes, often in response to horrific, high-profile crimes against a child.

The state’s initial sex offender registration law, passed in 1991, applied only to those convicted of certain sex crimes. Two years later, Texas legislators passed another law requiring defendants who, like Curtis and Miller, had received so-called deferred adjudication deals for their sex crimes, to register as well.

The rules applied only to new offenders charged after the law passed. But, in 1997, Texas expanded its sex offense laws again — this time reaching backward. Now, anyone who had been convicted of — or who received a deferred adjudication deal for—sex crimes since 1970 had to register as an offender on Texas’ public list.

The rules still limited the retroactive portion to offenders who were still in prison or on probation when the law passed. But, in 2005, that clause was repealed when the Legislature decided to broaden Texas sex offense laws once again.

According to the new statute, no matter what state prosecutors had promised — or when or how many years the offender had been out of prison or off probation — every qualifying sex offender was ordered onto the state’s registry. Since 2006, the Texas Department of Public Safety has doubled the number of employees working on the registry and quadrupled its budget.

The law’s author, Ray Allen, a seven-term state representative from Grand Prairie who left the Legislature in 2006, said that wasn’t the goal. “At the time we were writing the laws, we were trying our best to find the really dangerous people,” he said. “And, I think we threw the net way too wide. I’m not sure we got the right people. But, we didn’t change the laws back.”

It is difficult to determine how many current registered sex offenders fall into the same category as the men who argue that Texas broke its word when prosecutors struck deals years ago that did not include the registration requirement. In a recent Texas Supreme Court filing, lawyers for the DPS warned that if Curtis won his case, it would relieve “numerous other sex offenders of their duty to register.”

An American-Statesman analysis of the Texas registry identified just over 2,800 sex offenders who, according to the terms of their probation, were no longer required to register, yet remain on the list. Gladden said he suspected many of those fell into the same category as Curtis and Miller.

“I’ve had a lot of (similar) cases, and I’m just one lawyer,” added Scott Smith, an Austin lawyer who specializes in representing sex registrants.

A “profound” punishment

Jack Hearn qualified. Accused of sexually assaulting a young woman in 1992, he was offered a deal by the Tarrant County district attorney’s office: If he pleaded guilty, he would be on probation for five years, during which time he’d have to complete community service and pay fees and fines.

“They told me that after that, it’ll be as if nothing happened,” he said. “It’ll all go away. I thought that sounded good.”

But, in 1998, just before he was to get off probation, Hearn said he received a call from his probation officer, who told him he needed to come in. “He told me I needed to get a mug shot and fingerprints,” Hearn said. “When I got there, he had some paperwork spread out on his desk. He told me it was for the sex offender registry, and that I now had to register for the rest of my life.”

When Hearn objected, noting his plea deal specifically promised he’d be clear of all his obligations after probation, he said his officer shrugged. “He said, ‘Sign the son of a bitch, or I’m going to have you arrested.’”

When Texas passed its reach-back sex offender laws, “I was very surprised the Legislature made them retroactive,” said Keith Hampton, an Austin civil rights attorney who has studied the statutes. “A plea bargain is essentially a contract. If one side just changes the rules, you can’t have any sort of contract law for that.”

Texas wasn’t alone in expanding its sex offender statutes to include those who thought their social debt had been cleared years earlier; most states passed laws that roped in offenders from old cases. Lawsuits protesting the laws violated the Constitution’s prohibition against additional punishments for old crimes began almost immediately.

That argument was effectively quashed in 2003, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Alaska’s law retroactively requiring old sex offenders who’d completed their sentences to register was legal because the registry wasn’t intended to be punitive.

To Hearn, that made little sense. Now 60 years old with a beefy physique that recalls his early career as a professional wrestler, he remembered an incident soon after he was released from probation when a factory he’d been working in as a contractor told him he was no longer permitted on the premises.

In 2006, he was arrested for failing to comply with the state’s sex offender requirements that, according to his plea deal, prosecutors promised he’d never be subjected to. Hearn said he was living in Kerr County but spending a lot of time working in neighboring Kendall County, so police charged him with failing to notify them of a new home address. He was placed back on probation.

The registry continues to affect Miller’s life, too. A facilities maintenance contractor, he cannot enter schools for work. Earlier this year, he was prohibited from entering an Army base. “And every Halloween, Comal County police show up at my house” for their annual sex offender compliance check, he said.

Recent studies have demonstrated that public lists can have severe consequences on registrants, from public shaming to limited job opportunities to restrictions on where they can live. Prosecutors concede they use the threat of registration as a bargaining chip in plea negotiations; defense attorneys say it often informs what deals their clients will accept.

“The punitive effects are profound,” said Jill Levenson, a professor at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla., who has examined the registries.

“With most crimes, whether you steal something from the store or kill someone, there’s a line,” Hearn said. “There’s a beginning and an end. And, whether you go to prison, or whatever, the line eventually ends. But with sex crimes, the line is written as a circle. It never ends.”

New studies bust perceptions

Sex offenders have long held a reputation as among the most dangerous and incorrigible offenders, feared and reviled by the public. For politicians, that has meant little risk in passing ever more restrictive laws and no appetite for dialing them back. Allen said he’s approached more than a dozen legislators in recent years to discuss dialing back the registration laws he authored, but “nobody has wanted to touch that.”

Yet, since the Alaska decision, much of what policymakers thought they knew about sex criminals and the effectiveness of the laws used against them has been shown to be inaccurate. Research has demonstrated the claim such offenders were an especially dangerous variety of criminal — the Supreme Court called their recidivism rate “frightening and high” — is not accurate. Other studies suggest the registries have had little — if any —effect on public safety.

The updated findings have started appearing in court cases, and several states in recent years have eliminated their retroactive sex offender clauses. Court rulings in Maryland, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and even Alaska, among others, concluded their reach-back registration laws unfairly stacked new punishments on those convicted before the laws existed.

In 2016, federal judges found Michigan laws passed in 2006 and 2011 that retroactively required offenders in old cases to be placed on its sex offender registry were illegal. “As dangerous as it may be not to punish someone,” the justices found, “it is far more dangerous to permit the government ... to punish people without prior notice.”

The states have since removed old-case offenders from their public registries.

Miller’s former prosecutor still remembers his case and the terms of the plea deal Travis County offered him. Making a case that Texas later violated the agreement “is an interesting argument,” said Maura Phelan, now an attorney in private practice. But, she added, “you can never anticipate what the Legislature is going to do.”

Besides, Phelan said, the government often changed laws to the detriment of citizens banking on earlier versions. Property owners who purchase a lot zoned for one use might feel they’ve been cheated if local lawmakers later make zoning more restrictive. Enforcement of immigration law shifts depending on the opinions of each presidential administration.

“When we passed the law, we must have been told by our legal counsel there was no legal issue,” added Florence Shapiro, who as a state senator from Plano sponsored the 2005 legislation. Now retired, she added she still strongly supported the expanded registry to include as many offenders as possible.

Still, the idea of old plea deals being reopened so the state can add new conditions is worrisome enough that the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association two weeks ago filed a brief supporting Curtis’s lawsuit, now in front of the Texas Supreme Court. In it, San Antonio attorney Angela Moore noted that 94 percent of criminal convictions are disposed of with pleas. “By undoing them, the plea bargains aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on,” she said.

Back in Beaumont, such broad policy concerns are far from Curtis’ mind. He said many of his family members remain oblivious of his single criminal act more than a generation ago.

“The biggest punishment you could put on him is for this to come out,” said his attorney, Ryan Gertz. “It would destroy everything he’s done with his life. He paid his price.”

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 14 2018

Prison guard beat handcuffed inmate to death

The inmate beaten to death in the shower by a Huntsville prison guard this summer was handcuffed when he was attacked, reported the Houston Chronicle's Keri Blakinger in an update. The guard was charged with aggravated assault, but those facts read like a minimum of manslaughter, to me, and outright murder doesn't seem much of a stretch, given the clear intent. The CO had been ordered by a supervisor to stay away from the inmate after a confrontation earlier in the day, but he allegedly violated orders, took the inmate into an empty shower area, and beat him to death.

Where are police disciplinary records public?

Check out an analysis of the relative openness of police disciplinary records in all 50 states. Texas would have been among the most open 30 years ago. Today, we're among the middling group with "limited availability" of those records. "Limited" is definitely the operative word.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 16 2018

Thanks to another great but bazaar email from: LGBTQ Nation - Daily Brief · Oct 15, 2018:

The reason I am posting this is because, the protesters like so many people believe to this day' that LGBTQ folks are the same as sex offenders or commit “pedophilia.”*

This is a extreme example of how paranoid we have all become by anything we deem as abnormal sexual behavior; being a sex offence. I think this type of sex offence paranoia, is a testimony of the lynch mob mentality of the media/internet; that plaques our society and brings us all down like a rock and chain around our necks, in the deep ocean of The Lord's Recompense.

Hebrews 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

From: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/10/police-use-tear-gas-water-cannons-protect-pride-parade-vicious-mob/

Police had to use tear gas & water cannons to protect a pride parade from a vicious mob

Monday, October 15, 2018

The first pride parade in Lublin, Poland, faced violence from counter-protesters until police used tear gas and water cannons to force them away.

Lublin is a city of around 350,000 in eastern Poland. Around 1500 people showed up to the Equality March this past Saturday.

Police estimate that around 200 counter-protesters came as well, throwing stones and bottles and lighting fires.

It took less than an hour for the police to ban the counter-protest, but the counter-protesters didn’t leave right away. So police used water cannons and tear gas to get them out.

“We have arrested several people but I am sure that number will increase,” said a spokesperson for the Lublin police.

“During the gathering we provided security for the participants despite the numerous illegal actions of their opponents.”

Police say that two officers were injured by the counter-protesters.

Several days ago, the mayor of Lublin banned the march, citing “security concerns.” Local reports said that the regional governor opposed the pride parade because it promoted “sexual behavior incompatible with nature” and “pedophilia.”*

The ban was overturned by a court of appeals last week.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 17 2018

This is a good illustration of a innocent Christian in prison:

From: https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/pearse/the_story_of_a_prayer_meeting_and_what_came_of_it.htm By: Mark Guy Pearse

The trembling Church clings about Peter. And now Peter is carried off to prison; and Herod is going to put him to death as soon as the Passover is over.

Many a man can fight the good fight of faith, who cannot sleep the good deep of faith. Now suddenly the dungeon is illuminated as with the glory of the Lord. Then Peter saw the angel, he felt the fetters loosened, and forth he went. Then the angel was gone, and Peter stood under the starry heavens — free.

From: https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/spurgeon/the_deliverance_of_peter.htm By: C. H. Spurgeon

III. WHEN GOD COMES TO DELIVER HIS PEOPLE, ALL, THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH SEEM TO GO AGAINST THEIR DELIVERANCE SHALL ONLY TEND TO SET FORTH THE MORE HIS GLORY. What contempt He puts upon chains, etc. I know of nothing that seems to illustrate more God's splendid triumph over man's cunning than the resurrection of Christ. So, Christian, rest assured that everything that looks black to your gaze now, shall only make it the brighter when God delivers you.

IV. NO DIFFICULTY CAN EVER OCCUR WHICH GOD CANNOT MEET WHEN HE MAKES BARE HIS ARM. The chains are gone, the warders are passed, but there is that iron gate. You get fretting for months about the iron gate, as those holy women did for hours, who went to the sepulchre and said, "Who shall roll us away the stone?" There was no stone to roll away! And when you go to this place, you will find that there is no iron gate there, or it will open of its own accord. Oh, how often have we had to wonder at our own folly.

I know enough about our perverted justice system to know that new sex offender laws are made to kowtow to the insane internet/media's lust for the torment of people. They do this for ratings and their own personal entertainment. Charging people with sex offender crimes, to take away from the crimes they commit to accomplish what ever goals they desire. Making those sex offender crimes having bizarrely long sentences to keep the prison system going. There is no doubt that there are many Christians caught up in this madness. Some Christian's quietly turn inwards to get misguided sexually and sometimes it results in sex crimes. The internet/media is always there to stoke the fires of the already paranoid public to make these crimes seem like mass murder. The politicians will do anything for votes for their party so this is always a great cop out for our dishonest political system; to get votes. The point I am trying to make is many Christians are wrongly spending time in prison. I think when a devout Christian is wrongly imprisoned it is something that is not lightly taken by the Lord. Peter in prison is a great example of that.

Acts 12: 7-10

7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

If you read this and are not amazed at how God freed Peter from prison, then you must be dead. I think this is a very fine example of how God must feel about Christian's wrongly imprisoned.

For all of these reasons and more we have Gods wrath poured out upon us all. Considering that our country is not even mentioned at all during the Great Tribulation in the Bible, it does not look good for our future. I think it will have to be many decades after America no longer exists in order for the world to have the country's it has during the Great Tribulation. I also think that America stands in the way of any formation of the governments described during The Great Tribulation. All of this and much, much, more means to me; that very soon our country will no longer exist, very, very soon. Maybe not though; only God knows. Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 18 2018

OCTOBER 12, 2018 10:04AM From: https://www.cato.org/blog/states-cant-make-new-laws-punish-old-conduct-just-because-they-call-them-civil

States Can’t Make Up New Laws to Punish Old Conduct Just Because They Call Them “Civil”

By ILYA SHAPIRO and Nathan Harvey

Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution provides that “[n]o State shall … pass any … Ex Post Facto law.” The Ex Post Facto Clause was incorporated into the Constitution to prohibit states from enacting retrospective legislation, which the Framers believed to be inherently unfair and contrary to the principles of limited, constitutional government. Despite the Framers’ clear aversion to retrospective lawmaking, the Supreme Court has since adopted the view that states are uninhibited from enacting retroactive civil penalties. So long as a retrospective law contains a discernable legislative purpose and a “civil” label, retroactive application will not run afoul of the Ex Post Facto Clause. Consequently, states have imposed increasingly burdensome retroactive penalties on convicted sex offenders under the guise of civil regulatory laws. Even after offenders have paid their debts to society, they continue to face excessive registration requirements and other onerous civil penalties.

Back in 2004, 19-year-old Anthony Bethea was convicted of six counts of sexual activity arising from non-forcible, consensual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl. He pled guilty and agreed to be sentenced to up to 48 months of imprisonment, complete a sex offender treatment program, and register as a sex offender for 10 years. He successfully completed the treatment program in 2006 and his period of probation in 2007. Beginning in 2006, however, North Carolina drastically transformed its sex offender statute, adding a laundry list of additional burdens on previously convicted sex offenders. Today, Bethea is subject to numerous restrictions that did not exist at the time of his plea agreement, such as limitations on where he can go, where he can live, and what jobs he can hold. Perhaps worst of all, the new restrictions have prevented him from being a father to his children. Due to his continued registration, Bethea has been forced to miss his son’s graduation ceremonies, parent-teacher conferences, and school field trips. Bethea should have been off the registry four years ago, but North Carolina retroactively lengthened his registration period from 10 to 30 years.

In 2014, 10 years after he registered, Bethea petitioned the North Carolina courts to be removed from the registry. He argued that retroactively applying the statutory provisions enacted after Bethea’s conviction violated the Ex Post Facto Clause. Although the court found that Bethea was in no way a threat to public safety, his petition was denied. On appeal, the North Carolina Court of Appeals held that the state’s sex offender statute was civil, rather than punitive, and thus did not constitute a violation of the Ex Post Facto Clause. The North Carolina Supreme Court denied review and Bethea has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take his case.

Cato has filed an amicus brief supporting that petition, arguing that the Court must return to an original understanding of the Ex Post Facto Clause guided by its twin historical aims: to prevent vindictive legislation targeted at unpopular groups and provide sufficient notice of the consequences in place. Without a principled foundation in original meaning and historic purpose, the Court’s multi-factor ex post facto analysis has come to rest on shaky ground, supplying unimpeded deference to legislative intent. The Court’s continued unwillingness to invalidate statutes for their retroactive punitive effect has given states a perverse incentive to enact increasingly burdensome civil penalties that alter the legal consequences of previously committed conduct without constitutional accountability.

The Supreme Court should take up Bethea v. North Carolina and eaffirm that the Constitution’s prohibition against ex post facto lawmaking forbids states from skirting constitutional scrutiny by simply labelling increasingly burdensome retrospective penalties as “civil” regulatory laws.

Also from CATO:

Coercive Plea Bargaining

From: Here

Policy Forum

October 18, 2018

12:00PM to 1:30PM EDT

ADD TO CALENDAR

Hayek Auditorium, Cato Institute

Featuring Scott Hechinger, Senior Staff Attorney and Director of Policy, Brooklyn Defender Services; Bonnie Hoffman, Director of Public Defense Reform and Training, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; Somil Trivedi, Staff Attorney, ACLU Trone Center for Justice and Equality; moderated by Clark Neily, Vice President for Criminal Justice, Cato Institute.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has observed that “criminal justice today is for the most part a system of pleas, not a system of trials.”

Although nowhere mentioned in the text of the Constitution, plea bargaining has become the default mechanism for resolving criminal charges in the United States. Indeed, some 95 percent of criminal convictions today are obtained through plea bargains, which raises a number of serious concerns, including why so few people choose to exercise their hallowed and hard-won right to a jury trial. When one considers the many tools available to prosecutors to encourage defendants to accept plea offers, together with the incentive to resolve as many cases as efficiently as possible, one cannot help but ask how many plea agreements are truly voluntary and how many are the result of irresistible coercion. Are there constitutional or ethical limits on coercive plea bargaining, and if so, are they being properly enforced? And what should we make of an institution that has practically eliminated the criminal jury trial and with it the Framers’ painstaking efforts to ensure citizen participation in the administration of justice?

We will discuss these and other important questions raised by the evolution of plea bargaining within our justice system.

If you can’t make it to the event, you can watch it live online at www.cato.org/live and join the conversation on Twitter using #CatoCJ. Follow @CatoEvents on Twitter to get future event updates, live streams, and videos from the Cato Institute.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 18 2018

You can't use our fingerprints, get your own!

The Texas Department of Public Safety and Department of Criminal Justice are in a spat. DPS won't give the prison agency permission to include fingerprints for "pen packets" prosecutors prepare when a defendant is sent to prison. Full Article: https://www.tdcaa.com/node/15820

'The Love Story that Upended the Texas Prison System'

Awesome long form historical perspective on Texas' prison litigation in the 1970-80s from Ethan Watters at Texas Monthly, told through the lens of a romance. Full Article: https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/love-story-upended-texas-prison-system/

Studying state jail felonies

The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition just issued a new report on state-jail felonies that goes on Grits' to-read list. Full Article: https://texascjc.org/node/8709/download/713277690abbecd6eda82afc3feb7d5a

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 23 2018

The least-discussed vulnerable Republican on the ballot

Grits does not expect Beto O'Rourke to win. But if he were to pull off the upset, many other dominos could fall in succession as a result, with at least three Republican senators, Texas' Attorney General, and potentially even the Lt. Governor at risk. Another race likely to flip if Dem turnout goes that high is Presiding Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Incumbent Sharon Keller won her primary with only 52% of the vote, and CCA races have consistently been among the lowest vote-getters over the years among Republican statewide officials. There is no Libertarian in the race, so the Democrat, Maria Jackson, should get all the anti-incumbent vote. If, on election night, the US Senate race at the top of the ticket is competitive, or heaven forbid, Beto pulls an upset, check down the ballot for this race; it may flip, too. full story here: https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/editorials/article/Court-of-Criminal-Appeals-endorsements-13321804.php

A Look at How the Texas Legislature May Address Criminal Justice Reform

State and local leaders—politicians, a Dallas police assistant chief, the head of the state's prison system—gathered Friday morning and gave a glimpse at what we might expect.

OCTOBER 19, 2018 12:34 PM

In the Texas Legislature, criminal justice reform is among the last Big Issue Kumbayahs that Democrats and Republicans have left. Which means that it’s one of the few that you’ll likely see some movement on in each legislative session. Like, despite the population growth the state’s incurring, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has closed eight units, four of which shuttered amid last session’s steep budget cuts. A rare win for budget hawks and criminal justice reform advocates alike.

On Friday morning, a room of about 200 or so people gathered at the Belo Mansion for a day-long symposium organized by Unlocking DOORS, a Dallas-based nonprofit that helps ex-convicts re-integrate in society. Kicking off the event was a speech from Brody Burks, Gov. Greg Abbott’s top criminal justice policy advisor. Burks was an assistant district attorney in mostly rural parts of Texas for the better part of a decade.

“I had no idea how many people I incarcerated,” he said. “But with the exception of one or two or three, they’re all coming out. As they should be.”

"Another man asked about how the state could address sex offenders—they wind up with a Scarlet Letter for life, he said, unable to find work and a place to live. And, indeed, in Texas, many offenses—from the minor to the most serious—make it incredibly difficult for ex-cons to escape their past, even if they’ve been rehabilitated and served their time."

Read full story here: https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2018/10/a-look-at-how-the-texas-legislature-may-address-criminal-justice-reform/

Them again

Two judges in Harris County are responsible for 20 percent of all youth prison commitments statewide, the Houston Chronicle's Keri Blakinger reported. full story here: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Harris-County-judges-responsible-for-1-in-five-13322222.php

I hate the death penalty. If you don't believe me search all my blog pages for the subject death penalty.

This is a great example:

Texas can't execute schizophrenic man

Texas has seen a rash of scheduled executions delayed, primarily for two reasons: Erroneous forensics exposed by Texas' junk science writ, and SCOTUS overturning Texas' outdated standards over executing mentally ill and developmentally disabled defendants. The latest execution to be put off falls in the latter category. full story: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/10/19/kwame-rockwell-stay-execution-texas-court-of-criminal-appeals/

The Guilty Plea Problem

The national Innocence Project has put up a new website called "The Guilty Plea Problem." Texas' Clay Chabot case is prominently featured. full story: https://www.guiltypleaproblem.org/

The Eyewitness ID Problem

Eyewitnesses are more likely to pick the wrong person if fillers aren't chosen which look similar to the suspect. full story: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235355603_The_Effect_of_Suspect-Filler_Similarity_on_Eyewitness_Identification_Decisions_A_Meta-Analysis

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 24 2018

This could be a warning to us all and the land that we love; so I made this graphic.

Isaiah 1:7

“Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.”

Hondurans burn American flag as caravan of migrants grows ahead of push into Mexico

https://www.mystateline.com/news/national/growing-caravan-of-migrants-pushes-deeper-into-mexico/1540977992

MyStateline.com-Oct 23, 2018

TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) - Thousands of Central American migrants resumed an arduous trek toward the U.S. border Monday, with many bristling at suggestions there could be terrorists among them and saying the caravan is being used for political ends by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The caravan's numbers have continued to grow as they walk and hitch rides through hot and humid weather, and the United Nations estimated that it currently comprises some 7,200 people, "many of whom intend to continue the march north."

However, they were still at least 1,140 miles (1,830 kilometers) from the nearest border crossing - McAllen, Texas - and the length of their journey could more than double if they go to Tijuana-San Diego, the destination of another caravan earlier this year. That one shrank significantly as it moved through Mexico, and only a tiny fraction - about 200 of the 1,200 in the group - reached the California border.

The same could well happen this time around as some turn back, splinter off on their own or decide to take their chances on asylum in Mexico - as 1,128 have done so far, according to the country's Interior Department.

While such caravans have occurred semi-regularly over the years, this one has become a particularly hot topic ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections in the U.S., and an immigrant rights activist traveling with the group accused Trump of using it to stir up his Republican base.

"It is a shame that a president so powerful uses this caravan for political ends," said Irineo Mujica of the group Pueblo Sin Fronteras - People Without Borders - which works to provide humanitarian aid to migrants.

Some have questioned the timing so close to the vote and whether some political force was behind it, though by all appearances it began as a group of about 160 who decided to band together in Honduras for protection and snowballed as they moved north.

"No one is capable of organizing this many people," Mujica said, adding that there are only two forces driving them: "hunger and death."

Earlier in the day Trump renewed threats against Central American governments and blasted Democrats via Twitter for what he called "pathetic" immigration laws.

In another tweet, he blamed Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador for not stopping people from leaving their countries. "We will now begin cutting off, or substantially reducing, the massive foreign aid routinely given to them," he wrote.

A team of AP journalists traveling with the caravan for more than a week has spoken with Hondurans, Guatemalans and Salvadorans, but has not met any Middle Easterners, who Trump suggested were "mixed in" with the Central American migrants.

It was clear, though, that more migrants were continuing to join the caravan.

Ana Luisa Espana, a laundry worker from Chiquimula, Guatemala, joined the caravan as she saw it pass through her country.

Even though the goal is to reach the U.S. border, she said: "We only want to work and if a job turns up in Mexico, I would do it. We would do anything, except bad things."

Denis Omar Contreras, a Honduran-born caravan leader also with Pueblo Sin Fronteras, said accusations that the caravan is harboring terrorists should stop.

"There isn't a single terrorist here," Contreras said. "We are all people from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. And as far as I know there are no terrorists in these four countries, at least beyond the corrupt governments."

The migrants, many of them with blistered and bandaged feet, left the southern city of Tapachula in the early afternoon Monday under a burning sun bound for Huixtla, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) away.

In interviews along the journey, migrants have said they are fleeing widespread violence, poverty and corruption. The caravan is unlike previous mass migrations for its unprecedented large numbers and because it largely sprang up spontaneously through word of mouth.

Carlos Leonidas Garcia Urbina, a 28-year-old from Tocoa, Honduras, said he was cutting the grass in his father's yard when he heard about the caravan, dropped the shears on the ground and ran to join with just 500 lempiras ($20) in his pocket.

"We are going to the promised land," Garcia said, motioning to his fellow travelers.

Motorists in pickups and other vehicles have been offering the migrants rides, often in overloaded truck beds, and a male migrant fell from the back of one Monday and died.

"It is the responsibility of the driver, but it is very dangerous, and there you have the consequences," Mexican federal police officer Miguel Angel Dominguez said, pointing to a puddle of blood around the man's head.

Police started stopping crowded trucks and forcing people to get off.

Caravan leaders have not defined the precise route or decided where on the U.S. border they want to arrive, but in recent years most Central American migrants traveling on their own have opted for the most direct route, which takes them to Reynosa, across from McAllen.

Late Sunday, authorities in Guatemala said another group of about 1,000 migrants had entered that country from Honduras.

Red Cross official Ulises Garcia said some injured people refused to be taken to clinics or hospitals.

"We have had people who have ankle or shoulder injuries, from falls during the trip, and even though we have offered to take them somewhere where they can get better care, they have refused, because they fear they'll be detained and deported," Garcia said.

Roberto Lorenzana, a spokesman for El Salvador's presidency, said his government hopes tensions over the caravan decrease after the U.S. elections.

"We have confidence in the maturity of United States authorities to continue strengthening a positive relationship with our country," Lorenzana said.

Asked if he thinks Trump will follow through on his threat to cut aid to El Salvador, he said, "I don't know. Of course the president has a lot of power, but they will have to explain it there to the different government structures."

Lorenzana added that El Salvador has significantly reduced violence, a key driver of migration, and that the flow of Salvadoran migrants has dropped 60 percent in two years.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said large numbers of migrants were still arriving in Mexico and were "likely to remain in the country for an extended period."

The first waves of migrants began arriving in the southern town of Huixtla after an exhausting eight-hour trek and quickly staked out grassy spots in the town square to bed down overnight.

Marlon Anibal Castellanos, a 27-year-old former bus driver from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, roped a bit of plastic tarp to a tree to shelter his wife, 6-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter.

Castellanos said the family walked for six hours until they could go no farther. They saw the dead man who fell from the truck, and the danger of being on the road was troublesome, out in the middle of the countryside far from an ambulance or medical care should the kids to pass out in the heat.

"It's hard to travel with children, Castellanos said."

___

Associated Press writers Peter Orsi in Mexico City, Edie Lederer at the United Nations and Marcos Aleman in San Salvador, El Salvador, contributed to this report.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 25 2018

I got this email today titled: No Water for Thanksgiving?:

Sign Petition Click Here

A shocking Food & Water Watch study has unveiled a massive hidden water affordability crisis in the United States.1

In a first-of-its-kind survey, we contacted the two largest water systems in each state to do a nationwide assessment of water shutoffs for nonpayment. And we found that an estimated 15 million people had their water shut off in 2016 — that's 1 in 20 households!

Water is a human right, and the people in this country need policies that address this emergency now.

Take action with our sister organization, Food & Water Action, by urging your Congressperson to co-sponsor the WATER Act today!

Widespread water shutoffs are a public health nightmare. They leave folks unable to bathe or flush toilets. They can make homes uninhabitable, forcing families to move or even become homeless. They can disrupt education for kids who are forced to change schools frequently. And in some states, a lack of running water can even be considered child neglect!

Tell Congress:

Pass the WATER Act Now!

Despite the serious consequences, water shutoff data is not easily available, because there's no systemic process in place for tracking it.

In fact, water utilities aren't even required to disclose it; while 93% of public utilities were willing to share their shutoff data with us, 91% of private utilities surveyed refused to disclose!2

Tell Congress to act now by supporting the WATER Act.

As economic inequality in the U.S. worsens and the price of drinking water increases, millions are forced to choose between rent, food, water and other life necessities.

This disastrous situation is a direct result of misguided priorities and federal tax cuts that have led to a critical water infrastructure crisis over the past two decades.

And we know that this is probably the tip of the iceberg, because we only have data from public utilities.

Tell your congressperson to co-sponsor the WATER Act to provide cities with the funding relief needed to ensure that everyone has access to safe and affordable water service.

Food & Water Watch champions healthy food and clean water for all, and we think it's appalling that essential water service has become a luxury in this country.

We deserve policies that set up affordability programs, that mandate transparency from water utilities and that provide funding relief to ensure that everyone in this country has access to water, which is central to all of our lives. Urge Congress to pass the WATER Act today!

Sign Petition Click Here

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 26 2018

From: https://employmentdiscrimination.foxrothschild.com/2018/10/articles/general-employment-discrimination/phrc-will-accept-discrimination-complaints-from-lgbt-employees/

PHRC Will Accept Discrimination Complaints from LGBT Employees

By Brian McGinnis on October 23, 2018

POSTED IN GENDER DISCRIMINATION, GENERAL EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION, SEXUAL ORIENTATION DISCRIMINATION, TITLE VII

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC), Pennsylvania’s leading agency that investigates and enforces Pennsylvania’s employment discrimination laws, has voted to accept complaints of discrimination from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Specifically, the PHRC has stated it will interpret complaints alleging workplace discrimination against LGBT individuals to fall under state law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of “sex”:

The term “sex” under the PHRA may refer to sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, transgender identity, gender transition, gender identity, and/or gender expression depending on the individual facts of the case.

The prohibitions contained in the PHRA and related case law against discrimination on the basis of sex, in all areas of jurisdiction where sex is a protected class, prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, transgender identity, gender transition, gender identity, and gender expression.

The Commission will accept for filing sex discrimination complaints arising out of the complainant’s sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, transgender identity, gender transition, gender identity, and gender expression using any and all legal theories available depending on the facts of the individual case.

Discrimination complaints identifying “sex” as the protected class and specifying allegations related to sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, transgender identity, gender transition, gender identity, and gender expression will be evaluated on a case by case basis throughout the Commission’s filing, investigation, and adjudication processes.

While the City of Philadelphia already prohibited workplace discrimination on these grounds, the PHRC’s actions extend protected status to LGBT employees throughout the Commonwealth.

Our blog has previously discussed the question of whether laws prohibiting sex discrimination inherently protect sexual orientation and/or gender identity in the context of Title VII. While many observers expect the Supreme Court to eventually weigh in on the Title VII issue, the question remains in flux as a matter of federal law.

In light of the lack of clarity in the Title VII case law, states are beginning to take action. For example, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission took action earlier this year, unanimously voting to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The PHRC’s action can be viewed as part of the trend of state agencies taking action to interpret their own state laws independently of federal court guidance. This is significant because even if the Supreme Court ultimately rules that Title VII does not protect employees’ sexual orientation and/or gender identity, these state agency interpretations would not be overruled. State court challenges to these agency interpretations, however, remains a possibility and warrants monitoring.

The takeaway for Pennsylvania employers is more straightforward: assess your hiring, equal opportunity, and anti-harassment policies, programs, and practices to make sure they include sexual orientation and gender identity or expression as protected characteristics and reflect non-discrimination and non-harassment principles as it applies to LGBT employees and applicants.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 30 2018

1600 daily

The White House • October 29, 2018

America has no room for the ‘vile, hate-filled poison of anti-Semitism’

The American flag is flying at half-mast above the White House today as our Nation grieves the 11 victims of a despicable act of mass murder Saturday at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“Anti-Semitism and the widespread persecution of Jews represents one of the ugliest and darkest features of human history,” President Donald J. Trump said from Indiana on Saturday. “The vile, hate-filled poison of anti-Semitism must be condemned and confronted everywhere and anywhere it appears.”

What unites Americans is our common destiny, President Trump continued. “We mourn for the unthinkable loss of life that took place today, and we pledge in their name to fight for a future of justice, safety, tolerance, morality, dignity, and love. We must all rise above the hate.”

President Trump and the First Lady will visit Pittsburgh tomorrow to meet with family members of the victims and mourn with the entire Pittsburgh community. The 11 Jewish-Americans killed “represented the very best of our Nation,” Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said from the White House today. The President “adores Jewish-Americans as part of his own family,” which includes his daughter, son-in-law, and several grandchildren, she noted.

As always in moments such as these, America’s heroes in law enforcement do some of the most difficult work. Four of these brave officers were wounded while confronting the attacker this weekend. “They do so much for us,” President Trump said. “And they’re really unsung heroes. They don’t get the credit they deserve.”

Watch President Trump’s response to the tragedy in Pittsburgh. Here

More: Press Secretary Sarah Sanders delivers an update this afternoon. Here

Photo of the Day

Official White House Photo by Carlos Fyfe

The American flag is flying at half-staff above the White House as our Nation grieves the victims of the shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh | October 29, 2018

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated October 31 2018

Texas high court to consider case of prosecutor fired for disobeying order to withhold evidence

Tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Texas Supreme Court, the national Innocence Project will defend a prosecutor who was fired by the elected Nueces County DA because he refused to withhold exculpatory evidence in a criminal case. From: https://www.innocenceproject.org/oral-arguments-on-behalf-of-fired-prosecutor/

Civil rights suit vs officer in SA

Reported the Dallas News, "A San Antonio police officer has been indicted on a charge of official oppression nearly a year and a half after a viral video showed him repeatedly punching a teenage girl." The department earlier had insisted his actions were justified. From: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2018/10/24/texas-officer-seen-punching-girl-video-indicted-charge-official-oppression

False negatives lead to crime-lab firing

The Houston crime lab fired an investigator for using her own, non-standard equipment and missing evidence that led to at least two false negatives. Nobody knows how many more cases she might have similarly screwed up. From: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-forensic-lab-fires-investigator-after-13338820.php

South China Sea CRISIS: US issues chilling warning to Beijing - ‘we'll meet more AND MORE'

CHINA has clashed with the US on the highly disputed South China Sea triggering further tensions between the two power nations.

Oct 30, 2018

Chief of US Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson warned the United States and China "will meet each other more and more on the high seas” after a Chinese warship came close to a US vessel in the hotly disputed waters.

The Chinese vessel came within an eye-watering 45 metres of the USS Decatur during a “freedom of navigation” sail, US Vice President Mike Pence said.

The US mission was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing's efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters, where Chinese, Japanese and some Southeast Asian navies operate.

The latest warning comes just days after the Chinese government ordered its military command to "concentrate preparations for fighting a war", sparking World War 3 fears across the world.

While touring the Southern Theater Command, one of the country's five war zones, Xi Jinping, China's President, said on Thursday: "We have to step up combat readiness exercises, joint exercises and confrontational exercises to enhance servicemen's capabilities and preparation for war.

He also added the command has a "heavy military responsibility" to "take all complex situations into consideration and make emergency plans accordingly."

Xi continued: "You're constantly working at the front line, and playing key roles in protecting the national territorial sovereignty and maritime interests.

"I hope you can fulfil such sacred and solemn missions."

China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea, through which about $3trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.

But neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims, which raises tensions.

Despite the US are not claiming the sovereignty on the territory, Washington demands free access to the sea for geopolitical purposes.

These claims add up to the already high tensions between China and the US, which are currently entwined in a harsh trade war launched in March by Donald Trump.

So far, the US president has issued billions-worth tariffs, aiming at crippling the Chinese market and bring Beijing to the negotiating table to discuss what Mr Trump called fairer export conditions.

In August, Washington issued tariffs on $200 worth of exported Chinese goods.

From: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1038319/china-usa-south-china-sea-Admiral-John-Richardson-Mike-Pence-USS-Decatur

US-Russia tensions spike as FURIOUS Moscow accuses Washington of STEALING political allies

TENSIONS between Russia and the US have escalated after the Russian Foreign Ministry furiously accused Washington of attempting to sway Armenia’s allegiance away from Moscow.

Express.co.uk-Oct 29, 2018

The Russian government was responding to comments made by White House National Security Adviser John Bolton, during his visit to Armenia’s capital Yerevan last week.

The US official is believed to have praised the new government for their efforts to tackle corruption in a meeting with acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian after he led a “people’s revolution” in the Spring to oust Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, who was regarded as being close to Moscow.

According to the US Embassy in Armenia, Mr Bolton said: “The US supports the new government’s efforts to address corruption, increase judicial transparency and enhance the government’s accountability to its citizens in ways that strengthen democracy, rule of law and regional stability.”

The US official also hailed the meeting on Twitter, writing: “Yesterday I had a nice visit to Armenia, an important friend in the region.

Bolton did not forget to advertise US weapons that Armenia should buy instead of Russian weapons

Russian Foreign Ministry

“I enjoyed productive conversations with the Prime Minister and his national security team.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry responded defiantly to Mr Bolton’s remarks, and accused the US of “openly” calling for Armenia to renounce its historical bond with Russia.

In a statement, released on October 29, they said: “Bolton demanded openly that Armenia renounce historical patterns in its international relations and hardly bothered to conceal the fact that this implied Armenia’s traditional friendship with Russia.

“Naturally, he did not forget to advertise US weapons that Armenia should buy instead of Russian weapons.”

Russia maintains military bases in Armenia, and has long supported the diminutive nation in its ongoing dispute with Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

Bolton pledged to support Armenia to find a peaceful resolution over the territory with its neighbour.

However, it is believed that both officials also discussed the possibility of the US selling arms to Armenia.

Questioned on the issue, Prime Minister Pashinian said: “The Armenian government is not constrained by anything.

“If there is an offer from the United States that is good for us, we will discuss it.”

The Armenian leader also signalled increasing support for his US counterparts, stating that US-Armenia relations could reach a “new level”.

Commenting on his encounter with Mr Bolton, he said the discussions had been held in an “extremely positive atmosphere”.

“I think there is a real opportunity to bring Armenia-US relations to a new level. And we are ready to take advantage of this opportunity,” Pashinian added.

From: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1038686/World-War-3-Russia-US-relations-latest-Moscow-accuses-Washington-stealing-political-allies

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 01 2018

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018

Forgotten by the system: State has no idea how many Texas youth have incarcerated parents

I just ran across this presentation from the Texas Legislative Budget Board to the Texas House Corrections Committee from May regarding children of women incarcerated in Texas state prisons.

The main thing Grits took away from the presentation was that Texas doesn't appear to keep track of this issue very closely. They provided national estimates I'd seen before on how many incarcerated women have kids, but TDCJ doesn't know how many prisoners are mothers (or fathers) or how many children each has, much less where those kids are. Nor does Child Protective Services keep track of how many removals involve children with incarcerated parents. The schools, certainly, aren't keeping track.

What little Texas does know about these kids is unimpressive. For example, they know how many women gave birth after entering TDCJ: 561 over the period 2015-17, with 9.3 percent ending up with CPS and 71 percent with the fathers.

A mentoring program aimed at children of incarcerated parents, Amachi Texas, had a two-year budget of $1.3 million for FY 2018-19, said LBB. But that's not much annually for a statewide program with tens of thousands of kids potentially eligible. Anyway, since no one has bothered to identify children with incarcerated parents, clearly the Amachi program couldn't locate most of them to mentor, regardless, and isn't funded to meet such a gaping need.

Though it's not an original line, I've repeated many times on this blog that you cannot manage what you can't measure.

Given the extent to which having an incarcerated parent is a significant risk factor for children to later engage in crime, providing support for them while their parent is away conceivably could have significant crime-deterring effects. But Texas can't even define the scope of that problem, much less measure inputs and outcomes to see what works best to prevent crime among these youth. They have been forgotten by the system.

With just a bit of ramp-up time, it wouldn't cost TDCJ or CPS much to identify youth with incarcerated parents. As soon as they began, we'd understand a lot more about the scope of the problem and the state could begin planning to address the needs identified. In addition to mentoring, some kids may need tutoring, transportation assistance, clothing vouchers, access to summer programs, jobs and internships; there is all sorts of stuff youth in that situation might need. And anyone interested in promoting long-term public safety should be anxious for the state to help. Without better information about them, though, it's a pretty safe bet nothing will happen.

From: https://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Documents/Publications/Presentation/5258_Impact_Children_Incarcerated_Mothers_Parents.pdf

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 03 2018

World War 3: Putin is more dangerous than Stalin or Khrushchev

From: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1028456/world-war-3-putin-stalin-khrushchev-world-danger

Vladimir Putin is “potentially more dangerous” to the West than an enraged, unstable Stalin in his final months of life or a nuclear-brandishing Khrushchev during the Cuban crisis, according to a leading Russian commentator. Respected political analyst Andrey Piontkovsky gives a deeply alarming view of a lurch towards a new world war.

By Will Stewart in Moscow

13:45, Mon, Oct 8, 2018 | UPDATED: 15:01, Mon, Oct 8, 2018

Sir Tony Brenton warns of 'genuine danger' from Putin threats

Putin, 66 yesterday, has shown himself ready to use military force – for example in Crimea and eastern Ukraine – and in future this can include atomic weapons, he predicted.

The Kremlin leader has the “ability” in a single step “to confront the West with an unthinkable choice between humiliating capitulation or hybrid nuclear war”, said Piontkovsky, a top applied mathematician and former director of the Strategic Studies Centre in Moscow.

Putin’s blunt message for the West - he claimed - is: “I aim to win a hybrid war and make you kneel, despite me being weaker than you in everything.

“Because, unlike you, I have a decisive advantage.

"When attacking you I am ready to use a nuclear weapon, and when defending yourself, you are not.

“This is why you’ll retreat and capitulate.”

The problem for Western leaders is that Putin “lives in an alternative reality” and does not think the way they do, said Piontkovsky, a longtime critic of the Russian ruler.

Calling Russia a “kleptocracy”, and Putin a “smotryashchiy” - or thieves’ boss in Soviet jail-speak - he claimed the Kremlin supremo “has turned out to be potentially more dangerous than the Stalin of winter 1952, or the Khrushchev of Autumn 1962”.

At the time the manic Stalin was close to death and seeing enemies everywhere, while a decade later Khrushchev was embroiled with America in the near-catastrophic Cuban missile crisis.

“The post-Soviet political construction turned out to be more primitive than the Communist,” he said.

Andrey Piontkovsky, a longtime critic of the Russian ruler

“It doesn’t have an insurance against inadequate behaviour by the top person.

“There is no Politburo which was able to catch Khrushchev’s hand at critical moment, or grab Comrade Stalin by his throat.”

He warned: “Putin is also dangerous because despite his boasting, his hybrid crusade of the ‘Russian World’ against the West is based on the deepest inferiority complex - and on an understanding that Russia cannot compete with the West in anything substantial, including in the military sphere.”

Recalling a tsarist era description of Russia, Piontkovsky said: “The Russian World is an icy desert where a dangerous person walks about - this time not with an axe but a nuclear bomb.”

Claiming the planet had come through the Third - Cold - World War, he claimed Putin was bent on an “agenda” for a Fourth World War.

This did not involve the “destruction of the hated USA as its main goal”

“This agenda is a lot less ambitious - a maximum expansion of the ‘Russian World’, breakup of Nato, and discrediting of the US as the guarantor of Western security.

"Overall, this is revenge for the USSR’s loss in the Third (Cold) World War, just as World War Two was the Germans’ revenge bid for defeat in the First World War”.

Piontkovsky - now living in exile - claimed US defence secretary Jim ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis was one of the few Western leaders who understood the Putin threat.

“Perhaps Mattis is the first Western state official who heard the message …and didn’t ignore it,” he wrote for Radio Svodboda.

The Kremlin is “a real threat” to the US and the “whole world”, he said.

He forecast Putin will ‘test” Nato’s resolve.

"In October 1962 John Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev recoiled from the edge of an abyss on a very last moment, because they both realised that there is no rational definition of ‘victory’ in their nuclear collision.

"After more than half a century a man has appeared who has his very own definition of victory in nuclear war.”

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 06 2018

From: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1041078/WW3-china-news-south-china-sea-destoyer-luyan-uss-decatur-spratly-island-world-war-3

WW3: China fires furious ‘CONSEQUENCES’ warning to US in South China Sea warship FACE-OFF

A CHINESE naval commander warned a US warship those on board would “suffer consequences” if it did not change course in the run-up to a near-miss in the South China Sea, according to military documents obtained by the MoD.

PUBLISHED: 12:38, Mon, Nov 5, 2018 | UPDATED: 17:30, Mon, Nov 5, 2018

The Luyang destroyer issued the verbal warning to the USS Decatur seconds before the Chinese ship passed 45 yards from the vessel in a manoeuvre Washington called “unsafe and unprofessional”.

According to a timeline obtained from defence official in London, the Chinese commander told his US Navy counterpart: “You are on a dangerous course.

“If you don’t change course you will suffer consequences.”

According to the transcript the US vessel responded by saying: “We are conducting innocent passage.”

If you don’t change course you will suffer consequences

Chinese naval commander

US Pacific Fleet officials complained the “unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre” by the Chinese destroyer forced its vessel to change course to avoid a collision.

They insisted the USS Decatur was deployed on a “freedom of navigation” patrol near the Spratly Islands in a disputed region of the South China Sea at the time of the clash on September 30.

China insists the US vessel illegally entered Chinese waters and described its actions as provocative.

A Beijing defence ministry official defended the crew of the Luyang, saying they “took quick action and made checks against the US vessel in accordance with the law, and warned it to leave the waters”.

Bill Hayton, an associate fellow with the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House in London, said the Chinese actions may have been a deliberate decision to “raise the level of antagonism”.

He said: “To my knowledge, this is the first time we’ve had a direct threat to an American warship with that kind of language.

“In the past, it just had language about ‘you are entering Chinese waters, keep away’ or something like that.

“This, I think, is the first time we’ve had the idea of ‘suffering consequences’. So that does seem to be an increased level of intimidation.”

South China Sea: Beijing claims US ship ‘threatened security’

The close encounter came as US and Beijing ramped up the rhetoric surrounding navigation rights in the South China Sea as their ongoing trade war intensified.

China’s defence ministry said it respected freedom of navigation but “resolutely opposes” moves by other countries to challenge China’s sovereignty and security.

US Admiral John Richardson has called on Beijing to follow a code of conduct for unplanned sea encounters, days after insisting Washington would continue freedom of navigation patrols to highlight its stance against “illegitimate maritime claims”.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 07 2018

SCOTUS: JUSTICES ADD THREE NEW CASES TO THIS TERM’S DOCKET

October 27, 2018

In United States v. Haymond, the justices will weigh in on a challenge to the constitutionality of a federal law that requires additional prison time for sex offenders who violate the terms of their supervised release. Full Article: http://www.scotusblog.com/2018/10/justices-add-three-new-cases-to-this-terms-docket/

OK: POLICE OPPOSE NEW SEX OFFENDER RESIDENCY RESTRICTIONS [VIDEO]

November 1, 2018

[newson6.com – 11/1/18]

Tulsa police say that the new laws will prevent registrants from living in the entire city of Tulsa.

The law affects the entire state [1:35].

Watch the video: http://www.newson6.com/clip/14672845/tulsa-police-concerned-about-new-sex-offender-laws

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 07 2018

China 'tests terrifyingly powerful Dongfeng-41 nuclear missile' which could destroy London in HALF AN HOUR

19:12, 21 APR 2016

From: https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/china-tests-terrifyingly-powerful-dongfeng-7803132

China has allegedly tested a weapon of mass destruction capable of hitting London and other major European or American cities in just 30 minutes.

The People's Republic reportedly fired a nuke called the Dongfeng-41, which has the longest range of any missile in the world.

It can carry up to 10 warheads over a distance of roughly 7,450 miles in just half an hour before hitting several targets at once.

This would mean Beijing could destroy the whole of London - which is slightly more than 5,000 miles from the Chinese capital - or wipe out any city in the West.

Pentagon sources told the Washington Beacon that the nuke had been detected by American satellites.

The development is likely to make American military chiefs extremely nervous.

Previous reports have indicated the Dongfeng-41 could be operational at some point during 2016.

Mark Stokes, an expert on the Chinese military and ex-Pentagon analyst, said: "China and Russia are increasingly coordinating their military forces against the United States and that China’s program of enabling North Korea and Iran to become nuclear missile powers is nearing completion.”

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 08 2018

Russia Says It Will Soon Deploy Mach 20 Avangard Hypersonic Weapon

From: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russia-says-it-will-soon-deploy-mach-20-avangard-hypersonic-weapon-35377

November 7, 2018

Moscow fears America's missile defenses. But does it really need to?

There is never a dull weapon in Vladimir Putin's arsenal.

On top of previous boasts of a nuclear-powered cruise missile and a nuclear-powered robot submarine with a 100-megaton warhead , Putin recently announced that Russia would soon deploy Avangard hypersonic weapons. Avangard is a boost-glide vehicle that is lofted high into the atmosphere atop an ICBM such as Russia's heavy Sarmat missile, and then glides down at hypersonic speed (faster than Mach 5). Avangard reportedly can glide down at Mach 20, and unlike the fixed trajectory of ballistic missile warheads, can maneuver to avoid anti-missile defenses. It may be armed with a single warhead of as much as 2 megatons.

"We know for certain, it’s an obvious fact and our colleagues realize it, that we surpassed all our competitors in this area," Putin said. "Nobody has precise hypersonic weapons. Some plan to test theirs in 18 to 24 months. We have them in service already."

Putin blames the need for new Russian nuclear weapons on U.S. ballistic missile defense, which Russia fears will destroy its nuclear deterrent against American attack. “Responding to the development of anti-ballistic missile systems by the U.S., we are improving our strike capabilities," Putin said. "Some are already in service, others will be deployed soon."

But what does Russia really gain from hypersonic missiles, not to mention bizarre weapons like nuclear-powered rockets? Russia has approximately 528 land-based and submarine-based ICBMs, as well as nuclear-armed bombers, only a fraction of which are needed to destroy the United States as a functioning nation. Even assuming the most paranoid Russian scenario, such as the Kremlin's fear in 1983 that the U.S. was about to launch a surprise nuclear attack , it would take only a few surviving Russian missiles to devastate the U.S.

Hypersonic missiles are fast and they fly through the upper atmosphere rather than outer space like ICBMs, which means they might not be detected by early warning radars designed to track rockets as they arc through space. Thus, Russian hypersonics stand a better chance than ICBMs of penetrating U.S. ballistic missile defenses.

Except the U.S. doesn't really have meaningful ballistic missile defenses. So far, the U.S. is only trying -- with limited success -- to develop a capability to shoot down a few ballistic missiles launched by a minor power such as North Korea. Despite attempts to develop an anti-ICBM shield -- the 1960s Safeguard system, Reagan's 1980 "Star Wars" program -- no sane or sensible person believes that any foreseeable missile defense system would be so leak-proof that it could stop every single incoming warhead descending on American soil at 20 times the speed of sound.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 11 2018

From: https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2018/11/01/it-is-our-desire-lift-up-name-jesus-trumps-evangelical-advisers-meet-with-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.5ebc80483d60

Acts of Faith

Trump’s evangelical advisers meet with Saudi Crown Prince and discuss Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, “human rights,” spokesman says

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets Thursday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with author Joel Rosenberg, part of a delegation of American evangelical leaders. (Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Reuters) (Handout/Reuters)

November 2

A group of prominent U.S. evangelical figures, including several of President Trump’s evangelical advisers, met Thursday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose role in the killing of Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi remains unclear. In a statement that included photos of those present smiling, a member of the group said “it is our desire to lift up the name of Jesus whenever we are asked and wherever we go.”

The meeting at the royal palace in Riyadh comes amid widespread questions about the role the prince played in the operation that left Khashoggi dead after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Allies of the crown prince are trying to rally support for him.

In the statement, the group said it was the first time the crown prince had met with American evangelicals.

[One month after Jamal Khashoggi’s killing, these key questions remain unanswered]

White evangelicals have been among Trump’s most devoted supporters and have met in recent months with other Middle Eastern leaders whom they see as allies in pressuring Iran. The evangelical leaders believe they will gain more tolerance for Christian minorities in their diplomatic efforts in places such as Egypt, where the same group went last fall to meet with President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, and the United Arab Emirates, where they stopped for four days of meetings with top leaders before going to Saudi Arabia.

Critics note that government-sponsored discrimination against Christians continues in the region, especially in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and that there is intense repression in those countries of political prisoners and journalists held without trial.

A Bloodbath for Christians, No Response from Egypt

November 11, 2018 at 5:00 am

From: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13282/egypt-christians-bloodbath

Seven pilgrims were shot to death, "just because they were Christian," said Pope Francis after the attack.

"The pilgrims were killed in such a savage and sadistic way, as if they were enemy combatants, when they were just simple Christians come to get a blessing from a monastery." — Coptic Bishop Anba Makarios of Minya, Egypt.

While it may be understandable that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi cannot eliminate terrorism entirely, there is evidence that the government itself participates in the persecution of Egypt's Christians.

"The minimum response expected from president El-Sisi is to dismiss the head of State Security and the governor of Minya, as a clear sign of holding officials accountable. Furthermore, given the government's continued failure to protect the Copts, Coptic Solidarity vigorously calls for an independent inquiry by the UN to evaluate the Copts' situation and to recommend necessary measures to alleviate their increasingly perilous situation..." — Coptic Solidarity, Washington, DC.

On November 2, heavily armed Islamic terrorists ambushed and massacred Christians returning home after visiting the ancient St. Samuel Monastery in Minya, Egypt. (Image source: Roland Unger/Wikimedia Commons)

Seven pilgrims -- including a 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy -- were shot to death. More than 20 were left injured with bullet wounds or shards of broken glass from the buses' windows. "I pray for the victims, pilgrims killed just because they were Christian," said Pope Francis after the attack.

Pictures posted on social media reveal "bodies soaked in blood and distorted faces of men and women." In one video posted, a man can be heard crying, "The gunshot got you in the head, my boy!" and repeating, "What a loss!"

Also I encourage anyone who reads this blog to check out Grits for Breakfast's multi post here:

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/11/new-top-harris-co-executive-justice.html

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 12 2018

Updated the 13th

I have to tell you when it comes to politics and war history and other history; not covered by me, in school, I do not know to much. I have trouble with states sometimes too. Like Minnesota, you know where Rose Niland is from. From Golden Girls? Rose acts like she is a very stupid person because she is from Minnesota. That is because Minnesota is from the middle of know where! They are also only surrounded by only obscure states as well. Then I find out where Minnesota is; after not knowing. At the same time Minnesota practically controls psychology in our country. I suspect that Minnesota has been taken over by the Canadians and they use us like a hand puppet from Canada and control our Physiology to undermine us. Sorry but even though this is a weird thing to say ( and probably not true ); I do not trust the Canadians. Look at where Minnesota is on the map. They could be taken over by Canada and know one would know; they are so desolate.

So I am reading the news yesterday and I see that North Korea is doing away with their borders. I think right away. oh that is great North Korea is doing away with communism. Then I did some studying and found out the North Korea was born from evil war and continues to be reborn from more and more corrupt murderess wars. After glancing over a CNN article. Then I think of how many of our solders died; so there could be a free South Korea. I still don't know really what I am talking about politically. I recently finally figured out the difference between World War I and World War I, if that is not stupid I do not know what is. It could be a act of war that North Korea is doing away with their borders. I do not know, and do not like to comment on things like that; because I do not trust my knowledge about the subject. I always try to remind people I make mistakes and that I am not getting paid for any of this. Sorry but not getting paid for something is obviously a huge difference; especially form a old Sicilian like me. I may have signed petitions and supported causes that are counter productive; because of my confusion about politics. My motto is if I do not understand it quickly; I do not post it. I saw this page on Grits's:

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/11/viewing-2018-mid-terms-through-texas.html

I would have posted it, but I looked at it and said; forget it. Politics are not my forte at all, in fact I have some kind of aversion to it. I am just being honest here. People should know this about me if they read my blog.

Check out these links and you figure it out:

https://sivtelegram.media/the-two-koreas-began-to-demolish-the-stations-on-the-common-border/63990/

https://www.news24.com/World/News/north-and-south-korea-begin-destroying-border-guard-posts-20181111

This sure seems like a very big deal. I can not figure out why it is not in the news that much.

Has what I have predicted; could be our fate as a country, come true? Have we become so broken down that we are powerless against any such thing, like this? It seems, like that concerning, North Korea and all the country's that have nuclear weapons; no matter how hard we try to regulate them. It seems like any country that wants nuclear weapons; gets them. Are we ineffectual concerning crucial world events like this?

When we no longer except the fact that our perverted justice system has ignored the Constitution of the United States for a long time; we reap what we sow. Our perverted justice system is the very definition of cruel and unusual punishment concerning RSO's any many of the prison population; we call our country.

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 13 2018

Let me start by referring you all to Grits. They have a story about rape investigations. No one should ever get away with raping our precious Texas women:

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/11/whistleblower-austin-pd-fudged-rape.html

I want to say I am sorry for saying North Korea is evil. ( I just updated it ) That would be prejudice; and that is one thing, I am not. I would not doubt there are many Christians in North Korea; maybe even in the North Korea army. Christians are the strength and rock, this world constantly depends on; to get things done.

I got this email this morning, I want to share:

Friend—

On Veterans Day, we pause as a nation to give honor and respect to all who have worn the uniforms of our Armed Forces, sacrificing themselves to uphold and defend the freedoms etched into our founding documents.

We honor the brave troops who fought to free others around the world even when they were not truly free at home and those who answered America’s call to serve even when it was unpopular to do so.

And we celebrate the courageous women and men who have chosen to serve in the midst of war in recent decades.

On behalf of the staff here at the NAACP, I thank all who have served to keep America safe and wish everyone a happy Veterans Day.

Sincerely,

Derrick Johnson

President and CEO

NAACP

My wife told me most of the men in her family died in the Korean War. They were Canadians. When she visited them as a child; she asked where were all the men and she was told they died in the Korean War. She has told me many times about visiting her relatives in Canada and how they actually had a outhouse and a pump well for water. I guess like my family they were country folk.

I found this site for dummies like me:

North Korea for Dummies:

From: https://www.dummies.com/education/history/world-history/a-brief-history-of-north-korea/

A Brief History of North Korea

When World War II ended in 1945, Japan lost control of Korea to Allied forces. In much the same way that Germany was split after the war, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel, with the Soviet Union administering the northern half and the United States administering the southern half.

Korean division turns into war

The foreign administration of North and South Korea was intended to be temporary, and plans had been laid for free elections in the two districts. However, in 1948, Kim Il-sung, communist-aligned leader of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), convinced Soviet leaders not to allow UN (United Nations) authorities north of the dividing line. So the election never took place in North Korea.

By the end of 1948, two new nations had been formally established:

•The Republic of Korea was established in the south, led by the democratically elected President Syngman Rhee.

•The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was declared in the north, with Kim Il-sung established as Premier (with support of the USSR).

Most US forces had left South Korea by the summer of 1949, leaving behind a weak government and inexperienced army. North Korea, on the other hand, had the financial and military backing of the USSR and China and had built up a strong army.

The separation point between the two factions — the 38th parallel — was a focus of constant bloody skirmishes for two years. Then, on June 25, 1950, North Korea made a surge into South Korea. The Korean War that followed pulled in forces from the United Nations, the United States, and China, as well as military advisors from the USSR. It lasted until 1953, when the Commander-in-Chief of UN forces, the Supreme Commander of the KPA, and the commander of the Chinese People’s Volunteers signed the Korean Armistice Agreement. (Note that neither South Korean nor U.S. leadership were involved in the signing.)

The Korean Armistice Agreement re-established the line of division at the 38th parallel, with a demilitarized zone extending two kilometers in both directions.

After the war, Kim Il-sung set out to purge North Korea of his enemies, both real and imagined. By 1961, the last vestiges of opposition to Kim had disappeared.

The organizational structure of North Korea was modeled after that of Stalinist Russia, with a large focus on military build-up and heavy industry, especially mining. Kim stuck with his Stalinist philosophy even as his communist neighbors evolved their governments, first in 1956, when Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev made sweeping denouncements of Stalin, followed 10 years later by Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution in China.

North Korea’s post-war economy and politics

In the 1970s, North Korean mining production had reached its peak. Sudden rises in the price of foreign oil combined with falling prices for North Korea’s native minerals hit the economy hard. Surrounding nations began building up economies based on computers and other technology, a shift that North Korea — so focused on mining and military might — was unable to keep up with. Kim made the tough decision to take on foreign debt to keep the economy afloat.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, relations between North and South Korea, as well as between North Korea and the rest of the world, were a veritable roller coaster. Discussions about reunifying split families, co-hosting the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and economic cooperation started, stalled, restarted, and failed. International tensions mounted, too, as North Korea announced its growing nuclear program, which included experiments in uranium enrichment, a first step in the creation of nuclear weapons.

Both North Korea and South Korea officially joined the United Nations in September 1991. The 1990s were characterized by unkept promises from North Korea to shut down or freeze various parts of its nuclear program and to allow international inspectors to examine their nuclear capabilities in exchange for oil and aid. Using their nuclear program to elicit international aid would become a common theme in the decades to come.

Kim Il-sung died of a sudden heart attack on July 8, 1994. Although the means of succession had not been strictly set down, Kim’s son, Kim Jong-il, succeeded his father by becoming the chairman of the most powerful state institution in the country, The National Defense Commission. Kim Jong-il adopted an ideology known as Songgun — “Army First” — which transformed the country from a traditional communist government to a military dictatorship.

North Korea’s nuclear ambitions were overshadowed by famine in the late 1990s after the country suffered first through horrific flooding and then through drought. Because of famine, a failing economy, and a disintegrating infrastructure, North Korea now relies on international aid to keep its citizens fed.

In 2005, North Korea announced that it had completed its first underground nuclear test, and its ongoing nuclear program continues to be a point of contention in the international community. Outcry over unconfirmed violations of human rights by the North Korean government has also stymied international acceptance.

Kim Jong-il died on December 17, 2011, and his son, Kim Jong-un, took power. How this new, young leader will guide his country and interact on the international stage remains to be seen.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 18 2018

ACLU

Best reads from the front lines of the fight for civil liberties.

AT LIBERTY

Podcast: What's the Deal with Florida?

Florida seems perpetually to be at the center of the national conversation and news cycle. The current recount to determine the results of Florida's Senate and gubernatorial races is just the latest in a series of high-profile elections and attention-grabbing cases in the Sunshine State. This week's guest, Howard Simon, has had a front row seat to it all as the executive director of the ACLU of Florida for over 20 years. We're asking Howard for his insights into a state that reflects a lot of the divisions in this country. Listen here →

By ACLU

November 15, 2018

FINAL INSULT

Before Resigning, Jeff Sessions Handcuffed the Justice Department's Ability to Police the Police

In his final move as attorney general, Jeff Sessions issued a new policy that all but eliminates federal oversight of state and local law enforcement agencies that engage in unconstitutional and unlawful policing. His decision to sabotage the legal instruments of federal civil rights enforcement will harm people and communities of color for years to come. Read more →

November 9, 2018

PROFITING OFF OF PROBATION

How Georgia's Probation System Squeezes the Poor and Feeds Mass Incarceration

Charles "Skip" Eckartz, a 63-year-old disabled veteran, and his wife were arrested in their Georgia home for manufacturing marijuana. Although all of the charges were dropped against his wife, Skip accepted a plea agreement that allowed him to avoid a felony conviction for probation. But poor Georgians like him are falling victim to probation policies that enrich private companies and contribute to recidivism rates in the state. Read more →

November 13, 2018

DO NO HARM

Secret CIA Document Shows Plan to Test Drugs on Prisoners

We've won the release of a 90-page account of the CIA's Office of Medical Services role in the CIA torture program – a secret history written by the top CIA medical official, whose identity remains classified. The history reveals that CIA doctors were hunting for a "truth serum" to use on prisoners as part of a previously secret effort called Project Medication. Read more →

November 13, 2018

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

The Costs of Forcing an Online Haven for Racists Off the Internet

In late October, a gunman, apparently fueled by virulent anti-Semitism and conspiracy theories fed by the president, opened fire on a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Shortly before the shooting, he had posted on Gab, an alternative social media site. Afterwards, private companies refused to do business with Gab. But we should be very careful before we accept a world in which a few big companies can drive speakers off the internet at their discretion. Read more →

November 13, 2018

CAPTIVE LABOR

Prisoners Are Getting Paid $1.45 a Day to Fight the California Wildfires

As firefighters in California battle the deadliest wildfires in the state's history, they are joined by unlikely allies against the blaze. About 200 prisoners in California's Conservation Camp program are fighting the fires alongside civilian employees, earning just $1.45 a day for their work. The prisoners battling the fires in California deserve the same wages and protections that civilian workers receive. Read more →

Sign This petition Click Here

Target: Martí Batres Guadarrama, President of the Senate of Mexico

Goal: Implement a nationwide nationwide to protect animals from unnecessary and undue suffering.

Cruel cockfighting could soon be banned across Mexico, thanks to a recent ruling by the country’s Supreme Court. By making cockfighting illegal, helpless animals are protected from mental and physical injury, and even death. Sadly, though, this protection is far from universal. It is still legal in many places in Mexico for animals to be abused this way for the sake of “entertainment” and “sport.”

The state of Veracruz implemented a cockfighting ban that was challenged by the cockfighting industry, but the court upheld the ban as constitutional and legal. The ruling said, “Although cockfighting is the expression of a certain culture, no practice that involves the mistreatment and unnecessary suffering of animals can be considered a cultural expression protected by the [federal] constitution.” As the executive director of Humane Society International, Anton Aguilar, states, this sets “significant precedent for animal protection in our country….According to polls, 86% of Mexicans oppose animal spectacles, and 95% oppose animal cruelty. Without a doubt, our culture, our politics and our laws are shifting away from animal cruelty.” Sign below to support this decision and to demand it be extended to protect animals across the country.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Senator Batres,

Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice has rightfully ruled to uphold Veracruz’s cockfighting ban, protecting animals from cruelty, injury, and death for the sake of human “sport” and profit. This is a huge victory for animal welfare and provides a critical opportunity. This ban on cockfighting must be extended to all of Mexico’s states, thus protecting the nation’s animals, honoring the values of its people, and setting an example for other countries.

Polls show that the vast majority of Mexican citizens oppose both animal spectacles and animal cruelty. You have an obligation to those people, as well as to the animals being exploited, sometimes illegally. As Anton Aguilar of Humane Society International states, “We congratulate the Supreme Court of Justice for this landmark decision, which sets a significant precedent for animal protection in our country. There are clearly no constitutional grounds for animals to be abused for so-called ‘entertainment.'” I urge you to save these animals and to implement a nationwide cockfighting ban.

Sign This petition Click Here

From: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/742951/world-war-3-putin-soviet-military-base-cuba-donald-trump-usa-russia

WW3: Putin re-opening Soviet-era military bases on CUBA as Trump ramps up nuke threat

RUSSIA is reactivating a Soviet-era signals intelligence base in Cuba and experts think even more could open to increase its surveillance on the US.

Published 17th November 2018

Concern has been raised among the West that the plans are Russian retaliation after the US announced it was pulling out of the bilateral Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

According to The Jamestown Foundation – a Washington DC-based institute for research and analysis, founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet defectors – the re-opening of the base would "duplicate rather than significantly add to Russian abilities to monitor US activities in the Caribbean".

But the think-tank warns: "If the Kremlin leader should decide to establish additional bases in Cuba, as some Russian commentators are now suggesting, that would be a different matter altogether—particularly if he succeeds in this goal."

The move by Russian president Vladimir Putin comes with strengthening ties between Moscow and Havana.

Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel met with Putin in Moscow and said he wanted to give “a new impulse” to bilateral relations.

The leaders discussed matters such as healthcare and tourism, but also military cooperation as well.

The Jamestown Foundation added: "This led to speculation in both Russia and the West that this meant Moscow was about to reopen the Lourdes monitoring site that it closed 16 years ago, and possibly open additional bases on the island as well."

This was coupled with Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, who oversees Russia’s military-industrial complex and military-technical relations with foreign countries, visiting Cuba.

The two countries agreed on contracts worth more than $265million in the military sphere alone, according to Russian paper Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

Russian military expert who served in Cuba in the 1980s, Lieutenant Colonel Aleksandr Ovchinnikov, said “the deepening of cooperation between Moscow and Havana was entirely expected".

He added it is especially so given US President Donald Trump's threat to leave the INF treaty.

But he stressed that the Kremlin may not have the resources to develop any "major military bases in Cuba".

The 1987 INF treaty means neither Russia nor the US is allowed to build ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500km (310 to 3,417miles).

But the US claims Russia has been violating the deal by building a new cruise missile.

And now it looks like the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) is caput, sparking fears of a new arms race between the superpowers.

The location of Putin opening bases on Cuba is especially alarming over the memory of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis in which the USSR was caught trying to ship nuclear missiles to Cuba - which is only 780km (484miles) from mainland America.

The incident is generally considered to be one of the most major crises in the Cold War and the closest that the two superpowers came to all-out nuclear war.

From: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/robot-soldiers-invisible-jets-fight-13605860

20:48, 17 NOV 2018

Robot soldiers and 'invisible' jets to fight future US wars amid China WW3 fears

Weapons under development in the US include hypersonic missiles that travel five times the speed of sound and and directed energy lasers that could one day zap missiles, aircraft and satellites from a distance

A war battled out with robot soldiers, 'invisible' jets and lasers that shoot missiles from the sky may sound like something out of a sci-fi film - but this is already becoming a reality.

At a sprawling high-security army research base dedicated to reshaping the US military over the next 50 years scientists are preparing for high-tech wars of the future over fears of an impending World War 3 with China.

The US Army Research Laboratory (ARL), based at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, is creating emerging tactical offensive warfare in cyber and electronics, with the tagline of "making today’s army and the next army obsolete."

The advance of artificial intelligence brings with it the prospect of robot-soldiers - like the battlefield 'Minitaur' -battling alongside humans, self-directed drones and even wars being 'fought out' in space.

Other weapons reportedly under development in the US include hypersonics, which are missiles that travel at five times the speed of sound and and directed energy weapons such as lasers that could one day zap missiles, drones, aircraft and satellites silently from a distance.

You [could] kill multiple inbound missiles with a single laser,” says Trey Obering, former head of the Missile Defense Agency told the Financial Times.

These efforts to fast-forward the US Army into the future come as many believe the prospect of full-blown war between technologically advanced and nuclear-armed super powers are back.

“[China] is building the most capable and well-funded military in the world, after our own,” says the US national security strategy, issued in December.

"The document accuses China of spreading “features of its authoritarian system” and rejects Beijing’s protestations that it has sought only a “peaceful rise”.

In January US defence secretary Jim Mattis warned at the launch of the national defence strategy that the US was losing its military edge “in every domain of warfare”, citing air, land, sea, space and cyberspace.

This resulted in Congress voting through more military spending, which was $700bn this year - eclipsing China’s defence budget by more than three to one.

However, by 2035, some in the US believe that it may be unable to stop Beijing if it launches military operations off the Chinese mainland after president Xi Jinping has already developed a barrage of precision-guided missiles the US has never fought before.

But many in the US military are confident they are too far ahead of China for them to catch up.

One machine already in place is the F-35 stealth jet that enables its pilot to “see through the skin of the aeroplane” using six infrared cameras, according to test pilot Billie Flynn.

“It’s Tony Stark, it’s Iron Man," he added.

It can jam enemy radars via electronic attack, carries its weapons - two missiles and two bombs - and fuel inside to minimise detectable heat output and is shaped and painted to avoid radar detection

But its real strength is as a flying data-collection and distribution centre that can move in and out of enemy territory undetected collecting and distributing the important data that it can use against them.

“We fly now in a sanctuary where no one sees us but we see absolutely everybody, everything that exists,” says Flynn, who adds that he can see can see 300km to the horizon at 9,000m in the air.

More than 2,000 of the jets are due to be manufactured over the next two decades, including 330 already delivered.

Fears have risen over space attacks over beliefs that Russia and China are developing ways to disable (US) satellites.

Rick Ambrose, who leads Lockheed Martin’s space division, says satellites need to become “much smarter” after US satellites came under attack in August.

The attack, played out from behind computer screens, sparked fears that World War 3 could also be played out in space.

Potential attacks could see jammers block satellites that the military depend on for intelligence and navigation and cyber warfare could target electricity grids, water networks, financial systems, hospitals and the families of military commanders.

In response US president Donald Trump decided to split off space as a separate, sixth branch of the military, which has carried out space exercises already.

“We have to be able to fight,” General John Raymond, head of Air Force Space Command, told a conference in September. “I am convinced that if we are up against a peer adversary, we are going to have to fight for space superiority.”

Mattist acknowledges that some things may have so profound an effect that he cannot be sure how war will change, but one thing he is sure of is that eventually robots will take over.

He added: “For the near future, there’s going to be a significant human element, obviously. Maybe for 10 years, maybe for 15,” he tells me. “But not for 100.”

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 19 2018

From: https://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/are-mexico-and-russia-starting-a-modern-day-cuban-missile-crisis/

Are the Russians amassing tanks in the jungles of Mexico in preparation for a “Red Dawn” type of invasion of the American Southwest. In the history of The Common Sense Show, has such an allegation gained such traction among the rank and file followers of the Independent Media.

Have the Russians engaged in a substantial military buildup just south of our border? Is Russia receiving help from Latin America? These are the topics of this article.

What Is Known

The following are well-established facts previously published at the CSS.

There are substantial terror cells residing inside the United States including ISIS which has a cell in all 50 states- James Comey the Former FBI Director, stated on July 4, 2016.

In the 2008-2015 time frame, the Russians engaged with a type of lend-lease of military weaponry to Central and South America. What follows in this article is a report of thousands of Russian tanks in Mexico. This could be a true report. However, the operators of these tanks may just be Honduran or Nicaraguan.

The Sanchez-Parades Drug Cartel (AKA the Peruvian Army and national bank, which is now known as the Shining Path) is the conduit between Middle Eastern terror groups (ie Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, ISIS, et al) and the Central American drug cartels (eg MS-13, Sinoloa Cartel, Juarez Cartel, etc). This is a significant contingent of te Red Dawn invasion force.

Together the Middle Eastern terror groups train at base camps primarily in El Salvador and in Honduras. Thanks to Kathy Rubio for providing much of this documented evidence.

During the previous Central American invasion of the United States in 2014, it was revealed by US Border Patrol to the CSS, that MS-13 were being captured and ordered release by personnel from DHS and the United Nations for points unknown inside the United States. Please note that MS-13 is used as the hit men for the drug cartels.

It is a well-established fact that the Communist Chinese military has a strong presence inside the United States. The Port of Long Beach is well known among the researchers in the Independent Media (IM) for being controlled by the Chinese and being seen as the conduit for covert Chinese troop deployment. Further, it has been a well-established fact that the solar energy farms are run by front groups controlled by the Chinese military. California Governor, Jerry Brown, and former President Obama, allowed the Chinese to occupy the inland ports in California. With regard to the Calexit movement, the Chinese have come to dominate California agriculture and are one of the primary forces behind the move to separate California from the United States and place the state under the protection of the US. The presumed purpose for such a move is provide a Chinese, or a potential Chinese-Russian-United Nations take down of the US.

Paul Martin’s covert sources, as revealed in a recent interview on the CSS radio show, established that there are predetermined weapons caches that would be available to 5th column invasion forces at a critical time, such as the commencement of a Red Dawn invasion force. Presumably, these forces would be used to carry out political assassinations, infrastructure disruption and attacks upon key military installations to prevent a full mobilization by US military forces in opposition to a Red Dawn scenario that would follow.

As revealed in a series of interviews of the CSS and Paul Preston, the President of the New California movement, revealed that the previously discussed Shining Path, was suspected of being engaged in a plot to assassinate President Trump in a visit planned for April of 2018. As covered on the CSS, it was also revealed that following the President’s canceled visit to South America, he began to fortify the border with military assets this past April. Subsequently, it is safe to say that the President has actively been preparing for war on our Southern border for the past seven months as previously documented on the Southern border.

The CSS has provided 419 links to the abovementioned topics over the last 4.5 years.

Let’s Just Let the People In

Despite CNN’s Acosta’s unprovoked and wholly false claim that the the journo-terrorist made while he disrupted a recent White House press briefing, that the so-called caravan was hundreds of miles away is no longer true. The vanguard of this force showed up at the Tijuana border in the past 24 hours. And now that Acosta’s lies have been publicly revealed, that hasn’t stopped the liberal mantra that we should let in anyone who wants to come here, terrorist or not. Here is a short video reporting on the first of the caravan that has arrived on the border.

Granted, there are some immigrants in need of asylum, but they are being used by numerically superior forces to further the goals of an invasion force. How extensive is this invasion force?

Some claim to have seen thousands of Russian tanks in the jungles of Mexico. However, the source is not credible. However, there is an informant I use that say its possible, because Russia has already assisted Mexico in the development of their defense industry including the manufacture of tanks and airplanes. This claim, however, remains an open question. Would I be surprised if it were true? I would be surprised if it were not true. I believe that Putin is hedging his bets and playing both ends against the middle.

Russia’s Potential Role in the Red Dawn Invasion

Before heading down the path of proclaiming that “the Russians are coming, the Russians are coming”, it is important to note that Putin has been extraordinarily patient with the United States and their Deep-State inspired provocations of the Russians.

The CSS has extensively covered Putin’s threats made toward the globalists in which he recently threatened to nuke them. It is clear to me that Putin wants to partner with both China and the United States against the globalists. If one doubts the veracity of this claim, then please provide an answer to the claim that the EU, and in particular, French President Macron, has stated that a Euro army is necessary to fight against China, Russia AND THE UNITED STATES. This was a verbal declaration of war.

A few days later, the European Union stated that they needed to act more like an empire. The culmination of these facts clearly indicates that a war is brewing between nationalist nations and those beholding to the creation of a New World Order. And this fact unmistakably establishes the fact that this division is what underlies the differences in America which could lead to a civil war.

Despite the fact that it is clear that Putin desires a coalition to fight against the NWO and he sees China and the US as his potential partners, he also knows that the US is on the verge of being taken over by a Deep State coup in which elections are stolen and Deep State implants are internally destroying the government while the media promotes the kind of division that could lead to a civil war. Putin must have his doubts as to whether he can ally or must fight the United States. It is the belief of the CSS that if Putin determines that Trump cannot control his own government, then he must attack the US because the US would be his most adept adversary should be have to fight globalist-serving nations. In light of this fact, the CSS presents the following as to how Russia may have determined that an alliance with Trump would be meaningless.

On one hand, we have the known belief and the fear of the globalists that Putin wants to ally with the US. On the other hand, we are getting reports of massive Russian tanks in Mexico. Further, I received information yesterday that states that Russia is building factories in Mexico to manufacture war planes and tanks. If true, this would be a prudent move because a Cuban Missile Crisis type of interdiction of war material coming out of Russia to this hemisphere could be interdicted. However, if true, this is very much a Cuban Missile Crisis.

Conclusion

It would be a brilliant move to hide military intentions behind the distraction of an invading immigration force. In all the confusion, a formidable mechanized force could stream across our border. However, it is clear that Putin’s actions have alerted the Europeans as to his anti-globalist intentions and desire to align with Russia and China. Which is true, are we going to be invaded by Russia or are we going to be a partner with Russia. I don’t think Putin is one of the purposes of the knows yet. However, if he determines that Trump cannot get his government under control, he will attack as he is a leader that is clearly hedging his bets.

As a concluding and cautionary note, we must guard against forming false conclusions created by false flag propaganda. Ask yourself, what is one of the purposes of the Mueller’s Russian-Delusion-Collusion investigation? It is undoubtedly designed to keep America and Russia apart. Can we really discount the false flag scenario that could be present here with the objective to create mistrust among the two nations?Which is true? I am not sure, however, I know we are not going to have wait long to get the answer.

From: https://www.defenseone.com/news/2018/11/the-d-brief-november-15-2018/152855/

PDF here: https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/2018-11/providing-for-the-common-defense.pdf

Defense One Summit day!; Bleak assessment of war with China and Russia

November 15, 2018

The U.S. military would very likely lose a war against Russia or China, according to a 116-page report (PDF) from the National Defense Strategy Commission.

The blunt assessment: “If the United States had to fight Russia in a Baltic contingency or China in a war over Taiwan, Americans could face a decisive military defeat.”

Why, in short: “These two nations possess precision-strike capabilities, integrated air defenses, cruise and ballistic missiles, advanced cyberwarfare and anti-satellite capabilities, significant air and naval forces, and nuclear weapons—a suite of advanced capabilities heretofore possessed only by the United States.”

On war with Beijing: “America could probably defeat China in a long war, if the full might of the nation was mobilized. Yet it would lose huge numbers of ships and aircraft, as well as thousands of lives, in the effort, in addition to suffering severe economic disruptions—all with no guarantee of having decisive impact before Taiwan was overrun.”

And losing access to the South China Sea, where “14 percent of America’s maritime trade” passes would almost immediately raise U.S.“consumer prices, and manufacturing and agricultural communities.”

On defending against an ICBM attack from North Korea: “U.S. missile defenses offer only uncertain protection.” Yehp. Hear also our podcast interview with @armscontrol wonk Jeffrey Lewis saying pretty much the same terrifying thing. (BTW: Read his book on the subject, if you haven’t already.)

Predicting a war with Russia? That, too, is almost unspeakably terrifying. Among some of the scenarios that could follow: “Russian submarines attack trans-Atlantic fiber optic cables. Russian hackers shut down power grids and compromise the security of U.S. banks. The Russian military uses advanced anti-satellite capabilities to damage or destroy U.S. military and commercial satellites. The domestic consequences are severe. Major cities are paralyzed; use of the internet and smart phones is disrupted. Financial markets plummet as commerce seizes up and online financial transactions slow to a crawl. The banking system is thrown into chaos.”

Perhaps the most fundamental concern is this: “The United States is particularly at risk of being overwhelmed should its military be forced to fight on two or more fronts simultaneously.”

Reminder: The U.S. military has already deployed personnel and equipment in conflict fronts spanning Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Niger, and Ukraine. There are still more throughout Africa, Korea (lots there) and the Philippines, along with classified operations in other conflicts zones like Yemen. And oh yeah, there’s also those nearly 6,000 active duty troops laying down wire along the U.S.-Mexico border…

What we would need to win:

For the Army: “More armor, long-range fires, engineering and air-defensive units, as well as additional airdefense and logistical forces.”

The Navy: “expand its submarine fleet and dramatically recapitalize and expand its military sealift forces.”

The Air Force “will need more stealthy long-range fighters and bombers, tankers, lift capacity, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms.”

And the Marine Corps cannot afford to reduce its end strength of 202,000. Lots of more recommendations to sift through in the report. Pick up the conversation about remedies on PDF page 50, here.

From: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/troops-trump-deployed-to-border-should-be-home-by-christmas-military-announces

·Published 8 mins ago

·Last Update 3 mins ago 11 19 2018

Troops Trump deployed to border should be home by Christmas, military announces

DOD: US troops at southern border have peaked at 5,900

Video

Defense Secretary Mattis says the number could go as high as 7,000 during his visit to Texas; Jennifer Griffin has more details on the operation to address the migrant caravan.

All of the 5,800 active duty military troops President Trump ordered deployed to the border with Mexico to confront the migrants attempting to enter the U.S. from Central America will be home by Christmas, a top Army commander confirmed Monday.

The Pentagon could begin drawing down its troop levels at the border as early as next week, Army Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, who oversees the mission on the southern border, told Politico. His comments came just hours after the U.S. was forced to partially close its busiest Mexican border crossing at Tijuana, Mexico to install additional security measures.

"Our end date right now is 15 December, and I've got no indications from anybody that we'll go beyond that," Buchanan said.

He also confirmed that the Pentagon had rejected a Department of Homeland Security request for armed troops to back up Border Patrol authorities, saying that was a law enforcement function that the military cannot legally provide.

HOMELAND SECURITY: MIGRANT CARAVAN HARBORING MORE THAN 500 CRIMINALS

Operations officials at United States Army North, which Buchanan oversees, did not immediately return Fox News' request for clarifications on the timeline of the troop drawdown.

The largest troop deployment to the border has mostly involved engineers installing and enhancing security measures, and the military has said in the past several days that it expected that work to conclude soon.

“Once we get the rest of the obstacles built, we don’t need to keep all those engineers here. As soon as I’m done with a capability, what I intend to do is redeploy it,” Buchanan said in the interview. “I don’t want to keep these guys on just to keep them on. ... Now that things are set down here, we don’t need as many troops to actually build base camps and things like that, because the base camps are built."

However, on Thursday, Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters at the Pentagon that date "could always be amended." Some quick-response troops will remain longer as engineers begin to head back home, Buchanan said.

Young Honduran migrant Daniel Gamez waits with his family in a line for a meal after arriving with the Central America migrant caravan in Tijuana, Mexico, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018. Members of a migrant caravan started to meet some local resistance as they continued to arrive by the hundreds in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, where a group of residents clashed with migrants camped out by the U.S. border fence. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

But even as troop levels are apparently set to decline, tension has ratcheted up on the border. The nearly 3,000 people who reached the Mexican border with California in recent days have been met with marked hostility.

On Saturday, about 400 Tijuana residents waved Mexican flags, sang the Mexican national anthem and chanted “Out! Out!” referring to the migrant caravan that arrived in the border city last week.

"Our end date right now is 15 December, and I've got no indications from anybody that we'll go beyond that."

— Army Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan

On Monday, the U.S. closed off northbound traffic for several hours at the busiest border crossing with Mexico to install new security barriers, and also closed one of two pedestrian crossings at the San Ysidro crossing in a move apparently aimed at preventing any mass rush of migrants across the border.

U.S. border inspectors are processing only about 100 asylum claims a day at Tijuana’s main crossing to San Diego. Asylum seekers register their names in a tattered notebook managed by migrants themselves that had more than 3,000 names even before the caravan arrived.

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018 file photo, members of a U.S Army engineering brigade place concertina wire around an encampment for troops, Department of Defense and U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel near the U.S.-Mexico International bridge in Donna, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Some Tijuana residents supported the migrants, but many complained about how the caravan forced its way into Mexico, echoing President Trump's rhetoric and calling it an “invasion.” And they voiced worries that their taxes might be spent to care for the group.

TIJUANA RESIDENTS PUSH BACK AGGRESSIVELY AS CARAVAN MIGRANTS ARRIVE

The majority of migrants, who have been on foot for more than a month, are sleeping on a dirt baseball field at an outdoor sports complex in Tijuana by the newly-fortified barbed wire fence that separates Mexico from the United States. A truck parked on the street is providing showers for women, while the men are told to use newly established outdoor showers near the field.

Alden Rivera, the Honduran ambassador in Mexico, has said 1,800 Hondurans have returned to their country since the caravan first set out on Oct. 13, and that he hopes more will make that decision.

The Mexican Interior Ministry reported Friday that 2,697 Central American migrants have requested asylum in Mexico under a program that the country launched on Oct. 26 to more quickly get them credentials needed to live, work and study in southern Mexico.

Demonstrators with signs that read in Spanish: "No more Caravans", and "Let's save Tijuana, no more caravans," stand under a statue of indigenous Aztec ruler Cuauhtemoc to protest the presence of thousands of Central American migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, on Sunday.

The angry reception at Tijuana has left many in limbo – afraid to return to their homeland, which for the vast majority is Honduras, yet unwelcome in Mexico and uncertain if their U.S. asylum requests will be granted. The U.S is said to be processing around 100 claims per day.

Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum has referred to the arrivals as “bums” and questioned whether a referendum in the city of 1.6 million is needed to determine whether or not they should be allowed to stay.

“Human rights should be reserved for righteous humans,” Gastelum said last week.

In addition to the 5,800 active duty troops in the border area, about 2,100 National Guard troops have been providing border support since April.

Residents stand on a hill before barriers, wrapped in concertina wire, separating Mexico and the United States, where the border meets the Pacific Ocean, in Tijuana, Mexico, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. Many of the nearly 3,000 migrants have reached the border with California. The mayor has called the migrants' arrival an "avalanche" that the city is ill-prepared to handle. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Asked whether he believes there is a security threat at the border that justifies the use of the active duty military, Defense Secretary James Mattis said this week that he defers to the judgment of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who joined him at the border Wednesday to speak with senior U.S. commanders and address rank-and-file troops.

Mattis said the short-term objective is to get sufficient numbers of wire and other barriers in place along the border as requested by Customs and Border Protection. The longer-term objective, he said, is "somewhat to be determined."

Mattis said the mission, which does not include performing law enforcement tasks, was reviewed by Department of Justice lawyers and deemed a legal undertaking. "It's obviously a moral and ethical mission to support our border patrolmen," he said.

"The eyes of the world right now — certainly all of the Americans — are on you," Mattis told the soldiers he met with, adding that they are part of a "non-traditional" mission. "We're here because of the number of illegals who say they are going to illegally try to cross into our country."

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 21 2018

From: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/743621/ww3-news-russia-send-missiles-cuba-us-withdrawal-nuclear-treaty-inf

Russia ‘will send missiles to Cuba’ as US withdrawal from nuclear treaty is 'way to WAR'

VLADIMIR Putin will be forced to deploy missiles to Cuba if the United States sent nuclear weapons to European countries, a former Russian general has said.

Published 20th November 2018

Trump announces plan to pull out of Russian nuclear deal

Retired Russian lieutenant-general Evgeny Buzhinskiy said several landmark nuclear disarmament treaties between Moscow and Washington are on the “verge of collapsing”.

He said the administrations of successive US presidents have “ruined” the “whole construction of nuclear arms stability”, including Donald Trump, who has threatened to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

Buzhinskiy, chairman of Moscow-based think tank PIR Center, believes US nuclear missile build-up will resume in Europe if Trump unilaterally withdraws from the INF treaty.

In response the Russian president, Buzhinskiy said, will have no option but to deploy nuclear-tipped missiles to Cuba, whose ruling Communist Party retains close diplomatic ties with the Kremlin.

Buzhinskiy, who served with the Russian army for 16 years, said tit-for-tat missile deployments could result in a second Cuban Missile Crisis in the “worst case scenario”.

CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS 2.0: Russia is poised to retaliate if the US withdraws from the INF treaty

"It’s a way to war, I’m sure about that,” he told Daily Star Online. “For us, it will be an existential threat.

“Of course, we will try to deploy this class of missiles in Cuban.

“The US wouldn’t be happy, but I don’t think Russia would be happy if they deployed nuclear missiles along our border.”

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union that was deemed to be the closest the world ever came to a global nuclear conflict.

China unveils DEVASTATING J-20 stealth fighter jet missile strength in MAJOR show of force

Royal Navy sends HUNTER KILLER submarine to STALK Russia in warning to Vladimir Putin

'Wake up call' US to suffer MASSIVE casualties in war with Russia and China, warn experts

SHORT WAR: Evgeny Buzhinskiy has said nuclear war between Russia and the West is 'inevitable'

“It’s a way to war”

Former Russian general Evgeny Buzhinskiy

The Crisis, also known as the October Crisis of 1962, came to a head when the US deployed ballistic missiles to Italy and Turkey and Russia responded in kind by sending them to Cuba.

Both nations eventually agreed to dismantle their weapons after long and tense negotiations between then US President John F. Kennedy and former Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev.

Buzhinskiy believes a similar crisis could ensue if US nuclear-tipped missiles are sent to European military bases in the event the INF treaty collapses.

MEETING: Vladimir Putin summoned his war chiefs to discuss the nuclear threat

Relations between Havana and Washington thawed after former US president Barack Obama eased a trade and travel embargo on the Caribbean island.

But relations have hit the rocks once more after his successor, Trump, announced new restrictions.

Cuban president Diaz-Canel earlier this year took aim at the US economic blockade of the country, terming it "the main obstacle to the development of the country".

Putin convened a meeting of senior Russian defence officials on Monday to discuss the possible collapse of the INF treaty.

Signalling his intent, Putin said Washington’s decision to withdraw from the agreement “cannot and will not be left unanswered”.

He said Russia is not interested in an arms race with the US.

GLOBAL CATASTROPHE: Vladimir Putin has said Russia would only launch a 'retaliatory strike'

Putin has 75,000 spies in BRITAIN after chilling surge: 'West needs to WAKE UP'

Midterm elections WW3 threat? Trump faces MAJOR Iran and Russia problems if he loses

'Prepare for WAR' Brit troops join NATO in Russia 'battle plans'

Rather, Russia's response would involve the “balanced development” of the military – including the army, navy and air force – and the use of hypersonic weapons “capable of penetrating any missile defense”, he said.

Buzhinskiy said Russia’s missile technology has advanced to such an extent, an nuclear arms race would not be necessary.

He said: “We already have weapons.

“If the United States wants to increase its nuclear stockpile, it’s up to them.

“We remember the lessons of the 60s, it’s not necessary to destroy these weapons 10 times, only once.

“I don’t think there will be a nuclear stockpile on the Russian side.”

VETERAN: Evgeny Buzhinskiy served with the Russian army for 16 years

Meanwhile, Russia is thought to be reactivating a Soviet-era signals intelligence base in Cuba, according to Washington DC-based think tank The Jamestown Foundation.

Experts believe the re-opening of the base would "duplicate rather than significantly add to Russian abilities to monitor US activities in the Caribbean".

The think-tank warned: "If the Kremlin leader should decide to establish additional bases in Cuba, as some Russian commentators are now suggesting, that would be a different matter altogether – particularly if he succeeds in this goal."

From: https://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/the-fight-for-americas-survival-begins-when-the-caravans-arrive/

The Fight for America’s Survival Begins When the Caravans Arrive

Before the real invasion of the United States commences, there are going to have be 5th column forces who are absolutely dedicated to establishment of LaRaza’s pipe dream of a taking several states from the United States and creating their own nation.

Perhaps America’s greatest domestic strength lies in taking in immigrants and assimilating them into our country as Americans. However, what Obama wants and is in the midst of doing, is nowhere near what we bargained for as a nation. There are two groups who have repeatedly called for the seizure of several states and make them into an independent country, and these two groups are La Raza and The concept of Aztlan has been sanctioned by the UN. This is the same UN that is transporting military grade vehicles within the United States. This,, too, is a violation of our immigration laws, not to mention national security.

MEChA.

These groups have historically taught that Colorado, California, Arizona, Texas, Utah, New Mexico, Oregon and parts of Washington State make up an area known as “Aztlan”, a fictional ancestral homeland of the Aztecs before Europeans arrived in North America.

MEChA’s founding principles are contained in these words in “El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan” (The Spiritual Plan for Aztlan):

“In the spirit of a new people that is conscious not only of its proud historical heritage but also of the brutal gringo invasion of our territories, we, the Chicano inhabitants and civilizers of the northern land of Aztlan from whence came our forefathers, reclaiming the land of their birth and consecrating the determination of our people of the sun, declare that the call of our blood is our power, our responsibility, and our inevitable destiny. … Aztlan belongs to those who plant the seeds, water the fields, and gather the crops and not to the foreign Europeans. … We are a bronze people with a bronze culture. Before the world, before all of North America, before all our brothers in the bronze continent, we are a nation, we are a union of free pueblos, we are Aztlan. For La Raza todo. Fuera de La Raza nada. Chicano is our identity; it defines who we are as people. It rejects the notion that we…should assimilate into the Anglo-American melting pot…Aztlan was the legendary homeland of the Aztecas … It became synonymous with the vast territories of the Southwest, brutally stolen from a Mexican people marginalized and betrayed by the hostile custodians of the Manifest Destiny.” (Statement on University of Oregon MEChA Website, Jan. 3, 2006).

Miguel Perez of the Cal State-Northridge’s MEChA chapter stated: “The ultimate ideology is the liberation of Aztlan. Communism would be closest[to it]. Once Aztlan is established, ethnic cleansing would commence: Non-Chicanos would have to be expelled — opposition groups would be quashed because you have to keep power.”

The National Council of La Raza and its allies in public office make no repudiation of the radical MEChA and its positions. As recently as 2003, La Raza was actively funding MEChA, according to federal tax records. However, since La Raza began to receive federal funds, La Raza has adopted a less militant stand, at least publicly, where they say that they no longer support Reconquista de Aztlan. However, when one examines where proposed federal money was designed to go, under S. 744, and to go in the pockets of La Raza and MEChA, it is impossible to believe that at its core, La Raza does not truly support the concept of Aztlan.

This is where Atzlan started. And now it is exploding. Enter the CALEXIT movement run by globalists. They have promised these radical groups, that most Hispanics oppose, the entire Southwest in exchange for their violent participation designed to force the United States to let go of California. This is the terrorist muscle needed by Calexit. And in exchange, they will perpetrate unparalleled violence in our country.

THIS IS WHERE and HOW THE BREAK UP OF THE UNITED STATES STARTED

Some people say “who cares if California exits the country?” That is an ignorant question. California agriculture dominates the US. Similarly, California retail makes up 30% of the nation’s entire retail revenue. A departed California will economically devastate this country and produce widespread food shortages. This is the globalist goal and when the caravans arrive, this plan will kick into high gear.

If you want to understand the dynamics of California and how, under Governor Jerry Brown, we are all under threat from the Chinese and their related interests. This is not an easy document to review as one will have to work to absorb massive amounts of documentation which demonstrates how California is being sacrificed, who is behind it and for what reason.

I previously reported the following with regard to California’s attempt to become a separate and independent nation under the control of El Presidente, present California governor Jerry Brown.

The Forces of Darkness

According to Paul Preston and his embedded sources, reports are coming in that numerous state legislators from California, including “California Senate pro tem Kevin de Leon), State representatives from Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Colorado have been meeting with members of La Raza, the Mexican government ( consulate), Mexican Mafia (“La EME”), California’s violent Mexican gangs (Nortenos /Sureños/ Sur 13), La Familia (Nuestra Familia) and religious leaders (Catholic / Jesuits) to come up with a plan to separate from the United States the above mentioned states”. Governor Brown, his aides, and the Bank of China have been in attendance in several of these meetings designed to sever California from the US. Further, The Common Sense Show has learned, independent of Paul Preston, that George Soros is bankrolling some of the costs associated with this movement as is the Bank of China. And not surprisingly, Eric Holder has become the spokesperson for CALEXIT.

What is significant here is that if CalExit does not happen peacefully, the radical gangsters listed above, will force the California exit through the use of violence. Paul Preston and his sources have learned that many of the abovementioned groups will begin to execute white people and force a mass exodus of this population group from California. This information comes from an embedded eyewitness to many of the meetings.

The manifestation of this insanity was beta-tested at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas massacre event and some of these groups along with Philippines-based ISIS and MS-13 were also involved. The execution of this plan was manifested at the massacre of the country and western bar in Thousand Oaks, CA. This was just the first of many of false flag events that will pass the public’s way in the coming weeks and months.

I have learned from a member of the intelligence community that Holder is not the only former Obama Administration refugee. Many members of the Obama administration may become roadkill in the purge against the most criminal administration in American history. The former members of the Obama administration that are joining the CALEXIT team are as follows:

1.Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch

2.Disgraced and former Obama czar and present CNN celebrity, Van Jones

3.Former DHS director, Janet Napolitano, who is presently running the California university system.

4.Mayor of Chicago and former advisor to Obama, Rahm Emanuel.

The Common Sense Show has learned that CALEXIT has as a target date to exit the country of 2019.

The United Nations is at the Center of This Conspiracy

After the aforementioned groups perpetrate enough false flag violence, the United States will be forced to let go of California. The violence is going to be exacerbated by the arrival the various waves of caravans presently making their way to the United States. This will exponentially increase the violence and force a settlement in which California is allowed to exit the United States.

Paul Preston, through his inside informant, we call “Mike”, revealed the brains behind the Calexit movement is actually the United Nations. The above photo depicts a press conference held in Moscow in which the Independent Republic of California was introduced. It was announced that California will operate as a protectorate of the United Nations. When California exits the Union, they will be largely controlled by the Chinese, but will be under the political control of the UN with Jerry Brown as their leader. And as you will soon see, that California’s food supply is being handed over to the Chinese. If we don’t quickly come to believe that the Chinese will become militarily involved, we are fooling ourselves.

The Chinese Factor

The Chinese are no stranger to teaming up with a group to attack another group in order to garner a significant increase in food supply. Their participation with the South African’s government stealing the land of White South African farmers without compensation is a case in point. As previously covered on the CSS, the Chinese will take all food from the seized farms and a portion of the minerals in exchange for the use of Chinese technology and military might should the west decide to intervene.

The Chinese are pursing a similar aggressive policy in California. Obama’s EPA previously stepped in and declared that all irrigation to the San Joaquin Valley was illegal because it endangered a 2 inch smelt fish. The farmers went bankrupt. In came Richard Blum, the husband of Diane Feinstein and he sold the land to the Chinese. And now, magically, the water rights have been restored. The food of course will be sent to China.

As previously covered on the CSS, the solar energy farms in the West, are all owned by front groups for the Chinese military. We know that the Chinese military has a presence at the inland ports at Sacramento and Stockton, CA. It is clear that these subversive movements will soon have Chinese military muscle behind them.

Conclusion

The forces of darkness are all in place. The trigger event will come from the caravans as they enter into the United States. The opposition to their illegal entry will become violent and MS-13 will be behind the violence. As you can see, this will involve a lot more than California. Soon every city will fall victim to this terrorism from the embedded terrorist cells in our country. We are truly entering the dark ages of our country’s history. Finally, is anyone still naive enough to believe that the caravans are about immigration?

Also Grits has a new multi news page, I recommend reading over:

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/11/texas-voters-think-justice-system.html

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 22 2018 Happy Thanksgiving!

Remember God loves to thanked.

Thanking The Lord will benefit you and yours.

What can you do for God?

From: http://www.defenseworld.net/news/23720/Russian_Defense_Ministry_to_Spend__15M_to_Prolong_Lifecycle_of_Ballistic_Missiles

Russian MoD To Spend $15M To Prolong Life-Cycle Of Ballistic Missiles

The Russian Defense Ministry plans to spend $15 million to prolong the life cycle of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) Topol-M, Voyevoda and UR-100N.

ICBM missiles are primarily used for the nuclear warhead delivery and have a minimum range of 5500km. Modern designs support Multiple Independently targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs), allowing a single missile to carry several warheads, each of which can strike a different target.

The contract will be carried out by three approximately equal instalments in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Work is expected to be completed by November 10, 2020, TASS reported Wednesday.

From: https://www.oodaloop.com/briefs/2018/11/21/u-s-military-targets-growing-russian-and-chinese-influence-in-latin-america/

U.S. Military Targets Growing Russian and Chinese Influence in Latin America

“U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, returning from a trip to Colombia, said over the weekend that the Trump administration is making a push to strengthen alliances across Latin America as part of an effort to counter rising Chinese and Russian influence in the United States’ backyard. In an interview with Foreign Policy, Goldfein said Colombia and other Latin American countries risked being locked out of U.S. and allied operations if they stopped buying military hardware from the United States and turned to other markets instead. ‘While there may be other cheap hardware out there that might be available on the market, at some point it becomes really hard to make it connect and share within the system,’ Goldfein said by phone Saturday while flying home from Colombia. His trip was part of a broader administration effort to reinforce alliances across Latin America as the region grapples with a range of security threats, from narcotrafficking and terrorism to Venezuela’s economic collapse and ensuing refugee crisis.”

From: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/us-b-52s-fly-past-chinese-outposts-in-the-south-china-sea-2018-11

US Air Force B-52s ignore Beijing's 'great wall' of missiles with South China Sea flights

The head of US Indo-Pacific command recently accused China of building a “great wall of [surface-to-air missiles]” in the South China Sea.

Despite the deployment of Chinese military equipment to the strategic waterway, the US continues to fly and sail through the South China Sea.

A pair of US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers reportedly flew past Chinese-occupied territories in the South China Sea Monday.

Two US heavy long-range bombers tore past Chinese-occupied territories in the contested South China Sea Monday, demonstrating America’s determination to continue its activities in the region despite China’s militarization of disputed areas.

A pair of US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress out of Andersen Air Force Base on Guam conducted a routine training mission in the vicinity of the South China Sea, Pacific Air Forces told CNN Tuesday, explaining that the “recent mission is consistent with international law and United States’ long-standing commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The US military regularly sends bombers through the contested waterway in support of the deterrence-oriented Continuous Bomber Presence mission. China, which claims the majority of the South China Sea, tends to typically react with sharp criticism of US activities, even when the US is simply transiting planes from its bases across the Pacific.

Beijing has previously called these flights “provocative,” accusing the US of militarizing the region, a counter to US accusations.

China has deployed surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), electronic jamming equipment, and anti-ship missiles to military outposts in the South China Sea, allowing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to keep US ships and planes in the region under threat of missile fires that outrange them any time they operate in the strategic waterway.

Deployments, according to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, include HQ-9 SAMs and YJ-12 and YJ-62 anti-ship missiles, among other weapons systems.

“The PLA secretly deployed anti-ship missiles, electronic jammers, and surface to air missiles,” Admiral Phil Davidson, head of US Indo-Pacific Command, said last week at the Halifax International Security Forum.

“So, what was a ‘Great Wall of Sand’ just three years ago is now a ‘Great Wall of SAMs’ in the South China Sea,” he said, stressing that these developments give China “the potential to exert national control over international waters and airspace through which over three trillion dollars in goods travel every year, along with commercial air traffic, as well as information and financial data through undersea cables.”

China has demonstrated increased resistance to US military activities in the region, especially near Chinese-occupied territories.

A Chinese warship confronted a US Navy destroyer during a routine freedom-of-navigation operation in the Spratly Islands in September. The Chinese naval vessel nearly collided with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur in an incident widely considered China’s most aggressive response to a a US ship to date.

Despite escalated tensions in the South China Sea, the US and Chinese militaries are attempting to restore relations through military exchanges. Following a visit by Chinese military personnel to the USS Ronald Reagan, the aircraft carrier and several of its escort ships made a port call in Hong Kong Tuesday.

NOW WATCH: Briefing videos

From: https://sputniknews.com/military/201811211070019107-china-building-nuclear-attack-subs/

China Building More Nuclear Attack Subs Than US Knew About - Report

Military & Intelligence

23:56 21.11.2018(updated 00:33 22.11.2018)

US think tanks and the Pentagon have underestimated the number of Chinese nuclear submarines under construction, a new analysis suggests.

Pictures taken of the Bohai Shipyard and Longpo Naval Facility show that China has more nuclear attack subs in development than previously believed, Defense One reported Tuesday. The report said there is one extra submarine under construction that the Pentagon previously did not account for.

Nevertheless, there are fewer operational nuclear subs than Western institutions believed, namely the US Department of Defense and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the report says.

CSIS and Pentagon estimates of China's ocean-going nuclear force pegged the number of operational Jin- or 094-class submarines at four. Yet two of these underwater boats "appear not to be in operation," said Catherine Dill of the James Martin Center of Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, as quoted by Defense One.

Notably, the Pentagon's 2018 China Military Report and CSIS' China Power group both stated that four 094-class submarines are active.

By comparison, Russian nuclear forces feature nine strategic nuclear submarines "that provide continuous military patrols in the sea," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in May 2017, Sputnik reported. "The Russian Navy is also planning to increase the number of strategic nuclear submarines to 13, including seven ‘Boreys' with ‘Bulava' missiles," he said.

The US nuclear-armed submarine fleet features 14 Ohio-class submarines, which are comparable in size to Russia's Borey-class and China's 094-class subs.

Another great Grits page with something interesting; for everyone:

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/11/reasonably-suspicious-podcast-tx.html

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 24 2018

From: https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2018/11/china-has-more-nuclear-subs-west-believed/152984/

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/11/satellite-photos-show-china-is-building-5-more-nuclear-submarines.html

November 23, 2018

Planet Lab satellite photos reveal that two of China’s four JIN (or 094)-class subs are undergoing maintenance or repairs at the Bohai shipyard. Three submarines are being built at Longpo and two subs are being built at the Bohai shipyard.

Analysts Catherine Dill and colleague Jeffrey Lewis found that China had one more nuclear submarine in development than previously believed. This was reported by Patrick Tucker at Defense One.

There’s an extra sub under construction, but no permanent nuclear deterrent at sea — yet.

Western observers have likely underestimated the number of Chinese nuclear submarines in development, but overestimated how many are operational, a new analysis suggests. In particular, only half of China’s nuclear-armed SSBNs appear to be in operation.

Photos of the Bohai Shipyard and the Longpo Naval Facility produced by Planet Labs suggest that “China does not yet have a credible sea-based deterrent,” said Catherine Dill of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Two of China’s four JIN (or 094)-class subs “appear to not be in operation and are undergoing maintenance or repairs at the Bohai shipyard, suggesting to us that credibility is still in question.”

That rebuts the Defense Department’s 2018 China Military Report and CSIS’s Chinapower group, which had stated that China had four operational 094s.

But Dill and colleague Jeffrey Lewis also found that China had one more nuclear submarine in development than previously believed. They observed a total of five hulls in production, three at Longpo and two at the Bohai shipyard, suggesting that China is well on its way to meeting its goal of eight.

“China is continuing to modernize its nuclear weapons program, broadly,” Dill said. “There’s a big emphasis on the SSBN program because all of their deliverable nuclear weapons are on land-based systems. Expanding into these SSBNs gives China more flexibly and credibility.”

She added, “These observations would not have been possible without the high cadence of the Planet imagery, which gave us 244 days of exploitable imagery to monitor from July 2017 to November 2018.”

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 25 2018

I have always thought of Syria to be a excellent example of what Russia would do here. I think they would wait for us to have a civil war; so they could finish it off ; just like Syria.

From: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/11/24/us-russian-forces-have-clashed-repeatedly-syria-us-envoy.html

US, Russian Forces Have Clashed Repeatedly in Syria: US Envoy

Operation Inherent Resolve coalition advisers prepare for another night of fire missions at an outpost near Dashisha, Syria on June 8. According to a recent report, a U.S. envoy told Russian journalists that American and Russian forces have clashed a dozen times in Syria -- sometimes with exchanges of fire.

24 Nov 2018

Stars and Stripes

American and Russian forces have clashed a dozen times in Syria -- sometimes with exchanges of fire -- a U.S. envoy told Russian journalists in a wide-ranging interview this week.

Ambassador James Jeffrey, U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement, offered no specifics about the incidents, speaking to the Russian newspaper Kommersant and state-owned news agency RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

Jeffrey had been asked to clarify casualty numbers and details of a February firefight in which U.S. forces reportedly killed up to 200 pro-Syrian regime forces, including Russian mercenaries, who had mounted a failed attack on a base held by the U.S. and its mostly Kurdish local allies near the town of Deir al-Zour. None of the Americans at the outpost -- reportedly about 40 -- had been killed or injured.

Jeffrey declined to offer specifics on that incident, but said it was not the only such confrontation between Americans and Russians.

"U.S. forces are legitimately in Syria, supporting local forces in the fight against Da'esh and as appropriate -- and this has occurred about a dozen times in one or another place in Syria -- they exercise the right of self-defense when they feel threatened," Jeffrey said, using an Arabic term for the Islamic State group. "That's all we say on that."

Asked to clarify, he said only that some of the clashes had involved shooting and some had not.

"There have been various engagements, some involving exchange of fire, some not," he told the journalists in remarks confirmed on the U.S. Embassy in Moscow website. "Again, we are continuing our mission there and we are continuing to exercise our right of self-defense."

Both Russia and Iran back the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in the country's civil war, now in its eighth year. The U.S., which Jeffrey said regards Assad as a "disgrace to mankind," has deployed hundreds of troops and equipment to eastern Syria as part of the coalition to defeat the Islamic State.

Since 2015, Washington and Moscow have broadly maintained a "deconfliction line" to communicate the locations of U.S. and Russian air and ground forces in the country.

Pentagon officials had no immediate comment on the ambassador's statement.

Jeffrey also criticized the Russians supplying Syria surface-to-air missile systems in Damascus, which he called a "dangerous escalation," noting that it had already led to tragedy -- the downing of a Russian spy plane and its crew of 15 -- and could lead to more mistakes in the future.

Earlier this week, the U.S. announced sanctions intended to curb Russian and Iranian oil shipments to Syria. Jeffrey said the U.S. had also sought Russia's help to urge the withdrawal of Iranian-commanded forces from the country.

"We need to see a de-escalation of the fighting in Syria," Jeffrey said. "This has been a terrible conflict that has pulled in many outside powers, including Russia and the United States."

Stars and Stripes

From: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/north-korea-reveals-nuclear-emp-attack-plans

Washington Secrets

North Korea reveals nuclear EMP attack plans

November 24, 2018 12:08 PM

In a sign that North Korea is not planning to give up all its nuclear arsenal, the communist government has revealed plans to use the weapons to launch EMP attacks that effectively dismantle technology and computers in the blast area.

A report on the new document distributed by the government shows the acronym for electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, clearly printed in July.

The Daily NK, which obtained the documents, suggested that a target would be South Korea. “EMP attacks lead to the destruction of electronic circuits in semiconductors, affecting the use of TVs, mobile phones and computers in the area. The widespread failure of South Korea’s mass communications system due to an EMP attack and its effect on national infrastructure and military command systems could lead to widespread chaos, experts warn, and they are calling on the government to take measures to prepare for such attacks,” it said.

But it also said that the propaganda report was meant to assure supporters in the countryside that it wasn’t giving up all nuclear weapons in any deal with the United States.

“Some experts say that the authorities added the section to propaganda materials handed out to farmers as a way to emphasize that the regime will not give up its nuclear weapons,” said the report.

U.S. officials have recently warned that North Korea’s offensive war plans include the use of EMP weapons and that the United States is a target.

The report and the U.S. experts said that North Korea would deliver the weapon either by satellite or on a ship fitted with a rocket launcher. The weapon would then be detonated 30 to 100 kilometers high which would give the electronic pulse a wide area that could dismantle technology and the electric grid on the East Coast.

A congressional report has warned that an EMP attack could last a year and lead to the deaths of 90 percent of those in its blast area as people struggle to live without electricity, running water, and medical facilities as well as chaos.

The Pentagon has recently begun working on the issue.

Other countries eyeing EMP weapons are Russia and Iran.

North Korea has a track record of interfering with electronics in South Korea, added the report. It said that the North has jammed GPS in South Korea several times.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 26 2018

The perversion of our justice system marches on; as our enemies get more and more powerful and we slowly creep toward becoming a third world country:

The ‘Frightening and High’ Factoid About Sex Offender Recidivism Still Stalks Courts Across the Land, Completely Untethered From Actual Numbers

https://reason.com/blog/2018/11/14/the-frightening-and-high-factoid-about-s/amp?__twitter_impression=true

November 14, 2018

Arizona Supreme Court overturned a state ban on bail for people accused of sexual assault "when the proof is evident or the presumption great," concluding that the categorical exclusion violated the constitutional right to due process. Critics of that decision are urgingthe U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case, Arizona v. Goodman, and their arguments highlight the continuing influence of misconceptions about the...

Wow! I used to be a big fan of David. I used to complain to him allot about being against sex offender rights. I guess maybe I influenced him. Maybe, I can become a fan again.

DAVID COMES OUT AGAINST SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY [DAVID PAKMAN SHOW ON YOUTUBE]

November 13, 2018

[YouTube – 11/4/18]

After receiving a question from a viewer last week, David comes out against the sex offender registry.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FStdCWjCKCo

FL: Over 1 Million Felons Win Right To Vote With Amendment 4

November 7, 2018 https://www.npr.org/2018/11/07/665031366/over-a-million-florida-ex-felons-win-right-to-vote-with-amendment-4

In a key ballot initiative, Florida will restore voting rights to citizens convicted of certain felonies after they have served their sentences, including prison terms, parole and probationary periods, AP has projected. Voting rights will not be restored to those convicted of murder or felony sexual offenses.

From: https://en.brinkwire.com/news/ww3-warning-as-iran-could-have-nuclear-bombs-in-months-after-weapons-deal-crisis/

WW3 warning as Iran could have nuclear bombs in MONTHS after weapons deal crisis

November 25, 2018 Brinkwire

IRAN could have a nuclear weapon within a matter of months if the country pulls out of the 2015 deal, according to shocking claims made by Israeli intelligence agents.

A secret Iranian archive seized by Israeli agents earlier this year suggests the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme was more advanced than the West had thought, according to a nuclear expert who examined the documents.

It suggests if Iran pulls out the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal, that Donald Trump has abandoned, it could produce a bomb in a matter of months, according to physicist David Albright from Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, DC.

Mr Alrbight told Foreign Policy: “The archive is littered with new stuff about the Iranian nuclear weapons programme.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 27 2018

I read a article about how we do not need to spend money on space defense. There is no way I am posting it. China and Russia is way more advanced than we are. We are becoming insignificant. I predict that soon Russia and China and others will just start attacking other country's with no regard to us. Either we better get on the ball quick or that's it; game over man!

Maybe we can spend less money on thing's like torturing RSO's and more on defense. Somethings like the oppression and torture of people have a spiritual application and are judge by God.

Romans 12:19 Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

From: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1050712/world-war-3-royal-navy-hms-duncan-russian-fighter-jets-black-sea-crimea-ukraine

Royal Navy warship swarmed by 17 Russian fighter jets in Black Sea

THIS is the dramatic moment 17 Russian fighter jets swarmed around a Royal Navy warship in the Black Sea near Crimea.

PUBLISHED: 19:48, Mon, Nov 26, 2018

The remarkable footage shows HMS Duncan being ‘buzzed’ by the Russian jets as it led a NATO fleet through the disputed region earlier this year. The government labelled the incident, which happened in May, an act of “brazen hostility”. In the footage, which was filmed as part of a Channel 5 documentary, Russian jets can be seen circling around HMS Duncan and the NATO fleet. see video here: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1050712/world-war-3-royal-navy-hms-duncan-russian-fighter-jets-black-sea-crimea-ukraine

The jets, which are a mix of fighters and bombers, are shown coming so close to HMS Duncan the crew is worried their high-powered radars might scramble the jets’ computer systems causing them to crash.

From: https://www.newsweek.com/russia-new-missiles-war-arctic-us-looks-north-1231985

Russia's Defense Ministry said that the country's armed forces adopted their first Tor-M2DT anti-aircraft missile systems, a weapon capable of handling the extreme temperatures and terrain of the Arctic region. Debuted during May 2017's Victory Day parade in Moscow, the equipment is a white-and-gray-camouflaged update to the Tor M2 systems and was said to have a range of up 15 kilometers (9 miles).

Russia and China have been particular sources of concern for the U.S., given that the two powers have sought to expand their own bilateral economic and military cooperation. Moscow launched the world's first nuclear icebreaker ship in September 2017, and China devoted a white paper in January to reshaping the country's Arctic policy. Likewise, Moscow fortified new military positions in the country's extreme north, while China has eyed new opportunities for the so-called "Polar Silk Road," an addition to President Xi Jinping's wider One Belt, One Road initiative.

For its part, the U.S. has begun taking measures of its own to bolster its Arctic presence. Defense Secretary James Mattis said during a visit in June to Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska that "certainly America has got to up its game in the Arctic" and U.S. Coast Guard commandant Admiral Karl Schultz told the Center for Strategic and International Studies that the U.S. was "working on a rewrite" of the U.S. Arctic strategy in August.

The U.S. has also moved in on parts of the European Arctic, seeking closer defense relations with Norway, a founding member of the NATO Western military alliance that has largely been supported by the Pentagon. Oslo has asked the U.S. to increase the presence of Marines based near the Scandinavian country's border with Russia, a move decried by Moscow.

Ahead of the month-long Trident Juncture, the largest NATO exercise in decades that wrapped up earlier this week, Russia Foreign Minister Maria Zakharova criticized calls for more U.S. Marines in Norway and Western military moves as "a violation of all time-tested traditions of good neighborliness and against the policy of the Norwegian government established way back in the Cold War period on self-restraint."

"We have to state that such irresponsible actions will inevitably destabilize the military and political situation in the north, increase tensions and undermine the fabric of Russian-Norwegian relations," she added at the time. "All these NATO preparations cannot be ignored, and the Russian Federation will take the necessary tit-for-tat measures to ensure its own security."

Oh yeah and do not forget to check Grits multi subject indie news page:

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/11/prison-reform-pioneer-passes-bail.html

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 28 2018

From: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2503419/world-war-3-2019-north-korea-syria-russia-putin-isis-trump-missile/

GLOBAL THREAT Why World War 3 could happen in 2019

– threats from North Korea, Syria and Putin are worse than during the Cold War

Many observers now believe the world could be in even more peril than the Soviet vs West face-off during the Cold War

27th November 2018, 2:34 pm

Updated: 27th November 2018, 4:08 pm

RISING tensions around the globe along with spectacular war games and weapons testing have increased fears of a major military conflict breaking out in 2019.

Here we look at trouble spots which could be potential World War 3 flash points.

Our map shows the flashpoints where there are currently military standoffs which could suddenly turn nasty and bring the major powers into conflict with each other.

Experts believe the Baltic States, Ukraine and Syria are danger zones in a world more unpredictable than during the Cold War.

This is because of Russian meddling as President Vladimir Putin attempts to recreate a superpower sphere of influence it lost after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Meanwhile in Asia, China has unveiled its largest rise in defence spending in three years as it bids to dominate the world with a vast superpower military.

Could war break out between the West and Russia?

Why is Syria regarded as a World War 3 flashpoint?

Could the US and China go to war in 2019?

Could war break out between America and Iran?

Is North Korea really a threat to world peace?

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump pledged to work towards denuclearisation at their landmark June summit in Singapore.

Will Donald Trump risk starting a world war?

APOCALYPSE NEWS:

PREPARING FOR WAR How to prepare for World War Three - official nuclear bomb survival guide

ON THE BRINK As tensions grow are we heading for World War 3 and who would win?

KAMIKAZE TANKS China unveils tanks with 'self-destruct' button to destroy captured vehicle

OUT OF AFRICA US pulling troops from Africa despite Russia and China’s growing presence

FLASH OF MIGHT Why laser weapons will be future of warfare after Pentagon funding boost

'PREPARE FOR WAR' Brit troops lead ‘battle’ at massive NATO war games amid Russia tension

FIGHTING TALK China’s military ordered to ‘prepare for war’ as tensions with West grow

ANGEL OF DEATH Secret Chinese hypersonic nuke aircraft 'creates stunning plumes of light'

REDS ALERT UK stages war games with 5,500 troops while rehearsing Putin cyber strike

‘MOVING FAST’ Trump says 2nd summit with Kim will happen ‘soon’ after 'beautiful letter'

From: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/11/27/18114566/trump-trade-war-china-farm-bankruptcy

US farms are going bankrupt at an alarming rate. Trump’s trade war is partially to blame.

More than 80 farms in the upper Midwest have recently filed for bankruptcy.

Nov 27, 2018, 5:30pm EST

President Donald Trump’s trade war with China is making life harder for struggling American farmers.

A total of 84 farms in the upper Midwest filed for bankruptcy between July 2017 and June 2018, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. That’s more than double the number of Chapter 12 filings during the same period in 2013 and 2014 in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana.

The problem has gotten so bad that the Trump administration launched a $12 billion aid package for US farmers coping with retaliatory tariffs that foreign countries have imposed on their products. In September, the government cut $25 million worth of bailout checks to the agriculture industry.

But even the bailout may not be enough to keep farms open. Bankers in the Midwest are worried that too many farmers are falling behind on loan payments.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 29 2018

From: http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20181128/wwiii-will-be-economic-war

This is what I keep saying:

WWIII will be an economic war

Posted at 11:33 AM November 28, 2018

Updated at 11:33 AM November 28, 2018

To the Editor:

China has been winning an economic war with America for decades. Unfair currency maneuvers, tariffs, stealing of technology/intellectual property, and tariff-like burdens have been China’s war machine against America for a long time. Such economic victories over America have enabled them to build-up their military might.

From: https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/.premium-russian-s-400-crimea-ukraine-aggression-on-the-open-waters-will-have-consequences-1.6697059

Analysis // Russian Aggression Against Ukraine May Not Start WWIII, but Hints at Troubled Waters for Putin

Twenty-four Ukrainian sailors are being held by Russia following Sunday’s incident on the Black Sea when three Ukrainian vessels were captured, but no one knows what the Kremlin will do next

Nov 28, 2018 12:50 PM

Unsurprisingly, President Donald Trump’s response has been feeble. In yet another instance of the U.S. president seemingly not knowing a thing about what he’s just been asked, he responded to a question about the incident by saying: “We do not like what’s happening either way. And hopefully it will get straightened out,” refusing to condemn Russia’s aggression.

I am going to miss emailing the Sam Johnson team. I hope his replacement is as good as he was; I don't know if that is possable.

SAM JOHNSON JOURNAL:

THE FINAL EDITION

To the good folks of the Third District of Texas:

With Christmas fast approaching, I would like to take this time before the holidays to say a few words of gratitude as well as offer a farewell as your Congressman.

As Texans, we are a blessed to live in the best state in the greatest nation in the world. And I believe we are also uniquely blessed to call the Third District of Texas “home.” We have great schools and a thriving, business-friendly economy, both of which contribute to our cities frequently being named some of the top places to live in the country. But it is the people of the Third District who create this successful environment. The close-knit community of this area is what drew my wife, Shirley, and me to move here prior to my second deployment in Vietnam. And when I was shot down during a combat mission in 1966 and taken captive by the North Vietnamese, this community was there for Shirley and our three children. What’s more, when I came home after nearly seven years as a Prisoner of War (POW) in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, the Third District welcomed me back with open arms. I will be eternally grateful to this community for their love and support during that most difficult time, which is why it is one of the highest honors of my life to give back to the Third District by representing you in Washington, D.C.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated November 30 2018

From: https://www.newsmax.com/peterpry/dhs-h-bomb-kcna-nikkei/2018/11/29/id/892465/

North Korea Prepares EMP While US Dawdles

Thursday November 29, 2018

North Korea is educating its workforce, including industrial workers and farmers, about nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack. This further confirms warnings by the Congressional EMP Commission that North Korea has a sophisticated understanding of EMP and contingency plans to attack the U.S. and its allies.

Pyongyang’s Workers Party of Korea is circulating an official internal document on EMP, obtained and photographed by the Daily NK, as reported by Mun Dong Hui (Nov. 23, 2018):

"An internal document recently obtained by Daily NK has a section on the power of nuclear EMP attack. The notebook explains in detail what a nuclear EMP attack is and what kind of damage such an attack can do."

For example, the document accurately assesses, if a nuclear weapon “explodes 30-100 kilometers above the ground, electronic machines and devices are severely damaged or their electricity cables are destroyed beyond repair.”

"Combined-arms cyber warfare, as described in the military doctrines of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, may use combinations of cyber, sabotage, and ultimately nuclear EMP attack to impair the United States quickly and decisively by blacking-out large portions of the electric grid and other critical infrastructures."

The EMP Commission warns that North Korea has two satellites orbiting over North America that could be armed for surprise EMP attack.

In 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2016, North Korea used a non-nuclear “EMP cannon” to jam South Korean communications, cars, and over 2,000 aircraft.

From:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/china-striving-for-air-force-that-could-defeat-the-us-without-actually-fighting-report

China striving for air force that could defeat the US 'without actually fighting.

November 29, 2018 11:42 AM

China is focused on revamping its own air force so that it could challenge the U.S. Air Force and defeat the U.S. “without actually fighting,” according to a report.

A study conducted by the Project Air Force team at the Rand Corporation claims the Chinese air force’s goal is to advance their military air power such that it would crush the U.S. if the forces went head-to-head. This could be accomplished by emulating the United States’ military capabilities and through their own innovation.

“The main driver for Chinese military aerospace power development is the [People’s Liberations Army’s] view that it needs to be prepared to deter and, if necessary, defeat the United States in a high-end clash,” the report said.

Additionally, the report noted that the People’s Liberation Army is striving to develop their military aerospace sector to the point where the Chinese could defeat the U.S. without “actually fighting.”

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated December 01 2018

From: https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/419090-us-starting-to-realize-its-in-an-economic-cold-war-with-china

US starting to realize it's in an economic cold war with China

11/30/18 12:00 PM EST

A generation removed from the first Cold War, a new one has begun. The new cold war has the U.S. engaged with China, not the USSR. The new cold war is primarily an economic one, not a military one.

From: https://sputniknews.com/asia/201811301070278641-beijing-washington-south-china-sea-warships/

Beijing Sends Warships to Warn US Over Its 'Provocation' in S China Sea

16:08 30.11.2018

The warning came after the US Pacific Fleet said that its guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville had sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea to challenge what it described as Beijing's "excessive maritime claims."

Beijing has lodged a protest against a US navy ship sailing close to the disputed islands in the South China Sea, according to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang.

He said that the US ship had entered Chinese waters without permission and that Beijing had made its position known with its "stern representations".

Geng added that the Chinese military "had sent its ships to watch the US vessel and to warn it to leave the area."

"Beijing urges the American side to immediately stop such provocative actions, which violate China's sovereignty and threaten security," he underscored.

Earlier on Friday, US Navy Commander Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the US Pacific Fleet, told CNN that the guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville "sailed near the Paracel Islands to challenge excessive maritime claims and preserve access to the waterways, as governed by international law.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated December 02 2018

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1053038/World-War-3-Iran-fires-ballistic-missile-latest-Michael-Pompeo

PUBLISHED: 16:58, Sat, Dec 1, 2018 | UPDATED: 18:33, Sat, Dec 1, 2018

Iran FIRES ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads

IRAN has test fired a ballistic missile that is capable of carrying multiple warheads, violating UN resolutions.

He said Iran could resume enriching uranium to 20 percent purity, if it fails to see economic benefits from the 2015 deal that curbed its nuclear program.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1053043/World-War-3-Iran-US-Trump-Rouhani-stealth-warship

Iran unveiled its latest addition to its range of firepower - the Sahand destroyer, which can destroy "any approaching target" within two kilometres. The stealth destroyer is the Iranian regime's most advanced warship ever added to its naval fleet.

The Sahand destroyer can sustain journeys of up to five months without resupply missions and is capable of radar evasion.

The Sahand has a flight deck for helicopters, torpedo launchers, anti-aircraft and anti-ship guns, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and even electronic warfare capabilities.

From: https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/us-army-gearing-potential-fight-102846530.html

Business Insider 30 November 2018

The US Army is gearing up for a potential fight with Russia, and it just put a crucial defensive weapon back in Europe permanently

The US Army in Europe has made a number of changes in recent months as part of a broader effort by the Pentagon to prepare for a potential fight against an adversary with advanced military capabilities, like Russia or China.

The Pentagon has been focusing on preparations for a potential clash with a peer, or near-peer, adversary like Russia.

Amid heightened tensions with Russia, the US Army in Europe has made a number of changes to how it operates.

The most recent change was the return of an air-defense unit stationed on the continent permanently.

The latest move came on November 28, when the Army activated the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, in a ceremony at Shipton Barracks in Ansbach, near the city of Nuremberg in southern Germany.

From: Defense One

Shortly after Russian forces seized three Ukranian warships and detained several of their crew in the Sea of Azov over the weekend, the Ukrainian General Staff posted what they call intercepted communications between the Russian sailors and their commanders ashore. In the recording, one sailor says that the attack was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian diplomats in the United States confirmed that the audio and accompanying YouTube video had come from the Ukraine government. A researcher from the open-source investigatory organization Bellingcat said that they knew of the existence of raw files that support the claim of the Ukranian government.

In it, one of the Russian sailors says Medvedev is “panicking,” adding, “We should assault them. We have to destroy them,” and “It seems that the President is in control of all of that sh#t.” The reference to Medvedev could either refer to Dmitry Medvedev, a Russian politician and close Putin ally, or more likely, Adm. Gennady Medvedev, the deputy head of the FSB Border Service.

The reason the whole would seems to be building their military against us and seems to be able to destroy at any second is for unconstitutional, perverting the law; like this:

From: https://www.kxan.com/news/investigations/federal-lawsuit-culture-of-corruption-at-texas-dps/1628252573

Federal lawsuit: "Culture of corruption" at Texas DPS

To protect and serve: Harassment and discrimination at DPS

Texas Ranger pulls gun on driver who flipped him off

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Just weeks after a KXAN investigation revealed nearly 500 official allegations of harassment, discrimination and retaliation at the Texas Department of Public Safety since 2013, a federal lawsuit has been filed alleging a "culture of corruption" at the state agency.

The 24-page lawsuit was filed by Ty Clevenger on behalf of Darren Lubbe, a retired special agent with the state Criminal Investigation Division (CID) at DPS. Lubbe says he was retaliated against after he filed a formal harassment complaint. Then he says he was harassed into taking an early retirement.

According to the lawsuit, Lubbe was a DPS investigator in 2014 when "his captain began pressuring him to attend the captain's 'cowboy church.'" Lubbe refused, which he says resulted in harassment by the captain and his colleagues.

In 2016, Lubbe reportedly filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Office (EEO) at Austin's DPS headquarters. He said "that only made things worse."

Nineteen defendants are named in the lawsuit -- many of whom are high-ranking officials at the state agency. Among them is DPS Director Steven McCraw, DPS Inspector General Rhonda Fleming, and members of the Texas Public Safety Commission.

The lawsuit sources a number of instances wherein the plaintiff alleges multiple DPS Rangers took part in various illegal activities but DPS officials wanted to protect them and cover it up.

East Texas murder investigation allegedly compromised

The May 20, 2016 unsolved murder of prominent Longview businessman, Ronnie Horaney, was referenced in the lawsuit as evidence of alleged corruption at DPS.

The plaintiff points to the reported discovery by DPS supervisors in January 2018 that a Ranger was "involved in an ongoing sexual relationship" with Horaney's widow. The suit states that the Ranger was also heading up the murder investigation.

The suit alleges that the Ranger "badly compromised the murder investigation, rendering his testimony worthless at trial and raising questions about whether he diverted investigative attention away from [the woman]." It also states that the Ranger was subsequently demoted to DPS Trooper as a result and that he can reapply for Ranger status in January 2019.

Texas Ranger pulls gun on driver who flipped him off

A Texas Ranger exercised "poor judgment" in a February 27, 2017 incident where he pulled over and pointed his gun at a driver who flipped him off in traffic in Round Rock, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The lawsuit classifies it as a "road rage incident," adding that the Ranger had no probable cause to initiate the traffic stop.

After the incident, the civilian driver told officers he wanted to talk to the Ranger’s boss, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. "I want the director of DPS down here to talk to this guy. He doesn't deserve to be doing that and then when I ask him who he is, all I see is a gun," the man said.

According to the lawsuit, the Ranger lied to police at the scene about what happened, and states that the incident was "kept quiet" until July 14, 2017 when our KXAN story aired.

At the time, DPS released a statement. It reads, in part, "While exiting the vehicle, the Ranger placed his weapon in a low, ready position, due to a perceived threat."

"The traffic stop initiated by the Ranger was lawful; however, his actions failed to reflect the high standards expected of our employees. The Texas Department of Public Safety Office of Inspector General conducted a thorough and independent review of this incident. The findings concluded our employee acted inconsistent with policy, exercised poor judgement (sic), and conducted himself in an unprofessional and discourteous manner - all of which are unacceptable and fail to meet the high standards of conduct required by the department. The department has taken corrective action with this employee regarding the policy infractions."

The lawsuit is critical whether other employees at DPS would not receive harsher punishment than this Ranger did.

The lawyer who assisted Lubbe in filing the lawsuit says these cases are evidence of a larger issue.

"My belief is there is a systemic problem, top to bottom, and particularly top, senior commanders have allowed this kind of culture to flourish, and so I think the legislature needs to get involved," Ty Clevenger said. "I'm hoping the Texas Legislature, in the upcoming session, will take a hard look at DPS and hold some hearings on this."

With lawmakers already looking into the issue, there's discussion about whether how the agency's investigation division operates should be changed.

DPS Director Steven McCraw told KXAN in October, "People know and within the department we've made it very clear that EEO matters and we take it very seriously. If it's criminal, the Texas Rangers will investigate it, and we have the Office of Inspector General that reports directly to the [Public Safety] Commission and she will do an independent investigation. And, if it's found that there's a violation, we'll terminate people. Period. Make no mistakes."

McCraw told us while the agency has the processes and procedures in place to handle allegations, employee reporting -- of any and all allegations -- is crucial.

"If you know of it, if you've seen it, you have an obligation to report it — whether it's against you or somebody else," said Director McCraw. "If there’s some people that you’ve talked to that feel that way, again, the only way to eliminate that feeling is for them to come forward."

When KXAN reached out to DPS for comment regarding the specific federal litigation, we were sent this statement:

"The department looks forward to refuting these spurious claims through the proper legal proceedings."

- Media and Communications, Texas Department of Public Safety

Data by the numbers

In the past five years, there have been hundreds of allegations of discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and retaliation at DPS.

The most frequent of the four categories was discrimination with 220 allegations between 2013-2017. Also during that time, there were 129 allegations of harassment and 69 allegations of retaliation. Allegations of sexual harassment were the least frequent of all, with only 26 allegations since 2013.

To protect and serve: Harassment and discrimination at DPS

Clevenger, a New York attorney from Longview, Texas was once a deputy sheriff in East Texas and was also a reporter. In a blog post he wrote about Tuesday's filing, Clevenger said, "My own sense is that the Rangers Division has become too concerned about its image and not concerned enough about its integrity."

I posted this years ago about the DPS:

Here: https://sexoffenderfaq.blogspot.com/p/sex-offender-information-exploited-on.html

and here: https://sexoffenderfaq.blogspot.com/p/subject-online-identifier-required-by.html

Here is a copy and paste of what I posted about the DPS in 2013:

Texas DPS Breaks it's own Laws Everyday:

No offence Texas DPS; but I believe making sex offender registration public: especially to allow web crawlerslike Google to access it by bypassing this page :

https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/sexoffender/PublicSite/Application/Search/Caveats.aspx?SearchType=Name

These are legal rules DPS has set forth itself. This a absolute abuse of that law passed by President Johnson.

They read:

TxDPS Sex Offender Registry

Effective immediately, the Texas Public Sex Offender Registry will no longer display a registrant’s employer name, address or telephone number. This is in accordance with Senate Bill 369 passed during the 83rd Regular Legislative Session (2013). This amendment modified Article 62.005 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to make this information non-public.

Caveats

Pursuant to Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 62.005, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) establishes this website as the official internet public access to the DPS sex offender registration computerized central database.

All information on individual registrants is based on registration information submitted by Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Youth Commission, or various local criminal justice agencies. DPS cannot guarantee the records obtained through this site relate to the person about whom information is sought. Searches based on names, dates of birth, or other alphanumeric identifiers are not always accurate. The only way to positively link an individual to a specific sex offender record is though fingerprint verification. However, if you feel there is an error on a sex offender registration record, please report this to the local law enforcement agency the sex offender has verified their information with. The verification agency is listed in the sex offender registration information.

All information provided through this website is open record. It may be used by anyone for any purpose. However, it is your responsibility to make sure the records you access through this site pertain to the person about whom you are seeking information. Extreme care should be exercised in using any information obtained from this website. Neither DPS nor the State of Texas shall be responsible for any errors or omissions produced by secondary dissemination of this information. The Texas Legislature mandates the following information regarding the offender not be public record: social security number, driver’s license number, telephone number, online identifiers, ( see this page: http://sexoffenderfaq.blogspot.com/p/subject-online-identifier-required-by.html for more on this subject ) and any additional information required by DPS for law enforcement purposes.

Pursuant to Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 62.301 and judicial orders, not all offenders are available on the public access sex offender database.

Anyone who uses any information on this website to injure, harass, or for any other unlawful purpose may be subject to criminal prosecution or civil liability.

Your supposed to click; I have read and agree to the above statements. to look up sex offender information.

Not find it randomly on Google!

Freedom of Information Act (United States)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_Information_Act_(United_States)

1] It was originally signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, despite his misgivings,[2] on July 4, 1966 as 5 U.S.C. § 552 and went into effect the following year.[3]

I know on thing for sure that Lyndon B. Johnson would have never signed it into law knowing that someday people's personal information would all be published world wide on the internet. It should be illegal to do that. You should have to go to the court house to get that stuff just like it was intended to be in 1966.

Think about it.

It is sooooooo; simple to fix this violation of Texas DPS agreement found here:

https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/sexoffender/PublicSite/Application/Search/Caveats.aspx?SearchType=Name

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/93710?hl=en

How to prevent your content from appearing in Google Search results.

You can prevent a page from appearing in Google Search by including a noindexmeta tag in the page's HTML code. When Googlebot next crawls that page, Googlebot will see the noindex meta tag and will drop that page entirely from Google Search results, regardless of whether other sites link to it.

The noindex meta standard is a useful tool if you don't have root access to your server, as it allows you to control access to your site on a page-by-page basis.

To prevent most search engine web crawlers from indexing a page on your site, place the following meta tag into the section of your page:

To prevent only Google web crawlers from indexing a page:

You should be aware that some search engine web crawlers might interpret the noindex directive differently. As a result, it is possible that your page might still appear in results from other search engines.

Also not to mention the fact that websites like this copy and paste this sensitive information for profit and often offer sex offenders opportunity to take said information off their websites for money.

web site like this:

http://www.publicrecordrepository.com

http://mugshots.com

http://www.bustedoffenders.com

https://www.justmugshots.com

I got the DPS story from this great Grits post:

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/12/roundup-lawsuit-alleges-cronyism-and.html

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated December 03 2018

From: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/745771/russia-nuke-submarine-ukraine-black-sea-world-news

Sun Dec 2, 2018

Russia developing MORE nuke submarines as tensions with West fester

RUSSIAN Navy officials have announced it will develop two more nuclear-capable submarines as tensions between Moscow and the West fester.

The Kremlin has backed a project to build the vessels at the Sevmash Shipyard, bringing Russia’s total number of nuke-powered subs to 10.

“Five of them will be operational in the Northern Fleet and the other five in the Pacific Fleet”

Russian tanks 'just 11 MILES from border amid fears of imminent INVASION'

Ukraine BANS Russians from entering country citing fears of land INVASION

Ukraine readies troops as Russian tanks just ’11 miles from border’

From: https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/02/581738/Russia-Syria-air-defense

Russia expands air defense network in Syria to US dismay: Report

Sun Dec 2, 2018 09:04AM

Russia has reportedly completed an advanced anti-access/area denial network in Syria, posing a challenge to US military presence in the Arab country and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Including: Russian S-300 missile defense system.

Moscow has deployed S-300 and S-400 missile defense systems as well as four unique electronic warfare systems to Syria.

It also stationed at least one advanced 1L122-1E targeting radar and Barnaul-T mobile command-and-control system for short-range air defense systems in the war-torn state, the report added.

The report further noted that Russia opted to expand its air defense network in Syria following the April 14 western missile strike on Syria and the September 17 accidental downing of an Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft in the country.

From: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/745562/world-war-3-china-nuclear-submarines-094-jin

China unleashes deadly new NUKE submarines in race to be next SUPERPOWER

CHINA has constructed two terrifying new nuclear subs as it laps the West in the international arms race

Published 2nd December 2018

China currently has a goal of eight nuclear submarines and the photographs suggest it is well on its way to achieving this.

"US military superiority is no longer assured and the implications for American interests and American security are severe," it says.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated December 04 2018

I am really getting sick of reading stories like this

Neighbors watched as gay couple stabbed & beaten in yard. No one would help.

“Neighbors, everybody just looking,” he said. “Nobody called the police.”:

https://lgbtqnation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecab442566f15d8d4dcf64b0d&id=4dfc4c1f5a&e=a4e25fdf5a

A lesbian student was left with broken ribs after being attacked at school nwesthigh-323x183.jpg

School officials say they can't identify the alleged perpetrators.:

https://lgbtqnation.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ecab442566f15d8d4dcf64b0d&id=22b640b3a5&e=a4e25fdf5a

I am not surprised at this behavior; at all though. Our society seems based on hate; no one knows that like a RSO human rights advocate, like me.

I hope the day never comes when we all have to look back in regret and think: we should have listened to the warnings like, if they can do things like this to sex offenders they can do it to anyone. It may be too late by then.

From: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/745910/ww3-news-russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-world-war-3

Published 3rd December 2018

UKRAINE'S president has claimed Russia's military has around 80,000 troops on his country's border as war tensions between the two nations are ratcheted up

From: https://www.newsweek.com/china-sends-warning-us-more-intense-naval-activity-taiwan-1240768

China Sends Warning to U.S. With More Intense Naval Activity Off Taiwan

12/3/18 at 9:09 AM

The island nation's defense ministry said Monday it had recorded an increasing number of patrols in the western part of the Taiwan Strait, beyond what would normally be expected, The South China Morning Post reported.

The ministry’s statement came in response to unconfirmed reports in Taiwan’s China Times newspaper Sunday that so-called “irregular” patrols by People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warships have become “routine.”

China subsequently increased naval patrols and military exercises to reiterate its message that if necessary, it would be willing to use military force to take control of Taiwan.

New Blogs Part 10 - 11 Updated December 05 2018

From: https://finexaminer.com/2018/12/04/12th-edition-of-chinas-zhuhai-air-show-opens-its-doors-to-the-world/

12th edition of China‘s Zhuhai Air Show opens its doors to the world

December 4, 2018

This event has grown into the largest defense and aerospace exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region by far.

exhibitors aren’t shy to show off lethal weaponry.

When it comes to selling weaponry, China does not abide by the same degree of ethic standards as others do

unmanned systems, missiles, rockets, space technology, land vehicles and much more besides.

With China a keen buyer of Russian technology, including recent deliveries of S-400 air defense missile systems and Su-35 fighters, the Russians are very well represented too with companies such as the United Aircraft Company and Russian Helicopters.

From: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/report-china-aims-defeat-us-war-37792

December 4, 2018

Report: China Aims to Defeat the U.S. In a War

"The PLA [People's Liberation Army] is focused not merely on competing with the United States or other nations as a goal in and of itself, but instead on competing as a means to achieving the policy outcomes identified by the CCP [Communist Party of China]

From: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6458745/Has-Russia-just-secret-weapon-orbit-New-launch-prompts-security-concerns.html

Has Russia just put a secret weapon in orbit? New launch prompts security concerns after FIVE orbital bodies are propelled into space instead of four

•The US military has raised concerns about the mysterious Russian launch

•They found five orbital bodies leaving the rocket instead of four, as suggested

•Either rocket's upper stage broke, or Russia had kept part of the launch secret

Published: 07:55 EST, 4 December 2018 | Updated: 08:11 EST, 4 December 2018

The US Combined Space Operations Centre (CSpOC) believe that either the rocket's upper stage broke in two, or the Russians had kept part of the launch secret.

These satellites are believed to be weaponised and could pose a serious threat to the orbital operations of other countries.

Russia may be proof the country is readying a 'combat laser system'.

Russia's intention to militarise space with offensive weaponry