Top Diaries

Greek centre-right party accused of `censoring' EPP's Weber

Mitsotakis welcomes EPP's Weber at launch of EU campaign
"Mitsotakis said ND has fought against populism for years and now his party is ready to defeat the Left in the upcoming EU elections."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 12:20:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]

wut (none / 0)

SYRIZA said New Democracy had obscured Weber's statement that "Europe welcomed the North Macedonia deal," in a recent press release.
ND has firmly opposed the name change deal, the Prespa Agreement, recently reached between Athens and Skopje, while all EU governments have been quite supportive, as well as the EPP, New Democracy's political home in the EU.
Asked by journalists about the North Macedonia deal, WEBER replied: "Europe welcomes the deal" and added that the "internal discussion over the issue in Greece should be respected".

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri Apr 26th, 2019 at 07:30:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Head Start

French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer and Junior Health and Solidarity Minister Christelle Dubos on Tuesday announced €6 million in initial funding for the free breakfast programme, which will be put in place at public schools that have been identified as "priority education network" (réseau d'éducation prioritaire or REP) establishments as well as in some poor urban neighbourhoods and rural areas.
[...]
A pilot programme was launched earlier this month in eight areas where schools are already working to serve students a healthy, free meal in the morning: Amiens, the overseas territory of La Réunion, Lille, Montpellier, Nantes, Reims, Toulouse andVersailles. The programme will be expanded nationwide in the fall, and is expected to provide breakfast to as many as 100,000 schoolchildren once fully operational.
Hunger leads to 'difficulty learning'

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 12:25:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

French mayors urge government to do more to shelter asylum seekers

Acte XXIII
Inquiry opened after Yellow Vests goad police to `commit suicide'

Yellow Vests took to the streets of Paris for a 23rd consecutive Saturday this weekend, facing off against police at the city's historic Place de la République, where protesters chanted at officers to "commit suicide".
[...]
The jeers have struck a nerve in France, where the number of police suicides are on the rise. Twenty-eight officers have taken their own lives so far this year, the Information and Communication Service of the National Police (SICoP) confirmed to FRANCE 24.
[...]
"These chants incite real hatred against the police, and the interior and justice ministries must demonstrate firmness by pursuing any legal action that may be brought," ALTERNATIVE Police CFDT said in a statement on Saturday. Although there is no clear single cause for the high rate of suicides, police unions have pointed to the relentless pressures of the job.

The signatories of the appeal come from an array of political parties, and include Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
[...]
In 2018, the number of people who requested asylum in France grew by 22 percent to 122,743, according to the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Displaced Persons (Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides or OFPRA). But government reception centres only had room for 86,510.

< pick teeth, suck vigorously >

FRANCE24 got kind of sassy this week. I reckon, Macron's um measured response fell flat.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Apr 27th, 2019 at 05:05:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

With a little help from our friends

Why does the Hungarian electorate put up with this? The answer is threefold. In economic terms the country is enjoying a relatively good decade, and many families are feeling the benefits despite the record-shattering income gap, and mind-boggling stories like the one of Orbán's childhood friend, the village gas fitter Lőrincz Mészáros, who since 2010 has risen from complete nobody to the 2057th richest person on the planet. Wages are up, unemployment is down, and about half a million mostly young and educated people have moved to other EU countries. Brussels is spending over 4 billion euros a year on Hungary, adding 3 to 4 percent to the county's Gross National Income.
[...]
But there is one more way Europe could help: By sending election observers. The guy is a cheater.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 06:05:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe CAMPAIGN 2019 (none / 1)

Thousands march in Glasgow to support Scottish independence (eurogreen fille, top L, row 6 )

It is the first rally since First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said last month that she would introduce new legislation to stage a second independence referendum by May 2021, the end date of the current government in Holyrood.
[...]
Sturgeon's Scottish National Party (SNP) is campaigning ahead of the European elections later this month on a "Stop Brexit" platform, in a bid to reinforce Scotland's support for staying in the EU. The SNP is expected to win three or four of Scotland's six seats in the European Parliament, with Labour and the Conservatives taking one each.
[...]
Permission to vote
The devolved government in Edinburgh cannot hold a referendum without being granted the powers to do so by the Westminster government in London.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun May 5th, 2019 at 04:26:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

European bloc not considering joining China's Belt and Road plans

PHOTO CAPTION: Let's make a Brexit deal, UK PM May tells Labour opposition at the Scottish Conservatives' annual party conference, Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, Friday 3 May.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun May 5th, 2019 at 04:31:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

No meddling here (none / 1)

WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, just shut down the massive channel used by Spain's independent leftist political party Podemos.

And it did this just days before the general election

This is actual, extreme election meddling by a foreign corporationhttps://t.co/PxzZ722Mk8
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) 24. April 2019

by generic on Fri Apr 26th, 2019 at 04:27:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: No meddling here (none / 0)

But...RUSSIANS!

by rifek on Sat Apr 27th, 2019 at 08:31:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: No meddling here (none / 1)

Beluga whale allegedly used as Russian spy is refusing to leave Norwegian port https://t.co/1P8V9PEjup pic.twitter.com/6fRkRmHa8U
— The Hill (@thehill) May 2, 2019

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu May 2nd, 2019 at 10:28:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe RECONNAISSANCE (none / 0)

EU officials told EURACTIV.com that "the EU position has not changed". The bloc decided not to become a member when the massive plan was presented more than five years ago. Member states are free to join individually, as nearly half of them have already done.

OpEd | Silk roads

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's presence at the Belt and Road Initiative Forum in Beijing Friday and Saturday, in addition to Greece's joining the initiative of 16 countries of Eastern and Southeastern countries with strong relations with China, shows how far Greece has come since 2009. That was when China's state-owned Cosco [!] took over part of Piraeus's [!] container port. That initiative by a New Democracy [!] government was opposed bitterly by other parties and vested interests. However, despite the obstacles that they set up, PASOK and SYRIZA contributed toward a closer relationship with China.

Leaders from 37 countries to attend second Belt and Road forum in Beijing

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters on Friday that apart from the 37 state and government heads, the Apr. 25-27 event will also be attended by representatives of up to 150 countries and international organizations, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde.
Among the presidents or prime ministers likely to attend are from Italy, Portugal, Greece, Russia, Chile, Austria, Switzerland, Singapore, Philippines, Kenya, Pakistan, Egypt, Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Mongolia, Vietnam and Thailand.
Many western countries won't send their top leaders to attend the meeting. These include the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Australia or Spain.

Hammond says Britain [finance industry] a good Belt & Road partner
wut

archived
LEAK: Europe puts pressure on Beijing ahead of EU-China summit
< yawn >

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri Apr 26th, 2019 at 07:50:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe RECONNAISSANCE (none / 0)

Swiss labour leader declares draft EU treaty 'dead'
"'This text is dead,' SGB head Pierre-Yves Maillard told the NZZ am Sonntag paper, saying labour could never accept diluting Swiss rules that protect Europe's highest wages from cross-border competition or subjecting the rules to EU judges' review."
Scandinavian Airlines strike in 4th day, affecting thousands
"The pilots' negotiations, which started in March, are mainly about salary increases and working hours. Details have not been released but the [SAS Pilot Group] says it wants salaries to be in line with the market rate, while SAS negotiators have called the requests 'unreasonable and extreme.'

"Jacob Pedersen, an analyst with Denmark's Sydbank, says the pilots want their share of company earnings after the carrier posted a profit in the past four years following a cost saving program that started in 2012.."
["]Consultants["] warn of industrial action over two-tier pay
"New specialists that have been appointed since late 2012 get lower pay. Addressing the conference, Minister for Health Simon Harris said that a process will be established to deal with the issue. ...[Dr Padraig McGarry] said the continuation of the pay differential was 'a key factor in explaining why 500 consultant posts in Ireland are vacant and patients are being forced to wait unacceptable lengths of time to see a consultant'"
MEPs approve the creation of the European Labour Authority

"Combating social dumping [?!] requires real coordination at EU level," said socialist MEP Christine Revault d'Allonnes Bonnefoy. "This body will help make Europe's labour market fairer by combating fraud and abuse and by enabling citizen mobility," she added.
[w.t.f.]
The European Labour Authority, which should be set up in 2019 with more than 100 staff, should make it possible to respond - at least in part - to this problem. It would support the fight against fraud, in particular by promoting coordination between the EU member states' various labour inspection systems.

gee. that's strange.

In the EU Court of Auditors' annual report, the question of the status of workers posted abroad is not presented as problematic in itself. But abuses are difficult [!] for control services to grasp because concerned [!] foreign companies refuse to cooperate and assistance from countries of origin [!] is also difficult to obtain.

archived "Amazon of airlines"
Europa, wo bleibt die Mitbestimmung, A/V (DE)
Nurses' strike to go ahead after talks fail
Europe creates labour watchdog to fight against ["]abuses["]
German Amazon workers take pre-Christmas strike action
EU orders Ryanair to meet European rules on local contracts
Employee activism in this sphere is a direct result of defects in Art. 153
Lemmesee: base-cut, two-tier compensation structure? I bet they fell for it.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 06:17:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Poll Smoke

If a referendum on EU membership were held across the bloc today, a majority in favour of remaining would be impossible to reach in the UK, Czech Republic and Italy, according to the latest Eurobarometer released by the European Parliament on Thursday (25 April).
[...]
The survey asked 27,973 Europeans between 19 February and 4 March and noted an overall increase of undecided voters in 13 countries, including the UK.

Unsatisfied in France: Muted response to Macron sales pitch
"The sample of the Harris Interactive poll was relatively small -- 807 [!] adults aged 18 and over, with a margin of 2 percentage points [?!] -- but found that just 7% found Macron's proposals 'very convincing.'"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri Apr 26th, 2019 at 08:01:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

24 May: What are we voting on?
< wipes tears >

archived
MEMORABLE QUOTE

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun Apr 28th, 2019 at 11:46:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe CAMPAIGN 2019 (none / 1)

If a referendum on EU membership were held across the bloc today, a majority in favour of remaining would be impossible to reach in the UK, Czech Republic and Italy

That's an interesting contorsion. Desperately trying to find something negative to say about Europeans' attachment to Europe.
According to the poll, 47% of Czechs would vote to stay, 24% to leave. That's close to a two thirds majority. 49/19 in Italy, that's over two thirds.

I suppose it's an interesting thought experiment : design a referendum where unless an absolute majority of eligible voters votes to continue the status quo, the reverse applies.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Thu May 2nd, 2019 at 10:33:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Romania's witches harness the powers of the web

Most journalists are hacks. And the pro - anti EU frame is a way to replace a lot of politics coverage with horse race bullshit, that they love more than anything.

by generic on Thu May 2nd, 2019 at 10:57:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Die Spargel-Partei (none / 1)

That's the new name for the FDP. After Der Spiegel published an attack on the cult of white asparagus, Christian Lindner defended it.

Lindner versteht das offenbar als unverschämten Angriff: Front werde gemacht gegen den Spargel, sagte er beim Parteitag der FDP am Samstag. Die Deutschen lebten in dem Bewusstsein, ,,Spargelnation der Welt" zu sein, sagt Lindner. Dabei habe China uns mal wieder längst überholt, denn da würde 60 Mal mehr Spargel angebaut als in Deutschland. ,,Symbolisch" sei das, so Lindner: ,,Wenn wir nicht den Spargel anbauen, dann werden es andere tun, wie in jeder anderen Technologie auch." Dicker Applaus von seinen Zuhörerinnen und Zuhörern.

Die neuen FDP-Wahlplakate sind auch schon da. pic.twitter.com/FCmPhwLWMD
— Der Gazetteur (@dergazetteur) April 28, 2019

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 06:51:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (none / 0)

REUTERS | Czechs protest justice appointee, fear meddling in PM's case, 29 April

President Milos Zeman will appoint Marie Benesova on Tuesday after the resignation of her predecessor, bringing opposition accusations of pressure on courts as Andrej Babis faces a potential fraud trial over European Union subsidies more than a decade ago.

counting protestors cross-country

Despite the investigation, Babis's ANO party maintains a firm poll lead after sweeping to power in a 2017 election when it won three times the votes of its nearest competitor with pledges to end politics as usual and bring a businessman's touch to governance.
Babis, the country's second richest person, has long fought accusations of conflicts of interest because of his vast business interests. He put his Agrofert business empire into trusts in 2017 to meet new Czech legislation.

What protest?
Radio Praha (EN) |Czech prime minister says efforts to bring him to court are 'political plot', 18 April

archived 2017
Reaction to Macron's Europe Speech Says Much About EU Divisions
"'He should really concentrate on France,' Czech ANO party leader Andrej Babis said in an interview."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 09:36:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Europe (none / 0)

A european policy regime that declares Italy and Germany to be at the same point relative to economic potential robs itself of the claim to rationality and invites a voluntarist nationalist response. Against nonsense output gaps in @socialeurope this am.https://t.co/hEOnoHjsnK pic.twitter.com/xtuhI5jM2e
— Adam Tooze (@adam_tooze) April 30, 2019

by generic on Thu May 2nd, 2019 at 10:40:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Witchcraft to the rescue (none / 0)

The witches also said they had recently turned their attention to politics, joining anti-corruption protests.
Minca said she connected online with nine witches and wizards from across Europe to the United States, seeking to put a curse on Romanian lawmakers seen by witches as corrupt.
Streamed online, the group had performed a mass ritual simultaneously with their overseas associates, against "those who don't do their jobs, those who have bad intentions, will lose their positions and suffer health problems," said Minca.
She said they plan to harness the global power of the Internet once more ahead of May's European parliament elections.
"We will continue this ritual on the 25th of May. We will do a powerful ritual against the Romanian government, so on the 26th when the European elections are taking place we will cast our spell for the good of the country."

by Bernard (bernard) on Thu May 2nd, 2019 at 12:16:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Witchcraft to the rescue (4.00 / 4)

What's their hourly rate?

At this point, the UK could use all the help it can get.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Thu May 2nd, 2019 at 06:56:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Brexit (none / 0)

BREXIT

by Bjinse on Mon Apr 8th, 2019 at 09:50:09 PM EST

You had one job (none / 0)

Just checking in on British politics.... "Change UK candidate said he wants Brexit if it stops Romanian pickpockets", great, I see https://t.co/btWwUsvLPA
— Dawn Foster (@DawnHFoster) April 23, 2019

by generic on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 12:19:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You had one job (4.00 / 2)

"Isn't the truth that you don't want a general election because all of you lot would lose your seats?"

That's the question Paul McNamara put to Change UK's interim leader Heidi Allen. pic.twitter.com/OS2rJO0kwB
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) April 24, 2019

So you are Change UK, yet faced with the chance to change the Prime Minister you wouldn't take it?

by generic on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 04:50:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You had one job (none / 0)

Second Change UK candidate quits EU election over past tweets

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 05:58:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You had one job (none / 1)

Just months ago, this @TheIndGroup MEP candidate was demanding that Labour back Theresa May's "soft, pragmatic Brexit". pic.twitter.com/z72YuE7M7w
— Owen Jones🌹 (@OwenJones84) April 24, 2019

by generic on Fri Apr 26th, 2019 at 12:29:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Counts as Brexit related (4.00 / 4)

According to Hilary Spurling's biography of Antony Powell, the typical member of the British ruling class in the 1920s was so sexually incompetent that he couldn't get laid even in a brothel. pic.twitter.com/tOxqWAa7ws
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) 22. April 2019

by generic on Fri Apr 26th, 2019 at 04:30:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Counts as Brexit related (none / 0)

Why, yes, it does in my book of breaks, psychotic.

I am reminded of a note about Mary Beard that I prepared to post in "Sheela na gig" but did not. It concerns artifacts of the public space for "commercial sex act" in Roman antiquity. It concerns Beard's eminent knowledge cast as the autobiographical lecture "Women in Power" and forceful repression of pornography in a bath and a brothel in "Meet the Romans".

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Apr 27th, 2019 at 11:51:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Brexit CATTLE CALL (none / 0)

May government rules out Brexit vote before local polls, Holiday Greetings!

The government's new plan is to turn the Withdrawal Agreement into a Bill that can be amended in a bid to persuade Labour MPs to support it. It is also set to include provisions on keeping the UK aligned with EU standards on < reckless eyeballin' > workers' rights and environmental protection.
[...]
Although the chaos of Brexit is likely to PUNISH the governing Conservative party at the municipal polls, with the Tories braced to lose between 500 and 800 local councillors, the party is particularly anxious to avoid the European elections. Surveys suggest that 60% of Tory activists and 40% of the party's local councillors plan to vote against their own party in the EU elections, and the latest surveys on the European elections put the Tories on 13%, around half the level of Labour and Nigel Farage's Brexit party.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 06:47:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Trump (none / 0)

TRUMP

by Bjinse on Mon Apr 8th, 2019 at 09:50:12 PM EST

Re: Trump ECONOMY & FINANCE (none / 0)

Oil prices spike further after US move on Iran buyers
+2 for Anyone Buttrump 2020!

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Apr 23rd, 2019 at 02:18:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump ECONOMY & FINANCE (none / 0)

Saudi Arabia won't hike oil output after US cancels Iran waivers
"[KSA energy minister Khalid al-Falih] said the kingdom's May output has already been set without varying much from recent months and production for June will be decided next month."
Turkey slams US for ending waivers on Iranian oil imports
"#Turkey rejects unilateral sanctions and impositions on how to conduct relations with neighbors."
China complains to U.S. over end to Iran oil sanction waivers
"China is resolutely opposed to the United States enforcing unilateral sanctions or 'long armed jurisdiction', Geng Shuang, a ministry spokesman, told a daily news briefing."
Europe Doubles Down on Iran Support as Trump Targets Oil Exports

"We regret yesterday's announcement by the U.S. not to renew oil waivers," European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told reporters in Brussels. ...Work on the INSTEX mechanism to facilitate financial transactions for European companies trading with Iran is "progressing positively with a view to a near completion," the French ministry said.
Iran should continue work on its mirror mechanism, the ministry said. Exchanges between the two sides are underway to ensure that both structures "operate in a manner consistent with international financial standards," it said.

US ends waiver but India may continue to buy Iran oil
"Government officials, who asked not to be named, said Indian companies are unlikely to completely halt imports from Iran. ...The waiver from sanctions for Iran's Chabahar port, which is being developed by India for trading with Afghanistan and Central Asia, will remain in place."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 10:47:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump ECONOMY & FINANCE (none / 1)

AP | Unemployment hits 49-year low as US employers step up hiring: 3.6%
"'We have entered a very strong and durable prosperity cycle,' said Larry Kudlow, director of the White House's National Economic Council. ...And the unemployment rate for veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars dropped to 1.7%, also a record low."
BLS | Employment Situation Summary

The jobless rates for teenagers (13.0 percent) and Blacks (6.7 percent) showed little or no change. ... long-term unemployed was little changed at 1.2 million in April and accounted for 21.1 percent of the unemployed. ... The labor force participation rate declined by 0.2 percentage point to 62.8 percent ... Professional and business services added 76,000 jobs

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat May 4th, 2019 at 06:08:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump ECONOMY & FINANCE (4.00 / 2)

Kudlow's statement, 'We have entered a very strong and durable prosperity cycle' brings to mind Irving Fisher's immortal quote: "Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau." - Sept. 3, 1929

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Sat May 4th, 2019 at 08:13:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Tennessee lawmakers send governor 'trigger[]' abortion ban

"When Roe v. Wade is overturned, we'll be able to determine abortion policies in place in Tennessee," said Rep. Susan Lynn, a Republican from Old Hickory and one of the bill's sponsors. "We will return [?] to a pro-life policy in this state."
[...]
The so-called trigger ban would take effect within 30 days if the high court overturns Roe v. Wade. It includes exceptions for medical emergencies only, not for rape or incest. Doctors who violate the law would face a felony charge under the ban.

General Assembly
House: 26 (D), 73 (R); Fun Fact: $19,009/year salary
Senate: 5 (D), 1 (I), 27 (R)
Tennessee's legislature needs more women
20, of which 1 "working mother"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Apr 23rd, 2019 at 02:51:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Florida Man arms
"a proposed expansion of a 'guardian program'"
Florida Man bans
"fervid opposition from Democrats and hours of emotional debate"

The Legislature
House: 71 (R), 46 (D), 3 (VACANT); Fun Fact: $18,000/year salary
Senate: 23 (R), 17 (D)

48 chamber slaves of the patriarchy: 29 (D), 19 (R)
wut: Of the 43 women who won seats in the state legislature in November, only 16 were Republican"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Apr 25th, 2019 at 02:23:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Florida Man adds
"barrier to voting rights restoration"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat May 4th, 2019 at 05:38:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Pulp non sequitur: Biden's notorious maltreatment of Anita Hill in Thomas' confirmation hearing equals criticism of Thomas' fitness for office. So pulp expert testimony entails a liturgy of Thomas' curriculum vitae by a political scientist, recently published.
AP | Justice Clarence Thomas' moment may finally have arrived

Just this term, Thomas called on the court to reconsider a landmark 1964 First Amendment case, describing it and later decisions extending it as "policy-driven decisions masquerading as constitutional law ." He also criticized a 1963 Supreme Court decision that guarantees a lawyer for anyone too poor to hire one. And he equated [sic] the court's Roe v. Wade [?] abortion decision with its Dred Scott [?] decision , which said African Americans weren't citizens, labeling Both "notoriously incorrect."

Like Gorsuch Thomas concurred with a long annotation about Anglo-american jurisprudence respecting the 8th Amd. (bail, fines, cruel and unusual punishment).

Limbs va. Indiana (Feb 2019), Ginsburg for the majority, Held: "The Eighth Amendment's Excessive Fines Clause [narrow!] is an incorporated protection applicable to the States under the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause [narrow!]." Thomas' objects to qualification by "due process"; citizenship unequivocally merits protection.

The 39th Congress focused on these abuses during its debates over the Fourteenth Amendment, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and the Freedmen's Bureau Act. During those well-publicized debates, Members of Congress consistently highlighted and lamented the "severe penalties" inflicted by the Black Codes and similar measures, Cong.Globe, 39th Cong., 1st Sess., 474 (1866)(Sen. Trumbull), suggesting that the prohibition on excessive fines was understood to be a basic right of citizenship. [...] Similar examples abound. One congressman noted that Alabama's "aristocratic and anti-republican laws, almost reenacting slavery, among other harsh inflictions impose...a fine of fifty dollars and six months' imprisonment on any servant or laborer (white or black) who loiters away his time or is stubborn or refractory." Id., at 1621 (Rep.Myers). He also noted that Florida punished vagrants with "a fine not exceeding $500 and imprison[ment] for a term not exceeding twelve months, or by being sold for a term not exceeding twelve months, at the discretion of the court." Ibid. At the time, such fines would have been ruinous for laborers. Cf. id., at 443 (Sen. Howe) ("A thou-sand dollars! That sells a negro for his life"). These and other examples of excessive fines from the historical record informed the Nation's consideration of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Placing pulp non sequitur: The constitutional issue and relevant error is FL ex-post facto punishment, indenture, fine on citizenship of felons (above). Thomas again reviews derivative applications of Sullivan but does not comment on Roe v. Wade (implied right to "privacy" rather than explicit security in one's person) extruded by SCOTUS from the 4th Amd. Who today cannot understand the error in relying on US fed gov to protect any "privacy"?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun May 5th, 2019 at 12:00:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]

South Carolina state House approves 'heartbeat' abortion ban
"A rapist is not a father"
wut: "just seven working days left in the 2019 legislative session"

General Assembly
House: 44 (D), 80 (R); Fun Fact: $10,400/year salary
Senate: 18 (D), 27 (R), 1 (VACANT)

27 chamber slaves of the patriarchy: 14 (D), 13 (R)
wut: "they represent a little over half of the population in South Carolina"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri Apr 26th, 2019 at 09:43:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

NH Students Seek Democrats' Help on Voting Rights

looking for help from their party's presidential candidates in overturning a [2018 NH state] law that will make it harder for some college students to vote.
[...]
It subjects college students who come from other states to residency requirements such as getting a New Hampshire driver's license if they study and vote in the state.
[...]
The 2020 candidates have offered a range of solutions that span from the difficult and unlikely path of amending the [US] Constitution to reviving voting rights measures filed and left for dead in Congress.

The General Court
House: 233 (D), 167 (R); Fun Fact: $200.00/term salary
Senate: 14 (D), 10 (R)

144 chamber slaves of the patriarchy
115 (D), 29 (R)

wut: "New Hampshire GOP Tries to Block Some College Kids From Voting in 2020"
wut: "Democrats in the New Hampshire Senate have voted through a bill to exempt college students and members of the military from having to register their cars in New Hampshire if they vote here. "

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 10:33:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

North Carolina teachers to protest for 2nd year in row, SOS
"Every mind matters"

General Assembly
House: 55 (D), 65 (R); Fun Fact: $13,951/year salary
Senate: 21 (D), 30 (R)
wut: "Six freshmen Republicans and seven freshmen Democrats were sworn into the Senate, which now includes 10 African-Americans, 10 women, two Indian-Americans, and 11 veterans."

33 chamber slaves of the patriarchy
28 (D), 15 (R)
wut: "We tried to make it about women and not politics which is why we chose white."
wut: "lawmakers must pass the proposed consent bill in at least one chamber by May 9 or the bill will become ineligible to be voted on for the rest of the legislative session"
wut: "Raleigh Women's March is Independent of Women's March, Inc."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 1st, 2019 at 04:45:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

archived: Some good news from the US , Nov 2017

The other most-noted story was Philadelphia District Attorney's race, in which the Unelectable Larry Krasner, a career defense attorney and critic of mass incarceration who supports Black Lives Matter and the ACLU, beat the Republican candidate by 40 percentage points.

Krasner fights new Mumia Abu-Jamal appeal, 25 Jan 2019
"He declined to comment on the decision." Pwnd shake fists of fury.
Break in Mumia case opens road for appeal, April 2019

[Common Pleas* Court Judge Leon] Tucker shattered Krasner's argument, explaining that former DA Castille gave the appearance of bias not only because of his prior role as district attorney but also because of his pro-death penalty statements, ties to the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), and lobbying for speedy death penalties in capital cases involving the murder of police officers.

DA Krasner Drops Challenge, 2 May, A/V (EN), transcript
features Michael Schiffmann, University of Heidelberg

General Assembly
House: 93 (D), 1 (VACANT), 109 (R); Fun Fact: $86,478/year salary
Senate: 21 (D), 3 (VACANT), 26 (R)
MarchonHarrisburg: Ending corruption in Pennsylvania, one issue at a time.
63 chamber slaves of the patriarchy
36 (D), 28 (R)
wut: On 1st day, Pa. House's only Muslim woman deals with 'blatant Islamophobia'
--
* A Pennsyltucky specialty, not to be confused with, say, NY Court of Claims

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri May 3rd, 2019 at 10:35:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump BUREAUCRATS (none / 0)

Supreme Court looks likely to back Commerce Dept. on adding citizenship question to 2020 census
Ironies in the arguments for and against are too numerous to restate. Sample questionnaire panel shown, bears a striking resemblance to any private-sector app for employment and public-sector app for benefits circulating online in the last decade or two.

Affirmative defense of VRA enforcement is a calumny. No matter. District re-mapping will occur per constitutional mandated enumeration by total headcount, not total "citizens". CA might still pick up a seat or two on reapportionment whether or not the Trump Trust Detainee Distribution Plan works in the state's favor.

Consequently, it looks to me that so-called immigration advocates will spend the next 12 months cleaning up the mess of "misinformation" about social services and deportation in order to persuade terrorized, resident aliens ("non-citizen" HHs) to respond promptly to the Census. IF they don't want a visit from a walking, talking enumerator.

archived fall 2019 calendar
Prison Gerrymandering Lawsuit Moves Forward in Connecticut

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Tue Apr 23rd, 2019 at 10:04:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump BUREAUCRATS (none / 0)

That was quick.
Tech firm VMware faces DACA discrimination lawsuit

On Tuesday, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund sued VMware in federal court in California, saying the software company violated the Civil Rights Act [Title VII] when it denied Sandy Vasquez a job.
[...]
VMware, according to the lawsuit, refuses to hire people authorized to work in the U.S. unless they are citizens, permanent residents or have a "transferrable visa" such as one given to highly skilled workers. Vasquez and others enrolled in DACA, as well as other immigrants such as those with temporary protected status, do not fall into these categories.
[...]
Palo Alto, California-based VMware said that while it does not comment on active lawsuits, it "hires and continues to employ DACA recipients."

partly pregnant

Vasquez, according to court documents, was told by a recruiter for VMware last January that she would be a "great fit" for a technical support engineer position at the company. A few days later, the lawsuit says the recruiter "abruptly terminated" the interview after Vasquez disclosed that she is not a U.S. citizen, though she has work authorization in the U.S. through DACA. According to the lawsuit, she was told all applicants must be either U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
[...]
The [DACA] program was enacted under President Barack Obama in 2012, allowed qualifying immigrants who came illegally to the U.S. as children to apply for renewable, two-year permits that would protect them from deportation and allow them to work.

Deadline to Submit DACA Renewal Requests Approaching On Oct. 5, 2017
"Based on legal guidance issued by the Attorney General, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke issued a memorandum on Sept. 5, 2017, initiating an orderly wind-down of DACA."
Post Office Fails to Deliver on Time, and DACA Applications Get Rejected

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 04:32:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

de jokes, (none / 0)

Buttigeig*: Felons in prison shouldn't vote.

Sanders: Yes they should.

Gravel: Why isn't George W Bush in jail?
— Sam Husseini (@samhusseini) April 23, 2019

--
* SELL order, related to South Bend, IN, admin

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 01:09:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Democrat says he'll take Trump-like path to presidency
"300 people turned out to his evening rally to wave signs that said 'Math' and 'Yang Gang'"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 01:22:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Pritzker: 'No concerns' about fed probe of property tax appeal
"Illinois, perhaps more than any other state, has suffered greatly due to public corruption. Four of Illinois' last nine governors have gone to prison"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Apr 27th, 2019 at 01:17:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Nominate a woman? Some Democratic women aren't so sure
Cecile Richards: reproduction politics? public property?
New group launches to harness political power of women
Cecile Richards: reproduction politics? public property?

yeah? no.

archived "Women and minorities" editions
Women's March 2019

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 02:54:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Sputnik is funded in part or in whole by Russia government.

Sgt. Rianna Conner, alias Combat Barbie

File in "The Golden Age of American mass media will rise again"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu May 2nd, 2019 at 11:48:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss America since 1952, 1983, 1921
"black beauty is at the heart of a 21st century American ideal"
Miss Gay USofA, Miss Gay America since 1972
"A 'male interview' portion of the contest took place without an audience."
MISS U.S. LATINA®, MISS TEEN U.S. LATINA since 1983
"exclusively for Latinas in the USA"
Beauty pageants up-leveling the feminist agenda
"Although raised in a patriarchal society in Colombia Fino never personally felt oppressed as a little girl."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat May 4th, 2019 at 07:01:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]

R. Maddow

1/ If YouTube were to recommend your show, it'd be recommending the leading purveyor of now debunked Trump-Russia conspiracy theories, falsehoods & innuendo of the last 2+ years. Here's a sample:
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) April 28, 2019

J. Comey

He's just revealed more of himself than any of his self-serving comparisons to Reinhold Neibuhr have.
— Regina Griffin (@Regina_Griffin) April 27, 2019

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 04:34:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Jeremy Hunt Syndrome

"Canada is back!" 🤦‍♀️ #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/NIAdeurcuv
— True North (@TrueNorthCentre) April 28, 2019

Boys, the wealthy, and Canadians (?) talk the most BS

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 07:20:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Buttigieg meets with Sharpton seeking inroads with black voters
uhhhhhhhhhh

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 10:39:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Seth Moulton announces 2020 bid
"The Massachusetts lawmaker ultimately backed Pelosi"
The Curious Campaign of Seth Moulton
needs moar Al Sharpton, AI, possibly "badassism" and weed

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 1st, 2019 at 03:17:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

ProCon | unrestricted voting right

Austria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine

Note to Self: update useful "green zone" public property table

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun May 5th, 2019 at 07:20:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: de jokes, (none / 1)

What is "Macedonia"?

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sun May 5th, 2019 at 09:42:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Macédoine

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Tue May 7th, 2019 at 09:36:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Strongly worded letter UPDATE (none / 0)

Is Baltimore City's Strong Mayor System Corrupting? Residents Weigh In" A/V (EN), no transcript
Local media quick to catalyze "the narrative": The Real News Network hosts an informal Q&A session with about two dozen area residents about city charter functions, council hackery, and desirable alterations. Cues political education for run up to 2020.

AP | Acting Baltimore mayor settles in as Pugh slithers out of sight
"Only a conviction can trigger a Baltimore mayor's removal from office, according to City Solicitor Andre Davis* and the state constitution. Baltimore's mayor-friendly City Charter currently provides no options for ousting its executive."
--
*compromised Pugh staffer on Board of Estimates, covering no-bid awards

archived politics
Behind The Scenes Of A Baltimore Corruption Scandal
should the charter be changed so we have a recall provision?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Apr 25th, 2019 at 12:40:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]

'For the good of the city': Maryland governor calls on Baltimore mayor to resign after FBI raids
Local reporters have the racket valued at $800K so far.

< pick teeth, suck vigorously >

The dominoes will be falling all summer long ...

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu Apr 25th, 2019 at 05:04:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Mayor Pugh not 'lucid' enough to decide on resignation
tears, sippy cup

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Apr 27th, 2019 at 10:04:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Pugh resigns: "I am sorry for the damage I have caused"
"The statement that was read by her personal attorney, Steven D. Silverman."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu May 2nd, 2019 at 10:58:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Federal court strikes down Michigan districts drawn by GOP

Meanwhile, dominoes shiver ...
City lawyers defend pipeline agreement with BGE (Excelon, subsidiary)
"City Solicitor Andre Davis and a Rec and Parks attorney say they are 'ffended'by criticism by a Leakin Park citizens' group". Get used to it or get out.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Thu May 2nd, 2019 at 11:01:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 1)

This page wants to sell me blue pills I think.

by generic on Thu Apr 25th, 2019 at 11:25:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (4.00 / 2)

You'd expect a smooth and experienced political operator to know better than to run a campaign slogan with the word "lie" in it.

But this is Joe Biden, so maybe it's not such a surprise.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Thu Apr 25th, 2019 at 01:46:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (4.00 / 2)

And, as generic implies, it's an ad for an old folks' home.

I used to be afew. I'm still not many.

by john_evans (john(dot)evans(dot)et(at)gmail(dot)com) on Thu Apr 25th, 2019 at 01:50:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 1)

I find it astonishing. He has been running for president for longer than I have been walking. And that is what he came up with?

by generic on Thu Apr 25th, 2019 at 03:09:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 0)

Joe Biden is a spineless politician who mouths off about Charlotesville not necessarily because he's anti-racism - he voted against busing and wrote the crime bill - but because he thought it made things too obvious. He's all for "law and order" and "safe communities," though.
— Mike Gravel (@MikeGravel) 25. April 2019

by generic on Thu Apr 25th, 2019 at 09:35:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Progressive! (none / 0)

Biden says he once went out into the "hood" and helped women of color learn to code. https://t.co/JsHqttwo7d
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 3, 2019

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri May 3rd, 2019 at 01:20:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 0)

I think it has the same font as Obama had. So Obama nostalgia it is.

by fjallstrom on Thu Apr 25th, 2019 at 02:47:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (4.00 / 3)

Some random Twitter reactions I can't be bothered to quote properly:

"The audacity of grope"

and

"Grope we can believe in"

Will be interesting to see if the his poll numbers start diving now that he has declared (probably after an initial bounce).

by fjallstrom on Thu Apr 25th, 2019 at 03:06:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 1)

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 03:07:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump HOUSE (none / 1)

The League of Women Voters and some Democrats had challenged the state's 162 legislative and congressional districts, but the final suit only targeted 34 of those districts. Michigan has 14 congressional districts.
[...]
[US District Court] found that all nine of the challenged congressional districts are unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders "because they dilute the views of Democratic voters." The court reached the same conclusion for seven state Senate districts and 11 state House districts.
[...]
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two partisan gerrymandering cases last month and is expected to issue rulings at the end of June.

Michigan judges urge Supreme Court to curb partisan gerrymandering

Justices have appeared wary of empowering courts to decide if political districts are too partisan, but judges who barred continued use of Michigan maps used part of their 146-page decision to make the case for intervention.
[...]
"Federal courts' failure to protect marginalized voters' constitutional rights will only increase the citizenry's growing disenchantment with, and disillusionment in, our democracy, further weaken our democratic institutions, and threaten the credibility of the judicial branch."

Michigan political maps illegally rigged to 'historical proportions', 2020 shake up, details

archived 25 March
[Congressional Representatives] urge Supreme Court to leave redistricting to Congress
Are they mental?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri Apr 26th, 2019 at 10:36:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump HOUSE (none / 1)

empowerment(bullshit)

MSNBC | Oliver North steps down as president of NRA, won't serve second term

CNN | Oliver North: 'Informed' I will not be renominated NRA president

NRA | NRA President to Step Down as New York Attorney General Investigates

WAPOO | NRA ousts president Oliver North after alleged extortion scheme against chief executive

NBC News | NRA President Oliver North stepping down as infighting roils the gun-rights group

VANITY FAIR | N.R.A. President Oliver North steps down amid "clear crisis" of leadership

POLITICO | NRA announces North's resignation on-stage as 'crisis' hits gun lobby

REUTERS | Oliver North steps down as NRA president amid dispute over 'damaging' information

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - [Immunized felon] Oliver North will step down as president of the National Rifle Association, North said on Saturday, adding he was being forced out due to his allegations that NRA leaders engaged in financial improprieties.

COURTHOUSENEWS | Russia's Butina Gets 18-Month Sentence for Conspiracy [TO COMMIT WHAT CRIME?]

Butina admitted as part of her plea that she began working with former Russian official Alexander Torshin in 2015 to create a back-channel of communication between U.S. political figures [?] and Russia, a mission that she carried out by infiltrating [!] the powerful National Rifle Association.

Girl Power!

[U.S. District Judge Tanya] Chutkan found that Butina's efforts were undertaken for the benefit of Russia at a time when the country was actively interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
That [Maria Butina] failed to register as a foreign agent made her all the more likely to establish the connections that she did, the judge added.
The government has conceded that Butina was not a spy in the traditional [?] sense, but says her clandestine work to collect information valuable to the Russian government nevertheless posed a national-security threat.

wait for it.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia handled Butina's prosecution, not special counsel Robert Mueller. Her name appears nowhere in the 448-page report Mueller produced summarizing the results of his investigation.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Apr 27th, 2019 at 09:09:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump HOUSE (none / 1)

DCCC to meet with ["]progressives["] over controversial 'blacklist'[sic] policy

"It's important to show her willingness to carry on conversations [?!]," said Richard Rodriguez, a national board member of Our Revolution, who met with Bustos Thursday. "I'm sure she is also feeling some political pressure."
He pointed out that the meeting coincided with news that more than 40 College Democrats chapters had joined a boycott of the DCCC over the vendor [sic] policy.

Don't "donate" a %#@*! dime until the odious passes the National Party Anti-Boycott & Divestment Act of 2019 or the Corporations Are Not People Act of 2019, whichever occurs first.

reference
FEC FORM 3X DNC Services Corp./Dem. Nat'l Committee, financial statements
FEC FORM 3X Republican National Committee, Inc., financial statements
DOJ | PRICE FIXING, BID RIGGING AND MARKET ALLOCATION SCHEMES

archived free trade
House Democratic Leadership Warns It Will Cut Off Any Firms That Challenge Incumbents
"This is the first time that they are ever making [antitrust violations] open policy."
Welding et al. v. DNC Services Corp., d/b/a Democratic National Committee
final order Aug 2017
Welding et al. v. DNC Services Corp., d/b/a Democratic National Committee
complaint May 2017

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Apr 27th, 2019 at 09:52:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

errata (none / 0)

HTML link error (above)
DOJ | PRICE FIXING, BID RIGGING AND MARKET ALLOCATION SCHEMES

HTML link error (NEWSROOM/TRUMP/de jokes, 8-14 April 2019 )
VIOLENCE IN PHILADELPHIA IN THE 1840'S AND 1850s (pdf),
"Democratic 'gangs' vs. Orangemen 'nativists'"
--
This last link is pertinent reading, in light of RTE headline news. The historical episode and setting described is no hagiographic display of The American Immigrant Experience. It is but one print from the plate of criminology "transported" from Old World to the new submerged in The Dream. Now I was going to let slide this RTE reporter's derogatory, faintly racist and ignorant epitome of civil disturbance in the US in consideration (read: value) of Mr NEESOM's pathetic sacrifice on behalf of NI prisoners and a host of his "followers", attesting to his indiscriminate sexual prowess. But I've detected over a decade of reading the several papers a pattern of obdurant prejudices I can no longer leave untreated. It presents in the public record's inability to reconcile the facts in hand --not over here, but over there in the event of momentary but pronounced incontinence. Here the patina of violence abandoned in the rise of Anglo-Irish respectability is a trivial matter, something to burnish before Sunday.

It's unclear if he was the intended target, but he was an associate of a gang member and that was good enough for the attacker. He was shot twice, in the shoulder and leg, but survived. Other innocent passersby, including young children and motorists, narrowly escaped injury.
This wasn't downtown Detroit, it was Drogheda.

I see RTE reportage (unlike the torrid Independent) has returned this morning to isolate the incident from the historical stream of pride and liberation, favored at the moment over selecting "new IRA" fall guys from the menu offered by your Tory "partners". Three homes targeted in Drogheda gang feud: That is some vicious "gang." They will surely "ruin" property values. That is some surprising demonstration "organized crime". The like typically reserved by G-men to bomb the shit out of NEW! "black extremists" in America. That is some fine legacy, confess. A sovereign people that can scarcely police a border without threat of British soldiers extorting their remittances from the States are casting aspersions on the ruin of others.

Helluva nerve.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun Apr 28th, 2019 at 03:56:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

parting the lace curtains @ RTE (none / 0)

INDEPENDENT.IE | Gardai call for 24-hour armed units across the country as gang feuding spreads

In Louth, where the ongoing feud has resulted in high visibility armed patrols for months, CEC member Derek O'Donoghue said, "frontline members need and deserve more armed cover.

Not Dundalk, Baltimore Co., MD, USA, the other one.

[CEC member Derek O'Donoghue]msaid gardai in Louth, "have dealt with explosives and firearms finds, the threat of ATM thefts - which was prevented in Carlingford, guns being discharged in Dundalk and Drogheda, pipe bombs and petrol bombs and that's only since January this year."
[...]
"The ASU in the Northern Region are an integral part of the policing response to threats posed by feuding criminals in Drogheda, the spate of cross border ATM thefts and the activities of subversive groups in the NorthWest. The challenges are immense and the risks very real to frontline members."
He said, "the only effective solution is to ensure that armed cover is available in each division.

Policing is a grand tradition here.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 12:42:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: parting the lace curtains @ RTE (none / 0)

and their crazy cousins

this.empowerment(Kezia Dugdale), LABOUR SMP

She has also spent the last two years waiting for a trial to begin after she was sued for defamation by controversial pro-independence blogger Stuart Campbell. She had accused Mr Campbell of writing "homophobic tweets" but earlier this month successfully defended the defamation case after a sheriff ruled her claim was incorrect, but was protected under fair comment.

Man with gun arrested by armed police on Leith Links near primary school

It is understood the weapon involved was a soft pellet gun, which is not classed as a firearm, though police sources said seen from a distance it would look like a gun and could alarm people.

SNP: UK government 'stalling' on replacing EU cash for communities

After failing to receive an answer to her question to the minister in the Commons last week, SNP MP Alison Thewliss has written to the Chancellor for urgent clarity on the Shared Prosperity Fund and further BREXIT funding for local government.
Ms Thewliss said: "With the ongoing uncertainty of Brexit, the Tory government's Shared Prosperity Fund remains a mystery, offering no answers on how much money Scotland will get, who will administer the funds, and what the priorities for it will be.

"Scotch-Irish" Heritage Tracker, USA: o, look. (index)
Dundee > Dundalk
Place names (toponymy) are the historical linguist's best friend. hmm, textile industry in the NEW! world. See search for old world "cotton", "fetish," and "corn" in Weinrich, Africa and the Discovery of America in the NEW! world, "plantations"; also "Beyond the Seas: Eighteenth-Century Convict Transportation and the Widening Net of Penal Sanctions"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 02:10:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

partial print found at the scene (none / 0)

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun May 5th, 2019 at 06:58:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump HOUSE (none / 0)

I am fond of Renee Parsons, without or without the salty critique of "pussy hat" culture.
The DNC Debates, the Media and Tulsi Gabbard

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri May 3rd, 2019 at 04:21:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump HOUSE trial (none / 0)

WE CAN'T READ 14 MILLION COHEN DOCUMENTS ...
2,800 subpoenas, 500 search warrants, 230 orders for communication records, 50 orders authorizing use of pen registers, 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence, and testimonies by approximately 500 witnesses ... BY THURSDAY.

It is unusual for committee [attorneys] to question a witness. But committees can generally make their own rules, and other panels have made similar exceptions. In a confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh last year, for example, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee hired an outside prosecutor to question a witness who had accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

m'k. Wm. "Drug Czar" Barr is kind of sort of like a rape "survivor."

archived
House Judiciary Committee subpoena
Conspiracy by Democrats Falls Flat
Schumer claimed the hearings are "not a criminal trial"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 03:31:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump HOUSE (none / 0)

Tennessee Sued Over Crackdown on Voter [Registration]

[Complainants] say the law that is scheduled to take effect in Oct. 1 - about a year out from the 2020 presidential election - is vague, violates First and 14thAmendment rights and hands down draconian civil and criminal penalties for any group found violating its provisions.

Federal court strikes down Ohio congressional map as ~~partisan~~ gerrymander

archived
Gerrymandering is unlawful and illegal in the USA.
because this is America
What surprises me is that anyone on the planet looks to the USA to be a paragon of "democratic processes."
Shelby vs. Holder

On June 25, 2013, the United States Supreme Court held that it is unconstitutional to use the coverage formula in Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act to determine which jurisdictions are subject to the preclearance requirement of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, Shelby County v. Holder, 133 S. Ct. 2612 (2013). The Supreme Court did not rule on the constitutionality of Section 5 itself. The effect of the Shelby County decision is that the jurisdictions identified by the coverage formula in Section 4(b) no longer need to seek preclearance for the new voting changes, unless they are covered by a separate court order entered under Section 3(c) of the Voting Rights Act.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri May 3rd, 2019 at 06:32:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 0)

.@ewarren told @cenkuygur her proposal to refuse big donors is, "...for primaries. Look, I do not believe in unilateral disarmament. We need to win. We need to win in 2020. When we hit 2020 and we're in a race with Donald Trump...we got to be all in." pic.twitter.com/wMLofRs4Df
— The Young Turks (@TheYoungTurks) 26. Februar 2019

So what is the point of doing it in the primaries then?

by generic on Sun Apr 28th, 2019 at 09:21:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 0)

To embarrass Biden. As though he doesn't have enough to be embarrassed about anyway.

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Sun Apr 28th, 2019 at 12:12:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Buttigieg's policies (4.00 / 2)

Mayor Pete Buttigieg: "It's important that we not drown people in minutia before we've vindicated the values that animate our policies." pic.twitter.com/ys1LuymKpS
— The Hill (@thehill) April 23, 2019

by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Wed May 1st, 2019 at 08:53:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The situation here is still pretty psychotic. (none / 0)

Literary Criticism for Dummies: The attorney general's summary "did not fully capture the context, nature and substance of this office's work and conclusions"

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 1st, 2019 at 05:33:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The situation here is still pretty psychotic. (none / 0)

While Biden, Buttigieg scour SC for black-people-endorsements, Kamala?! "a decision my office made" Harris retreats to a senate hearing to question Wm. "Drug Czar" Barr (A/V, EN, no transcript) about why he would accept Mueller's "characterization of the evidence as true" and why Barr himself did not review "all the underlying evidence" produced by the special counsel's office ... before publishing the complete, unredacted text of the "Report".

Sen. Harris Asks Justice Department to Investigate Barr
strongly worded letter attached [!]

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun May 5th, 2019 at 04:52:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The situation here is still pretty psychotic. (none / 0)

double counting

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) became the first Indian American U.S. senator and the second-ever African American female senator.46

< wipes tears >

²⁷ Bureau of the Census, "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population by Sex, Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the United States and States: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015," available at https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2015/PEPASR6H/0100000US (last accessed April 2017). For these calculations, "women of color" are all women not noted by the Census Bureau as "white alone, non-Hispanic." By subtracting the number of women who identify as only white and not Hispanic or Latino (100,390,857) from the total number of women (163,189,523), the estimated number of women of color in 2015 was found to be 62,798,666. Women of color's shares of the U.S. population and of the female population were calculated using this number.

data in part cited in 2018 She The People summit promotional material, "leadership gap" metrics, private- and public-sector employment

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sun May 5th, 2019 at 06:39:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 0)

Lol no they haven't. https://t.co/i9ynaAZ6Jy
— Jacob Bacharach (@jakebackpack) May 1, 2019

I was initially really surprised when the Russia gaters reacted with shock on the first summery of the report. No one is going to read it, just keep grifting.

For the record, I have no compunction over declaring victory without having read the report. After all, unless they found out that Trump is a literal Russian robot there is really nothing they could find that would make him worse. If you want to impeach him for the nickel and dime corruption in plain sight, go ahead. If you want to go for the big stuff then impeach him for the genocide he is doing in northern Yemen.

by generic on Thu May 2nd, 2019 at 12:21:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Totally not impeachment worthy (none / 0)

LMAO at these companies, caught between Congressional subpoenas and a flurry of lawsuits from the actual President of the United States, whose person, family, and business they have knowingly laundered money for for decades. https://t.co/DUOzDbb9hA
— Jacob Bacharach (@jakebackpack) April 30, 2019

by generic on Thu May 2nd, 2019 at 12:23:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Trump (none / 0)

Elect me, I'm the guy who was in charge of encouraging Mitch McConnell to cooperate with the Obama administration pic.twitter.com/teoQVTpq2N
— Tom Scocca (@tomscocca) 4. Mai 2019

by generic on Sat May 4th, 2019 at 04:36:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

World (none / 0)

WORLD

by Bjinse on Mon Apr 8th, 2019 at 09:50:14 PM EST

Sri Lanka bombings: Retaliation for Christchurch mosque shootings, minister says

Sri Lanka bombings: funerals and burials begin
"The attacks are the worst ever against Sri Lanka's small Christian minority. The country's deputy defence minister said the initial investigation shows the bombings were in 'retaliation' for shootings at two New Zealand mosques last month. GEMUNU AMARASINGHE/AP"
Sri Lanka bomb blasts HIGHLIGHTS
"Another explosion went off on Monday in a van near a church in Colombo when a squad of Special Task Force (STF) and air force were trying to diffuse the bomb, Reuters reported. The Sri Lanka Police also found 87 bomb detonators at Colombo main bus station, a day after the island nation was shaken by serial blasts killing 290 people and wounding 500 others. "
Sri Lanka Blasts: Over 320 Dead, Hundreds Wounded on Easter Sunday

Among the dead are almost 40 foreigners including three Danish citizens, two Turkish citizens, three Britons and two individuals holding joint United States and British citizenship, as well as Indians and Portuguese. [...] The scale of the bloodshed recalled the worst days of the nation's 26-year civil war, in which the Tamil Tigers, a rebel group from the ethnic Tamil minority, sought independence from Sri Lanka, a Buddhist-majority country. During the war, the Tigers and other rebels carried out a multitude of bombings. The Tamils are Hindu, Muslim and Christian.

The preliminary investigations have revealed that what happened in Sri Lanka was in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch," [deputy defense minister] Ruwan Wijewardene told lawmakers on Tuesday without offering additional evidence to support his claim. [...] A "foreign intelligence agency" had reported that the National Thowfeek Jamaath were preparing suicide bombings on churches, with Sri Lankan defense ministry alerting the police chief in early April and the police then passing the information to top security officials in the judiciary and diplomatic security.

Isis claims responsibility for Easter Sunday bombings

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 12:04:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Two Chines nationals reported dead in Sri Lanka Easter bombings
"China is the second biggest source of tourists for Sri Lanka. Last year, about 265,000 visitors came from the mainland, or about 11.5 per cent of total tourists, according to the Sri Lankan Tourist Development Authority."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 12:14:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

[US] Ambassador: US had no prior knowledge of Sri Lanka threat
"As the investigation into ["a local Islamic extremist group called National Towheed Jamaar"]-claimed attack continues, FBI agents and U.S. military personnel are in Sri Lanka assisting the probe, Ambassador Alaina Teplitz said."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 01:17:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Canned tomatoes
"During a televised speech to the nation Tuesday night, President Maithripala Sirisena said he would change the head of the defense forces within 24 hours, and on Wednesday he asked for the resignations of the defense secretary and national police chief in a dramatic internal shake-up. He did not say who would replace them."
President gives firm assurance of curtailing terrorism and bring back normalcy swiftly

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 11:31:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World POWs (none / 1)

Constitutional crisis just last year in Sri Lanka ....
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka-president-maithripala-sirisena-sacks-prime-mi nister-ranil-wickremesinghe

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 11:59:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

At least 15 dead as forces raid jihadist* hideout in eastern Sri Lanka town

The shootout between troops and suspected Islamist militants erupted on Friday evening in Sainthamaruthu in Ampara, to the south of the town of Batticaloa, site of one of the Easter Sunday blasts at three churches and four luxury hotels.
[...]
The government has said nine homegrown, well-educated suicide bombers carried out the Easter Sunday attacks, eight of whom had been identified. One was a woman.
Police said on Friday they were trying to track down 140 people they believe have links with the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings.

--
* This is an interesting choice in diction, sensitive to incomplete and controversial intelligence offered by Sri Lanka authorities to domestic and foreign journalists as well as *-Eng. connotations to terms, jihad(ist) (historical) and "islamist" (adversarial), respecting domestic and foreign PR interpreters. The distinction is not trivial. Joseph Kenny OP, The Spread of Islam (medieval north and west Africa)

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Apr 27th, 2019 at 03:31:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Migrants fearful after hundreds arrested in Mexico raid
"Mexican officials said last month they would try to contain migrants in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico's narrowest stretch and the easiest to control. Pijijiapan is not far from the isthmus' narrowest point, in neighboring Oaxaca [!] state." uh oh.

2006 - present: Oaxaca state of emergency
2006 | The new attack
2015 | U.S. Issues "Emergency Message" As Protests Escalate In Mexico's Oaxaca State
2018 | Mexico Declares State of Emergency in 33 Oaxaca Municipalities

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Apr 24th, 2019 at 04:04:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Over 1,000 migrants break out of southern Mexico detention center

More than half of the roughly 1,300 migrants later returned to the Siglo XXI facility in the border city of Tapachula in Chiapas state, but about 600 are still unaccounted for, the National Migration Institute said in a statement. Migrants from Cuba, who make up the majority of the people being held at the center, were largely behind the breakout, the institute added. Mexican newspaper Reforma reported ["Huyen migrantes de estación en Chiapas" A/V, ES] that Haitians and Central Americans were also among those who fled ...

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Fri Apr 26th, 2019 at 08:50:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

French intelligence summons journalists after release of classified report on arms in Yemen

Pentagon to expand mission on US-Mexico border, allow some troops direct contact with migrants
300 additional active-duty troops providing food, transportation [!], lawyers to migrants, DHS

The new deployment will bring the number of active-duty troops operating along the southern border in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California to about 3,200. Another roughly 2,000 National Guard troops are also serving deployments along the border in a separate, but related, mission to support Customs and Border Protection agents.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Apr 27th, 2019 at 01:27:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: World POWs (none / 1)

The 15-page report (EN) by France's DRM(Direction du renseignement militaire) military intelligence agency showed that French arms, including tanks and laser-guided missile systems sold to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are being used by a Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
[...]
The document - which was intended to be seen by French President Emmanuel Macron and only a small handful of ministers - was leaked to the independent investigative website Disclose, which published it in full on April 15, thereby drawing a new round of publicscrutiny of French involvement in the war in Yemen.

< pick teeth, suck vigorously >

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Sat Apr 27th, 2019 at 05:16:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Sputnik is funded in part or in whole by Russia government.

'Thought Police'? French Journalists Face Legal Threat for 'Doing Their Jobs'
Third-party sources' links embedded, notably Solidarité avec nos confrères de Disclose et Radio France, Transparency International (2016!), and Allo Place Beauvau beside facsimile of communique commun de redactions (summons) received by Disclose 24 April.

ubn warned

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Mon Apr 29th, 2019 at 07:13:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]