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Politics shooting

Michael Moore Defends Quentin Tarantino – Cops “Are Trying to Chop” His Head Off

Not only is filmmaker Michael Moore standing up and defending Quentin Tarantino, he’s also trying to shame other whites into recognizing Tarantino’s right to Freedom of Speech!

You may remember last month when Quentin joined a RiseUpOctober rally in New York – a rally designed to highlight police brutality – and made news. Quentin correctly stated a fact – that some police officers who intentionally kill unarmed black men are murderers, and the victims are the murdered.

“When I see murders, I do not stand by… I have to call a murder a murder, and I have to call the murderers the murderers,” Quentin said at the rally.

Those words drew the wrath of the police unions and they went on the attack, encouraging their members to boycott an upcoming Tarantino movie and recently issuing what many are calling, a threat to the filmmaker.

“Something is in the works,” The executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, Jim Pasco  said, “but the element of surprise is the most important element.” Pasco continued. “Something could happen anytime between now and [the premiere]. And a lot of it is going to be driven by Tarantino, who is nothing if not predictable.

But Moore is speaking out in defense to Tarantino, and he wants other whites to do the same.

The 61-year-old filmmaker and left-wing activist tried to shame others Friday for not rushing to the defense of Tarantino, who invoked the wrath of law enforcement last month for his controversial comments during an anti-police brutality march.

“Has any white person in this town, in the industry, stood up for Quentin Tarantino?” Moore asked the Hollywood Reporter. “The white guy stuck his neck out there and they’re trying to chop it off.”

“So, a couple of days ago I said, ‘To hell with that, I’m going to stand up for him,'” he added.

The “Bowling for Columbine” filmmaker went on to praise Tarantino’s participation in the Washington Square Park rally — during which he called certain cops murderers — as “incredible.”

Categories
Climate change Climate Change Domestic Policies Education Energy News Politics

Mrs. MacDowell 1 Exxon 0: Why I Knew in 1970 What Big Oil Still Denies

OK, let’s go back to the halcyon days of the 1969-70 school year when I was in fourth grade. My teacher was one of those cool, hip, young people who knew how to reach children, to excite them to learn, and to inject a bit of reality and responsibility into them as they began to navigate the world. She was the kind of teacher that every child has, I hope, at least once during their schooling. I was lucky enough to have her as a teacher twice.

One of the great activities I clearly remember from that school year was a unit we studied on pollution that included not only classwork on the issue but an assembly in front of the school. We made posters. We wrote skits. We listened to CCR’s Who’ll Stop the Rain  (lyrics).

And we wrote songs.

One of them was based on the Pepsi Cola jingle, “You’ve Got a Lot to Give.” Sing along with me:

It’s the pollution generation
Comin’ at ya, goin’ strong.
Put yourself behind pollution
If you’re livin’
You won’t for long.

I also seem to remember a pollution song based on the Marseillaise, but I can’t seem to recall the words.

We were a cheeky group. She was a great teacher.

And Mrs. MacDowell also knew a heck of a lot more than Exxon did, if contemporary news reports are believable. How is that possible? Because Exxon and other energy companies are not telling the truth about what their scientists were telling them about air pollution and the environment. Even in 1970, as a ten-year old, I had heard about the “Greenhouse Effect” and how pollutants in the air were being trapped and were causing the planet to heat up.

But Exxon? They say they didn’t know. I don’t blame the scientists who work(ed) for the company. I’m going to assume that they stuck to science and dutifully reported what they knew to the best of their ability. To believe otherwise would call into question their credibility and morality. I’m going to blame the company because it has shown time and time again to be on the wrong side of propriety, from the Valdez tragedy to employee protections to today’s allegations about covering up what it knew about the effects of fossil fuels on climate.

I certainly understand that institutions will do whatever they need to do to survive, and the oil and gas industry is no exception. After all, this is the group that came up with the oxymoronic term “clean coal” to try and make the world’s greatest pollutant and killer of far too many miners sound acceptable. It’s also an industry that probably sees low gas prices as a short-to-medium-term good for its survival since many Americans have moved away from hybrid cars in response to lower prices. We even seem to be acting irrationally by taking the savings we’re seeing in low prices and buying slightly pricier premium fuel.

And then there’s the political angle. President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline project became a formality because of the low price of oil, the glut in the very refineries and storage tanks that the Canadian oil was supposed to occupy, and the plain fact that the promised jobs from the pipeline project were not going to approach the economy-saving levels that many conservatives, and labor unions, envisioned. Plus, the Canadian oil is actually getting to the United States through other means, so destroying the Midwestern landscape for a pipeline was not necessary. Obama rightly measured the impact on the environment and cannily waited until a great Labor Department employment report materialized, then mercifully killed the proposal.

As for the Republicans running for president, their views on the environment, climate and energy policy are, to be kind, ignorant. They see no reason to act on what is clearly happening to the earth, preferring to stick their heads in the sand and wait for the Montana banana industry to flourish (catchy as the jingle would be). Forget about Carson and Trump, who will not be elected president in 2016. Certainly, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio have seen the devastation wrought by climate change on eco-sensitive Florida, and Chris Christie, who used to be somewhat reliable on the issue, certainly saw what happened during Sandy and the October snowstorm of the previous year. All of them are in favor of more drilling, more oil company benefits and, most tragically, more United States involvement in the Middle East, which is rapidly coming undone by climate, politics and religion. For these reasons alone they are unelectable.

So thank you Mrs. MacDowell for being one of the early few who knew about the climate problem and doing what terrific teachers do: Telling your students, waking them up, getting them to act.

If only Exxon, other energy companies and the Republican party were as smart as you are.

For more, go to www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives or Twitter @rigrundfest

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Donald Trump Politics

Donald Trump Heckled on SNL – Called a “Racist” – Video

So after it was all said and done, after all the protests and promises to stop watching SNL because of Donald Trump’s appearance, Donald Trump made his hosting appearance last night and was called a “racist” during the show.

Yes, the heckler was Larry David, the man who masterfully played Bernie Sanders on a previous episode of SNL, and although his heckling was most likely scripted and a part of the show, some who protested Trump’s appearance argued that Trump is in fact, a racist, especially after his various comments about Mexicans and Latinos.

Video

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Featured Rape

Disneyland Employee Jailed – Trying to Trade Park Tickets for Sex with Kid

Disneyland is not off limits to the sickos looking to prey on our kids. According to KTLA, a former employee who tried to trade tickets for sexual acts has just been sentenced to one year in jail and five years probation.

KTLA reports that the employee, Darreck Michael Enciso, posted ads on Craigslist in July asking if anyone would be up for a trip to the park in exchange for performing sexual favors. And while his original ad was reportedly posted in a section where only those who are over 18 are supposed to visit, he was arrested for trying to arrange an encounter with a 14-year-old.

Fortunately, that 14-year-old was actually a decoy, so when Enciso showed up to meet the kid with both the tickets and a bunch of condoms, he was promptly arrested by the Huntington Beach Police and taken into custody.

Here’s a rundown of Enciso’s charges:

Darreck Michael Enciso pleaded guilty to one felony count of attempted lewd act upon a child, one felony count of contacting a child with the intent to commit a specified sex crime, and one felony count of meeting a minor with the intent to engage in lewd conduct, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Enciso will spend a year in jail, five years on probation, and will register as a sex offender.

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Featured News

Officers Charged with Second-degree Murder in Killing of 6 Year Old

The 6 year old was shot 5 times and died. And the two police officers responsible for his death were charged with second degree murder.

Norris Greenhouse Jr., 23, and Derrick Stafford, 32, were charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in the shooting in the city of Marksville on Tuesday, Col. Mike Edmonson said during a news conference late Friday. Jeremy Mardis was killed and his father, Christopher Few, was left in critical condition.

The shooting happened when the two city marshals allegedly opened fire on a vehicle following a pursuit, said Edmonson.

“That little boy was buckled in the front seat of that vehicle and that is how he died,” Edmonson said Friday.

Edmonson called body cam footage showing the shooting “the most disturbing thing I’ve seen.” The video will likely not be released until the officers’ trials, Louisiana State Police said Saturday.

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Politics

Bernie Sanders’ First Television Ad – “Real Change”

Bernie Sanders, a Democratic candidate for his party’s nomination for president, has released his first television ad. The piece is called “Real Change.”

“The son of a Polish immigrant who grew up in a Brooklyn tenement,” the narrator says. “He went to public schools, then college, where the work of his life began: fighting injustice and inequality. Speaking truth to power.”

Video

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Carly Fiorina Politics

Carly Fiorina Goes Back to The View – Video

The Republican presidential candidate went on the attack in a number of interviews after some members of The View called her smile “demented.” On Fox, Carly called the ladies on The View “liberals,” and said if the ladies had something to say to her, they should try saying it to her face.

Well today, that opportunity presented itself and Carly Fiorina went on the show and she brought her “demented” smile with her.

Video

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Politics unemployment rate

Unemployment Drops to 5% with 271,000 Jobs Added in October

 

And the positive economic growth continues, regardless of what the Republicans say.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that nonfarm payrolls grew 271,000 for the month, a sharp jump from weak August and September numbers. The headline unemployment rate declined to 5.0 percent, declining even as the civilian labor force increased by 313,000.

A broader measure of unemployment that includes those who have stopped looking as well as those working part time for economic reasons declined to 9.8 percent, the first time it’s been below 10 percent since May 2008.

Perhaps more important than the headline number was the growth in average hourly earnings, which jumped 9 cents, representing a monthly gain of 0.6 percent and an annualized increase of 2.5 percent. The average work week remained at 34.5 hours.

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Politics

Good Police News – Serving the People They Were Hired to Serve – Video

This is some good police news for a change. Actually serving the people they were hired to serve thanks to the yearly blessings of a wealthy businessman known as Secret Santa and his generous donation of $100,000.00

This particular incident happened in Kansas, and although it happened in 2014, it’s time for a positive police story.

Video

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Ben Carson Politics

Ben Carson Admits he Lied To The American People

But wait, in today’s politics, Republicans are looking for the most outlandish candidate to represent them in the election. This lie by Carson might be all he needs to solidify his position as a leader in the Republican Party, and be the party’s nominee for president.

Ben Carson’s campaign on Friday admitted, in a response to an inquiry from POLITICO, that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated: his application and acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The academy has occupied a central place in Carson’s tale for years. According to a story told in Carson’s book, “Gifted Hands,” the then-17 year old was introduced in 1969 to Gen. William Westmoreland, who had just ended his command of U.S. forces in Vietnam, and the two dined together. That meeting, according to Carson’s telling, was followed by a “full scholarship” to the military academy.

West Point, however, has no record of Carson applying, much less being extended admission.

“In 1969, those who would have completed the entire process would have received their acceptance letters from the Army Adjutant General,” said Theresa Brinkerhoff,a spokeswoman for the academy. She said West Point has no records that indicate Carson even began the application process. “If he chose to pursue (the application process), then we would have records indicating such,” she said.

When presented with these facts, Carson’s campaign conceded the story was false.

“Dr. Carson was the top ROTC student in the City of Detroit,” campaign manager Barry Bennett wrote in an email to POLITICO. “In that role he was invited to meet General Westmoreland. He believes it was at a banquet. He can’t remember with specificity their brief conversation but it centered around Dr. Carson’s performance as ROTC City Executive Officer.”

“He was introduced to folks from West Point by his ROTC Supervisors,” Bennett added. “They told him they could help him get an appointment based on his grades and performance in ROTC. He considered it but in the end did not seek admission.”

Carson would have needed to seek admission in order to receive an offer of free education from West Point. Also, according to West Point, there is no such thing as a “full scholarship” to the military academy, as Carson represented in his book.

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jeb bush marco rubio Politics

Major Jeb Bush Donor Jumps Sinking Bush Ship for Marco Rubio

I must say it’s a smart move. If the ship is going down and there is another boat nearby, you jump! What are you staying on board for? Why get pulled down with a sinking campaign?

Florida Bush fundraiser Brian Ballard saw the writings on the wall and is now riding on the Rubio boat.

Brian Ballard, a lobbyist in Tallahassee who donated $20,000 to the pro-Bush super PAC Right to Rise USA, told Politico on Thursday that he had privately abandoned Bush earlier but wanted to make his concerns public now to discourage him from bashing Rubio.

“The campaign has become negative, one that is about attacking and trying to bring down Marco Rubio. And that doesn’t sit well – not only with me, but with anyone who knows the two,” Ballard said. “Marco’s a friend of mine. I didn’t sign up for a campaign that was going to be negative and attack a bright star of the party’s future. It doesn’t make sense. I’m over it. And I’m done.”

A source familiar with Ballard’s thinking confirmed to NBC News on Thursday that Ballard was switching his allegiance to Rubio. While Ballard is a major Florida fundraiser who previously backed the presidential campaigns of John McCain and Mitt Romney, he is not listed as one of Bush’s bundlers — supporters who have raised more than $17,600 for the campaign itself.

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Politics

Low Polling Chris Christie Dumped from Main Stage at Next GOP Debate

Well, that’s what you get when you’re running for your party’s presidential nomination and can’t even average 3% approval in the polls.

With the next Republican debate happening on Fox Business, the network announced the candidates and Chris Christie, who found himself on the previous three debates, will find himself eating at the kids table this time around.

The Network announced candidates must have a polling average of at least 2.5% in the four most recent polls. To make the earlier debate, candidates must average at least 1% in one of the four most recent polls.

Republicans Lindsey Graham, George Pataki and Jim Gilmore did make the cut.

On the main stage of the Fox Business Network debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin will be:

  • Donald Trump
  • Ben Carson
  • Marco Rubio
  • Ted Cruz
  • Jeb Bush
  • Carly Fiorina
  • John Kasich
  • Rand Paul

Before the announcement was made, Christie spoke with a reporter from NBC and said, “either way, I’ll be in Milwaukee Tuesday night debating the big issues of our country, putting my voice onto those issues and that’s what really matters the most. But would I pick it? No of course not.”

Maybe it’s time you go home Christie!

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