James L. Paris's Blog, page 137

���Black Lives Matter��� Flag Flying Above the University of Vermont is Stolen, but Quickly Replaced

The University of Vermont had been flying a ���Black Lives Matter��� flag alongside U.S. and state flags when it was stolen sometime last Saturday night.

According to The Washington Times, the flag was spending a few days atop the flagpole courtesy of the university���s Student Government Association, and as a symbolic gesture on behalf of the black men who had recently been shot by police officers in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Charlotte, North Carolina. It was never intended to be a permanent fixture among the flags regularly flown at UVM, and was only supposed to be in place through this past Monday.

Well, once news of the flag flying above the campus made national headlines, it mysteriously disappeared on Saturday. It seems not everyone shares the school���s egalitarian perspective.

Not to worry, though. Another ���Black Lives Matter��� flag was found in a jiffy, and hoisted back atop the flagpole on Sunday.

As to the outcry over the fact that a ���Black Lives Matter��� flag was flying at all at the school, according to the Burlington Free Press, Enrique Corredera, executive director of public affairs at UVM, confirmed that any student organization can submit to the process of flag sponsorship.

���UVM supports free expression, and other university groups are welcome to propose flags with information that they wish to express,��� said Mr. Corredera.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

 

Clinton Foundation Mysteriously Goes From Watch List To A Perfect 4 Star Rating

A non-profit group that has received favors from the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), including a free membership that entitled its officials to rub elbows with world leaders, issued its top rating Thursday for the Clinton Foundation.

Charity Navigator awarded the Clinton Foundation four-stars based on an rating algorithm that scored the controversial non-profit with a 97.5 on financial issues and 93 on accountability and transparency. The new rating represented a boost for the foundation, as Charity Navigator had previously put it on its watch list due to concerns about its finances and transparency.

But the four-star rating had hardly been announced before the Associated Press reported that Charity Navigator was a member of the CGI from 2012 to 2014. The CGI is one of the Clinton Foundation���s best-known programs, as it regularly convenes glittering gatherings of celebrities, government officials and philanthropic stars.

via dailycaller.com

This is really unbelievable how the Clinton Foundation has no rating and is on the 'watch list' and then jumps instantly to a perfect 4 star rating. Anyone else think this is completely bogus?

James L. Paris
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Need Money For College? Saturday Is Your Big Day

Texas Governor Stands Firm on Proposed Rules Requiring Burial or Cremation of Fetal Remains

Say what you want about Texas Governor Greg Abbott ��� it is awfully difficult to doubt his sincerity when it comes to preserving the sanctity of life.

Abbott has long done what he can to be a thorn in the side to abortion providers, and his latest effort to that end is, admittedly, a strong one.

Back in July, rules were quietly proposed by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (THHSC) that would require the burial or cremation of fetal remains, regardless of the gestation period, and also without regard to whether the remains come to exist as the result of a miscarriage.

The publication of the rules in the Texas Register back on July 1 triggered a public comment period. Although the state reviewed hours of public testimony, along with over 12,000 written comments, during this time, the end result is that no changes were made to the rules, and they are set to go into effect Sept. 30.

As previously reported by The Texas Tribune, Abbott said that fetal remains shouldn���t be ���treated like medical waste and disposed of in landfills,��� and that ���it is imperative to establish higher standards that reflect our respect for the sanctity of life.���

Going full throttle with this, the THHSC even appears to have brushed aside a suggestion from Texas Right to Life that the rules be changed so that they do not apply to miscarriages at home, a circumstance that could potentially require women to actually transport the tissue remains to a medical facility for disposal in accordance with the new mandate.

Although the rules appear to be headed toward finalization, it is expected that they will lead to the initiation of all kinds of litigation from a wide variety of interests.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

 

Gary Johnson: The Solution to Global Warming Lies in the Colonization of Space

Gary Johnson, Libertarian Party candidate for president, once again demonstrated why, although I count myself a libertarian in philosophy, I cannot bring myself to take seriously any of the representative party candidates.

One of the biggest problems with many Libertarian Party candidates, of late, is that they sound an awful lot like globalist Democrats and liberal Republicans. I���ve covered that before, so I won���t dwell on it here.

The other reason I struggle with these folks is that they so often say things, and have ideas, that make them sound like absolute fruitcakes. To wit:

Johnson appeared on ABC���s This Week with George Stephanopoulos this past Sunday. During the conversation, Stephanopoulos asked the candidate about his thoughts on global warming in the context of a comment Johnson made in 2011, wherein he seemed to imply that nothing needs to be done about it because, in billions of years, the sun will grow to a point where it wipes out the earth, anyway.

In fairness, Johnson was quick to jump on Stephanopoulos for suggesting that he (Johnson) meant seriously a remark that was spoken in jest���although, in fairness to Stephanopoulos, it is not entirely clear from the available clip that Johnson was being funny; we���ll just have to take his word for it, I guess.

Anyway, that���s not the really good part. The really good part was what Johnson went on to say IS the answer to global warming:

���What it points to also is that we do have to inhabit other planets. The future of the human race is space exploration.���

I think we���re done here.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

 

Even If Forced Out, Wells Fargo CEO Could Pocket $200 Million as He Walks Out the Door

Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf, now the central figure in a national outrage over the company���s creation of fake customer accounts, will likely see hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation, even if he is forced to leave his position, reports CNNMoney.

It���s not that Stumpf would realize such a sum on the basis of a generous termination package typically handed out to departing company officers - known as a golden parachute - but, rather, from the accumulated value of the stocks, options, and various bonus awards earned in the nearly-35 total years he has worked at both Wells Fargo and Norwest Corporation, the Midwest banking giant that merged with Wells in 1998.

While there has been no official talk of Stumpf���s departure, the grilling he���s been taking from politicians, as well as from the public, at large, over the widespread culture of fraud allowed to flourish at Wells, has at least raised the prospect that he will be ���encouraged��� to leave his position, if not terminated outright.

As for how much Stumpf might have in his pockets if he does leave, here is what CNNMoney says he could carry off with him when all is said and done:

Over 1.6 million shares of Wells Fargo stock that���s currently valued in the neighborhood of $74 million.

Additional cash and pension payments worth over $23 million.

Another $42 million or so in currently-unclaimed stock, net of what he would have to pay to exercise the options.

Performance shares, 401(k) units, and various awards totaling another $65 million. Some of this would have to be forfeited if Stumpf was explicitly fired ���for cause,��� but that is seen as unlikely.

Adding to the controversy of his possible ���walk-away��� compensation is the very idea that he would be see so much money precisely because of the fraudulent practices in which the company engaged for so many years under his watch.

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at the Yale School of Management who specializes in the study of management and social responsibility, told CNNMoney that pay earned by Stumpf on the back of the fraudulent sales practices should absolutely be ���clawed back��� by the Wells board.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

 

GMA���s Robin Roberts Shows Us Why the Mainstream Media is No Longer of Any Real Value

Robin Roberts, anchor over at ABC���s Good Morning America, was interviewing President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama from the brand new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. this past Friday, when she broached the subject of the Charlotte, North Carolina riots.

In asking the president his thoughts about what was taking place there, she did it in this way:

���What we have seen recently in Charlotte, North Carolina, young people rising up and showing their frustration in a different way. When you and the rest of the world sees that, what goes through your mind?���

What was that again? ���Young people rising up and showing their frustration?���

Even President Obama, who has himself been somewhat of an apologist for violent behavior under the guise of ���social protest,��� seemed to chafe a bit at Roberts��� attempt to gloss over the absolute mayhem that had been ongoing for days in Charlotte; responding to her question, he said, in part, ���Every once in a while you see folks doing it the wrong way, looting, breaking glass, those things are not going to advance the cause. In Charlotte, my hope is that in the days to come, that people in the community pull together and say, how do we do this the right way.���

Roberts��� obviously-slanted assessment of the events taking place in Charlotte underscores the utter uselessness of the information generated these days by the so-called mainstream media. It���s bad enough when high-profile news outlets get things wrong when they���re at least trying to get them right. However, when they are not only NOT making an earnest effort to be as accurate as possible, but are, in fact, purposely misrepresenting the events of the day in order to achieve a political end, then we are right to tune them out, and look elsewhere for our information.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

 

How To Pay For College Without Going Broke

How To Pay For College Without Going Broke - Including how to navigate the recent changes to the FAFSA, Use line-by-line strategies for filling out the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE to maximum effect, Increase your chances of receiving aid, Calculate the actual costs of college, Avoid costly mistakes when applying, And more!

 

The Most Important Presidential Debate In 100 Years

On this episode Jim shares why he believes that this is the most important presidential debate of our lifetime. Also, you will be surprised to learn that this former NBA star may be on the verge of bankruptcy, is embezzlement a crime that pays?, Jim spends an evening with Wayne Newton in Las Vegas, another Catholic diocese uses bankruptcy to protect assets from claims of sexual abuse, and would you pay a $450 annual fee for this credit card?

Teachers Who Mispronouce Students��� Names Now Guilty of Committing ���Microaggressions���

Huh?

Once again, a new school year is upon us, and, with it, a new and improved round of lunacy, courtesy of education ���professionals��� who may have just a little too much time on their hands.

According to an article over at CNSNews.com, school districts in the ���hundreds,��� all across the United States, have taken some sort of pledge that embraces the spirit and ideas of a campaign created by the National Association for Bilingual Education and the Santa Clara County, Calif. Office of Education (SCCOE) called ���My Name, My Identity: A Declaration of Self.���

It is essentially a ���call to action��� to keep classroom teachers from committing the apparently-unforgivable crime of���wait for it���mispronouncing a student���s name.

According to Yee Wan, the SCCOE���s director of multilingual education services, ���Mispronouncing a student���s name truly negates his or her identity, which, in turn, can hinder academic progress.���

An assistant professor of education at the University of California at Riverside, Rita Kohli, has even referred to the mispronunciation of a student���s name as a ���microaggression,��� saying, ���Names have incredible significance to families, with so much thought, meaning and culture woven into them. When the child enters school and teachers ��� consciously or not ��� mispronounce, disregard or change the name, they are in a sense disregarding the family and culture of the students as well.���

So, in an effort to address this overwhelming crisis, well over 500 school districts across the country have decided to more fully commit to properly pronouncing students��� names.

Just one more bit of madness from the education elite for you to consider.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large