James L. Paris's Blog, page 61

Attorney Who Tweeted He���d Be OK with Rape of Ed. Secretary Betsy DeVos Has Resigned

Remember the TV show Kids Say the Darndest Things?

Clearly, American adults, including far too many who should clearly know better, say the most moronic things.

Take this guy���who happens to be an attorney, no less.

Obviously a screaming leftist (you���ll know why that conclusion can be safely drawn in just a sec), Robert Ranco of the Carlson Law Firm fired off a tweet this weekend (there���s that Twitter again) in which he said he���d be just fine if Education Secretary Betsy DeVos happened to be raped.

Say what?

Here is Ranco���s actual message posted on Twitter:

���I���m not wishing for it��� but I���d be ok if #BetsyDevos was sexually assaulted.���

Lovely.

Fortunately the backlash was strong, and even came from both sides of the political dividing line, suggesting there may be a glimmer of hope for us yet. After meeting with his employer, who had been getting quite an earful, as you can imagine, the lawyer and his firm decided to part company. Ranco resigned.

As noted by The Washington Times, Carlson Law Firm founder Craig Carlson, in a statement, said, in part, ���With over 150 employees ��� 75% or whom are women ��� anyone in our company advocating or even expressing apathy towards sexual assault is affront to all victims and a line that simply cannot be uncrossed.���

Ranco is also a part-time professor at Austin Community College District, and his employment there may be in jeopardy, as well. In an official statement, the school said:

���The recent social media comments made by a part-time employee on his personal page do not represent ACC���s vision, mission, and values. The college does not condone these comments and their sentiment. ACC is reviewing the situation and will take appropriate action.���

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Trump Tells Military: Be Ready to Shoot Down North Korean Missiles

President Trump is making it clear that he will not be trifled with by North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

As reported by The Christian Post, Trump has pointedly told U.S. military forces to be prepared to shoot down missiles launched by North Korea that are aimed at Hawaii, Guam, or the continental U.S.

Kim���s ongoing threats, as well as NK���s insistence on continuing ballistic missile tests, has prompted Trump to make certain America���s military is fully prepared to engage North Korea.

A source close to the president said that Kim has succeeding in ���provoking��� Trump. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Trump said that while ���it would be great if something else could be worked out,��� referring to the prospect of the U.S. taking military action against North Korea, ���it will be a very sad day for North Korea��� if, in fact, America is compelled to strike.

For her part, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said recently that North Korea is ���begging for war��� by virtue of its recent behavior and rhetoric, noting that ���only the strongest sanctions will enable us to resolve this problem through diplomacy.���

Another source has suggested that Trump���s orders to shoot down NK missiles apply, as well, to any missiles Pyongyang launches at Japan or South Korea.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Traveling with Friends? How to Do It So You���re STILL Friends at the End of the Excursion

Do you travel with friends? A lot of people don���t.

They just aren���t confident that the friendship will actually survive the getaway.

It���s one thing to meet your pals locally for dinner, or entertain at the house for a few hours. It���s quite another to go away���like way away���with friends on a bona fide trip.

Traveling together as adults has a tendency to be very different from traveling in groups as younger people. For one thing, kids are more likely to see the world the same way; it���s when we grow into mature adulthood that our likes and dislikes, and even the core values system on which all of it is ultimately based, become noticeably different.

The ���part b��� to that is that, as we age, we become more set in our ways. This means that not only do we have different ways of seeing some things, but we find it more difficult to be at all flexible for even shorter periods of time in the interest of accommodating the preferences of another.

Another problem that becomes especially stark as we move to adulthood has to do with the differences in financial means. While 18-year-olds who grow up in the same community all tend to have the same resources, that can, and usually does, change significantly as people reach their 30s and 40s.

So, given all of this, how can adult friends actually go away together and remain on as good a set of terms when they unpack as they were when the trip began?

An article over at CNN Money, ���How to take group vacations (without losing friends)��� by Laura Sanicola shares some strategies you can employ to keep everyone on an even keel.

One of the biggest problems group vacationers may have with one another is choosing where to stay. Depending on different tastes and budgets, deciding on where the group hangs its hat at the end of each day can be a chore.

But it doesn���t need to be. Although you���re traveling together, that does not have to mean you necessarily stay in the same hotel or motel. Those with more dough may want to stay somewhere characterized by greater luxury; others may prefer to stay at a place that���s closer to a particular venue.

Additionally, by staying in different locations, couples get that very ���breathing room��� at the end of the day that helps to keep any possible tensions at bay.

Another potential problem concerns money, more generally. Namely, how much to spend not just on lodging, but on activities, restaurants, and everything else. According to Sanicola���s article, one option is to start a community fund, of sorts. The idea is that everyone contributes what they can, and if the better-heeled of the group want to partake of pricier options, they can contribute more, accordingly.

The final problem noted by the article is that of the group arguing over just what activities to pursue. Oftentimes, vacationing adults don���t get serious about choosing what to do until they���ve arrived, and disagreements over what to actually do then may ensue.

A solution to that - posed by a financial adviser, no less - is to arrange for a ���pre-travel party.��� The idea is that even before the trip, the group festivities begin with a get-together wherein, over food, drinks, and good cheer, the itinerary is planned and agreed-to. That way, there are no surprises���and, therefore, less cause for hurt feelings or other agitations���when the voyage actually begins.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Readying for Irma, Lowe���s Customer Gives Store���s Last Generator to Another Shopper

Are you one of those Americans who���s having difficulty connecting the dots between what you see on the television and your own experiences, when it comes to how folks in this country treat one another?

Turn on the TV, and there are lots of protesters���lots of hate. Screaming.Violence. Just unbelievable stuff.

Indeed, if what you see on TV was your only frame of reference, you���d surely think by now that the U.S. was the most polarized country on the planet.

But what you see on TV isn���t your only frame of reference. Thankfully, the principal information source for your worldview is your own experience moving out and about in the course of living your life.

One of the silver linings to the arrival of Hurricane Harvey is that just when it seemed���on television���that Americans couldn���t be any more discordant in their dealings with one another, images that burst through the prevailing narrative showed Americans of all colors (literally) aiding one another in a great time of need.

Now that fellowship is being evidenced with regard to Hurricane Irma.

Case in point:

Even before Irma arrived, and Floridians were frantically making preparations, an Orlando-area woman was desperately searching for a generator in case power went out at her residence. Pam Brekke���s father, a Korean War veteran, suffers from congestive heart failure, and relies on the aid of an oxygen machine to take the strain off his already-delicate heart.

Shopping for the elusive generator at a local Lowe���s store that just happened to have a few remaining, Brekke thought her prayers were answered���until she noticed the customer right in front of her had managed to get the last one. Brekke burst into tears.

And that���s when her prayers really were answered.

That same customer, Ramon Santiago, saw how upset she was, and walked up to tell her that she could have the generator he had in his hands. Perhaps the best part is that he did not even know precisely why she was crying ��� he just knew she wanted a generator. So he gave her the one he had.

Santiago, whose first language does not happen to be English, said simply, ���She need the generator. It���s OK. No worry for them.���

And when the store learned of what Santiago had done, they tracked down another generator and set it aside for him to have ��� for free.

���I wanted to make sure he received it because he definitely deserved it,��� said manager Melissa Rodriguez.

Just a random story of which to be mindful the next time you���re watching CNN or some other mainstream TV news network, and you���re thinking that one half of America really walks around hating the other half.

It doesn���t.

Once again���don���t believe the hype.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Australia: Vandals Guilty of Statue Defacements and Tear-Downs to Receive Harsh Punishment

The Australian government has decided it���s not playing around when it comes to statue defacement in the land Down Under.

While American politicians all across the U.S. have been happy to accommodate vandals in their efforts to violently remove statues and memorials they don���t like, Australia���s prime minister has a remarkably cogent response to defacements and tear-downs committed there.

As the movement to purge statues has gained traction in those nations with colonialism/imperialism as a part of their historical past, Australia has decided it will in no way be playing ball with protesters.

Following a series of graffiti attacks on monuments in Sydney two weeks ago, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull���s government has decided that statues at least 100 years old will be placed on the National Heritage List. Should any of those be vandalized, the responsible persons are looking at seven years behind bars or a fine of $88,000.

Speaking recently to The Sunday Telegraph, Turnbull said, ���We should be proud of our nation���s remarkable Australian story, not embarrassed by it; we should embrace it, not obliterate it. Australian history contains many painful chapters ��� particularly for indigenous Australians ��� but a free society debates its past, it does not deny it. It builds new monuments as it preserves old ones.���

The prime minister said, as well, that his government would ���not stand by and allow vandals to rewrite or tear down our history.���

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Pope Francis: Marriage Is Only Between a Man and Woman; ���We Cannot Change It���

Whatever progressive beliefs Pope Francis may actually harbor, there is at least one area in which he remains committed to traditional values.

In a book published Wednesday in France, Politics and Society by Dominique Wolton, the pope makes it clear that the Church view of marriage has his full support.

���We cannot change it. This is the nature of things,��� said the pontiff about traditional marriage. As for gay marriage, Francis says that it should be limited to the form of ���civil unions.���

As noted by The Christian Post, the pope���s latest declaration about marriage serves as a reiteration, of sorts, of his view on the topic. Francis��� thoughts on homosexuality and Christianity raised eyebrows back in 2013 when he suggested to reporters that the two were not incompatible.

���If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?��� the pope said at the time.

Francis later distanced himself from the comments, and some said the quote was taken out of context. In 2014, Francis publicly stated that marriage was indeed between a man and woman, saying that the ���complementarity��� of men and women ���is at the root of marriage and family, which is the first school where we learn to appreciate our own and others��� gifts, and where we begin to acquire the arts of living together.���

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Trump: Texas Churches Should Receive FEMA Money for Hurricane Relief Efforts

As reported by The Hill, President Trump on Friday weighed in on the battle between three Texas houses of worship and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on the matter of the churches��� eligibility to receive disaster relief money.

Communicating through Twitter (where else?), Trump said, ���Churches in Texas should be entitled to reimbursement from FEMA Relief Funds for helping victims of Hurricane Harvey (just like others).���

Three churches - Harvest Family Church, the Hi-Way Tabernacle and the Rockport First Assembly of God ��� are suing FEMA in an effort to get the money. The lawsuit claims that the federal agency���s policy preventing religious groups from sharing in the funds is unconstitutional.

For his part, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) fired off a letter to FEMA Administrator Brock Long on Friday, suggesting that the ���policy discriminates against people of faith. It sends the message that communities of worship aren���t welcome to participate fully in public life.... It reduces the facilities and volunteer time, talent, and effort available to support the broader community.���

Each of the churches suffered significant damage from the effects of Hurricane Harvey. Two were flooded, and a third had both its steeple and roof destroyed. Not only that, in a bit of irony, Hi-Way Tabernacle served as a FEMA staging area for Harvey.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Make Money Promoting Other People's Products Online

On this video, Jim discusses what he calls 'Profit Surfing.' This is a training that was previously only available to subscribers but it has become so popular that we are releasing it publicly. In the training you will learn how to make money online by simply promoting other people's products and services through affiliate marketing.  

Hillary Memoir Scorches Bernie Sanders

According to U.S. News & World Report, Hillary Clinton���s upcoming memoir, titled What Happened, is none too kind to her chief rival for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders.

As a matter of fact, it���s clear from what Clinton has to say in the new book that she flatly blames Sanders for Democrats losing the White House, essentially accusing him of making a try for the party nomination that was insincere.

Clinton writes at one point that ���[Bernie Sanders] isn't a Democrat. He didn't get into the race to make sure a Democrat won the White House, he got in to disrupt the Democratic Party.��� Clinton���s jab about Sanders not having a formal affiliation with the party refers to the fact that he has been an independent throughout most of his popular political career.

Clinton says, as well, that Sanders disingenuously resonated with much of the electorate by promising the moon, but without a feasible way to pay for any of it. Illustrating his posture using an allegory, Clinton writes that Sanders promised everyone in America a pony, but without clarifying any way to pay for everyone to have a pony.

As excerpts from the book are released, Mrs. Clinton is taking a beating in the court of public opinion, with even those on the left seemingly weary of her embittered posture and unwillingness to accept genuine personal responsibility for her inability to prevail last November.

What Happened is scheduled for release September 12 by publisher Simon & Schuster.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Is It Really a Curse to Win the Lottery?

There���s an idea that���s persisted for some time that winning a big prize in the state lottery is actually more curse than blessing. To make their case, those who take that position point to the seemingly-countless stories of previous winners who���ve ended up on severely hard times in spite of - or even because of - their ���good fortune.

It does seem difficult to believe that anyone who wins millions upon millions of dollars would have any troubles whatsoever, and yet those people are out there. But are the problems that follow really rooted in the money? Or is there something else going on here?

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recounted the story of David Lee Edwards recently, a gentleman from Ashland, Kentucky who won $27 million in 2001���and had lost it all by 2006.

After claiming his prize, Edwards and his wife went out and spent all the money they had like it was going out of style. Just some of their lavish expenditures included a $1.9 million LearJet, three losing racehorses, two homes, and two businesses worth $4.5 million.

Edwards also spent lots of money on cars, buying dozens of them, including a Lamborghini Diablo for $200,000.

But losing all the dough isn���t even the worst of happened to Edwards. He and his wife contracted hepatitis through their drug use, and were arrested a number of times for various drug violations. Finally, in 2013, Edwards died in hospice care, alone and without any money.

So did the money do it to him?

Simply put, no. Money can do a lot���but it can���t change one���s essence.

Money is like alcohol that way. Excessive consumption of alcohol does not change who you are ��� it reveals who you really are, by causing you to let your guard down. A windfall of great wealth does something similar. If you had good judgment all along, a sudden influx of money will not magically change you into someone lacking common sense.

But if you have poor judgment to begin with? Now your poor judgment is on steroids.

What happened to David Lee Edwards is a shame, but it does not serve as a cautionary tale for lottery winners. Only for those people who, all along, have shown an unfortunate inability to get out of their own way.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large