James L. Paris's Blog, page 82

Trump Criticizes London Mayor���s Response to Latest UK Terror Attack

Following the most recent terror attack in the United Kingdom, President Donald Trump took to what has clearly been his favorite medium by which to communicate with the world ��� Twitter - and slammed London Mayor Sadiq Khan for his assessment that ���there���s no reason to be alarmed��� in the wake of yet another brutal attack against the British people by elements of radical Islam.

As reported by the Daily Mail Online, Trump objected to comments Khan made in a television interview, wherein the mayor noted ���Londoners will see an increased police presence today and over the course of the next few days. There's no reason to be alarmed.���

Apparently, Trump���s interpretation of Khan���s statement was that the mayor was referring to the terrorist threat, in general, when he said there���s no reason for alarm. On Sunday morning, he tweeted: ���At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is ���no reason to be alarmed!������

Khan immediately lashed back, saying that the ���alarmed��� comment was a singular reference to the increased police presence, not to the threat of another terror attack.

The wording of Khan���s comments do seem to suggest that he was referring specifically to the sight of heavily-armed law enforcement on the streets of London, but it is at least a little understandable why Trump initially interpreted the comments in the way that he did; Khan had previously sounded what seemed like a tone of resignation about terrorism last September, when he said, following the bomb attacks in Manhattan and at the Jersey shore, that it ���is a reality I'm afraid that London, New York, other major cities around the world have got to be prepared for these sorts of things,��� and that such attacks are now ���part and parcel��� of life in a big city.

Many, including Trump, were outraged at the time that a big-city mayor would imply that citizens essentially had a duty to see regular terror attacks as some kind of ���new normal.���

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Have Dems Had Enough of Hillary?

Yikes.

Surely this is a little embarrassing.

According to exclusive reporting by The Hill, it appears there���s now a rather strong sentiment within the Democratic Party that Hillary Clinton should step off political theater���s main stage.

Following remarks made recently by Clinton in which she placed a measure of the blame for her election loss at the feet of the Democratic National Committee, The Hill decided to interview over a dozen supporters, including some former aides to Hillary, to see what they really think about her ���misery tour.���

Some background: Appearing at last week���s Recode Code Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, an event that brings together some of the brightest lights in digital technology, Clinton again used a public platform to blame everyone but herself for her defeat last year.

This time, she even went after her own party.

���I���m now the nominee of the Democratic Party. I inherit nothing from the Democratic Party. It was bankrupt, it was on the verge of insolvency, its data was mediocre to poor, non-existent, wrong. I had to inject money into it -- the DNC -- to keep it going.���

One Democratic strategist, Brad Bannon, had this to say about Clinton���s remarks:

���I'm not sure there is a political strategy here. It sounds to me like more of a personal strategy.���

Bannon added that ���complaining about an outcome and blaming everyone else is not a good political strategy.���

One former Obama aide suggested that Clinton���s criticisms of the DNC only act to inflame an internal discord that could dissuade new leadership from assuming a prominent position within the party.

���It���s hard to do that when you have the former nominee out there in a newsy, aggressive manner,��� said the aide.

And one former Clinton aide was even more direct.

���Good God, what is she doing? She's apparently still really, really angry. I mean, we all are. The election was stolen from her, and that's how she feels. 

���But to go out there publicly again and again and talk about it? And then blame the DNC? It's not helpful to Democrats. It���s not helpful to the country, and I don���t think it���s helpful to her.���

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

VA Hospital Serves Food Containing Roaches

On this episode, Jim starts out sharing his own personal story of almost going to jail for a crime committed by one of his employees. Next, the shocking story of a Chicago area VA hospital knowingly serving food containing roaches, and the latest data breach and what you can do to protect yourself online from identity theft.

 

CNN Stages Fake News Video After London Attack

Jim starts this episode discussing a viral video that appears to show CNN staging a group of 'protesters' behind their reporter in London. Former FBI Director, James Comey, to testify this week. The latest on Bitcoin and Ethereum, and why Jim really likes Ethereum right now. This week will also bring a new major infrasctruture spending proposal, including the possible privatization of the FAA. Airlines awaiting decision on a laptop ban on International flights to U.S.

 

Proposed Pennsylvania Law Would Make Gun Owners in that State a Protected Class

Well, this is something you don���t see every day.

There is a legislative effort underway in Pennsylvania���spearheaded by 24 Republican state representatives, as well as one Democratic representative���to see gun owners classified as a ���protected class��� in that state.

���Protected class��� measures generally have as their centerpiece concern the matter of workplace discrimination. Such is the case here. According to the Pennsylvania Record, House Bill 38, which is presently in committee, would serve to protect gun-owning employees from discrimination by their employers. The specific purpose behind the legislation is to deprive Pennsylvania businesses of the ability to prevent employees from keeping firearms stored in their cars during the workday. If passed, the law would make state residents��� right to keep and bear arms a part of the Pennsylvania Human Rights Act (PHRA).

Bans like the one at issue here have long been a thorn in the side of firearms owners who reside in otherwise-gun-friendly states. Those citizens claim that such policies enacted by private businesses effectively deprive them of the very rights they supposedly have as duly licensed concealed weapons permit holders.

Unsurprisingly, the bill has an array of opponents, including Shira Goodman of the anti-gun group CeaseFirePA, who says businesses should absolutely have the option of banning firearms from their premises in an effort to curb the threat of ���workplace violence��� and ���domestic instances spilling over into workplaces. In the minds of supporters, however, the bill, in addition to enhancing the practical application of state residents��� right to keep and bear arms, would give employees a true fighting chance of staying safe and even neutralizing a workplace threat that would arise anyway, without regard to a given company���s policy prohibiting firearms at the business location.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

President Trump ���Backs the Blue��� in Bill-Signing Ceremony at White House

For those who voted for Donald Trump on the belief that he would shift the social pendulum back toward a greater regard for, and respect of, law enforcement than that which many would say was in evidence during the previous administration, the president took another opportunity to deliver to that end when he signed legislation this past Friday that makes it easier for the families of officers killed or disabled in the line of duty to make benefits claims.

Speaking about the Public Safety Officers��� Benefits Improvement Act, Trump said, ���For too long, injured officers have suffered, and the children of fallen officers have put their dreams of college on hold while bureaucracy delayed crucial benefits, made it impossible for their families. No longer. It���s unacceptable, and it���s going to end today.���

Representatives from a variety of police organizations and agencies joined the president at the signing ceremony. The Fraternal Order of Police and the National Sheriffs��� Association were represented at the White House, and police officers from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, and Virginia were in attendance, as well.

Thanking those law enforcement officers who were present, Trump said, ���When a home is threatened, when danger visits our doorstep, when innocent lives are on the line, Americans turn to their courageous officers of law enforcement because we know they are here to serve and to protect us all.���

Amen to that.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Judge Hands 35 Years to First American Convicted of Trying to Join ISIS

A U.S. citizen convicted of trying to join the Islamic State did not get off easy.

On Wednesday, a federal judge sentenced the first American ever convicted of trying to wage jihad on behalf of ISIS to 35 years in prison.

From a statement issued by the Department of Justice:

���Today, Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, a U.S. citizen and former member of the U.S. Air Force, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and obstruction of justice.���

As reported by the New York Post, Pugh, ostensibly a big, tough jihadist, was in tears during his sentencing by U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis. Addressing the judge, Pugh said, ���I am a black man, I am a military man, I am a Muslim man. I protected this country and the Constitution. And my service was repaid by stripping me of my career, shaming my wife, shaming my parents, shaming my children.���

If Pugh was seeking sympathy from Garaufis, it was not forthcoming.

���This isn���t about whether you���re Muslim or Christian or Jewish,��� said the judge to the defendant before handing down his decision. ���This is about whether you���re going to stand up for your country, which has done so much for you, or betray your country.���

���You made your choice,��� proclaimed the judge. ���I have no sympathy.���

Boom.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Pelosi: Trump Has Dishonored God by Abandoning Paris Climate Agreement

Well, it���s good to see that liberal Democrats still believe in God.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi seemed to at least prove that she still thinks God exists when the House Minority Leader accused President Trump last week of dishonoring Him by opting to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

Pelosi at her weekly press conference:

���This is a matter of environmental justice. Lower income and minority families are disproportionately vulnerable to the ravages of the climate crisis. It���s civil rights issue. Environmental justice is. And we have a moral responsibility in addition to the national security, the economy and the health of our children. We have a moral responsibility. We must leave future generations with a healthy, sustainable planet. Faith leaders, starting with the Holiness Pope Francis, to the evangelical community, have urged us to be responsible stewards of the beauty of God���s creation. They believe as you live that this planet is God���s creation and we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of it.

���When we work with evangelical communities, we put together our climate legislation ten years ago, nine years ago. They had their literature which said that we had a moral responsibility to be good stewards of God���s creation, and in doing so, we must pay special attention to the needs of the poor. I saw it as an environmental justice issue as well in the evangelical community. When the pope went to the White House, he talked about the dangers of air pollution when he was here. Just last week, the pope met with President Trump and gave him a copy of his encyclical, which made the strong case to halt the climate crisis. The pope wrote the climate is a common good belonging to all and meant for all. The Bible tells us to minister to the needs of God���s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us and that is what we are doing by walking away from this accord.���

According to The Washington Times, President Trump has said that he is willing to rejoin the accord, but only if the terms are changed so that they prove more equitable to American workers.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Trump Supporters Take Page from Democrats��� Playbook, Disrupt Pro-Illegal Immigration Town Hall

Organized disruptions ��� masked as sincere, individual protests - at local town halls hosted by Republican members of Congress have been a standard part of the Democratic Party���s playbook since Donald Trump became the country���s 45th president. In one recent incident, however, it appears that some rank-and-file Republicans were the agitators at a congressional town hall, but this one was hosted by a Democrat.

This past Tuesday, Rep. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) served as the host of what was billed as an ���Immigration Workshop��� at the Delhi Center, a community center in Santa Ana. However, the congressman told Los Angeles NBC television affiliate NBC 4 that the meeting fell apart as it was targeted by ���Trump supporters angry over immigration.���

���It got very much out of control,��� Correa told the station. ���They wouldn't not let me speak. They got very rowdy.���

Sound familiar?

The disruption reached the point where police had to step in and escort the protesters out of the building. Although it was initially reported that no arrests were made, one ���ANTIFA,��� or ���anti-fascist,��� protester was taken into custody by police after a scuffle in the parking lot.

While Correa has said about his efforts on behalf of immigrants that ���all I'm trying to do in my district is spread information, let people know of their rights, how to follow the law, and be good citizens,��� reports suggest that the ���workshop,��� as it was originally planned, was going to be a resource for those in the country illegally to access information that would help them to evade federal immigration authorities and remain in the country as undocumented residents.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Study: Valedictorians Rarely Enjoy Wild Success, While the Average Millionaire���s College GPA is 2.9

If you think your fair-to-middlin��� performance in school is a sign that you���ll never be a roaring success, you might want to think again.

It turns out that while valedictorians and salutatorians typically do quite well, thank you very much, in adulthood, the average college GPA of millionaires is just 2.9, equivalent to a high ���C.���

So, what gives?

According to Eric Barker, author of Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong, the inherent nature and structure of formal education has a tendency to reward the kind of behavior that makes for a good student, but does not so great a job of validating the dynamic traits of which millionaires are so frequently and naturally possessed.

Barker notes that ���schools reward students who consistently do what they are told,��� but it���s typically the case that those who often make a significant impact somewhere along the line have a record of shaking things up, and thinking unconventionally.

Additionally, says Barker, ���schools reward being a generalist," while society seems to do a better job at handing over its strongest, ���real world��� accolades to those who singularly devote themselves to a particular passion, and take it further than anyone who has come before.

Addressing his assessments with Business Insider, Barker said, in part: ���Valedictorians often go on to be the people who support the system ��� they become a part of the system ��� but they don���t change the system or overthrow the system.���

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large