{"id":20460,"date":"2017-12-24T00:14:42","date_gmt":"2017-12-24T08:14:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/?p=20460"},"modified":"2017-12-24T00:17:44","modified_gmt":"2017-12-24T08:17:44","slug":"rouge-forum-dispatch-keep-a-happy-song-in-your-heart-edition-but-dont-forget-to-smash-the-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/rouge-forum-dispatch-keep-a-happy-song-in-your-heart-edition-but-dont-forget-to-smash-the-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Rouge Forum Dispatch: Keep a Happy Song in Your Heart Edition: but don&#8217;t forget to Smash the State."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>We Say Fight Back!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheOnion\/videos\/10156171785529497\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/TheOnion\/videos\/10156171785529497\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/moron-fightback-section.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20468\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/moron-fightback-section.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"727\" height=\"727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/moron-fightback-section.png 727w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/moron-fightback-section-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/moron-fightback-section-500x500.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<section id=\"module-position-QgTMDltG-Rc\" class=\"storytopbar-bucket story-headline-module story-story-headline-module\">\n<h1 class=\"asset-headline speakable-headline\">Rare \u2018Major victory\u2019 for teachers: $550M refund<\/h1>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">Michigan plans to refund nearly 275,000 public school employees a combined $550 million plus interest for retiree healthcare paycheck deductions deemed unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court, a ruling hailed by unions as a \u201cmajor victory\u201d for educators.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">In a unanimous 6-0 decision released Wednesday, justices ordered the refunds and upheld a Court of Appeals ruling that a 2010 Michigan law violated contract clauses of the state and federal constitutions by involuntarily reducing pay for teachers and other school employees by 3 percent to fund retiree health care benefits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Because the paycheck deductions were unconstitutional, funds collected from more than 200,000 school employees before a replacement law took effect in 2012 \u201cmust be refunded to the plaintiffs in accordance with the Court of Appeals judgment,\u201d justices ruled.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/2017\/12\/20\/michigan-teacher-refund-percent\/108777094\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/2017\/12\/20\/michigan-teacher-refund-percent\/108777094\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.wakingtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/MEME-Smedley-Butler.jpg\" alt=\"http:\/\/www.wakingtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/MEME-Smedley-Butler.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>How People Fought Back in the Thirties (See the lesson about trickle down economics at 28 minutes and <em>General Smedley Butler on troop resistance<\/em> at 42)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Great Depression 2 - The road to rock bottom\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7nWJ-A54b2w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Congratulations on the publication of:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/--aKpWZS-n90\/Wjvf3n7j54I\/AAAAAAAAOG0\/1bhv2qKRQ7s8bMG-sSgYmreF5fX7ZREygCLcBGAs\/s1600\/41I1CkwyXjL._SX327_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__src\" src=\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/5a37e8cf150000490049c45c.jpeg?cache=fh1tz9svwj&amp;ops=scalefit_720_noupscale\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline__title\">All 6 Defendants Not Guilty In Key Felony Trial Of Trump Inauguration Protesters<\/h1>\n<div class=\"content-list-component bn-content-list-text yr-content-list-text text\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\" data-rapid-cpos=\"1\" data-rapid-subsec=\"paragraph\" data-rapid-parsed=\"subsec\">\n<p>All six defendants in a crucial trial involving demonstrators arrested during <a class=\"bn-clickable\" href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/topic\/donald-trump\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;President Donald Trump&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:1,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/topic\/donald-trump&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\" data-ylk=\"subsec:paragraph;cpos:1\" data-rapid-parsed=\"slk\" data-rapid_p=\"1\" data-v9y=\"1\">President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s inauguration were found not guilty of all charges on Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-list-component bn-content-list-text yr-content-list-text text\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\" data-rapid-cpos=\"2\" data-rapid-subsec=\"paragraph\" data-rapid-parsed=\"subsec\">\n<p>The trial of the six defendants \u2015 Jennifer Armento,\u00a0Oliver Harris,\u00a0Brittne Lawson, Michelle Macchio, Christina Simmons and Alexei Wood \u2015\u00a0<a class=\"bn-clickable\" href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/inauguration-protesters-trial_us_5a12eef3e4b045cf4372f7d6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;lnid&quot;:&quot;began in mid-November&quot;,&quot;mpid&quot;:2,&quot;plid&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/inauguration-protesters-trial_us_5a12eef3e4b045cf4372f7d6&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\" data-ylk=\"subsec:paragraph;cpos:2\" data-rapid-parsed=\"slk\" data-rapid_p=\"2\" data-v9y=\"1\">began in mid-November<\/a>. It raised major First Amendment issues and was seen as a bellwether that could determine whether the government will proceed with the prosecutions of many of the nearly 200 other defendants who have trials scheduled throughout the next year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-list-component bn-content-list-text yr-content-list-text text\" data-beacon=\"{&quot;p&quot;:{&quot;mnid&quot;:&quot;citation&quot;}}\" data-beacon-parsed=\"true\" data-rapid-cpos=\"3\" data-rapid-subsec=\"paragraph\" data-rapid-parsed=\"subsec\">\n<p>Despite Thursday\u2019s verdict, Justice Department prosecutors appeared ready to take all of the remaining defendants to trial.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/trump-inauguration-protesters-not-guilty_us_5a37e6c2e4b040881becafe2\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/trump-inauguration-protesters-not-guilty_us_5a37e6c2e4b040881becafe2<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Preacher and the Slave\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S-nxBPhHj6E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/25552294_10155370745403869_5801488576857204802_n.jpg?oh=3e01c5ae33d3072d9eb01573ae65ac50&amp;oe=5AB34AF8\" alt=\"Image may contain: 1 person\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Congratulations on the publication of:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"imgBlkFront\" class=\"a-dynamic-image image-stretch-vertical frontImage aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41zhRYUMyYL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-a-dynamic-image=\"{&quot;https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41zhRYUMyYL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg&quot;:[228,346],&quot;https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41zhRYUMyYL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg&quot;:[329,499]}\" \/><\/p>\n<p>,<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thenib.imgix.net\/usq\/cf7849a6-63a2-45b8-80b4-42d54b646ed5\/stocking-suffer-1-f73.jpeg?auto=compress,format&amp;cs=srgb&amp;_=f73e51c989835a6b65e22a425746f668\" \/><\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"js_8\" class=\"_5pbx userContent _3576\" data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"_3x-2\">\n<div data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;H&quot;}\">\n<div class=\"mtm\">\n<div id=\"u_ps_0_0_17\" class=\"_6m2 _1zpr clearfix _dcs _4_w4 _41u- _59ap _2bf7\" data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;H&quot;}\">\n<div class=\"clearfix _2r3x\">\n<div class=\"lfloat _ohe\">\n<div class=\"_6ks\">\n<div class=\"_6l- __c_\">\n<div class=\"uiScaledImageContainer _6m5 fbStoryAttachmentImage\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"scaledImageFitWidth img\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t45.1600-4\/c0.0.476.249\/p476x249\/24096402_23842667121300191_2289302815278891008_n.png?oh=34f8d6be8521c20b194a0e6d2fc7a694&amp;oe=5ACBDB48\" alt=\"\" width=\"476\" height=\"249\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_3ekx _29_4\">\n<div class=\"_6m3 _--6\">\n<div class=\"_59tj _2iau\">\n<div class=\"clearfix\">\n<div class=\"_42ef\">\n<div class=\"_6lz _6mb ellipsis\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"single-title\">\n<h1><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Four Conditions that make revolution possible:<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h1>Faced with a profound crisis the ruling class is incapable of governing in the old way and begins to split into different wings, each seeking a different solution to the crisis.<\/h1>\n<h1>Secondly, the middle layers are in ferment.<\/h1>\n<h1>Thirdly, the working class seeks a way out, not on the basis of the old society, but of a new order. It moves into battle in a determined fashion.<\/h1>\n<h1>Fourthly, the most crucial condition, is the existence, at the head of the mass workers\u2019 movement of a clear Marxist leadership, with the necessary strategy, tactics, and organization to guarantee victory.<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fist-red-3.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20505\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fist-red-3.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"241\" height=\"209\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fist-red-3.jpeg 241w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Fist-red-3-150x130.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 241px) 100vw, 241px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>T<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>he Little Red Schoolhouse<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"utility-bar-wrap\">\n<div class=\"utility-bar\">\n<div class=\"util-bar-primary-modules\">\n<div class=\"util-bar-module util-bar-module-share\">\n<div class=\"util-bar-flyout-close-ribbon\">\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/School_is_Hell-666.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20497\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/School_is_Hell-666.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/School_is_Hell-666.png 800w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/School_is_Hell-666-150x84.png 150w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/School_is_Hell-666-500x281.png 500w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/School_is_Hell-666-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"util-bar-secondary-modules\">\n<div class=\"util-bar-module util-bar-module-print\">\n<div class=\"util-bar-btn util-bar-btn-print\" data-uotrack=\"UtilityBarPrintBtn\" data-module-name=\"utility-bar-module-print\">\n<h1 class=\"asset-headline speakable-headline\">Detroit PS misses deadline, loses out on $6.5M<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">The old Detroit school district has lost out on $6.5 million in money to whittle down its old debt after officials failed to turn in paperwork on time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">Nikolai Vitti, Detroit Public Schools Community District superintendent, sent an email to board members this week saying Detroit Public Schools, the old district, failed to submit documentation to be reimbursed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The state reimburses the districts for debt loss under <a title=\"http:\/\/www.legislature.mi.gov\/(S(2kmaeb1asaajbe4x5yhgoeko))\/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&amp;objectName=mcl-Act-86-of-2014\" href=\"http:\/\/www.legislature.mi.gov\/(S(2kmaeb1asaajbe4x5yhgoeko))\/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&amp;objectName=mcl-Act-86-of-2014\">Public Act 86<\/a> if they met the Aug. 15 deadline.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cAt this point, Detroit Public Schools is not eligible for the $6.5 million-dollar reimbursement from the state,\u201d Vitti told board members in an email Monday. \u201cAfter speaking with state officials, the available funds have already been disbursed to other qualifying entities. However, we will continue to petition the state to receive the reimbursement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Vitti said the documents were provided to the former CFO Marios Demetriou in the spring but were not completed or received by the state. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/local\/detroit-city\/2017\/12\/21\/dps-detroit-public-schools-community-district-debt-million\/108837084\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/local\/detroit-city\/2017\/12\/21\/dps-detroit-public-schools-community-district-debt-million\/108837084\/<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-article-smarttitle\">\n<div class=\"pane-content\">\n<div class=\"field field-name-field-article-smarttitle field-type-text field-label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field-items\">\n<div class=\"field-item even\">\n<h1>Sweet Briar&#8217;s Curriculum Comes at a Cost<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"panel-pane pane-token pane-node-summary sub-title-desc\">\n<div class=\"pane-content\">\n<p><strong>Small private women&#8217;s college is cutting more than 10\u00a0percent of its faculty as it overhauls curriculum.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sweet Briar College is eliminating more than 10\u00a0percent of its faculty, including tenured faculty positions, as it puts in place a new core curriculum and restructures academic programs.<\/p>\n<p>The small private women\u2019s liberal arts college, which was nearly closed under a previous administration in 2015, published details on its curricular and academic changes Friday. Sweet Briar will cut by almost half the number of majors it offers starting in the next academic year, from 33 to 17. It will shift its core curriculum away from traditional general education courses and toward classes administrators say are better fits for the latest trends in students\u2019 academic interests and careers &#8212; in areas like design thinking, sustainable systems, leadership, persuasion and making decisions in a data-driven world.<\/p>\n<p>Sweet Briar\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/sbc.edu\/news\/sweet-briar-reveals-academic-investments-in-liberal-arts-and-sciences-including-core-curriculum-focused-on-leadership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">official news release<\/a> on the new curriculum and restructuring laid out in detail changes that were announced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/quicktakes\/2017\/09\/07\/sweet-briar-will-reset-tuition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">months ago<\/a>, explaining that the new curriculum is intended to focus on women\u2019s leadership.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/news\/2017\/12\/19\/sweet-briar-eliminating-tenured-faculty-positions-it-puts-new-curriculum-place\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.insidehighered.com\/news\/2017\/12\/19\/sweet-briar-eliminating-tenured-faculty-positions-it-puts-new-curriculum-place<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GuerraDeChistesOficial\/videos\/2019155971638200\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/GuerraDeChistesOficial\/videos\/2019155971638200\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\"><span class=\"dfm-title optimizely-6206033\">California\u2019s public records law needs teeth <\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As long as government employees are free to violate the state\u2019s public records law with impunity, the transparency promised to all Californians in the state constitution will remain elusive.<\/p>\n<p>While California\u2019s Public Records Act declares that governmental transparency is a \u201cfundamental and necessary right of every person in this state,\u201d the realization of this admirable goal is severely undercut by the lack of any penalty for government officials who refuse to comply with the law&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>As a result, some agencies are comfortable ignoring the law entirely, adopting what can only be described as a \u201cwell, sue us\u201d mentality&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;it\u2019s not just the smaller agencies who behave this way, even the<em><strong> massive San Diego Unified School District routinely flouts the law.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Take Transparent California\u2019s most recent request for salary data from the district as an example. Despite having already created the exact file requested on June 6, 2017, the district issued a determination letter on June 12, 2017 stating they would not produce this existing, readily-available file for another 12 weeks!<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, a request sent to the city of South Gate languished for more than 60 days as the city asserted an open-ended extension to locate the allegedly \u201cextraordinary amount of documents\u201d requested. When the city finally produced the single responsive file, it contained a creation date indicating that it had been in the city\u2019s possession the entire time.<\/p>\n<p>So much for releasing information in a \u201cprompt\u201d fashion as state law mandates.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ocregister.com\/2017\/12\/21\/californias-public-records-law-needs-teeth\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.ocregister.com\/2017\/12\/21\/californias-public-records-law-needs-teeth\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cheaterscams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/once-a-cehater.jpg\" alt=\"http:\/\/cheaterscams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/once-a-cehater.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<h1>A Cheating Scandal Rocked Atlanta&#8217;s Schools. Ten Years Later, Efforts to Help Affected Students Fall Short<\/h1>\n<p>&#8230;in the wake of the largest K-12 school cheating scandal in U.S. history, the district and community have struggled to move on. The scandal has cast a long shadow, with the cheating allegations looming over this city\u2019s schools for the better part of a decade.<\/p>\n<p>Of the 11 former educators convicted on state racketeering charges, many are still appealing their convictions, hoping to clear their records, if not their names.<\/p>\n<p>A former Dobbs principal, Dana Evans, is among them. Even as legal fees have drained her retirement accounts and she struggles to find work, she insists she is innocent&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>Two programs designed to help the students affected by the cheating scandal have also fallen flat.<\/p>\n<p>The Atlanta Promise Academy, an effort hatched to find dropouts who were harmed by the cheating and offer them GED classes or job training has failed to get off the ground. In the two years since Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced the plan, he has not been able to secure private or public financing to get it rolling.<\/p>\n<p>And the district\u2019s main attempt to repair the damage to students impacted by the cheating\u2014a $7.5 million program for those who are still in school\u2014hasn\u2019t fared much better. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/media\/target-2021-evaluation-report.pdf\">new report from Georgia State University<\/a>, researchers found that tutoring and other support services may have come too little, too late&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Even before the latest findings, the results left some parents with the sense that, once again, Atlanta is cheating its children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t go back and get those years back for any of those children, including my children,\u201d said Shawnna Hayes-Tavares, a district parent and critic who sits on the program\u2019s advisory council. She had two children\u2014one who is now a district graduate and another in his senior year\u2014eligible for the program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe didn\u2019t even start the process until almost six years later,\u201d Hayes-Tavares said. \u201cHow many students did we lose in the process?\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/ew\/articles\/2017\/12\/19\/atlantas-efforts-to-help-students-impacted-by.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news1&#038;M=58316711&#038;U=1666178\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.edweek.org\/ew\/articles\/2017\/12\/19\/atlantas-efforts-to-help-students-impacted-by.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news1&#038;M=58316711&#038;U=1666178<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The International Hot War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.tomdispatch.com\/images\/managed\/sof2017_small.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>America\u2019s elite troops were deployed to 149 nations in 2017, according to U.S. Special Operations Command.\u00a0 The map above displays the locations of 132 of those countries; 129 locations (in blue) were supplied by U.S. Special Operations Command; 3 locations (in red) &#8212; Syria, Yemen and Somalia &#8212; were derived from open-source information. (Nick Turse<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Donald Trump\u2019s First Year Sets Record for U.S. Special Ops\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Elite Commandos Deployed to 149 Countries in 2017<\/strong><br \/>\nBy\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tomdispatch.com\/authors\/nickturse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nick Turse<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know exactly where we\u2019re at in the world, militarily, and what we\u2019re doing,\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/10\/23\/politics\/niger-troops-lawmakers\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a>\u00a0Senator Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in October. That was in the wake of the combat deaths of four members of the Special Operations forces in the West African nation of Niger. Graham and other senators expressed shock about the deployment, but the global sweep of America\u2019s most elite forces is, at best, an open secret.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>Earlier this year before that same Senate committee &#8212; though Graham was not in attendance &#8212; General Raymond Thomas, the chief of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), offered some clues about the planetwide reach of America\u2019s most elite troops. \u201cWe operate and fight in every corner of the world,\u201d he\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.socom.mil\/pages\/posture-statement-sasc.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">boasted<\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cRather than a mere \u2018break-glass-in-case-of-war\u2019 force, we are now proactively engaged across the \u2018battle space\u2019 of the Geographic Combatant Commands&#8230; providing key integrating and enabling capabilities to support their campaigns and operations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, U.S. Special Operations forces, including Navy SEALs and Army Green Berets, deployed to 149 countries around the world, according to figures provided to\u00a0<em>TomDispatch<\/em>\u00a0by U.S. Special Operations Command.\u00a0 That\u2019s about 75% of the nations on the planet and represents a jump from the 138 countries that saw such deployments in 2016 under the Obama administration.\u00a0 It\u2019s also a jump of nearly 150% from the last days of George W. Bush\u2019s White House.\u00a0 This record-setting number of deployments comes as American commandos are battling a plethora of terror groups in quasi-wars that stretch from Africa and the Middle East to Asia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost Americans would be amazed to learn that U.S. Special Operations Forces have been deployed to three quarters of the nations on the planet,\u201d observes William Hartung, the director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy.\u00a0 \u201cThere is little or no transparency as to what they are doing in these countries and whether their efforts are promoting security or provoking further tension and conflict.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tomdispatch.com\/post\/176363\/tomgram%3A_nick_turse%2C_a_wider_world_of_war\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.tomdispatch.com\/post\/176363\/tomgram%3A_nick_turse%2C_a_wider_world_of_war\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/streetfx\/videos\/10160227791400112\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/streetfx\/videos\/10160227791400112\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>US commandos carry out thousands of operations in Afghanistan<\/h1>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">American special operations forces have been busy over the last six months in Afghanistan, enabling or advising more than 2,000 ground operations in support of Afghan partner forces.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The figures were published in a semiannual report to Congress titled \u201cEnhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The report provides a small glimpse into the operations tempo of American commandos advising and embedding with elite Afghan forces as part of America\u2019s counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan. And they highlight the strain and burden placed on a relatively small group of special operations forces deployed to the region.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The numbers provided in the report about kinetic missions of American and Afghan commando forces have not been disclosed in other versions of the semiannual report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pb-ad-container\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">From June 1 to Nov. 24, troops assigned to Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan enabled or advised 2,175 ground operations and 261 kinetic strikes in support of the Afghan Special Security Forces.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">\u201cThese operations included 420 ground operations and 214 air strikes against ISIS-K [the Islamic State\u2019s branch in Afghanistan], resulting in more than 174 ISIS-K killed-in-action; 1644 ground operations and 181 air strikes against the Taliban, resulting in 220 Taliban KIA; 68 ground operations and 28 air strikes against members of the Haqqani Network, resulting in 34 Haqqani KIA; and 43 ground operations against other insurgent networks, resulting in 36 enemy KIA,\u201d the report reads.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2017\/12\/16\/us-commandos-carry-out-thousands-of-operations-in-afghanistan\/?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=EBB%2012.17.2017&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2017\/12\/16\/us-commandos-carry-out-thousands-of-operations-in-afghanistan\/?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=EBB%2012.17.2017&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mike Pence Gets Real with the Evangelical Christian Church about Trump\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gtfE2W1a1KQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\">Pence Says &#8216;Real Progress&#8217; in War in Afghanistan<\/h1>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"95\" data-total-count=\"213\">U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says &#8220;real progress&#8221; is being made on the ground in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"101\" data-total-count=\"314\">Pence is visiting the war-torn nation to meet with its leaders and rally U.S. troops stationed there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"162\" data-total-count=\"476\">Pence says Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has told him that more senior Taliban leaders have been eliminated this year than in all prior years of the war combined.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"336\" data-total-count=\"812\">President Donald Trump announced a new Afghan strategy in August. Pence says that, because of that decision, the U.S. has been sending more resources and troops into Afghanistan. More important, Pence says, is the new authority Trump has granted U.S. military personnel on the ground to fight more effectively alongside Afghan soldiers.<\/p>\n<p id=\"story-continues-1\" class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"96\" data-total-count=\"908\">The vice president says &#8220;the results are really beginning to become evident around the country.&#8221; (NYtimes Dec 21\/17)<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"ArticleHeader_headline_2zdFM\">Gunmen seize building in Afghan capital, firing on security forces<\/h1>\n<p>A group of armed men seized a building under construction in the Afghan capital on Monday and were exchanging fire with security forces in a heavily populated area, an official said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe number of attackers, possible casualties and their target is not yet clear,\u201d said Najib Danish, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior.<\/p>\n<p>The Afshar area of Kabul where the attack was under way is close to a facility of the National Directorate of Security, the main Afghan intelligence agency, as well as a private university.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-northkorea-missiles-cyber\/north-korea-rejects-u-s-accusation-says-it-is-not-linked-to-any-cyber-attacks-idUSKBN1EF0BD?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=EBB%2012.17.2017&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.reuters.com\/article\/us-northkorea-missiles-cyber\/north-korea-rejects-u-s-accusation-says-it-is-not-linked-to-any-cyber-attacks-idUSKBN1EF0BD?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=EBB%2012.17.2017&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2017\/10\/Screen-Shot-2017-10-16-at-8.20.34-AM.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/wp-content\/dropzone\/2017\/10\/Screen-Shot-2017-10-16-at-8.20.34-AM.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Longest War: 8 Years After My Last Deployment, I Returned To Afghanistan As A Reporter. Here\u2019s What I Found<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Almost eight years after I did my last combat mission in the mountains of Afghanistan, the opportunity arose for me to return \u2014 not as a combatant but as a journalist.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what I learned.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>We\u2019re not leaving Afghanistan\u2026 maybe ever.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>I know this may come as a surprise to anyone who remembers the swift\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2001\/12\/11\/world\/nation-challenged-military-campaign-taliban-defeated-pentagon-asserts-but-war.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">defeat of the Taliban<\/a>\u00a0just three months after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. Or the\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2009\/12\/06\/world\/asia\/06reconstruct.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Surge<\/a>. Or the \u201c<a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/international\/archive\/2014\/10\/the-afghanistan-withdrawal-a-potential-disaster-in-the-making\/381474\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">drawdown<\/a>.\u201d Or even the\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/3648055\/united-states-afghanistan-war-end\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">triumphant announcement<\/a>\u00a0back in December 2014 that our official combat operations had come to a successful conclusion. But the plain truth is we\u2019re there for the long haul, and we may as well abandon any expectation of the contrary. It was evident almost from my first minutes at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul that the United States leaving Afghanistan is about as likely as our leaving Germany, Japan, Korea, Italy, or most of the other 138 countries around the world where we maintain a military presence.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve come to terms with the fact that friends I served with a decade ago are still deploying to Afghanistan. (I bumped into some of them actually.) I know that my youngest sister, currently in the initial stages of her Army career, will probably deploy there. I won\u2019t be surprised if my 3-year-old daughter, should she decide to join the military, deploys to Afghanistan someday.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs-images.forbes.com\/sheilaasmith\/files\/2014\/02\/East_China_Sea.jpg?width=960\" alt=\"https:\/\/blogs-images.forbes.com\/sheilaasmith\/files\/2014\/02\/East_China_Sea.jpg?width=960\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"title\">China air force drills in Sea of Japan and again around Taiwan<\/h1>\n<div class=\"PrimaryAsset_container_2pnvl\">\n<div class=\"Image_container_1tVQo\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"LazyImage_container_1Z7A0\">\n<p>\u00a0China&#8217;s air force carried out another round of long-range drills on Monday, flying into the Sea of Japan and prompting South Korean and Japanese jets to scramble, and again around self-ruled Taiwan amid growing tension over China&#8217;s assertiveness.<\/p>\n<p>China has in recent months ramped up its long-range air force drills, particularly around Taiwan, claimed by China as its own.<\/p>\n<p>The air force said in a statement that fighter and bomber aircraft flew through the Tsushima Strait that separates South Korea from Japan and into international waters in the Sea of Japan.<\/p>\n<p>The Sea of Japan is not Japan&#8217;s, and the drills were lawful and reasonable, air force spokesman Shen Jinke said in the statement, describing the exercises as routine and pre-planned.<\/p>\n<p>The Japanese Defence Ministry said in a statement that the aircraft &#8211; two SU-30 fighters, two H-6 bombers and one TU-154 reconnaissance plane &#8211; had not violated Japan&#8217;s airspace.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/asia.nikkei.com\/Politics-Economy\/Policy-Politics\/China-air-force-drills-in-Sea-of-Japan-and-again-around-Taiwan?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=EBB%2012.19.2017&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">asia.nikkei.com\/Politics-Economy\/Policy-Politics\/China-air-force-drills-in-Sea-of-Japan-and-again-around-Taiwan?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=EBB%2012.19.2017&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.nbcsandiego.com\/images\/652*367\/generic+jail1.jpg\" alt=\"Former Navy Officer Sentenced for Attempted Sex With Minor\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Ex-Navy officer sentenced for attempting to lure 13-year-old for\u00a0sex<\/h1>\n<p>A former Navy lieutenant commander in San Diego was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison for trying to entice an underage girl \u2014 really an undercover Homeland Security agent \u2014 into having sex with him.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew Perry Maples, 38, pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor and could have faced life in prison.<\/p>\n<p>According to the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office, Maples placed an online advertisement titled \u201cdaddy looking for daughter-m4w\u201d in July. Homeland Security agents noticed the ad and an undercover agent responded, posing as a young teen.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors said that over the course of around two weeks, Maples \u2014 who was in the Navy at the time \u2014 communicated with the undercover agent who he thought was 13, telling her he would teach her \u201chow to kiss and make out\u201d and making more explicit statements about what they could do.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/fox5sandiego.com\/2017\/12\/18\/ex-navy-officer-sentenced-for-attempting-to-lure-13-year-old-for-sex\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">fox5sandiego.com\/2017\/12\/18\/ex-navy-officer-sentenced-for-attempting-to-lure-13-year-old-for-sex\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/armytimes\/videos\/10156167365634497\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/armytimes\/videos\/10156167365634497\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The International Economic War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xeSmNaKCjaw\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xeSmNaKCjaw<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>What GE did to Your Future and Past<\/h1>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">by Susan Ohanian<\/h2>\n<p>Although the name Schenectady comes from the Mohawk <em>skahn\u00e9htati<\/em>\u00a0meaning &#8220;beyond the pines,&#8221;\u00a0when I moved there a few decades ago, I didn&#8217;t have a clue about the city\u2019s history of American Indian usurpation or later slavery import. For me, this city sitting at the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers brought back strains of \u201cThe Erie Canal,\u201d the obligatory song everybody learned in grade school.<\/p>\n<p>A huge sign boasted \u201cGeneral Electric City.\u201d By far the largest employer, GE employed over 30,000 and every year boasted of increased production, way over the national average. It was a good city to live in, and I believed the GE slogan \u201cWe Bring Good Things to Life\u201d\u2014producing not just lightbulbs and refrigerators, but NBC and high tech stuff I knew nothing about.<\/p>\n<p>Then Schenectady became one of the city\u2019s GE dumped, relocating thousands of manufacturing jobs to cheap labor in the Sun Belt and overseas, leaving environmental brownfields behind. Then I remembered that Kurt Vonnegut worked there briefly as a publicist.\u00a0 Besides generating good news about GE, Vonnegut wrote <em>Player Piano<\/em>, about a dystopian world run by machines. <em>And GE sponsored Ronald Reagan&#8217;s TV career. <a href=\"http:\/\/richgibson.com\/GE.htm\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">richgibson.com\/GE.htm<\/a><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hoovervilles\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ISniZI_H7mE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\">California Today: State\u2019s Homeless Population Drives National Increase (why are we not rioting?)<\/h1>\n<p>It could hardly come as a surprise to anyone who travels around the state: the number of people who are homeless in California\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hudexchange.info\/resource\/reportmanagement\/published\/CoC_PopSub_State_CA_2017.pdf\">continues to rise<\/a>\u00a0at a steady clip. Every year, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development releases a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hudexchange.info\/resources\/documents\/2017-AHAR-Part-1.pdf\">Point in Time count<\/a>\u00a0of the homeless population. This year that number reached nearly 554,000 \u2014 a 1 percent increase from last year, driven by the dramatic surge in West Coast cities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"308\" data-total-count=\"809\">More than one-quarter of the total homeless population nationwide lives in California, roughly 114,000. The vast majority are \u201cunsheltered\u201d \u2014 a more bureaucratic term to describe the thousands living on the streets, under freeways and tucked into grassy fields and parks in cities all around the state.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"436\" data-total-count=\"1245\">\u201cIt\u2019s certainly a bigger increase than we would have expected,\u201d said Ben Metcalf, the director of the state\u2019s Department of Housing and Community Development. \u201cThere\u2019s a tale of different countries here: We\u2019re seeing a real significant increase and much of the rest of the country is not. We\u2019re all doing the same things, but here the rent is too damn high. We\u2019ve seen an incredible increase in the cost of housing.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/12\/21\/us\/california-today-states-homeless-population-drives-national-increase.html?em_pos=large&#038;emc=edit_ca_20171221&#038;nl=california-today&#038;nlid=2254121&#038;ref=headline&#038;te=1&#038;_r=0\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2017\/12\/21\/us\/california-today-states-homeless-population-drives-national-increase.html?em_pos=large&#038;emc=edit_ca_20171221&#038;nl=california-today&#038;nlid=2254121&#038;ref=headline&#038;te=1&#038;_r=0<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ON THE STREETS -- a feature documentary on homelessness in L.A.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WUsJcPc8g0A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"header\"><button class=\"upvote \" name=\"value\" type=\"submit\" value=\"1\">SSs\u00a0 <\/button><\/h1>\n<h1 class=\"header\">San Diego&#8217;s Merrill Lynch whacked<\/h1>\n<div id=\"target-story_body_template\" class=\"story_body\">\n<p id=\"h892586-p1\" class=\"permalinkable permalinking\">The mammoth brokerage Merrill Lynch, a unit of Bank of America, was slapped yesterday (December 21) with several charges of money laundering by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm was given cease-and-desist orders by the regulator.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"h892586-p3\" class=\"permalinkable permalinking\">The SEC notes that a registered broker-dealer is required to file a suspicious activity report on a transaction or pattern of transactions of at least $5000 that the broker knows or suspects involves funds from illegal activities, is designed to evade money laundering requirements, and has no business or lawful purpose. In a number of instances, Merrill failed to file such reports, says the SEC.<\/p>\n<p id=\"h892586-p4\" class=\"permalinkable\">The firm sent its employees a report on what to look for, among them, &#8220;wires originating from jurisdictions which had been flagged in relation to black market peso exchange activities&#8221; and &#8220;many funds transfers sent in large, round dollar amounts.&#8221; Merrill had used a system called &#8220;Mantas&#8221; for the automated monitoring of retail brokerage accounts &#8220;to detect potential money laundering activity,&#8221; according to the report. But Merrill failed to use Mantas in two high-risk scenarios, and did not investigate certain Mantas reports.\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandiegoreader.com\/news\/2017\/dec\/22\/ticker-san-diegos-merrill-lynch-whacked\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.sandiegoreader.com\/news\/2017\/dec\/22\/ticker-san-diegos-merrill-lynch-whacked\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orig00.deviantart.net\/ab6c\/f\/2012\/008\/6\/c\/pig_prince_by_ildi86-d4lqt6u.jpg\" alt=\"https:\/\/orig00.deviantart.net\/ab6c\/f\/2012\/008\/6\/c\/pig_prince_by_ildi86-d4lqt6u.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"lede-large-image__image\">\n<h1 class=\"content__headline\">Queen in line for \u00a32.8m pay rise in 2017-18<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk\/queen\" data-link-name=\"auto-linked-tag\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">The Queen<\/a> is set for a \u00a32.8m pay rise next year, unless the formula used to calculate the amount taxpayers contribute to the monarchy\u2019s running costs is changed.<\/p>\n<p>As the Crown Estate property empire delivered a record \u00a3304.1m to Treasury coffers, the sovereign stands to receive \u00a345.6m in 2017-18 \u2013 a 6.5% increase on this year\u2019s \u00a342.8m. The amount would represent a 57% increase for the monarch since 2012, when she received \u00a329.1m.<\/p>\n<p>Taxpayers\u2019 annual contribution to official expenses \u2013 known as the sovereign grant \u2013 has, since 2012, been calculated as 15% of the Crown Estate surplus, two years in arrears.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2016\/jun\/28\/queen-28m-pay-rise-taxpayer-sovereign-grant?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2016\/jun\/28\/queen-28m-pay-rise-taxpayer-sovereign-grant?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"shrinkToFit transparent\" src=\"http:\/\/andrewgelman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Screen-Shot-2016-12-17-at-11.57.19-AM.png\" alt=\"http:\/\/andrewgelman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Screen-Shot-2016-12-17-at-11.57.19-AM.png\" width=\"968\" height=\"688\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-well\">\n<section class=\"main-column\">\n<div class=\"main-column__content\">\n<div class=\"lede-large-content lede\">\n<div class=\"lede-large-content__wrapper\">\n<h1 class=\"lede-large-content__hed\"><span class=\"lede-large-content__highlight\">U.S. Life Expectancy Drops Again<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"abstract\">\n<li class=\"abstract__item\">\n<div class=\"abstract__item-text\">First time in more than 50 years that it fell twice in a row<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"abstract__item\">\n<div class=\"abstract__item-text\">Deaths linked to synthetic opioids doubled from 2015 to 2016<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"body-copy\">\n<p>Americans\u2019 life expectancy at birth declined for the second year in a row in 2016 as the nation grappled with an opioid crisis, the first time that\u2019s happened in more than half a century.<\/p>\n<div class=\"regwall\" data-position=\"1\">\u00a0The overall decrease in longevity &#8212; to an average of 78.6 years &#8212; was driven by higher death rates among young and middle-aged Americans, even as older people are living longer. Fatal drug overdoses jumped by 21 percent, and the rate of deaths from synthetic opioids like fentanyl doubled from 2015 to 2016, the National Center for Health Statistics said Thursday.<\/div>\n<div class=\"regwall\" data-position=\"2\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"regwall\" data-position=\"2\">Broad declines in life expectancy are unusual in modern, wealthy nations &#8212; absent war or epidemics &#8212; and the reversal in the U.S. has been years in the making.\u00a0Americans have shorter lives than citizens of other rich nations like Japan, Germany or Canada, and the gap in lifespans has been increasing, according to a 2013 National Academies of Sciences <a title=\"web link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nap.edu\/catalog\/13497\/us-health-in-international-perspective-shorter-lives-poorer-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">report<\/a>.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2017-12-21\/u-s-life-expectancy-drops-for-second-year-amid-opioid-crisis\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2017-12-21\/u-s-life-expectancy-drops-for-second-year-amid-opioid-crisis<\/a><\/div>\n<div data-position=\"2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-position=\"2\">\n<h1>From private school tax breaks to bigger inheritances, 7 ways rich people win big if tax reform passes<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div data-position=\"2\">\n<h3 class=\"slide-title\">Higher-income taxpayers will get the largest tax cuts.<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"slide-title\">The estate tax, which benefits about 5,500 taxpayers a year, will be eliminated.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div data-position=\"2\">\n<h3 class=\"slide-title\">The AMT, which increased Trump&#8217;s leaked 2005 tax bill from $5.3 million to $36.5 million,\u00a0will be repealed.<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"slide-title\">Private school tuition could be paid through a 529 plan.<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"slide-title\">Rich people will still be able to reduce their taxes by donating to charity.<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"slide-title\">&#8220;Hedge fund guys,&#8221; as Trump called them, and other fund managers will still have access to a loophole that allows them to pay a lower tax rate on investment profits.<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"slide-title\">The stock market could go up thanks to a one-time repatriation tax included in the bill.<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/trump-tax-plan-rich-people-benefits-2017-11\/#hedge-fund-guys-as-trump-called-them-and-other-fund-managers-will-still-have-access-to-a-loophole-that-allows-them-to-pay-a-lower-tax-rate-on-investment-profits-6\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.businessinsider.com\/trump-tax-plan-rich-people-benefits-2017-11\/#hedge-fund-guys-as-trump-called-them-and-other-fund-managers-will-still-have-access-to-a-loophole-that-allows-them-to-pay-a-lower-tax-rate-on-investment-profits-6<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&quot;Trump is a Pig&quot;, Roger (Waters) that!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sd25WteNTIU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"header\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Emergence of Fascism as a Popular Mass Movement and <\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The War on Reason<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h1><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"expand-img-vertical\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/453a36a08a28a3cf4669582a761e7731eb47ef50\/c=10-0-310-400&amp;r=537&amp;c=0-0-534-712\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/04\/05\/Louisville\/Louisville\/636270046066628711-boone.jpg\" alt=\"636270046066628711-boone.jpg\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2017\/04\/05\/Louisville\/Louisville\/636270046066628711-boone.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/c8d0da1902572f66ef9a261b438c490f3cbd7735\/r=320x400\/local\/-\/media\/2017\/04\/05\/Louisville\/Louisville\/636270046066628711-boone.jpg\" \/><\/h1>\n<h1 class=\"asset-headline speakable-headline\">Cornbread Mafia Pot Dealer leader Johnny Boone pleads guilty in federal court &#8211;While Opioid Big Pharms go Untouched<\/h1>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">Johnny Boone,\u00a0the leader of one of the largest domestic marijuana organizations dubbed the &#8220;Cornbread Mafia,&#8221;\u00a0plead guilty in Federal Court Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">The 74-year-old Marion County farmer was arrested in December of 2016 in Canada, after running from authorities for more than eight years. He was brought to the United States in April.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">On Tuesday, he pled guilty to one count of superseding information, which carries a maximum five-year prison sentence, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">&#8220;Boone admitted yesterday that on May 27, 2008, in Washington County, Kentucky, he conspired with other persons to possess more than 1000 marijuana plants, intending to cultivate and grow the plants and distribute the marijuana when the plants were harvested,&#8221; a statement from the Western District of Kentucky&#8217;s U.S. Attorney&#8217;s office said.\u00a0&#8220;In furtherance of the conspiracy, Boone watered and fertilized the plants, and concealed them on a farm in Washington County on Walker Lane near his residence.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Cornbread Mafia, a group of mostly Kentuckians, pooled their money, machinery, knowledge and labor to produce $350 million in pot seized in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin, prosecutors said in 1989.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/news\/crime\/2017\/12\/20\/cornbread-mafia-johnny-boone-pleads-guilty-federal-court\/970117001\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.freep.com\/story\/news\/crime\/2017\/12\/20\/cornbread-mafia-johnny-boone-pleads-guilty-federal-court\/970117001\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"the-article-title\">15 US Cities With the Worst Reputations<\/h1>\n<div class=\"slide-text\">\n<h2 class=\"slide-title cf\"><span class=\"pagination-description\">1 of 15<\/span>Detroit, Michigan<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Detroit-book-warehouse-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20492\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Detroit-book-warehouse-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Detroit-book-warehouse-2.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Detroit-book-warehouse-2-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Detroit-book-warehouse-2-500x334.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a>above, Detroit schoolbook warehouse<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>the economy is poor\u2014since the auto industry tanked and a string of corrupt officials were indicted, companies have avoided Detroit. A low-budget police force struggles to keep up with crime, leading to a less-than-desirable reputation. The schools are ruined and will never recover.<\/p>\n<p>Detroit has also experienced the second-most dramatic population decline of any major city of the last century. Since it peaked in population during the 1950 census, the city has lost 61% of its population. With the loss of this tax base, the city itself had to declare bankruptcy. Tens of thousands of houses now sit abandoned throughout the city&amp;mdah;upwards of 30,000 by one 2012 estimate. <a href=\"http:\/\/travel.alot.com\/themes\/15-us-cities-with-the-worst-reputations--15221?s=7&#038;isLong=1\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">travel.alot.com\/themes\/15-us-cities-with-the-worst-reputations&#8211;15221?s=7&#038;isLong=1<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Solidarity for Never<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p5stk8klE1Q\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p5stk8klE1Q<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"bold\">New ANC Boss Cyril Ramaphosa killed Marikana miners for profit \u2013 protesters<\/h1>\n<p>Protesters repeatedly howled at Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa as he concluded his testimony at the Farlam Commission of Inquiry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI deeply regret the deaths of all the people that died at Marikana. I deeply regret that,\u201d he said today.<\/p>\n<p>A group of men sprang from their seats in the Tshwane council chambers in Pretoria, where the inquiry is holding public hearings, and interjected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou killed them. You killed them for profit. You are a sellout. Capitalists are using you,\u201d shouted the group of men.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPaying R18 million for a buffalo while people are hungry in Venda &#8230; You must be charged for murdering African people. This man is a buffalo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chairperson of the inquiry, retired judge Ian Farlam ordered the protesters to leave the room.<\/p>\n<p>Ramaphosa was cross-examined by Dali Mpofu, for the arrested and injured Marikana miners.<\/p>\n<p>Concluding the cross-examination, Mpofu said he wanted to convey a final proposition from Sipete Phatsha, a Lonmin rock-drill operator who survived the Marikana shootings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe lost his big toe in the shootout on August 16 2012. He has been working in the mines for more than 30 years. He joined the National Union of Mineworkers in 1982 when it was formed,\u201d said Mpofu.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has specifically asked me to say to you, as someone who was his hero.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe doesn\u2019t believe that even if I put the proposition that I made, that you should be charged criminally, he also believes that we should recommend that you should be charged in the International Criminal Court.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news24.com\/Archives\/City-Press\/Cyril-Ramaphosa-killed-Marikana-miners-for-profit-protesters-20150429\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.news24.com\/Archives\/City-Press\/Cyril-Ramaphosa-killed-Marikana-miners-for-profit-protesters-20150429<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Mandela-Slove-1.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20470\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Mandela-Slove-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Mandela-Slove-1.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Mandela-Slove-1-119x150.jpeg 119w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>Sellouts of the SACP\/ANC: Mandela and Slovo<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1>Mr. Ramaphosa became the symbol of an A.N.C. elite that had enriched itself by betraying the people it had once promised to serve. In another episode in 2012, Mr. Ramaphosa was widely criticized for bidding $2 million for a prize buffalo cow at a livestock auction.<\/h1>\n<h1><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2016\/04\/22\/11\/336CE96F00000578-3553533-image-a-42_1461319495683.jpg\" alt=\"http:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2016\/04\/22\/11\/336CE96F00000578-3553533-image-a-42_1461319495683.jpg\" \/><\/h1>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Clark County Education Association vs NSEA<\/h1>\n<p>&#8230;CCEA raised the stakes considerably yesterday with an e-mail to its members.<\/p>\n<p>Headlined \u201cYou Spoke, We Listened. Now We\u2019re Asking, How About a Reduction in Dues?\u201d the bulletin proposes local control:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We heard you loud and clear. Over 5,000 members recently participated in a survey and over 96% said that out of the $810 annual union dues you pay half should stay with the Local.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026Here\u2019s how it would work. Currently, you pay $810 a year. CCEA only keeps $243.84 of that money. The rest goes to the State (NSEA) and the National (NEA). We can lower your dues in half to $405 and provide better benefits and services to you than you currently receive.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026NEA\u2019s primary benefit was professional liability insurance and they just cut that off with only three days\u2019 notice. However, Members need not worry, CCEA will make sure that no MEMBER will be left without protection. CCEA will provide better professional liability insurance at the same cost you now pay to NEA ($189\/year). CCEA will provide more professional liability insurance at half the cost you pay in union dues to NEA which are $189 a year). <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eiaonline.com\/intercepts\/2017\/12\/18\/clark-county-education-association-fires-on-fort-sumter\/?utm_source=feedburner&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Intercepts+%28Intercepts%29\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.eiaonline.com\/intercepts\/2017\/12\/18\/clark-county-education-association-fires-on-fort-sumter\/?utm_source=feedburner&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Intercepts+%28Intercepts%29<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h1 id=\"single_title\">The 10 Most Memorable Teachers Union Quotes of 2017<\/h1>\n<p><strong>6. \u201cI assure you, in a relatively short period of time, there will be an uprising that will in fact fuel a more progressive future. That\u2019s what\u2019s going to happen. When it happens, we need to have the infrastructure in place to take advantage of it.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 John Stocks, executive director of the National Education Association, during a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cdapress.com\/article\/20170923\/ARTICLE\/170929913\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sept. 21 speech<\/a>\u00a0at the Hayden Lakes Country Club in Idaho.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/union-report-the-10-most-memorable-teachers-union-quotes-of-2017\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.the74million.org\/article\/union-report-the-10-most-memorable-teachers-union-quotes-of-2017\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Spy versus Spy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\">Model, Countess, Author, Spy: Aline Griffith Is Dead<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"media-viewer-candidate\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2017\/12\/16\/arts\/16griffith1\/16griffith1-master768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-mediaviewer-src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2017\/12\/16\/arts\/16griffith1\/16griffith1-superJumbo.jpg\" data-mediaviewer-caption=\"Aline Griffith, the Countess of Romanones, in Madrid in the 1960s.\" data-mediaviewer-credit=\"Gianni Ferrari\/Cover\/Getty Images\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"197\" data-total-count=\"197\">Aline Griffith, a former model from suburban New York City who transformed herself into a dressed-to-kill self-proclaimed spy and Spanish countess, died on Monday in Madrid. She was in her mid-90s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"84\" data-total-count=\"281\">Her death was confirmed by her family. She had been treated for emphysema for years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"290\" data-total-count=\"571\">Aline, Countess of Romanones, as she was known, was also the author of several books. Most of them, brimming with tales of her escapades as an American espionage agent, which began in Spain during World War II, were billed as memoirs \u2014 though they were believed to be heavily embroidered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"206\" data-total-count=\"777\">\u201cHer supposedly factual accounts were completely fictional,\u201d Rupert Allason, the British intelligence expert whose pen name is Nigel West, wrote in his \u201cHistorical Dictionary of Sexspionage\u201d (2009).<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"186\" data-total-count=\"963\">Regardless, her purple prose beguiled readers and reviewers, and her recollections, real or fabricated, made spellbinding dinner conversation for the gaggle of celebrities she attracted.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/12\/15\/obituaries\/aline-griffith-model-countess-author-and-spy-is-dead.html?_r=0\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2017\/12\/15\/obituaries\/aline-griffith-model-countess-author-and-spy-is-dead.html?_r=0<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-para-count=\"186\" data-total-count=\"963\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/santa-awake.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20515\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/santa-awake.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/santa-awake.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/santa-awake-150x113.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-para-count=\"186\" data-total-count=\"963\"><strong>From the PBS &#8220;Reveal&#8221; the story of the Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg, the Official Lies, and the role of the US press (once upon a time, after the press lied for decades about the wars on Vietnam).\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<h1>The Pentagon Papers: Secrets, lies and leaks<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.revealnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/1-220-Pentagon-Papers-660x440.jpg\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In this episode of Reveal, we\u2019re using the full hour to take a deep look at the leaking and publication of the Pentagon Papers. At the center of the episode are two guys who have a knack for being in the room when history gets made: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revealnews.org\/author\/robert-j-rosenthal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Robert J. Rosenthal<\/a> and Daniel Ellsberg.<\/p>\n<p>For Rosenthal, the Pentagon Papers came calling when he was at the beginning of his journalism career.<\/p>\n<p>When Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press in 1971, he was turning his back on a long career close to power, immersed in government secrets. His early career as a nuclear war strategist made him fear that a small conflict could erupt into a nuclear holocaust.<\/p>\n<p>In our second segment, when the Vietnam War flared, Ellsberg worried his worst fears would be realized. He wonders if leaking top-secret material he\u2019s seeing at work could help stop the war. Soon, he was secretly copying the 7,000-page history that would come to be known as the Pentagon Papers and showing them to anyone he thought could help.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revealnews.org\/episodes\/the-pentagon-papers-secrets-lies-and-leaks\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.revealnews.org\/episodes\/the-pentagon-papers-secrets-lies-and-leaks\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Magical Mystery Tour<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/atheist-baby.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20462\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/atheist-baby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/atheist-baby.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/atheist-baby-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/atheist-baby-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/atheist-baby-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\">Bernard Law, Powerful Cardinal Disgraced by Priest Abuse Scandal, Dies at 86<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"media-viewer-candidate\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2017\/12\/21\/obituaries\/21law1-print\/20law1-master768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-mediaviewer-src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2017\/12\/21\/obituaries\/21law1-print\/20law1-superJumbo.jpg\" data-mediaviewer-caption=\"Cardinal Bernard Law at St. Peter&amp;rsquo;s Basilica in Vatican City in 2005. \" data-mediaviewer-credit=\"Joe Raedle\/Getty Images\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In January 2002, however, the scandal of child molestation by priests that had been gathering across America for years hit Boston like an explosion. It erupted when a judge released documents in the case of the Rev. John J. Geoghan, a defrocked priest who had been shifted among a half-dozen parishes amid accusations of abusing 130 boys over 30 years&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>In the ensuing months, hundreds of people came forward to say that they had been molested by priests in the archdiocese. Lawsuits and criminal investigations began. In response, 25 priests were removed, and the cardinal gave prosecutors the names of 80 priests accused of abuse over decades. But when the authorities sought further details, they said he became vague and reticent, citing sketchy records&#8230;.plaintiffs\u2019 lawyers showed that Cardinal Law had for years transferred abusive priests without telling parishioners or law-enforcement officials, and that he had been more protective of the priests, and less of their victims, than he had allowed&#8230;<\/p>\n<p id=\"story-continues-4\" class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"509\" data-total-count=\"4867\">he was not charged with a crime or held liable for damages. In 2003, he was castigated by the Massachusetts attorney general, Thomas F. Reilly, who said that as many as 1,000 children had been sexually abused by 250 priests in the Boston archdiocese over 40 years, and that Cardinal Law had known of the problem even before he arrived in 1984 and had tried to suppress any publicity about it to save the church from disgrace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"394\" data-total-count=\"5261\">The cardinal, who initially retreated to a convent in Maryland, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2004\/05\/28\/us\/cardinal-law-given-post-in-rome.html\">was appointed in 2004<\/a> as high priest of one of Rome\u2019s four most prestigious churches, the Basilica of St. Mary Major. After Pope John Paul died in 2005, Cardinal Law was one of nine prelates who presided at the funeral Masses and among the 115 cardinals who elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the successor, Pope Benedict XVI.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"375\" data-total-count=\"5636\">In exile in Rome, Cardinal Law was permitted to keep the powerful role he had played for years as a kingmaker of American bishops, serving on the Vatican committee charged with advising the pope on bishops\u2019 assignments. In this position, he helped shape the American church\u2019s hierarchy for a generation. Many of his favored candidates are still leading American dioceses. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/12\/19\/obituaries\/cardinal-bernard-law-dead.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2017\/12\/19\/obituaries\/cardinal-bernard-law-dead.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Spotlight TRAILER 1 (2015) - Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton Movie HD\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EwdCIpbTN5g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Best and Worst Things in the History of the World<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FOX13TampaBay\/videos\/10155412954518525\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/FOX13TampaBay\/videos\/10155412954518525\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dermot.bolton\/videos\/10214950986835304\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/dermot.bolton\/videos\/10214950986835304\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Student project on protests<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Occupied\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5mANARipttU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"page-title\">Man gets probation for sex with 12 year old Earl Warren student<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"shrinkToFit\" src=\"https:\/\/media.nbcsandiego.com\/images\/1201*675\/Man_Given_No_Prison_Time_for_Federal_Sex_Offense.jpg\" alt=\"https:\/\/media.nbcsandiego.com\/images\/1201*675\/Man_Given_No_Prison_Time_for_Federal_Sex_Offense.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A 20-year-old man who admitted to having sex with a then-12-year-old Earl Warren Middle School student was sentenced to three years of probation today, which the victim\u2019s mother in a letter likened to \u201cgiving a child \u2018time out\u2019 with no severe consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Michael Washington sentenced Jeff Calica to three years in state prison, but suspended the sentence in lieu of Calica\u2019s successful completion of probation.<\/p>\n<p>Washington, who called the offer \u201cgenerous,\u201d said that Calica was being given a final opportunity to \u201cshow the world who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou need to understand how the world views you, that you are a sexual predator,\u201d Washington said. \u201cAnd you might look at it as you didn\u2019t force her, but the young girl was 12, you weren\u2019t 12 or 13, and you were old enough to know that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you decide not to take this seriously, as soon as (probation) finds you in violation, you are going to go to prison,\u201d Washington continued. \u201cYour youthfulness is not a defense anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Calica, who lives in Oxnard, admitted to befriending and later romancing the victim online through his YouTube page before driving from Oxnard to Solana Beach on three separate occasions, having sex with the girl in his car in a parking lot adjacent to the campus on two of the occasions.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecoastnews.com\/2017\/12\/18\/man-gets-probation-for-sex-with-earl-warren-student\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.thecoastnews.com\/2017\/12\/18\/man-gets-probation-for-sex-with-earl-warren-student\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Presidential Highlight of the year:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"President Trump Tosses Paper Towels At Crowds In Puerto Rico To Hurricane Survivors | TIME\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fZu-P1F1Hs8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Well, Tom, except for some great students, school workers, resisting troops, striking truckers, rank and file activists&#8211;some actually trying to build a mass, class conscious, integrated, activist social movement for equality and justice&#8230;.see below&#8230;..<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image-image\" src=\"https:\/\/thenib.imgix.net\/usq\/25f969c2-84e4-40ad-a28b-e4d9db38f592\/2017-the-year-in-review-6-3db.png?auto=compress,format&amp;cs=srgb&amp;_=3db8286b4139b00fdad93a76b068d86f\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>So Long<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Happy Happy Happy Merry Merry Merry<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Marx-Santa-a.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20506\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Marx-Santa-a.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Marx-Santa-a.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Marx-Santa-a-116x150.jpg 116w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>Here is to a phantasmagoric 2018! See you next year&#8230;..<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Gibson-baby.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20479\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Gibson-baby.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"175\" height=\"242\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Gibson-baby.jpg 175w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Gibson-baby-108x150.jpg 108w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 175px) 100vw, 175px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We Say Fight Back! <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheOnion\/videos\/10156171785529497\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/TheOnion\/videos\/10156171785529497\/<\/a> . Rare \u2018Major victory\u2019 for teachers: $550M refund Michigan plans to refund nearly 275,000 public school employees a combined $550 million plus interest for retiree healthcare paycheck deductions deemed unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court, a ruling hailed by unions as a \u201cmajor victory\u201d for educators. In a unanimous 6-0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20460"}],"version-history":[{"count":45,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20516,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20460\/revisions\/20516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}