{"id":20667,"date":"2018-01-28T01:00:30","date_gmt":"2018-01-28T09:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/?p=20667"},"modified":"2018-01-28T02:04:43","modified_gmt":"2018-01-28T10:04:43","slug":"rouge-forum-dispatch-remembering-tet-50-years-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/rouge-forum-dispatch-remembering-tet-50-years-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Rouge Forum Dispatch: Remembering Tet&#8211;50 Years On."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>We Say Fight Back!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/content.newsinc.com\/jpg\/129\/33469419\/69868218.jpg?t=1516895340\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The Guggenheim Museum offered <span class=\"rollover-people\" data-behavior=\"rolloverpeople\"><a class=\"rollover-people-link\" href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/people\/donald-trump\" data-nid=\"261287\">President Trump<\/a><\/span> a\u00a0solid\u00a0gold toilet from its collection as a &#8220;long-term loan&#8221; for the White House.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Trump and first lady Melania had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting from the museum, but the Guggenheim\u00a0responded that it could not accommodate the request and offered the toilet instead,\u00a0 &#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>the artist who created the toilet, Maurizio Cattelan, \u201cwould like to offer it to the White House for a long-term loan,&#8221; the Post reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Cattelan in the past described the toilet as \u201cone-percent art for the ninety-nine percent,\u201d and said \u201cwhatever you eat, a two-hundred-dollar lunch or a two-dollar hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise,\u201d according to the Post. <a href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/370740-guggenheim-offers-to-loan-trump-white-house-a-golden-toilet\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/370740-guggenheim-offers-to-loan-trump-white-house-a-golden-toilet<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"California teacher refuses to answer question at checkpoint, detained\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LAASgPU1BQc?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=\"segment-headline\">These San Diego activists were arrested for feeding homeless people in a park<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.4488708.1516055984!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.JPG_gen\/derivatives\/16x9_940\/arrested.JPG\" alt=\"Shane Parmely and her child Ever were arrested for defying a city ordinance to feed the homeless. \" width=\"100%\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Shane Parmely\u00a0and her 14-year-old child were among a dozen\u00a0people arrested in El Cajon, Calif., for breaking a local ordinance that prohibits the distribution of food on city-owned property.<\/p>\n<p>Parmely\u00a0is a volunteer with the Break the Ban, an activist organization that\u00a0set up tables to hand out food and toiletries in Wells Park\u00a0on Sunday with the express purpose of defying the food-sharing ban in the San Diego County city.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is part of a longterm legal strategy that is used in most civil rights movements,&#8221;\u00a0Parmely\u00a0told <em>As It Happens<\/em> host Carol Off. &#8220;You have to be arrested and you have to fight it in court.&#8221;\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/radio\/asithappens\/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.4488066\/these-san-diego-activists-were-arrested-for-feeding-homeless-people-in-a-park-1.4488069\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.cbc.ca\/radio\/asithappens\/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.4488066\/these-san-diego-activists-were-arrested-for-feeding-homeless-people-in-a-park-1.4488069<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 align=\"center\"><strong>Boomers Teach the Grandbabies<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>More Lies Ahead About the Wars on Vietnam<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>They are at it again.<\/p>\n<p>They need to beat their own dead horse to death once more.<\/p>\n<p>The insufferable Ken Burns series is running as a veritable loop on PBS, driving me beyond my usual state of self-righteous fury.<\/p>\n<p>The US rout in Vietnam must be mystified again&#8211;to unite a nation reeling from the promise of endless war, the obvious reality of booming color-coded inequality, a flatly failed political system and ruling class, and increasing repression.<\/p>\n<p>And to fashion the possibility that a similar war could become popular in the future&#8211;even World War III.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Why Vietnam now? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Perhaps because it is the looming 50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive of January, 1968; that turning point when the quantitative work of the mass of Vietnamese people, leading a peoples\u2019 war against yet another invader empire (in order, the French, the Japanese&#8211;and the Chinese Kuomintang&#8211;the French again, and then the US), and the efforts of the US anti-war movement, came together to prove to the majority of Americans that the war could not be won&#8211;and that the nations\u2019 leaders had lied about everything important. <a href=\"http:\/\/richgibson.com\/BoomersVietnam.htm\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">richgibson.com\/BoomersVietnam.htm<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"post-4\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/vietnam\/2012\/05\/07\/the-vietnam-wars-1954-1980-and-beyond\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">The Vietnam Wars 1954-1980 and Beyond<\/a><\/h2>\n<div class=\"main\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>Why Vietnam?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>Imperialism:<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-204\" title=\"Imperialism\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/vietnam\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Imperialism1-292x300.jpg\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/vietnam\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Imperialism1-292x300.jpg 292w, &lt;a href=\" alt=\"\" width=\"292\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/vietnam\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.richgibson.com\/vietnam\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3nPJgeg6hpA\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3nPJgeg6hpA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/16143062_436899859974728_634461505681866114_n.jpg?oh=70f406969a8cc8deef020cb0b9edd517&amp;oe=5AEB221B\" alt=\"Image may contain: 1 person\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DurhamMinersGala\/videos\/748912915303952\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/DurhamMinersGala\/videos\/748912915303952\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>.<span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>Throwing thieving politicians into the trash link:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/direitabrazuca\/videos\/342286999565336\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/direitabrazuca\/videos\/342286999565336\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"blankimg\" src=\"http:\/\/www.collegehumor.com\/images\/download.jpg\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"blankimg\" src=\"http:\/\/www.collegehumor.com\/images\/download.jpg\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"16341767\" src=\"https:\/\/media0ch-a.akamaihd.net\/20\/80\/75c75c569ed29e726dcaeda2a2f0b279.jpg\" alt=\"undefined\" width=\"600\" height=\"195\" data-image-id=\"16341767\" data-frame=\"full\" \/><\/p>\n<h1>Swiss protesters hang &#8216;Trump not welcome&#8217; banner at Davos<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.washingtonexaminer.biz\/cache\/1060x600-28a8f1eb4b9f325b36ce55e4e278e15c.jpg\" alt=\"A banner with the inscription \" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Little Red Schoolhouse<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/School_is_Hell-666.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20686\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/School_is_Hell-666.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/School_is_Hell-666.png 800w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/School_is_Hell-666-150x84.png 150w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/School_is_Hell-666-500x281.png 500w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/School_is_Hell-666-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a>You&#8217;re quitting school? After everything we sacrificed for you?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/media.newyorker.com\/cartoons\/5a626601baf63b1c668c4710\/master\/w_280,c_limit\/180129_a21577.jpg\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-reactid=\"112\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"content-item__title\">UT-Austin Professors Join Campaign Against Faculty-Productivity Company<\/h1>\n<p>University of Texas at Austin this week became <a href=\"https:\/\/news.utexas.edu\/2017\/11\/01\/ut-ranks-no-10-for-scientific-research\">one of the most prestigious research institutions<\/a> to join a faculty rebellion against Academic Analytics, a data company that promises to identify low-performing professors.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chronicle.com\/article\/UT-Austin-Professors-Join\/242332\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.chronicle.com\/article\/UT-Austin-Professors-Join\/242332<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>\u00a0Politico: <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WEIGHS IN ON FREE SPEECH DISPUTE: <\/b>The Justice Department sided in court Thursday with two conservative student groups in a high-profile case involving conservatives Ann Coulter and David Horowitz and free speech policies at the University of California, Berkeley. The conservative groups have challenged what they describe as &#8220;discriminatory&#8221; free speech policies at the university.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The Justice Department move ratcheted up the Trump administration&#8217;s support on an issue that has rattled the higher education community. &#8220;The United States has a significant interest in the vigilant protection of constitutional freedoms in institutions of higher learning,&#8221; the brief said. &#8220;As the Supreme Court has noted, &#8216;teachers and students must always remain free to inquire, to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity and understanding; otherwise our civilization will stagnate and die.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Berkeley issued a statement calling the suit&#8217;s allegations &#8220;unfounded&#8221; and said it will &#8220;vigorously&#8221; defend itself<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"title font-xbold mb-0\">Bond Ratings Lowered for San Ysidro School District<\/h1>\n<p>San Ysidro School District\u2019s bond ratings have been lowered after it failed to make a bond payment in September 2017 amid the firing of both its Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent last fall.<\/p>\n<p>Standard &amp; Poor\u2019s (S&amp;P), a global credit rating agency, lowered the District\u2019s general bond rating from \u201cA\u201d to \u201cBBB+\u201d, and lowered the rating on Certificates of Participation (COPs) from \u201cA-\u201d to \u201cBBB\u201d, the lowest rating still considered investment grade. The next lower rating is considered to be junk bond status.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe rating actions reflect our view of the District\u2019s management practices and internal controls following its late principal and interest payment in September 2017,\u201d said Benjamin P. Geare, primary credit analyst for S&amp;P. \u201cThe negative outlook reflects our view of lingering effects from the District\u2019s history of poor internal controls could lead to additional unforeseen events that would pose financial stress and affect the District\u2019s ability to make timely debt service payments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lower rating means future bonds the District issues will require it to pay higher interest rates, translating to higher payments for taxpayers in the District for decades to come. A 2015 report by inewsource, a San Diego online news outlet, revealed that San Ysidro School District residents already pay the second highest debt payments in the County of San Diego, after Rancho Santa Fe residents.<\/p>\n<p>District Superintendent Julio Fonseca resigned at its Sept. 2, 2017, board meeting after a harassment complaint was filed against him by a female employee he had been dating. Fonseca had served as Superintendent since July 2015.<\/p>\n<p>The Board elevated then-Deputy Superintendent Arturo Sanchez-Macias to fill in as Superintendent as they considered options to replace the lead role in the District. Macias had served as the chief financial officer under Fonseca since late 2015.<\/p>\n<p>Macias managed all financial and operations for the District. Before being hired at San Ysidro, Macias had worked at Bassett Unified School District in Los Angeles, where he also worked with Fonseca.<\/p>\n<p>The bond payment was missed during the time Macias served as Interim Superintendent.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/laprensa-sandiego.org\/featured\/bond-ratings-lowered-for-san-ysidro-school-district\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">laprensa-sandiego.org\/featured\/bond-ratings-lowered-for-san-ysidro-school-district\/<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"header-billboard-ad\" class=\"billboard-ad billboard-ad--static\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-billb_atf\" class=\"dfp-ad dfp-ad-post dfp-billb_atf\" data-google-query-id=\"CPj0l4n4-dgCFYfLZAodaI0NMQ\" data-nyp-ad-empty=\"false\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper\">\n<p>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"shrinkToFit\" src=\"https:\/\/heavyeditorial.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/01\/gettyimages-909744540-e1516824946817.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;strip=all\" alt=\"https:\/\/heavyeditorial.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/01\/gettyimages-909744540-e1516824946817.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;strip=all\" width=\"681\" height=\"688\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">When Rachael Denhollander reported that Larry Nassar had sexually abused her when she was a teenage gymnast, she came armed with information that sealed Nassar\u2019s fate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">It was the fall of 2016 when Denhollander reported Nassar, then a world-renowned physician for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University, to the MSU Police Department. She also filed a Title IX report with the school.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Other girls had sounded the alarm about Nassar over the previous two decades \u2014 yet no one discovered his criminal behavior.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Denhollander arrived at MSU years after Nassar assaulted her. She was an attorney, ready for a battle with a thick folder of documents.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/2018\/01\/24\/nassar-denhollander\/109787862\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/2018\/01\/24\/nassar-denhollander\/109787862\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"Michigan State officials shrug at Nassar case: It\u2019s no\u00a0Sandusky\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content\">\n<div id=\"background-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"container clearfix\">\n<div id=\"article-wrapper\" class=\"left-column clearfix standard\">\n<div class=\"box article modal-enabled\">\n<div class=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"flag-region\">\n<div id=\"sharebar-trigger-mobile\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1><a class=\"postid-12197237\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2018\/01\/23\/michigan-state-shrugs-at-larry-nassar-its-no-sandusky\/\">Michigan State officials shrug at Nassar case: It\u2019s no\u00a0Sandusky<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The president of Michigan State University won\u2019t resign in the aftermath of the Larry Nassar scandal, according to a university trustee.<\/p>\n<p>Joel Ferguson, vice chairman of Michigan State\u2019s governing board, said emphatically during a radio program on Monday that its embattled president, Lou Anna Simon, won\u2019t end her tenure at the 50,000-student university because of something \u201csomebody else did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat will not happen,\u201d Ferguson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=e89IWTGdIuQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told WVFN<\/a>. \u201cPeriod. She\u2019s a fighter. Her overall, what she\u2019s done for this university, she\u2019s not going to get ran out of there by what somebody else did. I\u2019ve been on the board for 30 years and she by far is the best president we\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The decision wasn\u2019t even a difficult one, Ferguson said, but rather a unanimous one made in just 10 minutes. <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2018\/01\/23\/michigan-state-shrugs-at-larry-nassar-its-no-sandusky\/?utm_campaign=iosapp&#038;utm_source=facebook_app\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">nypost.com\/2018\/01\/23\/michigan-state-shrugs-at-larry-nassar-its-no-sandusky\/?utm_campaign=iosapp&#038;utm_source=facebook_app<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i.upworthy.com\/nugget\/5a68e82fd16d2d00146697d7\/GettyImages-905708762-26e08c27d44abaab033998c19b351755.jpg?ixlib=rails-2.1.3&amp;w=1200&amp;h=624\" alt=\"https:\/\/i.upworthy.com\/nugget\/5a68e82fd16d2d00146697d7\/GettyImages-905708762-26e08c27d44abaab033998c19b351755.jpg?ixlib=rails-2.1.3&amp;w=1200&amp;h=624\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"pg-headline\">Contract for departing MSU president includes faculty job, lifetime perks<\/h1>\n<div class=\"el__leafmedia el__leafmedia--sourced-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\">The Michigan State University president <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/01\/24\/us\/michigan-state-president-resigns\/index.html\">who resigned in the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal <\/a>has the option of returning to the faculty and securing lifetime perks, <a href=\"http:\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnn\/2018\/images\/01\/26\/simon.lou.anna.kimsey[13].pdf\">her contract says.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\">Lou Anna Simon can elect to return to a faculty position and take a 12-month research leave during which time she would be paid her current $750,000 salary, according to the contract, provided to CNN by Michigan State spokesman Jason Cody.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\">Simon had come under fire for what critics say is the mishandling of the Nassar scandal. Critics say the school&#8217;s leader of 13 years had been tone-deaf and needs to be among those held accountable for what happened while Nassar was a sports physician at the university from 1997 to 2016.<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--epic ad--tablet\" data-ad-text=\"show\">\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">\u00a0Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State doctor, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/01\/24\/us\/larry-nassar-sentencing\/index.html\">was sentenced Wednesday to up t\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/01\/26\/us\/nassar-msu-president-contract\/index.html<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1>Getting into Public Schools? It\u2019s Not Always Easy<\/h1>\n<p>Last month, we took a look at how San Diego Unified established itself as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voiceofsandiego.org\/topics\/education\/year-san-diego-unified-established-agency-hostile-transparency\/\">the public agency most hostile to transparency<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We listed plenty of examples. The district takes, on average, 80 days to complete requested records (media outlets waited 110 days, on average). It illegally withheld emails we sought and was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voiceofsandiego.org\/topics\/education\/san-diego-unified-improperly-withheld-emails-in-marne-foster-scandal\/\">forced to pay<\/a> more than $52,000 for fees that our attorney accrued while fighting for the documents. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voiceofsandiego.org\/topics\/education\/frustrated-san-diego-unified-parents-say-cant-get-answers-basic-school-budget-questions\/\">parents across the district<\/a> have expressed frustration with their inability to get answers to basic budget questions.<\/p>\n<p>But while San Diego Unified has been singled out for its hostility \u2014 last year it won the Society of Professional Journalists\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/spjsandiego.org\/2017\/04\/18\/announcing-the-2017-sunshine-award-plus-our-window-and-wall-winners\/\">Wall Award,<\/a>\u00a0which recognizes a public agency that displays an outstanding lack of transparency\u00a0\u2014 this type of behavior is not uncommon for school districts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEducation reporters all over face similar issues,\u201d said Alexander Russo, a media watchdog who writes about hits and misses in education reporting at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kappanonline.org\/the-grade\/\">The Grade<\/a>.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voiceofsandiego.org\/topics\/education\/learning-curve-getting-public-schools-not-always-easy\/?utm_source=Voice+of+San+Diego+Master+List&#038;utm_campaign=ce6709d70f-Learning_Curve&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_term=0_c2357fd0a3-ce6709d70f-81862829&#038;goal=0_c2357fd0a3-ce6709d70f-81862829\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.voiceofsandiego.org\/topics\/education\/learning-curve-getting-public-schools-not-always-easy\/?utm_source=Voice+of+San+Diego+Master+List&#038;utm_campaign=ce6709d70f-Learning_Curve&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_term=0_c2357fd0a3-ce6709d70f-81862829&#038;goal=0_c2357fd0a3-ce6709d70f-81862829<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TEDxTucson George Land The Failure Of Success\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZfKMq-rYtnc?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><\/h1>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>The International Hot War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/27066968_1998664830158785_7100853092686850375_n.jpg?oh=06b270a0143b261645c6fed62417ff62&amp;oe=5AEF1DC1\" alt=\"No automatic alt text available.\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1222016#\">America\u2019s military path in Africa <\/a><\/h1>\n<p>There is a real \u2014 but largely concealed \u2014 conflict taking place throughout the African continent. It involves the United States, a reinvigorated Russia and a rising China, and the outcome is likely to define the future of the continent and its global outlook.<br \/>\nIt is easy to pin the blame on US President Donald Trump, his agenda and statements, but the truth is the current US military expansion in Africa is just one more step in the wrong direction. It is part of a strategy that had been implemented a decade ago, during the administration of George W. Bush, and actively pursued by Barack Obama.<br \/>\nIn 2007, under the pretext of the \u201cwar on terror\u201d, the US consolidated its various military operations in Africa to establish the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). With a starting budget of half a billion dollars, AFRICOM was supposedly launched to engage with African countries in terms of diplomacy and aid. But, over the course of the last 10 years, it has been transformed into a central command for military incursions and interventions.<br \/>\nHowever, that violent role has rapidly worsened recently. Indeed, there are hidden US operations in Africa being carried out in the name of \u201ccounter-terrorism\u201d.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1222016\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.arabnews.com\/node\/1222016<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>Top enlisted leader: The military must grow to meet rising threats<\/h1>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The U.S. military needs to grow to meet the growing threat of near-peer competitors like Russia and China while also continuing the fight against extremist groups around the globe, according to Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Wayne Troxell, the senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.<\/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\">America\u2019s worldwide commitments are not getting any smaller, and threats from growing powers like Russia, China, and North Korea are pulling the country\u2019s focus toward a great power competition.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/24\/top-enlisted-leader-the-military-must-grow-to-meet-rising-threats\/?utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=Socialflow\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/24\/top-enlisted-leader-the-military-must-grow-to-meet-rising-threats\/?utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=Socialflow<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/resizer\/TJLpMjSE6yijirH9qxp5mdM37qk=\/1200x0\/filters:quality(100)\/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/VV3YQ63F65GCBLZY2O4P535JVQ.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h1>Top Marine warns a \u2018big ass fight\u2019 with North Korea will not go according to plan<\/h1>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The U.S. military has been developing war plans for North Korea for years, but a real-world fight with the nuclear-armed regime would not go down the way it\u2019s being strategized, the top Marine said on Thursday.<\/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\">Saber rattling between the U.S. and North Korea \u2014 intensified by a slew of intercontinental ballistic missile tests by the hermit kingdom \u2014 have put the Korean peninsula on edge. Analysts worry a catastrophic war between the two nuclear-armed states could break out at any moment.<\/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 U.S. military has been preparing by posturing forces, prepping logistics and conducting numerous military exercises with partner forces in the region. Military commanders have been familiarizing themselves with the geography and plans of a potential land campaign, Gen. Robert B. Neller, the Marine commandant, told audience members at a discussion held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There\u2019s plans out there that have been developed over the years,\u201d Neller said. \u201cIf it were to go down, I am not sure it\u2019s going to go down the way we planned it. It never does.\u201d\u00a0https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/26\/top-marine-warns-a-big-ass-fight-with-north-korea-will-not-go-according-to-plan\/?utm_source=Facebook&amp;utm_medium=Socialflow<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"ArticleHeader__hed___GPB7e\" data-reactid=\"110\">How the U.S. Is Making the War in Yemen Worse<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"ArticleHeader__dek___2rbDs\" data-reactid=\"111\">The conflict has killed at least ten thousand civilians, and the country faces famine. Why are we still involved?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.newyorker.com\/photos\/5a5794c0add9d90b872ca5ff\/master\/w_727,c_limit\/180122_r31327.jpg\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-reactid=\"153\" \/><\/p>\n<div data-reactid=\"159\">\n<p data-reactid=\"160\">After a hundred and forty mourners were killed at a funeral, the tail fin of a U.S.-made bomb was found in the rubble.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><small class=\"ImageCaption__credit___rg3mC \" data-reactid=\"162\">Illustration by Harry Campbell<\/small><\/p>\n<p data-reactid=\"171\">Funerals in Yemen are traditionally large affairs. When prominent figures die, hundreds or even thousands of people come to pay their respects and to pray for them. Abdulqader Hilal Al-Dabab, the mayor of Sana\u2019a, Yemen\u2019s capital, could expect such treatment. But Hilal used to ask for a simple burial. \u201cIf I get killed when I\u2019m in office, I don\u2019t want a state funeral,\u201d he told his sons. He wanted to be buried in a grave he\u2019d reserved next to his father\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p data-reactid=\"173\">Hilal had seen enough devastation to know to make plans for his demise. In the past three decades, Yemen has had nine wars, two insurgencies, and a revolution; Hilal governed a region with strong ties to Al Qaeda, and had survived an assassination attempt. A father of eleven, he was a former marathon runner who won North Yemen\u2019s inter-university challenge three times. In Sana\u2019a, Hilal kept a garden with a gazebo, where he received guests. Stephen Seche, the former United States Ambassador to Yemen, recalled sitting there while Hilal explained Yemeni politics. Other diplomats saw him as a moderating force, someone who could negotiate the intricate mesh of tribal, business, and political affiliations that make up Yemeni society.<\/p>\n<p data-reactid=\"175\">Yemen\u2019s most recent conflict began in early 2015, when Houthi rebels, from the country\u2019s northern highlands, overran Sana\u2019a and a Saudi-led coalition began bombing them. The Houthis allied with a former President and co-opted tribal networks in an effort to solidify and expand their power. Now they control much of the northwest of the country, while the internationally recognized government holds the south and the east. The Saudi coalition is made up of nine Middle Eastern and African countries, and is supported by the United States.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2018\/01\/22\/how-the-us-is-making-the-war-in-yemen-worse\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2018\/01\/22\/how-the-us-is-making-the-war-in-yemen-worse<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-reactid=\"175\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/01\/28\/opinion\/sunday\/28Coll-sub\/merlin_99836641_63ef22f7-8740-4e85-8c54-fb22577d1328-master768.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\">We Can\u2019t Win in Afghanistan Because We Don\u2019t Know Why We\u2019re There<\/h1>\n<div class=\"story-body-supplemental\">\n<div id=\"story-continues-2\" class=\"story-interrupter\">\n<p data-para-count=\"386\" data-total-count=\"386\">\u00a0<span class=\"byline-author\" data-byline-name=\"STEVE COLL\">STEVE COLL<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"386\" data-total-count=\"386\">\u201cThe United States is not losing in Afghanistan, but it is not winning either, and that is not good enough,\u201d reads the opening sentence of a top-secret review of the war in Afghanistan commissioned by President George W. Bush in 2008, according to multiple participants in that review. Subsequent classified reviews of the American strategy in the war have repeated that conclusion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"359\" data-total-count=\"745\">The Trump administration undertook the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/08\/20\/world\/asia\/trump-afghanistan-strategy-mattis.html\">latest rethinking<\/a>\u00a0of the war in August. President Trump\u2019s advisers again reviewed its causes: opium, corruption, ethnic factionalism and, above all, the support and sanctuary provided to the Taliban by Pakistan, through the covert action arm of its powerful spy agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"262\" data-total-count=\"1007\">Why is this problem so hard? Why, since the Sept. 11 attacks, has the United States been unable to prevent Pakistan, a notional ally that has received\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tribune.com.pk\/story\/1498815\/war-terror-aid-pakistan-received-33-4bn-us\/\">billions of dollars<\/a>\u00a0in aid, from succoring the Taliban at such a high cost in American lives and Afghan misery?<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"398\" data-total-count=\"1405\">One major reason is American war aims in Afghanistan have been, and remain, riddled with contradictions and illusions that Inter-Services Intelligence can exploit. President Bush, President Barack Obama and President Trump have all offered convoluted, incomplete or unconvincing\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/lacrossetribune.com\/news\/opinion\/barack-obama-the-u-s-has-vital-interests-in-afghanistan\/article_5182c4ee-dfae-11de-9223-001cc4c03286.html\">answers<\/a>\u00a0to essential questions: Why are we in Afghanistan? What interests justify our sacrifices? How will the war end?<\/p>\n<p id=\"story-continues-1\" class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"393\" data-total-count=\"1798\">Mr. Trump is departing from his predecessors by getting tougher on Pakistan. His administration\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/04\/us\/politics\/trump-pakistan-aid.html\">is withholding<\/a>\u00a0as much as $1.3 billion worth of annual aid to Pakistan until it does more to pressure the Taliban. Unfortunately, the record of using threats and sanctions to change Pakistan\u2019s conduct is a dismal one, and the influence and leverage of the United States in Pakistan is shrinking.<\/p>\n<div class=\"story-body story-body-2\">\n<p id=\"story-continues-3\" class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"329\" data-total-count=\"2127\">Mr. Trump is not the first president to struggle over how to align goals with reality. In 2009, as President Obama\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2009\/12\/06\/world\/asia\/06reconstruct.html\">escalated<\/a>\u00a0combat troop levels in Afghanistan, his advisers identified only two vital American interests in the war, according to participants, the kinds of interests that might justify sending soldiers into battle.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/26\/opinion\/sunday\/united-states-afghanistan-win.html?emc=edit_tnt_20180128&#038;nlid=2254121&#038;tntemail0=y\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/26\/opinion\/sunday\/united-states-afghanistan-win.html?emc=edit_tnt_20180128&#038;nlid=2254121&#038;tntemail0=y<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"headline\">\u2018It\u2019s a Massacre\u2019: Blast in Kabul Deepens Toll of a Long War<\/h1>\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"media-viewer-candidate\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/01\/28\/world\/asia\/JP-28afghanistan\/28afghanistan-slide-DKMI-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-mediaviewer-src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/01\/28\/world\/asia\/JP-28afghanistan\/28afghanistan-slide-DKMI-superJumbo.jpg\" data-mediaviewer-caption=\"Injured Afghans ran from the scene of the blast, stepping over the dead and the wounded. Kabul&amp;rsquo;s hospitals were overwhelmed by the number of injured people.\" data-mediaviewer-credit=\"Andrew Quilty for The New York Times\" \/><\/h1>\n<p id=\"story-continues-1\" class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"317\" data-total-count=\"317\">The Taliban drove an ambulance packed with explosives into a crowded Kabul street on Saturday, setting off an enormous blast that killed at least 95 people and injured 158 others, adding to the grim toll in what has been one of the most violent stretches of the long war, Afghan officials said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"138\" data-total-count=\"455\">The attack came days after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/23\/world\/asia\/kabul-hotel-attack-us-victims.html\">15-hour siege<\/a> by militants at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul that left 22 dead, including 14 foreigners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"118\" data-total-count=\"573\">On Saturday, hospitals overflowed with the wounded, and forensic workers at the morgue struggled to identify the dead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"300\" data-total-count=\"873\">The casualties were another reminder of how badly Afghanistan is bleeding. Over the past year, about 10,000 of the country\u2019s security forces have been killed and more than 16,000 others wounded, according to a senior Afghan government official. The Taliban losses are believed to be about the same.<\/p>\n<p id=\"story-continues-3\" class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"130\" data-total-count=\"1003\">And about 10 civilians were killed every day on average over the first nine months of 2017, data from the United Nations suggests.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"159\" data-total-count=\"1162\">The surge in violence across the country, particularly deadly attacks that have shut down large parts of Afghan cities, comes as the government is in disarray.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"430\" data-total-count=\"1592\">President Ashraf Ghani has struggled to build consensus and has recently found himself in a protracted showdown with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/12\/23\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-atta-muhammad-noor.html\">a regional strongman<\/a>, a dispute that has taken up much of the administration\u2019s energy. The strongman, Atta Muhammad Noor, a powerful governor, was fired by the president but has refused to leave his post, raising fears that escalating political tensions could further undermine the country\u2019s fragile security.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"372\" data-total-count=\"1964\">The recent carnage is also tied, analysts said, to President Trump\u2019s decision last month to increase pressure on Pakistan, long seen as supporting the Taliban as a proxy force in Afghanistan. Mr. Trump made a gamble to try to tilt the war in Afghanistan toward a resolution, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/04\/us\/politics\/trump-pakistan-aid.html\">holding back security aid to Pakistan<\/a> for what he called the country\u2019s \u201clies and deceit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"180\" data-total-count=\"2144\">At the time of the announcement, many Afghan officials feared an immediate escalation in violence in retaliation and wondered whether their shaky government could absorb the blows.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/27\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-kabul-attack.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=first-column-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/27\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-kabul-attack.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=first-column-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The International Economic War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/images.foxnews.com\/content\/fox-news\/politics\/2018\/01\/26\/hillary-clinton-protected-08-campaign-adviser-accused-sexual-harassment-report\/_jcr_content\/par\/featured_image\/media-0.img.jpg\/931\/524\/1516988726791.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1&amp;text=big-top-image\" alt=\"http:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/images.foxnews.com\/content\/fox-news\/politics\/2018\/01\/26\/hillary-clinton-protected-08-campaign-adviser-accused-sexual-harassment-report\/_jcr_content\/par\/featured_image\/media-0.img.jpg\/931\/524\/1516988726791.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1&amp;text=big-top-image\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\">\u00a0How Hillary Holds Up the Spirits<\/h1>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"607\" data-total-count=\"1247\">But let\u2019s be tough-minded and think this new controversy through:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/26\/us\/politics\/hillary-clinton-chose-to-shield-a-top-adviser-accused-of-harassment-in-2008.html\">According to a Times report\u00a0<\/a>by Maggie Haberman and Amy Chozick, during the 2008 presidential campaign, a senior Clinton aide named Burns Strider was accused of sexually harassing a woman who had the bad luck to be working in his office. Clinton\u2019s campaign manager recommended he be fired. Instead, the candidate opted for sending him to counseling and docking him several weeks\u2019 pay. The law firm that worked for the campaign said it had set up a process for handling sexual harassment complaints and this was \u201cappropriate action.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"166\" data-total-count=\"1413\">One of the deep, deep ironies of this story is Strider\u2019s job, which was \u201cfaith adviser.\u201d Among his duties was sending Clinton scriptural passages every morning.<\/p>\n<p id=\"story-continues-1\" class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"224\" data-total-count=\"1637\">\u201cI don\u2019t understand why any political campaign would have a \u2018faith adviser\u2019 on paid staff,\u201d said Gloria Steinem, one of the multitudinous women who were poring over the story and trying to decide what it all meant.<\/p>\n<p id=\"story-continues-3\" class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"300\" data-total-count=\"1937\">Strider was a Mississippian with a good-old-boy affect. \u201cHe\u2019d become kind of known as the faith guru for the Democrats,\u201d recalled Sarah Posner of the Nation Institute, who reports on religion and politics. \u201cSomebody who supposedly held the key to how Democrats could reach voters of faith.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"248\" data-total-count=\"2185\">He was also a co-founder of the American Values Network, and we are going to stop here for just one second to note that \u201cvalues\u201d is beginning to be almost as overworked as \u201cfreedom\u201d in American politics. Wordwise, values has lost its value.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/26\/opinion\/hillary-clinton-harassment-sexual.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/26\/opinion\/hillary-clinton-harassment-sexual.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.newyorker.com\/photos\/590973b9c14b3c606c10845c\/master\/w_767,c_limit\/Cassidy-Why-Is-Obama-Embracing-Hillary-Clinton.jpg\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-reactid=\"156\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"ArticleHeader__rubricAndIssue___1YUtt\" data-reactid=\"102\">\n<div class=\"ArticleHeader__rubric___3YLRT\" data-reactid=\"103\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"ArticleHeader__hed___GPB7e\" data-reactid=\"106\">Why Is President Obama Embracing Hillary Clinton Now&#8211;election time? (Maybe &#8220;personifications of capital and empire?&#8221;)<\/h1>\n<p data-reactid=\"178\">\u201cLook, I\u2019ve gotten to know Hillary Clinton really well, and she is a good, smart, tough person who cares deeply about this country,\u201d Obama said in\u00a0<a class=\"ArticleBody__link___1FS03\" href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2016\/01\/off-message-podcast-transcript-obama-218167\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-reactid=\"180\">an interview<\/a>\u00a0with Politico\u2019s Glenn Thrush,\u00a0which was conducted last Friday and published on Monday. The President also described Clinton as\u00a0\u201creally idealistic and progressive,\u201d evidently addressing the perception among some Democrats that she is too moderate, and noted that Clinton\u2019s experience and her mastery of policy issues would be a big help to her in the Oval Office. \u201cIt means that she can govern, and she can start here, [on] day one, more experienced than any non-vice-president has ever been who aspires to this office,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p data-reactid=\"183\">The President made some favorable comments about Clinton\u2019s rival Bernie Sanders, too, saying that he has \u201cgreat authenticity, great passion, and is fearless.\u201d But Obama also suggested that crowds were flocking to the Vermont senator because of his novelty, whereas Clinton was being hamstrung by factors beyond her control.\u00a0\u201cBernie came in with the luxury of being a complete long shot and just letting loose. I think Hillary came in with the both privilege and burden of being perceived as the front-runner,\u201d Obama said. \u201cYou\u2019re always looking at the bright, shiny object that people haven\u2019t seen before. That\u2019s a disadvantage to her.\u201dhttps:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/john-cassidy\/why-is-president-obama-embracing-hillary-clinton?mbid=social_facebook<\/p>\n<p data-reactid=\"183\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Pooh-Wall.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20692\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Pooh-Wall.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"797\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Pooh-Wall.jpg 797w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Pooh-Wall-125x150.jpg 125w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Pooh-Wall-415x500.jpg 415w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Pooh-Wall-768x925.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Pooh-Wall-500x602.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 797px) 100vw, 797px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><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><\/p>\n<div class=\"_5x46 _1yz1 clearfix\">\n<div class=\"clearfix _5va3\">\n<div class=\"clearfix _42ef\">\n<div class=\"_5va4\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"_6a _5u5j\">\n<div class=\"_6a _5u5j _6b\">\n<h5 id=\"js_8bz\" class=\"_14f5 _5pbw _5vra\" data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;C&quot;}\"><span class=\"fwn fcg\"><span class=\"fwb fcg\" data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;k&quot;}\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/frontline\/?hc_ref=ARRWjEEcNXdq6iqClC6FAyTonzYMTTp0fu_FqfnKkVxSg6ia4qL2i02ZQchtJ_qU7OA&amp;fref=nf\" data-hovercard=\"\/ajax\/hovercard\/page.php?id=45168721640&amp;extragetparams=%7B%22hc_ref%22%3A%22ARRWjEEcNXdq6iqClC6FAyTonzYMTTp0fu_FqfnKkVxSg6ia4qL2i02ZQchtJ_qU7OA%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22nf%22%7D\" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show=\"1\" data-hovercard-referer=\"ARRWjEEcNXdq6iqClC6FAyTonzYMTTp0fu_FqfnKkVxSg6ia4qL2i02ZQchtJ_qU7OA\">FRONTLINE<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n<div id=\"feed_subtitle_247;45168721640;10155123783651641;10155123783651641;1517078640:-2958804521122158934:5:0\" class=\"_5pcp _5lel _232_\"><span class=\"fsm fwn fcg\"><a class=\"_5pcq\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/frontline\/photos\/a.491930816640.259623.45168721640\/10155123783651641\/?type=3\" target=\"\" rel=\"theater\"><abbr class=\"_5ptz timestamp livetimestamp\" title=\"Saturday, January 27, 2018 at 10:44am\" data-utime=\"1517078640\" data-shorten=\"1\"><span id=\"js_8c0\" class=\"timestampContent\">14 hrs<\/span><\/abbr><\/a><\/span><span role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\"> \u00b7 <\/span><a id=\"js_9e9\" class=\"uiStreamPrivacy inlineBlock fbStreamPrivacy fbPrivacyAudienceIndicator _5pcq\" role=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/#\" data-hover=\"tooltip\" data-tooltip-content=\"Public\" aria-label=\"Public\"><i class=\"lock img sp_1Wg5e5zp_tr_2x sx_28d714\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"js_8c1\" class=\"_5pbx userContent _3576\" data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}\">\n<p><strong>Today marks Holocaust Remembrance Day.<\/strong> This interactive map shows just a sliver of the reach of Germany\u2019s network of enslavement from 1933 to 1945. <a href=\"http:\/\/to.pbs.org\/2GkdUaH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;-U&quot;}\" data-lynx-mode=\"async\" data-lynx-uri=\"https:\/\/l.facebook.com\/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fto.pbs.org%2F2GkdUaH&amp;h=ATNd_fn0QeJGzkmYrE1pEKUyYODh3wXuzfi539R8jn-raEhUNF5-AV3o88qCR9g0Ukqfj9ylrnn7-OdC4xjvuPUHYcBokzJsrn4A-xyemSV_R5ayVRwZTAbkjyZfGNsaZmBCX3e5bVV6p9e_PcZsow1IGkqdpEKwPvy4TG7GM4OF800ZNYZ_BVgupNIi358YzMw_33HwdhvFe9J_jOpOUAew4GzT_e_J5DoxhR4NAoCtS_rAC9AiiLPm7XCN7iIP-DyX-WG4J4U7UHmymchPM_T8cTdoELlm7eCGwOAmhVetCg\">to.pbs.org\/2GkdUaH<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/27067003_10155123783651641_5450151676327800424_n.png?oh=28c2a01608b854df9e591374b1eb6908&amp;oe=5B1E4609\" alt=\"No automatic alt text available.\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to Spot a Communist Using Literary Criticism\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gsj5YUnj1Ho?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 class=\"l-row\">\n<section id=\"title-content-area\" class=\"title-content--story l-col-1 l-col-sm-8 l-col-md-8 l-col-lg-8 l-offset-lg-2\">\n<div class=\"l-row\">\n<div class=\"pb-container\">\n<div id=\"fQHLbT1bnkDAHq\" class=\"u-wrapper pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-label-headline\">\n<header class=\"o-primary-header\">\n<h1 tabindex=\"-1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.openculture.com\/2018\/01\/how-to-spot-a-communist-using-literary-criticism-a-1955-manual-from-the-u-s-military.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.openculture.com\/2018\/01\/how-to-spot-a-communist-using-literary-criticism-a-1955-manual-from-the-u-s-military.html<\/a><\/h1>\n<h1 id=\"skip-link-target\" class=\"c-primary-title c-primary-title--news\" tabindex=\"-1\">Am I a bad feminist?<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"l-row\">\n<section id=\"main-content-area\" class=\"main-content--story l-col-1 l-col-sm-8 l-col-md-8 l-col-lg-8 l-offset-lg-2\">\n<div class=\"l-row\">\n<div class=\"pb-container\">\n<article class=\"c-article c-article--column\">\n<div class=\"c-article-meta__bylines\">\u00a0<span class=\"c-byline\">MARGARET ATWOOD<\/span><\/div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"shrinkToFit\" src=\"http:\/\/16411-presscdn-0-65.pagely.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/atwood.jpg\" alt=\"http:\/\/16411-presscdn-0-65.pagely.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/atwood.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" \/><\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text\">It seems that I am a &#8220;Bad Feminist.&#8221; I can add that to the other things I&#8217;ve been accused of since 1972, such as climbing to fame up a pyramid of decapitated men&#8217;s heads (a leftie journal), of being a dominatrix bent on the subjugation of men (a rightie one, complete with an illustration of me in leather boots and a whip) and of being an awful person who can annihilate \u2013 with her magic White Witch powers \u2013 anyone critical of her at Toronto dinner tables. I&#8217;m so scary! And now, it seems, I am conducting a War on Women, like the misogynistic, rape-enabling Bad Feminist that I am.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text\">What would a Good Feminist look like, in the eyes of my accusers?<\/p>\n<p>My fundamental position is that women are human beings, with the full range of saintly and demonic behaviours this entails, including criminal ones. They&#8217;re not angels, incapable of wrongdoing. If they were, we wouldn&#8217;t need a legal system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text\">Nor do I believe that women are children, incapable of agency or of making moral decisions. If they were, we&#8217;re back to the 19th century, and women should not own property, have credit cards, have access to higher education, control their own reproduction or vote. There are powerful groups in North America pushing this agenda, but they are not usually considered feminists.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text\">Furthermore, I believe that in order to have civil and human rights for women there have to be civil and human rights, period, including the right to fundamental justice, just as for women to have the vote, there has to be a vote. Do Good Feminists believe that only women should have such rights? Surely not. That would be to flip the coin on the old state of affairs in which only men had such rights.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text\">So let us suppose that my Good Feminist accusers, and the Bad Feminist that is me, agree on the above points. Where do we diverge? And how did I get into such hot water with the Good Feminists?<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text\">In November of 2016, I signed \u2013 as a matter of principle, as I have signed many petitions \u2013 an Open Letter called UBC Accountable, which calls for holding the University of British Columbia accountable for its failed process in its treatment of one of its former employees, Steven Galloway, the former chair of the department of creative writing, as well as its treatment of those who became ancillary complainants in the case. Specifically, several years ago, the university went public in national media before there was an inquiry, and even before the accused was allowed to know the details of the accusation. Before he could find them out, he had to sign a confidentiality agreement. The public \u2013 including me \u2013 was left with the impression that this man was a violent serial rapist, and everyone was free to attack him publicly, since under the agreement he had signed, he couldn&#8217;t say anything to defend himself. A barrage of invective followed. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/opinion\/am-i-a-bad-feminist\/article37591823\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.theglobeandmail.com\/opinion\/am-i-a-bad-feminist\/article37591823\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bertolt Brecht speaks in the House Committee on Un-American Activities\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GkiqGxD4CZ8?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<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>If you wish to skip to the funny part&#8211;it&#8217;s around 53: CSPAN book tv<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/video\/?439577-1\/michael-wolff-discusses-fire-fury\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.c-span.org\/video\/?439577-1\/michael-wolff-discusses-fire-fury<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thr.com\/sites\/default\/files\/imagecache\/landscape_928x523\/2018\/01\/fire_and_fury_michael_wolff_inset.jpg\" alt=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thr.com\/sites\/default\/files\/imagecache\/landscape_928x523\/2018\/01\/fire_and_fury_michael_wolff_inset.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\" \">Poland moves to make phrase &#8216;Polish death camps&#8217; a criminal offence<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/styles\/article_small\/public\/thumbnails\/image\/2017\/12\/03\/12\/auschwitz.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Polish politicians have given the green light to a bill to criminalise statements which suggest <a href=\"http:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/Poland\">Poland<\/a> bears responsibility for crimes committed by Nazi Germany.<\/p>\n<p>Phrases such as \u201cPolish death camps\u201d would be made a criminal offence,\u00a0punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine.<\/p>\n<p>The bill will also make it illegal to deny the murder of around 100,000 Poles by units in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army during the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/SecondWorldWar\">Second World War<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/europe\/poland-polish-death-camps-nazi-germany-holocaust-auschwitz-criminal-offence-a8180471.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/europe\/poland-polish-death-camps-nazi-germany-holocaust-auschwitz-criminal-offence-a8180471.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"ArticleHeader__hed___GPB7e\" data-reactid=\"106\">Raising Kids in Delhi\u2019s Worsening Air<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.newyorker.com\/photos\/5a4d3f281b4b766677b8c55a\/master\/w_727,c_limit\/Stack-Pollution-in-New-Delhi.jpg\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-reactid=\"150\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"ImageCaption__caption___1EOQO ImageCaption__caption___1EOQO\" data-reactid=\"155\">To live in New Delhi these past years has been to witness a city coming to the slow, sickening realization of a terrible crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-reactid=\"165\">I look out the window. Ominous clouds of vapor have erased the lime and jamun trees in the park across the way. I can barely see across the street and, beyond the curb, the world vanishes into mist.<\/p>\n<p data-reactid=\"169\">\u201cThe air is really, really horrible today,\u201d I text my friend Medha, adding a frowning face. This is a tacit cancellation of our morning walk in Lodi Gardens. &#8230;<\/p>\n<p data-reactid=\"188\">Here in Delhi, it\u2019s a clich\u00e9 of our coughing metropolis that smog is the great social leveller. The bad air affects rich and poor alike, the chattering class likes to claim at cocktail parties and in editorial headlines.<\/p>\n<p data-reactid=\"190\">But it\u2019s simply not true. This is the dirtiest secret about dirty air: the wealthy buy their way around it. Slowly, I\u2019ve acclimated to the idea that a small handful of residents can breathe safely, and the rest cannot&#8230;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/personal-history\/raising-kids-in-delhis-worsening-air?mbid=social_facebook\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.newyorker.com\/culture\/personal-history\/raising-kids-in-delhis-worsening-air?mbid=social_facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-reactid=\"190\">Reminder for fascists<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=swNHNEuBawU\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.youtube.com\/watch?v=swNHNEuBawU<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Solidarity for Never<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Stalinism Triumphant: Famine, Terror, And Hitler&#039;s Shadow, 1929-1941\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ev1LFjpPjmo?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 id=\"primary\" class=\"content-area\">\n<article id=\"post-10418\" class=\"post-10418 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-uncategorized\">\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>Dues Eaters Spending and Suckering Big<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The massive pro-Democratic political group created by a coalition of labor unions in 2016 is planning a comeback for 2018\u2019s midterm elections, and it\u2019s hoping to make even bigger investment this time around.<\/p>\n<p>For Our Future is aiming to raise at least $70 million to support organizing efforts in at least six battleground states, the group\u2019s new leader told POLITICO.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026The group was formed and funded in 2016 by the labor giants the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the American Federation of Teachers, and the National Education Association \u2014 as well as NextGen America, Democratic mega-donor and activist Tom Steyer\u2019s political outfit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>From the October 8, 2016 <a href=\"http:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2016\/10\/18\/big-labor-is-spending-big-bucks-in-2016-campaign\/\"><em>Daily Caller<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Labor unions have spent close to $110 million on the elections from January 2015 through the end of August, which is close to 40 percent more than the $78 million spent at the same point in 2012, according to The Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026The Center for Responsive Politics found the National Education Association (NEA) has spent $14.1 million so far in 2016, which is up from the $7.7 million that the powerful teachers union spent at this point in 2012.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>From the October 14, 2014 <a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/3506934\/teachers-unions-midterms\/\"><em>Time<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The National Education Association (NEA), the nation\u2019s largest teachers union, is on track to spend between $40 million and $60 million this election cycle, while the smaller American Federation of Teachers (AFT) plans to pony up an additional $20 million\u2014more than the organization has spent on any other past cycle, including high-spending presidential election years.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026NEA National Political Director Karen White called this election cycle \u201ca perfect storm\u201d for voters concerned with opportunities available to the next generation. \u201cPublic education has become a top-tier national issue for so many,\u201d White said Tuesday. Meanwhile, AFT President Randi Weingarten said that she sees this year\u2019s midterms as \u201cthe most important\u201d in recent memory, and described a handful of state and local races as among the most \u201cvicious\u201d and \u201cdisingenuous\u201d she\u2019s seen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>From the November 10, 2014 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eiaonline.com\/2014\/11\/10\/2014-election-not-waterloo-but-elba\/\"><em>Intercepts<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Usually if you spend $60 million with such paltry results there isn\u2019t a new pot of cash waiting to be handed to the same people who engineered the debacle. Teachers\u2019 unions aren\u2019t usual. No one at NEA or AFT will lose a job or be demoted. And there will be at least $60 million \u2013 probably more \u2013 in their war chests in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>When the union hammer doesn\u2019t work, they don\u2019t find another tool. They go out and buy a bigger hammer.<\/p>\n<p>Common sense suggests that this is a losing strategy in the long term. But the alternatives require an admission of error, and I don\u2019t see that level of introspection from NEA or AFT.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026The teachers\u2019 unions cannot reverse this decline, but as long as they can collect enormous sums of money and spend it without any sort of internal accountability, they can succeed in putting off the day of reckoning.<a class=\"wpp-post-title\" title=\"Clark County Union Dispute Goes to Trial\" href=\"http:\/\/www.eiaonline.com\/intercepts\/2018\/01\/18\/clark-county-union-dispute-goes-to-trial\/\" target=\"_self\">l EIA online<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Spy versus Spy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\">Mysterious Bank Deposits Fueled Suspicion of Former C.I.A. Officer<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"media-viewer-candidate\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/01\/25\/us\/politics\/25dc-Intel\/merlin_132477557_1187554f-5d7e-45de-b510-4c5fc26948b3-master768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-mediaviewer-src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/01\/25\/us\/politics\/25dc-Intel\/merlin_132477557_1187554f-5d7e-45de-b510-4c5fc26948b3-superJumbo.jpg\" data-mediaviewer-caption=\"Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 53, is awaiting transfer to federal court in Northern Virginia, where he was charged.\" data-mediaviewer-credit=\" \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"289\" data-total-count=\"289\">While American intelligence authorities investigated a possible C.I.A. mole in recent years, they discovered that one former agency officer had received hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexplained bank deposits, current and former government officials said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"366\" data-total-count=\"655\">The money deepens the mystery surrounding Jerry Chun Shing Lee, the former C.I.A. officer, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/16\/us\/politics\/cia-china-mole-arrest-jerry-chun-shing-lee.html\">faces a charge<\/a> of keeping national security secrets in his notebooks after he left government. It helps explain why many American law enforcement officials suspected that Mr. Lee had provided information to China \u2014 a suspicion for which no direct evidence has surfaced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"430\" data-total-count=\"1085\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/former-cia-officer-arrested-retaining-classified-information\">The F.B.I. arrested Mr. Lee this month<\/a> in New York after a lengthy counterintelligence investigation that began several years ago when the C.I.A.\u2019s informant network in China was compromised and many of its assets were imprisoned or killed. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/05\/20\/world\/asia\/china-cia-spies-espionage.html\">It was a devastating blow<\/a> to the C.I.A.\u2019s ability to collect intelligence in China and is regarded inside the government as one of the worst compromises in modern American intelligence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"224\" data-total-count=\"1309\">Mr. Lee, 53, is awaiting transfer to federal court in Northern Virginia, where he was charged. His family has declined to comment, and no lawyer has appeared on his behalf. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.<\/p>\n<p id=\"story-continues-1\" class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"343\" data-total-count=\"1652\">A task force of F.B.I. agents and C.I.A. officers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/17\/world\/asia\/jerry-lee-cia-china-mole-hunt-suspect.html\">investigated Mr. Lee for years<\/a>\u00a0 (NYTimes Jan 24)<\/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\/2018\/01\/pope-francis-600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20704\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/pope-francis-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/pope-francis-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/pope-francis-600-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/pope-francis-600-500x375.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"page-title\">One forced dues collector backs another: Catholic Church Files Brief Supporting Union in Janus Case<\/h1>\n<div class=\"field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field-items\">\n<div class=\"field-item even\">\n<p>The Supreme Court is set to hear <i>Janus v. AFSCME <\/i>on February 26<sup>th<\/sup> and both sides are getting all of their documents in. One such document is called an amicus brief, or a friend of the court brief. These are submitted by outside groups to support or lobby for one side in the argument. One particular brief that was filed in favor of organized labor was sent in by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/16\/16-1466\/28406\/20180119105844172_16.1466%20bsac%20usccb%20amicus.pdf\">U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Conference, which represents all Catholic Bishops in the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands, reasserted the church\u2019s longtime opposition to Right to Work and their support for working people. The conference went as far as to say that this case would be the beginning of constitutionalizing Right to Work in not only the public sector but also in the private sector. They equated the importance of <i>Janus<\/i> to cases like <i>Roe v. Wade, <\/i>which the Church has spent decades fighting.<\/p>\n<p>In the brief, they cited Pope Francis\u2019 June 2017 address where he said, \u201cThere is no good society without a good union, and there is no good union that is not reborn every day in the peripheries, that does not transform the discarded stones of the economy into its cornerstones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Catholic Church has a long history of standing up for union rights, including opposing the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act which allowed states to become Right to Work.<\/p>\n<p>Other faith leaders also filed an amicus brief in favor of organized labor. The coalition of individual priests, pastors, and ministers as well as faith groups included Christian, Muslim and Jewish faith leaders.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/ucommblog.com\/section\/national-politics\/catholic-church-files-brief-supporting-union-janus-case\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">ucommblog.com\/section\/national-politics\/catholic-church-files-brief-supporting-union-janus-case<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&quot;Watch Out For The Snake&quot;\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IVsKW3SD-J0?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<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"spaced spaced-xl spaced-top spaced-bottom\">Pope Francis sees origin of fake news in the snake&#8217;s lies in the Garden of Eden<\/h1>\n<div class=\"card collection-item \" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p data-page=\"1\">Pope Francis has brought a biblical bearing to the global debate over fake news by condemning the phenomenon as satanic and saying it began in the Garden of Eden.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item \" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>In a document released Wednesday, Francis claimed peddlers of fake news use &#8220;snake tactics&#8221; and &#8220;disguise themselves in order to strike at any time and place.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"card collection-item \" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>Francis pinned responsibility for the start of disinformation on the &#8220;crafty serpent,&#8221; who, according to the Bible, &#8220;at the dawn of humanity, created the first fake news.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item \" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<div class=\"mobile-dfp inline-ad-arrow less-spacing hidden-desktop hidden-mobile\">\u00a0By persuading Eve there was nothing wrong with eating an apple from the tree of knowledge, despite the stern warning from God not to do so, the snake, with fake news, &#8220;began the tragic history of human sin,&#8221; Francis wrote.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/world\/europe\/la-fg-pope-fake-news-20180124-story.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.latimes.com\/world\/europe\/la-fg-pope-fake-news-20180124-story.html<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Best and Worst Things in the History of the World<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"expand-img-horiz\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/106dcbcad743795d44c747adbf0f3b06ed995e55\/c=0-56-3600-2763&amp;r=x404&amp;c=534x401\/local\/-\/media\/2015\/12\/24\/USATODAY\/USATODAY\/635865674931398901-AP-Supermoon-Eclipse.jpg\" alt=\"AP SUPERMOON ECLIPSE A USA NC\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2015\/12\/24\/USATODAY\/USATODAY\/635865674931398901-AP-Supermoon-Eclipse.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/e780fdb66d65df8c759a863dab2aa5ae7bc79cae\/r=500x391\/local\/-\/media\/2015\/12\/24\/USATODAY\/USATODAY\/635865674931398901-AP-Supermoon-Eclipse.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"asset-headline speakable-headline\">Triple treat: Supermoon, blue moon and lunar eclipse all coming to a sky near you next week<\/h1>\n<p class=\"p-text\">In the United States, the best view of the eclipse will be along the West Coast. For skywatchers\u00a0in the central and eastern U.S., only a partial eclipse will be visible since\u00a0the moon will set before totality.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The lunar eclipse on Jan.\u00a031 will be visible during moonset,&#8221; said Noah Petro, a research scientist from NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center. &#8220;Folks in the eastern United States, where the eclipse will be partial, will have to get up in the morning to see it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The eclipse will last almost 3\u00bd hours from the beginning of the partial phase at 3:48 a.m. PT until it ends at 7:12 a.m. PT, according to <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.skyandtelescope.com\/astronomy-news\/observing-news\/solar-and-lunar-eclipses-in-2018\/\">Sky and Telescope<\/a><\/em>. Totality lasts a generous 77 minutes, from 4:51 a.m. PT to 6:08 a.m. PT.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">By that time, however, the moon will already have set in the eastern time zone.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"oembed-asset-photo-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2018\/01\/23\/USATODAY\/USATODAY\/636523092190931278-012218-lunar-eclipse-Online.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/tech\/science\/2018\/01\/22\/supermoon-blue-moon-lunar-eclipse-coming\/1052215001\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.usatoday.com\/story\/tech\/science\/2018\/01\/22\/supermoon-blue-moon-lunar-eclipse-coming\/1052215001\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/seen.everything\/videos\/1507083336062865\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/seen.everything\/videos\/1507083336062865\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>A Reader&#8217;s Guide to S.D&#8217;s Deadly Flu Outbreak (from an expert)<\/h1>\n<h2>How bad is the flu this year?<\/h2>\n<p>From a historic perspective, it\u2019s quite bad. The county says 142 people have died of the flu during the 2017-2018 season, as of Jan. 13, the latest numbers available.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the highest flu season death toll in at least 20 years, dating back to when the county began tracking flu deaths. Since 2003, the annual flu death toll has ranged from as few as 4 to a previous high of 97 in 2014-2015. (See below for details about the deadliest San Diego flu season ever.)<\/p>\n<p>County health officer Dr. Wilma Wooten said other numbers \u2014 of outbreaks, overall confirmed flu cases and the number of flu visits to intensive care units \u2014 are also at unusually high levels. \u201cAll the factors are higher than we\u2019ve ever seen since we\u2019ve been tracking the numbers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>As of Jan. 13, the state reported 68 flu deaths among people under the age of 65. The county reported 16 as of that date.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voiceofsandiego.org\/topics\/news\/the-ultimate-guide-to-s-ds-deadly-flu-outbreak\/?utm_source=Voice+of+San+Diego+Master+List&#038;utm_campaign=b8aacc19a4-Morning_Report&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_term=0_c2357fd0a3-b8aacc19a4-81862829&#038;goal=0_c2357fd0a3-b8aacc19a4-81862829\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.voiceofsandiego.org\/topics\/news\/the-ultimate-guide-to-s-ds-deadly-flu-outbreak\/?utm_source=Voice+of+San+Diego+Master+List&#038;utm_campaign=b8aacc19a4-Morning_Report&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_term=0_c2357fd0a3-b8aacc19a4-81862829&#038;goal=0_c2357fd0a3-b8aacc19a4-81862829<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/lowres.cartoonstock.com\/medical-vaccine-vaccination-inoculation-inoculating-flu_jabs-bfrn426_low.jpg\" alt=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/lowres.cartoonstock.com\/medical-vaccine-vaccination-inoculation-inoculating-flu_jabs-bfrn426_low.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>So Long<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arcamax.com\/newspics\/159\/15966\/1596686.gif\" alt=\"https:\/\/www.arcamax.com\/newspics\/159\/15966\/1596686.gif\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hugh Masekela - Grazing In The Grass (1968)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qxXZF60EPdM?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=\"CheatHeader__title\">Jazz Trumpet Great Hugh Masekela Dies at 78<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image__img\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/img.thedailybeast.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,d_placeholder_euli9k,h_1440,w_2560,x_0,y_0\/dpr_2.0\/c_limit,w_740\/fl_lossy,q_auto\/v1516708120\/REUTERSAndrea_De_Silva_wp6ufw\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We Say Fight Back! The Guggenheim Museum offered President Trump a\u00a0solid\u00a0gold toilet from its collection as a &#8220;long-term loan&#8221; for the White House. Trump and first lady Melania had asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting from the museum, but the Guggenheim\u00a0responded that it could not accommodate the request and offered the toilet instead,\u00a0 &#8230;. [&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-20667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20667","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=20667"}],"version-history":[{"count":43,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20706,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20667\/revisions\/20706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}