{"id":20915,"date":"2018-02-25T00:13:39","date_gmt":"2018-02-25T08:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/?p=20915"},"modified":"2018-02-25T01:37:02","modified_gmt":"2018-02-25T09:37:02","slug":"rouge-forum-dispatch-draft-who-pulls-the-strings-on-those-warriors-who-pull-the-triggers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/rouge-forum-dispatch-draft-who-pulls-the-strings-on-those-warriors-who-pull-the-triggers\/","title":{"rendered":"Rouge Forum Dispatch: Who Pulls the Strings on those Warriors who Pull the Triggers?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>We Say Fight Back!<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Woody Guthrie- This Land Is Your Land\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wxiMrvDbq3s?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>On Feb. 23, 1940, Woody Guthrie writes &#8220;This Land Is Your Land&#8221; following a trip hitchhiking and riding the rails from California to New York. It was a musical response to Irving Berlin&#8217;s &#8220;God Bless America&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"page-title\" class=\"title\">West Virginia public schools close over teacher walkout<\/h1>\n<div class=\"blogs-social-wrp\">\n<div class=\"share\"><a class=\"email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=TheHill.com%3A%20West%20Virginia%20public%20schools%20close%20over%20teacher%20walkouts&amp;body=From%20TheHill.com%3A%20%0A%0A%0A%0Ahttp%3A\/\/thehill.com\/blogs\/blog-briefing-room\/news\/375058-west-virginia-public-schools-close-over-teacher-walk-outs\">\u00a0<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"column\" role=\"main\">\n<article class=\"node-375058 node node-blogs view-mode-full clearfix\">\n<header><\/header>\n<div class=\"content-img-wrp\">\n<div class=\"content-img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/thumb_small_article\/public\/wv_022218_youttube.png?itok=R1x1Ioew\" alt=\"West Virginia public schools close over teacher walkouts\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"credits\">\u00a9 YouTube<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-with-sidebar-wrp\">\n<div class=\"content-wrp\">\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 class=\"m_1629163593849758887gmail-p1\">Public schools across West Virginia are closed Thursday\u00a0after\u00a0teachers staged walkouts to demand higher wages.<span class=\"m_1629163593849758887gmail-Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"m_1629163593849758887gmail-p1\">All of West Virginia\u2019s 55 counties canceled school due to staff shortages as teachers stage a two-day walkout, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wvgazettemail.com\/news\/education\/teachers-walk-out-across-west-virginia-over-pay-benefits\/article_b98c221e-5eb0-5dea-8a8a-152e24138634.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Charleston Gazette-Mail<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m_1629163593849758887gmail-p2\">More than 1,000 demonstrators are at the picket line in front of the Capitol building in Charleston chanting \u201cFed up, fired up!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WVWorkingFamilies\/videos\/2189685571104256\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/WVWorkingFamilies\/videos\/2189685571104256\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/blogs\/blog-briefing-room\/news\/375058-west-virginia-public-schools-close-over-teacher-walk-outs\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">thehill.com\/blogs\/blog-briefing-room\/news\/375058-west-virginia-public-schools-close-over-teacher-walk-outs<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline\">Teachers to continue strike on Monday<\/h1>\n<p>West Virginia teachers will continue their strike for a third day on Monday, state teachers union leaders announced late Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Teachers went on strike Thursday in dissatisfaction over pay raise and benefit proposals from state legislative leaders and Gov. Jim Justice, and remained out on Friday.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wvgazettemail.com\/news\/education\/teachers-to-continue-strike-on-monday\/article_6fab11d4-5956-5878-a2b2-f28b718b646d.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.wvgazettemail.com\/news\/education\/teachers-to-continue-strike-on-monday\/article_6fab11d4-5956-5878-a2b2-f28b718b646d.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>50 years ago, Florida teachers walked off their jobs.<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fancybox-image\" src=\"http:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/storyimage\/HI\/20180219\/ARTICLE\/302199991\/AR\/0\/AR-302199991.jpg?MaxW=2000\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Teachers by the thousands walked off their jobs across Florida. Among their concerns: low pay, poor funding, a lack of planning time, missing materials, and more.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We were at the mercy of the School Board and what they wanted to do,&#8221; said Floyd, who started teaching in Orange County in 1958. &#8220;We had no say-so over anything.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>So they left \u2014 resigned, actually, because strikes weren\u2019t allowed \u2014 to make their position clear. More than 25,000 educators in all participated at the peak of the movement, which lasted days in some counties, weeks in others. (<strong>Then, AFT&#8217;s Gangster Pat Tornillo led his Dade unit back to work, scabbing).\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/education\/teachers\/50-years-ago-Florida-teachers-walked-off-their-jobs-Today-s-union-leaders-are-inspired_165549681\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.tampabay.com\/news\/education\/teachers\/50-years-ago-Florida-teachers-walked-off-their-jobs-Today-s-union-leaders-are-inspired_165549681<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>Can Schools Discipline Students for Protesting?<\/h1>\n<p>&#8230;in addition to walkouts, there are actions they can take for which schools <em>cannot <\/em>legally impose punishment.<\/p>\n<p>For example, during school hours, students <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/blog\/juvenile-justice\/student-rights-school-six-things-you-need-know\">cannot be punished<\/a> for speaking out unless their speech disrupts the functioning of the school. This is because \u2014 as the Supreme Court recognized in a <a href=\"http:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/393\/503\/case.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1969 decision<\/a> upholding the right of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/other\/tinker-v-des-moines-landmark-supreme-court-ruling-behalf-student-expression\">Mary Beth Tinker<\/a> to wear an armband to school in protest of the Vietnam War \u2014 students do not lose their constitutional rights \u201cat the schoolhouse gate.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/blog\/free-speech\/student-speech-and-privacy\/can-schools-discipline-students-protesting\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.aclu.org\/blog\/free-speech\/student-speech-and-privacy\/can-schools-discipline-students-protesting<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"page-title\">\u2018For the Record\u2019: Fighting Back Against a School Shooter (video within)<\/h1>\n<p>Since the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, school districts across the U.S. have studied ways to keep kids safe from the threat of an active shooter.<\/p>\n<p>Twelve students and one teacher died at Columbine, and since then many schools across the country have established lockdown procedures. In most cases, teachers are instructed to lock the classroom door, turn-off the lights and attempt to get the students in a corner of the room.<\/p>\n<p>That was the protocol that was followed at Sandy Hook Elementary in December 2012 when Adam Lanza murdered 20 children and six adults.<\/p>\n<p>Recently a new and more aggressive response, taught by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.activekillerdefense.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">instructors like Ryan Hoover<\/a>, has been gaining popularity. One major difference from the standard procedure is that if students and teachers can\u2019t escape, they are taught to attack the gunman with whatever they have at hand.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theblaze.com\/news\/2016\/03\/07\/for-the-record-fighting-back-against-a-school-shooter\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.theblaze.com\/news\/2016\/03\/07\/for-the-record-fighting-back-against-a-school-shooter<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A.L.I.C.E. Training at Elementary School\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/i9rGiKYGIDY?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=\"headline\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/02\/21\/vietnam-will-win-military-realities\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Vietnam Will Win: Military Realities<\/a><\/h1>\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\/41yl7N2RA9L._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-a-dynamic-image=\"{&quot;https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41yl7N2RA9L._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg&quot;:[333,499],&quot;https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41yl7N2RA9L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg&quot;:[231,346]}\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"post_meta\"><span class=\"post_author_intro\">by<\/span> <span class=\"post_author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/author\/wilfred-burchett\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Wilfred Burchett<\/a><\/span>\u00a0 <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>(last reminder about Tet&#8211;February, 1968)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>By the turn of the year 1967-68, it was clear that things had developed just as the NLF leadership had foreseen. And they continued to do so throughout 1968. At the end of January, on the eve of the T\u00eat offensive, and with almost 500,000 U.S. troops in South Vietnam, the U.S.-Saigon command had fewer mobile forces at its disposal than during the 1965-66 dry season when Westmoreland had about 200,000 U.S. troops under his command. Entire divisions were bogged down guarding bases, bridges and roads in a situation strongly reminiscent of the 800,000 strong French army in the latter phases of the Algerian war. Such a high proportion of French troops were locked up in their barbed-wire covered \u201cmirador\u201d fortresses guarding bases, bridges and stretches of roads and railways, that none were left for offensive operations.<\/p>\n<p>The nearly 1,300,000-man army under Westmoreland had been pushed into the defensive, the initiative having passed into the hands of the NLF. Bases, garrisons, outposts were all encircled by NLF guerrillas, while NLF main force units launched operation after operation, starting with the Loc Ninh and Dak To battles in October-November 1967, and then others that prepared the ground for the T\u00eat offensive.\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/02\/21\/vietnam-will-win-military-realities\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/02\/21\/vietnam-will-win-military-realities\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>Sixties Project: Bibliographies<\/h1>\n<p>This is an archive of bibliographic resources in the field of Sixties and Viet Nam war studies.<\/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<h2 align=\"LEFT\">GI Resistance: Soldiers and Veterans Against the War. A Bibliography<\/h2>\n<h3 align=\"LEFT\">Compiled by Skip Delano<\/h3>\n<h6>This text, made available by the Sixties Project, is copyright (c) 1996 by Viet Nam Generation, Inc., or the author, all rights reserved. This text may be used, printed, and archived in accordance with the Fair Use provisions of U.S. Copyright law. This text may not be archived, printed, or redistributed in any form for a fee, without the consent of the copyright holder. This notice must accompany any redistribution of the text. The Sixties Project, sponsored by Viet Nam Generation Inc. and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.iath.virginia.edu\/\">Institute of Advanced Technology in the Humanities<\/a> at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, is a collective of humanities scholars working together on the Internet to use electronic resources to provide routes of collaboration and make available primary and secondary sources for researchers, students, teachers, writers and librarians interested in the 1960s.\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www2.iath.virginia.edu\/sixties\/HTML_docs\/Resources\/Bibliographies\/GI_Mvmt_bib.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www2.iath.virginia.edu\/sixties\/HTML_docs\/Resources\/Bibliographies\/GI_Mvmt_bib.html<\/a><\/h6>\n<p><strong>From: Jack Radey<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>The GI movement bibliography is very good.\u00a0 Two books, however, don&#8217;t seem to be on it.\u00a0 Shelby Stanton&#8217;s &#8220;The Rise and Fall of the US Army in Vietnam&#8221; is not on there.\u00a0 Shelby was a Green Beret, as he told me, because he is short, he was dressed in black pajamas and put on surveillance on the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos (where we didn&#8217;t have any soldiers, remember?).\u00a0 He had much of a lung punched out by a rocket hit on his compound.\u00a0 He casually mentions in his book that EVERY division in Vietnam had its own underground newspaper, and the paper of the unit that took Hamburger Hill offered a $25,000 reward&#8230; for the head of the brigadier general who ordered it.\u00a0 Shelby was hardly an antiwar activist, but did not like the US government bullshit, as he said, &#8220;I got my education in the mud.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>The other is Tom Wells, &#8220;The War at Home.&#8221;\u00a0 While a history of the antiwar movement and its effects on the White House and Pentagon, it describes the action that ended the war in Vietnam.\u00a0 This was a strike by Air Force and Navy aircrews and intelligence officers (and others) who decided the bombing of Hanoi etc in Operation Linebacker II constituted a war crime and refused to fly more missions.\u00a0 The only other place you can read about this is in Boyle&#8217;s excellent &#8220;Flower of the Dragon&#8221; which is listed.\u00a0 Almost no one knows about this action (the government deal with the air crews was, &#8220;Shut your mouths, never mention this, and we won&#8217;t press mutiny charges&#8221;) but sniffing around people I know who were in the Air Force, and some inquiries I made at the Air Force Command and Staff College in Montgomery, AL, I had little difficulty finding people who knew about it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-large size-featured-large wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/longreadsblog.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/04\/nina-simone-getty.jpg?w=1680\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1680px) 100vw, 1680px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/longreadsblog.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/04\/nina-simone-getty.jpg?w=1680 1680w, https:\/\/longreadsblog.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/04\/nina-simone-getty.jpg?w=150 150w, https:\/\/longreadsblog.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/04\/nina-simone-getty.jpg?w=300 300w, https:\/\/longreadsblog.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/04\/nina-simone-getty.jpg?w=768 768w, https:\/\/longreadsblog.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/04\/nina-simone-getty.jpg?w=1024 1024w\" alt=\"Nina Simone\" width=\"1680\" height=\"1068\" data-attachment-id=\"68131\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2017\/04\/20\/a-history-of-american-protest-music-when-nina-simone-sang-what-everyone-was-thinking\/photo-of-nina-simone\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/longreadsblog.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/04\/nina-simone-getty.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"4600,2923\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Redferns&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 01: BBC TV CENTRE Photo of Nina SIMONE, Nina Simone performing on tv show (Photo by David Redfern\\\/Redferns)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;-126230400&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Redferns&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Photo of Nina SIMONE&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Photo of Nina SIMONE\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Nina Simone&lt;\/p&gt; \" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/longreadsblog.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/04\/nina-simone-getty.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/longreadsblog.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/04\/nina-simone-getty.jpg?w=1024\" data-lazy-loaded=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On September 15, 1963, four girls were killed when white supremacists planted more than a dozen sticks of dynamite beneath the side steps of the African-American 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The children were preparing for a sermon titled \u201cA Love That Forgives.\u201d According to one witness, their bodies flew across the basement \u201clike rag dolls.\u201d<span id=\"more-68122\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>When she heard the news, jazz musician Nina Simone was paralyzed. \u201cIt was more than I could take,\u201d she remembered, \u201cand I sat struck dumb in my den like St. Paul on the road to Damascus: all the truths that I had denied to myself for so long rose up and slapped my face. The bombing of the little girls in Alabama and the murder of Medgar Evers were like the final pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that made no sense until you had fitted the whole thing together. I suddenly realized what it was to be Black in America in 1963, but it wasn\u2019t an intellectual connection\u2026it came as a rush of fury, hatred and determination. In church language, the Truth entered into me and I \u2018came through.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Simone\u2019s initial reaction was less than Christian. \u201cI had it in mind to go out and kill someone,\u201d she remembered. \u201cI tried to make a zip gun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Andy, her husband and manager, intervened. \u201cNina,\u201d he said, \u201cyou can\u2019t kill anyone. You are a musician. Do what you do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An hour later, Nina Simone had composed a song called \u201cMississippi Goddam.\u201d \u201cIt was my first civil rights song,\u201d she recalled, \u201cand it erupted out of me quicker than I could write it down.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/2017\/04\/20\/a-history-of-american-protest-music-when-nina-simone-sang-what-everyone-was-thinking\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">longreads.com\/2017\/04\/20\/a-history-of-american-protest-music-when-nina-simone-sang-what-everyone-was-thinking\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Nina Simone: Mississippi Goddam\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LJ25-U3jNWM?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><strong>Teachers College Record Reviews Rouge Founder Wayne Ross&#8217; book: <\/strong><\/p>\n<table border=\"0\" width=\"100%\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"Left\" valign=\"Top\" width=\"7\">\n<div align=\"Left\">\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"Left\" valign=\"Top\" width=\"58%\">\n<div align=\"Left\">\n<div class=\"block\">\n<h1>Rethinking Social Studies: Critical Pedagogy in Pursuit of Dangerous Citizenship<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><i>Rethinking Social Studies: Critical Pedagogy in Pursuit of Dangerous Citizenship<\/i> is a brutally honest exploration of the current state of social studies teaching and teacher education. E. Wayne Ross\u2019 book is a subversive blueprint, a mixtape capturing a lifetime of thinking, writing, and activism. Ross articulates a vision of a future social studies where citizens are \u201cdangerous to an oppressive and socially unjust status quo, to existing hierarchical structures of power\u201d (p. 50). <i>Rethinking Social Studies<\/i> is written in deeply theoretical, tactical, and personal ways, capturing Ross\u2019 spirit as a transformative force willing to confront the dismal state of social studies education. His writing resonates outward, encouraging teachers and teacher educators to embrace the transformative potential of connecting social studies classrooms with real-life issues facing citizens and their communities. Throughout, Ross remains optimistic that citizen action, developed through \u201cinsurgent pedagogies\u201d (p. 51), can prevail over a corporatized, capitalistic approach to social studies education.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"imgBlkFront\" class=\"a-dynamic-image image-stretch-vertical frontImage\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41O7k1C3mdL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-a-dynamic-image=\"{&quot;https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41O7k1C3mdL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg&quot;:[231,346],&quot;https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41O7k1C3mdL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg&quot;:[333,499]}\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Ross doesn\u2019t pull any punches. From the start, the reader is confronted with his take on the current state of social studies. According to Ross, \u201cSocial studies is the engine room of illusion factories whose primary aim is reproduction of the existing social order; where the ruling ideas exist to be memorized, regurgitated, internalized, and lived by. If you don\u2019t eat your meat, you can\u2019t have any pudding!\u201d (p. xxi). While social studies could be the most dangerous subject in schools, it has been reduced to the regurgitation of facts in the service of maintaining the status quo while producing eager consumers. Fortunately, Ross is an optimist who is living out the transformative spirit embedded in his vision for the future of social studies.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tcrecord.org\/Content.asp?ContentID=22274\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.tcrecord.org\/Content.asp?ContentID=22274<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Black-people-guns.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20940\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Black-people-guns.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"618\" height=\"618\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Black-people-guns.jpg 618w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Black-people-guns-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Black-people-guns-500x500.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"current-day \" style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong> <span class=\"month\">Feb<\/span> <span class=\"day\">18<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><a class=\"view-calendar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.history.com\/this-day-in-history\/nazis-arrest-white-rose-resistance-leaders\">1943<\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<h1 class=\"title\">Nazis arrest White Rose resistance leaders<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hans Scholl and his sister Sophie, the leaders of the German youth group <i>Weisse Rose<\/i> (White Rose), are arrested by the Gestapo for opposing the Nazi regime.<\/p>\n<p>The White Rose was composed of university (mostly medical) students who spoke out against Adolf Hitler and his regime. The founder, Hans Scholl, was a former member of Hitler Youth who grew disenchanted with Nazi ideology once its real aims became evident. As a student at the University of Munich in 1940-41, he met two Roman Catholic men of letters who redirected his life. Turning from medicine to religion, philosophy, and the arts, Scholl gathered around him like-minded friends who also despised the Nazis, and the White Rose was born.<\/p>\n<p>During the summer of 1942, Scholl and a friend composed four leaflets, which exposed and denounced Nazi and SS atrocities, including the extermination of Jews and Polish nobility, and called for resistance to the regime. The literature was peppered with quotations from great writers and thinkers, from Aristotle to Goethe, and called for the rebirth of the German university. It was aimed at an educated elite within Germany.<\/p>\n<p>The risks involved in such an enterprise were enormous. The lives of average civilians were monitored for any deviation from absolute loyalty to the state. Even a casual remark critical of Hitler or the Nazis could result in arrest by the Gestapo, the regime\u2019s secret police. Yet the students of the White Rose (the origin of the group\u2019s name is uncertain; possibly, it came from the picture of the flower on their leaflets) risked all, motivated purely by idealism, the highest moral and ethical principles, and sympathy for their Jewish neighbors and friends. (Despite the risks, Hans\u2019 sister, Sophie, a biology student at her brother\u2019s university, begged to participate in the activities of the White Rose when she discovered her brother\u2019s covert operation.)\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.history.com\/this-day-in-history\/nazis-arrest-white-rose-resistance-leaders\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.history.com\/this-day-in-history\/nazis-arrest-white-rose-resistance-leaders<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/Pfd6GcDRQpe0S_E-tHqA-QVAsOE=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-385488-1249229228.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for resistance of the white rose\" width=\"289\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Young Karl Marx  - Trailer [en]\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Dz-1BLjQlHo?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;\"><em><strong>The Little Red Schoolhouse<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Trump-school.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20918\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Trump-school.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Trump-school.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Trump-school-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Trump-school-500x378.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Trump-school-768x581.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m the guy who invented San Diego&#8217;s pension crisis,&#8221; said Jack McGrory. He now lives in a French-style chateau overlooking the ocean, owns race horses and a resort.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jack of all trades: McGrory&#8217;s back, leading SDSU&#8217;s Mission Valley campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi\" src=\"http:\/\/newscenter.sdsu.edu\/sdsu_newscenter\/images\/stories\/1-12-17_McGrory_589x.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for jack mcgrory san diego\" width=\"304\" height=\"182\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"storyheadline\">Letter: Recent decision to make Aztec identity task force anonymous is unwarranted<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thebrillionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/1128-sd-state-aztecs-logo.png\" alt=\"Image result for sdsu aztec mascot\" width=\"304\" height=\"277\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cThe single most important ingredient in the recipe for success is transparency because transparency builds trust,\u201d said Denise Morris, President &amp; CEO of Campbell Soup Company<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">If only San Diego State President Sally Roush felt the same way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Roush has decided that the 17-member task force assembled to \u201cexplore the future of the Aztec mascot and moniker\u201d will remain anonymous.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Well, that\u2019s it. Game over. Nothing to see here. With one single decision, Roush doomed the outcome of the task force before it even began.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/thedailyaztec.com\/88060\/opinion\/letter-recent-decision-to-make-aztec-identity-task-force-anonymous-is-unwarranted\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">thedailyaztec.com\/88060\/opinion\/letter-recent-decision-to-make-aztec-identity-task-force-anonymous-is-unwarranted\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thumbnails.texastribune.org\/jiRB0KzWGbzZPrgIuNi7yap_4B4=\/850x570\/smart\/filters:quality(80)\/https:\/\/static.texastribune.org\/media\/images\/2017\/03\/06\/2017-03-03_PUBLICEDUCATONSYMPOSIUM_1976.JPG\" sizes=\"(min-width: 52.8025em) calc(100vw - 310px), (min-width: 60em) 597px, (min-width: 67.5em) 632px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thumbnails.texastribune.org\/8nY8uUGxgZjq0QJt3rSAmtYep2E=\/1250x838\/smart\/filters:quality(80)\/https:\/\/static.texastribune.org\/media\/images\/2017\/03\/06\/2017-03-03_PUBLICEDUCATONSYMPOSIUM_1976.JPG 1250w, https:\/\/thumbnails.texastribune.org\/jiRB0KzWGbzZPrgIuNi7yap_4B4=\/850x570\/smart\/filters:quality(80)\/https:\/\/static.texastribune.org\/media\/images\/2017\/03\/06\/2017-03-03_PUBLICEDUCATONSYMPOSIUM_1976.JPG 850w, https:\/\/thumbnails.texastribune.org\/lqDRi3ZSnrqscGoW544vT_8NCVc=\/650x436\/smart\/filters:quality(80)\/https:\/\/static.texastribune.org\/media\/images\/2017\/03\/06\/2017-03-03_PUBLICEDUCATONSYMPOSIUM_1976.JPG 650w, https:\/\/thumbnails.texastribune.org\/t7sAD_kwgg4E_LTcV-A_m9GQsYk=\/400x268\/smart\/filters:quality(80)\/https:\/\/static.texastribune.org\/media\/images\/2017\/03\/06\/2017-03-03_PUBLICEDUCATONSYMPOSIUM_1976.JPG 400w\" alt=\"KIPP founder Mike Feinberg speaks in Houston on Friday, March 3, 2017.\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\">Michael Feinberg, a Founder of KIPP Schools, Is Fired After Misconduct Claims<\/h1>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"274\" data-total-count=\"274\">KIPP, one of the country\u2019s largest and most successful charter school chains, dismissed its co-founder on Thursday after an investigation found credible a claim that he had sexually abused a student some two decades ago, according to a letter sent to the school community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"397\" data-total-count=\"671\">The co-founder, Michael Feinberg, was accused last spring of sexually abusing a minor female student in Houston in the late 1990s, according to someone with close knowledge of the case who was not authorized to speak publicly and asked not to be identified. An outside investigation found her claim credible after interviewing the student and her mother, who both gave the same sequence of events.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"77\" data-total-count=\"748\">Mr. Feinberg denies the accusation, his lawyer, Christopher L. Tritico, said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"288\" data-total-count=\"1036\">Investigators also uncovered evidence that Mr. Feinberg had sexually harassed two KIPP employees. One case, in 2004, led to a financial settlement, the letter said; the other could not be corroborated because the woman involved would not cooperate, but the letter found it to be credible.<\/p>\n<p data-para-count=\"288\" data-total-count=\"1036\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/28056610_1985556301704844_662780959137533067_n.jpg?oh=23d2f48a4c416d0f7305edc33bfb0aee&amp;oe=5B49FD17\" alt=\"Image may contain: text\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Police investigating missing school district funds (corruption endemic in capital&#8217;s schools)<\/h1>\n<p>National City police are investigating how nearly $12,000 went missing from the National School District after an internal audit revealed discrepancies in the district\u2019s bookkeeping.<\/p>\n<p>The department\u2019s investigations division is looking into possible embezzlement involving former administrative assistant Xochitl Mercado, said National City Police Chief Manuel Rodriguez.<\/p>\n<p>Mercado most recently worked in the school district as an administrative assistant to Chris Carson, the district\u2019s assistant superintendent for business services.<br \/>\nRodriguez said the police department started their investigation Sept. 22, 2017, a few days after the school district brought the matter to their attention.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thestarnews.com\/police-investigating-missing-school-district-funds\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.thestarnews.com\/police-investigating-missing-school-district-funds\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Test-for-the-Test.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20942\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Test-for-the-Test.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"519\" height=\"455\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Test-for-the-Test.jpg 519w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Test-for-the-Test-150x132.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Test-for-the-Test-500x438.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 519px) 100vw, 519px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>The International Hot War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article-header__headline\">Stranger in Strange Lands<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"article-header__deck\">Joseph Conrad and the Dawn of Globalization (that would be imperialism)<\/h2>\n<div class=\"horizontal-scroll\">\n<div class=\"container l-article\">\n<header class=\"l-article-header\">\n<div class=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"article-header__byline-container\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"review--authors\">By\u00a0<a class=\"article-header__byline init-author-bios-processed\" title=\"More articles by Adam Hochschild\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foreignaffairs.com\/authors\/adam-hochschild\">Adam Hochschild<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"l-article-header-tools\">\n<div class=\"article-header-tools listen-to-container\">\n<div>\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/files.foreignaffairs.com\/styles\/small-book-cover\/s3\/images\/books\/2018\/01\/31\/51l42gtzd6l._sx327_bo1204203200_.jpg?itok=-Z5ah-I5\" alt=\"The Dawn Watch\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"l-detail top_content_at_page_load article-icon-cap paywall-enabled\">\n<div class=\"continue-reading expanded\">\n<div class=\"inner article-dropcap-body colophon\">\n<p class=\"p1\">In the late nineteenth century and\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">the first decade of the twentieth,\u00a0<\/span>nothing reshaped the world more\u00a0<span class=\"s2\">than\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreignaffairs.com\/articles\/2015-12-17\/empire-strikes-back\">European imperialism<\/a>. It redrew the\u00a0<\/span>map, enriched Europe, and left millions\u00a0<span class=\"s2\">of Africans and Asians dead. For example<\/span>, in 1870, some 80 percent of Africa south\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">of the Sahara was under the control of indigenous kings, chiefs, or other such\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s3\">rulers. Within 35 years, virtually the entire\u00a0<\/span>continent, only a few patches excepted,\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">was made up of European colonies or protectorates. France, Germany, Italy,\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s3\">Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s2\">had all seized pieces of \u201cthis magnificent\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s4\">African cake,\u201d in the words of King\u00a0<\/span>Leopold II of Belgium\u2014who took an enormous slice for himself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">In Asia in these same years, the British tightened their grip on the Indian sub<\/span><span class=\"s5\">continent<\/span>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreignaffairs.com\/articles\/cambodia\/1944-10-01\/future-french-indo-china\">the French on Indochina<\/a>,\u00a0<span class=\"s5\">and\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s1\">the Dutch on what today is Indonesia.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s2\">Japan, Russia, and half a dozen European\u00a0<\/span>countries, even the tottering Austro-<span class=\"s1\">Hungarian Empire, won enclaves or concessions in China. Meanwhile, the\u00a0<\/span>United States fought a ruthless war in\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">the Philippines, killing several hundred\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s4\">thousand Filipinos to establish an Amer<\/span>ican colony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">It is startling, however, how seldom such events appear in the work of the\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">era\u2019s European writers. It would be as if\u00a0<\/span>almost no major nineteenth-century American novelist dealt with slavery or\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">no major twentieth-century German\u00a0<\/span>one\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreignaffairs.com\/articles\/western-europe\/2017-12-12\/nazism-never-again\">wrote about the Holocaust<\/a>. It\u2019s not\u00a0<span class=\"s5\">that Europeans were unaware. Hundreds of thousands of them had lived or worked\u00a0<\/span>in the colonies, and the fruits of empire were everywhere on display: in palatial\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">mansions and grand monuments built with colonial fortunes, in street names\u00a0<\/span>such as Rue de Madagascar in Bordeaux\u00a0<span class=\"s5\">and Khartoum Road in London, in shops\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s1\">full of foreign trinkets and spices. In\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s4\">1897, more than one million visitors\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s5\">came to see a world\u2019s fair on the outskirts\u00a0<\/span>of Brussels that featured 267 Congolese\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">men, women, and children, living in\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s2\">huts and paddling canoes around a pond<\/span><span class=\"s5\">.\u00a0<\/span>There were similar human exhibits at fairs in the United States.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreignaffairs.com\/reviews\/review-essay\/2018-02-13\/stranger-strange-lands?cid=nlc-fa_fatoday-20180223\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.foreignaffairs.com\/reviews\/review-essay\/2018-02-13\/stranger-strange-lands?cid=nlc-fa_fatoday-20180223<\/a><\/p>\n<h1><a title=\"Permanent Link to Analysis: ISIS hasn\u2019t been defeated\" href=\"https:\/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/archives\/2018\/02\/analysis-isis-hasnt-been-defeated.php\" rel=\"bookmark\">Analysis: ISIS hasn\u2019t been defeated<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-93356\" src=\"https:\/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Screen-Shot-2018-02-13-at-4.41.17-PM-1024x580.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" srcset=\"\/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Screen-Shot-2018-02-13-at-4.41.17-PM-1024x580.png 1024w, \/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Screen-Shot-2018-02-13-at-4.41.17-PM-300x170.png 300w, \/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Screen-Shot-2018-02-13-at-4.41.17-PM-768x435.png 768w, \/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Screen-Shot-2018-02-13-at-4.41.17-PM.png 668w\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"363\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>The ODNI\u2019s map of the areas where ISIS and al Qaeda operate.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: This article was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/not-so-fast\/article\/2011618\">first published<\/a> by The Weekly Standard.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>On January 19, the Pentagon released its new National Defense Strategy. The second paragraph of the 14-page declassified summary painted a dire picture. \u201cToday, we are emerging from a period of strategic atrophy, aware that our competitive military advantage has been eroding,\u201d the Defense Department warned. \u201cWe are facing increased global disorder, characterized by decline in the long-standing rules-based international order\u2014creating a security environment more complex and volatile than any we have experienced in recent memory. Inter-state strategic competition, not terrorism, is now the primary concern in U.S. national security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That last line garnered widespread attention. It signaled that defense planners no longer want the jihadist wars unleashed by the 9\/11 attacks to be their primary focus. The rest of the overview explained why. China is now a \u201cstrategic competitor,\u201d while Russia seeks to \u201cshatter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and change European and Middle East security and economic structures to its favor.\u201d Both China and Russia \u201cwant to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model\u2014gaining veto authority over other nations\u2019 economic, diplomatic, and security decisions.\u201d Meanwhile, rogue states such as North Korea and Iran increasingly pose threats to American interests. While the Defense Department recognizes that ISIS and other \u201cterrorist groups\u201d will continue \u201cto murder the innocent and threaten <a href=\"\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a> more broadly,\u201d Washington must shift its focus to \u201clong-term strategic competition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/resizer\/aH0uYSvZhbQTW9viBPQRxMa3Pvg=\/1200x0\/filters:quality(100)\/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/VZF4VWX6OZFLBNDKJAOTN5CN2M.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>Navy sends destroyer to Black Sea to Desensitize Russia<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The Navy has deployed the guided-missile destroyer Carney to join the destroyer Ross in the Black Sea in a move that U.S. military officials told <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/02\/19\/politics\/us-russia-black-sea-show-of-force\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a> is intended to \u201cdesensitize\u201d Russia to the presence of American military assets in the strategically important 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 deployment of the Carney marks the first time in four years that two American destroyers have operated in the Black Sea outside of scheduled exercises. The move comes as Russia continues to militarize Crimea, the peninsula it seized from Ukraine in 2014.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p>In recent years, the U.S. and NATO have accused Russia of sending troops and military hardware to Crimea, and there are now reports that submarines have been added to the mix.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/02\/20\/navy-sends-destroyers-to-black-sea-to-desensitize-russia\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/02\/20\/navy-sends-destroyers-to-black-sea-to-desensitize-russia\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-9199\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blog.ed.ted.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Syria-explainer-for-kids-map.png?resize=575%2C323\" alt=\"Syria explainer for kids map\" width=\"575\" height=\"323\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"articlePostTitle\">Russia Warns US Not To \u2018Play With Fire\u2019 In Syria After Massive Battle Reportedly Killed Hundreds<\/h1>\n<p>Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the U.S. not to \u201cplay with fire\u201d in <a href=\"https:\/\/taskandpurpose.com\/tag\/syria\">Syria<\/a> after a massive escalation in violence took place on all sides of the multi-faceted conflict earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe U.S. .should stop playing very dangerous games which could lead to the dismemberment of the Syrian state,\u201d Lavrov said at a Middle East conference in Moscow on Monday,\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2018-02-19\/russia-warns-u-s-not-to-play-with-fire-in-syrian-conflict?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=EBB%202\/20\/18&amp;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">according to Bloomberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. has already\u00a0<a class=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/us-syria-assad-remove-north-korea-2018-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">announced plans to keep Syria divided<\/a>\u00a0until UN-sanctioned elections can take place across Syria, and it\u2019s made it clear it will respond with force when Russian, Iranian, or Syrian forces threaten that goal.<\/p>\n<p>On February 7, a group of pro-government fighters, who were reportedly majority Russian military contractors, launched what the United States called an \u201c<a class=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/us-syria-killed-100-russian-syrian-backed-fighters-2018-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">unprovoked attack<\/a>\u201d on one of its positions in eastern Syria. The U.S. responded with airstrikes and shelling killing between 100 and 300, according to a variety of reports.<\/p>\n<p>Lavrov also spoke of another front in the Syrian conflict, saying that he and his allies in Iran and Syria \u201care seeing attempts to exploit the Kurds\u2019 aspirations,\u201d a reference to the United States\u2019 support for Kurdish militias in northern Syria, who aspire to a state all their own.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/taskandpurpose.com\/russia-mercenaries-warning-us-syria\/?bsft_eid=84147d9c-0e0c-4afc-a55d-6073a249a29f&#038;utm_campaign=tp_daily_tuesday_pm&#038;utm_source=blueshift&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_content=tp_daily_pm_ricks&#038;bsft_pid=7cd03232-b006-41da-90e2-34f13d732049&#038;bsft_clkid=3762407c-cd8b-4860-80df-d2dd9eb03aae&#038;bsft_uid=7c674a6c-ae11-4ec4-84f1-aef0c34e44e5&#038;bsft_mid=f028d093-a5f9-468a-9973-8b58f0966b1b&#038;bsft_pp=1\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">taskandpurpose.com\/russia-mercenaries-warning-us-syria\/?bsft_eid=84147d9c-0e0c-4afc-a55d-6073a249a29f&#038;utm_campaign=tp_daily_tuesday_pm&#038;utm_source=blueshift&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_content=tp_daily_pm_ricks&#038;bsft_pid=7cd03232-b006-41da-90e2-34f13d732049&#038;bsft_clkid=3762407c-cd8b-4860-80df-d2dd9eb03aae&#038;bsft_uid=7c674a6c-ae11-4ec4-84f1-aef0c34e44e5&#038;bsft_mid=f028d093-a5f9-468a-9973-8b58f0966b1b&#038;bsft_pp=1<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"l-detail top_content_at_page_load article-icon-cap paywall-enabled\">\n<div class=\"continue-reading expanded\">\n<div class=\"inner article-dropcap-body colophon\">\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\">Wave of Taliban Attacks Kills at Least 20 Afghan Soldiers (Perpetual war ok by Americans?)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"215\" data-total-count=\"215\">The Taliban staged three attacks in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least 20 Afghan soldiers as a high-level NATO delegation was visiting the country to discuss the peace process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"131\" data-total-count=\"346\">The insurgents have been striking checkpoints and small outposts at night in the turbulent southern provinces of Farah and Helmand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"203\" data-total-count=\"549\">In one attack, the insurgents detonated explosives packed into an American-made Humvee that had been captured from the Afghan Army. And in another, they made off with a Humvee, replenishing their supply.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"283\" data-total-count=\"832\">In the most lethal strike, insurgents overran a checkpoint in Farah Province around 3 a.m. Saturday. An Afghan Army spokesman said that 18 government soldiers were killed and two others wounded, and that a firefight with the attackers had continued even after reinforcements arrived.<\/p>\n<p id=\"story-continues-1\" class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"178\" data-total-count=\"1010\">A member of the provincial council in Farah, Dadullah Qani, said that more than 20 soldiers had been killed and that the Taliban had captured the Humvee and burned an army truck.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/24\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-taliban-soldiers.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=second-column-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/24\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-taliban-soldiers.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=second-column-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"inner article-dropcap-body colophon\">\n<h1>Trump hints at allowing more troops to carry personal weapons on military bases (schools too!)<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.pinimg.com\/564x\/04\/04\/3f\/04043f0db7f1a755948530c424f32004--political-satire-political-cartoons.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for trump gun cartoon\" width=\"304\" height=\"230\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"fzE9EX1sCyHEJq\" class=\"wrapper clearfix col-lg-12 pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-mco-slimline-byline col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-xs-12\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 President Donald Trump on Friday said he would re-examine federal policies <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/2015\/07\/20\/after-chattanooga-dod-does-not-support-arming-all-personnel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">restricting troops from carrying private firearms on military bases<\/a>, calling it an important safety issue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"f0bfPTcsCyHEJq\" class=\"wrapper clearfix col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-xs-12 pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-mco-body\">\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"article-body article-body-elements\">\n<article>\n<div id=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">But Defense Department leaders have in the past <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2015\/10\/18\/new-military-gun-policy-may-not-mean-more-guns-on-base\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">resisted widespread changes<\/a> to those firearms policies because of concerns it could lead to more accidental shootings and <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/2017\/08\/08\/taking-away-troops-guns-would-reduce-suicides-study-finds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">successful suicides<\/a>.<\/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 comments from the commander in chief came during a speech to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, while he was talking about possible solutions to gun violence in America.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"paywall p3-col-promo\">\n<div class=\"paywall-prompt purchasable-pdf--no\">\n<header class=\"paywall-prompt-header\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re going to look at that whole military base gun-free zone,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we can\u2019t have our military holding guns, it\u2019s pretty bad.<\/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\">\u201cWe had a number of instances on military bases, you know that. So we want to protect our military. We want to make our military stronger and better than it\u2019s ever been before.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/23\/trump-hints-at-allowing-more-troops-to-carry-personal-weapons-on-military-bases\/?utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=Socialflow\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/02\/23\/trump-hints-at-allowing-more-troops-to-carry-personal-weapons-on-military-bases\/?utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=Socialflow<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<h1>US, Chinese officials scuffled over \u2018nuclear football\u2018 during Trump\u2019s visit to Beijing<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/resizer\/9SSAKAbQ7cA-hLfHRTgfa5SMw1M=\/1200x0\/filters:quality(100)\/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/ETPOTZFXOFF5TIUGGAAP6LE37Q.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ajax-container__register-form\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">A physical altercation erupted Nov. 9 when a Chinese security official attempted to bar a U.S. military aide carrying the nuclear weapon codes from entering the Great Hall of the People during President Donald Trump\u2019s visit to Beijing, according to Axios.<\/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 aide was carrying the \u201cnuclear football,\u201d the briefcase with the emergency codes that allow the president to authorize a nuclear attack when away from a command center.<\/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\">\u201cAn individual, not part of the official delegation, attempted to prevent one of our protectees from entering a room. A U.S. Secret Service agent quickly intervened and a short scuffle ensued,\u201d according to a statement from the Secret Service, reported <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/scoop-skirmish-in-beijing-over-the-nuclear-football-1518992774-1e7a513d-4190-459d-ad4f-2c8746fecc6f.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Axios<\/a>.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/02\/20\/us-chinese-officials-scuffled-over-nuclear-football-during-trumps-visit-to-beijing\/?utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=Socialflow\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/02\/20\/us-chinese-officials-scuffled-over-nuclear-football-during-trumps-visit-to-beijing\/?utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=Socialflow<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/resizer\/zLgaz6e06J5Jy_rTZ23uRMpW0ZQ=\/1200x0\/filters:quality(100)\/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/4AVFX5VK6BBSDE7QXMEIBCGJ64.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<section id=\"west\" class=\"col-lg-8 col-md-8 col-sm-12 col-xs-12\">\n<div class=\"pb-container\">\n<div id=\"f0oFwK6PRPHEJq\" class=\"wrapper clearfix pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-mco-header col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-xs-12\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<header class=\"head col-sm-12\">\n<h1>Seabee command triad fired after XO found strolling naked in woods<\/h1>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The entire command triad of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4, currently deployed to Okinawa, Japan, was fired Feb. 11 after the unit\u2019s executive officer was found intoxicated and walking naked in the woods on Camp Shields.<\/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\">Lt. Cmdr. Jason M. Gabbard, the unit\u2019s XO, was relieved after being discovered in the woods wearing only his boots following a command gathering for chiefs and officers, Navy officials said.<\/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 commanding officer, Cmdr. James J. Cho, and Command Master Chief (SCW\/EXW) Jason K. Holden, were also relieved for their handling of the incident, which they attempted to cover up, a source told Navy Times.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The firing of a complete command leadership is rare. It happened with the leaders of the destroyer Fitzgerald following the deadly collision in June.<\/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\">Still, it happened twice in three years, prior to that. All three leaders of the destroyer Bainbridge a ship were canned was in 2016 amid reports of a firework and gambling scandal. Also, in 2014, the leadership of the destroyer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2014\/09\/17\/destroyer-williams-commanding-officer-cmc-and-former-xo-reassigned-amid-investigation\/\">James E. Williams<\/a> was fired as a result of a poor command climate report and subsequent investigation.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/02\/14\/seabee-command-triad-fired-after-xo-found-strolling-naked-in-woods\/?utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=Socialflow\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/02\/14\/seabee-command-triad-fired-after-xo-found-strolling-naked-in-woods\/?utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=Socialflow<\/a><\/p>\n<section id=\"top\" class=\"col-xs-12\">\n<div class=\"pb-container\">\n<h1 class=\"video-player__title\">Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia (Part One) Frontline: Quite good!<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/video\/bitter-rivals-iran-and-saudi-arabia-pqsnhk\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.pbs.org\/video\/bitter-rivals-iran-and-saudi-arabia-pqsnhk\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"west\" class=\"col-lg-8 col-md-8 col-sm-12 col-xs-12\">\n<div class=\"pb-container\">\n<div id=\"fbsjUj2LmcMbJq\" class=\"wrapper clearfix pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-mco-header col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-xs-12\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<header class=\"head col-sm-12\">\n<h2 class=\"header-label\">Your Marine Corps<\/h2>\n<h1>Infantry Officer Course lowers requirement for hikes<\/h1>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">Faced with towering attrition rates, the Marine Corps has steadily modified its grueling <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/07\/passing-combat-endurance-test-is-no-longer-required-for-infantry-officers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Infantry Officer Course<\/a> \u2015 changes that top Marines say are not attempts to water down standards, but to more accurately replicate today\u2019s real-world requirements.<\/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\">Recent changes include the number of evaluated hikes required to pass the course, and the removal of the physically demanding <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/opinion\/2016\/10\/15\/marines-requirements-for-infantry-officers-are-unrealistic-army-colonel-says\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Combat Endurance Test <\/a>as a strict requirement to graduate.<\/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\">Under the new requirements, only three of those nine hikes will be evaluated, and Marines will have to pass all three evaluated hikes in order to graduate&#8230;\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/?utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=Socialflow\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/?utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=Socialflow<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=s6mlohtbW_Q\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.youtube.com\/watch?v=s6mlohtbW_Q<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>The International Economic War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ls-lazy-image-tag cursor-pointer lazyautosizes lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/s--F2DVyOd3--\/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800\/pzlortfeo1nu0nnjf57o.jpg\" sizes=\"633px\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-width=\"800\" data-chomp-id=\"pzlortfeo1nu0nnjf57o\" data-format=\"jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline hover-highlight entry-title js_entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theonion.com\/white-male-privilege-squandered-on-job-at-best-buy-1819576421\" data-id=\"\">White Male Privilege Squandered On Job At Best Buy<\/a><\/h1>\n<p>Despite being the beneficiary of numerous societal advantages and having faced little to no major adversity throughout his life, local man Travis Benton has spent the last four years squandering his white male privilege on a sales floor job at Best Buy, sources confirmed Tuesday. \u201cYou can get by with a regular HDMI cable, but if you\u2019re looking at a length longer than 10 feet, I\u2019d go with a gold-tipped one,\u201d said the man dressed in a bright blue polo shirt and pin-on name tag as he continued to fritter away such innate life advantages as greater access to higher education, leniency from the justice system, and favorable treatment from other white males who lead and make hiring decisions at a disproportionately high number of American companies.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theonion.com\/white-male-privilege-squandered-on-job-at-best-buy-1819576421?utm_content=Main&#038;utm_campaign=SF&#038;utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=SocialMarketing\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.theonion.com\/white-male-privilege-squandered-on-job-at-best-buy-1819576421?utm_content=Main&#038;utm_campaign=SF&#038;utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=SocialMarketing<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"\" tabindex=\"0\">Donald Trump Jr. says he likes India&#8217;s poor because they &#8216;smile&#8217;<\/h1>\n<p><span class=\"storyimage fullwidth inlineimage\" data-aop=\"image\"> <span class=\"image\" data-attrib=\"Bikas Das, AP\" data-caption=\"The eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. arrives for a meeting with journalists in Kolkata, India, on Feb. 21, 2018.\" data-id=\"115\" data-m=\"{&quot;i&quot;:115,&quot;p&quot;:56,&quot;n&quot;:&quot;openModal&quot;,&quot;t&quot;:&quot;articleImages&quot;,&quot;o&quot;:3}\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"loaded\" src=\"https:\/\/img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net\/tenant\/amp\/entityid\/BBJpYSA.img?h=584&amp;w=874&amp;m=6&amp;q=60&amp;o=f&amp;l=f&amp;x=2022&amp;y=1313\" alt=\"Donald Trump Jr. wearing a suit and tie: The eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. arrives for a meeting with journalists in Kolkata, India, on Feb. 21, 2018.\" data-src=\"{&quot;default&quot;:{&quot;load&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;w&quot;:&quot;73&quot;,&quot;h&quot;:&quot;49&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;\/\/img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net\/tenant\/amp\/entityid\/BBJpYSA.img?h=486&amp;w=728&amp;m=6&amp;q=60&amp;o=f&amp;l=f&amp;x=2022&amp;y=1313&quot;},&quot;size3column&quot;:{&quot;load&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;w&quot;:&quot;62&quot;,&quot;h&quot;:&quot;42&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;\/\/img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net\/tenant\/amp\/entityid\/BBJpYSA.img?h=417&amp;w=624&amp;m=6&amp;q=60&amp;o=f&amp;l=f&amp;x=2022&amp;y=1313&quot;},&quot;size2column&quot;:{&quot;load&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;w&quot;:&quot;62&quot;,&quot;h&quot;:&quot;42&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;\/\/img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net\/tenant\/amp\/entityid\/BBJpYSA.img?h=417&amp;w=624&amp;m=6&amp;q=60&amp;o=f&amp;l=f&amp;x=2022&amp;y=1313&quot;}}\" \/> <\/span> <span class=\"caption truncate\"> <span class=\"attribution\">\u00a9 Bikas Das, AP<\/span> The eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. arrives for a meeting with journalists in Kolkata, India, on Feb. 21, 2018. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Donald Trump Jr. is receiving some heavy criticism\u00a0for a tone-deaf remark about India&#8217;s poorest residents during his visit to the country to promote new Trump Towers.<\/p>\n<p>President\u00a0Trump\u2019s\u00a0eldest son on Tuesday said in an interview with\u00a0India&#8217;s CNBC affiliate, \u201cthe spirit of the Indian people\u201d was unique to \u201cother parts of the emerging world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can see the poorest of the poor and there is still a smile on a face.\u201d He did preface his statement with saying he didn&#8217;t mean to sound glib.\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/politics\/donald-trump-jr-says-he-likes-indias-poor-because-they-smile\/ar-BBJq3dz?ocid=sf\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/politics\/donald-trump-jr-says-he-likes-indias-poor-because-they-smile\/ar-BBJq3dz?ocid=sf<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Bought-anything-with-money.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20932\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Bought-anything-with-money.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"499\" height=\"499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Bought-anything-with-money.jpg 499w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Bought-anything-with-money-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 499px) 100vw, 499px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>How rich are the rich? If only you\u00a0knew<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>American \u2018exceptionalism\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>When we do look at the data on wealth inequality in the U.S., it\u2019s stark and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.oecd.org\/social\/in-it-together-why-less-inequality-benefits-all-9789264235120-en.htm\">dwarfs that of the rest of the developed world<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The conservative Hudson Institute in 2017\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hudson.org\/research\/13095-the-distribution-of-wealth-in-america-1983-2013\">reported<\/a>\u00a0that the wealthiest 5 percent of American households held 62.5 percent of all assets in the U.S. in 2013, up from 54.1 percent 30 years earlier. As a consequence, the wealth of the other 95 percent declined from 45.9 percent to 37.5 percent.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, the median wealth of upper-income families (earning US$639,400 on average) was\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2014\/12\/17\/wealth-gap-upper-middle-income\/\">nearly seven times<\/a>\u00a0that of middle-income households ($96,500) in 2013, the widest gap in at least 30 years.<\/p>\n<p>More notably, inequality scholars Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nber.org\/papers\/w20625.pdf\">found<\/a>\u00a0that the top 0.01 percent controlled 22 percent of all wealth in 2012, up from just 7 percent in 1979.<\/p>\n<p>If you only looked at data on income inequality, however, you\u2019d see a different picture. In 2013, for example, the top 5 percent of households\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/library\/publications\/2014\/demo\/p60-249.html\">earned just 30 percent<\/a>\u00a0of all U.S. income (compared with possessing nearly 63 percent of all wealth).<\/p>\n<p>While the U.S. is not the only developed country that has seen wealth inequality rise over the past three decades, it is an outlier. The\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.keepeek.com\/Digital-Asset-Management\/oecd\/employment\/in-it-together-why-less-inequality-benefits-all_9789264235120-en#page250\">wealthiest 5 percent of households<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S. have almost 91 times more wealth than the median American household, the widest gap among 18 of the world\u2019s most developed countries. The next highest is the Netherlands, which has a ratio less than half that.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-rich-are-the-rich-if-only-you-knew-89682\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">theconversation.com\/how-rich-are-the-rich-if-only-you-knew-89682<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/starvation-wages.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20939\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/starvation-wages.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/starvation-wages.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/starvation-wages-150x120.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">San Francisco\u2019s \u2018Diseased Streets\u2019 Are Being Compared to Some of Worst Slums in the World (video within)<\/h1>\n<p>A combination of discarded needles and piles of feces on the streets of San Francisco has caused least one expert to say that the city\u2019s slums are comparable to those in developing countries.<\/p>\n<p>Reporters with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcbayarea.com\/news\/local\/Diseased-Streets-472430013.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KNTV<\/a> investigated what they referred to as the \u201cdiseased streets\u201d of the city, and found that each of the 153 downtown blocks they surveyed \u2014 an area that encompasses playgrounds, hotels and government buildings \u2014 is littered with garbage.\u00a0Included in this trash were at least 100 drug needles and 300 piles of feces.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Lee Riley, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, Berkeley, warned that not only do the needles cause viral diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis, but dried fecal matter can release airborne viruses like the rotavirus. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/san-francisco-diseased-streets-compared-worst-slums-world\/?utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=PostTopSharingButtons&#038;utm_content=2018-02-22&#038;utm_campaign=websitesharingbuttons\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.westernjournal.com\/san-francisco-diseased-streets-compared-worst-slums-world\/?utm_source=Facebook&#038;utm_medium=PostTopSharingButtons&#038;utm_content=2018-02-22&#038;utm_campaign=websitesharingbuttons<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>The Emergence of Fascism as a Popular Mass Movement and <\/strong><\/em><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>The War on Reason<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img class=\"responsive-image\" title=\"Nikolas Cruz has been charged with the shooting in Parkland that killed 17 people.\" srcset=\"\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/local\/community\/broward\/ahhs95\/picture201684864\/alternates\/LANDSCAPE_1140\/parkland1\" alt=\"Nikolas Cruz has been charged with the shooting in Parkland that killed 17 people.\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"title\">\u2018School shooter in the making\u2019: All the times authorities were warned about Nikolas Cruz<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>Nikolas Cruz\u2019s dangerous and disturbing behavior was flagged repeatedly to authorities, both local and federal, over a span of two years starting in February 2016. But no one stopped him before he killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Here\u2019s a time line of incidents where Cruz was reported to law enforcement. Many of the incidents involve the threat of a school shooting.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"ng_z_sym_square_bullet\">\u25aa\u00a0<\/span>Feb. 5, 2016: A Broward Sheriff\u2019s Office deputy is told by an anonymous caller that Nikolas Cruz, then 17, had threatened on Instagram to shoot up his school and posted a photo of himself with guns. The information is forwarded to BSO Deputy Scot Peterson, a school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.<\/p>\n<div><em><strong>Read more<\/strong><\/em> here: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/local\/community\/broward\/article201684874.html#storylink=cpy\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.miamiherald.com\/news\/local\/community\/broward\/article201684874.html#storylink=cpy<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\">Tipster\u2019s Warning to F.B.I. on Florida Shooting Suspect: \u2018I Know He\u2019s Going to Explode\u2019<\/h1>\n<p>The warnings that law enforcement officials received about Nikolas Cruz were anything but subtle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"355\" data-total-count=\"452\">\u201cI know he\u2019s going to explode,\u201d a woman who knew Mr. Cruz said on the F.B.I.\u2019s tip line on Jan. 5. Her big worry was that he might resort to slipping \u201cinto a school and just shooting the place up.\u201d Forty days later, Mr. Cruz is accused of doing just that, barging into his former high school in Parkland, Fla., and shooting 17 people to death.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"301\" data-total-count=\"753\">Three months before the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a family friend dialed 911 to tell the Palm Beach County sheriff\u2019s office about Mr. Cruz\u2019s personal arsenal. \u201cI need someone here because I\u2019m afraid he comes back and he has a lot of weapons,\u201d the friend said. NYTimes 2\/23\/18<\/p>\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\">As Gunman Rampaged Through Florida School, Armed Deputy \u2018Never Went In\u2019<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/video.newsserve.net\/700\/v\/20180223\/1802231717-Florida-School-Shooting-This-Is-Deputy-Scot-Peterson.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for deputy scot peterson\" width=\"304\" height=\"171\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"458\" data-total-count=\"663\">The only armed sheriff\u2019s deputy at a Florida high school where 17 people were killed took cover outside rather than charging into the building when the massacre began, the Broward County sheriff said on Thursday. The sheriff also acknowledged that his office received 23 calls related to the suspect going back a decade, including one last year that said he was collecting knives and guns, but may not have adequately followed up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"137\" data-total-count=\"800\">The deputy, Scot Peterson, resigned on Thursday after being suspended without pay after Sheriff Scott Israel reviewed surveillance video.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"127\" data-total-count=\"927\">\u201cHe never went in,\u201d Sheriff Israel said in a news conference. He said the video showed Deputy Peterson doing \u201cnothing.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/22\/us\/nikolas-cruz-florida-shooting.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=b-lede-package-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/22\/us\/nikolas-cruz-florida-shooting.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=b-lede-package-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"amp-wp-title \">District Will Suspend Kids Who Leave Class To Protest Florida Shooting \u2013 \u2018We Are Here For An Education And Not A Political Protest\u2019<\/h1>\n<p><strong>NEEDVILLE, TX (<a href=\"http:\/\/CBSDFW.COM\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">CBSDFW.COM<\/a>)<\/strong> \u2014 \u201cWe are here for an education and not a political protest.\u201d That\u2019s is the message from Needville ISD Superintendent Curtis Rhodes Tuesday in response to a call by political groups for students to walk out of class to protest gun issues in the wake of the Florida school shooting.<\/p>\n<p>In a post on Facebook, Rhodes said,\u00a0\u201cA school is a place to learn and grow educationally, emotionally and morally. A disruption will not be tolerated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rhodes said that students who walk out of class \u2014 or disrupt school \u2014 to protest current gun laws face a possible suspension. \u201cThey will be suspended from school for three days and face all the consequences that come along with an out of school suspension.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/dfw.cbslocal.com\/2018\/02\/21\/suspend-kids-who-protest-florida-shooting\/amp\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">dfw.cbslocal.com\/2018\/02\/21\/suspend-kids-who-protest-florida-shooting\/amp\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/23\/us\/fbi-tip-nikolas-cruz.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=a-lede-package-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/23\/us\/fbi-tip-nikolas-cruz.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=a-lede-package-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"node-title\">Top 10 Signs the U.S. Is the Most Corrupt Nation in the World (2018 Ed.) Juan Cole<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alternet.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/story_image\/public\/story_images\/shutterstock_1021307863.jpg?itok=p0CsNHEs\" \/><\/p>\n<p>6. The US military budget is bloated and enormous, bigger than the military budgets of the next twelve major states. What isn\u2019t usually realized is that perhaps half of it is spent on outsourced services, not on the military.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Grand-Theft-Pentagon-Corruption-Profiteering\/dp\/1567513360\">It is corporate welfare on a cosmic scale.<\/a>\u00a0I\u2019ve seen with my own eyes how officers in the military get out and then form companies to sell things to their former colleagues still on the inside. Precisely because it is a cesspool of large-scale corruption, Trump\u2019s budget will throw over $100 billion extra taxpayer dollars at it.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alternet.org\/news-amp-politics\/top-10-signs-us-most-corrupt-nation-world-2018-edn?akid=16766.2582026.qoOEev&#038;rd=1&#038;src=newsletter1089160&#038;t=8\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.alternet.org\/news-amp-politics\/top-10-signs-us-most-corrupt-nation-world-2018-edn?akid=16766.2582026.qoOEev&#038;rd=1&#038;src=newsletter1089160&#038;t=8<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/28378811_1960644647283475_2928487062256879257_n.jpg?oh=82f318cddc9dfb41e72e8529b6904509&amp;oe=5AFFED8D\" alt=\"Image may contain: drawing\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On Feb. 24, 1912, at the height of the Bread &amp; Roses strike, the police and state militia attacked women and children in the Lawrence, MA train station. In the <span class=\"text_exposed_show\">week after the police attack this powerful editorial cartoon appeared in newspapers around the world. \u201cLaw and Order in Lawrence.\u201d A giant police officer, labeled &#8220;The Lawrence Way,&#8221; crushes women and children under his feet as he swings his bloody club at them. On one side of the illustration Lawrence, MA is shown and labeled \u201cThe hunger city. Dividends for mill owners &#8211; starvation wages for workers.\u201d On the opposite side, a woman named Sympathy says \u201cLet the children come\u201d as she stands over a place labeled \u201cHomes of the workers of other cities.\u201d Industrial Workers of the World Collection, Walter Reuther Library, Wayne State U.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Border Wall Project Begins: $18 Million to Replace 2.25-Mile Section in Calexico<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/archpaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/cbpsandiegoborder.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for san diego prototypes border wall\" width=\"304\" height=\"203\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The federal government Wednesday broke ground on the first border wall replacement project awarded under President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbp.gov\/\">Customs and Border Protection<\/a> is replacing a 2.25-mile section of border fencing constructed in the 1990s using scrap metal with a 30-foot-high bollard-style wall just south of downtown Calexico. The project covers an area west of the Calexico West Port of Entry, according to the agency.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofsandiego.com\/politics\/2018\/02\/21\/first-border-wall-replacement-project-begins-18-million-to-replace-small-2-25-mile-section\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">timesofsandiego.com\/politics\/2018\/02\/21\/first-border-wall-replacement-project-begins-18-million-to-replace-small-2-25-mile-section\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Ready, Fire, Aim: The Science Behind Police Shooting Bystanders<\/h1>\n<p>According to a 2008 RAND Corporation <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nyc.gov\/html\/nypd\/downloads\/pdf\/public_information\/RAND_FirearmEvaluation.pdf\">study<\/a> evaluating the New York Police Department\u2019s firearm training, between 1998 and 2006, the average hit rate during gunfights was just 18 percent. When suspects did not return fire, police officers hit their targets 30 percent of the time.<\/p>\n<p>The data show what any police officer who has ever been involved in a shooting can tell you\u2013<em><strong>firing accurately in a stressful situation is extremely hard.<\/strong><\/em> In an <a href=\"http:\/\/swampland.time.com\/2013\/01\/16\/your-brain-in-a-shootout-guns-fear-and-flawed-instincts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">article for TIME<\/a> last year, Amanda Ripley looked what happens in the brain and body when shots are fired. The brain stem sends out signals that cause blood vessels to constrict and hormones to surge. Studies have shown that eyesight becomes narrower (literally tunnel vision) under such conditions. People who have been in gunfights describe hearing very little and perceieve time slowing down. Amid this chaos, as police officers have to make difficult, split-second decisions, humans can lose motor skills as the body reverts to basic fight or flight instincts.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"3OEIPEts2T\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/nation.time.com\/2013\/09\/16\/ready-fire-aim-the-science-behind-police-shooting-bystanders\/\">Ready, Fire, Aim: The Science Behind Police Shooting Bystanders<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Ready, Fire, Aim: The Science Behind Police Shooting Bystanders&#8221; &#8212; U.S.\" src=\"https:\/\/nation.time.com\/2013\/09\/16\/ready-fire-aim-the-science-behind-police-shooting-bystanders\/embed\/#?secret=631mdkLUQK#?secret=3OEIPEts2T\" data-secret=\"3OEIPEts2T\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>Solidarity for Never<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"my-thumb-class\" title=\"The Trojan horse: What will make up cyber security trends in 2017? \" src=\"http:\/\/17026-presscdn-0-98.pagely.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2016\/11\/AdobeStock_51225159-634x0-c-default.jpeg\" alt=\"The Trojan horse: What will make up cyber security trends in 2017? \" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\u2018It\u2019s Time To Take Action\u2019: Students Lead Protest to Change Gun Laws: NEA\/AFT seek to herd gun frenzy (hey, there&#8217;s WARS on) into Democratic Party voting booth<\/h1>\n<p>There\u2019s a new face on the age-old gun debate: our students, and they won\u2019t be silenced. They are demanding that the adults in power keep them safe and they will not stand by and allow elected officials to fail them any longer.<\/p>\n<p>As of Feb. 14, just a month and a half into the new year, a total of 20 people have been killed and more than 30 have been injured in shootings at American elementary, middle, and high schools.\u00a0Only weeks earlier at Marshall County High School in Kentucky two students were killed\u00a0by a 15-year old shooter who left fourteen others wounded and all traumatized perhaps for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/02\/23\/588198741\/nea-offical-reacts-to-trumps-idea-of-arming-teachers\">AUDIO: NEA Vice President Says No to Arming Teachers<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>A gunman killed ten at Umpqua Community College in Oregon.\u00a0Twenty-eight young children and their teachers had their lives cut short down at Sandy Hook.\u00a0 Thirty-three died when one shooter opened fire at Virginia Tech.<\/p>\n<p>Students are saying, no more. This time, they might be right.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/neatoday.org\/2018\/02\/21\/students-lead-protest-to-change-gun-laws\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">neatoday.org\/2018\/02\/21\/students-lead-protest-to-change-gun-laws\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>NEA\/AFT&#8217;s counterfeit issue:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Join us in a Day of Action to Stop Gun Violence in our Schools (killing millions elsewhere is fine by Nationalist NEA\/AFT)<\/h1>\n<p>After the slaughter of students and staff in Parkland, Florida, the time for action has never been more urgent. The politicians sit on their hands as our children and their teachers are murdered in their schools. We will be silent no more! The failure to enact rational laws that bar access to guns designed for mass shootings is inexcusable. It is past time to speak out and act.<\/p>\n<p>Pledge your support to stop gun violence <a href=\"https:\/\/actionnetwork.org\/forms\/national-day-of-action-against-gun-violence-in-schools\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We call for mass action on April 20, the anniversary of the horrific shootings at Columbine High School.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/networkforpubliceducation.org\/2018\/02\/join-us-day-action-stop-gun-violence-schools\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">networkforpubliceducation.org\/2018\/02\/join-us-day-action-stop-gun-violence-schools\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Strike-Chart.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20941\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Strike-Chart.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"732\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Strike-Chart.png 512w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Strike-Chart-105x150.png 105w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Strike-Chart-350x500.png 350w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Strike-Chart-500x715.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><strong>Thank the Counterfeit Unions of the Empire<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1>Are Teachers&#8217; Unions on the Brink of Demise?<\/h1>\n<p>The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to deliver a major blow to teachers&#8217; unions in the coming months: Teachers in about half of states may no longer have to pay mandatory fees if they&#8217;re not union members, which could cause drops in both revenue and membership.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s national speculation about what this all could mean\u2014while observers say this case won&#8217;t be unions&#8217; demise, it could cause the political juggernauts to lose some power. And some teachers are wondering whether this will signal a shift in how teachers&#8217; unions operate.<\/p>\n<p>At stake in <i>Janus<\/i> v. <i>American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31<\/i> are the so-called &#8220;agency&#8221; or &#8220;fair-share&#8221; fees that public-employee unions in 22 states charge to workers who choose not to join but are still represented in collective bargaining. The plaintiff in the case argues that these policies violate free speech\u2014he is forced to pay money to a group that advocates for causes he does not support. The unions say all workers gain from the bargaining they do for salaries and other benefits, so paying a fee for that is only fair.<\/p>\n<p>The case, for which oral arguments will be delivered later this month, would affect all public-employee unions, including the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and their state and local affiliates. With the confirmation of President Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee, Neil M. Gorsuch, to the Supreme Court, many analysts, onlookers, and some union representatives themselves predict that the justices will rule in Janus&#8217; favor.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/ew\/articles\/2018\/02\/14\/are-teachers-unions-on-the-brink-of.html?cmp=eml-enl-tu-news2&#038;M=58381189&#038;U=1666178\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.edweek.org\/ew\/articles\/2018\/02\/14\/are-teachers-unions-on-the-brink-of.html?cmp=eml-enl-tu-news2&#038;M=58381189&#038;U=1666178<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"right\">\n<div class=\"addon-box\">\n<div class=\"see-also\">\n<div class=\"box-item\">If that happens, teachers&#8217; unions could see a decrease in membership over the next few years,\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/ew\/articles\/2018\/02\/14\/are-teachers-unions-on-the-brink-of.html?cmp=eml-enl-tu-news2&#038;M=58381189&#038;U=1666178\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.edweek.org\/ew\/articles\/2018\/02\/14\/are-teachers-unions-on-the-brink-of.html?cmp=eml-enl-tu-news2&#038;M=58381189&#038;U=1666178<\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<header id=\"masthead\" class=\"site-header\" role=\"banner\">\n<div class=\"header-image\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.eiaonline.com\/intercepts\/\" rel=\"home\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.eiaonline.com\/intercepts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/InterceptsHeader.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 81vw, (max-width: 1362px) 88vw, 1200px\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.eiaonline.com\/intercepts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/InterceptsHeader-300x70.png 300w, http:\/\/www.eiaonline.com\/intercepts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/InterceptsHeader-768x179.png 768w, http:\/\/www.eiaonline.com\/intercepts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/InterceptsHeader-1024x239.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.eiaonline.com\/intercepts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/InterceptsHeader.png 1200w\" alt=\"Intercepts\" width=\"1200\" height=\"280\" \/> <\/a><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"site-content\">\n<div id=\"primary\" class=\"content-area\">\n<article id=\"post-10477\" class=\"post-10477 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-uncategorized\">\n<header class=\"entry-header\">\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">NEA Names Venture Capitalist Ted Dintersmith 2018 Friend of Education<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.eiaonline.com\/intercepts\/2018\/02\/21\/nea-names-venture-capitalist-ted-dintersmith-2018-friend-of-education\/?utm_source=feedburner&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Intercepts+%28Intercepts%29\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.eiaonline.com\/intercepts\/2018\/02\/21\/nea-names-venture-capitalist-ted-dintersmith-2018-friend-of-education\/?utm_source=feedburner&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Intercepts+%28Intercepts%29<\/a><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>Spy versus Spy<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"MAD - Spy vs Spy - Season 1 Complete\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/onR7PD3Grc0?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=\"Post-title\" data-reactid=\"147\">Video: Glenn Greenwald and James Risen Debate the Trump\/Russia Investigation<\/h1>\n<div class=\"PostLogo\" data-reactid=\"89\">\n<div class=\"Post-logo-sticky-container\" data-reactid=\"90\">\n<div class=\"Post-logo-sticky Post-logo-sticky--bottom\" data-reactid=\"91\">\n<div class=\"Logo\" data-reactid=\"92\">\n<div class=\"Logo-block\" data-reactid=\"97\">\u00a0<u>James Risen and Glenn Greenwald<\/u> have both won Pulitzer Prizes. They both have found themselves in the crosshairs of the U.S. government for their journalism. And they both write for The Intercept. But Jim and Glenn have taken very different approaches to covering the Trump\/Russia story.\u00a0In this one-hour special video edition of Intercepted, they go head-to-head in a debate. Glenn is one of the most <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2017\/09\/28\/yet-another-major-russia-story-falls-apart-is-skepticism-permissible-yet\/\">high-profile critics<\/a> of the official story bolstered by the U.S. intelligence community, the Democrats, and many media outlets, including some of this country\u2019s most powerful papers and news channels. Jim battled both the Bush and Obama administrations \u2014 under threat of imprisonment \u2014 for refusing to name his sources in some of the most sensitive national security reporting of the modern era. Jim recently broke a key story on a <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/02\/09\/donald-trump-russia-election-nsa\/\">secret NSA channel<\/a> to Russia and <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/02\/16\/trump-russia-election-hacking-investigation\/\">his first column<\/a> for The Intercept, about the Trump\/Russia investigation, posed the question: Is Donald Trump a traitor?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Post-image-block\" data-reactid=\"113\">\n<div class=\"Post-featured-video-block\" data-reactid=\"114\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"Post-featured-video\" src=\"https:\/\/content.jwplatform.com\/players\/ptpw9SF3-biiQQJhC.html\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-reactid=\"115\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Post-header-grid\" data-reactid=\"116\">\n<div class=\"Post-header-row\" data-reactid=\"117\">\n<div class=\"PostSocial\" data-reactid=\"118\">\n<div class=\"Post-social-container\" data-reactid=\"119\">\n<div class=\"Post-social\" data-reactid=\"120\">\n<div class=\"Post-social-grid\" data-reactid=\"121\">\n<div class=\"Post-social-row\" data-reactid=\"122\">\n<div class=\"Post-social-block\" data-reactid=\"123\">\n<div class=\"Post-social-inner-block\" data-reactid=\"124\">\n<div class=\"Post-social-link-block Post-social-link-block--facebook\" data-reactid=\"125\">\u00a0https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/02\/21\/video-glenn-greenwald-and-james-risen-debate-the-trumprussia-investigation\/?utm_source=The+Intercept+Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=6aa312cb39-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_21&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_e00a5122d3-6aa312cb39-131514793<\/div>\n<div class=\"Post-social-link-block Post-social-link-block--twitter\" data-reactid=\"128\">\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.sandiegoreader.com\/img\/photos\/2018\/02\/18\/Tanya_and_charles_brandes_t670_t658.jpg?ff95ca2b4c25d2d6ff3bfb257febf11d604414e5\" alt=\"Tanya and Charles Brandes\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"Post-social-link-block Post-social-link-block--email\" data-reactid=\"131\">\n<h1 class=\"header\">Spike three: CIA&#8217;s Tanya and Charles Brandes divorcing<\/h1>\n<div class=\"vote_box\">\u00a0Rancho Santa Fe money man and his wife both claim violence in marriage<\/div>\n<p id=\"h903803-p1\" class=\"permalinkable\">The financial publication <em>Fundfire<\/em> notes in a February 16 article that onetime social darlings of San Diego and Rancho Santa Fe, Charles Brandes and his wife Tanya, are now divorcing; this was the third marriage for each.<\/p>\n<p id=\"h903803-p2\" class=\"permalinkable\">Both filed stories of mutual violence in court. According to <em>Fundfire,<\/em> Charles Brandes requested a domestic violence restraining order against her on January 29. According to the publication, Brandes claimed \u201chis wife struck him in the head with a flashlight, pointed a .45 caliber handgun at him, sprayed mace in his eyes and threatened to kill him using skills learned from Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) training.&#8221; She punched, kicked, and choked him, he claimed. (He is a good deal older than she is.)<\/p>\n<p id=\"h903803-p3\" class=\"permalinkable\">She, in turn, requested a domestic violence restraining order against her husband, claiming he threw her to the floor twice, injuring her. She claimed she suffered \u00a0bruises to her face, arms, legs, and right ankle.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandiegoreader.com\/news\/2018\/feb\/18\/ticker-tanya-and-charles-brandes-divorcing\/?utm_content=buffer67b24&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_source=twitter.com&#038;utm_campaign=buffer\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.sandiegoreader.com\/news\/2018\/feb\/18\/ticker-tanya-and-charles-brandes-divorcing\/?utm_content=buffer67b24&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_source=twitter.com&#038;utm_campaign=buffer<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Best Of Boris And Natasha The Contest\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4txmBNCAXg8?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 class=\"Post-social-link-block Post-social-link-block--comments\" data-reactid=\"137\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Post-header-block\" data-reactid=\"142\">\n<div data-reactid=\"143\">\n<div class=\"Post-title-block\" data-reactid=\"146\">\n<h1 class=\"Post-title\" data-reactid=\"147\"><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>The Magical Mystery Tour<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Magical-thinking.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20943\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Magical-thinking.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"376\" height=\"377\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Magical-thinking.jpg 376w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Magical-thinking-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 376px) 100vw, 376px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h1>Florida Lawmakers Advance Bill Requiring Schools To Display &#8216;In God We Trust&#8217;<\/h1>\n<p>State legislators in Florida came together on Wednesday \u2014 the same day student activists gathered outside the House chamber in Tallahassee to demand stricter gun laws, one week after the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2018\/02\/15\/586095587\/17-people-died-in-the-parkland-shooting-here-are-their-names\">school massacre <\/a>in Parkland \u2014 to pass a measure related to schools, but not guns. <a href=\"http:\/\/myfloridahouse.gov\/Sections\/Documents\/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h0839__.docx&amp;DocumentType=Bill&amp;BillNumber=0839&amp;Session=2018\">HB 839<\/a> would require every public school in Florida to display &#8220;in a conspicuous place&#8221; the state motto, &#8220;In God We Trust.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>House members passed the legislation 97 to 10. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2018\/02\/22\/588002860\/florida-lawmakers-advance-bill-requiring-schools-to-display-in-god-we-trust\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2018\/02\/22\/588002860\/florida-lawmakers-advance-bill-requiring-schools-to-display-in-god-we-trust<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"articleHeadline\" class=\"p-name\">Political mystic Billy Graham only 4th private citizen to lie in honor at U.S. capitol, 1st since 2005<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ocregister.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/207038_600.jpg?w=600\" alt=\"Image result for billy graham cartoon\" width=\"304\" height=\"202\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The body of Rev. Billy Graham will lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol next week, making the evangelist and presidential advisor only the fourth private citizen to receive the recognition.<\/p>\n<p>House Speaker Paul Ryan announced Graham,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.al.com\/news\/index.ssf\/2018\/02\/billy_graham_dead_at_99_presid.html\">who died Wednesday at age 99,<\/a>\u00a0will lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda from Feb. 28-March 1.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.al.com\/news\/index.ssf\/2018\/02\/billy_graham_only_4th_private.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.al.com\/news\/index.ssf\/2018\/02\/billy_graham_only_4th_private.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Catholic Archbishop Would Rather Go to Prison Than Report Child Abuse to Police\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/d3TrGcOZ-n0?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=\"entry-title\">Catholic Archbishop: \u2018I\u2019d Rather Go to Prison Than Report Child Abuse to Police\u2019<\/h1>\n<div class=\"main-content clearfix\">\n<div id=\"primary\" class=\"content-area content-left\">\n<article id=\"post-946\" class=\"post-946 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-news\">\n<header class=\"entry-header\">One of the highest-ranking officials in the Catholic Church has stated that he would \u201crather go to prison\u201d than report pedophilia to police.Australia\u2019s most powerful clergy, Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart, says he\u2019s prepared to be jailed for failing to report child sex abuse by pedophile priests.He made the shocking statement in response to the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse saying there should be \u201cno excuse, protection nor privilege\u201d for clergy who failed to alert police of abuse.Hart insisted that sexual abuse was \u201ca spiritual encounter with God through the priest\u201d and was \u201cof a higher order\u201d than criminal law.<\/header>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>One of the highest-ranking officials in the Catholic Church has stated that he would \u201crather go to prison\u201d than report pedophilia to police.<\/p>\n<p>Australia\u2019s most powerful clergy,\u00a0Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart, says he\u2019s prepared to be jailed for failing to report child sex abuse by pedophile priests.<\/p>\n<p>He made the shocking statement in response to the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse saying there should be \u201cno excuse, protection nor privilege\u201d for clergy who failed to alert police of abuse.<\/p>\n<p>Hart insisted that sexual\u00a0abuse was \u201ca spiritual encounter with God through the priest\u201d and was \u201cof a higher order\u201d than criminal law.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/nativescomunity.info\/2018\/01\/31\/catholic-archbishop-id-rather-go-to-prison-than-report-child-abuse-to-police\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">nativescomunity.info\/2018\/01\/31\/catholic-archbishop-id-rather-go-to-prison-than-report-child-abuse-to-police\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>The Best and Worst Things in the History of the World<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img class=\"trb_em_ic_img\" title=\"At Urban Axes, patrons can toss axes at targets\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1260px) 750px, (min-width: 1060px) calc(100vw - 559px), (min-width: 840px) calc(100vw - 419px), (min-width: 800px) 800px, 100.1vw\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/350\/350x197 350w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/400\/400x225 400w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/450\/450x253 450w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/500\/500x281 500w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/550\/550x309 550w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/600\/600x338 600w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/650\/650x366 650w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/700\/700x394 700w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/750\/750x422 750w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/800\/800x450 800w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/850\/850x478 850w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/900\/900x506 900w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/950\/950x534 950w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/1000\/1000x563 1000w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/1050\/1050x591 1050w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/1100\/1100x619 1100w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/1150\/1150x647 1150w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/1200\/1200x675 1200w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/1400\/1400x788 1400w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/1600\/1600x900 1600w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\/1620\/1620x911 1620w\" alt=\"At Urban Axes, patrons can toss axes at targets\" data-baseurl=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5a87276e\/turbine\/bs-1518806890-pupp6eqnj9-snap-image\" data-c-nd=\"1620x911\" data-role=\"imgsize_srcsetdisplayitem\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"trb_ar_hl_t\">Baltimore ax-throwing bar to open in April in Highlandtown<\/h1>\n<p>Urban Axes, a chain-bar concept involving patrons throwing axes at targets, will open in April in Highlandtown.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, the Baltimore City Liquor Board approved a liquor license for the bar located at 1 N. Haven St., according to a liquor board spokeswoman.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/entertainment\/music\/midnight-sun-blog\/bs-fe-urban-axes-baltimore-opening-20180216-story.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.baltimoresun.com\/entertainment\/music\/midnight-sun-blog\/bs-fe-urban-axes-baltimore-opening-20180216-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/telesurenglish\/videos\/1295505463926186\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/telesurenglish\/videos\/1295505463926186\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"headline\" class=\"headline\">Trump and the \u2018Society of the Spectacle\u2019<\/h1>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"355\" data-total-count=\"355\">Nearly 50 years ago, Guy Debord\u2019s \u201cThe Society of the Spectacle\u201d reached bookshelves in France. It was a thin book in a plain white cover, with an obscure publisher and an author who shunned interviews, but its impact was immediate and far-reaching, delivering a social critique that helped shape France\u2019s student protests and disruptions of 1968.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"393\" data-total-count=\"748\">\u201cThe Society of the Spectacle\u201d is still relevant today. With its descriptions of human social life subsumed by technology and images, it is often cited as a prophecy of the dangers of the internet age now upon us. And perhaps more than any other 20th-century philosophical work, it captures the profoundly odd moment we are now living through, under the presidential reign of Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body-text story-content\" data-para-count=\"594\" data-total-count=\"1342\">As with the first lines from Jean-Jacques Rousseau\u2019s \u201cThe Social Contract\u201d (\u201cMan is born free, and everywhere he is in chains\u201d) and Karl Marx\u2019s \u201cCommunist Manifesto\u201d (\u201cThe history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles\u201d), Debord, an intellectual descendant of both of these thinkers, opens with political praxis couched in high drama: \u201cThe whole life of those societies in which modern conditions of production prevail presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. All that once was directly lived has become mere representation.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/02\/20\/opinion\/trump-and-the-society-of-the-spectacle.html?emc=edit_th_20170220&#038;nl=todaysheadlines&#038;nlid=38940097\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2017\/02\/20\/opinion\/trump-and-the-society-of-the-spectacle.html?emc=edit_th_20170220&#038;nl=todaysheadlines&#038;nlid=38940097<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/spirit.of.dogs\/videos\/1738185416231782\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/spirit.of.dogs\/videos\/1738185416231782\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mound Rd, South of 12 Mile 02\/20\/18\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MvV8alrK-mc?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><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/detroitfreepress\/videos\/10156340714560530\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/detroitfreepress\/videos\/10156340714560530\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>So Long<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>In Our Memory: Colin<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cache.legacy.net\/legacy\/images\/Cobrands\/VancouverSun\/Photos\/\/1400524_20170324.jpg\" align=\"LEFT\" hspace=\"10\" vspace=\"4\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"crystals da doo ron ron\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dqgtsai2aKY?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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We Say Fight Back! On Feb. 23, 1940, Woody Guthrie writes &#8220;This Land Is Your Land&#8221; following a trip hitchhiking and riding the rails from California to New York. It was a musical response to Irving Berlin&#8217;s &#8220;God Bless America&#8221; West Virginia public schools close over teacher walkout \u00a0 \u00a9 YouTube Public schools across West [&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-20915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20915","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=20915"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20915\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20953,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20915\/revisions\/20953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}