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Sunday, January 10, 2016

[mpen-dayton4] FW: "The antigovernment militia takeover in Oregon" & "Mexicans, Muslims, Internment and Civil Rights" and more

FYI.   Best, Munsup

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P.P.S. "He who dares not offend cannot be honest" - Thomas Paine
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·         FW: Big implications for workers' rights AND church/state separation? SCOTUS briefing reminder

·         FW: SPLC Special Report: The antigovernment militia takeover in Oregon

·         FW: Sign this: These militants are armed terrorists. End of story.

·         FW: "Mexicans, Muslims, Internment and Civil Rights"

·         FW: Spying on Congress and Israel: NSA Cheerleaders Discover Value of Privacy Only When Their Own Is Violated

·         FW: FW "2015: The Year Obama Stopped Giving Any F--ks"

·         FW: The Oregon Militia Standoff, Explained...Rolling Stone

·         FW: TransCanada sues Obama administration over Keystone XL rejection under NAFTA

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From: Alex Hart; Online Team, People For the American Way
Subject: Big implications for workers' rights AND church/state separation? SCOTUS briefing reminder


Reminder: I hope you'll join Monday's PFAW member telebriefing
on the Friedrichs case and the future of workers' rights>>


The Supreme Court's decision in Friedrichs won't just affect the rights of working people -- it could also have serious implications for the separation of church and state.

One of the plaintiffs in the Friedrichs case is a Religious Right organization that opposes "secular" teachers' unions and believes teachers have a right to impart their Christian faith in their classrooms, to their students. This organization exists with the express agenda of eroding church-state separation in our public schools.

Just one more reason that a bad decision in Friedrichs would be a disaster…

Please join us on Monday at 3:00 PM Eastern Time to find out more on this important PFAW member call.

RSVP for call-in information now.

RSVP for Monday's call now>>

Next Monday, oral arguments will begin in a Supreme Court case that could determine the future of workers' ability to band together to have a say in their future and negotiate for better wages and benefits.

Because of the profound impact it could have on the rights of working people, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association is one of the most anticipated cases the Court has taken up this term.

On Monday, January 11, at 3:00PM Eastern Time, join our special PFAW member telebriefing -- the first of 2016 -- to discuss the Friedrichs case and its implications for the rights of working people.

RSVP now to receive the call-in information>>

We'll be joined on the call by PFAW Senior Fellow and constitutional law scholar Jamie Raskin, who will discuss the case and take your questions.

The Court's ruling in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association will decide whether to strike down requirements that all public sector employees pay "fair share" fees to the unions that represent them -- costs that cover collective bargaining, and other benefits that affect even those employees who aren't union members. Public sector unions are legally obligated to represent members and non-members alike, and fair share fees have long been recognized as necessary to prevent free-riding by non-members, who could otherwise get union representation benefits that are paid for by others.

But at the core of the Friedrichs case is the argument that collective bargaining, a staple of the organized labor movement, is no different than political lobbying. If reinforced by the Supreme Court, this false distinction could have enormous consequences on working people's ability to join together and effectively negotiate for fair wages and benefits.

RSVP now and get the call-in information for Monday!>>

 

 

From: Southern Poverty Law Center, FIGHTING HATE // TEACHING TOLERANCE // SEEKING JUSTICE
Subject: SPLC Special Report: The antigovernment militia takeover in Oregon


Armed antigovernment extremists seize federal building in Oregon


Credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer


Armed militiamen led by the sons of controversial rancher Cliven Bundy have taken over federal buildings inside a wildlife refuge in Oregon and are "willing to kill and be killed if necessary." We've warned of the potential dangers of the far-right militia movement and documented a dramatic resurgence that began when President Obama was elected. The militias, part of a broader antigovernment "Patriot" movement, have been responsible for numerous violent plots in recent years.   READ MORE


SPLC Stories on 'Patriot' Movement


SPLC in the News

 

 

From: Monique Teal, Daily Kos, Oregon resident
Subject: Munsup, sign this: These militants are armed terrorists. End of story.

Sign if you agree: An armed occupation of a federal building is terrorism and should be treated as such.

While the rest of us were celebrating the promise of a new year last weekend, a group of armed (and seemingly unhinged), anti-government extremists occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in remote eastern Oregon.

Outrageously enough, the media has described their manufactured standoff as "peaceful" and "patriotic," even though they are armed and have suggested violence towards federal employees.

There is nothing "peaceful" or "patriotic" about their tantrum and they shouldn't be handled with kid gloves.

Sign if you agree: An armed occupation of a federal building is terrorism and should be treated as such.

 

From: Jimmy Franco
Subject: "Mexicans, Muslims, Internment and Civil Rights"


Mexicans, Muslims, Internment and Civil Rights

The onoing presidential campaign has witnessed an upsurge in ant-democratic views and demands. These extreme demands include deporting millions of Mexican immigrants and banning and locking up Muslims …   continue reading

Moderator: Jimmy Franco Sr.; Latinopov.com

 

 

From: Bob
Subject: FW: Spying on Congress and Israel: NSA Cheerleaders Discover Value of Privacy Only When Their Own Is Violated

(from: bob Williamson; subject:   Where is the outrage!!)

Dec 29 2015 the Wall Street Journal reported that the NSA under President Obama targeted Israeli Prime Minister Ben Netanyahu and his top aides for surveillance.  In the process the swept up Pete Hoekstra, Jane Harman and Dianne Feinstein.   I urgently request those interested to read the piece written by Glenn Greenwald for the Intercept DEC 30, 2015.   "Spying on Congress and Israel:  NSA CHEERLEADERS DISCOVER THE VALUE OF PRIVACY ONLY WHEN THEIR OWN IS VIOLATED".  SEE THIS AT theintercept.com:
     https://theintercept.com/2015/12/30/spying-on-congress-and-israel-nsa-cheerleaders-discover-value-of-privacy-only-when-their-own-is-violated/

In addition in his article Greenwald refers to another piece by Ken Rudin,  npr,  political junkie  "What to make of the alleged Jane Harman/AIPAC Quid Pro Quo", a report on a bombshell by Jeff Stein of Congressional Quarterly .

What they fail to mention is that the Department of Justice is implicated by the recorded conversations.   Who were they?    Dianne Feinstein - Chairwomen of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Pete Hoekstra, chairman of House Intelligence Committee and Jane Harman ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee and Israeli agents unknown to me or them.  

We need to thank Mr. Snowden for the proof he made available to us in this matter!

 

 

From: Judy Burnette
Subject: FW "2015: The Year Obama Stopped Giving Any F--ks" by Tessa Stuart @RollingStone


http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/lists/2015-the-year-obama-stopped-giving-any-f-cks-20151222



President Obama. (photo: Saul Leob/Getty)

2015: The Year Obama Stopped Giving Any F—ks


"We've seen the fastest economic growth in over a decade, our deficits cut by two-thirds, a stock market that has doubled, and health care inflation at its lowest rate in 50 years," Obama said. He paused, but Republicans held their applause. "This is good news, people," he teased. "I have no more campaigns to run," Obama said later in the address. "I know because I won both of them," he added, winking.

by Tessa Stuart, Rolling Stone; on 01 January 16


Obama treated 2015 a little like his senior spring

There are some on the fringes of American society who have long believed President Obama isn't the person he purports to be. And, in at least one way, they're correct: Until now, Obama has presented himself as someone who can at least sorta-kinda deal with bullshit, as it is his job to do.

But 2015 was the year Obama dropped the pretense. It was the year he openly bashed birthers, and skewered whiney Republicans in a harsher way than ever before. He also showed he's gotten even more comfortable making bold moves, to hell with what his critics say (and his critics, as always, had plenty to say).

January 20, 2015: Drops Mic at the State of the Union

The first sign 2015 was going to be a good year for President Obama came in January, when during his sixth State of the Union address he teased Congressional Republicans determined to maintain that Obama's America has been a dystopian hellscape.

"We've seen the fastest economic growth in over a decade, our deficits cut by two-thirds, a stock market that has doubled, and health care inflation at its lowest rate in 50 years," Obama said. He paused, but Republicans held their applause. "This is good news, people," he teased. "I have no more campaigns to run," Obama said later in the address. "I know because I won both of them," he added, winking.

February 12, 2015: Uses Selfie Stick, Says "Thanks, Obama"

Before the State of the Union, the White House tweeted a photo of the tan suit that sparked so much controversy last summer when Obama wore it to a press conference: "President Obama's suiting up for the big speech." The joke was at Twitter's expense, and an indication that the president wasn't taking himself, or his critics, too seriously anymore.

That impression was confirmed in February, when Obama acted like a goofball — making funny faces in the mirror, posing with a selfie stick, and invoking "Thanks, Obama" in a BuzzFeed video promoting HealthCare.gov.

April 25, 2015: Explains His Bucket/F-ck It List

If there was any lingering doubt that this was the year Obama lost all his fucks, he came out in April and told us so in the most direct terms possible. At the White House Correspondents Dinner, Obama spoke about being asked if he has a bucket list for his final couple of years in office.

"I have something that rhymes with bucket list," he said. "Take executive action on immigration? Bucket. New climate regulations? Bucket — it's the right thing to do."

June 22, 2015: Hangs Out in Marc Maron's Garage

In June, Obama traveled to Eagle Rock, California, where he sat down in comedian Marc Maron's garage for a revealing interview on Maron's WTF podcast.

The president spoke candidly about his frustrations with Congress, particularly when it comes to gun violence. "Right after Sandy Hook, Newtown, when 20 six-year-olds are gunned down and Congress literally does nothing, that's the closest I came to feeling disgusted," Obama said.

June 26, 2015: Sings 'Amazing Grace' at Charleston Funeral

In late June, Obama traveled to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, to deliver a eulogy for Reverend Clementa Pinckney, one of the nine victims gunned down by shooter Dylann Roof inside the church the previous week.

During his remarks, Obama said it would be a betrayal of Pinckney if "once the eulogies have been delivered, once the TV cameras move on, [we] go back to business as usual — that's what we so often do to avoid uncomfortable truths about the prejudice that still infects our society."

Then Obama did something to ensure the reverend's eulogy wouldn't be quickly forgotten: He sang a few bars of "Amazing Grace." This is noteworthy because the president was delivering his remarks in a historically black church — a church not unlike his own in Chicago, which he had to try to make voters feel comfortable with, and to some extent distance himself from, during the 2008 campaign. Seven years later, Obama seemed to care much less about what his critics might say; he was so unselfconscious in the moment that that he broke out into song.

July 16, 2015: Is the First Sitting President to Visit a Federal Prison

In July, Obama became the first sitting president in history to visit a federal prison. Two days later he commuted the sentences of 46 non-violent drug offenders, the most commutations in a single day since President Lyndon Johnson.

"These men and women were not hardened criminals, but the overwhelming majority had been sentenced to at least 20 years," Obama said in a video explaining the commutations. "I believe that at its heart, America is a nation of second chances. And I believe these folks deserve their second chance."

The visit and the clemencies were both unprecedented, but 2015 Obama isn't an Obama who cares about precedence. 2015 Obama just wants to see shit get done, and one of the biggest priorities still on his plate is criminal justice reform.

July 26, 2015: Travels to Kenya, Swears He's Not Looking for His Birth Certificate

In July, Obama traveled to Kenya, where had a laugh at the expense of conspiracy theorists who've raised (and continue to raise) suspicions about his country of origin. "I suspect that some of my critics back home are suspecting that I'm back here to look for my birth certificate," Obama joked delivering a toast at a state dinner. "That is not the case."

It wasn't the first time this year he's cracked a variation on that joke. At the Gridiron Dinner in May, Obama told the crowd, "If I did not love America, I wouldn't have moved here from Kenya."

September 25, 2015: Obama DGAF About Anything Other Than His Hot Wife

This fall, the president and first lady hosted a state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping. All sorts of VIPs were there, from John Kerry to Madeleine Albright to Mark Zuckerberg.

But all anyone wanted to talk about after the dinner? Michelle Obama's bangin' off-the-shoulder Vera Wang gown. No one appreciated her look more than the president himself, as this photo makes clear.

In October, addressing the nation after yet another mass shooting, this time in Roseburg, Oregon, Obama got serious about gun control. He didn't seem mournful, as he was after the Newtown or Charleston shootings. This time he was angry; you could hear the frustration and disappointment in his voice. He sounded like someone who no longer cares about irritating the gun lobby or ruffling the feathers of Republicans in Congress who kowtow to those lobbyists' demands.

"This is a political choice that we make to allow this to happen every few months in America. We collectively are answerable to those families who lose their loves ones because of our inaction," Obama said.

He predicted that following the press conference, "Somebody, somewhere will comment and say, 'Obama politicized this issue.' Well, this is something we should politicize. It is relevant to our common life together, to the body politic."

October 10, 2015: Gives Kanye West Campaign Advice

At the Video Music Awards in September, as he was accepting the Video Vanguard Award, Kanye West informed the audience he would run for president in 2020. President Obama addressed the news at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser where West was scheduled to perform.

He advised Kanye that, should he decide to persue a bid, he'll be forced to "spend a lot of time dealing with some strange characters who behave like they're on a reality TV show. So you've got to be cool with that."

Secondly, he said, "Saying that you have a beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy? That's what known as 'off-message' in politics," Obama said, referring to Kanye's album by the same name. "You can't say something like that. A lot of people have lost their congressional seats saying something like that. You don't do that."

October 19, 2015: Tweets "Cool Clock, Ahmed," Sends Conservatives Into a Tizzy

One of the more embarrassing stories of the year involved Ahmed Mohamed, a Texas teenager who was arrested after his teachers mistook a clock he built and brought to school for a bomb.

Many commentators were quick to point out that Mohamed's arrest seemed racially charged, motivated by stereotypes of brown-skinned individuals as terrorists (and this was even before Donald Trump called for banning all Muslims from the United States).

Among the many celebrities and non-notables alike who had Mohamed's back in the aftermath of the incident was President Obama, who tweeted, "Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great."

Mohamed took the president up on his offer, visiting the White House the following month.

Meanwhile, conservatives foamed at the mouth.

October 30, 2015: Doesn't Give a F-ck About Schism, Recognizes Baby Pope

Though they had a pleasant meeting when Pope Francis visited the White House earlier this year, President Obama and the pope certainly don't see eye-to-eye on every issue.

You know what religious leader Obama can get behind 100 percent? The pope's toddler doppelgänger, who also visited the White House this year, at Halloween, riding high on his toy Popemobile. The president more or less lost it with that kid, giving him the top costume prize of the night.

November 3, 2015: Mocks GOP Candidates
At a Democratic fundraiser in New York in November, Obama fired back at the Republican candidates who whined about how tough the CNBC debate moderators had been on them.

"Every one of these candidates say, 'Obama's weak, Putin's kicking sand in his face. When I talk to Putin, he's gonna straighten out.' And then it turns out they can't handle a bunch of CNBC moderators!" Obama said.

"I mean let me tell you: if you can't handle those guys," he added, laughing, "I don't think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about you."

November 11, 2015: Addresses Folks Who "Want to Pop Off" About ISIS

At the G20 Leaders Summit in Turkey this fall, Obama, clearly weary of the critical blathering about his handling of ISIS, delivered a message to his detractors.

"Folks want to pop off and have opinions about what they think they would do? Present a specific plan. If they think that somehow their advisors somehow are better than the chairman of my joint chiefs of staff, I want to meet 'em, and we can have that debate," Obama said.

(The line itself was pretty great, but the remix was even better.)

November 25, 2015: Is Over the Turkey Pardon

Presidents have long dreaded the annual turkey pardon – truly the dumbest of the presidential duties. President Obama is no exception, often mixing his signature dad jokes ("As you may have heard, for months there has been a fierce competition between a bunch of turkeys trying to win their way into the White House") with exasperation over the tradition.

As he said this year, "I know some folks think this tradition is a little silly. I do not disagree." Yes, Obama does not give a fuck about the turkey pardon, and thank goodness for that.

Another thing we can all be thankful for: This year we didn't have to endure any conservatives waxing poetic about the Obama daughters' lack of "class."

 

 

From: Thomas Scott
Subject: The Oregon Militia Standoff, Explained...Rolling Stone

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/wtf-is-happening-in-the-oregon-militia-standoff-explained-20160103


WTF Is Happening in the Oregon Militia Standoff, Explained

Dozens of white, armed American militants have gathered in the state to take a stand against government "tyranny"

BY TIM DICKINSON January 3, 2016


On Saturday night, dozens of white, armed American militants stormed a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon seeking to take a "hard stand" against federal government "tyranny." It's a wild story. Here's what you need to know.


Q: Where is this?
A: The building seized by the militants is at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge — a remote, marshy oasis in Oregon's high desert famed for its spectacular migratory bird populations. The standoff is in the remote southeast of the state — far closer to the Nevada line (124 miles) and Boise, Idaho (217 miles), than to Portland (305 miles). The closest city is Burns, Oregon, population 2,800, 30 miles to the north.

Q: What sparked the militia takeover?
A: The answer here is complicated. In short, the militants are outraged about a mandatory minimum sentence received for arson by a local rancher and his son.

The ranchers, Dwight Hammond, Jr., 73, and his son Steve, 43, were convicted of federal arson charges, stemming from a pair or fires on federal land near their ranch. The first was reportedly set in 2001 to cover up their illegal poaching of a deer on government property. It burned 139 acres. The second was reportedly set in 2006 as a defensive measure, to protect the ranch from an approaching lightning-sparked wildfire. That arson reportedly endangered volunteer firefighters camped nearby. The government would seek $1 million in damages. (For a deep dive of the backstory read this piece in The Oregonian.)

Q: So some Oregon ranchers got busted for arson. Where's the tyranny?
A: The ranchers' case became a cause celebre in the patriot/militia movement because the pair were sentenced for their arson crimes under a provision of a law called the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. And they were oddly sentenced twice.

The federal law in question doesn't just deal with terrorism. It created a five-year mandatory-minimum sentence for arson on federal land: "Whoever maliciously damages or destroys... by means of fire...any...real property...owned or possessed by...the United States...shall be imprisoned for not less than 5 years…"

The first federal judge to handle the case concluded that the mandatory sentence was too stiff and gave the pair far lighter sentences, which they served. But the U.S. attorney in the case called foul; the federal government took the rare step of appealing the sentence. In October 2015, the Ninth Circuit imposed the mandatory minimum, ruling that: "given the seriousness of arson, a five-year sentence is not grossly disproportionate to the offense." The ranchers are due back in federal prison Monday to serve out their five years each.

But this odd re-sentencing, under a statute that makes it sound like the cattlemen were being prosecuted for terrorism, inflamed the paranoid passions of the anti-government patriot and militia movements, and brought the militants to Burns for a rally on Saturday.

Q: The Bundys are involved in this, aren't they?
A: Yup. Tensions between Western ranchers and the federal government have been running at a fever pitch since an armed standoff between supporters of Cliven Bundy and the federal Bureau of Land Management. Recall that Bundy does not recognize the claim of the federal government to the land that his cattle roam in Nevada. He owes more than $1 million in unpaid grazing fees and fines. The feds briefly seized his cattle back in 2014, leading to an armed standoff that the feds chose to de-escalate rather than risk provoking another deadly showdown like occurred at Waco or Ruby Ridge in the 1990s.

Q: So Cliven Bundy is in Oregon?
A: No, but at least two of his sons are. Ammon Bundy appears to be leading the takeover. In a video posted to Facebook, he declares: "We have basically taken over the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. And this will become a base place for patriots from all over the country to come and be housed here and to live here. And we're planning on staying here for several years." Calling his group "the point of the spear," Ammon Bundy called on like-minded militants to "bring your arms."

Q: What do the militants want?
A: In a phone in interview with The Oregonian, another Bundy son, Ryan, laid out the militants' demands: that the Hammonds be released and that the surrounding federal lands be ceded to local control. "The best possible outcome is that the ranchers that have been kicked out of the area... will come back and reclaim their land, and the wildlife refuge will be shut down forever and the federal government will relinquish such control," Ryan Bundy said. He added, "What we're doing is not rebellious. What we're doing is in accordance with the Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land."

Q: Has the federal government reacted to this latest Bundy provocation?
A: Not yet.

 

 

From: CLG_News
Subject: TransCanada sues Obama administration over Keystone XL rejection under NAFTA


Headline of  News Updates from CLG on 07 January 2016


TransCanada sues Obama administration over Keystone XL rejection under NAFTA --Calgary-based company 'throwing the corporate equivalent of a temper tantrum,' say opponents | 06 Jan 2016 | TransCanada has filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration and plans to file a claim under the North American Free Trade Agreement over the U.S. government's rejection of the company's proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The company said Wednesday it has filed a notice of intent to initiate the NAFTA claim on the basis that the denial was not justified. "TransCanada has been unjustly deprived of the value of its multi-billion-dollar investment by the U.S. Administration's action," said the company in a release. [This is *exactly* why Obama's deadly corporate takeover bill, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) aka 'NAFTA on steroids,' needs to be stopped dead in its psychotic tracks. --LRP]

 

 

End of MPEN e-Newsletter

posted by lucas at 7:29 PM

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