Saturday, September 30, 2017

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR

Principal of Louisiana high school will kick students off sports teams if they don’t stand for national anthem

By Jacob Bogage

The Washington Post
September 28, 2017

A high school in northwest Louisiana will punish students with suspensions or removal from sports teams if they demonstrate during the national anthem.

Principal Waylon Bates of Parkway High School in Bossier Parish called such demonstrations a “disruption” in a letter sent Thursday to students and parents.

“Parkway High School requires student athletes to stand in a respectful manner throughout the National Anthem during any sporting event in which their team is participating,” he wrote. “Failure to comply will result in a loss of playing time and/or participation as directed by the head coach and principal. Continued failure to comply will result in removal from the team.”

President Trump last week at a campaign rally for a failed Senate candidate called for NFL owners to fire players who knelt during the national anthem before games to protest racial injustice and police violence.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired. He’s fired,’ ” Trump said.

Trump won Bossier Parish in the 2016 election by 47 percent of the vote, and all of Louisiana by 20 percent.

In response to his remarks, every NFL team this past week made some sort of demonstration during the anthem. The Seahawks and Titans refused to take the field during the anthem. The Cowboys, including owner Jerry Jones, an avowed Trump supporter, knelt as a team before the anthem to show unity with the rest of the league.

Other teams, including Washington, locked arms during the anthem before its Sunday night game against Oakland. Many of the Raiders players sat on the bench during the anthem.

IMPORTANT SECOND AMENDMENT RULING

by Bob Walsh

The U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has just issued a ruling (2-1 vote) in Brian Wrenn vs. D.C., case #16-7025. In that ruling the court stated that the right to carry a weapon in public is a CORE Second Amendment Right and that the current actions of the government of D.C. amount to a complete and total ban on this right, making the actions of the district unconstitutional.

This makes it more and more likely that SCOTUS is going to have to take an honest-to-god real look at open carry vs. concealed carry permits vs. constitutional carry vs. whatever. This will be especially interesting for places like CA and NYC and LA that totally ban open carry and highly restrict (to the point of outright prohibition) the issuance of permits to carry.

YOUNG AND STUPID VICIOUS CRIMINALS

by Bob Walsh

So there is this 8-year old boy in Stockton. A few days ago some older boys, 10-14 years old, beat the CRAP out of him and stole his bicycle. The stupid bastards were dumb enough to post their attack on the kid on Instagram which came to the attention of the child's older sister who notified the kid's father. (Mom died a few years back.)

The attackers threatened to kill the kid and his father to keep him from talking so he told his dad two adult men had stolen the bike. The Instagram post pretty much took care of that.

Three of the vicious young assholes are now in custody and the cops are looking for a fourth. I hope they throw the book at these punks. I can't imagine it is their first offense and robbery and assault and battery with GBI is no joke. You could even make it out to be attempted murder, when you kick somebody in the head while they are laying on the ground you are not attempting to rob them, you are trying to hurt or kill them.

PATRIOTIC PISSED-OFF FANS BURN PATRIOTS JERSEYS

Patriots Jerseys Burned After National Anthem Protest

CBS Boston
September 28, 2017

SWANSEA, Mass. -- A Swansea man hosted a jersey burning party in response to the recent protest by the New England Patriots.

Mark Shane organized the event at his Gardners Neck Road home after about 20 members of the team took a knee during the national anthem before Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.

Shane says he was “shocked” that the Patriots protested and said they “always stayed above this kind of nonsense.”

More than 100 people turned out to support Shane and show their frustration with professional athletes who are kneeling during the national anthem. They sang America the Beautiful and said the Pledge of Allegiance as they tossed Patriots gear into the fire in protest.

He told WBZ he was happy with the turnout.

“I think it was a great success,” Shane said. “I think people were united, I think people love our country and I think it sends a great message to the NFL and any divisive type actions will not be tolerated during sports.”

Upset Patriots fans came from all over Massachusetts, many in attendance were veterans.

“Some of those young kids they don’t know what us old guys went through,” said Arthur Dallaire of Swansea.

“It upsets me that they, I understand we do have issues with this county that need to be resolved and I think that’s not the platform to be doing it,” said Andy Lavoie of Westport.

Some people showed up just to support Shane’s right to free speech.

“I’m probably not the biggest fan of what he is doing, but I think he has the right to do it,” said Kathy Cardenas of Swansea.

Not all the jerseys and Patriots gear were burned during the bonfire. A box was put out to collect some of the items so they can be sent to some of the victims of the recent hurricanes.

ICE FUCKS SANCTUARY CITIES

ICE arrests 107 IN Philadelphia, 101 in LA in large-scale operation targeting sanctuary cities

KABC
September 28, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 101 people for immigration violations in Los Angeles as part of a broader operation targeting sanctuary cities, netting nearly 500 arrests across the U.S.

According to ICE, "Operation Safe City" focused on cities and regions where "ICE deportation officers are denied access to jails and prisons to interview suspected immigration violators or jurisdictions where ICE detainers are not honored."

A total of 498 people from 42 counties and multiple cities were arrested as part of the operation, an ICE press release stated. The operation came to a conclusion on Wednesday.

Of these individuals, 101 were from Los Angles; 28 were from Baltimore; 30 were from Cook County, Illinois; 63 were from Denver; 45 were from New York; 107 were from Philadelphia; 33 were from Portland, Oregon; 27 were from Santa Clara County, California; 14 were from Washington, D.C.; and 50 were from Massachusetts.

"Sanctuary jurisdictions that do not honor detainers or allow us access to jails and prisons are shielding criminal aliens from immigration enforcement and creating a magnet for illegal immigration," said Tom Homan, ICE acting director, in the press release. "As a result, ICE is forced to dedicate more resources to conduct at-large arrests in these communities."

ICE said the 101 arrested in Los Angeles included a Mexican citizen and documented Colonia Chiques gang member who entered the U.S. illegally. At the time of his arrest, he rammed multiple law enforcement vehicles in an effort to evade arrest, ICE said.

After he was placed under arrest, a search revealed a loaded handgun in his pocket. The subject was turned over to local authorities and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, probation in possession of firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and carrying a loaded firearm in public, ICE said.

Of the 498 individuals taken into custody during this operation for immigration violations, 317 had criminal convictions; 68 were immigration fugitives; 104 were previously deported criminal aliens; 18 were gang members or affiliates; and some had multiple/overlapping violations.
__________

ICE SWINGING BACK. HARD.

by Bob Walsh

It seems that ICE isn't necessarily going along with Sanctuary City policies. Big surprise there. They announced on Thursday that they had recently made over 500 arrests of illegal aliens in Sanctuary Cities around the country. I don't know if this is just a blip or not, but I suspect that Trump and the A.G. are flexing their muscles. With good cause.

JUST MAYBE HE BROKE HIS HAND WHILE PUNCHING HIS LAWYER IN HER THICK HEAD

Killer, 36, who punched his female lawyer in the face in a New Jersey court is seeking $1 million in compensation for breaking his hand as he was wrestled to the floor by cops

By Associated Press and Daily Mail Reporter

Daily Mail
September 29, 2017

A convicted killer in New Jersey who punched his attorney in the face in court is accusing sheriff's officers of using excessive force to subdue him.

NJ.com reports that Randy Washington sued this month, claiming a Mercer County sheriff's officer broke his hand when his knee came down on his wrist after he punched the woman in court. He is seeking $1million.

The 36-year-old was sentenced to 70 years in prison in the 2014 killing of Silas Johnson, who had just gotten off a train. He has maintained he's innocent.

He punched the lawyer after closing arguments and with the jury deliberating.

'I hit my attorney, but when I hit her, I did not advance toward her, I just waited for the sheriff to come handcuff me,' Washington wrote in the suit.

Washington is awaiting trial on charges he killed another man, George Jamison, 43, in 2014.
That kicked off a crime spree, according to NJ.com, where Washington is accused of being involved in several armed robberies and other crimes.

The sheriff's office says officers 'took appropriate action to make a very violent situation safe.'

Washington claims that once he was returned to jail, officers refused his request to see a doctor after complaining of a broken hand.

According to an affidavit, Washington was sent to a doctor a week later on July 6 where X-rays revealed that his hand was broken. He received surgery to repair the injury on August 7.

Johnson is now seeking a million dollar payout from the state, saying that he was refused treatment for over a month.

Washington is still awaiting trial for his other alleged offenses.

GOOGLE STREET VIEW HELPS BUST MURDERER

Police arrest suspected killer after they spot the murder weapon - his SUV - sitting in his Houston driveway on Google Street View

By Hannah Parry

Daily Mail
September 28, 2017

Cops have used Google Street View to track down a murder suspect who ran over a 28-year-old man before fleeing the scene.

Ray Jasso, 28, was run down and killed at a birthday party in the 18200 block of Emerald Court, in Montgomery County [just north of Houston], on July 2.

Jasso was able to capture video of the attack before he died, showing a suspect driving an SUV backing over him in the middle of a cul de sac.

The cellphone footage showed the SUV then drive over Jasso again, as it pulled forward, dragging his body for some time until he eventually broke free. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later.

Cops, who reviewed the footage, ran the plates of the early 2000s model Chevy SUV, and traced it to an address in the 600 block of Frisco Street in Houston.

They searched the address in Google Maps, they were surprised to find a picture of the murder weapon sitting in the driveway.

When they turned up to the property, they found that same car - this time with damage to its rear brake lights, rear panels, and front.

After a closer look, they also found 'biological' evidence on the vehicle from it hitting Jasso.

A relative living at the property, told police that while the SUV belonged to his father, the only person who drove it regularly was his brother, Raul Najera, 25.

Investigators who searched the home then found a shirt belonging to Najera that matched the shirt of the driver in the cellphone video.

Najera was arrested and charged with first-degree felony murder. A grand jury indicted him on that charge Tuesday.

Detectives found Najera had been at the birthday party - although he hadn't been invited - where he'd got into a fight with the homeowners after the asked him to leave.

He'd climbed into the SUV and backed down the driveway, hitting an exit gate and pulled into the cul de sac where he backed over Jasso.

Najera is currently being held in Montgomery County Jail with a $500,000 bond.

Friday, September 29, 2017

NO ONE EVER SAID BEING A GARBAGE COLLECTOR WAS EASY

NEVADA OR FLORIDA SOON TO BE POLLUTED BY A DISGUSTING PIECE OF SHIT

Cold-blooded, double murderer O.J. Simpson will be released from a Nevada prison next week

O.J. Simpson, who has been doing time for a kidnapping and robbery, will be released on parole from a Nevada prison probably sometime next week.

He will do his parole either in Nevada or Florida. I suspect he prefers Florida because he has close golfing buddies there. But he cannot do his parole there if Florida refuses to accept him for supervision in that state. I suspect Florida will accept him if Nevada makes a formal request to transfer his parole there.

This disgusting piece of shit got away with the cold-blooded, knife slashing murder of his wife and her friend Ron Goldman. A predominantly black jury, eager to shove it to whitey, acquitted Simpson despite overwhelming evidence of his guilt. Of course, an inept prosecution team and a jerk of a judge didn’t help matters either.

I’ll be the first to admit that the charges for which he was convicted in Nevada were rather unconvincing and that the jury stuck it to him for the murders he committed in L.A. , not for what he had done in Las Vegas. Good for them!

Next week, either Nevada or Florida will be polluted by this disgusting piece of shit.

CANADIANS MAY BE STRANGE BUT THEY ARE NOT STUPID

by Bob Walsh

Chelsey Manning was recently t turned away at the Canadian border. He/She tried to enter Canada but was told that they were not fond of traitors and that he/she should get his/her ass back to the U. S. before they shoved some maple leaves up it and then set them on fire..

SCOTUS TO TAKE AGENCY FEE CASE


by Bob Walsh

For those of you who are not involved in public employee unions, this is the skinny on this. A LOT of public employee gigs are mandatory union jobs. The unions use a significant amount of the money they collect for the support of political causes which the membership may not necessarily agree with. There is an opt-out provision but those employees who choose to not be members (meaning full voting members) still pay an AGENCY FEE which is very nearly 100% of the standard membership fee. Supposedly this deducts out the political portion of the fee. Nobody really believes this is an accurate representation of what is actually going on.

SCOTUS has just announced that they will here the Mark Janus case out of Illinois. Last year the court looked at a similar California case but the death of Antonin Scalia left the court deadlocked, meaning the lower court ruling stands. Neil Gorsuch is now on the court and is not expected to be warm and fuzzy towards mandatory union fees. SEIU and the Teachers Association are already screaming like mashed cats.

NOTABLE PASSING...ANNE JEFFREYS

by Bob Walsh

If you are a really old fart, like me, you might remember her. She was an opera singer and actress known for her role as Marion Kirby, a ghost, in the TOPPER television series. She just passed on at the age of 94. She was married for many years to Rod Serling who died about 12 years ago, at the age of 88.

She also played for years as Amanda Barrington on General Hospital. She played two gigs as Tess Truehart, Dick Tracy's girlfriend, in the 1940s as well as a host of other parts.. .

THE MDIDLE EAST JUST GOT EVEN MORE INTERESTING

by Bob Walsh

There was an election in Kurdistan yesterday. The Kurds are generally acknowledged to be the larges group of recognized identity people on the planet who don't have their own country. To not great surprise they voted by about 93% of a 72% turnout to have their own country. For starters they want a chunk of Iraq. The Iraqui, Iranians and Turks are all very much AGAINST an independent Kurdish state. Even the U.S., which in theory is in favor of such things, is in opposition to it this time as it makes people too nervous. Syria isn't real wild about It either.

They do have a semi-autonomous region, with Irbil as their functional capital. The Iraqi prime minister is demanding the Kurds surrender control of the apriports in their district to the central government. The Kurds told him to go fuck himself.

CALFIORNIA PREPARING TO BAN GAS AND DIESEL VEHICLES

by Bob Walsh

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is one of those wonderful appointed agencies that has a huge amount of power and zero accountability. They have just announced that the plan-intend-anticipate that no new internal combustion powered vehicles will be available in the formerly great state of California in about ten years.

Now I grant you they may be overplaying their hand. These agencies do, on occasion, get kicked in the nuts when they get real stupid. It happened to the Coastal Commission a few years back when they told people in coastal zones that they could not rebuild houses that had burnt down in a fire because they would not under the current rules be able to build a new house at that location. That is the sort of bullshit that makes sense to appointed fanatics.

Presumably members of the government would be exempt. Including, presumably, members of the Air Resources Board.

BAIL OR JAIL?

Tool Used by San Francisco Courts Shows Promising Results

By Marisa Lagos

KQED News
September 27, 2017

Last year, San Francisco began using an algorithm to assess whether someone accused of a crime and awaiting trial is safe to be let out of jail.

Fifteen months later, prosecutors say the risk assessment tool appears to be working: According to information provided to KQED by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, just 6 percent of defendants who were released from jail based on the “public safety assessment,” or PSA, over those 15 months committed a new crime; 20 percent failed to appear in court.

The findings come at a crucial time: California leaders are weighing legislation that could expand this type of risk assessment tool to all 58 counties in the state. Democratic lawmakers are pushing a bill — which Gov. Jerry Brown and California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye have promised to support — that would reduce the use of money bail and create pretrial service agencies, like the one in San Francisco that administers the PSA tool.

Proponents of the change say the current system — in which bail amounts are set by courts based on the offense — punish poor defendants who can’t afford to pay it, while allowing people with money who are potentially dangerous to go free.

Max Szabo, a spokesman for District Attorney George Gascón, said the data compiled in San Francisco indicate that the “PSA tool is beating money bail,” when it comes to keeping the public safe and ensuring that defendants show up in court.

It’s impossible to make a direct comparison, because San Francisco doesn’t keep track of what happens to defendants released on money bail. But Szabo pointed to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice examining pretrial release outcomes in the 75 largest counties in the nation — including San Francisco.

One report showed that double the percentage of defendants — 12 percent — were arrested while they were out on bail or on their own recognizance during May 2006.

Another showed that in all of 2009, 29 percent of people out on bail or their own recognizance either committed a new crime, failed to appear in court or were taken back into custody for violating the terms of their release.

Szabo said these numbers show that the PSA tool is more accurate than money bail at predicting whether someone should be released as they await trial.

“Whether you’re using an algorithm or money bail, the criminal justice system is in the very difficult business of predicting criminal behavior,” Szabo said. “The key difference is that the algorithm assists counties with custody decisions based on a statistically significant prediction of pretrial behavior, as opposed to how much money you have in your bank account.”

The PSA tool being used in San Francisco isn’t without critics — and nor is the larger practice of relying on computer algorithms to make criminal justice decisions.

Created by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the PSA tool was given to San Francisco and 37 other jurisdictions for free. In San Francisco, its use flew largely under the radar until this summer, when it was revealed that a man accused in a robbery and murder on Twin Peaks had been determined by the tool to be fit for release.

City officials said the tool wasn’t at fault — human error was: An employee at the pretrial services agency entered incorrect data about the man’s past.

But critics seized on the mistake as evidence that these tools shouldn’t replace a court’s judgment. Supporters of risk assessment agree, saying that the risk assessment should guide, not determine, decisions for judges.

And there are plenty of instances where someone out on bail committed a new crime.

In San Francisco, for example, Randall Stovall was recently arraigned on charges of attempted first-degree robbery, attempted carjacking and assault on a transportation employee. Stovall was already out on bail for alleged human trafficking of a minor, attempted pimping of a minor and other felony charges when the alleged attack on a Muni driver occurred.

He made bail after the most recent charges and is currently out of jail awaiting trial. He was not recommended for release under the PSA tool, but under the California constitution he has a right to bail.

IF HE WAS DRUNK, SHOW THIS COP ABSOLUTELY NO MERCY!

Off-duty LAPD officer suspected of DUI in crash that killed 3 in Whittier

By Joseph Serna and Kate Mather

Los Angeles Times
September 27, 2017

The Los Angeles Police Department has opened an administrative investigation after one of its officers was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk and causing a crash that killed a boy and his parents Tuesday night.

The officer, 26-year-old Edgar Verduzco, was driving a 2016 Chevy Camaro in the southbound carpool lane of the 605 Freeway about 10:30 p.m. in Whittier when, for reasons still unknown, he steered the vehicle to the right and into the fast lane, where it collided with the rear of a Nissan carrying a mother, father and their son, the California Highway Patrol said.

The Nissan, which had been traveling about 65 mph, burst into flames, trapping the family inside, the CHP said. All three were pronounced dead at the scene. The boy was believed to be in his teens, CHP Officer Al Perez said. The victims probably won’t be positively identified until at least next week because the bodies are so badly charred, the coroner said.

After colliding with the Nissan, Verduzco’s Camaro continued into the No. 2 lane, where it struck a Toyota Scion before coming to a stop, the CHP said. The driver of the Scion suffered minor injuries.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck addressed his officer’s arrest at a news conference Wednesday.

“My heart goes out to the victims and their families, and I cannot tell you how angry and disappointed I am that a Los Angeles police officer would disregard the law and cause an accident with such awful, awful consequences,” Beck said. “This is an awful, awful thing.”

The agency has opened an administrative investigation into Verduzco and is cooperating with the CHP, he said.

Verduzco is an Army veteran who did a tour in Afghanistan and joined the department two years ago, Beck said. Verduzco was stationed at the front desk of the Central Division and has had an “unremarkable” career thus far, Beck said.

Beck said it was too early in the case to discuss discipline, but he said that if the allegations proved to be true, it could merit sending the officer to a disciplinary board for potential termination.

The officer will continue to be paid pending further disciplinary action by the department.

Verduzco suffered a broken nose in the crash and was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI causing injuries, authorities said. He is being held on $100,000 bail.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League also released a statement regarding Verduzco’s arrest.

“No words can express our deep sorrow over this horrible tragedy and the loss this family will carry with them for the rest of their lives,” the union’s statement said. “There’s never an excuse for driving under the influence, and if Officer Verduzco is found guilty of what he is accused of, then he should suffer the consequences for his reckless actions.”

There were no open containers or alcohol in the car, but Verduzco showed symptoms of intoxication, Perez said.

A SigAlert was issued and traffic lanes were shut down. They reopened before 4 a.m. Wednesday.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Some will say give this guy a break because he was not only a cop but he served in Afghanistan as well. However, all that veteran and cop plea aside, he killed a little boy and his parents, and if he was drunk, they should throw the book at him.

THEY SAY IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE

How to avoid assholes, according to a Stanford professor who's spent years studying annoying people

By Danielle Zoellner

Daily Mail
September 28, 2017

The asshole personality is everywhere in this world whether it comes in the form of a boss, co-worker, friend or significant other.

These people can leave you feeling de-energized or disrespected, and they aren't as easy to avoid as one might hope.

But Robert Sutton, a professor of organizational behavior and engineering at Stanford University in California, has spent more than 10 years of his career deciphering the asshole and the havoc they can cause for people.

His new book, The Asshole Survival Guide, gives a detailed look in the jerks in everyone's life and what are the best practices to avoid them... if possible.

Daily Mail Online spoke with Sutton on what makes someone an asshole and the steps people can take to ride them from their own life.

How to become an expert on assholes

Sutton didn't start off his career thinking he would write two books on assholes and how to survive them.

But early on, he became interested in human emotions and how they can have an influence on others.

This inspired Sutton to analyze assholes and what makes them prominent in daily life and the workplace.

'General definition (of an asshole) is someone who leaves you demeaned, disrespected or de-energized,' Sutton said.

He published his first book titled The No Asshole Rule in 2007, which focused on building a better workplace that is rid of these types of people.

And after that published, Sutton saw in influx in his inbox on people wanting more advice on how to rid their life of the jerks, backstabbers and bullies.

'People would write me saying "I have an asshole problem, help me",' Sutton said.

He published his second book this year, titled The Asshole Survival Guide, to establish the craft of finding and avoiding the jerks in someone's life.

While he recognizes that this character will probably always be part of society, that doesn't mean that people have to accept the behavior.

The four types of assholes in this world

1. THE MACHIAVELLIAN

Machiavellianism in modern psychology is someone that is focused on self-interest and personal gain.

These people take pleasure in someone's else's pain as it helps them reach their own goals in life.

Sutton described this person as nasty to a person's face and not afraid to show that behavior.

The Machiavellian type doesn't hide from their asshole behavior. Instead, they embrace it because they think it is what is helping get them to where they want to be.

2. THE BACKSTABBER

The Backstabber is more strategic about how they are an asshole to others because they don't always want to be portrayed as one.

'They are more strategically competent assholes,' Sutton said.

'They kiss up and knock down people around them.'

Sutton said the backstabbers can be the most dangerous because they pretend they are on your side for as long as possible before they no longer need you.

3. THE PURPOSEFULLY OBLIVIOUS

This person acts as if they don't know someone when they actually do.

Instead of acknowledging a person, they will pretend they have no idea who they are in order to belittle them as much as possible.

This type of asshole might not think they are being one because they aren't saying anything, but their lack of acknowledgement speaks volumes.

Sutton explained that power can make people feel like they are above others and therefore think they are allowed to behave this way.

4. THE CLUELESS ASSHOLE

This person doesn't even realize they are acting horrible to someone unless it is pointed out to them.

Sutton said it's best for people to surround themselves with those who are not afraid to tell them if they are acting like an asshole.

But most importantly, it is on each and every person to recognize their own actions and how it can be perceived by others.

How assholes have learned to thrive in the workplace

'Do assholes get ahead? The answer is yes,' Sutton said.

But this comes with its own consequences as someone makes their way to the top of the workplace.

He explained that people in the workplace might believe that pushing others down or aside will get them to a top spot quickly.

What is left, though, once they reach the top is disgruntled employees who have been wrongly treated.

'It does help you as an individual but it doesn't help you lead an effective organization,' Sutton said. 'They leave behind a trail of enemies and they are less effective in their job.'

Technology jobs in Silicon Valley or law firms, to name a few, this is commonly seen as an avenue for workers to get ahead. But then the boss is left with disgruntled employees who feel they have been mistreated.

Sutton listed President Trump as a popular figure who is known to push people aside to get what he wants.

'Trump got to the top by stepping on people,' Sutton said.

He thinks this is part of the reason why President Trump is now having issues pushing policy.

His treatment of others has hindered his ability to work with people and get items passed.

Although Sutton finished this book before Trump's presidency and says he wasn't fueled by politics, he can see why some readers find connections to political figures in America behaving like assholes.

The health care and the pharmaceutical industry also has it's own share of assholes.

This is because people have a taste for the power they can wield over society.

Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli experienced his own rise and decline of assholery when he significantly raised the price of an anti-inflammatory drug that people desperately needed.

He fell for the power he held in the industry, but his asshole ways landed him in jail for security fraud and conspiracy.

Steps to avoid and change the asshole in your life

These people aren't easy to avoid or change, especially if they are your own boss or a co-worker that is frequently around.

But Sutton has some steps in his book that people can use to help diffuse the situation.

1. CREATE PHYSICAL DISTANCE

'One of the most reliable ways to become an asshole is to be around them,' Sutton said.

He recommends first creating physical distance from the people around you who exhibit toxic behavior.

Previous research has shown people are more likely to exhibit horrible behavior of their own in the workplace if they are within a 25-foot radius of a toxic person.

Physical distance from a toxic person can be better emotionally and socially for someone.

2. ALTER YOUR PERSPECTIVE

His second solution to an asshole problem is to re-frame the mind's mental thoughts to help protect oneself.

People can do this by finding humor in the situation or feeling sad for the person who feels the need to act that way.

Changing the overall perception of the situation can help the person cope with what is happening and protect themselves from being hurt by the behavior.

3. KILL THEM WITH KINDNESS

His final suggestion is changing the asshole so that they are on your side instead.

'Flattery and ass kissing does seem to work,' Sutton said.

Turning the hater into a friend makes it harder for them to be rude towards you.

Sutton also mentioned the Benjamin Franklin Effect, a psychological phenomenon that helps when handling the 'haters'.

This is where someone does little favors for someone who is mean to them and is purposefully nice. The phenomenon finds that the receiver of these favors is likely to return them.

'It's really hard to hate somebody when you're doing something nice for them,' Sutton said.

But what happens if you find out you are the asshole?

Sutton has found a combination of reasons for why people turn towards the nasty behavior.

These include the inequality of power and wealth seen in the workplace, exhaustion and role models who act like assholes.

All of the above can be triggers for someone to start acting horribly to others.

The most reliable way to find yourself behaving in a rude way is by surrounding yourself with others who act similarly.

'If you're an asshole and a winner, you're still a loser in my book,' Sutton said.

He recommends for people take responsibility for their behavior and alter it slowly to create a better environment for those around them.

Sutton recognizes that sometimes people can fall into the trap of acting like a jerk in order to avoid one in their own life.

But reacting to people negatively doesn't always yield the best results.

'It is a dangerous thing to do,' Sutton said. 'If you're nasty to somebody typically they will do it back to you.'

EDITOR’S NOTE: When I was a cop it was easy to spot an asshole. Almost every citizen I came in contact with was an asshole! There were three kinds of assholes: assholes, fucking assholes and motherfucking assholes. Shit, even some of the cops were assholes. Of course, I wasn’t one.

How to become an expert on assholes? Become a cop, you can’t avoid them.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

CALIFORNIA TO BE A PLAYER AGAIN

by Bob Walsh

The people of the Formerly Great State of California have felt somewhat dissed of late. Politicians come here to get money but the CA primary is so late in the year that it is not of any real importance to anybody else. The fight is usually over by the time it gets here. No longer. Jerry Brown signed a bill that moves the CA primary contest up three months, to join what is commonly called Super Tuesday in March.

It will, if nothing else, make for more interesting and more frequently protests by the liberal fascists.

BRONX JUDGE’S LENIENCY GOT COP SHOT

Judge allowed teen drug dealer who shot Yonkers cop Kayla Maher back on streets despite weapons possession charges and 23 prior arrests

BY Chelsia Rose Marcius, Rocco Parascandola and Graham Rayman

New York Daily News
September 27, 2017

He shouldn't have been on the street.

The Westchester County teen accused of shooting a Yonkers cop in the face Monday caught a break from a Bronx judge a week ago, when he got a no-prison sentence after getting busted with a gun and knives.

Frank Valencia, 18, of New Rochelle, was one of two men arrested for shooting the cop, Kayla Maher, 26, in the chin about 8 p.m. at Ridge Drive and Marshall Road in Yonkers, police sources said.

Maher was released from Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx on Tuesday to the applause of her fellow officers.

The teen — who sources said is a drug dealer with 23 prior arrests — likely would have never pulled the trigger if Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas had hit him with a stiffer sentence last Wednesday.

Villegas gave Valencia just five years’ probation after the teen pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon stemming from his arrest in May at a fast-food joint in the Bronx, according to court records.

NYPD officers had busted Valencia with a semiautomatic pistol, a machete and hundreds of rounds of ammo, according to the criminal complaint.

Valencia also slipped through the judicial system a few hours before he allegedly shot Maher when he missed a court appearance in New Rochelle — on charges he’d threatened his father with a gun, sources said. After failing to appear in court Monday, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

“We never expected this,” said Valencia’s devastated father, Francisco. “We didn’t raise him this way. It made me so mad. I can’t believe it.”

The father learned firsthand of his son’s violent side on May 25, when the teen threatened him with a gun at their home after an argument, law enforcement sources said. The elder Valencia kicked his son out of the house after the confrontation.

When the elder Valencia learned his son was in the Bronx on May 31, he called 911 and the 48th Precinct to alert them that he thought the teen was dangerous, armed and high on drugs in a hotel on Crotona Ave., according to police sources.

“He said he was concerned his son was going to shoot somebody,” the source said.

Cops went to the hotel, but couldn’t find him. They then called the dad, who told them his son was at a nearby White Castle, sources said.

Precinct cops found him at the eatery carrying a duffel bag. He had a gun in his waistband, and nearly 500 rounds of ammunition for a .22-caliber pistol, a 9-mm. pistol and a shotgun, according to a criminal complaint.

He was also carrying a machete, several knives and parts of a shotgun. A grand jury indicted him on illegal weapons possession charges.

Valencia caught his first break July 10 when he pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon. Judge Villegas in turn granted Valencia youthful offender status — which seals a defendant’s criminal record after the completion of a sentence.

Under New York law, a judge has the discretion to grant the designation to teens between the age of 16 and 19 who haven’t been convicted of a felony.

The same day he pleaded guilty in the Bronx, Valencia was arrested by New Rochelle cops on menacing charges for threats he had made against his dad in May.

Last Wednesday, Villegas sentenced Valencia to probation against the objections of Bronx prosecutors, who wanted him to receive prison time.

“This is a bad guy and a known drug dealer,” a law enforcement source said. “He has not shown any reason why he deserves youthful offender status. It’s not about the cop — this guy was going to shoot someone.”

Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, the city’s largest police union, said he could not believe that Villegas set Valencia free.

“This is a terrible case where a clearly bad decision by a judge resulted in the shooting of Yonkers Police Officer Kayla Maher,” Lynch said in a statement.

“Valencia will be held accountable for the shooting of Police Officer Maher, and Judge Villegas must be held responsible for his extraordinarily poor judgment that put this obviously dangerous man back on the streets.”

Villegas has been hearing criminal cases since 2004, when he was appointed an acting justice in Bronx Supreme Court. He was elected to a 14-year term as a full Bronx Supreme Court justice in 2008.

The judge declined to comment on Valencia’s sentence Tuesday. A spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration also declined to comment, stating that the case was sealed.

On Monday night, Maher and her partner had responded to a routine call to check on a car that seemed out of place in the residential neighborhood.

As the cops neared the car, one of the two men inside — believed to be Valencia — pulled out a pistol and started blasting, police sources said. The officers returned fire and shot Valencia.

“As many as five officers exchanged gunfire during this gunfight,” Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner said. “I don’t know specifically if Officer Maher was able to fire.”

The gun battle lasted at least 10 minutes. Photos show at least 48 shell casings under yellow ballistic markers. Cops recovered a .40-caliber Glock at the scene.

Valencia needed surgery after being shot in the exchange. He's in serious but stable condition, police said.

One of Valencia’s neighbors, who declined to give his name, said the suspect’s father works two jobs. The family is from Mexico, he said.

The younger Valencia dropped out of high school and “hangs around the wrong crowd.”

“He was always in trouble,” the neighbor said.

The other man in the car was identified by sources as Jerry Reyes, 22, of New Rochelle.

FLESH-EATING BACTERIA KILL HOUSTON AREA WOMAN

Kingwood woman confirmed as Harvey death from flesh-eating bacteria

By Cindy George and Todd Ackerman

Houston Chronicle
September 26, 2017

A Kingwood woman who became ill after falling into Harvey floodwaters at home died from flesh-eating bacteria, the Harris County medical examiner's office ruled.

Nancy Reed, 77, died on Sept. 15 of flood-related necrotizing fasciitis, an infection that spreads quickly through muscle tissue and can cause organ failure.

Reed was the second known case of the bacteria related to the floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey. Rescuer J.R. Atkins, a former firefighter and medic, was contaminated through an insect bite on his arm while helping Missouri City neighbors. He survived.

"It's tragic," said Dr. David Persse, director of the city's emergency medical services. "This is one of the things we'd been worrying about once the flooding began, that something like this might occur. My heart goes out to the family."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, necrotizing fasciitis is a serious bacterial skin infection that kills the body's soft tissue, spreads quickly and can be fatal in a short time. Prompt diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics can prevent death.

The infection is not considered a reportable disease in Texas, meaning doctors or laboratories who diagnose it are not required to alert health authorities. But they are required to report many of the organisms that cause the disease — streptococcus, E. coli, vibrio vulnificus and certain types of drug-resistant staphylococcus.

Strep is the most common cause of flesh-eating bacteria. Vibrio is the most common in salt water.

Since 2010, the CDC has documented 700 to 1,100 cases of necrotizing fasciitis annually caused by group A strep, but details were not immediately available how many deaths were caused by the infection.

Reed fell at her son's home in Kingwood, breaking and cutting her arm, according to a family friend. After the injury became infected, she was treated at Memorial Hermann Hospital - The Woodlands and then taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital - Texas Medical Center, where she died.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences concluded that the infection complicated the blunt trauma to her arm. Reed is the county's 36th death to be officially linked to Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, which contributed to more than 75 deaths statewide.

Reed was remembered during a memorial service on Friday at First Presbyterian Church of Kingwood.

According to her obituary, Reed was a community volunteer and chief executive of the LivingTributes.com website of online memorials to the deceased. She was widowed with one son, John Reed.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Jan. 4, 1940, she was a former elementary school teacher and worked at The Reed Agency with her husband, Gary, until he died in 1999. She was also president of the Reed Foundation.

"Nancy was a kind, caring member of the Kingwood community and gave of her time and many talents generously," her obituary said.

She was active in her church, serving on multiple committees, and worked with the Village Learning and Achievement Center and the Upbring Krause Children's Center.

ONE MORE REASON WHY COPS SHOULD NOT SHARE THEIR FEELINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Michigan State police director facing calls to resign after she called NFL protesters 'millionaire anti-American DEGENERATES'

By Regina F. Graham

Daily Mail
September 27, 2017

The Michigan State Police director is facing calls to resign after sharing a Facebook message belittling athletes who kneel during the national anthem as 'anti-American degenerates'.

Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue shared a message on her Facebook page Sunday that stated athletes who take a knee during the pre-game national anthem are 'millionaire ingrates who hate America and disrespect our armed forces and veterans' and 'a bunch of rich, entitled, arrogant, ungrateful, anti-American degenerates.'

Hundreds of athletes have expressed they are taking a knee during the pre-game national anthem as a symbolic protest against racial oppression and incidents of police brutality against blacks.

The controversial message on her personal Facebook page caused outrage, as some have called for her to be fired.

Michigan ACLU Director Kary Moss wrote on Facebook: 'It is the sworn duty of the State Police Director to uphold the Constitution which protects all people in this State and to demonstrate respect for those principles.

'She undermines her own position and the trust of the community with these remarks and utter disregard of the people she represents.'

Late Tuesday Etue apologized for the post on the MSP Facebook page.

'It was a mistake to share this message on Facebook and I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended,' Etue's post read.

'I will continue my focus on the unity at the Michigan State Police and in communities across Michigan.'

But the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality said Tuesday that she should be fired.

'Etue's words simply reflect the continued racist actions of the Michigan State Police, both in how they treat our citizens and in how their hiring demographics fail to even approach equity,' Kenneth Reed, the coalition spokesman, said in a news release.

'There needs to be complete overhaul of the department, and we urge the Michigan Black Caucus to call an emergency meeting to address the issue and develop a list of demands...'

The executive director of the liberal group Progress Michigan, Lonnie Scott, said Etue's apology is 'not good enough'.

'This isn't about people being offended,' Scott posted on Facebook.

'It's about the leader of the State Police missing the entire point of protesting police brutality. This statement helps nothing.'

Gov. Rick Snyder's office has not commented on the situation.

EDITOR’S NOTE: “Dear NFL: We will not support millionaire ingrates who hate America and disrespect our Armed Forces and Veterans. Who wins a football game has ZERO impact on our lives. Who fights for and defends our nation has EVERY impact on our lives. We stand with the HEROES, not a bunch of rich, entitled, arrogant, ungrateful, anti-American degenerates. Signed, We the People” is spot on!

My only problem with Kriste Kibbey Etue is that she apologized for sharing her feelings on Facebook. I guess she was trying to save her job.

DRUG CARTELS SUSPECT RIVAL GANG MEMBERS HIDE OUT IN REHAB CENTERS

14 killed and 8 wounded in rehabilitation centre mass shooting in Chihuahua

Borderland Beat (Translated from Milenio)
September 27, 2017

Ciudad Juarez (AFP) -- No less than 14 persons were killed and 8 wounded Tuesday night in the city of Chihuahua, when an armed commando attacked a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts informed the local Police.

"An armed group gained access to the inside of the centre of the Rehabilitacion Uniendo Familias and commenced to shoot the residents, killing 14 persons as well as leaving another 8 wounded", informed a press release of the Secretary for Security of the city of Chihuahua, capital city of the State.

According to the Secretary for Security, the attack against the centre for rehabilitation, was perpetrated with assault rifles. It is estimated that 25 persons were inside the centre during the attack, which produced a mobilization of first aiders to attend to the wounded.

Dozens of local Police patrols as well as State Police flooded the area while others established a search zone to try to find those responsible for the attack, who are presumed to be linked to organized crime.

Chihuahua which shares and ample border with the United States, is one of the States hit hardest by narco trafficking violence where the Juarez cartel operates fighting against the other criminal groups like the Sinaloa cartel.

The violence in Chihuahua seemed to have fallen but in the last year there have been a glut of attacks, above all in Ciudad Juarez, which shares a frontier with El Paso, and which a decade ago was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

In the last decade, the violence linked to drug trafficking, has produced no less than half a dozen attacks against drug rehabilitation centres that the authorities signalled are adjustment of accounts between rival organized crime groups.

According to authorities, the gangs linked to narco trafficking, suspect that members of rival groups take refuge to hide there , which has led to the indiscriminate attacks.

NOW ILLEGALS ARE TAKING OUR JOBS, NEXT IT WILL BE ROBOTS

Robots Are Coming for Your Job Sooner Than You Think. Will you be prepared?

By Caroline Thompson

VICE News
September 27, 2017

Back in March, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sat down with Axios to talk about his role in the newly formed Trump administration. Mnuchin said a lot of outlandish things during the course of this interview, from claiming the president had "perfect genes" to proposing we "look at putting Trump on the $1,000 bill." Most of this was the standard 2017 circus nonsense we've come to expect from those in the president's inner circle. But one exchange in particular should give American workers pause.

Midway through the conversation, interviewer Mike Allen asked Mnuchin about the threat of mass job loss from automation and artificial intelligence. A previous guest, Mark Cuban, was very focused on how it might affect the workforce. "What's your take on that?" Allen asked.

Mnuchin smirked. "I think we're, like, so far away from that," he said. "It's not even on my radar screen."

"How far away?" asked Allen. "Seven more years?"

"Seven more years?" Mnuchin laughed. "I think it's 50 to 100 more years!"

Curious, considering the conversation happened just a few short months after Uber began testing self-driving cars in Pittsburgh, and a year after the ride-sharing company began a similar test in Arizona. It also happened after Amazon opened its first prototype grocery store in Seattle, which requires zero human interaction, and may well be a possible indicator of what could come to pass at Whole Foods, which the online giant recently acquired. The number of retail jobs lost in the past year alone (6,100) is more than the total number of people employed by the coal industry, a darling of the current administration.

Contrary to Mnuchin's beliefs, automation and AI-related job loss isn't 50 or 100 years in the future. It's already happening. And his comments suggest we aren't prepared.

"Nobody believes this is coming soon, and nobody believes this is going to happen to their job," said Michael Solomon, co-founder and managing partner of 10x Management, a talent agency for high-performing software engineers, coders, and designers. "People assume the only positions that will be affected by automation are jobs like factory work, agriculture, driving, and other blue-collar jobs. But that's just automation—they ignore the artificial intelligence side, which is what they should be worried about."

Solomon is worried, and the numbers back him up. He spends much of his spare time trying to get the word out about what he sees as an imminent job loss apocalypse, recently launching the Day After Labor, a website dedicated to bringing "the topic of impending net job loss due to advances in technology to the forefront of social and policy discussions."

According to a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers, 38 percent of American jobs are at risk of becoming obsolete within the next 15 years, and it's not just blue-collar work that's going away.

"AI is going to eliminate a massive amount of white collar jobs," Solomon said. "Loan officers are going to be made entirely obsolete by this technology, because a machine is much better at calculating risk than a human is. When you really start to look into these things, you start to see this is going to impact everyone. This is going to end the careers of stock brokers and lawyers and many white-collar professionals."

AI is already being tested and perfected throughout industries many would imagine are immune. With each passing day, bots are getting better at writing the news, diagnosing obscure illnesses, scanning legal briefs, and even composing full orchestral symphonies.

Solomon isn't the only one who sees the potential for mass joblessness on the horizon. Just before the end of his term, President Obama's top economic and scientific advisers released Artificial Intelligence, Automation and the Economy, which took a deep dive into what emerging technologies might mean for the future of labor. That report focuses heavily on automated vehicles (called AVs), and estimates "2.2 to 3.1 million existing part- and full-time US jobs may be threatened or substantially altered by AV technology" within the next two decades.

EDITOR’S NOTE: I wonder if Trump can come up with some kind of wall to keep the robots out.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

BOYCOTT THE NFL?

Americans outraged over the disrespect shown our flag and country by black professional football players and the team owners who support them are calling for a boycott of the NFL.

By and large, if anyone believes there will be a meaningful boycott of the NFL, they’ve been smoking some funny tobacco. Rabid football fans willing to shell out over $100 for a seat in the nosebleed section of a mammoth stadium will be there for every game.

This whole brouhaha could have been prevented had NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended or thrown Colin Kaepernick out of the league when he sat on his overpaid ass a year ago. Yes, Kaepernick had the right to express his hatred of the police, but speech can have its consequences. An employer can fire an employee if his behavior brings discredit on the employing agency. Instead, Goodell praised the asshole, thereby encouraging other black players to follow suit. Had Goodell thrown Kaepernick out of the league, none of those money-hungry players would now be disrespecting our flag and country. Money talks, bullshit walks.

The unity players and owners are now displaying are the result of one little mistake Trump made. He called the protesting players “sons of bitches,” which they are. Had he refrained from calling them SOBs, you wouldn’t have Tom Brady and Bob Craft, friends of Trump, joining the protesting players and openly criticizing the president. Except for that mistake, Trump was spot on in calling out those ungrateful, overpaid, disrespectful to our flag and country NFL and other league players.

The bottom line is that if it were not for Goodell, we wouldn’t have this brouhaha today. Asshole Goodell is the number one SOB in my book!

DOING STUPID SHIT IN CALIFORNIA JUST GOT SAFER...MAYBE

by Bob Walsh

Yes, If you are an adrenaline junkie who gets his rocks off by jumping out of functional aircraft your life MAY have just gotten a bit safer.

My local assemblywoman, Susan Talamantes Eggman, proposed the bill that was passed UNANIMOUSLY by both houses and signed into law by Governor Moonbeam. This new law allows people who are turned into grease spots to sue if it turns out their instructors or parachute packers were not in compliance with federal standards. (I always thought you packed your own chute, or at a minimum you packed your own back-up chute.) The bill was introduced after a first-time jumper doing a tandem jump was turned into a street pizza. It turns out his instructor was not properly certified for tandem instruction.

The law will be enforced by Caltrans. I guess they will now start a division of vertical transportation.

Current applicable federal law is incumbent on the individual instructors, not on the company that employs them or operates the sky diving centers.

Damn, I feel safer already. (Of course I don't jump out of perfectly good aircraft, because I am not an idiot.)

FED APPELLATE COURT TELLS TEXAS BIG CITY POLICE CHIEfS TO SHOVEL SHIT

Fifth Circuit Rules Texas Police Must Start Honoring Immigrant Detainer Requests

By Zach Despart

Houston Press
September 26, 2017

A Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday that Texas can require local police to honor requests from federal immigration officers to hold suspects in jail for possible deportation, a key provision of the controversial SB 4 law legislators passed earlier this year.

The ruling, by a three-judge panel in New Orleans, reverses a ruling by a federal district court judge in Texas last month that blocked most of the law. Mayors and police chiefs in large Texas cities, including Houston, urged legislators not to pass SB 4, which they say discriminates against Hispanics.

In the August ruling, a response to an injunction request filed by opponents of SB 4, District Judge Orlando Garcia concluded the law violated the First Amendment, since it threatened police and other public officials with jail if they opposed the law in any way. Garcia also found SB 4 too vague and too broad, and that it violated the Fourth Amendment, since it forces police to hold suspects when they may lack probable cause to do so.

The defendants in the case, Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, appealed to the Fifth Circuit, which prompted Monday's ruling. The Fifth Circuit judges put the SB 4 section about local police helping federal immigration agents back in play, but cautioned this does not mean the feds can order suspects held even if they have documents proving lawful status.

"The 'comply with, honor, and fulfill' requirement does not require detention to every retainer request," the Fifth Circuit ruling states. "Rather [it] mandates that local agencies cooperate according to existing ICE detainer practice and law."

Still, the ruling is a victory for Paxton and Abbott, and they celebrated it as such.

"Enforcing immigration law helps prevent dangerous criminals from being released into Texas communities," Paxton said in a statement. "I am confident Senate Bill 4 will be found constitutional and ultimately upheld."

Thomas A. Saenz, the president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said in a statement that the group was dismayed by Monday's ruling.

“In the absence of any urgency other than the mean-spiritedness of Texas state officials, the Court of Appeals nonetheless stayed portions of Judge Garcia’s carefully-considered preliminary injunction," Saenz said.

But Saenz echoed the Fifth Circuit's warning that police still must have a constitutional reason for holding a suspect in the first place.

"The court panel made clear that the scope of SB 4’s mandated compliance with detainer requests does not include actually detaining immigrants where the law would prohibit continued detention," he said. "This preserves the sanctity of the Fourth Amendment in protecting the rights of everyone, including immigrants."

The Fifth Circuit has yet to rule on the merits of SB 4 itself, and the case could eventually make its way to the Supreme Court.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Houston’s politically correct police chief Art Acevedo and other big city chiefs in Texas strongly opposed cooperating with ICE.

WHY AUTOS ARE MADE IN MEXICO

In Mexico, $2 per hour workers make $40,000 SUVs

By Mark Stevenson

Associated Press
September 25, 2017

MEXICO CITY -- Auto worker Ivan Flores spends his days transporting parts for U.S.-bound Audi SUVs at a plant in central Mexico, but he laughs when asked if he could ever buy one of the $40,000 Q5 SUVs the plant produces on his $2.25 per hour salary.

"For us it is a dream to buy a Q5; we never could," said Flores, 40, who supports three sons on his roughly $110 weekly paycheck.

The premise of the auto industry since the times of Henry Ford was that workers would make enough to buy the cars they produced. Across the U.S. and Europe, the arrival of an auto plant meant the creation of middle-class communities, with employees taking vacations, buying homes, cars, perhaps even cottages and boats.

But in Mexico — where the auto industry has boomed under the North American Free Trade Agreement, with plants like the Audi factory that opened in Puebla state in 2016 — the industry has created something different: a class of workers who are barely getting by, crammed into tiny 500-square-foot apartments in government-subsidized projects that they pay for over decades. Many can't afford even a used car, taking home as little as $50 per week after deductions for mortgages and cafeteria meals.

Why have Mexican auto salaries stagnated or declined while pay for Chinese auto workers rose, despite all the promises that North American Free Trade Agreement would increase Mexican wages? That's the question U.S. negotiators are asking as the third round of NAFTA talks resumes in Ottawa, Canada.

Ironically, U.S. President Donald Trump, widely seen here as one of Mexico's worst enemies, is pressing the issue of low Mexican wage rates, saying labor protections should be strengthened.

"It's ironic, right, that he's always criticizing us, but at the same time, he could do something that benefits us, by exposing the rot in the system" said Audi worker Eduardo Badillo, 34.

The key, in Mexico's auto industry, may be the so-called "protection" contracts signed long before plants open.

As in many factories in Mexico, very few of the current Audi workers ever voted for their union leader, and they won't get any chance to vote for years.

Government records show that on Jan 24, 2014 — almost three years before the Sept. 30, 2016, inauguration of the Audi plant — the company signed a union contract that specified wages as low as $1.40 per hour, up to $4 per hour. The union says nobody receives the lowest wage, with most earning about $2.25.

So when the plant's 5,000 workers finally were hired two years later, they were faced with a union and a contract only a handful had voted for. Given Mexico's lack of good jobs, many do apply, including college graduates. The contract locks in wage increase of about 6 percent per year — which outpaced inflation for a few years but now trails it — through 2019.

"Everybody knows what the conditions are when they apply. These are the wages, this is the union," said union chief Alvaro Lopez Vazquez. "You decide. If you don't like it, you can look elsewhere."

Lopez Vazquez refused to say how many people took part in the vote when he was elected in 2013; opponents say it was about two dozen. He also said he doesn't plan to call for any voting assembly or meeting until 2020.

"This is a democratic union, where the workers vote ... every six years," he said.

Lopez Vazquez and the company say the plant pays above-average wages for the sector. The company said it has paid workers bonuses and respects the union.

A Nissan plant in another state pays between $2.40 and $4.75 per hour. But workers at many other plants also get vouchers to buy groceries, which Audi workers don't. Mexico's minimum wage — which few people make — is about 50 cents per hour.

But the real issue is choice, says former assembly-line worker Juan Carmona, 35, an assembly-line worker who says he was fired for his attempts to call for a union leadership vote. The company denies that, but wouldn't say why he was fired.

Mexico recently changed its constitution to demand that unions signing labor contracts have to show they have the support of the workers they represent. But there has been little to no enforcement. The Labor Department refused requests for comment.

Alex Covarrubias, a labor professor at Mexico's Sonora College, said such "protection" contracts are almost universal in Mexico. "Almost all the (labor) contracts that are signed in Mexico are unlawful, which means that they are company contracts, which the workers aren't aware of."

Critics have long accused Mexican unions of doing more to control workers than represent them. The country's biggest labor federation forms part of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party.

Low wages — along with closeness to U.S. markets — are the key attractions that have drawn automakers such as Audi, Kia, Mazda, Toyota and BMW to open plants in Mexico over the last couple of years.

Lopez Vazquez, the union leader, noted that other companies pay less than Audi. In March 2016, he said, BMW signed a pre-opening labor contract for its plant that says workers can earn as little as $1.00 per hour, with a maximum of $2.30.

BMW said in a statement, "Our salary package, the mix of daily wages and benefits, is competitive and is in accordance with the region and the market."

As in the United States, governments have bent over backward to attract plants, offering land, infrastructure and tax breaks. The state of Puebla is even creating a new "model city" on greenfields near the Audi plant, though its new, largely empty apartment blocks are too expensive for most of the plant's workers.

Lopez Vazquez also implied that a compliant union was part of the package of attractions to get the plant in Puebla, saying, "If we hadn't formed this union and gotten this contract, Audi might have gone somewhere else."

"We have a win-win philosophy. If the company does well, everybody does well," Lopez Vazquez said. He said the low level of wages is explained by the differences in the cost of living in Mexico. "We couldn't make what they (U.S. autoworkers) make. We'd be millionaires."

Badillo, the Audi worker, said he'd be satisfied making half the $34 an hour received by U.S. autoworkers.

Badillo is typical of the plant's employees. He works in the paint shop, and lives with his son, Alejandro, 13, and daughter Noemi, 11, in a tiny 500 square-foot (47 square meter) government-subsidized apartment that he'll be paying off for decades.

Like many of the Audi employees, he has some college education — he started a bachelors' degree in electronics — and he makes about $120 per week. His wife works in a department store, making less than he does. After paying their mortgage, utilities and taxes, they might have $50 per week to spend on food, entertainment and schools supplies.

Badillo can't afford a car. He takes the company bus two hours to work and two hours back. Alejandro would like an Xbox video game and Noemi would like a tablet, but they know their father can't afford it.

Wage rates are so low now that even auto companies from China — where average manufacturing wages rose to $3.60 per hour in 2016— are beginning to set up plants here.

Badillo said the persistence of such low wages makes him fear for the country.

"What we don't want to see later is children assembling cellphones, but that's where we're heading," said Badillo. "I don't want to see Mexico like that. I want to see Mexico make progress."

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF BERKELEY IS OUT 677 POUNDS OF MAGIC MUSHROOMS

Berkeley police seize 677 pounds of drugs after stumbling onto psychedelic mushroom operation

By Alene Tchekmedyian

Los Angeles Times
September 26, 2017

Berkeley police stumbled onto a massive psychedelic mushroom operation while investigating a domestic disturbance, seizing 677 pounds of mushrooms with an estimated street value of more than $1 million, authorities said.

Two people — a 35-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman — were arrested in the bust late Saturday, according to the Berkeley Police Department.

Authorities were called to the home in the 1700 block of Alcatraz Avenue about 10 p.m. regarding a domestic disturbance between a couple. The occupants initially refused to open the door, but eventually came outside and were detained.

Officers then entered the house to search for other occupants, suspects or victims and discovered a “large-scale” mushroom processing operation, with psilocybin mushrooms in various stages of cultivation in plain view, along with storage and distribution materials.

Officers obtained a search warrant and seized the drugs, along with more than $3,000 in cash.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This case may be thrown out of court over the way the search warrant was obtained. Look for the lawyers to argue that the cops entered the house without permission and without a search warrant on the pretense there might be someone else inside.

KIM ACCUSES ISRAEL OF COMMITTING AN ‘UNPARDONABLE INSULT AND PROVACATION’ AGAINST THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

North Korea Again Threatens 'Sacred' War Against Israel

Israel Today
September 25, 2017

North Korea has responded to Israel's siding with the United States against Pyongyang's nuclear arms program by threatening to destroy the Jewish state.

After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized North Korea, the hermit regime issued the following statement:

"This is an unpardonable insult and provocation to the dignity and social system in the DPRK and the choice made by its people.

"Israel not only represents dictatorial forces for aggression that trample down the legitimate right of the Palestinian people and indiscriminately kill them but also is a rogue group that poses a nuclear threat and makes terrorist attacks on its neighboring countries with lots of nuclear weapons."


Yes, North Korea actually accused Israel of regularly attacking its neighbors with nuclear weapons.

Remember, they don't get a lot of outside news and information in North Korea, so perhaps they can be excused for being so woefully confused?

What's not a joke is the possibility of North Korea passing on weapons, technology and other resources to enemies much closer to Israel's borders.

The Syrian nuclear reactor that Israel destroyed in 2007 is widely believed to have been built by North Korean engineers.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

BACK WHEN POLICE WORK USED TO BE ENJOYABLE

Undercover funds bought cop a hand job

By Harry Dunne

I can remember when going to work was something I looked forward to. Times have changed and with it policing.

I remember working whores in the sailor bars in Galveston, Texas. Most of the whore houses were dimly lit and had small booths with beaded entrances. The girls were mostly Asian but there were some whites and blacks sprinkled in the mix. The Madam sat at the end of the bar so she could see most of the bar. As in most clip joints they plied the men with liquor and took them for most of their money. When they were broke they were ushered out by the bouncer. Here is the kicker. Most of the time the girls never sold pussy. Instead they would get a man drunk and maybe sell him a hand job. At the most a blow job. I told you that to tell you this.

I needed an undercover agent from out of town because most of the prostitutes knew my crew. In fact when we did open bar checks we often joked with the girls and there was no ill feelings toward us or us toward the girls. Everybody was doing their job. The Madam always sat at the end of the bar and could see everything going on. HQ sent me a rookie from East Texas. He was as green as they get. I went over the rules with him explaining that all he had to do was get an offer of sex for money.

These prostitutes were good at their job. They knew this guy wasn’t a seaman or had he ever worked on a dock. I was sitting in my car behind the jail when the rookie called me on the radio in twenty minutes tops. There were no pocket sized cell phones then. He wanted to meet me. He drove to my location and looked scared. It was then that he said, “Sarge,I got an offer, but she was too quick.” He then explained that once they got in the booth behind the beads she stuck her hand down his pants and jerked him off. If that wasn’t bad enough, he paid her $40 of the state’s money. I told him it would be difficult to testify about it. I then told him to give me back $40 of the state’s money. He didn’t have it. I then told him to get back to Jasper or wherever he came from and not come back.

He was scared and wanted to know what he should put down on his daily report. I told him don’t write, drove to Galveston bought a beer and a hand job!

LAWSUIT AGAINST PARENTS OF ADULT COP KILLER

by Bob Walsh

Eric Matthew Frein, 34, was living with his parents in Lackawanna County, PA in 2014 when he shot and killed Trooper Bryon Dickson and seriously wounded Trooper Alex T. Duglass. Frein was captured, tried, convicted and sentenced to death. Trooper Dickson's widow has just filed a civil action against Frein's parents.

The widow's assertion is that the father, Eugene Frein, exerted significant influence over his son and passed along his skills, developed in the military, with explosives and small-arms. She also asserts that the parents were negligent in having several dozen firearms unsecured in the home and easily accessible to their son, who they knew had trouble separating reality from fantasy.

A similar action was filed by Trooper Douglass against both Frein and his parents. The parents have since left Monroe County, allegedly in an attempt to evade the civil action.

MISSOURI INMATE ABOUT TO BECOME VERY POPULAR

by Bob Walsh

Ecclesiastical Denzel Washington, 53, (formerly known as Willie Simmons), is doing life for two murders and is a guest of the people of Missouri. He is also a militant non-smoker. He sued the prison system to ban ALL smoking in the prison because he is asthmatic. He won.

The state of Missouri has been ordered to go smoke-free at all areas in all prison facilities not later than April 1 of next year. I am sure all of the denizens of that system will be terribly grateful and appreciative over his concern for their health.

OFFICER CHARGD IN MISSISSIPPI ESCAPE

by Bob Walsh

Tenika Romero. 35. used to be a Correctional Officer at the state prison at Parchman, MI. She is how a guest of the people for aiding in the escape of James Sanders and Ryan Young last week.

Sanders, 41, was doing life for murder. Young, 22, was doing 40 years for assorted burglary and theft convictions and possession of a weapon by an ex-felon. They are both back in custody.

Ms. Romero is alleged to have picked up the escapees outside the fence and transported them.

WEEPING WEENEE WAVER WEINER SENTENCED TO PRISON

Federal judge ignores pleas for leniency by Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin

A federal judge on Monday sentenced former Democratic New York congressman Anthony Weiner to 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release for sexting a 15-year-old girl in which he asked her to get naked and touch herself on Skype and Snapchat.

Judge Denise Cote was not impressed with Weiner’s plea for mercy on grounds “I focus on how I live my new, smaller, healthier life one day at a time. I was a very sick man for a very long time. I have a disease but no excuse.”

Judge Cote also ignored a plea by Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton’s close buddy, to spare her husband a prison sentence for the sake of their 5-year-old son.

Weenee waiver Weiner wept when the judge pronounced sentence. She ordered Weiner to report to a yet not named federal prison by 2 p.m. on November 6. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.

I suspect Weiner will serve his time in a federal prison camp for low risk, non-violent offenders. I wonder if he will do any weenee waiving while he’s there. If he does, one of those non-violent inmates might just get violent.

And this o is Weiner’s asshole now. This O is likely to be Weiner’s asshole when he gets released from prison.

When Weiner gets out, the sicko sex offender will have to register as a sex offender.
__________

ANTHONY WEINER ABOUT TO MAKE LOTS OF NEW FRIENDS

by Bob Walsh

On Monday morning Carlos Danger, AKA Anthony Weiner, former congressman and all-around pervert, was sentenced to 21 months as a guest of the people of the United States.

It seems that Carlos just could not restrain himself from sending dick pics and sexting with a 15-year old girl. The federal judge in NYC was not amused, though Carlos could have gotten 27 months.

Weiner sniveled, and cried, and said he was a sick man, and begged to not be sent to prison. It didn't work. His wife, Hillary's bestie Huma Abedin, is divorcing his happy ass. But that's OK, I am confident he will make LOTS of new friends in prison.

POSTER GUY FOR THE DEATH PENALTY ….. UNFORTUNATELY HE’S IN CALIFORNIA

8-year-old boy dies from beating with hammer while protecting his younger sister

KTXL/CNN
September 24, 2017

SOUTH SACRAMENTO, CA -- The grandmother of an 8-year-old boy is grieving after he was beaten to death with a hammer while trying to protect his young sister from molestation.

Dante Daniels, 8, never made it to his second day of third grade. Early in the morning of Sept. 1, investigators say his mother’s ex-boyfriend, 23-year-old Deandre Chaney Jr., attacked Dante with a hammer.

Chaney Jr. murdered the 8-year-old while the man was engaged in the crime of committing a lewd act on Dante’s 7-year-old sister Danae, according to a criminal complaint.

"Trying to save his sister from this child molester, and that's why he was beat the worst,” said Dante’s grandmother, Monique Brown.

Investigators say at some point, Chaney Jr. turned a hammer and knife on Danae, as well as the children’s mother, 28-year-old Elizabeth Salone.

The complaint alleges Chaney Jr. also used lighter fluid.

Dante was declared brain dead after the attack, and six days later, he died.

Both Salone and Danae survived, but Brown says her daughter will probably never see out of her left eye again and her granddaughter will need a lot of help.

Brown says Dante was a hero, continuing to help others even after his death.

"Dante gave his heart to a 4-year-old In Southern California, so a 4-year-old lives because of [him],” Brown said.

Chaney Jr. is facing murder and attempted murder charges along with a charge of lewd acts with a child under 14.

A GoFundMe has been created for the family as they recover.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This worthless piece of shit is likely to die of old age on California’s death row if sentenced to death.

METH-LACED SOFT DRINK TRIGGERS TRAVEL ALERT

One man died after drinking 7Up contaminated with methamphetamine

Mexico News Daily
September 23, 2017

United States citizens have already been warned about tainted alcohol in Mexico. This week, a soft drink is the subject of a new warning.

Health professionals in Arizona issued the warning after one person died and as many as nine others became ill in Mexicali, Baja California, after drinking 7Up that was later found to contain methamphetamine.

José María Soto was admitted to a hospital in Mexicali last Sunday with nausea and stomach pain. He died shortly after.

His family said the symptoms had appeared after Soto drank 7Up from a two-liter bottle. A health official said Soto’s urine tested positive for methamphetamine.

El Universal reported that all the victims had purchased the beverage at a store in the Mexicali Valley.

Authorities have since seized 77,000 containers of 7Up in various sizes and asked stores to suspend sales of the product.

The newspaper Reforma reported that it was not the first time methamphetamine had appeared in soft drinks in the region, and that authorities have suspected that the beverages are being used to smuggle the drug across the border into the United States.

A spokesman for the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, which distributes 7Up in the United States, told the Arizona Republic that none of its products had been contaminated.

A doctor with Banner Health, a health care service provider, warned travelers to be cautious. “It is important to check that the seal for any food and drink consumed is still intact and shows no signs of tampering,” said Daniel Brooks.

Some side effects of drinking contaminated sodas are burning of the esophagus and stomach, vomiting and a fast or irregular heartbeat, according to Banner Health.

The U.S. State Department issued an alert in July to warn travelers in Mexico about the possibility of tainted alcohol after many reports of people becoming ill at some all-inclusive resorts. One death has been reported.

VEGAS MAN CHOKED TO DEATH ON A BIG DICK

Vegas PD: Man dies during sexual act, homicide detectives investigate

by Jordan Gartner

Fox 5
September 24, 2017

LAS VEGAS -- Las Vegas police are investigating the death of a man who lost his life during a sex act Saturday night.

Officers responded to an incident call at a home located in the 3300 block of Frontier Street, near Desert Inn Road and Decatur Boulevard, at about 9:20 p.m.

Metro said two men were engaging in a sexual act when one of them was choked and eventually died.

Homicide detectives were notified of the situation and are handling the investigation.

Authorities did not immediately report any arrests were made in the incident.

The Clark County Coroner's office will release the identity of the man deceased after family has been notified.

THINK COPS ARE RACIST KILLERS?

HERE Is Why You’re Wrong

By Kyle S. Reyes

NewBostonPost
September 21, 2017

Police are evil racist Nazi pigs.

According to certain fringe groups, that is. But I’d suggest the majority of Americans are pretty sick and tired of this narrative.

Put on the news and what do you see? Stories about police-involved shootings. And riots, of course. Because the two go hand in hand. Thank God there are groups out there like Law Enforcement Today that are working to report on the real stories.

Let’s talk about police use of force. It’s time to systematically destroy the argument that cops are racist killers. And I’ll break this down pretty simply so everyone can understand.

__The U.S. population is about 314,000,000 people.
__There are approximately 670,439 police officers.
__That means there are less than 2.2 police officers per 1,000, or 2,133 officers per million.
__Police officers are less than .22 % of population.
__Officers come into contact with 17% of the population annually.
__That means 53,380,000 contacts …
__Which led to 26,000 excessive force complaints against officers.
__That’s 0.049% of contacts.
__Only 8% of those complaints were sustained.
__That’s 2,080 out of 53,380,000 contacts, or .0039%

A good friend of mine who is a Chief of Police put that into perspective:

__You are seven times more likely to be murdered …
__15 times more likely to be killed in a traffic accident …
__42 times more likely to be raped …
… than to have a police officer use excessive force on you.

But we’re just warming up. Let’s look at 2015 police shootings.

990 people were shot by police in 2015. Here’s the demographic breakdown of those “victims”:

__White — 494, 50%
__Black — 258, 26%
__Hispanic – 172, 17%
__Other — 66, 7%

Of those:

__Mental illness played a role in 25%.
__25% involved fleeing suspects.
__In 75% of the incidents, the officer was under attack or defending someone that was.
__Indictments of police officers tripled from previous years.

Listen. I’m not suggesting racism doesn’t exist in law enforcement. It exists everywhere – that’s the sad truth of it.

And yes, black people in the United States are more likely to be victims of violent confrontations with police officers (per capita) than their white counterparts. 
But let’s dive deeper into why this is.

Statistically minorities come to police attention far more than their population would suggest.

__Black Americans make up about 13% of the population.
__But according to the FBI, they account for about 50% of murders, and about 38% of all violent crime overall.

Chicago gives us some great examples. And let’s not forget the insanely strict gun laws there, by the way. For example, during the first eight months of 2016 (the most recent period for which the numbers are available), 2,818 people were shot — only 12 by police. (That’s one-half of 1 percent).

In cities with large black populations, homicide rates have skyrocketed during that same period:

__In Washington D.C., homicides are up 54%. In Cleveland, up 90%. Overall, homicide is up 17%.
__The U.S. Department of Justice says that Black people make up 15% of the population in the 75 largest counties in the United States, yet account for 62% of all robberies, 57% of murders, 45% of all assaults.

So what’s going on here? Are we confusing the color of one’s skin with poverty or inequality? It’s a fair argument. Black people tend to be greater offenders, statistically speaking, because they tend to be more disadvantaged, living in poorer urban areas with less access to public services.

Then of course there’s the argument about the “violent subculture theory.” This is the idea that some black communities have developed cultural values that are more tolerant of crime and violence.

I want to leave you with a few recent studies.

First, a 2016 study by Roland G. Fryer Jr., who is an economics professor at Harvard. He found that no racial bias could be detected in police shootings, in either the raw data or when accounting for controls. He also found racial bias was detected in lesser use of police force, but not deadly encounters. His recommendation?

“Black Lives Matter should seek solutions within their own communities rather than changing the behaviors of police and other external forces.”

Second, there were 6,095 black homicide deaths in 2014 — the most recent year for which such data are available — compared with 5,397 homicide deaths for whites and Hispanics combined. Almost all of those black homicide victims had black killers.

Finally, police officers — of all races — are also disproportionately endangered by black assailants. Over the past decade, according to FBI data, 40% of cop killers have been black. Officers are killed by blacks at a rate 2.5 times higher than the rate at which blacks are killed by police.

Seems to me like the real problem here is socioeconomic disparities along with a public perception issue thanks to biased reporting. And let’s not forget the huge role that social media plays in disseminating false narratives and creating emotional, knee-jerk reactions.

It’s important to have very real conversations about racism in America and accountability among those who hold the thin blue line. Let’s just make sure we’re basing those conversations on facts and not feelings.

Monday, September 25, 2017

ONE SHINING STAR ON A DARK SUNDAY

NFL player Alejandro Villanueva stood sharply at attention and saluted the flag

Sunday was a dark day in the history of the United States. More than 200 NFL players refused to stand during the playing of the national anthem, including players in a game played in London. There was however one shining star on that dark day.

When the Pittsburg Steelers decided to stay off the field during the playing of the anthem, offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva decided to honor our flag and country. Villanueva positioned himself outside the tunnel during the playing of the anthem. He stood sharply at attention and saluted the flag by holding his right hand over his heart.

Why did Villanueva choose to respect flag and country when so many NFL players chose to show their disrespect? It’s because Alejandro is a military veteran. He served three tours of duty in Afghanistan as a Captain in the army rangers. I’m sure Alejandro saw his fellow soldiers shed their blood for our country. A West Point graduate, Alejandro was awarded a Bronze Star for his heroism in combat.

When Colin Kaepernick first sat out the anthem, Villanueva said:

“I don't know if the most effective way is to sit down during the national anthem with a country that's providing you freedom, providing you $16 million a year ... when there are black minorities that are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan for less than $20,000 a year.”

Villanueva's teammates could be seen in the tunnel, a few of them standing at attention with the hand-over heart salute.

Alejandro Villanueva should be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom!

FREE SPEECH OFFICIALLY CANCELLED IN BERKELEY

by Bob Walsh

Yes, it is sad but true. Free Speech no longer exists in that former bastion of free thought and expression, Berkeley, CA and the UC Berkeley campus.

Some people are saying the school killed it off. Others are asserting that the expected/scheduled speakers backed out. Milo Yiannopoulos says he is going to show up anyway. Ann Coulter says she is not.

Since the student groups that were sponsoring the event are no longer doing so there will not be any sort of "official" event but some are saying that some sort of happening will take place anyway. That likely means at least threats of violence and property damage. Maybe more than simple threats.

The last time Yiannopolous tried to speak, back in February, about 1,000 more or less peaceful protestors showed up. Then about 150 Anti-Fa thugs, masked and armed, showed up and started a riot. The cops held a circle-jerk while the thugs attacked people and busted up property.

The student groups that were planning and sponsoring the event have filed a complaint with the US Department of Justice, asserting that the university has engaged in a significant pattern of first amendment violations.

ONLY NASCAR ….. AND HOCKEY

Responding to Trump’s condemnation of sports stars who refuse to stand for the National Anthem, DJ diplo tweeted:

“Trump wants to fire all black athletes with an opinion so we will only left with NASCAR.”

Hey, that’s not a bad idea. Then all those ungrateful overpaid athletes who are disrespecting the flag will have to go out and earn a real living.

But wait a minute. In addition to NASCAR we will still have hockey.

Granted, there are only a handful of black players in the National Hockey League. But, unlike the NFL and NBA, the NHL will not put up with any of its players disrespecting the flag of any country.

The National Hockey League has teams in Canadian and U.S. cities. The teams are composed of Canadian, Russian, Swedish, Czech, American and players from several other countries. All NHL players stand when the Canadian or American anthems are played, regardless of what country they are citizens of. You can bet the NHL would not tolerate any player sitting down while the Canadian or American anthem was being played.

Hockey coach John Tortorella says, “If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game.” Every player that suits up for a game is just dying to get off the bench and on the ice. You can bet that coach Tortorella’s declaration will have all of his players standing during an anthem with no exceptions, be they black or white.

Standing during the playing of our National Anthem shows that we respect our country and the flag under which countless of soldiers have died to protect the rights we enjoy under the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. How many of the NFL and other league players that are refusing to stand for the anthem have ever served in the military? I’ll bet none of them have.

Only NASCAR and hockey? Not a bad idea at all.

LATINOS MUST BE LAUGHING THEIR ASSES OFF OVER THIS BLACK VS. WHITE BROUHAHA

Outrage at Colorado high school football team's fans for flying a Confederate flag and spewing racist slurs at the other team

By Keith Griffith

Daily Mail
September 24, 2017

A high school principal has claimed that a football game was disrupted when the opposing team brought a Confederate flag and racially taunted his students, despite denials from officials at the other school.

Nick Dawkins, the principal of Manual High School in Denver, shared the shocking story in a letter to parents following the Manual Thunderbolts' Friday home game versus the Weld Central Rebels.

'Last night, the Weld Central High School team, which has a Rebel mascot, displayed a Confederate flag during the first quarter of the game, offending many members of the Manual community. We asked them to remove the flag and they did so,' Dawkins wrote.

However, Weld County athletic director Scott Richardson told 7News Denver that Weld officials never saw a Confederate flag at the game and that the flag is banned from their sporting events.

'I didn't see any Confederate flags, and I asked the coaches and they said they didn't see any flags,' Richardson said. 'If we did see it we would have asked our fans to put it away because we banned the flags.'

The Weld principal also said that some of his school's players had reported that Weld players had 'taunted them with racial slurs' during tackles.

Dawkins also said that three Manual players were injured during the game, but are receiving treatment and will be fine.

Manual's student body is 29 percent black and 6 percent white, according to state data. At Weld Central, located 40 miles northeast of Denver, the student demographics are 58 percent white and less than 1 percent black.

At both schools, Hispanic students make up most of the rest of the student bodies.

There were no photos of the Confederate flag incident available, and local Fox affiliate KDVR reported that parents from both schools had emailed saying the incident did not happen the way Dawkins described it.

Weld Central's mascot, a Civil War-era soldier, has generated controversy in recent weeks.

Two petitions, one calling for the abolition of the Rebel mascot and one calling for its preservation, circulated in August, as tensions boiled nationwide over Confederate memorials.

'Regardless of the reason why a school started 100 years after the Civil War in Colorado would choose to use Confederate symbols for a mascot, it's disrespectful to people of color and aggrandizes a movement that is abhorrent,' Emma Locke wrote on the petition calling for the mascot's removal.

But many in the small farming community of Keenesburg, where Weld Central is located, expressed emotional ties to the mascot and strongly oppose its abolition.

'Growing up here and still living in the area not once did I ever associate the Rebel mascot with any thing other than a symbol of unity, of a band of brothers and sisters united together toward a common goal,' alumnus Stan Roskop wrote on Facebook as the controversy flared.

'I have often stated that I am a Weld Central Rebel , my children are Weld Central Rebels, and my grand children will be Weld Central Rebels.'

The Rebels beat the Thunderbolts 48 to 12 in Friday's game.

EDITOR’S NOTE: I suspect what’s really bugging Manual is that the Rebels trounced them 48-12.