mm

                                 Senator  Claire McCaskill
NBC News          ADAM EDELMAN       Feb 27th 2018 
A top intelligence official said Tuesday that the U.S. is "probably not doing enough" to combat Russian attempts to interfere in American elections — prompting the fury of several Democratic lawmakers — and acknowledged that he'd not been directed by President Donald Trump to stop meddling by Moscow.

At a U.S. Cyber Command hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Admiral Mike Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, said he had not been given the authority by Trump, or Defense Secretary James Mattis, his direct boss, to strike at Russian cyber operations against the U.S.

Rogers admitted Russian President Vladimir Putin had likely concluded there was "little price" to pay for attempting to disrupt U.S. elections.

Democrats slammed Rogers’ assessment, imploring him to do more and ripping into the White House for not having directed a stronger counter-effort against the cyber-meddling.

"The notion they came after this, brazenly, and that nobody can sit in that chair and say, 'We got this…the notion you have not been given this mission to stop this from happening this year, is outrageous," said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.

McCaskill also asked whether the U.S. was "strong enough" and "smart enough" to prevent Russia from "doing this again."

Rogers replied, "We're taking steps but we're probably not doing enough," prompting another furious response from McCaskill.

"I want to know, why the hell not," she said. "What's it going to take?"

The tense hearing came just two weeks after special counsel Robert Mueller announced that 13 Russian nationals had been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of interfering in the 2016 presidential election — including on charges that they supported Trump's campaign with elaborate online and social media tactics.

The indictments — part of Mueller's ongoing investigation into Russian interference — were the first tied directly to Russian meddling in the race for the White House and the clearest evidence yet of Moscow's meddling.

Meanwhile, earlier at Tuesday’s hearing, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., asked Rogers whether he'd been "directed" to disrupt "Russian election hacking operation where they originate."

"No, I have not," Rogers responded, adding later that it "is probably fair to say that we have not opted to engage in some of the same behaviors that we are seeing."

During another strained exchange, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Rogers said he believed that Putin had come to the conclusion "there's little price" to pay for Russia’s meddling efforts and that the strongman was likely to continue the efforts.

"What I see on the cyber command side leads me to believe that if we don’t change the dynamic here that this is going to continue and 2016 won't be viewed as isolated,” Rogers said. "This is something that will be sustained over time."

Later Tuesday, the White House, responding to Rogers' assertion that Trump has not directed him to stop Russian meddling, said the administration didn't stop him from doing anything, either.

"Nobody is denying him the authority," Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

I wouldn't call him a windbag exactly, but .........

 

 

 

He blusters about bombs, buttons and war

 

 

 He backed off on  his own idea of changing the age (to 21) for assault weapons.  He bowed under pressure from the NRA.

 

 

 He keeps threatening the 'Dreamers' who have every right to be considered naturalized Americans. So far he just threatens and many cities have voluntarily become sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants and dreamers. Big bully.

 

Then there is the wall ... and how Mexico is going to pay for it.




WINDBAG!

Trump says he would have run into Parkland school during shooting even without a gun

 

 

 

Donald Trump – a man not famed for his modesty or lack of bravado – has claimed he would have run in to the Florida school assaulted by a gunman, even if he was not armed (sure he would). The same way he served his country in the military.
As students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School prepare to return to lessons this week after an attack that left 17 pupils and teachers dead, the President told a meeting of the nation’s governors: “You don’t know until you test it, but I really believe I’d have run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon.”
He added: “And I think most of the people in this room would have done that too, because I know most of you. But the way, the first armed police, performed was a disgrace.”

 Florida school students form giant human heart to honour Parkland shooting victims

 

In the aftermath of the shooting two weeks at the school in Parkland, there has been a fierce debate on how to reduce or end the number of incidents, which so frequently bring tragedy to US communities.
Inspired by the students from the school that was attacked, campaigners have been calling on Mr Trump and Republicans to act swiftly to regulate and control access to guns. The students from the high school have led a powerful and impassioned campaign to demand that they be the last pupils in America to suffer a mass shooting.
The National Rifle Assocation (NRA), the powerful gun rights lobbying group which spent $30m helping get Mr Trump elected in 2016, has said there should be no new legislation that bans weapons, not even assault rifles or the bump stock devices that can turn allow someone to fire a semi-automatic weapon as if it is fully automatic.

 

Mr Trump has said he is willing to push for more effective background checks and to raise the age requirement to buy a rifle to 21. He has said he believes that arming some teachers with concealed weapons would help reduce shootings.
“If you had a teacher who was adept with the firearm, they could end the attack very quickly,” the President said, after meeting with students, teachers and elected officials at the White House last week.
“This would be obviously only for people who were very adept at handling a gun, and it would be, it’s called concealed carry, where a teacher would have a concealed gun on them. They’d go for special training and they would be there and you would no longer have a gun-free zone.”

He added: “[A] gun-free zone to a maniac – because they’re all cowards – a gun-free zone is ‘let’s go in and let’s attack because bullets aren’t coming back at us’.”
While Mr Trump’s suggestion has received some support, many teachers, teaching union and senior police officials have said the idea was impractical and could backfire.
Yet, the President has not backed away from his suggestion, or from his criticism of a school protection officer, Scot Peterson, who has resigned after it was revealed he waited outside the school buildings with his handgun as Nikolas Cruz set about killing his former classmates and injuring many others. Broward County Sheriff’s office has launched an investigation after it was claimed three of its officers who arrived at the school also waited outside until back-up arrived.

Mr Trump told the governors he was determined to turn the nation’s “grief into action” following the atrocity. Mr Trump said that while “our nation is heartbroken”, the US needs “to have action” on measures related to school safety and gun violence.
He also said he had lunch with senior officials of the NRA and said that the organization “want to do something” to address the issue.
“There is no bigger fan of the Second Amendment than me but there’s a need to boost background checks and ensure that a sicko is unable to get a gun,” he said.
Apparently he has backed down on raising the age of gun purchasing to 21. Something he strongly suggested right after the tragedy. He is very good at the old 'switcheroo'. What he says today will be denied tomorrow.

 Below a governor blasts Trump for wanting to arm teachers:
Washington Governor Jay Inslee tells President Trump to his face that Washington teachers and police officers don't want teachers armed with weapons in the classroom, finishing by explaining to the President that he should lay off the tweeting.



Acts of Kindness

 



Companies boycott NRA

Activists are putting pressure on companies with ties to the NRA, a powerful gun lobby

More than half a dozen US companies have cut ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA) as consumers urge a boycott of businesses linked to the politically powerful gun lobby. The firms included car rental giants Hertz and Enterprise, which offered discounts for NRA members.

The moves follow NRA leader Wayne LaPierre's speech defending gun rights. They were the NRA's first public comments since a deadly school shooting in Florida.
Mr LaPierre said "opportunists" were using the 14 February tragedy, in which 17 people were killed, to expand gun control and abolish US gun rights.

How did the boycott come about?

Activists have tried to put pressure on the NRA since the shooting by targeting firms that offer discounts and other benefits to its members.
They have flooded its corporate partners with comments on social media under the hashtag #BoycottNRA. Firms under pressure include delivery company FedEx and tech giants such as Amazon, which distributes NRA television programs.

Which companies have cut NRA ties?

On Thursday, the family-owned First National Bank of Omaha said it would not renew NRA-branded credit cards, citing "customer feedback".

Skip Twitter post by @FNBOmaha

   First National Bank         

Replying to @dibshear and 19 others

Customer feedback has caused us to review our relationship with the NRA. As a result, First National Bank of Omaha will not renew its contract with the National Rifle Association to issue the NRA Visa Card.

End of Twitter post by @FNBOmaha

 

Enterprise Holdings, which owns the rental car brands Alamo, Enterprise and National, also said discounts offered to NRA members would end on 26 March.
The firm, which announced the move in response to comments on Twitter, declined to say why it had taken such a step but told a customer that the firm doesn't "sponsor, endorse or take a political stance on any organizations."

Skip Twitter post by @enterprisecares

            EnterpriseRentACar         

Replying to @zfamilymn

We don’t sponsor, endorse or take a political stance on any organizations. We regularly review our discount offers and decide which ones continue to make sense for our business. Kind regards, Michael

 

Other companies distanced themselves from the NRA on Friday.
Those included MetLife Insurance, the Avis Budget Group, home security firm Simplisafe, two moving brands - Allied Van Lines and northAmerican Van Lines - and Symantec Corp which had offered discounts for its LifeLock identity theft product.

Insurance firm Chubb also said it had stopped underwriting an NRA-branded insurance policy three months ago.
In Florida, the president of the Florida Education Association, which represents teachers' unions, also called on the state to look at pension holdings in gun companies in a statement to the Miami Herald newspaper.
However other companies continue to offer discounts to NRA members. On its website, the NRA says US airlines Delta and United are offering special flight discounts to NRA members travelling to Dallas for the organization's annual meeting in May.

What has the NRA said?

The NRA, which claims five million members, did not respond to a request for comment about effect of the boycott.
The group defended itself in comments on Twitter, saying people upset about the shooting should focus on lapses by law enforcement.
"Instead of placing the blame on an organization that defends everyone's #2A rights, maybe people should take a hard look at the number of failures by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies, or does that not fit your agenda?" it wrote, referring to the constitutional amendment that protects gun owners
Prior campaigns aimed at the NRA have had limited results.

President Donald Trump has defended the NRA, while others criticized the boycott on Twitter.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donald J. Trump      

✔

@realDonaldTrump

What many people don’t understand, or don’t want to understand, is that Wayne, Chris and the folks who work so hard at the @NRA are Great People and Great American Patriots. They love our Country and will do the right thing. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What other issues are attracting boycotts?

The campaign comes as US businesses increasingly find themselves entangled in political debates, as activists target them on issues such as LGBTQ rights, as well as ties to the president.
Companies such as retailer Nordstrom and sportswear brand Under Armour are among the firms that have been subject to calls for boycotts from the left and right.
Executives serving on presidential councils, including the former chief executive of Uber, have resigned from the advisory groups after consumer pressure. The councils eventually disbanded last summer.
North Carolina last year also rescinded a law that restricted bathrooms for transgender people after a boycott by businesses and sports leagues.

Arm teachers with guns ....Yep, that'll do 'er ... Teach those dang kids a lesson or two

 The National Rifle Association's Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre speaks during the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference at National Harbor in Oxen Hill, Maryland, on Feb. 22, 2018.
 

The head of the National Rifle Association lashed out at gun control advocates on Thursday, saying Democratic elites are politicizing the latest mass school shooting in the United States to try to erode constitutionally guaranteed gun rights.

NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre echoed President Donald Trump's call to arm teachers to prevent school shootings, and weighed in on a long-running political and cultural divide over access to weapons that has been inflamed by last week's massacre at a Florida high school that killed 17 students and staff.

"The elites don't care not one whit about America's school system and school children," LaPierre told a friendly audience of conservatives outside Washington. "Their goal is to eliminate the Second Amendment and our firearms freedoms so they can eradicate all individual freedoms."

 

At the White House, Trump told local and state school officials he had discussed his ideas to stem gun violence in schools with the NRA, the politically influential gun lobby that backed him in the 2016 campaign. He called the group "Great American Patriots."

"There's a tremendous feeling that we want to get something done," he said. "The NRA wants to do the right thing."

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer condemned LaPierre's comments and said the NRA was "once again spewing pathetic, out of touch ideas, blaming everything but guns."

The Feb. 14 rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida was the latest in a series of deadly shootings at U.S. schools and has spurred unprecedented youth-led protests in cities across the country. Many of the teenagers and their parents taking part have called for more curbs on guns.

LaPierre, speaking at the annual gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference, portrayed the NRA as the true protector of the country's schoolchildren and offered free training to those who want to bear arms to protect schools.

"We must immediately harden our schools," he said. "Every day, young children are being dropped off at schools that are virtually wide open, soft targets for anyone bent on mass murder." It should not be easier to shoot up a school than a bank or a jewelry store, he added.

The NRA set up a booth at the conference to sign up new members and recruit campaign field workers for the November mid-term elections in which Democrats are trying to take over control of Congress from Trump's fellow Republicans.

ARMED TEACHERS

"I'm strongly for concealed carry, strongly for arming the teachers like Trump said," said Nick Fuentes, 19, from Chicago, as he stood outside the booth. "Teachers who are adept at firearms should be armed."

LaPierre attacked Democrats by name including Senators Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Christopher Murphy and also took a swipe at the FBI for failing to follow up on a tip about the alleged shooter in the Parkland massacre. The FBI has said it failed to act on the tip.

Florida Governor Rick Scott also criticized the FBI for failing so far to provide details about why it did not respond to the tip. "Family members and loved ones of the victims deserve answers today," Scott said in a statement.

Trump reiterated his idea, first raised on Wednesday during an emotional discussion with people affected by the shooting, to arm teachers, a notion raised by some politicians in the past but dismissed by critics as fraught with danger.

"Anyone who pushes arming teachers doesn't understand teachers and doesn't understand our schools. Adding more guns to schools may create an illusion of safety, but in reality it would make our classrooms less safe," said Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers union.

At an hourlong meeting on school safety with 10 state and local officials, Trump said armed teachers with an aptitude for guns would deter would-be shooters.

"A gun-free zone to a killer, or somebody that wants to be a killer, that's like going in for the ice cream," Trump said. "They're not going to walk into a school if 20 per cent of the teachers have guns."

Trump repeated his support for tightening background checks for gun buyers, with an emphasis on mental health, and lifting the age limit to buy some kinds of guns. He also said he would push for an end to the sale of bump stocks, which allow rifles to shoot hundreds of rounds a minute.

The White House said Trump does not want to ban sales of an entire class of firearms despite mounting pressure to put assault weapons such as the one used in the Florida shooting out of civilian reach.

While gun laws vary widely by state, most federal gun control measures would require Congress to act. Douglas, Nikolas Cruz, has been charged with carrying out the Parkland shooting. Authorities say he was armed with a semiautomatic AR-15 assault-style rifle that he had purchased legally last year.

Definitely ...  arm teachers with hand guns or maybe AR-15 assault rifles or maybe a desk-top M16. A few grenades would also come in handy . They could carry them on a belt and be hands free. Tear gas would give the students some camouflage while they ducked under their desks. It makes as much sense as anything else Mr Trump has come up with. Why don't you ask the teachers what they think????  They may want to teach kids how to use a semi-automatic to blow someone's head off. It could come in handy when they grow up and get dissatisfied with their jobs at the Post Office.

 

 

 

Following the devastating school shooting last week in Parkland, Florida, students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have captured media attention as they speak out against gun violence and in support of gun control measures. Well, now teachers are speaking out too, sharing photos on Instagram and other social media platforms with the hashtag #armmewith and their requests for what they need in their classrooms in order to prevent further tragedy.
The #armmewith movement was started by two teacher-influencers on Instagram, Olivia Bertels (@missbertels) and Brittany Wheaton (@thesuperheroteacher). In one of her Instagram stories, Bertels explains that she had a friend associated with the MSD shooting and says, “I don’t find supporting gun control … to be a political statement … we need gun control in this country.”
The #armmewith movement is a direct response to the proposed solution that teachers carry guns in order to prevent further mass shootings, an idea which has resurfaced in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting.

First Lady's parents fall under scrutiny for residency in US

Amalija and Viktor Knavs, the parents of first lady Melania Trump, are reportedly legal permanent residents in the US.
It's likely that the Knavs used America's family-based immigration system to obtain their green cards, putting them on a path to citizenship.

The Trump administration is pushing Congress to enact major cuts to family-based immigration, which they call "chain migration."

First lady Melania Trump's parents reportedly obtained green cards and are on track to become US citizens, raising speculation over whether they took advantage of an immigration process that President Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate.

The Washington Post on Wednesday reported that Amalija and Viktor Knavs have become legal permanent residents, according to people familiar with their status. But their attorney declined to explain how or when the Knavs immigrated.

It's likely that the Knavs, who are from Slovenia, used America's family-reunification process to immigrate, according to immigration experts. One of the main methods of legal immigration to the US is family-based sponsorship, as citizens may sponsor their parents, children, and siblings for green cards.

Some hardline conservatives, particularly the president, call this process "chain migration" and have vowed to eliminate it and slash the US's overall immigration levels.

A representative for the Office of the First Lady declined to clarify the Knavs' immigration statuses to Business Insider, saying they were not part of the Trump administration.

The Knavs have long drawn speculation over their immigration status — they are occasionally photographed in the US, and multiple news reports have said they live with the Trumps. But the White House has not confirmed whether they lived in the US permanently or just visited frequently.

The issue became particularly contentious last week amid immigration negotiations in the Senateto address the fate of young unauthorized immigrants known as Dreamers, whose protection from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is set to end soon.

The president and hardline conservatives insisted on overhauling family-based immigration and the diversity visa lottery program in exchange for extending protections for Dreamers, but Trump's favored immigration proposal was shot down by 60 senators in a vote.

White House officials previously declined to go into specifics on the Knavs' immigration statuses when a reporter asked about them earlier in February, but they also argued that such immigration policies should not continue indefinitely just because they have existed in the past.

Let's hear from  Witchy :
What kind of s**t is this  HUH???  tRUMP  wants to end chain migration to get rid of his in-laws!!!   
tRUMP  You pissed and moaned about Obama's birth certificate! Show us Melania's (and her parent's Green Card!)
Trump likes nothing better than  to cause chaos! What he's doing is killing programs that help people, so it will pay for the rich people  permanent tax cuts. Medicaid   is almost gone. Medicare and Social Security is next!
tRUMP's Presidency will never be viewed as legitimate, regardless of all the  his  hooting and hollering no collusion.  Whatever the outcome of the Mueller investigation, there will forever be a asterisk by Trumps name in the white house.  Sorry trolls  but your boy is a joke.  You and the Russians can go cry together.

Coolest Tech

 

I was looking around the internet, and came across this amazing little piece of tech. It’s an earpiece, that connects to your phone with Bluetooth, and can translate speech in real time. The earpiece hears the speech, send it to your phone, translates it, sends it back to your earpiece, then speaks it into your ear.

With this tech, you can have almost real time speech translation. Currently there is a gap of a couple seconds, but the company that creates it is currently trying to get the gap down to zero.

When you buy it, you get 5 languages for free: French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and English. Pretty much every other popular language is available to buy.

This basically hacks the language barrier to pieces. And the best part about the entire thing, is that it costs $250.

Anyone with a smart phone and $250 can have a conversation with basically anyone on earth.

Pretty amazing.

 

Conspiracy Theory

 



 



Florida High School Shooting Survivors Announce a March on Washington

 

 

 

Following the horrific shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, last week, the student survivors are calling for a march on Washington to demand immediate action on gun control reform.

Calling it "The March for Our Lives," the teenagers organizing the protest said on Sunday that the protest is scheduled to take place on March 24. The plans are to include students “in every single major city” in hopes of sending a message to the White House about how the substantive improvement of preexisting gun control laws could, quite literally, save lives.

“We are losing our lives while the adults are playing around," junior Cameron Kasky told Raddatz. “This isn’t about the GOP; this isn’t about the Democrats. This is about us creating a badge of shame for any politicians who are accepting money from the NRA and using us as collateral."

David Hogg, another survivor, agreed, adding: "It’s time for us to stand up and take action and hold our elected officials responsible."

On Saturday, Marjory Stoneman Douglas senior Emma Gonzalez made an impassioned cry for legislative reform at a gun control rally in Fort Lauderdale, "calling BS" on Trump, lawmakers, and the NRA for their inaction and citing the necessity for immediate legislative reform. She joined Kasky, Hogg, and two other classmates in this call to action, saying: "We are going to be the difference."

In addition to the march, momentum is also building for an official school walkout on March 14. Planned in part by the Women's March organizers, the act of protest would mark the one-month anniversary of the South Florida shooting.

Together, the young survivors of last week's shooting are determined to harness these upcoming protests to incite a turning point in the national debate over gun laws and force the government to get on board. As high school junior Cameron Kasky concluded: "My message for the people in office is: You're either with us, or against us."

 

The day after  the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Wednesday, former President Barack Obama responded to the attack on Twitter. In Thursday's post, he expressed his sympathy for the victims, survivors, and their families, before calling for gun control reform.

"We are grieving with Parkland. But we are not powerless. Caring for our kids is our first job. And until we can honestly say that we're doing enough to keep them safe from harm, including long overdue, common-sense gun safety laws that most Americans want, then we have to change," he wrote.

Obama's response to the shooting took a markedly different tone than that of his successor. Immediately after news broke of the shooting on Wednesday, President Donald Trump tweeted:

 

 "My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school."

 

On Thursday morning, Trump took to Twitter once again, this time to comment on the shooter's mental health and history of behavioral issues. Later that day, he made a public address about the tragedy in which, yet again, he failed to mention firearms or gun control.



Archie Bunker on Gun Control



ALARMING : We’re Averaging One School Shooting Every 60 Hours In 2018

Wednesday’s shooting at a Florida high school is the 18th school shooting of the year.
By Lydia O’Connor
A reported shooting at a South Florida high school on Wednesday marks the country’s 18th school shooting of 2018, just 45 days into the year.

That’s an average of one school shooting every 60 hours thus far in 2018, more than double the number of school shootings recorded in any of the previous three years in that same period. Those numbers are according to data compiled by the gun control advocacy organization Every town for Gun Safety, which defines a school shooting as any time a firearm is discharged on or around a campus.

Details are still emerging about what happened during Wednesday’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, but as of 6:30 pm., at least 15 people had been reported dead.

President Donald Trump has spoken vaguely about the need to curb shootings, saying after the Las Vegas massacre in October that the U.S. would start “talking about gun laws as time goes by.”

Students embrace after being released from a lock down during Wednesday’s shooting.
Some three months later, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had little new information on that subject. 

“The president believes that all Americans deserve to be safe in their schools and in their communities,” Sanders said after a deadly school shooting in Kentucky last month. “We’ve tried to crack down on crime throughout the country.”

Meanwhile, Congress is still looking into loosening some gun control restrictions.
Here are the details from the 17 other school shootings in 2018:

Feb. 8: The Metropolitan High School in New York City
A gunshot was fired in the Bronx school and left a bullet hole in a classroom floor but caused no injuries. Police took a 17-year-old into custody. 

Feb. 5: Harmony Learning Center in Maplewood, Minnesota 
A third-grader discharged a police officer’s holstered gun while participating in a group activity at the K-12 school. No injuries were reported.

Feb. 5: Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland
A student was shot outside the school in an apparent robbery attempt and hospitalized for several hours. Police charged two other teenagers with attempted murder. 

Feb. 1: Salvador B. Castro Middle School in Los Angeles
Two middle school students sustained injuries after they were shot in a classroom. Police took a 12-year-old girl into custody in connection with the shooting. 

Jan. 31: Lincoln High School in Philadelphia
A 32-year-old man died after being shot twice in the leg outside the high school during after a brawl broke out during a school basketball game. 

Jan. 26: Dearborn High School in Dearborn, Michigan 
Someone fired shots from a car at the school’s parking lot during a basketball game, but no one was injured. 

Jan. 25: Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama
A 16-year-old student fired multiple shots at another student after a verbal disagreement. No one was injured.

Jan. 23: Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky
A 15-year-old boy opened fire inside the school, killing two and injuring 16.

Jan. 22: NET Charter High School in New Orleans
Someone driving by the school fired on a group of students in the parking lot. One boy was injured.

Jan. 22: Italy High School in Italy, Texas
A 16-year-old boy shot a 15-year-old girl in the cafeteria. He was arrested and she was airlifted to a hospital, where she was later reported to be “in good spirits.”

Jan. 20: Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Following an argument, a 21-year-old Winston-Salem University student was shot and killed during a sorority event at Wake Forest University.

Jan. 15: Wiley College in Marshall, Texas
Two people in a car exchanged gunfire with a person in a dormitory parking lot. No one was injured, but a bullet was fired into a dorm room with three female students inside.

Jan. 10: Coronado Elementary School in Sierra Vista, Arizona
A 14-year-old died in a school bathroom from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Jan. 10: Grayson College in Denison, Texas
A student confused a training weapon with a real one and fired a bullet through a classroom wall. No students were injured.

Jan. 10: California State University in San Bernardino, California
At least one shot was fired, shattering a classroom window. No students were injured.

Jan. 4: New Start High School in Seattle
Two shots were fired at the school from outside the building. No students were injured.

Jan. 3: East Olive Elementary School in St. John, Michigan
A man standing in the school’s parking lot called 911 saying he was suicidal. He spoke with a county official for several hours on the phone, according to local media, but ultimately shot himself and died from a single gunshot wound.


Thanx  to Willa Frej

Witchy sez : "Life without a goal is like sailing on the sea without a destination.” And the leadership is ability to motivate a group of people toward a common goal. Having a leader whom we believe in gives us direction, stability, and the chance for fulfillment. So a good leader plays an important role.
In my mind, I think a good leader should display sincerity and candor in all their actions. Because of deceptive behavior will not inspire trust. To be a leader must be believed by all common people. 

You must stop grabbing p***y's , tweeting  all night , take care of the business your trolls elected you to do  and most off all stop your lying .
Remember  , you have  a son in school  , the private sector of schools  is not immune from violence.
Wake up world .
Have anyone notice  that more violence in the world  is getting worse  as  the climate  gets worse ?

Former student opens fire at Florida high school, killing 17 people and injuring many others

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS     By Elizabeth Elizalde            Updated: Wednesday, February 14, 2018
A former student opened fire at a Florida high school Wednesday, killing at least 17 people and injuring numerous others. 

The suspect — who is in custody — was identified as Nicolas Cruz, who previously attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, an official confirmed to the Associated Press.  

Many victims were transported to Broward Health Medical Center, the Broward County Sheriff's Office said. The extent of their injuries was unknown. 

A man who was placed in handcuffs by police is loaded into a paramedic vehicle after a shooting incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.  (HANDOUT/REUTERS)
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said the suspect previously attended the school and is 18 years old. He added that the shooter was in and out of the school "at varying times."  

Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said there were "numerous fatalities."

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.  (NYDN, MAPZEN, OPENSTREETMAP)
Some students were barricaded in classrooms, and others were being escorted out of the building with their hands over their heads. 

A student described the alleged shooter as a "troubled kid" who was a gun enthusiast.

"He shot guns because he said it was exhilarating," the student told WSVN-TV. 

A mother said she communicated with her daughter, a ninth-grader at the school, through text messages.

She's telling me that she is OK," the parent told Local10. "The teacher has them in the back of the classroom. He locked the door. They know what to do. They're doing the proper procedure, but she's terrified."

Student Michael Katz, 15, said he heard a loud bang he thought was a garbage truck around 2:20 p.m.

A shooting was reported at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Wednesday.  
"It was really loud. Then I heard it again," Katz told ABC News. "Then I heard frantic screaming. I've never heard such loud screams in my life. Then we realized there was a shooting at my school."

Anti-gun control Ky. governor calls shootings cultural problem
An English teacher who was in the middle of a lesson when the shooting broke out said she hid her students in a closet for safety. Her friend, who taught in the freshman building, saw at least three bodies on the ground as she was leaving the building, she said.  

Students seen running from school with their hands up outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS h
"This is the type of situation that we just had a training about maybe like six weeks ago," the teacher told CNN. "If we hadn't had that training it could've been a lot worse. A lot of us probably thought this was the drill we were supposed to have." 

SWAT team members and ambulances swarmed the school, which was placed on lockdown. Broward County Schools tweeted that students were being dismissed. 

President Trump was briefed on the shooting, the White House said. 

"My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting," the President tweeted. "No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school."

There have been at least 18 school shootings nationwide this year, according to the gun control advocacy group Everytown For Gun Safety.

Among the shootings was a Jan. 23 attack by a 15-year-old student at a Kentucky high school that killed two students and injured nearly 20 more.

Warning from spy chief about security clearance

 

 

Dan Coates

 

US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said the clearance process was "broken" and needs to be reformed.  Aides with interim clearance should not have access to top secret information.
He was responding to a question about former White House aide Rob Porter, who allegedly beat his wife, and also about the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.  Kushner reportedly has only the same interim security clearance as Porter.
Mr Coats was one of several spymasters who gave evidence on Tuesday to the Senate Intelligence Committee about global threats facing the US.
"Sometimes it is necessary to have some type of preliminary clearance in order to fill a slot," the US director of national intelligence said in response to a question from Democratic New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich.
"But if that is the case the access has to be limited in terms of the kind of information they can be in a position to receive."
He told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday there is currently a government-wide backlog of 700,000 security clearance applications.
"The process is broken, it needs to be reformed. It's not evolution, it's revolution," he said.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders would not confirm the number of staff members who are operating with interim clearances.
"We are following a process that has been used by previous administrations and we would rely on the law enforcement and intelligence communities to determine if that process should be changed," Mrs Sanders said during Tuesday's news briefing.
Mr Coats' testimony comes amid controversy over the interim security clearance granted to Mr Porter, the former White House staff secretary who was forced out last week after two ex-wives told US media he was emotionally and physically abusive to them.
In Tuesday's hearing, FBI director Christopher Wray appeared to contradict the White House's account of when it knew about the allegations against Porter, which he denies.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (L) has come under fire for defending Rob Porter (R)

 

Wray said the bureau notified the White House about problems in Mr Porter's background check in March last year. That is months earlier than the White House said it received the information.
Mrs Sanders later disputed the FBI timeline, saying that the background check had not yet been completed.
Mr Wray also said the FBI delivered the final results in January of its background investigation into  Porter. But the White House said last week that  Porter's background investigation was "ongoing" at the time he quit.  The White House is also facing questions about presidential adviser Mr Kushner's access to classified material.

37-year-old Kushner is reportedly operating on an interim security clearance

 

Despite his lack of a full security clearance, Kushner is able to read the President's Daily Brief, a top secret intelligence report that Mr Trump himself does not bother to read, according to reports.
 Kushner is one of dozens of White House employees still awaiting permanent clearance, according to the Washington Post.
His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said the 37-year-old's application is taking longer than usual "because of the extent of his holdings, travels and lengthy submissions", according to the newspaper.
The wealthy New York real estate developer has had to refile the national security questionnaire required of all prospective White House employees after making a number of omissions.
Last October, the head of the National Background Investigations Bureau told Congress he has "never seen that level of mistakes" on any security clearance application.

So who knows who is walking out of the White House with  top secret documents or codes in their lunch pails, for sale to the highest bidder??  No one seems to take the matter too seriously. But by all means build a concrete wall across the country to keep Mexicans out so they don't rape Americans. Huh??

Toronto serial killer .... Santa Claus ????

Serial Killer Bruce McArthur worked as mall Santa

 

Crime scene

 

Never loan your garage to a landscaper who also works at the mall as Santa for the kiddies. Just keep that in mind. Karen Fraser and Ron Smith naively let Bruce McArthur store his landscaping equipment in their garage. He repaid them by caring for their lawn and putting beautiful raised planters and pots around their property which bloom with a rainbow of flowers in the spring.

 But those planters hid a gruesome secret. The remains of  at least six human beings were discovered in those planters, according to police. They then proceeded to dig up the entire property as much as possible in the extreme cold.

McArthur, 66, has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the disappearances of Andrew Kinsman, Selim Esen, Majeed Kayhan, Soroush Mahmudi and Dean Lisowick. Police have described the deaths as the work of a serial killer.

Police confirmed that Kinsman's remains were among those of at least six people recovered from planter pots they say McArthur placed in the yard. They have not said if they have identified any of the other remains.
Investigators have cordoned off the yard since Jan. 18, when McArthur was arrested on the first two murder charges. A green tent was set up in the yard and heaters were brought in so investigators could thaw out and probe the frozen ground which was also scanned with ground penetrating radar.
"We dug down, until we could'n't dig anymore, only a matter of inches," the lead investigator, Det.-Sgt. Hank Idsinga, said last week. "And then we left it for another day or two, let it thaw some more and then continued digging."
The excavation was overseen by Dr. Kathy Gruspier, the first and only fulltime forensic anthropologist in Canada, who works for the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service. No more remains have been found on the property and  investigators have expanded their search to more than 30 properties tied to McArthur’s landscaping business.
The.police expect to lay more charges against McArthur. The gay community in Toronto want this resolved quickly. All the victims, so far as investigators know, were gay.
When McArthur was arrested, police found another victim tied up in his apartment.While not all of the details have been released, police did believe McArthur met his victims while cruising around the city in a van he used for work. He also may have met some of his victims on dating apps for older gay men.

He used names such as “SilverDaddies” and “Bear411.” 

“I can be a bit shy until I get to know you, but am a romantic at heart,” he wrote on one of his profiles.  Wait...What??

Pack your things Mr Trump



I love a parade

 

Trump style military parade

Clueless

New York State sues Weinstein Company

 

Harvey Weinstein .... Look at that face ?  Is that the face of a rapist ... an abuser of women who was given to making death threats.  Oh Yeah.  He has soulless eyes.

 

New York prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against the Weinstein Company, alleging that the studio failed to protect staff from Harvey Weinstein.

The film producer is facing dozens of allegations of sexual abuse, including rape, but denies non-consensual sex. The lawsuit alleges Mr Weinstein abused female employees and made verbal threats to kill staff members.

A lawyer for Mr Weinstein said a "fair investigation" would show that many of the allegations were without merit.The Weinstein Company is yet to comment.

 

What is in the lawsuit?

 

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said on Sunday that he had filed the suit against the Weinstein Company, as well as Mr Weinstein and his brother Robert, who co-founded the studio.

He is seeking an unspecified sum to cover damages, plus penalties, for victims of alleged abuse by Harvey Weinstein, 65.

The document alleges that Mr Weinstein sexually harassed and abused women employed by the studio for years.

It accuses senior executives at the company, including Robert Weinstein, of failing to prevent the mistreatment of staff despite being presented with evidence.

 

The lawsuit follows a four-month investigation and cites multiple examples of alleged misconduct by Mr Weinstein, including:

• Verbal threats, such as telling employees "I will kill you" or "I will kill your family"
• Employing female staff as "wing women" to "accompany [Mr Weinstein] to events and facilitate [his] sexual conquests"
• Demanding sexual favours in return for career promotion at the studio
• Requiring his drivers to "keep condoms and erectile dysfunction injections in the car at all times"
• The requirement for his assistants to schedule "personals for sexual activity" both during office hours and after work

The film producer's contract allegedly contained the proviso that mistreatment claims would result in a financial penalty, rather than be prohibited, which "effectively monetised" sexual harassment.

 In response, Mr Weinstein's lawyer Ben Brafman said while his client's behaviour "was not without fault", there was "no criminality".

"At the end of the inquiry it will be clear that Harvey Weinstein promoted more women to key executive positions than any other industry leader and there was zero discrimination at either Miramax or [the Weinstein Company]." he said.

What does this mean for Weinstein Company?

 

The suit casts doubt over the sale of the Weinstein Company, which has been battling bankruptcy and is in talks with investors.

Mr Schneiderman said his investigation was continuing, but he had brought the suit out of concern that a possible sale would leave alleged victims without adequate compensation, and could benefit "perpetrators or enablers".

It is reported that businesswoman Maria Contreras-Sweet has led talks to buy the studio for $500m.

 

But after news of the suit emerged, negotiations are now said to be on hold. Investors baulked at the prospect of the lawsuit adding conditions to the sale.

 

What is Mr Weinstein accused of?

 

In October last year, The New York Times published a story detailing decades of allegations of sexual harassment against Mr Weinstein.

Since then more than 50 women, among them some of the biggest names in Hollywood, have accused the film producer of sexual assault, harassment, abuse and rape.

 

Ashley Judd: I was not frightened of Harvey Weinstein. Judd and Mira Sorvino are two of the more than 100 women who have come forward in the past two months to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment and misconduct

 

In the wake of the allegations, Mr Weinstein was fired by the board of his company. He is under investigation by UK and US police but, so far, no charges have been brought.

 

Mr Weinstein, who was once among the most powerful men in Hollywood, has admitted that his behaviour has "caused a lot of pain" but has described many of the allegations against him as "patently false".  Seems like there is an epidemic of flushing out all these 'A...holes'. Good! It is a cleansing process. Watch out Mr Trump. They will get you too.

12 months of Trump mess

 

It'a a litte late in the season for this video but I just found it and it was too delicious to pass up

Tanks but 'no tanks'.... Trump's parade not well recieved

U.S. Army Reserve color guard soldiers carry the colors on Fifth Avenue during the annual New York City Veterans Day Parade in New York, NY, U.S., November 11, 2017.

 

 President Donald Trump's dream of a grand military parade through the streets of the U.S. capital attracted scorn, skepticism and even a dash of wit from local officials on Wednesday.

Critics argued a parade could cost millions of dollars, at a time the Pentagon wants more stable funding for an overstretched military.
“A military parade in D.C. would shut down the nation’s capital and waste taxpayer dollars just to feed Trump’s ego,” said Eleanor Holmes Norton, a non-voting delegate to the U.S. Congress for the District of Columbia, a Democratic stronghold. 

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent Republican voice on defense matters, said he favored highlighting the country’s armed forces but not its weaponry.
“I think a parade showcasing the military and the sacrifices they make for the country would be appropriate, it would be a way to say thank you, but I’m not interested in a military hardware display. That would be cheesy and project weakness,” Graham told reporters on Wednesday.
The White House said on Tuesday it had asked the Pentagon to explore a celebration of “America’s great service members,” after the Republican president marveled at the Bastille Day military parade he attended in Paris last year. ( Isn't that what November 11th [Veterans' Day] and the fourth of July
[Independence Day] are set aside for ??? )

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis - who argued to lawmakers on Tuesday that a budgetary impasse was eroding U.S. advantages over adversaries and could lead to aircraft being grounded - said the Pentagon was putting together options that would be sent to the White House.
“I think we’re all aware in this country of the president’s affection and respect for the military,” Mattis told reporters, while declining to address the costs of the parade.
One option under consideration is for a parade on Nov. 11 - which would be the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One. 

GENERALLY RARE

Military parades in the United States are generally rare. Such parades in other countries are usually staged to celebrate victories in battle or showcase military might.
In 1991, tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces from Kuwait in the Gulf War.

That parade cost $12 million, according to a report at the time. While the Pentagon does not yet have a cost estimate for how much another parade may cost, it is likely to be in the tens of millions of dollars. U.S. officials say it would also be a logistical challenge to bring thousands of troops, tanks and aircraft to Washington.  Not to mention accommodating  and feeding the men and storing all the tanks and aircraft. And the whole production put on for no particular holiday, occasion, or military exercise; Just a big show to entertain a big showoff.
The District of Columbia Council ridiculed the idea of a parade on Pennsylvania Avenue, the 1.2-mile (1.9-km) stretch between the Capitol and the White House that is also the site of the Trump International Hotel.
“Tanks but no tanks!” it tweeted. 
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser’s spokeswoman said the District had no formal request for a parade but ”just like the wall, he will have to pay for it,” a reference to Trump’s plan to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and have Mexico pay for it. The Mexican government has insisted it will not do so.
Trump publicly expressed his interest in an American military display after watching the Paris parade. It is well known that Trump loves pomp and ceremony especially if it strokes his enormous ego.  At least consider for a moment, that this whole incredible waste of money, that could be much better spent on  the  actual defense budget, is just another self aggrandizing Trump stunt.