Duchess Meghan has more freedom to speak "from the heart" on topics such as racial injustice and gender, since she is no longer a senior royal.

The 38-year-old royal - who stepped down from her royal role earlier this year, along with her husband Prince Harry, and moved to Los Angeles - is carving out a new career as a public speaker and Meghan can now give "punchier" speeches as she is not constrained by royal protocol.

Speaking on the 'Heirpod' podcast, Omid Scobie, author of 'Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan, and the Making of a Modern Royal Family', said: "[The Girl Up Leadership Summit speech] was Meghan really being able to talk without the constraints of some of the things you might have to bear in mind when writing a speech as a working member of the royal family.

"I understand she spent a long time preparing for this speech. Usually we see members of the royal family reading from very tight scripts when they go up onto a stage, I understand Meghan had bullet points.

"She was perhaps a little punchier than we've seen in the past. She spoke more from the heart than from a script."

And Scobie revealed that Meghan's recent speech for the Girl Up Leadership Summit was a sign of what fans can expect of her in the future.

He explained: "I had an interesting conversation with Team Sussex after this happened. They said this speech really spoke to many of the issues she will continue to focus on passionately moving forward, gender equity, racial injustice, youth empowerment...

"This worked as a really great preview for the Duchess of Sussex and some of her future speaking engagements."

Visit link:

Duchess Meghan's freedom to 'speak from the heart' after quitting as senior royal - Opelika Auburn News

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

In the last few weeks, tens of thousands of people have, once again, taken to the streets of Sudans major cities to demand freedom, peace and justice, the rallying cry for the protesters who ousted Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

The big difference is that this time they are marching against the civilian-military Sovereign Council, demanding a greater role for civilians in the countrys transition towards democracy and faster reform.

A year ago the people of Sudan were heralding the fall of Bashir, the countrys long-serving strongman. A mass uprising led by the Sudan Professional Association and Resistance Committees had eventually managed to precipitate the deposing of the president. A host of grievances fanned the protests. Among them were endemic corruption, a struggling economy, human rights violations, and a failed health system.

Why then have the protests returned to the street so soon after they vacated them in triumphant euphoria?

The answer lies in the fact that the balance of power in the transition period that follows the fall of a despot is always tricky. This was evident in Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt. When reformers are relatively weak and those determined to protect the status quo are strong, substantive change will be demonstrably lethargic and long-winded. It will sometimes be stalled, and even reversed in certain instances.

Entrenched status quo elites will be reluctant to change because this poses a threat to their interests.

Events in Sudan point to this tension.

Following Bashirs ouster, a civilian-military sovereign council headed by a civilian prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, and made up of six civilians and five military officers, was instituted. Its immediate challenge was ensuring security and stability, negotiating peace with Darfur rebels, and repairing Sudans battered economy.

So what is on its report card a year on?

For starters, the systematic jailing of opponents has stopped, and arbitrary arrests from the security bureau have largely ceased. Censorship and the muzzling of the press has all but stopped. And the public order law has been repealed. This law was notorious for giving police disproportionate powers of arrest and punishment including for moral and religious infractions.

In rebuilding institutional trust, the police chief and his deputy have also been fired, after protesters demanded more measures against officials linked to Bashir.

In addition, serious effort have been made to meet another core protest demand the end to incessant conflicts in Sudan. Peace efforts have been pursued with the rebel Sudan Revolutionary Front. These efforts produced a preliminary peace accord, including the drawing down of the UN peace keeping mission in Darfur.

Most recently, an anti-corruption body to trace ill-gotten wealth and provide accountability has been set up. The confiscation of almost $4 billion of assets from Bashir, his family and associates signals a move in the right direction.

In addition, the transitional government has actively sought to change Sudans standing in the world by shedding its image as a pariah state. This was not of primary concern to the protest movement, which was focused more on issues of bread and butter. But the transitional government nevertheless has acted to mend fences in the hope that it will deliver dividends for the country.

To this end, it has actively lobbied the US government to remove it from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Washington is still considering this request. In the meantime it has removed the country from a black list of states endangering religious freedom. It has also lifted sanctions on 157 Sudanese firms.

And, for the first time in 23 years, the two countries have exchanged ambassadors.

For its part, Sudan has reduced the number of troops it has in Yemen by two thirds.

But the expectations of last years popular uprising have not been met. The reason for this is that substantive reforms have been slow.

One area of clear frustration has been the snails pace at which civilian control is taking place. The civilian governance footprint on the countrys body politic is not yet evident. Instead, the military elite continues to have de facto control and influence, sidelining the civilians and often pushing for greater compromises from civilian partners.

Examples of this include the fact that a legislative transitional council has yet to be installed. This would have provided a degree of counterweight to the military dominated sovereign council. Legislation is thus being done in an ad hoc manner.

In addition, civilian governors havent been appointed to replace military ones in the various provinces, which would signal another move away from military governance.

The lack of urgency in bringing Bashir and his henchmen to trial is also frustrating people. It appears to be a marginal priority, and in some instances deliberately frustrating.

Nor have the countrys economic woes been addressed. People still queue for three to six hours to buy bread, or fill their tanks at petrol stations. Electricity reliability is still sketchy, with power cuts the norm. Accessing domestic gas is also a problem.

The economy has been contracting and oil revenues have slumped due to falling oil prices and low production capacity. This has affected public expenditure and the investment needed to jumpstart the economic recovery.

COVID-19 has done even more damage.

Sudan has competing power structures that are inhibiting coherent and far reaching reforms. In the one camp are the reformers, in the other those who wish to defend the status quo. Reformers are constantly having to negotiate and make strategic calculations about what changes can be made and how fast.

This game of political brinkmanship is beginning to take its toll.

Clearly the civilian half of the transitional government has struggled to assert or leverage its moral authority or popular legitimacy in the face of military intransigence.

But the prime minister Abdalla Hamdor remains popular. In seeking to placate the demonstrators, he recently admitted that the transitional authority had to correct the revolutions track. This was tacit acknowledgement that on his watch things have gone off the desired path.

But does he have the leverage to correct this diversion from the expectations of the street?

That answer might sadly be, not to a great extent.

For now, the reality that the protesters and civilian elite have to contend with is that after a long and destructive authoritarian legacy, change will not come easily. Nor can it be fast-tracked. Rather it is a product of patience, compromise and above all perseverance.

Author Bio:

David E. Kiwuwa is Associate Professor of International Studies at the University of Nottingham.

Link:

Why protesters are fed up with Sudan's tricky transition - Toward Freedom

SPEECH

MICHAEL R. POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER

JULY 16, 2020

AMBASSADOR GLENDON:I am Mary Ann Glendon. Im chair of the Commission on Unalienable Rights, and on behalf of my fellow commissioners, some of whom are here today, I want to welcome you to this presentation of ourreport.

I came in here earlier this morning, and when I saw the seating arrangement, it reminded me of Giacomettis Figures in a Public Square. Those seats looked so distant from one another and so lonely, and of course, that whole sculpture was meant to be an evocation of estrangement of modern man. But now that I see people in the seats, its really just the opposite, and I want to thank you so many of you for having come here today. I know that travel is difficult, and I know youre all here because you care about public life, unlike Giacomettis estranged figures.

So a year ago, when Secretary Pompeo established this commission, he gave us only two very terse instructions: One was to ground our work in the principles of the U.S. founding and in the principles of the international human rights project specifically the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and the second was to keep our work at the level of policy Im sorry, of principle and not to get involved in policy, where the State Department is already very well supplied with policymakers. And at the time a year ago, many people wondered, well, whats the point of having a commission that doesnt concern itself with the burning issues of the day?

And one answer possibly an answer to that is something that former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said many years ago. He said when I was a professor, I could work on whatever subjects I wanted and take as much time as I wanted, and a policymaker is always under pressure, has to make decisions in haste sometimes, sometimes on very limited information. And the risk, he said, for the policymaker is that the urgent will sometimes drive out the important. That risk, of course, will never be fully eliminated, but Secretary Pompeo did take a step toward alleviating it when he asked for a study about going back to basics and looking at the principles behind the United States commitment to human rights internationally.

Still, some people asked why now, when so many other matters are pressing for attention. Why have such a study now? And Ill just suggest a few answers. You can think of more, perhaps, but certainly one is the information we got from Freedom Houses report this spring where they told us that political and civil rights worldwide have declined this year for the 14th consecutive year and that half the worlds population 4 billion people currently live under autocratic or quasi-authoritarian regimes.

And perhaps thats why some powerful countries are now openly challenging the basic premises of the great post-World War II human rights project, and by challenging the premises, they are undermining the already fragile international consensus behind the ideas that no nation should be immune from outside scrutiny of how it treats its own citizens and that every human being is entitled to certain fundamental rights simply by virtue of being human.

China, in particular, is aggressively promoting a very different concept in which national priorities of various sorts prevail over the basic rights of speech, assembly, religious freedom, and free elections.

Another set of threats to human freedom and dignity are emerging in technological advances artificial intelligence, biotechnology, data collection, sophisticated surveillance techniques.

I could go on. But what hasnt changed what hasnt changed is the fact that millions of women and men are suffering arbitrary imprisonment, torture, and those women and men are looking to the United States as a beacon of hope and encouragement.

For the commissioners over these past several months, its been humbling as well as moving to see American flags in the hands of so many of the Hong Kong protesters. And it was the fact for us that so many people in so many places count so much on the United States yes, even in the ways that our country falls short of its own ideals, it was that fact that led us to our principal conclusion, which was that as a nation that came into being by affirming certain unalienable rights that belong to everyone everywhere, the United States must now rise to the challenges with the same energy and spirit that it brought to the building of a new international order in the post-World War period.

I hope that those of you who would like to hear more about the report will join us at 4 oclock this afternoon for the public meeting, but now we must turn to todays program, where were very fortunate to have with us Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, who will present the invocation; after which we will hear the remarks of the Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo; which will be followed by a conversation between the Secretary and myself in which he may reveal whether the commissions report did or did not come close in any way to what he expected of it.

Please join me in welcoming Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Cardinal Timothy Dolan. (Applause.)

And please remain standing for the National Anthem, which will be performed by Army Sergeant First Class Charis Strange.

(The National Anthem was sung.)

CARDINAL DOLAN:Well done. Thanks, Sergeant. Here we go, Mary Ann.

Let us pray, and pray we must, we citizens who cherish this one nation under God, a duty flowing from our bold confession. In God we trust.

So we readily praise the creator who has bestowed upon and ingrained into the very nature of his creatures certain inalienable rights, acknowledged by the founders, enshrined in our countrys normative documents, defended with the blood of grateful patriots. You you, dear Lord have bestowed these inalienable rights not kings, tyrants, or any government; rights flowing from the innate human dignity of the person and the sacredness of all human life. You have made self-evident in reason and nature celebrated in your own revelation.

And while we will never give up beseeching you, dear God, to mend our every flaw, we renew our gratitude for this homeland founded on these inalienable rights, asking your blessing upon this noble project initiated by Secretary Pompeo and Ambassador Glendon and your guidance as we renew our sense of duty to share our countrys wisdom on rights inherent to the very nature of the human person never, ever to be trampled.

To the sovereign of the nations, creator of all, bestower of rights, be honor and glory for ever and ever, amen.

AMBASSADOR GLENDON:Now its my great pleasure to introduce the person whose idea it was to have a study that would help to ground American diplomacy in the principles of our founding and in the principles of the international human rights project, and it is my great pleasure, Mr. Secretary, to present you with a copy of our report.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Secretary of the United States Michael R. Pompeo. (Applause.)

SECRETARY POMPEO:Good afternoon, everyone. It is wonderful to be here. Its beautiful. Its absolutely beautiful here.

Thank you, Mary Ann, for that lovely introduction. I am confident that when we first met and I was a 27-year-old former Army captain that Id be standing here today with you in this beautiful place talking about this important moment.

I was very moved by the rendition of the National Anthem. Lets give a round of applause again to Sergeant First Class Charis Strange. (Applause.) None of you should be surprised that I chose an Army person to come give the opening singing.

Cardinal Dolan, thank you. Bless you for being here today. We are blessed to have you here.

I want to express too my appreciation for the National Constitution Center for hosting us. It took some doing to organize. This isnt how this is normally laid out. Lets give the people who made this all happen from this institution a big round of applause as well. (Applause.)

Im happy too that so many of you took the time to come to Philadelphia a place intentionally chosen even if we do have to be socially distanced. And to those watching livestream atstate.gov, welcome.

A special welcome today too to the commission members who could make it here: Paolo Carozza and David Pan, and to Peter Berkowitz, the commissions executive secretary and the head of the State Departments Policy Planning Staff. We also have Duncan Walker and the rapporteur for the committee Cart Weiland here. I know that all of you and your colleagues put a lot of hard work into this report, and thank you so much for that.

I want to take just a second as well to acknowledge the commissioners who could not be here today: Kenneth Anderson, Russell Berman, Hamza Yusuf Hanson, Jacqueline Rivers, Katrina Lantos-Swett, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, and Christopher Tollefsen. I value deeply the contributions that each of you made to this important report.

I want to thank too there were lots of public comments. We had a number of public meetings. There were many people who voiced a diverse set of opinions. I want to thank people who contributed, like Martha Minow, Cass Sunstein, and Orlando Patterson, who came to share with us their thinking about how we should write this report.

I know too that the commission is welcoming and providing a further opportunity for public input as we complete our work later this afternoon.

And a special thanks to you, Professor Glendon. You are amongst the most significant inspirations for this report that were unveiling here today.

Many of you will know this, but I spent a few years a few years under Mary Anns tutelage. I was a research assistant for her. She paid me 7 bucks an hour. I thought I was rich. (Laughter.) It was one of my greatest gifts in life.

Ive now read nearly everything youve written. I dont agree with all of it (laughter) but we had a fun time. We debated human rights. We agreed on the big things, the important things, the things that really matter about this remarkable nation.

We agreed that our founders traveled to this great land to enjoy the fruit of freedom, not to spread subjugation.

We agreed, as Professor Glendon, the former 1960s civil rights advocate, wrote in her great workRights Talk,that A rapidly expanding catalog of rightsnot only multiplies the occasion for risks of collision, but risks trivializing core American values.

We agreed that the Declaration of Independence itself is the most important statement of human rights ever written. It made human freedom and human equality our nations central ideas.

And as I said to the Claremont Institute now just over a year ago, we agreed that America draws strength and goodness from her founding ideals and that our foreign policy must be grounded by those ideals as well.

But we know this: We cant do good at home or abroad if we dont precisely know what we believe and why we believe it.

And thats why I asked Professor Glendon to form a commission composed of some of the most distinguished scholars and activists. I asked them not to discover new principles, but to furnish advice on human rights grounded in our nations founding principles and the principles of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Because without this grounding without this grounding our efforts to protect and promote human rights is unmoored and, therefore, destined to fail.

And so the Commission on Unalienable Rights was born.

These rights, these unalienable rights, are essential. They are a foundation upon which this country was built. They are central to who we are and to what we care about as Americans.

Now, I think Cardinal Dolan referred to this, but Americas founders didnt invent the unalienable rights, but stated very clearly in the Declaration of Independence that they are held as self-evident that human beings were created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights among [those] are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

So too did these bright men know that each human being has inherent worth, just by virtue of his or her own humanity a deeply Biblical idea. As Alexander Hamilton wrote, The sacred rights of mankindare written, as with a sun beamby the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.

Now, that may seem commonplace to some of you, but this was a momentous idea. Until 1776, human beings pretty much everywhere were ruled by might and brutality.

The founders changed the course of history when they established a nation built on the premise that government exists not to diminish or cancel the individuals rights at the whims of those in power, but to secure them.

Ill never forget Ill never forget being spellbound by the founders ideas for the first time. As a cadet, too many years ago now, at West Point, I was issued uniforms, a rifle, and the Federalist Papers. I still have that copy. Some have seen it on my desk. Its a bit more tattered now. But Ive continued to go back to that and harken back to those central ideas that these men brought to this great nation. And its important its important for every American, for every American diplomat, to recognize how our founders understood unalienable rights.

As youll see when you get a chance to read this report, the report emphasizes foremost among these rights are property rights and religious liberty. No one can enjoy the pursuit of happiness if you cannot own the fruits of your own labor, and no society no society can retain its legitimacy or a virtuous character without religious freedom.

Our founders knew. Our founders knew that faith was also essential to nurture the private virtue of our citizens. The report speaks to that.

In his now famous letter from 1790, a letter to the Jews of Newport, George Washington proudly noted that the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.

Our founders also knew the fallen nature of mankind. Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist 10: Men are ambitious, vindictive, rapacious.

So in their wisdom, they established a system that acknowledged our human failings, checked our worst instincts, and ensured that government wouldnt trample on these unalienable rights.

Limited government structured into our documents protects these rights. As the report states, majorities are inclined to impair individual freedom, and public officials are prone to putting their private preferences and partisan ambitions ahead of the public interest.

The genius the genius of our founders was evident to one man in particular. In 1838, a 29-year-old 28-year-old lawyer gave a speech to the local young mans lyceum in Springfield, Illinois.

Abraham Lincoln said, quote, We find ourselves under the government of a system of political institutions, conducing more essentially to the ends of civil and religious liberty, than any of which the history of former times tells us.

This is still true. This is still true of America today. America is fundamentally good and has much to offer the world, because our founders recognized the existence of God-given, unalienable rights and designed a durable system to protect them.

But I must say, these days, even saying that America is fundamentally good has become controversial.

The commission was never intended to time the release of this report to the current societal upheavals that are currently roiling our nation. Nevertheless, the report touches on this moment, and so will I, because todays unrest directly ties to our ability to put our founding principles at the core of what we do as Americans and as diplomats all across the world.

Now, its true that at our nations founding our country fell far short of securing the rights of all. The evil institution of slavery was our nations gravest departure from these founding principles. We expelled Native Americans from their ancestral lands. And our foreign policy, too, has not always comported with the idea of sovereignty embedded in the core of our founding.

But crucially crucially the nations founding principles gave us a standard by which we could see the gravity of our failings and a political framework that gave us the tools to ultimately abolish slavery and enshrine into law equality without regard to race.

You dont always hear these ground truths today. Nor do you hear about the greatest strides our nation has made to realize the promise of our founding and a more perfect union.

From Seneca Falls, to Brown vs. Board of Education, to the peaceful marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Americans have always laid claims to their promised inheritance of unalienable rights.

And yet today, the very core of what it means to be an American, indeed the American way of life itself, is under attack. Instead of seeking to improve America, too many leading voices promulgate hatred of our founding principles.

President Trump spoke about this at Mount Rushmore on the Fourth of July. And our rights tradition is under assault.

TheNew York Timess 1619 Project so named for the year that the first slaves were transported to America wants you to believe that our country was founded for human bondage.

They want you to believe that Americas institutions continue to reflect the countrys acceptance of slavery at our founding.

They want you to believe that Marxist ideology that America is only the oppressors and the oppressed. The Chinese Communist Party must be gleeful when they see theNew York Timesspout this ideology.

Some people have taken these false doctrines to heart. The rioters pulling down statues thus see nothing wrong with desecrating monuments to those who fought for our unalienable rights from our founding to the present day.

This is a dark vision of Americas birth. I reject it. Its a disturbed reading of history. It is a slander on our great people. Nothing could be further from the truth of our founding and the rights about which this report speaks.

The commission reminds us its got a quote from Frederick Douglas, himself a freed slave, who saw the Constitution as a glorious, liberty document. That it is.

America is special. America is good. America does good all around the world.

In recent weeks, Ive had the chance to walk around Arlington Cemetery a few times, as I was thinking about today. And Ive been reminded of the hundreds of thousands of young men America sacrificed during the Civil War. We forget them at our peril.

And that grand struggle for rights wasnt the only one in American history. There are many remarkable Americans still engaged in the drive to fulfill the Declarations promises.

One of them is here with us today, David Hardy. David was the founding CEO of Boys Latin School a charter right here in Philadelphia. Hes still very involved in the charter school community.

At Boys Latin, and other schools like it, aspiring young men, nearly all of them from some of the most difficult parts of Philadelphia, have a better chance to pursue their happiness. Eighty-nine percent of the students there matriculate to college.

He David has devoted the great part of his adult life to equal opportunities for a good education, often called the civil rights movement of our time.

Mr. Hardy, please stand. And lets give him a round of applause. (Applause.) David, thank you again for being with us here today.

Our nation, too, has the responsibility to inculcate our founding values and reward their adoption. C.S. Lewis said it best when he lamented that we make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.

We must do better. America must build on its founding ideals and its leader must fearlessly defend them.

It is clear and this report makes it even more so it is clear that unalienable rights are central to who we are as Americans. But heres where I come in as Secretary of State. They have to underpin our foreign policy.

The Declaration itself is a foreign policy matter. It was written to explain why our nation broke away from British tyranny.

If we truly believe if we truly believe that rights are unalienable, inviolate, enduring, indeed, universal, just as the founders did, then defending them ought to be the bedrock of our every diplomatic endeavor.

Indeed, our own commitment to unalienable rights at home has proved a beacon of hope for men and women abroad pursuing their own liberties.

The examples are countless. Ill just give a couple.

Natan Sharansky when he heard of President Reagans Evil Empire speech while imprisoned, he said it was a ray of hope in the darkness of his punishment cell.

Last year Professor Glendon referred to this Hong Kong waved the American flag as they protested a communist crackdown. There is no symbol of freedom more recognizable all around the world.

Today, Im proud to have with us Wei Jingsheng, who is considered the father of todays Chinese democracy movement. On December 5th, 1978, the young electrician from Beijing Zoo shook the world by bravely posting an eloquent essay on Beijings short-lived Democracy Wall.

Mr. Wei boldly insisted that the CCPs Four Modernizations in industry, agriculture, defense, and science werent enough to truly make China a modern a modern and civilized nation.

Hearkening back to the May Fourth Movement, generations earlier, he said China needed a fifth modernization: democracy.

The Chinese Communist Party repeatedly threw Mr. Wei in jail for his advocacy.

In 1997, he emigrated. He emigrated to America, where he has continued his courageous call for the Chinese Communist Party to honor the unalienable rights that God has given to every Chinese citizen from Tibet to Tiananmen and from Hong Kong to Hubei.

Mr. Wei, please stand and be recognized. (Applause.) Its a blessing to have you with us here today. Thank you, again.

Now, if you believe our founding principles should inform foreign policy, and especially the promotion of unalienable rights, we have to lay down a framework a framework for how to think about this around the world.

Now, we have to be realistic, because our first duty is, of course, to secure American freedoms. Thats what I raised my right hand to do, when I was sworn in as Americas Secretary of State.

Read more from the original source:

Unalienable Rights and the Securing of Freedom - US Embassy and Consulate in Kazakhstan

CMPD is investigating a collision that occurred shortly after 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Departments Major Crash Investigation Unit are investigating a crash from early Tuesday morning.

Officers responded to the crash that involved a CMPD officer near the 1300 block of Toddville Road in the Freedom Division.

When officers arrived, they located a marked Ford Explorer police vehicle and a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The officer and two others from the Hyundai were transported to the hospital with serious injuries.

Police say Officer Lindsey Stapleton was travelling northbound on Toddville Road when the driver of the Hyundai, who was travelling southbound, crossed the center line and entered the northbound lane of travel. The Hyundai then hit Officer Stapleton head-on.

Detectives say Officer Stapleton was on-duty patrolling the area at the time of the accident. The driver of the Hyundai was Rayford Charles Robinson Jr. After evaluation, impairment is suspected to be a contributing factor for the crash.

Robinson has been charged with driving while impaired and has active warrants for two counts of felony serious injury by a vehicle.

This investigation is active and ongoing.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information about this case is asked to call Detective Pressley at 704-432-2169.

The public can also leave information anonymously with Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or http://charlottecrimestoppers.com/.

Stay with WCNC Charlotte for the latest on this ongoing investigation.

OTHER STORIES ON WCNC

See the rest here:

Officer involved crash investigation underway in the Freedom Division - WCNC.com

See, I told you I was back!

Confident D.C. United prepared for tricky Montreal Impact challenge (us): Heres hoping!

Filibuster interview with Oniel Fisher, plus D.C. United versus Montreal (us): Listen to us chat!

D.C. Uniteds super-sub is grateful for opportunity to resume his career (WaPo): Federico Higuain is happy.

Hey, lets take a look at LAFC co-owner (and former United States player) Mia Hamms twitter and well, this sure looks like the NWSL in LA:

Major League Soccer COVID-19 Testing Update - July 20, 2020 (MLS): Continued good news!

Loudoun United starts slow in 3-1 loss to Hartford Athletic (us): Boo! Boo I say! USL with more.

And hey, Wayne Rooneys Derby County is in the Championship. Tomorrow, well, there will be a day:

Anyway I finally saw Palm Springs, Andy Sambergs take on Groundhog Day, which is my oversimplification on things. Its funny, cute and all that:

More here:

NWSL in LA? D.C. United tonight & more: Freedom Kicks for 7/21/20 - Black And Red United

WASHINGTON - Andrew Buncombe expected his assignment on July 1 to be relatively straightforward: covering the clearing of a Seattle protest site for the British daily The Independent. Instead, the reporter found himself in a situation he had never experienced before.Irons were strapped to his ankles and a chain wrapped around his stomach. He was in a van heading toward Seattles West Precinct, in close quarters with others who, like Buncombe, had just been arrested.At one point, the belly chain became so tight that he told the officers he could not breathe a phrase similar to the words spoken by George Floyd, Eric Garner and other Black Americans who died while in police custody, and one that has become a rallying cry in Black Lives Matter demonstrations. In response, an officer told him If you can speak, you can breathe, Buncombe said.It felt surreal and it felt crazy and just ridiculous that I would have to use those words to an officer who just arrested me, Buncombe told VOA. Their response to me speaks for itself.A Seattle police spokesperson referred VOA to the Office of Police Accountability, which is investigating Buncombe's case. The Office of Police Accountability did not respond to VOA's request for comment.

Buncombe is one of more than 70 journalists arrested while covering demonstrations sparked by the May 25 death of Floyd in Minneapolis.The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has received reports on over 500 incidents involving journalists, including 114 attacks. Advocates say the incidents could have dangerous implications for press freedom in the U.S.There's no comparison because never before, certainly in modern history and certainly in the Trackers history, have there been simultaneous protests happening at one time, Kirstin McCudden, the Trackers managing editor, said referring to the U.S.

'Window of insight'Buncombe, The Independents Chief U.S. Correspondent, was reporting from Cal Anderson Park on the clearing of the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, an area protesters declared autonomous for over three weeks. Within five minutes of arriving at the park, Buncombe said, police told him he was in an out of bounds location and arrested him. He said he held up press pass and told them he intended to take photographs.

Reporters are exempt from dispersal orders unless they are physically obstructing efforts by police, according to the Seattle Municipal Code. Buncombe was in police custody with 10 others, most of whom were protesters, and said he was anxious about contracting the coronavirus. He said he told officers he was a journalist.After about six hours, police told the journalist he would be charged with failure to disperse, and he was released. On July 15, the charges were dropped.Buncombe said the incident was not close to the worst treatment that people and other journalists have experienced. But, he said, it did shed light on the criminal justice system.It was just this tiny, tiny, tiny window of insight into the system, he said. You can shout and scream, and you can hold up your press pass and say I'm innocent. I havent done this. I've done nothing wrong. I'm not a protester. Until they've kind of dealt with you, until you've gone through the process, you might as well just sit there and be quiet.New trendThe start of protests marks the most incidents documented by the Press Freedom Tracker since it was created in 2017, McCudden said. On average, the tracker reported about 150 incidents annually. McCudden has noticed several trends, including the role law enforcement has played. Of the 114 reported physical attacks, a law enforcement officer was the alleged assailant in 68 of them about 60 percent.Last year, she said, 39 journalists were attacked, six allegedly by law enforcement.

Instead of providing and creating an environment where both demonstrators and journalists can exercise the right to demonstrate and cover the news, [they] are confronted in highly aggressive methods. For us, that's a very concerning trend, Carlos Martnez de la Serna, the program director for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), told VOA.CPJ helps the Tracker with its reporting. Many of the arrests and attacks took place after the journalists identified themselves and offered to change locations, Martnez de la Serna said.

Press freedom advocates worry that the incidents will damage the countrys previous standing as a beacon of press freedom globally.The U.S. has experienced a steady decline in press freedom, even before this year. In Reporters Without Borders 2020 World Press Freedom Index, the U.S. ranked 45 out of 180 countries, with 1 being most free. The country has declined by 13 spots since 2013.I am absolutely concerned about the state of press freedom in the United States, Nora Benavidez, the director of U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America, told VOA. Much of our work now is trying to acclimate people to understanding that press freedom is not an abstract concept. It is a fundamental aspect of our democracy.Others said the public nature of the incidents could hinder other countries perception of the U.S.It's the images of journalists being attacked and violence against demonstrators across 71 cities, across the whole U.S, Martnez de la Serna said. That's on top of a lack of leadership in terms of press freedom.Advocates say change and justice is needed including consequences for those involved in incidents with journalists.Press freedom groups, including the CPJ, have called on U.S. governors and President Donald Trump to ensure the attacks are fully investigated and to respect the right of journalists to cover protests. In addition, rights groups are pushing for a reduction in anti-press sentiments nationwide.People need credible information, and that really does start with journalists, Benavidez said. They need to have the latitude and the freedom to be able to report as they wish, and to be free from retaliation.

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500 Cases and Counting: Unprecedented Press Freedom Violations at US Protests - Voice of America

Covid-19 cases are exploding. The European Union has banned most American residents from entering the bloc. By doing so, it is basically treating the US as a failing state unable to get the pandemic under control. Some are blaming young people who are mingling with each other for the surge. But greater harm has been done by rightwing elites, who are pushing the narrative that protective measures like social distancing and masks impinge on their freedom.

Unlike with any crisis in living American memory, there has been absolutely no national leadership or comprehensive planning Trumps plan has been to have no plan, as the critic Jay Rosen put it. The resulting vacuum has been filled by the most extreme voices in the Republican party and the hard business right: they have pushed the idea that we are in an epic battle between fear and freedom. The likes of Freedom Works and the Job Creators Network have called for flatting the fear curve; this rhetoric is echoed on posters by the seemingly libertarian Michigan protesters proclaiming: My freedom does not end where your fear begins.

In many ways, the right has simply hit repeat for a political strategy that has apparently worked for it in the past: relentlessly stoke culture wars to distract everyone from growing inequalities and a rapidly deteriorating natural environment. Masks have been designated as inherently leftwing or signs of enslavement to the government; evil foreigners are being blamed for the virus. Instead of mobilizing state resources to protect both businesses and workers in the way countries like Denmark have done, the pandemic is instrumentalized to push the all-out deregulation agenda Trump and his backers have pursued from day one of his presidency.

This is a playbook Republicans have been perfecting with regard to global warming: pretend that an impersonal and for many people invisible threat doesnt really exist, and, on top of that, claim that its a plot hatched by a global geopolitical rival.

The truth is that in many ways we are less free than four months ago; we have fewer options and some liberties are being restricted. Yet we should not forget that liberties are always both backed up and limited by the state even the most ardent libertarian calls the police when their right to dispose of their property freely is threatened by thieves. And basic political rights are also always reasonably qualified: Mike Pences specious defense of Trumps failed Tulsa rally invoked the constitutional right of freedom of assembly, but forgot to mention that assemblies can be regulated with regard to timing, place and manner.

The reason liberties have been restricted in the past months is not only that states had a clear democratic mandate by a reasonably fearful majority to do so (polls showed consistent support for lockdowns). It is also that in a situation in which we, as individuals, cannot properly judge whether our conduct will cause major harms to others. It is therefore right for states to put proper regulations in place.

Our inability individually to calculate the risks we pose to others will not change any time soon

Our inability individually to calculate the risks we pose to others will not change any time soon, especially as asymptomatic Covid-19 cases are more common than assumed initially. Hence states should err on the side of imposing detailed regulations. They must sanction those businesses who fail to keep workers safe instead of declaring them essential and shielding them from proper responsibility, in the way Trump did with the meat industry. That will help allay the fears of those who are wary of returning to work.

If safety is not insured, the supposed economic freedom that the hard right is promoting is in fact unfreedom. Many blue-collar workers dont have a choice about whether to stay at home and have every reason to be fearful about returning to an unsafe environment. By contrast, the privileged as they can work from home or dont need the money can choose to keep sheltering. The latter might even benefit indirectly from others getting infected and thus moving us all closer to herd immunity, a classic form of what economists call free riding: getting the benefit without incurring the cost.

America needs to recognize that freedom isnt simply maximal individual self-assertion. Its also, following the political theorist Hannah Arendts famous account, a collective capacity to coordinate and act in concert. That might require forbearance and proper attention to the spaces we share. Many people have been adopting such an attitude putting on masks voluntarily as well as being considerate in how they move and talk. Such self-restraint combined with temporary regulations would lessen fear and increase everyones freedom in the long-term.

Jan-Werner Mller teaches politics at Princeton. His Democracy Rules is forthcoming from Farrar, Straus & Giroux in the US, and Penguin in the UK

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The American right is pushing 'freedom over fear'. It won't stop the virus - The Guardian

A YOUNG Saltcoats woman with a rare disorder which affects her lungs and heart has found freedom after 19 weeks of home isolation thanks to her new face covering.

Georgia Loughran, 23, who suffers from a rare disorder called CHARGE syndrome, finally found the confidence, alongside her family, to leave her home for the first time in over 130 days thanks to a specialist antiviral face covering.

CHARGE syndrome is a disorder that affects many areas of the body including the eyes, heart and respiratory system. Georgia has already undergone three major surgeries and a tracheostomy, an invasive surgery to allow for a tube to be inserted into the windpipe to help her breathe.

Although the UK didnt enter lockdown until towards the end of March this year, Georgia and her family had been keeping a close eye on the global development of the coronavirus since its inception.

Georgia said: Because of CHARGE and me having had the tracheostomy, Ive got an extremely vulnerable airway and Im particularly susceptible to catching viruses.

My family and I had been closely watching the news about the spread of the coronavirus since the first outbreak in China earlier this year. As the cases in the UK began to increase in early March, we decided to start shielding then, two weeks before the rest of the country.

I miss being able to go on weekends away with my family. Id also just started on a course doing pre-work training after finishing college so its a shame that Ive missed out on doing that over the past few months.

Because I was always really busy doing things, its been strange doing nothing. Ive really enjoyed spending more time with my mum and sister, though. Weve been doing yoga which Ive loved and also the usual online family quizzes and bingo.

For her first trip out, Georgia opted to go to the beach. She said: It felt fabulous to have the wind flowing through my hair after over 13 weeks of it been up in a messy bun.

Her mum, Helen says: Its lovely to have my feisty, outgoing girl back and to watch her take her first steps back to normal life.

I am so thankful that my sister passed on the information about the Shield.

Georgias ears are particularly small due to her CHARGE syndrome and she has found that the traditional ear-loop face masks dont stay on her face. She explains: I had been feeling a bit panicky and anxious about leaving the house as none of the conventional face masks would stay on my face and its often difficult to social distance in places like supermarkets.

My aunt works for the NHS and had heard about the Virustatic Shield, or snoodie as we call it in our family, through a colleague. The fact that it had been scientifically proven against viruses, and its coating against COVID-19, and we could read all the science papers on their website, we felt assured that this would protect us. Its also a snood design which wraps around my face and allows me to talk more easily than other masks would.

The Virustatic Shield is coated in a protein compound called Viruferrin which protects the user and others from the spread of influenza viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the strain behind the current deadly pandemic.

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Freedom for Saltcoats woman thanks to face mask | Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald - Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald

Freedom Boat Club of Tampa Bay has partnered with marine navigation app Wavve Boating to provide new club members with a digital platform designed to foster fun and collaboration. With the Wavve Boating app, the Bays members now have a solution for sharing boating routes, points of interest, on the water restaurants, and more.

Freedom Boat Club of Tampa Bay (FBCTB) provides members with access to over 500 boats, across 29 locations in the Tampa Bay area. A community-centric club, built on a shared passion of lending a hand (or a line), and dock talk, FBCTB, like most organizations, had to adapt to keep their community safe by following COVID-19 social distancing protocols, without losing the member communication that is such a fundamental part of their club promise.

The partnership with Wavve Boating, which provides all new members a license to the app, was well-timed with this developing need. Within the app, boaters can share their favorite spots including beaches, restaurants, scenic lookouts, and more, creating a digital alternative for capturing the same helpful information one would typically learn from a fellow boater, or dock-hand, closer than six feet away while fueling up, stopping in for a bite, or sitting dockside.

With the app in hand, boaters can build custom maps with an infinite number of points of interest, and choose whether to keep their contributions private, share them with friends, or make them public for the entire community. FBCTB members will find an added benefit of recommended locations populated by the club, allowing new members to find their first boating adventure right away.

Like Freedom Boat Club, we are focused on making boating easier and more inclusive. We want to remove the anxiety felt by most that are new to boating, and allow those with more experience, to focus on the fun of being on the water, stated Adam Allore, Founder and CEO of Wavve Boating.

In recent months, demand for recreational boats has increased as many hobbyists are looking for available recreational activities during COVID-19 restrictions.

We have grown our member community considerably this past spring and now into the summer stated Dean Iverson, Freedom Boat Club of Tampa Bay, The team and I are thrilled to continue on this trajectory and support our members with this partnership.

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Freedom Boat Club of Tampa Bay and Wavve Boating form partnership - Boating Industry

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Rhinos, lions, buffalo and leopards range against the background of a city skyline in the Nairobi National Park, Africas only game reserve within a capital city.

The park has been fenced in on three sides as the city mushroomed around it.

Outside its unfenced southern boundary, the banks of the Mochiriri River are a favoured refuge for breeding lions. Animals often pass through to make their way to larger parks beyond.

But the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has proposed a 10-year plan to fence land along the southern boundary to reduce conflict between people and animals.

The idea has many conservationists up in arms and a court hearing on the plan is scheduled on Wednesday.

This is the lifeline of this park, said Reinhard Nyandire, a conservationist working with the Friends of Nairobi National Park, gesturing to the open pastures behind him.

When they fence the park, you cut them (the animals) off, he said.

The volunteer group is dedicated to helping KWS keep the lands around the park open.

The KWS director general and spokesmen did not respond to requests to discuss the plan.

Commercial buildings are encroaching on the parks land and in 2018, a six-km railway bridge was built through it. Sewage from nearby settlements empties into the river, KWS reports say.

Animals often leave the park during the rainy season when the grass is too long to see predators and return during the dry season when the grass inside is more lush. The park also links up to migration corridors leading to larger parks.

The plan proposes fencing in land on the southern boundary if the owners are willing, or if they do not agree, to fence the park itself.

A 2016 KWS report said fencing was the least suitable option to reduce animal-human conflict. Shrinking ranges would cause conflict among rhinos and lions, other species could not migrate, and inbreeding would be a problem.

It is not the only option. The plan itself said conservation initiatives such as installing free motion-sensor lights to deter lions have already reduced human-animal conflict.

Nkamunu Patita, co-ordinator for the Naretunoi conservancy which borders the park, said many landowners do not want any fencing.

When Reuters visited Naretunoi, herds of zebras were resting there with fluffy babies, unsteady young giraffe grazed alongside their mothers, and ostrich and wildebeest roamed alongside Maasai cows.

Freedom to move across wide swathes of land benefits both wildlife and Maasai herders, she said.

Their way of life is compatible with conservation, she said. Thats why you see zebras and cows grazing together.

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Wild animals losing freedom to roam as city encroaches on Nairobi park - Reuters

Duchess Meghan has more freedom to speak "from the heart" on topics such as racial injustice and gender, since she is no longer a senior royal.

The 38-year-old royal - who stepped down from her royal role earlier this year, along with her husband Prince Harry, and moved to Los Angeles - is carving out a new career as a public speaker and Meghan can now give "punchier" speeches as she is not constrained by royal protocol.

Speaking on the 'Heirpod' podcast, Omid Scobie, author of 'Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan, and the Making of a Modern Royal Family', said: "[The Girl Up Leadership Summit speech] was Meghan really being able to talk without the constraints of some of the things you might have to bear in mind when writing a speech as a working member of the royal family.

"I understand she spent a long time preparing for this speech. Usually we see members of the royal family reading from very tight scripts when they go up onto a stage, I understand Meghan had bullet points.

"She was perhaps a little punchier than we've seen in the past. She spoke more from the heart than from a script."

And Scobie revealed that Meghan's recent speech for the Girl Up Leadership Summit was a sign of what fans can expect of her in the future.

He explained: "I had an interesting conversation with Team Sussex after this happened. They said this speech really spoke to many of the issues she will continue to focus on passionately moving forward, gender equity, racial injustice, youth empowerment...

"This worked as a really great preview for the Duchess of Sussex and some of her future speaking engagements."

Meghan and Harry, 35, have joined the Harry Walker Agency and will be available to give talks on social issues such as racial justice, gender equality, the environment and mental health, according to the LA Times.

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Duchess Meghan's freedom to 'speak from the heart' after quitting as senior royal - Inside NoVA

Editor:

Declare your freedom from tobacco use. Addiction to tobacco products keeps thousands of Hoosiers from living a healthier life. The decision to quit using tobacco may be an obvious one for many, but it can be a difficult journey to take.

Its important for those who are ready to focus on their own reason for quitting. Do you want to help protect your family from secondhand smoke? Secondhand smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, including over 70 which are known to cause cancer. Do you want to improve your health? After 15 years of not smoking, your risk of heart disease is similar to those who have never smoked. Are you concerned about all the money you could be saving instead of buying tobacco products? According to Campaign from Tobacco Free Kids, Hoosiers who quit smoking can save an average of $1,950 annually.

Along with the support of loved ones and your health care provider, free help is available through the Indiana Tobacco Quitline. Call 1-800-Quit-Now or visit QuitNowIndiana.com when youre ready to take the first step towards a tobacco free life. For more on the local coalition, please visit Daviess County Tobacco-Free Coalition on Facebook.

There are countless reasons that people choose to help them overcome their tobacco addiction. What will be your reason for quitting?

Thank you,

Molly Healy

Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Coordinator

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

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Letter to the Editor: Declare your freedom from tobacco use - Washington Times Herald

A 45-year-old woman was stabbed five times by her son in South Delhis Madnagirarea on Monday morning, multiple news outlets reported.

The accused, identified as Sagar (22), said that he killed her to give her freedom from life, the police said. He was found next to his mothers body. The five stab wounds bled profusely which ultimately led to her death.

Investigating officials said that Sagar was chanting Aaj maine apni ma ko mukti de di ho (Today, I gave freedom to my mother) when asked about the incident. He also gave inconsistent replies.

Even during questioning, he has been talking about life after death and philosophy and has given vague answers. We suspect he has hallucination issues, the officer toldTimes of India. It was also revealed that he was addicted to drugs and alcohol and consumed them on a daily basis. He worked as a DJ in a caf in Hauz Khas, Delhi.

After hearing screams from the apartment, the neighbours called the police at around 11.30 in the morning on Monday.

The woman, Anjali Francis, lived with her son in G-block, an area close to Madnagir central market.

The police said that they are consulting a psychologist and are also probing to see if the accused was following any godman.

Atul Kumar Thakur, DCP, said, A case of murder has been registered and the accused has beenarrested. The murder weapona kitchen knifewas also seized from the house. Further investigations are underway.

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Son stabs mother to give 'freedom from life' - Deccan Herald

Article 19 of the Human Right declaration acknowledges that everyone has right to seek, receive and impart information through any medium without being worried about the consequences. The chief theorist that brought to light the importance of freedom of expression was the 19th century British liberal thinker Jaun Staurt Mill. He argued that the only way society can progress is by letting human beings express their opinions and views freely. Moreover, he said that the West transformed itself into the leading civilisation of the world because of freedom of expression, which underpinned freedom of enquiry thus paving the way for scientific research and discoveries.

While freedom of speech may have its own disadvantages, the benefits far outweigh them. Firstly, freedom of speech plays vital role in the creation of tolerant and pluralistic society, which ensures that people of different colour, creed, class, sects and religion can all coexist peacefully. Secondly, freedom of expression also plays a crucial role in developing democracy as it is the backbone of a democratic state. It can allow the common man to pressurise the government and concerned authorities to work for the welfare of society instead of their own self interests. Thirdly, freedom of expression helps enhancing accountability. Accountability is another key tenet of democracy that seeks to hold leaders, individual and policymakers accountable for their decision by acknowledging that states that no institutions or individual is above than law. Lastly, freedom of expression also helps to get rid of evils in society. No social evils can be eliminated until and unless the people have the power to speak up against malpractices.

It is important to ponder on the idea of freedom as it is at the very heart of society and human nature. Governments and international communities around the world need to make a collaborative effort to ensure the right to freedom in order to create for a better society for all.

Bilawal Ali Lakho

Shikarpur

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st, 2020.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

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The idea of freedom - The Express Tribune

The Albanian government and the Ministry of Health have been accused of blocking freedom of information requests relating to the expenditure of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Faktoje wrote that they have sent a number of requests to the Ministry as per the law On the right to information. The information they requested included how money has been spent during the pandemic.

Since March, a total of 37 tenders have been announced with a value of 1,020,843,731 ALL, The Ministry has spent some 324,516,849 so far but has not been forthcoming with information on details. The Ministry has not made public any details of the procurement policy, value per item, quality, quantity, or origin,.

In addition to this, the state budget has been reviewed a total of three times within six months. On each occasion, the Ministry was allocated funds to assist with the front line effort.

Despite continuous requests from the media, the Ministry has refused to give any information related to the pandemic, including tenders, financial information and the capacity to deal with the pandemic.

The right to information is protected under Albanian law 119-2014. The government is obliged to respond to the request within a certain timeframe. If the request is refused, they are required to notify the applicant and the applicant can then appeal the decision in court. Ignoring requests is against the law.

In terms of government aid given to Albanian businesses to manage the fall out of the pandemic and lockdown, the majority of it has been handed out to the countries biggest businesses and richest businessmen. An investigation by BIRN found that some 1.9 billion lek (EUR 15.3 million) went to ten of Albanias biggest firms. Most of these have been previous beneficiaries of concessionary agreements with the Rama government.

Beneficiaries included American Hospital, recipient of a government PPP, Albchrome which is owned by Albanias richest man Samir Mane, and Shefqet Kastrati one of the countries most notorious businessmen.

Fjal kye: Albania, coronavirus, corruption, covid-19, Tirana

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Albanian Government Accused of Ignoring Freedom of Information Requests about COVID-19 Pandemic - Exit - Explain Albania

Father Eugene Hemrick

By Father Eugene Hemrick Catholic News Service Posted July 17, 2020

Mandating face masks is unconstitutional and an affront to my freedom. Despite the scientific wisdom of this mandate, some citizens vociferously reject it.

In the book, Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life, researchers found, Freedom is perhaps the most resonant, deeply held American value.

They further pointed out, In some ways, it defines the good in both personal and political life. Yet freedom turns out to mean being left alone by others, not having other peoples values, ideas or styles of life forced upon one, being free of arbitrary authority in work, family and political life. What it is that one might do with freedom is much more difficult for Americans to define.

What then are we doing with it?

If it is viewed from the standpoint of self-concentration, this leads to self-imprisonment, the opposite of being free. We are social beings meant to encounter others. If people center specifically on self-rights to the detriment of others rights and are dismissive of those others, their genuine self is damaged.

On the contrary, when genuine people assume an importance greater than their own affairs, I-thou relationships, the basis of true love, happen, creating respectful attentiveness to one another.

The best way to beat COVID-19 is to unify. The motto In unity there is strength reminds us of this. Rugged individuals going their own way reminds us of another saying: And divided we fall.

Protesting mandates raises the questions, Does this reflect a lack of in-depth thinking? Do those protesting free themselves from their surrounding environment and go deeply within themselves to learn what their conscience dictates?

Granted, it is difficult to possess an interior life in our chaotic times. The pandemic, however, will be conquered only by thoughtful people with a moral conscience.

Morality is the sum of what ought to be done, the good. The good ought to be done, not because the alternative would be unpleasant or harmful, but on account of its own worth.

Do masks have a worth of their own? Where is the worth in rejecting them? Freedoms worth is the good it ultimately produces for the common good.

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Freedom in the face of mandates for masks - CatholicPhilly.com

EDITORS NOTE: U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson released the following statement this week, regarding efforts to lead a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom upon Hershel Woody Williams, of Cabell County, West Virginia:

Now 96 years old, Mr. Williams has not slowed down. He continues to advocate for veterans by speaking with both children and adults. Additionally, he has advocated for countless pieces of legislation to assist veterans and their families to help heal the wounds of war. His 75 years of service and dedication to the legacy of American heroes since returning from the Pacific Theater in World War II is deserving of this prestigious honor.

Williams established the Hershel Woody Williams MOH Foundations Gold Star Families Memorial Monument movement. To date, 60 monuments have been erected honoring Gold Star Families, helping to bring them peace and raising public awareness about the ultimate sacrifice made by their loved ones. He has a goal of placing at least Gold Star Family Memorial Monument in all 50 states.

For more on the life of Williams, see this weekends edition of The Ironton Tribune, in which he was interviewed for our special section on the upcoming 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.

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US Rep. Bill Johnson: Williams is worthy of Presidential Medal of Freedom - The Tribune - Ironton Tribune

(ProNewsReport Editorial):- Florida City, Jul 20, 2020 (Issuewire.com)Contemporary artist Joaquin Restrepo launched his solo exhibition Amor Fati in the United States to find freedom amid the pandemic. A thematic idea resonating with his immersive art, he is utilizing the freedom of creative choices and expressing his insights through the virtues of the exhibition.

Restrepos work talks about oppression, loving fate, seeing freedom within, and moving forward in the constant volatility of life and existence. Since the beginning of the quarantine, the contemporary artist has relentlessly composed and constructed new contemporary art through which he expresses the dire indispensability of extracting goodness from everyone. Amor Fati is inevitably a virtual exhibition, launched in the times of the pandemic and is an invitation to introspection, to be able to grow in the process and self-knowledge. The vision of the artist shows how we can continue and be better during difficult times through his exquisite art. The exhibition was planned to open to the public during the summer of 2020, at the Lake County Museum of Art in Florida, nevertheless, given the closings of international flights, Restrepo together with the museum decided to reinvent his proposal and present the message of his works in the digital world.

According to Joaquin Restrepo, the present time should be utilized in deciphering the true meaning of freedom and conquer our fears and demons that hold us back from attaining true liberation. From a very young age, Restrepo grew up with a knack for mixing art and technology, two of his great passions, as a way to explore a new world through a universal language. Born in 1984 and at the age of 19, he started his artistic career. His works have been exhibited in the United States, Mexico, Colombia, and Asia.

The Amor Fati exhibition can be visited free through iOS devices (iPhone and iPad) and Android by downloading it from the respective app stores (AppStore and GooglePlay). Visithttps://joaquinrestrepo.com/for more information.

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Blend into an Immersive Virtual Experience of Art and Freedom at Joaquin Restrepo's Exhibition "Amor Fati" - Pro News Report

For five weeks, nearly 70 area elementary school students gathered virtually to read books and learn about civic engagement as part of the University of Virginias first Freedom School.

The free summer program from the Curry School of Education and Human Development was part of an initiative from the Childrens Defense Fund, which created the model for Freedom Schools that includes culturally responsive teaching materials. UVas program is the third such school in Virginia and one of 181 nationwide, according to the defense fund.

The last week of the Freedom School gave students a chance to show off posters made for the Childrens Defense Fund National Day of Social Action. The posters, displayed at their homes, focused on what the students think is important. Many talked about Black Lives Matter, encouraging adults to vote for Black rights. Other posters asked adults to vote for COVID to go away and others supported votes in favor of animal rights and cartoons.

Even if theyre not old enough to vote, they can still have a voice within whats happening, said Johari Harris, an assistant research professor and project director of the Charlottesville Freedom School. They are still very much a part of this movement.

The Freedom School model, which is rooted in the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer project, was well-suited to help students incorporate current events, such as the pandemic and protests, into their oral history projects.

[CDF is] very much focused on social movements and empowering students to be like civic actors in their local, state and national community, Harris said, adding that the curriculum also emphasizes cultures and narratives that have been traditionally marginalized.

The UVa team, like other programs this year, had to switch to a virtual model because of the pandemic. Harris said going virtual allowed them to open up more slots for interested students. About 70 students from Charlottesville and Albemarle County schools started the program.

During the five weeks, the students, whom the program refers to as scholars, went on virtual field trips to Monticello and to the Civil Rights Trail and worked on oral history projects. Each morning of the session focused on literacy skills through a live online program. Classes started at 9:30 a.m. daily.

In the afternoons, the scholars had one-on-one sessions with their teachers for tutoring and relationship-building. There also were optional movie nights.

Harris said Charlottesville and Albemarle schools provided the technology and hotspots, if needed, for students. They also had a bi-weekly pickup of materials where families could get school supplies, T-shirts and books.

The Curry School's Center for Race and Public Education in the South partnered with Charlottesville City Schools to bring the program to the area.

Given the events in of August 2017, our colleagues in the center and members of the Charlottesville community thought a Freedom School could serve as a concrete way for the university and local community to collaborate on a project serving children, Derrick Alridge, a UVa professor and director of the center, said in a news release. Grounded in ideals of freedom and social justice, we believe a Freedom School could help bring about healing in Charlottesville and show our collective commitment to advancing civil rights and social justice in our time.

Charlottesville teacher Christen Edwards oversaw the day-to-day operations as the site coordinator.

Harris credited Edwards, the program staff, their partners and the students parents for helping to make the first Freedom School successful.

When there were technology issues, they were working through it, being patient with us and helping their children kind of engage with us, Harris said.

The Freedom School was open to any student in third through fifth grade, and UVa students helped to teach the different sessions.

Its been pretty incredible, Harris said. Speaking as project director, I was a little nervous. It was virtual programming in the middle of a pandemic.

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Freedom School gave area students a voice on issues this summer - The Daily Progress

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For the second time since June, a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer conducted a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the Caribbean Sea off thecoast of Venezuela last Wednesday. For the first time in three decades, U.S. warships in May conducted FONOPs in the Barents Sea near Russias northern coast. And with increasing regularity, U.S. Navy warships press the envelope of challenging Chinese maritime claims with FONOPs as close as 12 nautical miles from Chinese-claimed territory.

Before a mistake or miscalculation results in an armed clash involving a U.S. naval vessel which could draw the United States into a serious conflict we need to examine the utility of aggressive FONOPs.

The ultimate purpose for any military operation away from U.S. shores ought to be the security and prosperity of the country. Any operation or action contributing to that objective should be given serious consideration, but anything that has an unacceptable chance of harming U.S. interests should be rejected. FONOPs, as currently practiced, are increasing the chances the United States will one day stumble into a war.

Given the expansion in the number of FONOPs against China, the increase in such operations targeting Russia, and the now-expanding operations into South America, the assumption would be that multiple navies are threatening U.S. freedom on the seas. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Civilian maritime traffic worldwide is shared online to give a real-time update of where global trade is taking place on the seas. You dont have to be an expert to look at thelive mapat any time to see that there are no gaps near Russia, China, or Venezuela that would signal the need for a muscular American naval response. No one is threatening to block traffic.

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To the contrary, China and Russia especially are highly dependent on international trade andneedsea traffic to continue unimpeded; they would be the first to lose should either engage in shutting down traffic on the seas.

Like any military organization, it is a necessity to exercise the U.S. Navy to maintain proficiency in its core warfighting skills. They need to be ready, on a moments notice, to defend the United States global interests, to repulse any attack, and to viciously punish any who dare strike us. This level of proficiency allows the U.S. to effectively deter any attack but also provides the muscle to defeat any opponent if deterrence fails.

To maintain this level of deterrence and war-winning capacity, the U.S. Navy needs to conduct regular, prudent global patrols and exercises to maintain warfighting proficiency. Doing so will ensure security and economic freedom for U.S. companies and business interests without unnecessarily provoking adversaries to take action against our interests.

One doesnt have to be an apologist for any foreign power to recognize that continual patrols with powerful warships close to their shores is going to precipitate a response. If the Chinese navy were to challenge U.S. supremacy in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans by building naval bases near the U.S. coast and regularly sailing within 12 miles of U.S. shores, Washington would not passively acknowledge their rights of transiting international waters.

Perhaps more critically, Washington should encourage friendly regional states and allies to enhance their own security via anti-access, area denial (A2/AD) self-defense capabilities. China has become an expert at A2/AD technologiesand has made any attack on its territory or forces to be an expensive and deadly prospect.

The best way the United States can accomplish its objectives in the Asia-Pacific region is to encourage allies and other friendly states to invest much more heavily in their own A2/AD capabilities that would deter China from attempting to take any of them by military force. Doing so places the responsibility for self-defense more heavily on each country where it belongs and less on asking the U.S. Navy and Air Force to underwrite regional security for states that can afford to invest more in their own defense needs.

FONOPs have a place in Americas tool chest, but only if used sparingly and wisely. Relying too heavily on such operations disincentivizes allied and friendly countries from investing in their own defense, placing an unnecessary burden on U.S. forces and increases the risk the United States may one day be sucked into a war it should never have fought.

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Daniel L. Davis is a Senior Fellow for Defense Priorities and a former Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army who retired in 2015 after 21 years, including four combat deployments. Follow him @DanielLDavis1.

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The Risk of Too Many Freedom of Navigation Operations - The Diplomat