Homeland Security used aircraft to surveil BLM protests in 15 cities – CNET

Posted on by

Black Lives Matter protests continue across the United States.

A New York Times report Friday revealed the extent to which the Department of Homeland Security useddrones, helicopters and planes to conduct surveillance of Black Lives Matter protests acrossthe country. The aircraft logged around 270 hours of surveillance footage from 15 cities and it was broadcast live in a Customs and Border Protection control room, according to the Times report, which CBP confirmed. CBP is an agency of Homeland Security.

CBP used Predatordrones in Minneapolis-- where protests kicked off following the death of unarmed Black man George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police -- and Del Rio, Texas. The drones had no facial recognition capabilities and weren't armed. They were requested by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, according to the Times report.

Subscribe to the CNET Now newsletter for our editors' picks for the most important stories of the day.

Black Lives Matter protestsare continuing across the US and globally as people demonstrate against the recent deaths of Floyd, Breonna TaylorandAhmaud Arbery, and against systemic racism.

CBP also used aircraft, including helicopters and planes, in 13 other cities: New York; Chicago; Washington DC; Philadelphia; Detroit; El Paso, Texas; Miami; Aurora, Illinois; Buffalo, New York; Dayton, Ohio; El Centro, California; San Luis, Arizona; and Uvalde, Texas. CBP confirmed 5.6 hours were logged from drones out of the total 270 hours of surveillance footage.

The aircraft were providing "situational awareness, maximizing public safety, while minimizing the threat to personnel and assets," CBP said in a statement on May 29.

Earlier this month, 35 congressional Democrats demanded that CBP, as well as the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the National Guard Bureau, permanently cease surveilling peaceful protests. They said the use of Predator drones to collect live video feeds of protestswas an overreach of power.

The Congress members said surveillance of these protests breaches the First Amendment right to protest and the Fourth Amendment, which is designed to protect Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures.

The FBI said it's not conducting surveillance of First Amendment-protected activity. Rather, it's "focused on identifying, investigating, and disrupting individuals that are inciting violence and engaging in criminal activity." Similarly, the National Guard Bureau said it used an aircraft "to provide situational awareness" to National Guardsmen posted in Washington, DC, overnight on June 2 and 3.

Correction, 4:51 p.m PT:This story initially misstated the number of cities where drones were used to surveil protests. They were used in two cities.

Black Lives Matter. Visitblacklivesmatter.carrd.coto learn how to donate, sign petitions and protest safely.

Now playing: Watch this: How to protect your phone (and your privacy) at a protest

4:31

Continued here:

Homeland Security used aircraft to surveil BLM protests in 15 cities - CNET

Armed Agents of the State Shouldn’t Be Enforcing Traffic Laws – Reason

Posted on by

Police officers have difficult jobs, going up against murderers, rapists, muggers, thieves, and hardened traffic violators.

Which of those groups doesn't belong?

The question is especially relevant as protesters take to the streets over unaccountable, abusive policing. A majority of Americans now support police reform. And some of the most important reforms we could be enacting are changes that would simply reduce interactions between the public and armed agents of the state.

Cops pull over 20 million motorists a yearby far the most common form of police interactions with the American people. Those encounters occasionally end violently and tragically. Consider the cases of Darrius Stewart, Samuel DuBose, Philando Castile, and Maurice Gordon, all of whom were shot during routine traffic stops. Gordon was killed by a New Jersey state trooper just last month.

Those traffic stops often evolve into drug searches, which carry serious Fourth Amendment concerns. They also disproportionately impact black and Hispanic people. (Blacks are four times more likely to be arrested for drug offenses and 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug possession, though whites use drugs at comparable rates.) Those with fewer means are more likely to be fined, arrested, and shuffled through the legal system, notwithstanding the fact that they're less able to afford getting trapped in that cycle.

In Colorado and Washington, where marijuana has been legalized, search rates at traffic stops have dramatically declined, a testament to how often those arbitrary searches are tied to drug laws that have no impact on traffic safety.

But even traffic safety doesn't necessarily need to be enforced by the police. "Don't use a hammer if you don't need to pound a nail," writes economist Alex Tabarrok at Marginal Revolution. "The responsibility for handing out speeding tickets and citations should be handled by anunarmed agency. Put the safety patrol in bright yellow cars and have them carry a bit of extra gasoline and jumper cables to help stranded motorists as part of their jobmake road safety nice."

It's a worthy idea. But it'll be tough to get state and local governments to accept it. Police departments, many of them furnished with weapons fit for a battlefield, often act as revenue raisers for the cities in which they serve.

"A Police Executive Research Forum report on St. Louis law enforcement found that local governments within the county were using police to 'plug revenue gaps' by running up the number of traffic citations, which coincided with many low-level arrests," writes Derek Thompson in The Atlantic. "As one St. Louis County resident told the report's authors: 'It's no secret that a lot of these municipal police officers are only supposed to be revenue drivers for their cities.'"

Relieving cops from traffic duty isn't the only way to reduce police encounters with the public. Eric Garner died at the hands of New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo after Garner was approached for selling loose cigarettes. A Louisville cop shot Breonna Taylor during a no-knock drug raid. Taylor was not a drug dealer, but had previously dated someone who had been suspected of using her address to receive packages. Nevertheless, her killing was not unlike that of Osama Bin Laden's. She was shot 8 times after police broke into her home.

We could minimize such encounters just by having fewer laws. "Things like the war on drugs, they've given police officers multiple reasons to be present in [minority] communities,"Reason's Zuri Davis recently told the Washington Examiner's Siraj Hashmi. That "gives rise to a lot more interactionand negative interaction." If we want fewer innocent people to die at police officers' hands, we need to cut back on the encounters that keep spiralling into such deaths.

Excerpt from:

Armed Agents of the State Shouldn't Be Enforcing Traffic Laws - Reason

Buffalos Police Brutality Didnt Start With Martin Gugino – The Nation

Posted on by

(Hsa htaw / Shutterstock) '>

Protesters march through Buffalo, N.Y., in response to George Floyd's death. (Hsa htaw / Shutterstock)

Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month!

BuffaloOn June 4, two cops shoved this segregated and poor city into the center of the month-long national uprising precipitated by the killing of George Floyd.Ad Policy

The spotlightthe harsh glare that erases nuancehas moved on to new outrages in bigger cities. The local aftermath has fallen into familiar and frustrating tropes: police circling the wagons, a package of ill-defined reform proposals, and attempts at scapegoating that serve politics rather than progress.

The particulars of the incident have been well covered.

Shortly after 8 that night, the Buffalo Police Departments Emergency Response Team was ordered to clear the square in front of City Hall. In response to unruly protests the weekend beforesome isolated vandalism on the citys relatively affluent and predominantly white West Side, a violent and chaotic police charge on the citys predominantly black East SideMayor Byron Brown had imposed a weeklong curfew.

As they had each night that week, a handful of protesters, all of them peaceful, took their time complying.

Among them was Martin Gugino, 75, a Catholic Worker active with the Western New York Peace Center. Gugino, a motorcycle helmet in one hand and a cellphone in the other, stood before the ERTs advancing line, engaging a couple of copsmaybe taunting them, maybe asking questions, definitely too close for comfort.

One of the cops, Aaron Torgalski, cross-checked Gugino with his club. Another, Robert McCabe, shoved Gugino with one hand. Gugino fell backward, struck his head on the pavement, and began bleeding from one ear. He lay stiff and still, except for his fingers, which curled and uncurled eerily. His skull was fractured.Current Issue

Subscribe today and Save up to $129.

Torgalski, McCabe, and other ERT members marched past Guginos prone body. One broke ranks momentarily, intending to see to Gugino. He was stopped by another officer, John Losi, who pulled the errant cop back into line. Just the day before Losi had made local news by taking a knee in Niagara Square with protestersthe first Buffalo cop to take part in that symbolic ritual. Hed presented the act as a transaction: Ill kneel with you if you want me to, Losi told demonstrators, if in exchange youll clear out at curfew.

No such bargain was on offer the following evening.

New York State Police medics, following ERTs advance, put Gugino into an ambulance, which took him to a trauma center. Two weeks later, he remains hospitalized.

The police departments communications directorwho is also the mayors communications directorquickly issued an explanation of the incident: Gugino tripped and fell.

If you like this article, please give today to help fund The Nations work.

That lie was exposed before it had even been told.

The whole scenethe shove, the fall, the seemingly callous march forward, the would-be good Samaritan whose generous instinct was thwartedwas captured on video by a reporter for WBFO, the local NPR affiliate. The video circulated widely on social media and local news sites.

The mayors communications director reversed and apologized for the initial lie, explaining that police officials had not seen the video, which was quickly going viral. The mayor repeated that explanation first to local media and then in a succession of appearances on national television: with CNNs Chris Cuomo, MSNBCs Rachel Maddow, and CBSs Jeff Glor, a Buffalo native.

The mayor also used those media opportunities to identify the root problem with policing in Buffalo: He blamed the police union.

The police union is on the wrong side of history, Brown told Maddow. This union has been on the wrong side of history for a very long period of time. And they have been a real barrier to the reform of policing in the City of Buffalo.

Certainly, Buffalos police union stubbornly defends officers accused of unwarranted violence. And the union and its attorneys take full advantage of a contractand New York State civil service lawsthat make it difficult to discipline or fire police.

But according to activists circulating a petition demanding his immediate resignation, Brown has never demonstrated an inclination to change the way police operate.

In fact, those activists say, the opposite is true. Under three police commissioners named by Brown in his 14 years as mayor, the department has instituted policies embodying the specific brand of racism that fuels protests across the country.

Some examples:

Get unlimited access: $9.50 for six months.

Setting up police checkpoints in poor, mostly black and Latino neighborhoods, which were discontinued after their constitutionality was challenged in a lawsuit.

Raising revenue for Browns cash-strapped administration by targeting motorists in those same neighborhoods for minor infractionsbusted headlights, expired registrations or insurance cards, rolling stops.

Creating special units with a reputation for brutality and disregard for the Fourth Amendment.

More to the point, in the past three years alone, Buffalo police have killed four young men of color under questionable circumstancesWardel Meech Davis, Jose Hernandez-Rossy, Rafael Pito Rivera, and Marcus Nealwith no consequences to the officers involved. Earlier this year, the city paid $4.5 million to settle a lawsuit by Wilson Morales, who was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by Buffalo police officers in 2012. The 17-year-old was out picking up pizza. The officers who shot him have since been promoted; one made captain last year.

Indeed, the creation of Buffalos Emergency Response Teamthe unit whose members fractured Guginos skull belies any frustrated reformist agenda. The ERT unit was formed in response to the 2014 local protests over the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.

In some cities, Ferguson precipitated a hard look at racist and militaristic policing practices.

Here in Buffalo, the Brown administration invested in a new crowd control unit.

The ERT is a kind of junior varsity to the departments SWAT team, according to John Evans, president of the citys police union. Its 57 members are trained for three days at a FEMA camp in how to hold their clubs, march in a phalanx, and make mass arrests.

Its an on-call unit, not a permanent one: Most of its members are young patrol officers looking for a little bump in their paychecks by pulling extra duty. The ERT is seldom deployed. After the first weekend of protests in Buffalo, Evans said his officers were ill prepared to deal with demonstrators.

Within hours of the incident, Torgalski and McCabe were suspended without pay. The next day, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced that he would charge the officers with assault.

More than 200 officers from law enforcement agencies across the region showed up at the arraignment of Torgalski and McCabe. Fire engines with lights flashing blocked traffic, allowing their supporters to spill into the street. Some came with umbrellas that they opened in front of TV camera crews to prevent them from capturing Torgalski and McCabe exiting the city court building.

Evans said in an e-mail to union membership the officers were simply executing orders and the suspensions and charges were an attempt to fuck over these guys. Evans also warned his members that the union was not in a financial position to pay legal fees for officers charged in civil suits as a result of such incidents.

In response, all 57 members of the ERT resigned from the unit, though not from the police force. Brown blamed the union for the resignations, saying Evans had effectively blackmailed ERT members to refuse to work the protests.

Here, too, the truth is more complicated.

In the past, the City of Buffalo has assumed legal costs for police officers facing civil suits. Last November, however, the states Court of Appeals ruled the city was not obligated to pay for the civil defense of an officer caught on video in 2014 striking a man repeatedly with a baton outside a bar.

Because the officer, Corey Krug, violated the departments use-of-force policies, the court ruled, he was not working within the scope of his duty. Therefore, the city could opt out of providing his defense, though the city would remain on the hook to pay if the plaintiff won a judgment.

But complexity has no place in a campaign fought by press release, which is what the Brown administration seems to have in mind as it seeks a way around this crisis. When Brown released some tepid reform proposals last weekat a press event that included NFL players and a pair of singing copsamong them was a pledge that the department would no longer deploy the ERT to quell protests.

Of course, it wouldnt: The ERT had disbanded itself five days earlier.

And that, it turned out, is a cause for celebration. In the days since, the citys demonstrationswhether large or small, contained to downtown or sprawling into marches through the citys neighborhoodshave been peaceful. There has been no violence, no vandalism. And zero arrests.

See the original post:

Buffalos Police Brutality Didnt Start With Martin Gugino - The Nation

Is there such a thing as cultural appropriationism? The golden rule of an award-winning film writer – AL DIA News

Posted on by

A Mexican-American family, a German immigrant who is a Nazi sympathizer, and two supernatural sisters, Santa Muerte and the diabolical Magda, these are the ingredients of the successful City of Angels, Penny Dreadful's latest season that takes the viewer toLos Angeles in the late 1930s.It's a journey into the past in anurban sense,and demographically and culturally, where identity, crimes, the living and the dead serve to reflect our present.

"The past has always been something that has touched me as a writer," John Logan toldThe Guardian's Toby Moses.

"I thought this was a unique opportunity to see where we are based on where we were, and how the decisions we made in 1938 are still haunting the world today. The highways are the soul of Los Angeles, but it was a very dry investigation," he added.

Logan wanted to fully reflect the city at the time, but also realized it was impossible to talk about urban changes like those that would come with future highways without addressing the reality of communities displaced by them. Above all, Mexican-Americans.

In the midst of the debate about the invisibility of communities such as the Latinxor African-American communities in the film industry, and after the notorious scandals of authors who wanted to jump on the bandwagon of the "real" migrant experience, the danger of being accused of cultural appropriation was high.

"I categorically reject the idea that artists can't speak with voices other than their own," he toldMoses. "The Balkanization of the imagination is a very, very dangerous thing. Writers and performers and singers have to be able to dream very freely. And sometimes that takes you to places far from yourself, otherwise we are in a very anemic and cannibalistic cultural landscape."

However, verisimilitude is important. Not being an expert on Chicano culture, Logan hired other Latino authors, directors and designers who could bring what he lacked, experience. Like producer Michael Aguilar or screenwriter and playwright Jose Rivera, who wrote one of the episodes.

"So philosophically, I completely reject the idea that there is such a thing as cultural appropriation. But in practice, as a responsible human being, you have to be careful and cautious and work," he said.

As he moved through the project series, analyzing each change in the tracks and going backwards in history, John Logan discovered with astonishment the political and social parallelism that exists between these last five years and that distant decade of the 1930s.

"Like many people, I naively assumed that a kind of secular liberal humanism was the currency of the realm," Logan said. "And then everything began to change, so, so surprisingly. I felt powerless. And I wanted to say something about that as a writer. I was struck by the parallels between what I see happening in the world now, and what was happening at a very particular time in the history of Los Angeles."

Go here to read the rest:

Is there such a thing as cultural appropriationism? The golden rule of an award-winning film writer - AL DIA News

The One K.I.S.S. That Will Instantly Improve Your Communication – Forbes

Posted on by

Getty

One of my biggest pet peeves in communicationespecially business communicationis unnecessary complexity.

To be fair, Im not speaking of technical writing or white papers; Im referring to emails, presentations, and other content that aims to connect with peers, partners, and potential clients.

Consider the words you use on business materialsare they needlessly complicated to try to impress? Do you agonize that your messaging will be ill-received if it doesnt contain buzzwords?

Instead, I suggest maximizing thepower of your wordsby simplifying them.

Years ago, it was my father who first introduced me to the K.I.S.S. method. At the time, I was struggling with a homework assignment, searching for the perfect way to phrase something in a persuasive essay.

For those unfamiliar, K.I.S.S. is an acronym for Keep it simple, stupid. It originated as a design principle by the U.S. Navy in 1960 and stated that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated. Simplicity should be a goal, and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.

My dads advice to me then (which remains true today) was to skip the flowery language and just cut to the heart of the issue using plain language to make my point.

Communication doesnt have to be hard; here are four ways to keep it simple:

Yes, its tempting to be witty in your latest marketing campaign, but if it leaves your audience scratching their heads, youre in trouble. To avoid confusing people, always aim forclarity.

When youre clear, everything becomes easier. People understand you, what you offer, your value, what differentiates you, how you can help them, and how they can assist you. Clarity helps othersknow, like, and trust you.

Every industry has its acronyms and buzzwords, but when youre trying to communicate with those outside your expert circle (consumers you hope to woo as new customers, for example), and use that type of language, youll risk alienating the very people with whom youre hoping to connect.

Remember this golden rule of communication:its not about you. Far too often, we assume that everyone communicates the same way we do, forgetting that our intended audiences may not live and breathe in our business world. Swap jargon for plain language to increase your odds of your message being receivedand understood.

Have you ever received a multi-page email and decided it was too long to read? Or maybe youve been victim to a presentation that droned on and on and never quite understood was the speaker wanted to say?

Mark Twain famously said, If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter a reference to how much harder brevity is than length.

Heres the thing: Meandering signals that youre unorganized and unsure. Worse, youll lose your audiences attentionand the opportunity to connect. When you want to deliver a message, think concise and compelling. Beintentionalabout your communication, eliminate extraneous material, and get to the point.

When you try to cover too much ground in your communication, it becomes unnecessarily complex. A good rule of thumb is that each piece of content should revolve around one central theme. This forces you to get specific about and home in on your message. And that focus promotes better understanding, making it easier for your audience to understand your perspective.

Business and life are complicated enough; keep your communication simple.

Follow this link:

The One K.I.S.S. That Will Instantly Improve Your Communication - Forbes

‘Now was the time’: Hornerstown mural’s message connects faith, race relations – TribDem.com

Posted on by

Artist Norman Ed is hoping a mural painted on his studio will bring about a little bit of goodness.

Those passingthe studio, located on the 600 block of Horner Street in the Hornerstown section of Johnstown, can see the brightly colored mural that says Love Loud and can reflect on what those words mean to them.

Its not some big powerful message just do a little something where you are, said Ed, who recently retired after 30 years as an art teacher in the Westmont Hilltop School District. Hopefully, you see it and think you can do something to love just a bit louder than you already are.

Ed said the inspiration to paint the mural came from the racial tensions the country is facing.

I get so frustrated and emotional about it, because its so weird to me that we would treat people differently because of color, he said. If youre trying to do the right thing, keep doing it but dont be afraid to do it a little louder and speak up.

I decided now was the time to put up this image up.

Ed started the project June 12 and recruited his nieces, along with his wife, stepdaughter and friends, to help with the painting.

Everything on the mural from the colors to designs has a specific meaning.

There is a big yellow bar that runs on the top and interweaves with the word Love and thats an idea that shows up in almost every faith and thats the golden rule, Ed said.

There are two hands, one reaching up and one reaching down, both outstretched with the idea of reaching out and helping each other.

The blue and green colors represent the sky, water and the Earth.

Its a reminder that this is our world and we need to take care of it, Ed said.

A red line that runs through the bottom section of the mural represents humanity.

Blood runs through our veins and it keeps us connected, Ed said.

He said thefirst letters in the words Love and Loud intersectpurposely to create a cross.

My faith is central to myexistence and I believe that God has a plan and cares for us, Ed said. The cross is a reminder of my faith.

Ed hoped to complete the mural project over the past weekend.

Hehas been in his Hornerstown studio for two years where hepredominantly works with sculptures.

Eventually, Edplans to offer art classes at the studio.

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.

Kelly Urban is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. She can be reached at(814)532-5073. Follow her on Twitter@KellyUrban25.

Read the rest here:

'Now was the time': Hornerstown mural's message connects faith, race relations - TribDem.com

Solvang speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of Jun. 19, 2020 – Santa Ynez Valley News

Posted on by

Loss of AERA oil project creates casualties

Well, it appears that AERA energy has thrown in the towel. The reasons given were the global drop in the price of oil coupled with the ever-increasing regulatory demands from the County.

There is little that we can do to control the influence on crude prices, none that compare to the foreign petroleum-producing giants. While it is easy to ponder the negative impact that these almost predictable drop in prices create, it seems that their frequency is timed to destroy any projects stuck in the quagmire of our domestic, politicly charged, regulatory permitting process.

Some see yet another failed petroleum project as a great victory for our community. Those at the front of that parade are the individuals that profit from obstructing yet another good-paying petroleum project. These zealots sitting up in their ivory towers and would have you believe that this community should rejoice over the corpse of yet another oil permit application.

I do believe that this kind of thinking does in fact create casualties in our community, the first of which is good-paying jobs. The second is the loss of massive tax revenues that supports important community services like mental health and our local school districts. Those funds also support hospitals, fire, and other emergency response services as well!

I am shocked at the level of ignorance of some of our leaders, those that believe that an electric car is devoid of the need for petroleum products. Are you kidding? Approximately 50% of all cars, yes electric cars as well, are constructed from plastics, hence OIL! I do not see that changing anytime soon.

We have an opportunity here in Santa Barbara to prove to the world that oil can be produced in a highly regulated environment. We must strictly adhere to regulations that protect our water, our people, our jobs, and our economy.

But in all endeavors lie risk, this is a fact of life. We must balance all these variables. But when the process comes with a movable goalpost it has become almost impossible to successfully bring these projects to

Michael Lopez

Buellton

When I was a little girl, my father taught me the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Then I read Jesus's words: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." The message I got was that I need to treat others with the care and consideration that I want, and that I have a responsibility to act in ways that care for the well being of others.

And that's why we need to wear face coverings during this pandemic.

Wearing a cloth mask doesn't protect me that much. But if I wear one, it protects you. If you wear one, it protects me. And if we both wear one, the virus is much less likely to infect either of us.

When we wear masks, we are protecting people like my friends Michelle and Owen. They both have cancer, and don't go out at all -- they are prisoners of this pandemic. But their spouses have to go shopping. The masks we wear reduce the chance that they will catch it and bring the virus home to their vulnerable family members. That may be what keeps Michelle and Owen alive.

My friend Eric works in a grocery store. He wears a mask to protect you. If you and other shoppers don't, he will be exposed all day long, increasing his risk of getting the virus. He's performing an essential job, so we can get food. We owe it to him to reduce his risk. And we need him in that job, so we can buy food for our families.

You may not like the government telling you what to do or put on your body. But sometimes that's what it takes to get people to change their habits. So instead of being angry about having to wear a mask, think about how you are practicing the Golden Rule and making the world a little bit safer for your neighbors.

Lee Heller

Summerland

The rest is here:

Solvang speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of Jun. 19, 2020 - Santa Ynez Valley News

Everything You Need To Know About Blue State Fiscal Problems In One Chart – ValueWalk

Posted on by

Should high-tax states such as California and New York get a bailout?

Get the entire 10-part series on our in-depth study on activist investing in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or print it out to read anywhere! Sign up below!

Q1 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more

I explained last month why that would be a mistake, in large part because bailouts would reward states for irresponsible fiscal policy (similar to my argument that countries like Austria and the Netherlands shouldnt be bullied into providing bailouts for Italy and Spain).

And Ive shared two videos (here and here) for those who want more information about how bailouts encourage moral hazard. And this is true for banks (think TARP) as well as governments.

Today, though, I want to focus on some numbers that show whats really causing fiscal problems in some states.

Adam Michel and David Ditch of the Heritage Foundation have generated some startling data on state government finances.

Instead of waiting on a handout from Washington, states should clear the way for a more robust economic recovery by addressing their unsustainable finances. States and local government spending has increased over the recent past After adjusting forinflationand increases inpopulation, state and local spending (in constant 2019 dollars) has grown from $5,596 per person in 2000 to $7,268 per person in 2019. That amounts to a 30% increase in the real cost of state and local government over just two decades, even without the thousands of dollars per person the federal government sends to states and localities through a wide variety of programs. not all states spend equally. As of 2017, Florida, Georgia, and Arizona spent about $5,800 per person on state and local governments, but New York spent more than $11,700 per person.

The most important number is the above excerpt is that theres been a 30 percent increase in per-capita state spending after adjusting for inflation.

Thats a very worrisome trend.

But not all states are created equal. Or, to be more precise, theyre not all equally profligate. Heres the chart that starkly illustrates why some states are in trouble.

At the risk of understatement, California and New York have not complied with the Golden Rule for fiscal policy.

Needless to say, theres no justification for the notion that taxpayers in well-run states such as Texas and Florida should be coerced into providing bailouts for politicians in poorly run states.

And now we have a compelling visual that settles the argument.

P.S. Over the past several years, Ive done multiple columns comparing Texas and California and also several columns comparing New York and Florida, all of which underscore that blue states have created their own problems by taxing too much and spending too much.

P.P.S. Thankfully, people can vote with their feet by moving from high-tax states to low-tax states. Lets hope that Congress doesnt enact a bailout so theyre forced to subsidize the states that drove them away.

This article was reprinted with permission from International Liberty.

Daniel J. Mitchell is a Washington-based economistwho specializes in fiscal policy, particularly tax reform, international tax competition, and the economic burden of government spending. He also serves on the editorial board of the Cayman Financial Review.

This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article.

See original here:

Everything You Need To Know About Blue State Fiscal Problems In One Chart - ValueWalk

GUEST EDITORIAL: "Do unto others": Haven’t we read that some where? – Hot Springs Sentinel

Posted on by

RAYSHARD Brooks should be alive today. What makes his death so tragic is that it was completely avoidable. Watching the multiple videos of his encounter with police makes you realize that such deadly outcomes do not necessarily come from racism or malice, but from ignorance, stupidity or poor training on how the police can de-escalate any encounter.

There are multiple videos of this encounter, allowing us to see what really happened. Rayshard obviously had too much to drink, and he was smart enough to get off the roads. He fell asleep while waiting in a car line at a Wendy's -- maybe there to get coffee in an effort to get sober.

When the police first encountered him, he was very peaceful. There was a protracted discussion without any hostility on anyone's part. He urged the police to let him park his car, lock it under their supervision, and walk back to a sister's house, which he said was nearby. He even explained he had celebrated one of his children's birthdays the previous day. It was all going so well.

Then the officer asked him to do a sobriety test. You know what must have gone through Rayshard's mind. Something probably like: "I am trying to peacefully cooperate, why do they want to do a field sobriety test? I am no danger to anyone else at this time, and I do not even want to get back in the car and drive."

Watching the video, you see Rayshard reacting with justified exasperation, but he agreed. When he failed the sobriety test, the police officer decided to handcuff him. That decision to handcuff and arrest a peaceful cooperating person was the inflection point which resulted in a dead man, a burned-down Wendy's, a fired police officer, and riots in Atlanta.

Let's go back to the inflection point. Why handcuff a man who is completely peaceful, agrees not to get back in his car and drive, and who is cooperating fully with police officers? What police need to do is to de-escalate a situation like this, not escalate it. When the police decided to handcuff and arrest him, Rayshard probably reacted with a flash of anger, maybe thinking: "Why are they doing this to me -- just because they can? How unfair."

WHAT IS the solution? Some would argue that better training is the answer. Others would argue we need to pass more laws. But maybe the simplest and best solution would be for each and every police officer in America to learn and practice the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

If that police officer has been in the reverse situation, he would have greatly appreciated being given the opportunity to park his car, lock it, and go home. Following the Golden Rule, why not give him a ride and escort him to the front door? Just think how much goodwill that would have created, not only with Rayshard and his family, but his neighbors, too. Isn't that the essence of community policing?

Lots of people in America have turned away from religion. There are certainly too many examples of abuse in the clergy, just like every other profession. But if the real answer to a situation like this is not in more laws and regulations, bur rather in the human heart, a single religious principle could go a long way toward humans treating others with respect. And avoiding another tragedy.

Print Headline: "Do unto others": Haven't we read that some where?

Continue reading here:

GUEST EDITORIAL: "Do unto others": Haven't we read that some where? - Hot Springs Sentinel

Letters to the Editor: Loss of AERA oil project creates casualties; Wearing face masks and do unto others – Santa Ynez Valley News

Posted on by

We have an opportunity here in Santa Barbara to prove to the world that oil can be produced in a highly regulated environment. We must strictly adhere to regulations that protect our water, our people, our jobs, and our economy.

But in all endeavors lie risk, this is a fact of life. We must balance all these variables. But when the process comes with a movable goalpost it has become almost impossible to successfully bring these projects to

Michael Lopez

Buellton

When I was a little girl, my father taught me the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Then I read Jesus's words: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." The message I got was that I need to treat others with the care and consideration that I want, and that I have a responsibility to act in ways that care for the well being of others.

And that's why we need to wear face coverings during this pandemic.

Wearing a cloth mask doesn't protect me that much. But if I wear one, it protects you. If you wear one, it protects me. And if we both wear one, the virus is much less likely to infect either of us.

When we wear masks, we are protecting people like my friends Michelle and Owen. They both have cancer, and don't go out at all -- they are prisoners of this pandemic. But their spouses have to go shopping. The masks we wear reduce the chance that they will catch it and bring the virus home to their vulnerable family members. That may be what keeps Michelle and Owen alive.

Excerpt from:

Letters to the Editor: Loss of AERA oil project creates casualties; Wearing face masks and do unto others - Santa Ynez Valley News

Big Tech Will Cause the Next Market Crash – InvestorPlace

Posted on by

In all my decades following the stock market, I have never seen so many predictions of a market crash.

Source: Shutterstock

Dont get me wrong. There are always super bears. I have correctly predicted 12 of the last three recessions.

But the bear roar has never been this loud. Economist Gary Shilling wrote in April that the market looks like that of the Great Depression. Since then, the market is up another 10%.

The Buffett Indicator, which measures the stock markets capitalization against Gross Domestic Product, is now at 1.48. Thats higher than it was when the dot-com bubble burst in 2000. At the start of the year it was at 1.55, and we did indeed have a crash in March.

But the quick recovery, spurred by the Federal Reserves money creation has many believing theres no longer any risk to investing.

There is.

The stock market is not the economy. But it should reflect the economy.

Right now, it doesnt. The Trump tax cut promised to increase economic activity. The same was true for the Federal Reserve capital injection and the CARES Act. They didnt. Instead the money went into assets. Money went into making money rather than work. The tax rate is lower.

Big investors are warning were in a fantasy rally, that renewed novel coronavirus infection could crash the market again.

The problem is that the market has been politicized, like everything else. You, Mr. Investor, are a big part of the Trump base, which Ive dubbed mullahs and moolah. The CEO of Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE), owners of the New York Stock Exchange, now has his wife in the U.S. Senate. The prospect of Democrats controlling Washington would wallop the market even harder than the dreaded second wave.

This is especially true for Big Tech, the companies I call Cloud Czars. As trade opened June 22, these five stocks Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) were worth a combined $6 trillion. Their combined sales last year were $898 billion. That means theyre selling at 7.8 times revenue.

The same is true for what I call their retinue, suppliers like Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), which sells at almost 21 times sales, and big users like Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), which sells at 10. These are bubble valuations, and these are the biggest stocks in the market.

Tech has some losers. International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) sells for less than 1.5 times revenue. Dell Technologies (NASDAQ:DELL) is worth $36 billion on 2019 revenue of $92 billion. But are these bargains, or are the czars overpriced?

With the Czars worth so much, you might think theyd love them some Trump.

They dont. Apple is run by a gay man. Google and Microsoft are run by immigrants. Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post. (I dont know about Mark Zuckerberg. Is he an android?)

Their long-term interest lies in spreading the wealth, investing in human brains, which are the gating factor for economic growth. The more trained, motivated, empowered people a company has in the cloud, the more money it can make.

Tech wants immigration. Tech wants education. Tech wants free trade. Every tech center today votes Democratic, from Seattle to San Francisco, from Austin to Atlanta.

If tech gets the politicians it wants in office, the bubble holding todays valuations will burst. But the people running tech dont much care. Does it matter if the Czars are worth $3 trillion instead of $6 trillion? It doesnt if they have policies that let them grow into a $6 trillion market cap.

Ever since Alexander Hamiltons policies led to the creation of the New York Stock Exchange and Bank of New York, America has been run by the golden rule.

He who has the gold makes the rules.

Tech has the gold. But tech wants that gold to be in the form of hard assets, and in people, not just stock market valuations. Tech will get what it wants, whether thats good for the market or not.

I still have money invested in the Cloud Czars. But nearly half my money is now in cash. After this bubble pops, Im going to get some bargains.

Dana Blankenhornhas been a financial journalist since 1978. His latest book isTechnologys Big Bang: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow with Moores Law, essays on technology available at the Amazon Kindle store.Follow him on Twitter at@danablankenhorn.As of this writing, he owned shares in AAPL, MSFT, IBM, AMZN, NVDA and FB.

Read more from the original source:

Big Tech Will Cause the Next Market Crash - InvestorPlace

Celebrating Father’s Day 2020 across the Thumb – Huron Daily Tribune

Posted on by

Tony Lascari, tlascari@hearstnp.com

Happy Fathers Day to Tony Gottschalk! We are the luckiest girls in the world for such a hard working, loving father like you Tony.

Happy Fathers Day to Tony Gottschalk! We are the luckiest girls in the world for such a hard working, loving father like you Tony.

Photo: Submitted By: Jessica Gottschalk

Happy Fathers Day to Tony Gottschalk! We are the luckiest girls in the world for such a hard working, loving father like you Tony.

Happy Fathers Day to Tony Gottschalk! We are the luckiest girls in the world for such a hard working, loving father like you Tony.

Celebrating Father's Day 2020 across the Thumb

Hard working. Its one of the things most people wrote about in tribute to their fathers this year when we asked for Fathers Day photo submissions on Facebook.

Its not a bad trait to find among local fathers. Other highlights included dedication and love for their children. There were some "greatest dad ever" posts, but Kristen Elizabeth went a step further: My Dads cooler than yours!

Pamela Torre wrote about Anthony Arntz not my father, but her brother. He is a single dad of five children. "Works harder than anyone I know," Torre wrote. "Supports his family all on his own! One of the best dads ever! Devoted to giving his kids the best life he can."

Barbara Ann Siemen didn't hold back, describing Darrin J. Siemen as "good-looking, hard-working, fun-loving, dream-making, never-quitting, rockstar of a dad and husband."

Charles Little had this to say: "My father Dan is an amazing dad, husband, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, friend, veteran and all around wonderful guy! He continues to provide me with a great lifetime of memories and experiences. He always taught me to be a hard worker and to live by the golden rule."

And Tina Bannick Stirrett honored her father, Arlen Bannick, in a fitting way given the current social distancing guidelines: "To keep you and mom safe we have missed your 62nd anniversary, your 98th birthday and most likely this years Fathers Day. Its been 3 months since I had a hug and I am most definitely looking forward to one very soon. Love you lots!"

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there who will celebrate Sunday, June 21. To see all the fathers and read their tributes, scroll through the photo gallery!

Continued here:

Celebrating Father's Day 2020 across the Thumb - Huron Daily Tribune

Archdeacon: On Fathers Day, lessons of innocence and reality – Dayton Daily News

Posted on by

They love going to Wright State basketball games.

This past season Julian JuJu Chambliss now 3 couldnt leave for the Nutter Center until he was wearing his Raiders basketball jersey and had his Rowdy basketball in his hands.

Once at the arena, he and his 1-year-old brother Kellen would sit with their mom, Melissa, several rows up from the court, directly across the floor from the WSU bench. Thats where all the coaches families sat.

The boys would watch until their dad, Raiders assistant Sharif Chambliss, appeared from the dressing room. Kellen would cry out Dada and Julian, if possible, would slip to the edge of the court to give his dad a hug.

Then hed be off running around with all the other kids, Sharif laughed.

Or hed be watching Big Lou, Melissa said in reference to the Raiders 6-foot-8 star, Loudon Big Lou Love. He wants to be like Big Lou when he grows up and have braids like Big Lou when his hair grows out.

Meanwhile, Kellen, his mom said, entertains the crowd with his spectacular one-year-olds dance moves.

They are the two most precious, innocent, loving little boys you could ever find, said Cherri Chambliss, their grandmother, who they call Gimmee, which is their attempt at Grammy. She lives in Racine, Wis., and said every time they end their FaceTime sessions with her they tell her they love her and blow kisses.

Before this Fathers Day, Cherri and Melissa both spoke of the little boys bond with their dad.

Sports is big with them and they bird watch Melissa said. She told how she often finds them locked into an episode of Animal Planet and how Sharif enjoys a good tickle monster sessions with them, as well as reading to them and tucking them in at night.

During the COVID-19 pandemic which cut short the WSU basketball season at tournament time and forced most people to stay at home the past two or three months Sharif said he found a few silver lining moments:

I watched my son learn to ride a two-wheeler with no training wheels and hes just three.

Being a dad is the greatest thing ever and seeing that was one of the best things Ive witnessed. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. It was an unbelievable watching him try to figure it out. He was very independent, even as far as pushing Dad away.

Now we go on bike rides all through the neighborhood.

Last month though there was another learning moment he wishes his son hadnt experienced.

On May 29th, Shariff was watching CNN coverage of the protests in Minneapolis over the killing four earlier days of George Floyd, the unarmed and handcuffed black man who lay on his stomach as a white policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while two other cops assisted him and another stood guard as nearby bystanders pleaded that Floyd was dying.

A CNN journalist, Oscar Jiminez, and his camera crew were covering the protest, a pair of cops suddenly came up while he was on the air, handcuffed and arrested him for no reason and led him away. Meanwhile, a couple of blocks away, a white CNN colleague of Jiminez was treated with consummate respect as he broadcast live.

Later, Jimenez was released and Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, apologized.

As Sharif had watched incredulously, he realized Julian was watching, too.

He said, Daddy, why is the police officer taking him to the office? Sharif said. JuJu goes to school and all he knows is that if you get in trouble, you go to the office. So he thought that was happening, but he didnt know why.

For me it was hard to explain. How do you tell a three-year-old: Basically son, its because hes black. He didnt do anything wrong. Its all because of the color of his skin.

Shattering such innocence with some of the realities of race in this country is whats hard for any black father. It absolutely hurts my heart that this stuff still happens and I have to explain it to my children, Sharif said.

One day Ill have to explain how people may look at him differently in a store and how, if hes ever pulled over while driving, he doesnt want to move unless he tells the officer what hes doing.

Cherri taught these same lessons to the 38-year-old Sharif when he was growing up, but now she sees a difference:

As an African-American mother of a son and two grandsons, for the very first time this is really concerning me. It worries me.

Sharif said his one hope is that he and Melissa do for their boys what his mom did for him:

Ive got to hope we raise them to know they are loved by their parents and the people around them. And you want to instill confidence and a spiritual base.

Our boys will learn to embrace anyone they cross paths with and to emulate the Golden Rule, Melissa said. Do unto others as youd have them do unto you.

Life lessons

Sharif grew up in Racine, a gritty city of 77,500 on Lake Michigan. Although his parents divorced when he was two, he got strong guidance from both during his life.

Cherri raised him with what she calls love and discipline, a mantra that came with everything from a 9 p.m. curfew as a high school kid to heartfelt lessons on how to treat other people, especially women.

She also taught him a work ethic. She worked 42 years at Case, the manufacturer of farm and construction equipment, and along the way, she went back to college and graduated from Marian University in Fond du lac when Sharif was in second grade.

Sharifs dad, Al Haj Jameel Ghuari, was a standout college basketball player at Wisconsin-Parkside. Known then as Chuck Chambliss, he scored 1,334 points and is in the schools hall of fame.

He ran the famed Bray Recreation Center in Racine which produced several college players, including Caron Butler, the UConn and NBA standout.

While Jameel, who was also Sharifs AAU coach, guided his sons playing career to Penn State and Wisconsin before a pro stint in Portugal, the early lessons were instilled by Cherri, who Sharif calls an unbelievable mother.

Sadly, she too had to instill those racial lessons when ugly realities collided with childhood innocence.

I remember I was about 7 and my mom took me to the grocery store, Sharif said. I picked up a Hot Wheels and she said, No, youre not getting it! So I put it back on another shelf.

But the manager stopped me when we were going out and said, OK. whered you stash it?

My mom snapped on him so professionally. She said, If I tell him hes not getting it, then hes not getting it! Its back there somewhere.

Cherri remembers other advice: I told him, If you are driving and get stopped by a police officer, get your hands at 2 and 4 and dont move unless told to.

She said in later years Sharifs dad gave him some necessary lessons: I can teach my son good character, but I certainly cant teach him to be a black man because Im not one.

Sharif played three years at Penn State where he was the teams leading scorer two seasons and then gave up his scholarship and transferred to Wisconsin. He saw it as a better opportunity, even though he had to take out loans which he is still paying to go there for two years, one as a redshirt scout player.

He was he captain of the Badgers Elite Eight team in 2005 and finished his college career with 1,107 points.

Playing for Bo Ryan at Wisconsin, he had a coach who later shepherded him into the coaching ranks.

Sharif spent two years as the video coordinator at Wisconsin and four at Milwaukee under Rob Jeter, the former Badger assistant. He joined Scott Nagys WSU staff in the spring of 2016.

The year before he married Melissa, to whom a mutual friend whose younger brother hed once recruited had introduced him.

He recruited me harder than any recruit he has ever recruited or will ever recruit, said Melissa, who is from Pewaukee, Wis. From the start Sharif gave me his all. He showed me what it feels like to be loved and appreciatedHes the most loyal human being I know. And on top of it all, hes a sight for sore eyes.

While he mixed his own charm with those early lessons on treating women, his courtship did get a last minute FaceTime tutorial from Cherri.

He called his mom when he was picking out Melissas ring at a Madison jewelry store.

He had the jeweler across the counter with two rings, Cherri laughed. He said, Mom, which one do you like?

Message of love

Cherri remembered a question Sharif asked her when he was about 7 or 8:

He said. Mom if you went right beneath our skin wouldnt we all be the same?

I said, Yes, we would. The only difference is skin color. If you go to the doctors office, our anatomy is all the same. And if we get a cold, we all get the same medicine.

I told him, Dont ever say you dont see color because youre not color blind. But you want to see beyond color. You want to see who a person is inside.

She believes thats part of the strength of Sharifs marriage with Melissa, who is white. She said they make a great couple and are superb parents.

Over the years though Sharif has encountered people who cant see beyond pigmentation.

I remember the times Ive been called the N-word, he said. I finally addressed it and told the guy, If you want to call me that, come back and say it to my face, not when youre walking away.

Was the person a coward? Yes, he didnt come back.

George Floyds killing has gnawed at him as has Ahmaud Arberys but hes able to see another picture, too

He said one friend who hes known since elementary school and is white just sent him a text the other day:

He said, Rif, Im thinking about you during these tough times. I just want to make sure you and your beautiful family are OK and tell you I love you. Im sorry the way yall are being treated. It aint right.

That was a message of love.

Another was being delivered here this weekend. Cherri was flying into Dayton on Saturday evening for Fathers Day and before she left one of Sharifs white playmates from their neighborhood stopped by her house.

Hes a golfer now and he gave her a little putter to give to Kellen so he can join his dad and Julius on the green.

Its moments like that that give him hope for his kids, Sharif said:

When Dr. King gave his I Have a Dream speech, he told how one day he hopes little black boys and girls join hands with little white boys and girls and go do things together.

When reality and innocence meet for his boys, that is a lesson Sharif Chambliss hopes endures.

Thank you for reading the Dayton Daily News and for supporting local journalism. Subscribers: log in for access to your daily ePaper and premium newsletters.

Thank you for supporting in-depth local journalism with your subscription to the Dayton Daily News. Get more news when you want it with email newsletters just for subscribers. Sign up here.

Go here to see the original:

Archdeacon: On Fathers Day, lessons of innocence and reality - Dayton Daily News

Clean Juice taps black employees to address pandemic of race – Fast Casual

Posted on by

In an effort to gain some perspective, the founders of Charlotte-based Clean Juice, invited three black employees to join it's "Be Organic" podcast to discuss not only how they were feeling during these unprecedented times but also what white people could do to help.

The racial tension and protest sparked by the murder of George Floyd have opened many people's eyes to the injustices still suffered by AfricanAmericans, and Clean Juice owners Kat and Landon Eckles wanted to understand how they could be a part of stopping the cycle of racism.

"Ultimately, our biggest hope for Clean Juice is that it is a brand that breeds unity," Kat said during an interview with FastCasual. "That's the word that has seemed to keep coming up in our hearts and conversations over the last few weeks. We know that unity is God's heart for his children. We just want to continue to play a small part with our little corner of the world to help shine a light in the darkness."

In an effort to gain some perspective, the couple, which owns the chain based in Charlotte,invited three black employees to join it's "Be Organic" podcast last week to discuss not only how they were feeling during these unprecedented times but also what white people could do to help.

"We are not African American, so we can't really understand everything that's going on from that perspective," Landon Eckles said during the podcast. "There are certain things we have never had to deal with."

Dion Beary, a black marketing manager, who works in the corporate office in downtown Charlotte, where protests have been prevalent, said he's found it hard to fall asleep to the sound of helicopters each night and wake up to the news, images and debate surrounding everything.

"Heavy's the word for it, for sure," he said. "It feels like there's quite a lot on your shoulders. "Finding pockets of the day to compartmentalize and pockets of the day to feel normal and feel fun and feel like you have the right to enjoy life is paramount for me to do and also kind of difficult to do."

Mikal Davis, a black general manager of a Clean Juice location in Charlotte, agreed, saying that the heaviness is coming from a lack of love in general.

"I think it's just because emotions are high and stuff like that, and people are reacting from emotion, maybe not exactly what they want to believe from their heart," he said.

Although the last several weeks have also been difficult for Kim Burrows, a black franchise owner in Atlanta, she said people are finally recognizing that there is still a racism problem in America. Personally, she's felt a change when it comes to shifting, a term she said African American women use to describe the double lives they must lead.

"One life in sort of corporate America or work America, and the other life when they get home," she said.

Kat Eckles wanted to learn more about shifting, so Burrows went on to describe it as how black people often feel forced to wear a mask to deal privately with their pain.

"I think that part of that, to be perfectly honest, is caused by the fact that when we come into our work environments, it's not talked about," Burrows said. "Whatever is happening on the news, whatever is happening that might be traumatic, it's not talked about; it's not acknowledged; it's not thought of, and so it's almost as if it didn't even happen."

Over the course of time, black people have been silently carrying that stress, trepidation and rage, Burrows said.

"I think what you've seen over the past couple of weeks is it's just reached a boiling point," she said. "And we don't have the work to do. It's the collective America; it's white American; it's those in power that really have the work to do.

"It starts with us in saying We are hurting,' but the acknowledgment has to be a little bit broader to say We are willing to help heal. We are willing to help this nation heal. We are willing to help repeal some of the bad laws that have put us in this place. We are willing to start changing the behavior.'"

Burrows believes that black Americans can start healing when they start seeing those changes and that will allow people to start having the conversations to help move the country forward.

"But (racism) is so pervasive throughout America that it's not just the criminal justice system; it's not just health. It's literally everything," she said. "It's all of the messages that black America receives even when they're little children and their ability to see themselves in success.

For example, although Burrows attended a historically black college in the 90s, she said there were 10 women for every black man.

"That is deeply rooted in the criminal justice system and the over-incarceration of African American men," she said. "It's happened for hundreds of years, and right now, we are seeing the fruits of all of those things."

Beary has had a similar experience when it comes to shifting, recalling that when he was eight years old, his father told him he would have to be twice as good to get half as far.

"Is that functionally true every single time, I don't know, but it's what I was taught and what I internalized. And when you walk into offices or walk into the rest of America, it really feels like you have to shift away from that; you have to hide it," he said.

What's so different about this moment, according to both Beary and Burrows, is that they finally feel like it's OK to express their pain, anger and fear.

"Not because we suddenly feel any more welcome to it, but because it has boiled over," Beary said. "Maybe it was because we were all sitting at home and couldn't go anywhere when the news about Ahmaud Arbery was breaking and the video of George Floyd. Something about it this time just feels different. It feels like there's no longer that wall we used to have between our office life and black life.

There's no longer a wall between chats with his coworkers and those he has with his family.

"These things are coming together for the good of us all," Beary said. "Were all deciding that we are no longer going to hold in what those conversations have been, and people are now more welcome to hear about it."

Moving forward together

Landon Eckles believes that sharing experiences and showing empathy toward one another is the only path forward.

"We have to be empathetic with each other," he said during the podcast. "I have to be empathetic with the fact that you might be feeling things that I just can't feel, that you may need time to adjust, and that's totally OK."

Realizing that people face different situations is also key.

"We can't possibly know each other's situation until we do things like this, where we talk about them and where we really just embrace each other and understand that we don't understand everything, and sometimes we are just blind to certain things because we don't go through them so we just don't know," he said. "And that's OK, but conversations like this allow us to open that door to see each other's perspectives."

Kat told FastCasual that she was passionate about creating a culture where racism can't exist and said other companies can do their parts as well by hosting diversity and inclusion training and looking at organizations in which to donate time and resources.

"Our company takes pride in our biblically based core values, which include things like'God is in us and using us in all that we do' and we are all an equally important piece of the puzzle,'" Kat said. "We've talked about issues like racism during our franchise partner video calls and home office Monday morning meetings and given all employees a chance to say what they are seeing and feeling. We aren't perfect and we are learning as we go too, but in simplest terms we know if we can always bring it back to the golden rule (treat others as you'd want to be treated) we are off to a good start."

Beary said it's also up to people to hold one another accountable when they hear racist or sexist language. For example, he said if he has a male friend who makes a sexist comment and he doesn't call him out on it, he is silently giving his approval of treating women with a lack of respect.

"Even though it's not direct approval, where I didn't agree with what he said, he has now interpreted approval from me," he said. "I think the same thing can often occur amongst white people and amongst people of all different kinds of races. When when you hear things that are racist, you offer approval when you say I'm not going to engage with that.'"

He urged people to speak up when they find themselves in those situations.

"For people who are allies, people who are against racism, one thing they can really help us do is to no longer give silence as approval of the racially insensitive things that they hear throughout their days," Beary said.

See the rest here:

Clean Juice taps black employees to address pandemic of race - Fast Casual

The paradoxes and perils of reopening during the coronavirus pandemic – The Boston Globe

Posted on by

We all accept the novelty of the new coronavirus and the absence of certainty. But layered onto the medical uncertainty is national uncertainty that has led to mixed messaging, conflicting advice, and a Wild West of individual decision-making with no rhyme or reason.

Take Oklahoma, where President Trump held his controversial rally on Saturday. Businesses were told to use their discretion in instituting social distancing measures, but such restrictions are not mandatory. So Trump was able to hold his rally with no obligation for audience members to wear masks or stay apart. An absence of rules means the freedom to clap, sing, shout, and spray droplets in any direction you choose.

In Louisiana, despite a law restricting parties to fewer than 20 people, at least 100 cases of COVID-19 were linked to employees and customers of bars in the Tigerland nightlife district near the Louisiana State University campus.

In South Carolina, where cases of COVID-19 are rising, the laws are unclear as to whether coroners must disclose who has died from the disease. The issue is moving through the courts. Without information being fed into the state database, the entire metrics system is faulty.

Even when the laws are clear, enforcement is not.

According to the New York University School of Law Policing Project, in response to COVID-19, almost every state has issued some form of stay-at-home or social distancing order. Governors and mayors are relying on police for enforcement of these orders. But guidance for police too often has been unclear. In some places such as Florida, where, as of Monday, the number of confirmed coronavirus infections has surpassed 100,000, and confirmed deaths are nearing 3,200 state and local rules conflict. In others, official messages vary: New Yorks mayor instructed police to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups while the Brooklyn district attorney recommended that enforcement consist of distributing masks, gloves, [and] sanitizers. Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has done a masterful job of responding to the pandemic in his state, has called bars and threatened removal of liquor licenses to enforce the rules.

California has gone from masks being recommended to mandated, with gyms allowed to reopen if you wear your mask, which you can then remove while exercising (and breathing heavily).

And dont look to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for clarity. What they offer are recommendations and guidance for things like masks, social distancing, and school openings but with so much wiggle room and watering down as to be nearly irrelevant. That has left colleges, for example, to announce everything from fully reopening to fully closing and holding classes online.

We need a few leaders to step forth and form a national consensus on Americas response to the greatest global health crisis we have faced in a century. A starting point would be something along the lines of the Kerner Commission which President Johnson assembled to examine the causes of violence that occurred in Americas urban areas between 1965 and 1968. It concluded that our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white separate and unequal and called for programs on a scale equal to the dimension of the problems in response. Today we have a nation divided between wellness and sickness, intertwined with the same issues of racism that the Commission identified.

We are bound to have an America separated into clusters of infected and noninfected, dead and alive, homebound or out and about, with nobody in charge. We teach kids to listen to their parents and teachers and follow the rules and to be respectful of government officials. But with coronavirus cases surging across the United States and some models predicting 200,000 Americans will die of COVID-19 by October, those golden rules now seem hollow. The new rule is: Fend for yourself.

As to my own decision, I am going to worship via Zoom and work out in my kitchen.

Tara D. Sonenshine, a former US undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, is a fellow in public diplomacy at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs.

Follow this link:

The paradoxes and perils of reopening during the coronavirus pandemic - The Boston Globe

Enter through the narrow gate – Tempo

Posted on by

Gospel: MT 7:6, 12-14

*

JESUS said to his disciples: Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets.

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.

* * *

How is this metaphor of the narrow gate related to pearls and to the golden rule? The golden rule is clear: Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. It teaches that the self is secondary; the disciples are to be other-oriented. Because they are too preoccupied with themselves, the swine do not see the true value of the pearls before them. Becoming more and more other-oriented, therefore, is like entering a narrow gate. It is not easy, but it is the way to a life of deeper meaning and true happiness.

* * *

SOURCE: 365 Days with the Lord 2020, ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: books@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

Read this article:

Enter through the narrow gate - Tempo

Thinking of buying a term life insurance plan? Here are three things that you need to know – Jagran English

Posted on by

So here three things that you should keep in mind before buying a term life insurance.

New Delhi | Santosh Aggarwal: Buying a term life insurance is crucial as it helps to look after the dreams of your family that you have planned for them. However, a recent survey has revealed that most of the people buy term life insurance to save tax and death benefit.

No one can question the fact that buying a term life insurance is a good idea to save tax and death benefit but it has some other benefits as well. Buying term insurance can not only protect your familys finances but also provide coverage from accidents, health issues and other uncertainties.

So here three things that you should keep in mind before buying a term life insurance:

Calculate the correct insurance cover that you would need

One of the things that you should keep in mind before buying a term life insurance is how insurance coverage would you need in the future. For this, theres just a simple rule that the death benefit of your policy should be 7 to 15-20 times of your annual salary.

However, you should always ask the insurance company about what will be taken into consideration to consider your sum assured before buying a term life insurance. Another fact that you should consider is how much retirement corpus you would like to leave for your spouse on his or her retirement.

According to experts, another golden rule for calculating the correct insurance cover is -- 300 times your monthly expenses (minus EMIs) plus your outstanding liabilities and three times the current cost of the goals.

Select the right policy term

After calculating the insurance cover, you need to select the correct policy term for yourself and decide how long you need the assurance. Neither, the tenure should not be too little as your policy might lapse before you fulfil your financial obligations nor it should be too long.

To solve this issue, theres just a simple rule and you should always buy term insurance for the period as long as you feel that you will continue to work and earn money. However, if you are thinking of a will and want to leave something for your legal heir, then you should invest in a full-term life insurance plan as gives you cover for 99 years and above.

Select the correct payout options

Before buying life term issuance, you should also think about the payout options. A payout option includes instalments and annuities, retained asset accounts and lump sums.

Generally, the option of paying in instalments in considered better for those who cannot make big financial decisions. In this, the beneficiary receives a part or percentage of the total sum assured as a lump sum and the remaining amount is provided as a monthly payment in a pre-determined period. Generally, this period is for 15 to 20 years.

(Disclaimer:Santosh Aggarwal is the chief business officer of life insurance at policybazaar.com. The views expressed in the above story are of the author)

Posted By: Aalok Sensharma

See more here:

Thinking of buying a term life insurance plan? Here are three things that you need to know - Jagran English

Saturday letters to the editor – The Spokesman-Review

Posted on by

Forgetting our history

As we all observe the craziness in the United States the last few weeks one can only wonder how the rest of the world sees the U.S.

Apparently, we have learned nothing in the last 60 years! As a young person I had to take many courses in some kind of history in school. Washington State history, twice once in middle school and once in high school. American history, civics, world history, etc. It does not appear that todays youth have had to take any of these history courses at least that is how it appears to me. Tearing down buildings, burning cars and flags, dismantling statues! If we continue to do all of these things in the name of equality, we will surely destroy ourselves!

When you try to erase the lessons of the past instead of learning from them to fit a certain narrative you are doomed to repeat things you are so much against.

Carol Scheurer

Spokane Valley

We celebrate KHQs conversations on racism and police. Thank you.

To Christians, we suggest four steps in this time of crisis. It is not a quick fix, but a continuous process.

1. Lament. As Christians we lament, a biblical word meaning to grieve creatively. We grieve the sin and sorrow in the world: the racism, hatred, anger, lust and unbelief. We grieve sickness, death and sorrow. We bring our tears to the Lord and lay them at his feet.

2. Repent. As Christians, we confess our own sins to the Lord: our prejudice, hatred, self-pity, lust, greed and pride. We humble ourselves before God. Only the cross of Christ can absolve sin.

3. Listen. As Christians, we listen to the Lord, to our family and friends, to those of different races and backgrounds, and to our own conscience. We pray fervently, asking God, What am I to say or do?

4. Act. As Christians, we do what God calls us to do: pray, speak up, visit our neighbors, seek out those in need, support causes that lead to reconciliation and peace.

There is hope. Its a long process leading to the cross of Christ and his resurrection. God, give us faith, hope and love.

Don and Laverne Meekhof

Spokane

Dear fellow Americans and people of the world: All of this turmoil that we are now experiencing is causing us to be like a large, out-of-control bus speeding down a steep hill toward a lake, and if it is not stopped we will soon be in the lake killing us all.

I believe the only way this chaos can be stopped is for all of us to start following the teachings of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. He tells us in the Bible, in Luke 6:27-31: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. (NASB).

Pray for President Trump and our other government officials that they would set the example, showing all of us how to love and respect each other. Im afraid if we cant get the present turmoil under control, that big bus that we are all on will be in the lake and we will all be in more trouble than we are in now.

Jesus told His disciples in John 13:35, By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. We all need to do that.

Bob Mattila

Brush Prairie, Wash.

When I think of protection, I think of the police department and the firemen. When I think of rescue, I think of the police department and the firemen.

Granted, there are some people who shouldnt be police, priests, coaches, teachers, mothers or fathers. But, by and large, we are the lucky few. Here in the U.S., we should respect our police and at least, pray that they always stay safe from harm.

E. H. Wilson

Spokane

I find it interesting that our elected officials defend the right to assemble and ignore the right of the people to bear arms! The Oxford Dictionary of English definition of vigilante concludes with typically the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate! Now where would these vigilantes get that idea? Minneapolis, Seattle, New York? My last thought; neighbors and friends, please do not re-elect a single one of these elected officials who would deny us the right to protect our families and businesses when they are unable or unwilling to do so.

Carl Smith

Spokane

I agree with Ken Hills basic statement that there should be less politics and more facts regarding Spokane County Health Officer Dr. Lutzs statement about COVID-19 and minority groups.

What Mr. Hill misses is the fact that the increased stress that people of color face due to systemic racism, which includes low socioeconomic status due to lack of jobs, low paying jobs, hiring resistance, expensive healthy food, poor education opportunities, lack of routine healthcare and preventative medicine due to cost, can cause cardiovascular disease. This also highly contributes to diabetes, obesity and mental health problems. Poor white folks without a family safety net face these issues too, somewhat less.

The body-mind connection is established and ZIP code data shows poorer health in industrial and economically depressed areas. These are facts, not politics. Gender does have differences too that we are now just understanding, but that socioeconomic factors impact health is a well-known fact.

Karen Miller

Nine Mile Falls

For those of us who grew up in the 1970s and 80s it is good to see the younger generation in the streets in peaceful protest against the racism that our generation tried to speak out against but that persists nevertheless.

While I havent felt that it was safe because of COVID to participate myself, Im so glad that you are speaking out about the problems that you see in police behavior and other issues where we need to grow beyond where we had stalled. Keep up the good work of reminding us that we have a long way to go to be fully what we try to proclaim: everyone is equal.

Kathy Finley

Spokane

It is disturbing to read that the Spokane County Sheriffs Department, led by Sheriff Knezovich, will be sponsoring a police training in October called, the mindset bootcamp. Embracing the tools of violence and intimidation, this training focuses on the mindset of fear, warfare, and winning. While the Sheriffs Department has been run relatively well under Knezovichs leadership, this news (S.R. June 5th), gives me serious pause to question Knezovichs commitment to much needed law enforcement reform.

Cant you hear it? These protests are the result of justice long delayed. They are a response to deep systemic problems built on violence and racism. Its time for all of us, civilians and police, to address the issues together!

As for law enforcement personnel, while the vast majority of you have integrity, its time for you to collectively do the right thing by demanding that your unions and guilds internally reform, or be dissolve. Also, its time for prosecutors to stop colluding with the police to protect abusive police behavior.

And no, Sheriff Knezovich, its not, (as you said in the June 5th S.R. article) a few socialist little individuals who dont understand what its really like to be out there. Its a deep systemic issue. Surely you know better!

Gary Jewell

Spokane

Thank-you to the generations of the Conley family for giving Spokane the White Elephant. It was a wonderfully chaotic place to experience and I will miss it. It takes a lot of grit and determination to build a successful independently owned business. The Conley family remained true to the vision of John Conley Sr, and gave Spokane a truly special place to shop. Cabelas will never come close!

Pamela Bording Gray

Spokane

A message to all protesters, now that you had your time protesting on Americas streets and breaking the law for being out in large groups, when told to stay home because of Covid-19 and breaking other laws, (rioting and looting), its time to shut-up, go home, go back to work or do something useful.

Why are you doing this? A lot of us dont understand. The truth is you dont either.

You claim Black lives matter, and they do, but the truth is all lives matter.

You talk about police brutality, but most of you cannot truthfully say this happens to you. The real truth is you are protected by the police and without them, life (if possible), would be miserable.

You say we should kneel to protest our country and its flag. A lot of us say you should kneel to thank God that we are blessed to live under this great flag of America, the greatest country the world has ever seen or will see.

Its time, regardless of race, religion, gender or politics, to quit complaining and help to build up and protect our great nation, our president, government, and all our citizens.

If we lived by the golden rule we could make our country even greater. I pray to God that we may get back to some kind of reasonable sanity. Please God, bless this country.

Joseph Machala

Kettle Falls

In response to Trish Edgars letter in June 5th Spokesman-Review. Yes our seniors are healthy and life is not fair. However, graduation is something seniors and their families work towards for years. Its an event that they cant get back. Some people choose to not have funerals regardless of COVID 19, families can visit new babies and see them grow up. Graduations cant be done over. We have enough of hard knocks in life, losing graduation ceremonies is not fair. They will survive not having their prom but being able to get your diploma in front of friends and families cant be repeated. I teach in Cheney School District, we had a drive by celebration on June 5th. Even with the rain there was a huge turn out. The tears and looks of gratitude on the faces of the seniors and parents was worth it. At least we gave them a lesson, that life isnt fair, but we can help to even the scales.

Kelly Dolan

Medical Lake

Oh my! I refer to the letter by Joseph Harari and Ronald Garrett (6/4). The political leaders who have driven so many askew by their draconian measures (to use Harari and Garrets words) did not know, in the early times, whether few Washingtonians or most of us would be sickened by the pandemic. Now we have a peer reviewed study which projects that without the shutdown and other steps taken to contain the virus, 500 million (worldwide) would have been sick. That is 100 times what has happened so far. At that rate, Washington would have had over 100,000 deaths rather than just over 1,000.

We are still unable to identify those who are passing the virus and so we must treat every person as a potential carrier even though that possibility is likely small. When our lives are at risk, we must be careful. There is no second chance for mistakes. We will get past this pandemic. We will be able to live close to normal when we learn to live with this disease.

Governor Inslee and all of us who are working together through these hard times have succeeded against challenging odds. We deserve credit for that.

Allan deLaubenfels

Spokane Valley

Re: Sidelined by SB 5395, (Ellen Williams, May 29).

The above entitled letter is baffling, being replete with unsubstantiated exclamations (eg. Most of us agree that the goal of caring parents is to rear a well-adjusted child and A primary teachers first responsibility is to inculcate reading and arithmetic.), vague warnings (eg. a plethora of sexual practices, embed(ed) sexual terms throughout all subjects) and bizarre illusions ( eg. When students have learned their colors of turquoise and purple , they are expected to parrot genitalia and nipples. and teachers putting a prophylactic over a banana). She seems in a panic ( I am aghast) about the proposed WA State mandated sex-educated Bill SB 5395. But a close reading of the actual text of the Bill reveals none of these nightmares to be valid. Local school boards have options as do individual parents.

But what is frightening is that she introduces herself as a teacher, principal, university professor and parent. Now if that is indeed true, what that would reflect about the character of our society is indeed terrifying.

Peter Grossman

Spokane

Obeisance [OF,obeissance obedience.]

A bow, curtsey, genuflection, etc, in token of respect, submission, or reverence; also, deference; homage.Websters New Collegiate Dictionary

Across the nation thousands of people watched the rioting in downtown Spokane. They watched the Spokane Riot Police, in a show of respect, submission, reverence, deference or homage, genuflect before the usual mix of communist ANTIFA thugs, terminally ignorant old line Socialists, simply stupid sacking college students, and a sad mix of people just wanting to belong to a group any group. Of course, this sort of foolishness had absolutely zero effect on the crowd that came to throw bricks, rocks, glass bottles, human feces, and spray the police with blinding oven cleaner.

One might ask, Where are the adults? What could possibly prompt leaders of a distinguished law enforcement agency to bow in obeisance to a group of rioting, nihilistic criminals, when their job, the police, is to protect the life and property of the law-abiding citizens? The answer of course is, because thats the frame of mind of the City Administration: If were just nice, and try to establish some common identity, and be friends they wont hurt too many people, destroy too much of our city, and once this too passes we can resume our banal, pitiful, political lives.

Do our City leaders actually believe prostrating before the mob will in any way influence the outcome of a riot? From one of the hotter corners of Hell, Maximilien Robespierre, himself a member of the Committee of Public Safety, must be chortling in his singed beard. Where are the adults in this city?

Glenn M. Dobbs

Liberty Lake

I read that local higher education leaders are calling for a more equitable community (SR, Roundtable, Guest Opinion, 6/7/20.) Good for them. They write we must not only listen, but act. Right on! They want real and lasting change ensuring all are treated with dignity and equity. Fair enough. They express they will never presume to know what it feels liked to be a person of color in America, but do know that persons of color face workplace, community, education, and legal system discrimination. Ok They opine that it is not enough to try, and that we all must make transition societys prime directive, ending specifically, among other unnamed black life devaluations, inhuman and unfair law enforcement. Humm

This publicly preening, virtue signaling pap is brought to you by three university presidents, one college president and one university vice president. They all appear to be white. Their combined yearly salaries log in north of 1.5 million dollars. Four of the five were hired by appointed boards, the majority of whom are white. Their letter was printed in our only local daily newspaper, inherited and published by the scion of a wealthy white family.

None, have to date, resigned their posts to make way for a person of color. Their letter avoids using the term white privlege. I can see why.

William Baxley

Spokane

If I knew a victim of sexual assault, would I rather call the police and/or a trained assault social worker to help? If I was dealing with a person with mental health issues would I want to call the police and/or a mental health professional? If I was dealing with someone high on drugs, would I want a drug counselor and/or police officer to come and help? To me, this is what is needed in terms of police reform: different options and different people trained to deal with specific problems ,,, not just the police. We need to revise public safety as a recent Spokesman Review article quoted. Trained counselors, trained social workers, trained police etc. are all needed in a society trying to better serve a community that wants safety, support and prevention.

Getting rid of the police is not what is needed now but revamping their duties, obligations and tactics and sharing their jobs with other skilled professionals, is.

The uncalled for injury and death to anyone (mostly black people) in the U.S. by police, has to stop NOW. I hope that the Spokane mayor, chief of police, sheriff and police guild are listening to the citizens in Spokane and all over the world when they say that the police, as we currently know them and their duties, has to change NOW.

Barbara Shaw

Spokane

When protesters take over a police precinct and an area of Seattle, it is time for President Trump to call out the U.S. military under the Insurrection Act. In the past, it has been used by presidents:

1. Ulysses S. Grant, to suppress the Ku Klux Klan.

2. Eisenhower, to protect the Little Rock Nine African American students enrolled in the Little Rock Central High School.

3. John F. Kennedy, to enforce the desegregation of the University of Mississippi and the Alabama public schools.

4. Bush Sr., invoked U.S. military to stop looting in St. Croix following Hurricane Hugo and to subdue the riots following the police beating of Rodney King.

Americans need to go back to work and to schools, especially college age students. Many business owners and their employees who are hanging on for dear life, with this and the virus shock. To keep their precious businesses in operation, they need government control, not a few dollars handed out to them!

Lillian Moore Lind

Coeur dAlene

Read more from the original source:

Saturday letters to the editor - The Spokesman-Review

Visit Boca Chica Beach in Texas – TripSavvy

Posted on by

Due to its southernlocation in the United States that border the Gulf of Mexico, Texas is home to a number of great beaches, but many people forget about one beach on the southernmost point of the state, Boca Chica Beach.

While residents and visitors alike usually know about the desolate stretches of beach along the Padre Island National Seashore near Corpus Christiandthousands visitthe resort shores of South Padre Island each year, Boca Chica receives surprisingly few visitors each year.

Boca Chica Beach is about 23 miles east of Brownsville on Highway 4, which dead-ends at the Gulf of Mexico. Street-licensed vehicles can travel on the sand, but the refuge rules strictly forbid off-roading otherwise. The beach is openfrom sunrise to sunset and entrance is free, however, you cannot camp or otherwise stay overnight in the refuge.

Boca Chica Beach sits on asandy peninsula separated from Mexico by the Rio Grande River and detached from South Padre Island by the Brazos Santiago Pass. Technically part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge,which is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the eight-mile beach at Boca Chica fronts tidal salt flats, mangrove marshes, and clay dunes calledlomas.

Aside from a few homes on stilts near the pass, which you can see from South Padre Island, and a jetty protruding into the Gulf of Mexico, you won't find any development at Boca Chica Beach. However, since it is the southernmostbeach in Texas, you will usually find clean, clear green water lapping against the sand.

The Kemp's ridley sea turtle, the most critically endangered sea turtle in the world, comes ashore to nest in spring and summer. Aplomado and peregrine falcons migrate through the area, and hawks, osprey, and other birds of prey frequent the shoreline. You should also keep an eye out for the Portuguese man o' war, a floating jellyfish-like creature that inflicts a painful sting and becomes particularly plentiful following storms.

What Boca Chica lacks in modern amenities, it makes up for with a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities, including surf fishing, swimming, surfing, snorkeling, kiteboarding, and birdwatching. However,the lack of facilities means you must bring all of your own gear for whichever activity you want to pursue, in addition to plenty of drinking water, food, sunscreen, insect repellent, a first-aid kit, and any other essentials for your own safety and comfort.

Most often, you'll only meet local residents atthis remote destination, butit can get more crowded than you might expect, particularly on weekends. Bring a sack to carry out your own garbage and any you find left behind by less conscientious visitors. Refuge rules prohibit alcoholic beverages and unleashed pets; in addition, visitors should refrain from feeding wildlife and collecting or otherwise disturbing thebeach.

Another interesting thing to do is travel down to the mouth of the Rio Grande, where you can see the border wall between the United States and Mexico, which continues out to see about 30 feet into the ocean. This is the southernmost point in Texas, which is almost as far south as the Florida Keys, the southernmost point on the continental U.S.

Thanks for letting us know!

Visit link:

Visit Boca Chica Beach in Texas - TripSavvy

Boca Chica Texas.

Posted on by

Spanish for "little mouth," The Bay is centered at 2600' N, 9709' W and is bordered on the SE by Boca Chica Beach and on the N by Brazos Island

On May 11th, under the cover of darkness at Boca Chica Pass, 300 Union troops crossed to the mainland in an attempt to occupy Brownsville. After a forced march, they reached White's Ranch at dawn and attempted (unsuccessfully) to conceal themselves to rest. With the element of surprise gone, the troops openly marched toward Brownsville but didn't get far.

At Palmito Ranch they were confronted by a Confederate force of 190 members of Lt. Col. George H. Giddings's Texas Cavalry which resulted in a brief skirmish. Both forces disengaged with the Union force camping for the night. The Confederates attacked at 3 a.m., forcing the Union troops to return to White's Ranch.

Early on May 13, 200 reinforcements arrived, bringing the Union strength up to 500. This larger force moved on Palmito Ranch where the major battle took place. The outnumbered Confederate received succor late that afternoon, from Colonel "RIP" Ford's Second Texas Cavalry, and a six-gun battery of field artillery.

The flat, open land gave the advantage to the Confederate mounted cavalry and the Union troops were routed. A seven-mile running fight to Brazos Island ensued - and there the Federal troops were met by reinforcements, now causing the Confederates to retreat.

Since everyone knew the war was officially over, this may have seemed to Ford to be a good note to go out on. He addressed his troops, saying, "Boys, we have done finely. We will let well enough alone, and retire." The four hour battle left a score of Southerners wounded, but the Union fared much worse. Thirty men were killed or wounded and over a hundred were taken prisoner. A few days later a truce was signed. This seemingly minor see-saw confrontation may have been small by comparison with the Civil War's major battles, but it won a footnote in history by being the last land fight of the war - one that was won by the losers.

At first glance, after completing those six months of very hard and rigorous basic training, my response was to tell them to "Take This Job And Shove It." But as time passed better judgment kicked in. I decided to just let it play out.

At the time, I had never even heard of Boca Chica and honestly, panhandle Pampa wasn't a desirable place for this East Texas piney woods country boy to live either. So, we all languished in agony and pity for one another, trying to figure it all out and console each other a bit.

After letting our group moan, suffer and wallow in sorrow and humility for several days, we found out that the list was bogus. It was just another last minute attempt by academy officials to disappoint, harass, intimidate, belittle, and discourage the soon to be newly appointed Texas highway patrolmen. That wasn't an uncommon ploy, among other things, used by TxDPS during the 1950's, '60's and '70's. We all later agreed it was just another attempt to test our mettle. We all soon were once again heads up, chest out and highly proud to have overcome the disappointment and finished the academy.

A short few weeks thereafter I moved my little family to Crosby, Texas, in east Harris County as my first work assignment. There I spent a good part of my career. - Ray Maxie - Texas Escape's aka "Ramblin' Ray", June 21, 2007

Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history and vintage/historic photos, please contact us.

Go here to read the rest:

Boca Chica Texas.