This One Tweet May Lead to Donald Trump’s Impeachment – National Review

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Twitter helped make Donald Trump president. It may also lead to his impeachment.

The president values Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram asways to bypass a hostile media and express his thoughts directly and authentically. But there is a difference between tweeting as a candidate for president and tweeting as the president. And there have been plenty of times since January when his Twitter habithas diverted President Trumpfrom his message and agenda.

It now looks like the most consequential Tweet of his presidency to date came a few days after he fired James Comey as FBI director. At 8:26 a.m. on Friday, May 12, Trumpwrote: James Comey better hope that there are no tapesof our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

That tweet, Comey told the Senate, prompted the now-private citizen to instruct a friend, Columbia Law professor Daniel Richman, to share with theNew York Timesthe contents of contemporaneous memoshe had written describing his interactions with the president. Thearticle, published a week to the day after Comey was fired, revealed that the president had asked the FBI director to end the criminal investigation into former national-security adviser Michael Flynn.

Why did Comey have Richman call theTimes? Because, he told the Senate, he hoped that the disclosure of the memo would prompt the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russias involvement in the 2016 election and possible collusion with associates of the presidents campaign. That is exactly what happened May 17,the dayafter theTimespiece, when Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosensteinnamed as counsel former FBI director Robert Mueller.

And though Comey would not say if he believed President Trump obstructed justice by urging him to let go the investigation into Flynn, he did say he was sure that Mueller would investigate whether obstruction of justice had occurred.

Obstruction of justice, of course,being something past congresses have considered a high crime and misdemeanor worthy of presidential impeachment.

In other words: By firing Comey and then tweeting recklessly about it, Trump elevated a long-running but manageable problem the so-called Russia thing into an independent investigation that seriously endangers his presidency.

I call the Russia thing a manageable problem because, almost a year after the FBI launched the counterintelligence probe, no serious allegation of wrongdoing by Americans has been made. Indeed, the investigation seems to be headed in directions having little to do with Russias hacking of Democratic emails and election systems. Flynns troubles involve his statements to the FBI and his work for thegovernment of Turkey. The question for former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort is whether he properly reported income made overseas. Senior adviser and Trump-in-law Jared Kushner is under the microscope for a meeting he had during the transition with a Russian banker who has a relationship with Vladimir Putin.

If President Trump had let the investigation develop as other presidents have done in the past, it seems unlikely to have reached him. This is especially the case now that we know that Comey had informed the president on multiple occasions that he was not a subject of the inquiry, that Comey, while disturbed by his encounters with Trump, did not see them as warranting his resignation, and that no one other than Trump ever told him to drop the Flynn inquiry.

But Donald Trump, as we know, is not like other presidents. He couldnt let it rest. Comeys refusal to say in public that Trumpwas not under investigation, combined with Comeys holier-than-thou demeanor on television, seems to have sofrustrated the president that he fired Comey impulsively and without warning to his White House communications team. His temper grew when staff (and he) could not get straight the reason for Comeys dismissal. And when Trump is angry, Trump tweets.

What I saw in Comeys testimony was a very skilled lawyer making the case by implication that the president obstructed justice by directing him to drop the Flynn investigation, then firing him after he had failed to do so. And Comey will of course make the same case in his deposition to his friend Bob Mueller. Who will combine that testimony with Trumps other questionable interactions with members of his cabinetwhen he reports his findings to the Justice Department and Congress.

A Congress that, by January 2019, might not be under full Republican control.

Need definitive proof that Twitter is bad for President Trump? Look no farther than the one tweet that may very well lead to his impeachment.

Matthew Continetti is the editor-in-chief of the Washington Free Beacon, where this column first appeared. 2017 All rights reserved

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This One Tweet May Lead to Donald Trump's Impeachment - National Review

This week in Donald Trump’s conflicts of interest: Kushner may have problems, but Trump’s hotel raises lots of questions – Salon

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It may seem unnecessary to write about President Donald Trumps conflicts of interest when so much attention is being paid to the Russia scandal, but the fact remains that a president who has refused to fully divest himself from a massive business empire is one who will always be fraught with conflicts that may impede his ability to impartially serve the public interest.

Let us proceed.

The Kushner familys company is trying to find a way to reimbursea $250 million loan from Chinese investors

The EB-5 visa program ostensibly exists to help combat unemployment and poverty. It allows foreign investors who spend at least $500,000 on projects with high unemployment or which require development for other reasons to receive a permanent resident visa in return. That said, theKushner familys real estate company is having trouble obtaining a $250 million loan to reimburse Chinese investors who helped fund a tower in Jersey City, according to a report by Bloomberg. Although the Kushners would keep $50 million and use the rest to reimburse investors and pay off a mortgage, apparently the ongoing controversy over the Kushners using the EB-5 program for questionable means (the project does not necessarily help the less fortunate) is scaring away banks.

Saudi Arabia has spent a lot of money at the Trump International Hotel. . .

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is currently in the process of opposing an American terrorism law, has spent roughly $270,000 at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.,according to a report by USA Today. This included catering, lodging and parking expenses for the period between Oct. 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017 that is, from a little more than a month before Trump was elected president to a little more than two months after he was inaugurated. The Trump Organization has said they will donate all of these profits at the end of the year, although it remains to be seen whether theyll follow through on that.

. . . butTrump International Hotels conflicts dont stop there

As a recent Time Magazine article pointed out, Trumps Washington hotel has become a bastion of power in its own right, even though the president issupposed to avoid mixing his private businesses with the official work of the government. One former Trump campaign adviser told the magazine that of course we hang out there. Everyone hangs out there. Being in the Trump hotels lobby is a way to get people to know you. The conservative Heritage Foundation has loaned an American flag to the hotel, and as this series has noted already, guests who are willing and able to pay top dollar can interact with powerful domestic and foreign officials within the hotel.

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This week in Donald Trump's conflicts of interest: Kushner may have problems, but Trump's hotel raises lots of questions - Salon

Watch Donald Trump Throw Binders Full of Highway Environmental Reviews on the Floor – Slate Magazine (blog)

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Is federal environmental review holding up megaprojects? Mostly not.

C-SPAN

In a speech on Friday dedicated to speeding up infrastructure construction, President Trump couldnt resist deploying one of his favorite props: a big stack of paper.

Henry Grabar is a staff writer for Slates Moneybox.

This time, the paper was the 10,000-page environmental report for the Intercounty Connector, an 18-mile highway in Maryland, enclosed in three binders that the president borrowed from a state highway official to demonstrate the waste and folly of federal bureaucracy.

Denouncing the report as nonsense, Trump unceremoniously dropped the binders on the floor, to applause, before kicking them out of the way as he returned to the lectern. Nobodys going to read it, except the consultants who get a fortune for this, the president said. "These binders could be replaced by just a few simple pages, it would be just as good. It would be much better."

The Intercounty Connector, or MD-200, is a$2.4 billion, 18-mile highway that was first proposed more than 50 years ago but not completed until 2014. Supporters of this tolled alternative to the Beltway, which slices through suburbs and wetlands parallel to the Washington ring road, have condemned its opponents as tree-huggers standing in the way of progress.

But with exaggerated traffic estimates furnished by consultants, the predictions for toll revenue failed to come true: Vehicle counts were 20 percent lower than what consultants had predicted. Revenue was one-third the low-end prediction. Its true that environmentalists battled the road in court for years, delaying it and raising the construction costs. But they also got the size of the highway reduced from 12 lanes to six.

Imagine if the ICC had been twice the size. As it is, Maryland had to raise tolls on other crossings to pay off ICC debt. The ICC only passed its year-one toll revenue estimate in its third year of operation. Around that time, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan canceled Baltimores Red Line project and shifted the states $1.35 billion contribution into highway funding instead, a decision that prompted an investigation from President Obamas Department of Transportation.

The ICC is slowly filling up, because new highways always do. They dont solve traffic congestion. But they do create more car-dependent lives, stemming from new personal choices and new car-dependent patterns of housing and employment. Or as the California Department of Transportation put it in a recent paper, Increasing Highway Capacity Unlikely to Relieve Traffic Congestion.

As a symbol, then, the ICC represents the overwhelming influence of the highway construction lobbymore than the obstructionism of environmental activists.

Trump was announcing the creation of a new office in the Council of Environmental Quality dedicated to rooting out inefficiency, clarifying lines of authority, and streamlining coordination between different levels of government.

The president bemoaned, as he has before, the glacial pace of public works construction in the United States, and spoke wistfully of the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge, built in five and four years, respectively.

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Trump no like books! TRUMP SMASH! More...

Could U.S. infrastructure be built more quickly? Yes. Is 10,000 pages too many pages for an 18-mile highway? Yes. And yet, according to a Congressional Research Service review of the subject, environmental reports prompted by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) are mostly a scapegoat. Causes of delay, the CRS reports, "are more often tied to local/state and project-specific factors, primarily local/state agency priorities, project funding levels, local opposition to a project, project complexity, or late changes in project scope.And while phony environmental concerns are used as a pretext to forestall growth of all kinds, the bias in highways is definitively towards building.

But hey, the trade-offs involved in expediting the construction of public works are difficult. And dropping binders on the floor is easy. And fun.

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Watch Donald Trump Throw Binders Full of Highway Environmental Reviews on the Floor - Slate Magazine (blog)

Ex-Pepperell man jailed in bankruptcy case – Lowell Sun

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BOSTON -- A former Pepperell man who used a snowmobile to flee to his native Canada to avoid criminal charges here will spend 18 months in federal prison and then face deportation hearings that could send him back to Canada once again.

Cyril Gordon Lunn, 69, was accused in 2004 of concealing $3 million to $4 million in assets during bankruptcy proceedings, and of making false statements under the penalty of perjury.

In March of 2005, Lunn rented a snowmobile in Maine and used it to flee across the border into Canada, where he remained a fugitive until his arrest and extradition back to the U.S. last year, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In January, Lunn pleaded guilty to concealing assets from bankruptcy creditors and making false statements under the penalty of perjury in one of his bankruptcy cases.

Prosecutors say that from 1985 to 2001, Lunn owned the CY Realty Corporation, a construction and development business in Pepperell. From 1998 to September of 2001, Lunn transferred both personal and business assets, including $3 million to $4 million in cash, into Canada, according to prosecutors. Much of the cash was deposited into safe deposit boxes, according to prosecutors.

When Lunn filed bankruptcy for himself and CY Realty Corporation in 2001, he failed to disclose the transfers, and made false statements claiming he had closed all his safe deposit boxes, according to a press release from the U.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Hillman sentenced Lunn to 18 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $6,339 in restitution. Lunn will face deportation hearings once he is released from prison.

Follow Robert Mills on Twitter and Tout @Robert_Mills

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Ex-Pepperell man jailed in bankruptcy case - Lowell Sun

Bankruptcy forces curtain to fall on community theater – Chicago Tribune

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As members of the Crown Point Community Theatre prepare for the group's final curtain call July 9, they say performing arts in the city will live on.

"We have to consider this a beginning," said Marion Kellum, of Crown Point.

Kellum was among the founding members of the Crown Point Community Theatre 13 years ago, and he was among a group of its members and supporters who gathered at the theater Tuesday to learn about the theater's closing from the board.

Kellum said the theater has come a long way since its inception when members performed all of the shows in the Hall of Justice in downtown Crown Point, the Crown Point United Methodist Church and in open-air spaces at Crown Point High School. Having a space to finally call its own when the theater opened its doors five years ago in the building at 1125 Merrillville Road was a milestone.

"We did some terrific work," Kellum said. "In my opinion, we have a tremendous history. Instead of feeling depressed, we should feel very proud."

The Tuesday session was a wake of sorts for the theater, which has a history of successful programming.

Matt Valukis, CPTC president, said the economics of running the theater and maintaining its space became too much. The board has consulted with an attorney and will be filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy after one last show run ending July 9, he said. The bankruptcy will include closing of its theater.

"We are incredibly fortunate to have served the community for 13 years," Valukis said. "We've had some really great programs."

Valukis and Vice President Becky Jascoviak, of Valparaiso, said that despite being a popular theater with successful shows and classes that would routinely fill, overhead ultimately became too much for the group to handle.

"Our programming is strong. Overhead killed us," Valukis said.

CPCT is run only by volunteers. Between 10 and 20 volunteers oversee operations, scheduling and production of the shows, as well as fundraising. Valukis said the space costs about $26,000 a year to operate for rent and utilities. Productions cost between $2,500 and $3,000. Ticket sales generate between $4,000 and $8,000 per production and represent a small portion of the theater's income. The remainder comes from grants, donations and sponsorships.

Over the years the theater has received numerous grants, but for the past two years it was unsuccessful in its grant applications, officials said.

The financial stress was compounded by the loss of the group's 501(c)(3) charitable status after a misunderstanding about tax filing requirements, officials said. The group is operating as a fund of the Crown Point Community Foundation in order to maintain its charitable standing while the accounting issues are addressed with the IRS and the theater winds down operations.

Valukis said that as the financial statements were being reviewed, it was realized many past board members supported the theater with hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in personal donations.

"While we are beyond grateful for their gift, board members continually giving of their own money wasn't a financially feasible way to run a business," he said.

In 2016, the theater went from an artistic board to a financial board to address the issues.

"We were a little too late to right the ship," Valukis said.

Jascoviak said there will be opportunities for members to find a place in other theater groups across the area. The Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theater Foundation has 12 members, including CPCT, and works with 40 theater groups across Northwest Indiana. All of the theaters already work together sharing resources, including personnel.

Valukis said there potentially will be a venue for any future theater group that may form when Gloria Touhy and the Indiana Ballet Theatre complete the renovation of the Old Nurse's Home on North Main Street. The venue will have a 70-seat black-box theater that could be used for future productions.

"That's one of those things we can take a little solace in," Valukis said.

Kerianne Valukis, Matt's wife and a volunteer, said the decision was necessary.

"This is heartbreaking for us. It was literally agonizing to come to this decision," she said.

She said the last show is a fitting bookend to the theater's run at its current location. CPCT will finish its run with a production of Jason Robert Brown's "The Last Five Years," with dates from June 23 through July 9, Kerianne Valukis said. Five years ago, the theater opened to a play by the same writer, "Songs for a New World," she said.

Kellum encouraged members to look to the future and said there are too many people who love theater for this to be the end. He imagines one day in the not so distant future the creation of a new local theater group that will debut with a "big, splashy show to get it started."

"We're not going to die. We have a group of people who love theater and want to see it produced," Kellum said.

Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

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Why Students Should Be Able To Declare Bankruptcy On Their Loans – ATTN:

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At $1.3 trillion, the student loan debt crisis has eclipsed both credit card and auto loan debt to become Americans second largest outstanding payment, behind only mortgage debts. However, an individual can discharge all of these types of debt by declaring bankruptcy save for student loans.

Before 1976, they were able to do just that. That was the year when Congress changed the bankruptcy code in order to prohibit private or federal loans from being discharged during the first five years of repayment unless they had an undue burden.

An undue burden has been defined by the courts as you basically have no money at all, which means if you have enough money to hire a lawyer in the first place to handle your case then youre likely disqualified, Henry Sommer, former president of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA), told ATTN:.

Over the course of the 80s and 90s, Congress repeatedly made it more difficult for individuals to declare bankruptcy on their student loans as a part of budget negotiations, according to Sommer.

One example of that came in the form of the Bankruptcy Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act of 1984, which exempted all private student loans of their ability to be discharged. This gradual, decades-long process reached its conclusion in 2005 when Congress passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act and ensured neither federal or private student loans could be discharged in bankruptcy unless the borrower could prove repayment constituted an undue hardship.

As a result, Congress has made certain that these non-expiring loans are more likely to be paid back and that it would, in turn, bring in an estimated $2 billion in payments in 2016. These actions have not gone without grassroots and legislative backlash, though.

In a May press release, Rep. John Delaney (D-MD) said that the inclusion of student loans in the bankruptcy code was a matter of fairness:

Bankruptcy has long been an option of last resort for individuals facing an irresolvable level of debt; bankruptcy isnt easy or enjoyable, but its a necessary part of our financial system. It doesnt make sense for students with heavy debt burdens to be worse off than someone with credit card debt or mortgage debt.

Delaney has introduced the Discharge Student Loans in Bankruptcy Act for the past three sessions of Congress, a bill that would allow all student loans to be discharged if bankruptcy was declared.

In a statement to ATTN: reemphasizing the last-ditch importance of this option, Rep. Delaney said:

The purpose of this bill is allowing people who need to declare bankruptcy the full clean slate that they need, with student loan debt on equal footing to all other forms of debt. This is not a bill designed to create any sort of incentive to declare bankruptcy when you otherwise would not. There are serious consequences to declaring bankruptcy, and no one should go down that path unless it is necessary. This is a commonsense bill and were going to keep working to build support.

In June, the latest version of the bill was referred to members of the House Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law. If past is prologue, it will languish there without further activity.

If Delaneys bill became law, students unable to payback their loans would be able to wipe away their debts. But it wouldnt be easy.

Declaring bankruptcy has also become harder since 2005, due to means-based restrictions lobbied for by loan companies, according to Sommers. Those individuals who were able to declare bankruptcy would face heavy penalties:

Chapter 7 bankruptcy requires individuals to give up certain property, heirlooms, and savings as part of their repayment. It also creates a ten-year period in which they may have difficulty obtaining new credit.

Chapter 13 bankruptcy still requires a three to five year repayment plan of a portion of the debt.

Both plans prohibit the filing of bankruptcy again for several years and could negatively impact a persons credit.

Many tools are likely going to be necessary if the student loan debt crisis is to end, including reining in the cost of higher education, increasing the amounts of Pell grants, and reducing the interest rates on loans. Perhaps the option to discharge loans in bankruptcy should be added to that list.

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Why Students Should Be Able To Declare Bankruptcy On Their Loans - ATTN:

Bill Passes State House Under One of the State’s Biggest Gambling Expansions – wnep.com

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LUZERNE COUNTY--- Pennsylvania is one step close to one of its biggest gambling expansions. The state house okayed a bill to allow gambling at places including airports, American Legions, and bars.

Instead of scrolling through your phone while waiting for a flight at the Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport you may soon be able to try your luck on a slot-machine style game.

"If I was here for over two hours, if there was a cancellation, then I probably might go and spend $20 and say that's it I'm done," Elena Moore of Detroit said after landing at the Luzerne County

"I'd rather be doing other things like checking my e-mail, you know I'm a college student, I'm trying to keep with that stuff," Woodmael Tresilus of Edwardsville said.

The bill passed the state house by a slim margin earlier this week.

It would allow slot-machine style games at places such as airports, bowling allys, and bars.

Supporters said it could help the state's budget deficit. Opponents said it could cause problems with gambling addiction.

"With today's machines and all the games that they have, it's just too detrimental for some people, like myself. No, I don't think it's a good idea," Mary Thomas of Forty Fort said.

If the bill was to become law, places with a liquor license could have one of these electronic games of chance. Supporters of the bill say about 7,000 to 8,000 locations could have one.

"60% of our profits have to go back to the valley, so if we make more on the machines, we put more money into the valley on different projects baseball, boy scouts, girl scouts," Edward Tressa, Commander of the Swoyersville American Legion, said.

Those in favor of the bill said it could help bar owners, local governments, and veterans organizations. Those against said it could lessen lottery play, which supports elderly programs.

"I would do it, as long as I know it benefits the veterans or any kind of association that deals with anybody that served our country or something, or the elderly, either or," Dot Kavinksi of Swoyersville said.

The bill will now go on to the state senate.

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Bill Passes State House Under One of the State's Biggest Gambling Expansions - wnep.com

Sick gambling – Manila Bulletin

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Published June 10, 2017, 10:00 PM

By Jose Pujalte Jr.

Jose Pujalte Jr.

Wealth gotten by vanity shall

be diminished: but he that

gathereth by labour shall increase.

Proverbs 13:11The Holy Bible,King James Version

This is not for the bored housewife or Lola wasting a few tokens in the casinos slot machines. This is for the real gambler and I think you know who you are. If youre still into denial or to be kind, has absolutely no insight, please read on.

Gambling addiction. According to the American Psychiatric Association, you may be suffering from a gambling addiction if you exhibit five of ten of the following criteria:

Risk factors. Compulsive gambling is associated with substance abuse (drugs, alcohol) and with mood or personality disorders. Age is a risk factor the younger a person starts gambling, the more likely he or she will have a gambling addiction. Finally, family influence is a factor. If parents are gamblers, children may become like them too.

Causes. It may not all be about being weak-willed or being deliberately reckless in ones financial affairs. It has been shown that addictive behaviors (gambling, food, sex, etc), have in common an imbalance in brain chemicals serotonin, norepinephrine or dopamine. These neurotransmitters serve as messengers that allow nerve cells to communicate. If there are not enough of these, neurotransmission is affected leading to mental health problems. Serotonin is important in regulating mood and behavior. Norepinephrine or adrenaline plays a role in the stress response (arousal and risk-taking behavior in gamblers). Finally, dopamine is released by brain cells as part of the pleasure response. Addicts will always look for pleasurable stimuli and for the compulsive gambler, its rolling the dice or palming the playing cards.

Time to see the doctor? The doctor to see is the psychiatrist. Gambling may have gone out of control if

Treatment. Psychotherapy is a scientific approach of identifying irrational, negative beliefs (gambling included). This unhealthy mental sludge is then replaced with healthy, positive beliefs. Group therapy brings in the strength of advice and feedback from those recovering or struggling with similar gambling problems. Medications include antidepressants particularly the SSRIs or the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Mood disorders that may lead to pathologic gambling are treated with lithium.

The complications of compulsive gambling are grist for any telenovela writer: Estrangement from loved ones, huge debts, getting fired, legal entanglements. This isnt the drama anyone would want in his own life. And to think that gambling started out as just have a little fun.

Admit your casino addiction and deal with it.

Fact/Factoid. If you have had a stroke, your chance of suffering another one in the next five year is 40%.

Dr Brix Pujalte is an orthopedic surgeon. Contact numbers: 7253820/ 727-0001 local 775/ 7116626/ 7114276 and 9365717. email jsp@pldtdsl.net

Tags: addiction, American Psychiatric Association, Gambling addiction, Jose Pujalte, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

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Sick gambling - Manila Bulletin

NFLPA joins other players associations in gambling symposium – Touchdown Wire

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The NFL may be continuing its anti-gambling stance, but the NFLPA and other players associations are realizing that legalized gambling is around the corner.With that in mind, leaders from the unions are meeting to figure out the next steps and how they can leverage their position in the sports world to benefit constituents. Its amazing the NFL is still plugging its ears and humming while change is happening around them.

Its important that the NFLPA figures out exactly what they can and cant do. Obviously the issues of players wagering on sports will come up, but those rules are essentially in place. NFL players cant wager on NFL games, but they can wager on other sports, as we saw from LeSean McCoys giant wager on the Warriors.Its the other parts of the industry that need to be looked at.

The NFLPAs goal is to make as much money for its members as possible. That will include licensing likenesses of its players to companies associated with gambling. It will include events at casinos. It may even include fundraisers that have players involved with a gambling aspect (arm wrestling, bowling, card tournaments etc.) This meeting creates a foundation so when gambling is legalized and its trending that way the NFLPA can hit the ground running.

This is why its so odd that the NFL keeps its hardline against gambling. They know its coming. Other leagues *cough* the NBA *cough* have decided to bring gambling out from the shadows. Thats why it wont be surprising when the NBA has a commissioned study on sports gambling or a plan already in place when wagering becomes something anyone with a phone could do. The NFL may be setting up plans as well, but it will look real fishy if the league suddenly changes from their stance being unchanged AKA now to welcoming gamblers with open arms once its legal.

This is an area where the NFLPA may be able to take advantage of their increased knowledge based when it comes to negotiations with the league. At least one group involved with professional football has foresight when it comes to throwing a few bucks down on a game on Thursday, Sunday, or Monday.

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NFLPA joins other players associations in gambling symposium - Touchdown Wire

Advocate’s advice to NZ if it decides to legalise euthanasia: Make it simple – Stuff.co.nz

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JAMIE SMALL

Last updated18:08, June 10 2017

GEORGE HEARD/FAIRFAX NZ

Professor Jan Bernheim from Belgium is considered one of the world's leading experts in palliative care and euthanasia.

Professor Jan Bernheimplanned his pro-euthanasia tour of New Zealand months ago, but had the good luck to be here when the parliamentary biscuit tin brought the issue into public debate.

Bernheim, a medical doctor and palliative care specialist from Belgium, spoke at a public meeting in Christchurch on Saturday.

Hesaid he was in Wellington on Thursday when ACT leader David Seymour'sEnd of Life Choice bill was drawn from Parliament's ballot.

Nearly 100attended the meeting, and notall were in favour of Bernheim'smessage.

READ MORE: *MPs to vote on euthanasia after bill places the issue back in front of Parliament *Duncan Garner: A matter of life and death - now's the time to choose the right to die *Law change needed to stop clandestine assisted deaths, says Belgian euthanasia expert

Bernheim, used to debating in a predominantly Catholic country with predominantly Catholic hospitals, made a point of the fact that some religious figureheads had acceptedor at least turned a blind eye toeuthanasia.

"More and more Catholic organisations really let their physicians act accordingly to their consciences."

One dissident, a Catholic named John Collier, voiced his opinion at the meeting.

"The Catholic Church in no way condones it," he said.

"Thou shalt not kill, and that's the end of it."

Another dissident, who did not give his name, said legalising euthanasia would alienate those doctors who did not want to perform it.

"That is a burden on the conscience of many doctors."

Bernheim said it was normal for doctors to refer patients to other specialists if they were unable, unqualified,or unwilling to perform a procedure.

"There are many gynaecologists... who do not perform abortions, and they are not out of business."

Euthanasia is legal in eight countries including Belgium and seven states in the US.

Bernheim said New Zealanders' support rates for euthanasia were similar to somecountries where it is legal: between 70 and 80 per cent.

"Of course, there are legitimate objections... this is a personal point of view."

His advice for New Zealand if it decides to legalise euthanasia:

"Don't make it too complicated... don't be cruel on patients."

Christchurch palliative care specialist Dr Wendy Pattemore told Stuffshe disagreed with some of Bernheim's arguments.

"The first thing is we're not Belgium."

She said the culture was different, and "hastening" death had been acceptable in Belgium for many years before Euthanasia was legalised.

"I do fear that if we do something like that, we will alter the fabric of our culture in many ways."

Pattemore said we should also take into account the views of New Zealand'sdiverse cultures, such as Maori, Pacific Islanders and Asians, who have different values to Europeans when it comes to the elderly.

"They would have a very different view of ending life."

She said euthanasia could affect the relationship between doctor and patient, because doctors are currently trusted to heal.

"[Euthanasia] has to change that dynamic."

Pattemore said she was concerned as people aged they could subconsciously consider themselves "dispensable", or a burden on their families and country.

"I think that would occur with our most vulnerable population."

She said palliative care was about helping people live well at the end of their life.

"What I see is people wanting to stay alive as long as possible.

"There's always a little bit of hope. Not to be cured, but to see that grandchild, or do that one more thing."

-Stuff

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Assisted dying: anti-euthanasia forces launch ‘gloves off’ campaign in key seats – The Age

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The Victorian government will introduce assisted dying laws within months.Photo: Jason South

Opponents of voluntary euthanasia have warned Premier Daniel Andrews "the gloves are off" as they mount an aggressive campaign in some of Labor's most volatile seats ahead of the next Victorian election.

As the government prepares to introduce an assisted dying bill into parliament within months, critics have vowed to derail the legislation and electorally punish MPs who endup supporting it when it comes to a conscience vote later this year.

Right to Life has already taken out ads in suburban newspapers across Mr Andrews' Mulgrave seat, telling his constituents that the government is seeking to legalise "patient killing".

The group will also spend the next few months letter-boxing voters with similar messages in the ultra marginal electorates of Frankston, Carrum, Bentleigh and Mordialloc, and have organised for Oregon-based anti-euthanasia advocate Professor William LToffler to talk to Spring Street MPs this month as well as run a forum in the Premier's electorate.

"We're taking the fight right up to the enemy," said spokeswoman Margaret Tighe. "The gloves are off."

While the Premier, most of his ministers, the Sex Party and the Greens are in favour of law reform, others are not, such as Deputy Premier James Merlino, Opposition leader Matthew Guy and many socially conservative Liberals and crossbenchers. However, the majority of Spring Street's 128 MPs are yet to say whether they support assisted dying, or are waiting to see the final details.

Both sides admit that the outcome could be extremely close, just as it was in South Australia where a similar bill was defeated last year by only one vote. Furthermore, with about a dozenLabor and Coalition seats requiring swings of only 3 per cent or less to change hands, anemotive campaign could prove effective in swaying some MPs to vote against the bill for fear of abacklash.

Separately, the Australian Christian Lobby has stepped up its attack, urging supporters to pressure their local MPs,while accusing Labor of breaking an election promise not to introduce an assisted dying bill if it won government.

Documents show the pledge was made on the eve of the 2014 election, when Labor was asked to "rule out any attempt to bring on another vote on euthanasia". The written reply, seen by The Sunday Age, states that the while Mr Andrews and his team had plans to reform advance care directives and palliative care, "Labor does not support legislation beyond these provisions at this time".

"The government is underestimating the feeling in the community about this, and the community has very little trust in the ability of the government to get this right," said ACL state president Dan Flynn.

However, a spokesman for the Premier replied: "This is a very personal issue and there will be passionate views on both sides of the debate.We will ensure the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill has strong safeguards in place that will allow Victorians to have a choice at the end of their lives."

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Assisted dying: anti-euthanasia forces launch 'gloves off' campaign in key seats - The Age

Lockhart Animal Shelter in ‘Code Red,’ at risk of resorting to euthanasia – KVUE

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Drew Knight, KVUE 5:55 PM. CDT June 09, 2017

(Photo: Lockhart Animal Shelter, Facebook)

LOCKHART, TEXAS - Currently operating as a no-kill facility, the Lockhart Animal Shelter is at risk of having to resort to euthanasia due to an influx of dogs.

The shelter confirmed to KVUE that while they have 52 kennels to house lost and abandoned canines, they are currently offering care to around 70 dogs and are operating over-capacity. They said this is a Code Red situation and they could begin euthanizing as early as next week.

Due to the influx, Monica Parra, senior animal control officer with the shelter, said they are currently keeping dogs in their office where they don't normally keep them.

"Spring and summer are puppy and kitten seasons," Parra said. "People want to go on vacation and want to dump their dogs or theyjust can't take care of them anymore due to personal reasons."

If you're looking to adopt a four-legged friend, the Lockhart Animal Shelters hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Adoptions start at $55 and depend on the dog. More info about the shelter can be found here.

Not looking to adopt? The shelter is also seeking foster families and accepting donations via PayPal to help with medical treatments such as heartworm.

"The public can help by donating money or supplies to the shelter, fostering and adopting," added Parra. "We also have an Amazon Wish List online under the Lockhart Animal Shelter."

2017 KVUE-TV

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Lockhart Animal Shelter in 'Code Red,' at risk of resorting to euthanasia - KVUE

Experience ending thrills of the Euthanasia Coaster The ultimate last ride? – Inside the Magic

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Inside the Magic
Experience ending thrills of the Euthanasia Coaster The ultimate last ride?
Inside the Magic
The end of life is never an easy thing. Facing one's final moments, planning for it, or even discussing the matter is usually a touchy and emotional topic. Add euthanasia into the conversation, and controversy is soon to follow. Enter Julijona Uronas ...

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Experience ending thrills of the Euthanasia Coaster The ultimate last ride? - Inside the Magic

Accused hacker will remain in custody after appeal of bail decision … – CP24 Toronto’s Breaking News

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Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press Published Friday, June 9, 2017 1:57PM EDT Last Updated Friday, June 9, 2017 5:15PM EDT

TORONTO -- A Canadian accused in a massive hack of Yahoo emails will have to stay in custody as he prepares to fight extradition to the United States.

Ontario's appeal court has dismissed Karim Baratov's effort to fight a judge's decision to deny him bail, saying that while the judge made some mistakes, they were not serious enough to affect the outcome.

"At the end of the day, Mr. Baratov remains a significant flight risk, and is alleged to have committed a serious offence," Justice Bradley Miller said in upholding the judge's ruling.

In a decision released Friday, Miller acknowledged the judge erred in finding that Baratov had breached the secure computers at Yahoo, Google and other companies, when in fact he is accused of "spear-phishing," a type of scam used to dupe users into giving away confidential information.

But Miller rejected the defence's allegations that the judge was wrong to describe Baratov as a highly skilled hacker or to find that the 22-year-old made a substantial income from his alleged activities.

"The fact is, Mr. Baratov gave evidence and was not able to persuade the application judge that he had any sources of legitimate income that could account for him acquiring, by age 22, a house, a string of luxury automobiles, and $31,000 in cash," Miller said.

"What is relevant, for the purposes of the application judge's analysis, is that there is evidence that Mr. Baratov is capable of generating significant earnings, not tied to any geographic location, and that this fuels his flight risk. These findings were open to the application judge on the record before him."

Baratov was arrested in March under the Extradition Act after U.S. authorities indicted him and three others -- two of them allegedly officers of Russia's Federal Security Service -- for computer hacking, economic espionage and other crimes.

The judge who denied Baratov bail in April found the young man was too much of a flight risk to be released under the plan proposed by his legal team.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Alan Whitten also said Baratov's parents -- who offered close to $1 million in cash and assets as collateral -- would not make suitable supervisors because they had not questioned his growing wealth or his business activities while he was living with them.

Whitten further said he believed Baratov would be motivated to flee, given that he could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted in the U.S.

Baratov's lawyers had argued that Whitten made several errors, including amplifying the Hamilton man's alleged connection to the Yahoo hack and the Russian intelligence agent who allegedly hired him.

His legal team said in court that there's no evidence to suggest Baratov was involved in the large-scale breach of Yahoo security systems.

Miller took issue Friday with the defence's position that Baratov is accused of a "comparatively minor and victimless crime."

"Whether the applicant was paid nothing or was paid millions; whether the skill and energy expended were advanced or basic; whether he thought he was dealing with (Russian intelligence agents) or with a high school principal, the alleged conduct remains a destabilizing attack on the integrity of systems that are vital to all of our well-being," he said.

"Even unsuccessful attacks imperil public confidence and require the commitment of substantial resources for defence. The public cost, monetary and psychological, is broad and deep."

Baratov's lawyer,Amedeo DiCarlo, said they will now focus their efforts on challenging the extradition order.

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Accused hacker will remain in custody after appeal of bail decision ... - CP24 Toronto's Breaking News

Roland Martin Goes Off on White House for Saying Trump Isn’t a Liar – Independent Journal Review

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Note: This article contains coarse language that may offend some readers.

The most devastating takeaway from former FBI Director James Comey's testimonyin a Senate Intelligence Committee hearingthat was filled with more devastating takeaways than a Taco Bell drive-thru after last call was Comey's insistence on calling President Donald Trump a liar, which he definitely is.

The White House's first response was to send Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders out to make a statement involving alinguistic paradox that would make Harry Mudd's androids curl up in a ball and weep silently. In a gaggle aboard Air Force One, Sanders told reporters,I can definitively say the president is not a liar, and added, "It's frankly insulting that that question would be asked.

There is, of course, an entire industry devoted to cataloging Trump's lies, but award-winning journalist and News One Now host Roland Martin delivered a scorching rebuttal to Sanders that, while barely scratching the surface, gets the point across beautifully:

Yeah, but that was Sarah Huckabee Sanders actually lying. After the hearing, Trump surrogates were in overdrive in their efforts to dismiss Comey's testimony. So, what does she do? She comes out and says that Oh, my goodness, the president is not a liar.

Sarah, really? Really, would you like to hear some lies?

He started the whole issue with, in terms of drove it, the birther issue, okay, saying that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.That's a lie. He said his father left him one million dollars to start his real estate empire. Trump actually got 40 million dollars. Another lie.He says his casinos in Atlantic City never went bankrupt. Another lie.Trump said thousands of Muslims celebrated in the streets of New Jersey after the 9/11 terrorist attack. Another lie.

He accused Senator Ted Cruz's father of working with Lee Harvey Oswald to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. Another lie.Trump said he won more electoral college votes than any other president since President Ronald Reagan. Another flat-out lie.Donald Trump said the murder rate in the United States is the highest in 45 years. Another damn lie.Donald Trump said he would have won the popular vote if it weren't for threeto fivemillion people voting illegally. No evidence whatsoever of that. Another lie.

Donald Trump lied about the number of people at his inauguration. He falsely accused President Barack Obama of wiretapping him and, not only that, Donald Trump also, y'all, after watching Fox and Friends, said President Barack Obama released more than a hundred detainees from Guantanamo Bay. That was such a lie because more than a hundred were released by President George W. Bush.

We have a president who lies, lies, lies, lies, lies! So, James Comey, when he called the president a liar? He wasn't lying.

Martin also called out the second-dumbest shit said by a Trump supporter yesterday, by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI). He told reporters that Trump's weird setup with Comey in the Oval Office was simply Trump not knowing protocols, like making sure you hold your left pinkie up while you're obstructing justice.

At least Sanders has the excuse that she works for Trump, so her job is literally to lie for him, but Ryan?

Go get him, Roland:

Sarah Huckabee Sanders will always have a place helping her creepy, racist dad get his books on shelves next to the Survival Seeds at Crate &Bunker, but Paul Ryan is pushing all of his career and reputation chips in on a seven-deuce-offsuit of political gambles. When it inevitably blows back on him like a horse-queef, he's going to have nowhere to go but back to spanking it in the sauna to Atlas Shrugged after his P90X workout.

This is a commentary piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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Roland Martin Goes Off on White House for Saying Trump Isn't a Liar - Independent Journal Review

Climate Characters: Skeptical engineer questions government motives – The Daily Climate

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June 7, 2017

By Zara Abrams The Daily Climate

Editors note: Climate Characters follows five people with varied views on climate change with the goal of bringing a greater degree of compassion and understanding to the highly polarized conversation.

As an engineer working in the defense industry, John Albright has designed everything from body armor for the U.S. Marines to solar energy plants in Southern Californias Mojave Desert.

Like Michael Casey, a martial arts instructor we profiled Monday, both Albrights career and his upbringing led him to doubt the authority and motives of experts. Specifically, he thinks leading climate researchers and government officials exaggerate the human contribution to global warming in a grab for more money and power.

Albright, whose name has been changed because he worked on classified projects, expected his work as an engineer to be straightforward, honest, cut and dried. To his astonishment, that was not the case.

"People say I'm unscientific. They say I don't believe in science, but that's not true." -John Albright

In the defense industry, he explained in an interview, contractors set unrealistically high goals. For example, a company will promise to provide 150,000 units of body armor in six months, fully aware that the project will take at least a year to complete. Then they request an extensionand more moneyto complete the half-finished work.

The trick in the defense industry is to never complete your project, Albright says. If you just finished your project, youd be out of your job.

Albright sees the government as disingenuous, a suspicion that had roots in his childhood. At his fathers prompting, Albright read Ayn Rands 1957 cult novel, Atlas Shrugged, during junior high. The novel depicts a dystopian society where a petty bureaucratic government over-regulates, making it impossible for brilliant entrepreneurs to prosper and stimulate the economy by creating jobs. He says the books individualistic message, which champions free will, reinforced his beliefs and has shaped his views of the U.S. government ever since.

Recently, he was particularly bothered by internal contradictions he saw firsthand in the environmental movement. During his work on a solar plant in the Mojave Desert, the same environmental lobby that advocated for clean power also fought against the plants construction because it overlapped with the habitat of the desert tortoise, a threatened species.

In Albrights experience, authorities are often inconsistent and even dishonest, especially when the goals they wish to achieve conflict. Sometimes, governments will go so far as to deny the truth when it conflicts with their ideology. In cases where scientific research has unpopular policy implications, authorities may strategically exploit the doubt inherent to the scientific process to make the evidence appear shaky.

Doubt is crucial to sciencebut it also makes science vulnerable to misrepresentation, writes Naomi Oreskes and Eric Conway in Merchants of Doubt, a groundbreaking 2010 book that analyzed the history of science denial in the U.S. government.

Anti-science campaigns entered the public sphere when research linking cigarette smoke to lung cancer and other respiratory diseases started piling up. For decades, tobacco industry executives funded misleading marketing campaigns to convince the public that the science of tobacco smoke was as yet unresolved. Of course, science can never provide a definite yes or no on any subject, but even that innate uncertainty doesnt stop most people from acknowledging that gravity is real.

In America, the denial that plagues the modern environmental movement was historically linked to a fear of communism, and an impassioned defense of free enterprise. In 1962, when marine biologist Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, which spelled out the destructive power of the pesticide DDT, traditionalists were instantly suspicious. If what she said was true, it would mean increased federal regulation could hurt the profits of major corporations such as the agriculture giant Monsanto.

After Silent Spring was published, critics fired back both publicly and privately. A review of the book in Time magazine called Carsons writing emotion-fanning and her argument hysterically overemphatic. In a private letter to President Eisenhower, the Secretary of Agriculture, Ezra Taft Benson, said Carson was probably a communist. Monsanto even released a satirical response, a story called The Desolate Year in its monthly magazine, which claimed incorrectly that Carsons DDT-free world would be riddled with malaria. Others riffed on the idea that women were far too emotional to be scientifically accurate, personally vilifying Carson until her untimely death from breast cancer two years later.

As a female scientist, Carson faced difficulty even before she sounded the alarm. Though she had penned several best-sellers, including The Sea Around Us and Under the Sea Wind, it took her years to find a publisher willing to release Silent Spring.

The attacks Carson endured were only the beginning of anti-environmental sentiment in America. On the first annual Earth Day in 1970, the FBI conducted widespread surveillance of antipollution rallies, according to a report published the following year in the New York Times. Leaders of the intelligence community feared that Earth Day, which happened to fall on Lenins birthday, was a Soviet plot to undermine the U.S. government.

Fred Singer and Robert Jastrow, right-wing physicists who respectively held leadership positions in the EPA and NASA, called proponents of regulating air and water pollution communist sympathizers. They even nicknamed environmentalists watermelons green on the outside, red on the insideas chronicled in Merchants of Doubt.

Protecting the environment is still seen by some as anti-American, the enemy of free-market enterprise. The modern anti-science campaign relies on conservative think tanks such as the Heartland Institute, which releases misleading documents that mimic scientific reports but do not contain peer-reviewed data, and on media voices such as right-wing radio host Glenn Beck, who has called former President Obama a socialist for his efforts to regulate carbon.

Its not just the radical right thats uncertain. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international task force created by the United Nations, has proclaimed that human action is the dominant cause of global warming in the past century. But a fall 2016 Pew poll revealed that more than half the country, including the current occupant of the Oval Office, still believes that global warming is either caused by natural cycles or not occurring at all.

The deception works because the public doesnt want to change. Just as Americans believed the ploys of the tobacco industry because they didnt want to quit smoking, people believe the Heartland Institute and Glenn Beck because they dont want to give up their SUVs or their houses in the suburbs.

Many conservatives see action on climate change as really an attack on a way of life, says Republican former Congressman Bob Inglis in the Merchants of Doubt film. Along come some people sowing some doubt and its pretty effective, because Im looking for that answer. I want it to be that the science is not real.

Albright, the defense contractor, insists that in his case, hes not falling for a misinformation campaign. People say Im unscientific. They say I dont believe in science, but thats not true.

Hes read the most recent IPCC report on climate change, he says, and researches topics he cares aboutincluding climate changeon a daily basis from sources across the political spectrum. He resents people assuming hes ill-informed, just because his beliefs are unpopular.

And like anyone deeply immersed in an issue they deem significant, Albright genuinely appreciates anyone who listens to him and takes him seriously.

Zara Abrams is a freelance journalist and masters student in USCs Specialized Journalism program. Climate characters was her thesis project. Follow her at @ZaraAbrams.

The Daily Climate is an independent, foundation-funded news service covering energy, the environment and climate change. Find us on Twitter @TheDailyClimate or email editor Brian Bienkowski at bbienkowski [at] EHN.org

Top Photo: eflon/flickr; Second photo: NYCandre/flickr

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Climate Characters: Skeptical engineer questions government motives - The Daily Climate

BILL CRAWFORD: American politics declining into profiteers vs moochers – Mississippi Business Journal

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BILL CRAWFORD

Americansnow live in a political environment dominated by extremes.

One burgeoning faction, looking through red tinted lenses, seeks freedom from. Another, looking through blue tinted lenses, seeks access to. A fading faction, looking through clear lenses, fears all will become tinted.

The grassroots conservative movement sees national government as the great enemy and seeks freedom from oppressive taxation and regulation, while the grassroots liberal movement sees national government as the great provider and seeks access to expanded government succor.

No representative democracy can survive for long with either extreme in power. Indeed, our founding fathers, whom Providence blessed with the uncanny collective ability to see through clear lenses during the stressful birthing of our nation, designed the U.S. Constitution to force balance among extremes. They put in place checks and balances, deliberately gave different roles and representation to the House and Senate, limited the power of the federal government, and mitigated the power of the majority through the first 10 Amendments.

Regrettably, those willing and able to peer through clear lenses to protect us from extremism are fading away. Red and blue tint has seeped into most of our institutions and the processes by which our leaders are chosen. Even judges, the intended ultimate stronghold of clear-seeing patriots, are now chosen based on their tinted views of the law. Our Constitutions intent for balance is largely ignored.

The founders also intended for this Providence favored nation to be steeped in virtue. The growing and intense hatred of conservatives for liberals and vice versa Americans all shows Americas virtue is fading too.

All this, essentially, because of greed.

Ayn Rand schooled us about greed in her 1957 epic work Atlas Shrugged.Looters and moochers she called them, the profiteering businesses and non-productive masses who thrive off the accomplishments of productive citizens and siphon off their opportunities for prosperity.

A great irony for grassroots conservatives is that they may become the victims in this political environment, not the grassroots liberals who portray themselves as victims. The freedom dogma attractive to so many sounds good, but if established will primarily benefit the profiteers who fund the tinted foundations and advocacy groups spreading this creed. Big business profits would soar exponentially more than livable wages and broad prosperity.

On the moocher side, we already see government unable to sustain Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlement programs at current levels, much less at the expanded programmatic and funding levels desired by grassroots liberals.

Governments role is not to benefit either looters or moochers, but to bring competing politics into balance so as to determine the appropriate level of taxation and regulation needed to sustain the national defense, commerce, homeland security, and public safety while providing adequate support for the general welfare. Representative democracy expects the push and pull of politics, but relies on clear-eyed patriots of good will from all sides who will come together to provide balanced government.

Sadly, there is no mood for compromise between the red and the blue, nor much good will. A nation cannot be indivisible and under God, or debt free, without both.

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BILL CRAWFORD: American politics declining into profiteers vs moochers - Mississippi Business Journal

The Golden Rule is universal – Montrose Daily Press

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Did you know the Golden Rule is a basic principle in every religion in the world?

Christianitys Golden Rule says, Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you: Do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. (King James Bible, Matt. 7:12) The older Judaic teaching says, What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellowman. This is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary. (Talmud, Shabbat 3id) Both of these religions stress the importance of this basic principle.

Buddhism states, Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful. (Udana-Varga, 5, 1) The Buddhist explanation about not hurting is easy to understand. Hinduism says, When a man sees that the God in himself is the same God in all that is, he hurts himself by hurting others: then he goes to the Highest Path. (Bhagavad Gita,13.28) This Hindu teaching expands on the no hurt principle explaining that right choice brings us to the highest spiritual way.

In Sikhism, the Golden Rule states in a positive way, I am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all. (Guru Granth Sahib, pg. 1299) Realizing we can choose to be a friend to all encourages us to act friendlier towards others. Taoism suggests we also use empathy, Regard your neighbors gain as your gain, and your neighbors loss as your own loss. (Tai Shang Kan, 213-218)

Confucianism applies the Golden Rule to social action, One word which sums up the basis of all good conduct is loving kindness. Do not do to others what you would not like yourself. Then there will be no resentment against you, either in the family or in the state. (Analects 15:23) Confucius refers to the basis for all rules and laws as lovingkindness.

Islam teaches the Golden Rule is also a spiritual value, No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. (Sunnah) To follow the Golden Rule is to follow the deepest spiritual teaching of each faith. Jesus taught this same principle when He talked about the two great commandants to love God with all your heart and soul and your neighbor as yourself.

Expanding the Golden Rule to all of life, Jainism explains, One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated. (Mahavira, Sutrakritanga) We are only one of a diversity of species on earth who depend on each other for our survival and therefore we should be kind to all of life. Cayuse Chief Young expresses the same sentiment as a Native American, The Great Spirit, in placing men on earth, desired them to take good care of the ground and to do each other no harm.

Because the Golden Rule is found in every religion, we can see that it is a universal principle. Dr. Lawrence Le Shan explains, Do unto othersis not an abstract moral principle, it is a necessary human guideline for our own sakes, our own being. (Alternate Realities)

This universal principle called the Golden Rule is not an abstract thought, it gives us all a powerful guideline to help us live a deeply spiritual life, to express lovingkindness on a daily basis, and to do our part in bringing people together to heal the world.

The Rev. Arlyn McDonald is the senior minister at the Spiritual Awareness Center in Montrose.

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The Golden Rule is universal - Montrose Daily Press

Historic Golden Rule Peace Boat on its way to Noyo Harbor! – Ft. Bragg Advocate-News

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As the representatives of nation states prepare to gather to debate the Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations, Veterans for Peace launched its own campaign for nuclear disarmament. The theme for this 2017 voyage is BAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS! No New Nukes!

In 1958 four Quaker peace activists sailed the Golden Rule toward the Marshall Islands to interfere with U.S. nuclear bomb testing. This bold nonviolent direct action inspired a worldwide movement leading to the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963.

The Golden Rule and its crew is taking on an ambitious schedule sailing down the California Coast from Eureka to San Diego with side trips to Sacramento and Petaluma.

Veterans for Peace have endorsed the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act introduced by Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA). The bill would prohibit a first use of nuclear weapons by the United States unless Congress first declares war.

Trinity Church, the Ocean Protection Coalition and Occupy Mendocino are hosting a potluck and presentation, Meet and Eat with the Crew of the Historic Golden Rule, on Monday, June 12. The event starts at 6 p.m. at Trinity Church, 620 E. Redwood Ave. in Fort Bragg.

On Tuesday, June 13, at 6 p.m., Silvers at the Wharf will be the site for a no-host drinks, dinner and conversation with the crew followed by a presentation and discussion featuring guest speaker physicist Lynda Williams. Her expertise is in nuclear power, weapons and missile defense. Williams is a board member of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space and is an ally to Veterans For Peace. For information on meal prices call 707-964-4283.

The Golden Rule Boat tour schedule is set for Monday, June 12, 12 to 4 p.m.; Tuesday, June 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Wednesday, June 14, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Golden Rule is a national project of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Veterans For Peace, For more information, call Ann Rennacker at 707-964-1420 (Trinity Church event), and Helen Jaccard, VFP Golden Rule project manager at 206-992-6364.

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Historic Golden Rule Peace Boat on its way to Noyo Harbor! - Ft. Bragg Advocate-News

Religious Liberals Sat Out of Politics for 40 Years. Now They Want in the Game. – New York Times

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New York Times
Religious Liberals Sat Out of Politics for 40 Years. Now They Want in the Game.
New York Times
Frustrated by Christian conservatives' focus on reversing liberal successes in legalizing abortion and same-sex marriage, those on the religious left want to turn instead to what they see as truly fundamental biblical imperatives caring for the poor ...

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Religious Liberals Sat Out of Politics for 40 Years. Now They Want in the Game. - New York Times