Monthly Archives: June 2017

The NDP and Green Party shot down two Liberal government bills Monday as they prepare to overthrow Premier Christy Clark in a confidence vote this week.

The Liberals introduced a bill to ban union and corporate donations to political parties despite rejecting similar legislation introduced by the NDP six times since 2005.

NDP and Green MLAs killed the bill immediately on introduction, outvoting the Liberals 44-42.

The NDP-Green alliance also quashed a surprise Liberal bill to give the Greens party status in the legislature.

Its first time in memory that a pair of government bills failed to make it past first reading, effectively barring them from even being described in the legislature, let alone debated.

Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver, who has signed an accord with the NDP to topple Clark, accused the premier of continuing to play partisan games when her first priority should be testing the confidence of the house rather than trying to pass legislation.

In our view, its not appropriate for us to be debating government business until such time as the confidence has been tested, he said.

Weaver said the Liberals had 16 years to reform campaign finance laws and failed to do so.

He said the Greens have already stopped taking union and corporate donations and will be pleased to pass legislation to get big money out of B.C. politics once the Clark government faces a confidence vote.

NDP Leader John Horgan introduced a confidence motion on the throne speech Monday, but the Liberals refused to give unanimous consent for an immediate vote.

Instead, government house leader Mike de Jong said he expects the vote will take place late Thursday afternoon according to the rules that govern the legislature.

The NDP and Green Party agreed to vote against the Liberals in a confidence motion after none of the parties won a majority of seats in the May election. The Liberals have 43 seats to 41 for the NDP and three for the Greens.

If the Liberals fall, Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon would have the option of calling an election or asking Horgan to form a minority government based on his agreement with the Greens.

In an attempt to stave off defeat, the Liberals delivered a throne speech last week that borrowed heavily from the NDP and Green campaign platforms by promising, among other things, to hike welfare rates, develop a poverty-reduction strategy and tie disability assistance rates to inflation.

Horgan and Weaver have dismissed the speech as a last-gasp attempt by the Liberals to hang onto power.

Horgan challenged Clark in the legislature Monday to immediately call a confidence vote, noting that it has been seven weeks since the election.

When will she put the politics aside? he asked. When will she say and concede that 44 is a larger number than 43? Lets have a vote. Lets have a confidence motion and put in place a government that will focus on the challenges people are facing right across B.C.

Clark, however, urged the opposition parties to support the throne speech, saying that it contains ideas from all three parties.

The road to stability is not to defeat the throne speech and to risk an election, she warned. The road to stability and the road to being able to make sure that government, working together in this legislature, can get on with the business in this house, is to support the throne speech and ensure we can keep the business of government going on.

lkines@timescolonist.com

See original here:

NDP, Greens defeat Liberal political donations bill - Times Colonist

June 26, 2017: Two Knoxville men with completely opposing political views are on a 3,200-mile bike ride to inspire unity across the country.

Leslie Ackerson, WBIR 11:46 PM. EDT June 26, 2017

Andre Block and Jonathan Williams Courtesy Facebook The Unity Ride

KNOXVILLE - Biking 3,200 miles across the country, could you do it?

Its an impressive trek, and its one two Knoxville men are tackling.

The other challenge? The have different political views.

I voted for Trump, said Jonathan Williams.

And ... I did not vote for Trump, said Andre Block.

Williams and Block share a laugh.

The unlikely duo has embarked on a "unity ride" across the country. They say its an opportunity to show that people can come together whether they lean to the left or right.

"I feel in America we are sitting around complaining. I hope with what we are doing I can encourage people to get up and do something, said Block.

The pair started in California on Memorial Day, stopping in places like Colorado and Utah. They reached Knoxville on Monday and invited other bikers along for a 6-mile ride.

The plan is to finish in Washington D.C. on July 4.

"One of the things we talk about on this trip is the gray areas. You have people who live in the gray, you have some people very hard conservative, very liberal, explained Williams. Most of us live in the middle. If we can put those differences aside and just love one another. It all boils down to we are people.

Williams and Block stop in Knoxville on their journey.

From sea to shining sea, Block and Williams are biking their way across America to encourage people to move past political stereotypes.

It just brings together people with different backgrounds for one cause, to exercise and learn about one another, said cyclist Amanda Fox who joined Mondays night ride.

I think its especially important right now in the world, all aspects of the climate these days, said Meghan Goyer, another cyclist.

Beneath the spacious skies and purple mountain majesties, Williams and Block have learned the power of togetherness.

"We have actually talked about politics very little this entire trip, because we are out here trying to achieve a goal and working together to accomplish it is more important, said Williams.

"Its like as soon as you focus on those things we can agree on all the things we disagree on disappear, said Block.

The pair has a camera crew following them from start to finish. At the end of the journey, they plan on piecing together that footage to make a documentary so they can continue to share their vision with others.

You can follow their adventures on Facebook and Instagram.

2017 WBIR.COM

See the article here:

Liberal and conservative biking across the country to encourage political unity - WBIR-TV

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Clay Travis - OKTC

Its no great surprise that ESPN finally decided to fire back at Outkick over our articles about ESPNs audience collapsing this year they hit a ten year ratings low as their number of subscribers also tanks down 13 million in the past six years, and accelerating rapidly, but it is a surprise that they would say they arent liberal because they hired Hank Williams, Jr. back to sing an opening for Monday Night Football.

Yet thats exactly what they argued in the Sports Business Journals evisceration of ESPNs business model that went up online today.

If ESPN decides to give Hank Williams, Jr. a TV show to combat the daily left wing rhetoric their programs toss around then maybe there will be one conservative viewpoint to combat the dozens of liberal ones, but until then hes just a guy singing a two minute introductory song. Hes not an opinionist, hes an entertainer.

Id encourage you to go read the SBJ cover storyon ESPN since its basically an endorsement of everything Outkick has been writing over the past several years, but the article that wont get as much attention as this one is in the same issue headlined, ESPN executive calls out competitor for giving voice to claims of liberal bias.

Since Im specifically named in the SBJ article Im going to pull some quotes from the article placed in bold and respond here. (Here is my Periscope from today as well. Youll enjoy my response.)

The whole narrative (that ESPN is liberal) is a false one that was seeded and perpetuated primarily by a direct business competitor, said Burke Magnus, ESPNs executive vice president of programming and scheduling. We have no political agenda whatsoever.

First, ESPN has a clear political agenda. They are liberal. Their top program, SportsCenter, is literally brought to you by MSNBC.

Thats fine, but the result, which is proven by clear data here, has been conservatives abandoning network viewership in droves.

Second, no executive at Fox Sports has ever suggested to me that ESPN was liberal. Not once. Fox executives have zero to do with my opinions at Outkick or my opinions on the radio. Whats more, I have no idea how Fox Sports could perpetuate this opinion when they have not controlled the distribution of my content for years.

I understand why my critics want to pretend that Im speaking for someone other than myself, but its just not true.

Full disclosure: I run Outkick as a 100% independent sports site. I make $0 from Fox Sports and have zero contractual relationship with anyone at Fox Sports right now. This is by my choice. I turned down my own TV show on FS1 this spring to stay independent and remain in Nashville instead of moving to LA and doing TV. Im happy here and making a good living. I love running the website, doing daily morning radio and controlling all content on my Periscope and Facebook Live shows. You can call me an idiot for turning down my own TV show and you can certainly criticize my opinions on issues, but you need to know that Im 100% independent and no one tells me what to say, think, or write. I own 100% of Outkick. For better or worse all opinions are my own.

Hell, no one else has even so much as edited my Outkick column for six years. I write and publish whatever I want when I want to publish it.

Now, its true that I have a radio contract, but Fox Sports Radio isnt owned by Fox Sports. Theres a licensing agreement between Fox Sports and Iheartradio to allow the Fox Sports name to be used by iheart. The only contract I have with any media company is with Iheart for radio. (And it represents about 25% of my overall income. The vast majority of my pay comes from Outkick and Outkick related events.)

And while my radio bosses are fabulous, they have never, in nearly a year of shows, told me what to say on any subject. And they certainly havent come to me to tell me to attack ESPN for being liberal. The idea itself is just preposterous.

Here are some additional quotes in the article.

It would be foolish in the business that were in to take sides on the political arena, Magnus said. Our business competitor perpetuates this narrative because in this highly partisan time, it suits them to highlight this distinction, even when it doesnt exist.

This is just not true, ESPN is liberal and Ill explain why below. But the most important thing for you to realize is how dumb they think you are. They are saying that the only reason you believe MSESPN is liberal is because I say it. Not because you see it with your own eyes, but because I say it. Frankly, its an incredibly insulting position to take, that you guys arent smart enough to make up your minds.

Remember that ESPN gave Caitlyn Jenner an ESPY for courage, treated Michael Sam as a modern day Jackie Robinson and has lauded Colin Kaepernick as a modern day Nelson Mandela for his anthem protest. Those are all incredibly liberal positions endorsed by the network. And to rebut that assertion they offer, what? The fact that Hank Williams, Jr. is singing, Are you ready for some football, for two minutes 15 times a week? Nope, not buying it. ESPN is a liberal network. This is a fact. As is clearly demonstrated by their programming.

I am flattered, however, if ESPN intends to consider Outkick to be a business competitor.

Right now I like the odds that we are still profitable in five years, unlike ESPN.

ESPN executives say the people who focus on a liberal bias ignore things like the recent rehiring of Hank Williams Jr. to sing the Monday Night Football opening

But this also comes amid reports and speculation that Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger is considering a run for president in 2020.

While ESPN executives dismiss the notion that the company is too liberal, sources said ESPN President John Skipper, himself a liberal-leaning executive, has made a point to meet with employees to let them know that nobody at ESPN will be punished for holding a political viewpoint.

The reason why the president of ESPN has to meet with employees to let them know that nobody at ESPN will be punished for holding a political viewpoint, is because conservatives have already been punished for holding political viewpoints, see Curt Schilling, while liberals are rewarded.

Indeed, ESPN just appointed a new executive as number two in the company who has publicly ridiculed Donald Trump on Twitter, and Tweeted that Trump discriminates against gays, women, and minorities.

The reason why ESPN is having this meeting?

Because there are many conservative people at ESPN many of whom are covertly reading this article at ESPN right now who are terrified to be outed publicly as conservative.

ESPN is a liberal company with collapsing ratings, fleeing subscribers, and an employee base that believes its bosses are complete and total idiots.

But at least they hired Hank Williams, Jr, yall.

Read more:

ESPN Says They Aren't Liberal Because Hank Williams, Jr. Sings MNF Open - Outkick the Coverage

Essex County College professor Lisa Durdens explosive debate with Fox News Tucker Carlson resulted in her eventual firing from the higher learning institution, but she wasnt going out without a bang.

In the segment which aired in early June with Carlson, Durden mocked white people over Black Lives Matters blacks-only Memorial Day party.

What I say to that is boo-hoo-hoo, you white people are angry because you couldnt use your white privilege card to get invited to the Black Lives Matters all-black Memorial Day celebration! Wow! she spat.

During their exchange, Carlson eventually cut the activists microphone, who insisted on interrupting him, disrespecting him, and mocking his comments.

Durden was initially suspended after the Carlson fracas, which she claims was done with no reason.

They did this to humiliate me, Durden said about the suspension. Essex County College publicly lynched me in front of my students.

After her suspension, Durden was fired on Friday.

In a statement from Essex County College President Anthony E. Munroe, Munroe revealed that a fair and thorough review of Durdens comments was assessed, and the end result was that the college came to the decision that they could no longer maintain an employment relationship with the adjunct.

About Durdens remarks directly, Munroe said, Racism cannot be fought with more racism.

During a Monday appearance with Roland Martin on News One, however, Durden was asked by the host if she felt remorse over the remarks that eventually saw her firing and wondered if she would consider apologizing.

No, she said, I am not going to.

She then went off on a rant about racism, and compared her rant to something Judge Jeanine Pirro would say on television.

I wasnt there to play games, I was there to take a bite out of crime, Durden said. When a black woman is on television who is direct, who is aggressive, were angry. Well, when Jeanine Pirro is on TV pointing and screaming and yelling, shes intelligent.

She added, Why cant I come on there and be aggressive and talk in the same vein as any expert in the fields of pop culture, politics and social issues? So now when I do it, Im not intelligent. When [white women] do it, theyre amazing, theyre intelligent, theyre fantastic!

See Durdens full explosive rant in the video below.

See the article here:

Fired black liberal professor who mocked white people goes on unhinged rant, cries 'racism' - TheBlaze.com