Daily Archives: July 15, 2017

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Tony Blair says EU could compromise on freedom of movement BBC News Some EU leaders may be prepared to compromise on the free movement of people to help Britain stay in the single market, Tony Blair has said. He told the Today programme one option was for Britain "staying within a reformed EU". The ex-PM said he would ... EU leaders willing to compromise on freedom of movement, says Tony BlairReuters BLAIR: UK could stay in EU without freedom of movementBusiness Insider EU leaders 'open to freedom of movement reform' to soften Brexiteuronews Tony Blair Institute for Global Change -The Sun all 86 news articles »

Originally posted here:

Tony Blair says EU could compromise on freedom of movement - BBC News

Keith Ellison speaks during a news conference in Washington, DC, June 3, 2015. (Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call via AP)

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Can Democrats defend the most basic premises of the Bill of Rights in a Republican-controlled House that is run by hyper-partisan Speaker Paul Ryan and that, at Ryans direction, so frequently dances to the authoritarian tune of a Trump administration that disrespects and disregards the Constitution?

Yes, they can. Congressman Keith Ellison just prevailed in a high-stakes struggle to defend freedom of religion as it is outlined in the First Amendment, and as it has been understood since Thomas Jefferson explained it in his final letter to the Danbury, Connecticut, Baptists: Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.

One of the most right-wing members of the House, Arizona Republican Trent Franks, proposed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would, in fact, have made a law respecting an establishment of religion. Franks, a staunch defender of President Trumps executive orders restricting travel by Muslims, sought to require Secretary of Defense James Mattis to conduct two concurrent strategic assessments of the use of violent or unorthodox Islamic religious doctrine to support extremist or terrorist messaging and justification.

The amendment targeted only Islam and was so vague in its referencing of unorthodox Islamic religious doctrine that it invited abuse. The amendment also mandated that one of the two reviews be conducted by non-governmental experts from academia, industry, or other entities not currently a part of the United States Governmentopening up the process to further abuse.

We should study what drives people to terrorism. But this amendment didnt do that. Not equally. @keithellison

Ellison responded with a stinging rebuke. This amendment stigmatizes people simply because they practice a specific religion, the Minnesota Democrat told his colleagues. The idea that Congress is seriously considering an amendment that legislates stigmatization and hate in direct contradiction of the Constitution is outrageous.

Ellison, the first Muslim elected to the House, recalled historic instances of racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination. and warned that when we single out a group of people and treat them differently, shameful and regrettable abuses and mistreatment follow.

If we havent already learned from our tattered past, when will we? asked the congressman.

Ellison also raised concerns about the message that adoption of the amendment would could send at a time when American Muslims already face violence and discrimination:

Rep. Franks NDAA amendment ordering a strategic assessment on Islam goes against everything we strive to be. By ordering the Department of Defense to scrutinize a single religion, identify leaders for some unknown purpose, and determine an acceptable way to practice, Congress is abridging the free exercise of religion, which is constitutionally impermissible.

The FBI reported a 67 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2015the same year Asma Jamas face was slashed with a beer mug while she was eating dinner at an Applebees in Minnesota. Her attacker admitted in court that she attacked Asma simply because she was Muslim and not speaking English.

This rise in hate crimes isnt a surprise. Our president began his campaign spouting hate, said Islam hates America, and promised to ban Muslims. His rhetoric has contributed to the growing movement of hate in our country, and I have no doubt that some of the most notorious racist, anti-Muslim voices will be a part of the non-government assessment demanded by this amendment.

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With support from Muslim groups, the American Civil Liberties Union, and his congressional Progressive Caucus colleagues, Ellison struck a chord in the House, convincing 27 Republicans to join 190 Democrats in opposing the amendment.

That meant that 217 House members embraced their oaths to defend the Constitution, while 208 Republicans rejected the dictates of First Amendment. It is, of course, unsettling that so many members of the House cast votes that were in conflict with the Bill of Rights. It is equally unsettling that victories of this sort come in the context of continued assaults on individual rights and civil society. But it is encouraging, in these times, that bipartisan support for freedom of religion prevailed.

We should study what drives people to terrorism. But this amendment didnt do that. Not equally, Ellison tweeted after Friday mornings vote. Glad so many of my colleagues agree.

Continued here:

Keith Ellison Just Beat Back a Right-Wing Assault on Religious ... - The Nation.

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) - Saturday marks La Crosse's tenth and final Freedom Fest, celebrating veterans and their service to the U.S.

Just as Freedom Fest has become a tradition in the area, so has the motorcycle rally and ride starting in the Veterans Hall of Honor parking lot the morning of the festival.

Riders say it brings a sense of camaraderie, and for the Gold Star families who have lost a loved one, the rally has extra meaning.

"Motorcycles, veterans, I think it's been a natural fit forever, said Gary Rudy, director of the ride and rally.

About 200 riders, many with family members who are veterans or who have themselves served the country, started gearing up for the 100-mile ride through the Coulee Region at 9 a.m.

"I feel honored to be here with all the veterans, Sparta resident Don Whitacre said. They're my friends. Weve got each other's backs."

"It's just a chance for us to thank them and realize they haven't been forgotten, Rudy said.

"I like the freedom, Kathryne Humble, from La Crosse, said.

That freedom is at the heart of the day's celebrations.

"We live in a country where we are able to do things like this, Humble said.

Of course, as many at the rally said, freedom comes at a price.

"We consider that our son. It's an Army bear that was given to us, Hartford resident Colleen Lemke said, pointing out a stuffed bear on the bike of her motorcycle.

Lemke, her husband and their ride-along passenger are annual visitors to the ride and rally.

"A few tears, a little bit of laughter, she said.

Lemkes son, Cpl. Jason Lemke, died in Iraq in 2008.

Of course, some days you wish they were home, she said.

Since then, she's added a necklace she never takes off, and a few tattoos in his memory all just a reflection of how different life is now.

"Your whole outlook on life changes, Lemke said. Certain things that used to bother you no longer bother you, and you look at things totally different from day to day."

Support, however, comes in seemingly unlikely places, such as at a motorcycle rally, where there are other gold star families.

"You feel kind of proud, but a little bit of sorrow knowing what we're riding for today, Lemke said. You have a connection with everybody around you. You know they're there for the same reason we are. (Its) a little bittersweet."

Bittersweet is a word many were using at the rally, especially with the knowledge that with Freedom Fest ending, this will likely be the final ride.

"I'm sorry to hear this is the last one, Whitacre said.

Riders, however, said that they'll make the most of it..

"Today, we'll just celebrate today, Rudy said.

And they'll always be celebrating freedom.

"(There's) a lot of freedom being outside enjoying the ride, Lemke said.

Gates opened at the UW-La Crosse Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex at 4:30 p.m. Saturday for the live music, including The Remainders and John Fogerty.

General admission tickets cost $60 at the door.

Since Freedom Fest began, it has raised more than half a million dollars for veteran causes.

See more here:

Bikers gear up for one final Freedom Fest motorcycle ride - News8000.com - WKBT

The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add an useful plant to its culture. Thomas Jefferson, Memorandum of Services to My Country

I know what youre thinking. Another liberal hippiecalling for decriminalization and full legalization of marijuana because hes breaking the law right now by smoking it. Well, think again.

People probably think Im a hippie because I like wearing tie-dyed shirts or because I grew up in the 60s or because to this day one of my favorite bands is the Rolling Stones. When I was eighteen years old in 1969, I enlisted in the US Navy. I am a Vietnam veteran and hardly a hippie. I dont drink alcohol and Ive long since given up my vices of chewing tobacco and smoking cigars. Im not an alcoholic, and I have nothing against drinkers, but its a personal preference of mine not to drink. I choose not to drink, not to use tobacco, and guess what. It happens to be healthier for you in the long run if you dont do either of these activities. I also dont drink coffee or caffeinated beverages. Again, personal preference. More on that later.

So have I rolled a joint and smoked it before? Yes. Absolutely. And Ive always been up front about this.

Ive smoked pot beforenot while I was governorbut I have used it in the past in a recreational capacity. If I someday require it for medical reasons, I wouldnt be opposed to using it. In fact, I would prefer to use it, especially if it keeps me from relying on prescription pills with all those awful side effects. My friend Tommy Chong says there shouldnt be a distinction between medical and recreational marijuana because any way you look at it, its a medical plant. Instead of going to a doctor to get a prescription of Prozac or an antidepressant, those who are smoking it specifically for the euphoric feeling are doing it for mental health reasons.

I believe in marijuanas medicinal uses because Ive seen it significantly benefit people I know. A dear and very close member of my family, who has suffered from seizures, is now seizure-free due to medical marijuana. She takes a few drops of cannabis oil twice a day and now shes seizure-free and off of all her medication. Im so glad to see shes off all those pills that had to be constantly adjusted, each with a long list of side effects that sometimes seemed like a worse trade-off from the seizures. She no longer has to take those pills because she now lives a normal life with taking just drops of cannabis oil per day. I am fully convinced of the medicinal benefits of marijuana because Ive seen the positive effects it has had on her quality of life.

The fact is Big Pharma just cant duplicate what this plant is capable of doing. And the fact that our government continues to deny sick people access to this plant is truly a crime against humanity. Who knows when you might need medical marijuana? How do you know what the future has in store for you? You dont.

Every month and every year that goes by, we find out more positive things about marijuana. The list is getting longer and longer and longer to the point where I question why they kept all this information from us. Why was marijuana demonized all those years when obviously this plant has a great deal of positive attributesnot only medical. Its also a renewable resource! Thats the part that troubles me the most.

How did we go down this road to ruin about marijuana? Well, marijuana is a cash crop, and that means its bad for the pharmaceutical industry. Marijuana is also competition for the energy people because its an alternative source of energy. And now there are studies proving it can help our veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. So when are we going to take the blinders off and do whats right for humanity and legalize this stuff once and for all?

At this point, to get the DEA to declare the end of the war against marijuana means that they are going to decide to quit their jobs for the betterment of society. Yeah, that aint gonna happen. Marijuana will remain illegal because it creates more jobs and puts more and more people in prison (which in turn, creates more jobs). Our national anthem states American is the land of the free, yet we have more people locked up in prison than any other industrialized nation. So those who are benefiting off of the drug trade arent just drug lordsremember that. Our government wont do the right thing and legalize marijuana unless we the people demand it because there are many people within our own government on the payroll all thanks to the War on Drugs.

Yes, mybook calls for ending the War on Drugs. Mybook calls for ending the marijuana prohibition. Im not an anarchist. I believe in laws and regulations, but I also believe in common sense, and the government hasnt been doing a good job in that department when it comes to cannabis. Before she passed away, my mother often told me that the prohibition of alcohol is identical to the War on Drugs. And she should know because she lived through both. You can either read and study history or youll find youre destined to repeat it. Alcohol prohibition is what started all the trouble in Mexico. Mexican border towns like Tijuana became cesspools of crime, corruption, prostitution, and drugs all because of the prohibition of alcohol. Americans would go across the border to drink in towns like Tijuana, and then once the ban on alcohol was lifted, the criminals just strengthened their stronghold on the supply of marijuana until it became a major industry.

Ive said it a million times: just because something is illegal, that doesnt mean it goes away, it just means criminals now run it. Take the Mexican drug cartels. Theyre now more powerful than the government. Guns are illegal in Mexico, yet they have guns. They have the money and they have the power. Its not rocket science. If we end the War on Drugs, then the cartels no longer have the power. It just takes politicians with the courage to do the right thing. Remember, as I said before, its not just the drug lords who are getting richer off of the War on Drugs. Our politicians in Washington are making big money by keeping drugs illegal. As Deep Throat in All the Presidents Men said, Follow the money. Always follow the money. It will take you to the answer.

To all the parents out there who are worried about how marijuana legalization will impact their children, I say, parent. Its as simple as that. Ive been for the legalization of marijuana for years. Neither one of my adult children are drug addicts. Its that simple.

Think about it this way: what does marijuana actually do to you? You cant overdose on it. You might gain a couple of pounds, you know, from eating too much once the effects kick in and you get the munchies. You might have to work out a little bit harder the next day to compensate, but other than that, whats the downside? Oh yeah, it makes you high and it makes you feel good. Thats a negative? Ha! Give a guy a joint, some Jimi Hendrix music, and a pizza, and that guy will be entertained for hours. Give the same guy alcohol and he might drink and drive or get violent and hurt someone.

I say legalize marijuana because we have a chance to leave this world a better place for our children. Marijuana legalization is job creation, tax dollars, something to rejuvenate our pathetic economy. This is a multibillion-dollar industry. This is about jobs; this is about economics; this is about freedom. This is about taking our country back. This is about getting out of these useless wars and getting back to what matters most to Americans: taking care of our own economy and our own citizens.

Cannabis is a plant that grows abundantly, that has been around long before laws existed, before our country even existed, and has a multitude of modern-day usesaside from getting hippies high. If you read mybook, youll find out that this plant can literally cure cancer. This plant can literally end our dependence on foreign oil and fracking. This plant can literally rebuild our economywe can make everything from car parts to airplane parts to paper to clothing to nutritious meals cheaply from it, but only if the American people are smart enough to recognize the truth from the bullshit.

The truth is, none of those uses for cannabis that I just mentioned is new. They might seem groundbreaking, almost too good to be true, but there are other countries taking advantage of those uses right now, and the United States is falling behind again. Weve known about these and many other unique benefits of cannabis for generations, yet we continue to dig a hole deeper and deeper into the sand and stick our heads in it. Why? All because of a ridiculous movie called Reefer Madness? All because the DARE program says marijuana is a gateway drug? All because our government doesnt want us to believe there are more uses for this plant other than just hippies getting high?

The conspiracy against this plant is one that dates back hundreds of years. Our country was founded on this plant. I bet you didnt know that. I bet you didnt know that when the thirteen colonies paid their taxes to the British crown, the colonists had the option of paying for it in hemp because hemp was more valuable than money. Yet, our country has been successful in morphing a negative connotation of this plant for a select few peoples political gains and for a select few corporations profits. The select few in both cases just happen to be powerful enough to create a propaganda campaign that is still in existence today... primarily because those same forces from our history books have changed hands over the years, but they still carry the same agenda.

Mybook presents the facts and evidence from primary sources, such as scientific research documents and medical studies, to prove the greatest cover-up of all time: Weve been at war with a plant for generations.

And for what purpose? Youll soon find out.

My book will also show you the practical, everyday applications of this plant. From biodiesel fuel to cooking and baking recipes to nutrition facts, mybook will show you what this plant can do to change your every day life for the better.

And for all those religious people reading mybook, remember this: God supposedly created the earth and everything in it... including cannabis. So if God created everything on earth for us to use, how dare we try to eradicate a plant that He put here for countless uses? Think about it. Its here for a reason. Let me prove to you how valuable that reason is.

When I was governor, I tried to legalize hemp. I would have done anything to do it, but the legislature wouldnt even give the people of Minnesota the opportunity to vote on it. Well, I left office in 2003, and I find it ridiculous that today there is only limited medical marijuana legislation in my home state. Hemp makes the best biodiesel fuel on the planet. Medical marijuana helps people who are sick from chemotherapy eat. I challenge anyone in government: What right do you have to tell someone what they can or cannot use if they have cancer? Do you have a medical license? What right do you have to turn sick people into criminals so that they can eat?

There was a time when I was proud to be an American. There was a time when I looked at the United States and looked at the future of my country with hope. I dont necessarily have that feeling today. Most days I dont recognize my country or the American values that my parents fought so hard to uphold in World War II. I wrote abook with the hope that this might change in my lifetime. When it really comes down to it, youre reading a book written by a veteran, a former mayor, a former governor, and a former Harvard (yes, the Ivy League university) professor. I am pro-freedom, I am pro-marijuana, and Ive written this book to show you how we can take our country back.

See the article here:

If you're pro-freedom, you should be in favor of legalizing marijuana - Salon

GREENSBORO As the music swelled, fourth-grader Floribert Kizumina squeezed his eyes shut.

Something inside so strong, he sang, before posing like a bodybuilder.

Fifty students are gathering five days a week at Hairston Middle in east Greensboro for the fifth-annual Childrens Defense Fund Freedom School run by Guilford County Schools. The session, which started June 19, ends July 28.

CDF Freedom School teaches reading with the promise that literacy is an important step toward power, in particular the power to do good. The camp starts with the theme, I can make a difference in myself, then shifts that theme outward week by week, to making a difference in family, then community, country and world.

Theres also a small advocacy or activism component. Campers and parents are participating in the Childrens Defense Funds National Day of Social Action asking lawmakers to keep funding for food stamps.

That ties into the agenda of the Childrens Defense Fund to promote policies and programs that lift children out of poverty; protect them from abuse and neglect; and ensure their access to health care, quality education and a moral and spiritual foundation.

One very crucial part about Freedom School is that we dont just sit in the classroom and read books, said site coordinator Brandin Bennett. We give our scholars and ourselves the opportunity to do something for our community.

The modern Freedom Schools were inspired by events in summer 1964 during the civil rights movement.

That summer, organizers with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and other groups rallied black people across the state of Mississippi to attempt to register to vote in defiance of laws and practices aimed at suppressing or eliminating black voting.

Civil rights activists and allies also set up Freedom Schools for black children and teenagers. These privately organized summer schools taught subjects such as literacy, math and humanities, as well as civil rights.

The Childrens Defense Fund began its first Freedom Schools summer camps in 1995, drawing its name from the Freedom School tradition made famous in the 60s.

The organization partners with sponsoring churches, schools, nonprofits and juvenile correction facilities and looks to serve students who might not otherwise have access to many books over the summer. Children of all races can participate.

Im pretty much jealous for myself that I never had this program when I was in school, said Thomas Moses, the Page High teacher who heads Guilford County Schools Freedom School.

Freedom School begins each day with breakfast, followed by Harambee time. Thats Swahili for all pull together. At Freedom School its a daily, half-hour assembly full of enthusiastic singing, chanting, announcements and acknowledgements.

In the middle of all that singing, chanting and dancing, a guest community leader reads a book aloud to the students and discusses it with them. Guests this year include everyone from Democratic County Commissioner Skip Alston to Republican school board member Anita Sharpe.

After the Harambee time, students head to their classes. On Tuesday, Kizumina and his classmates gathered in a circle of desks with their teacher to pass around a book on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, each reading a section.

The book told of challenges she faced as a child, everything from anti-Jewish signs in shop windows at the time, to being told to write with her right hand when she was left-handed, or that she couldnt take certain classes in school because she was a girl.

As the students and teacher read the book together, they discussed such topics as which hands they use to what prejudice is. Ginsburg, by the way, refused to follow that right-hand requirement fitting in to a running theme in I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark, a picture book for young readers.

About 5 p.m. Wednesday, some parents, children and Freedom School staff members trickled into Hairstons media center for a parent meeting.

Moses and his staff wanted to share with parents what their children are doing at camp and also enlist some help with the National Day of Social Action project prescribed by the CDF.

They explained that this year the focus is on preventing child hunger, and that the action established by CDF involved writing messages on empty paper plates, symbolic of hungry children.

They passed out paper plates to the parents and suggested they write messages to federal lawmakers and local officials to oppose a proposed major cut to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, otherwise known as food stamps.

Freedom School leaders collected the plates with plans to mail them to members of City Council and Congress. Students will also get an opportunity to write messages on plates, and those will also be sent, Moses said. He said they are planning a march with signs with the children this week, but not out and about, just at the school, to show students a little bit of what marching for a cause is like.

Parent Tonya Byrd said her daughter was crushed when it looked like Freedom School wasnt going to happen this year and ecstatic when the district changed course and pulled it together in just a few weeks.

Parents Amber Bennett and Darius Harper attended the meeting together.

Bennett, the sister of site coordinator Brandin Bennett, was busy writing a detailed message on her paper plate about her own experiences with SNAP.

When I first moved out of my parents house and I moved up here to Greensboro, I didnt have a job so SNAP was very beneficial to me, she said. It helped me get on my feet and feed my child until I could find a job and do it on my own, so thats what Im writing to help other young people or young adults to start off until they can get on their feet and make it on their own.

Bennett said her son, who will be in second-grade next year, was behind during the school year in reading. When she found out about the Freedom School program, she hoped it would be an opportunity for him to become more confident and less shy about reading.

I think he loves it, I see a big difference in him, she said, even in the space of just a couple of weeks. He seems like, I dont know how to put it ...

He comes home singing every day, Harper interjected.

... more energetic and brighter about actually learning and doing things, Bennett finished. I think its made a great impact on him thus far.

Contact Jessie Pounds at 336-373-7002 and follow @JessiePounds on Twitter.

Read more from the original source:

Freedom School teaches reading and more - Greensboro News & Record