Daily Archives: July 5, 2020

What does it take for Black Americans to feel safe right now?

For some, its owning a gun. Even if thats not something they may have ever wanted to do. In the video above, a chorus of Black voices from across the country a schoolteacher in Oakland, Calif., a political strategist in Aurora, Colo., and others have an urgent message: Go buy a gun. Arm yourself. And just make sure you get some training.

This is by no means the first time many Black Americans have felt the need to arm themselves for self-preservation. But with a white couple pulling guns on Black Lives Matter protesters in St. Louis, right-wing extremists increasing attacks and co-opting rallies to advance their own messaging and half of Black Americans already feeling that they cant trust the police to treat them equally, some Black Americans are saying they now have no choice but to exercise their Second Amendment right.

The rest is here:
Opinion | Why Some Black Americans Are Arming Themselves - The New York Times

New legislation (HB 5925) would prohibit law enforcement from using tear gas on crowds.

Following recent protests across the state and nation, some have questioned police tactics - particularly the deployment of tear gas.

Democratic State Representative Kara Hope introduced legislation to end the practice. She said tear gas is banned on the battlefield under the Geneva convention - so it shouldnt be used on citizens.

I think its part of the discussion around demilitarizing the police. I say demilitarize and its kind of ironic because this isnt allowed to be used by the military, Hope said.

Hope said she thinks even the idea that tear gas can de-escalate a situation is wrong.

I think using tear gas on protestors, particularly peaceful protestors - and I realize that assessment can be subjective - Is reflective of an us-versus-them mentality that is not healthy and not helpful, she added.

Hope said it seems to her that the deployment of tear gas against Black Lives Matter - but not other protests, such as protests to reopen the state, suggests political motivations behind when gas is used.

Thats a big problem for the 1st Amendment. The police, the authorities, the government arent supposed to engage in viewpoint discrimination. While some on the other side of the aisle might be ok seeing tear gas being deployed on Black Lives Matter or anti-police brutality demonstrations, how would they feel if it was deployed on pro-second amendment demonstrators or the people who came to the capitol to protest the stay at home order?

Hope said she has not found much support from her Republican colleagues for the legislation.

The Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police did not respond to our request for comment.

Go here to read the rest:
House bill would prohibit police from using tear gas for crowd control in Michigan - Michigan Radio

Rik Mehta, left, and Hirsh Singh are the leading contenders for the GOP nomination to run for Senate.

Five Republicans are vying for the chance to try to do something no one else has been able to do in almost a half-century: Convince New Jersey voters to elect a Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate, where Democrat Cory Booker now sits.

It has been 48 years since New Jersey voters have sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate, and registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly a million. In 2018, Republican and former pharmaceuticals executive Bob Hugin spent more than $39 million, including $36 million of his own money, and lost by 11 percentage points to incumbent Bob Menendez, who had been considered vulnerable after his trial on political corruption charges ended in a hung jury.

Statewide races are the toughest ones of all for a GOP outnumbered by a million more registered Democrats in the state, said Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University. But even before party registrations were so lopsided, Republican Senate candidates have fared more poorly here than almost anywhere else in the nation. Since New Jersey last sent a Republican to the Senate in 1972, the GOP has lost a staggering 15 Senate races in a row, he said.

Cory Booker must be prohibitively favored from the perspective of party registration and past results, he continued. Theres nothing in the public polling that suggests otherwise. And we should keep in mind that Vice President Biden is expected to be a strong top of the ticket in New Jersey, while President Trump is likely to be a significant drag for the Republican candidate.

The leading contenders for the GOP nomination are biotech engineer Rik Mehta and Hirsh Singh, who has come under fire for a mailing that encouraged Republicans who may have already voted for Mehta to vote a second time for Singh. Also in the race are three conservatives: Patricia Flanagan and Natalie Rivera, both of whom ran unsuccessfully as independents in 2018, and retired teacher Eugene Tom Anagnos.

Even though weve never had a primary like the one well have next month, the best way to gauge a candidates strength is the support of the county party organizations, and by that measure, Rik Mehta is substantially ahead of Hirsh Singh, Rasmussen said. Mehta is running on the all-important party line in 17 counties, while Singh will appear on four county lines. And while Singh enjoys the support of one of the strongest party organizations in Ocean, the four counties supporting him represent about 20 percent of the expected statewide turnout, based on the last few contested GOP Senate primaries, which means Mehta will be running right next to Donald Trump as the organizational candidate on eight of every ten ballots that will be cast in the primary. Historically speaking, thats hard to beat.

Mehta, 42, is a biotech engineer, licensed pharmacist, attorney and adjunct law professor. He holds four degrees, including a Master of Laws from Georgetown University Law Center. He has worked as a pharmacist, held positions in both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Department of Health and worked at both the Pfizer and Aquestive Therapeutics pharmaceutical companies. Currently, he is a partner in Licentiam Inc., a firm that streamlines the licensing process for health care professionals, and R & R Strategies, a regulatory policy and strategy firm. Mehta lives with his wife and three sons in Chester.

Endorsed last month by former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, Mehta said his goals in running are to make New Jersey more affordable a place where people want to live, not leave. He complains about the states high taxes.

The cost of living is absurd, and property taxes keep skyrocketing, he said. I can say from experience that it is even harder to start a business here. I decided to run for my three kids, your kids and every person who wants to make a life and raise a family here in New Jersey.

Mehta said his background in biotech and health policy make him well-qualified to deal with these issues and named as his top priority lowering the cost of health care and bringing good-paying medical manufacturing jobs back to New Jersey from China. He also said he would work to secure additional funding for small businesses. Mehta also supports a balanced budget amendment and the reduction of redundant regulations.

The political newcomer is critical of Booker, saying both he and Menendez have failed to ensure that New Jersey gets its fair share of federal spending. He also noted that Booker missed the most votes in the Senate last year, almost 65%, according to govtrack.us, even more than the other presidential hopefuls.

When Senator Booker does show up, hes become a rubber stamp for the radical left and one of the most extreme partisans in the Senate, Mehta said. Just last week he held up a bipartisan police reform bill that could bring meaningful changes to policing. Senator Booker is only concerned about making his far-left political base and Hollywood elites happy; he couldnt care less about the people he was elected to represent here in New Jersey.

Mehta hasnt forgotten that to get to Booker, he must get through four Republicans first. A recent mailer in which Mehta links himself to Trump calls Singh a perennial election loser and a RINO Republican in name only. It contends that Singh in 2009 tweeted support for a speech former President Obama gave in Cairo and that Singhs father contributed $1,000 to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphys campaign.

Republican county leaders across the state are also criticizing Singh. Eight GOP chairs have called for him to suspend his campaign after condemning one of his campaign mailings that they say encourages voter fraud. According to the Save Jersey website, Singh sent a letter to Republicans urging, if you have been hoodwinked into voting for Rik Mehta, it is your patriotic duty to contact your county clerk and request a duplicate ballot to vote for the only Conservative Hirsh Singh. Your duplicate ballot will replace your earlier ballot.

State Attorney General Gurbir Grewals office said that claim is untrue in a letter sent to Singh telling him to cease and desist sending out the mailer and warning him that encouraging anyone to vote more than once in a federal election is a crime.

In a press release sent Wednesday night, Singh contended he gave proper advice, saying that several county websites and ballots indicate a voter can request a duplicate ballot if they marked their original ballot incorrectly.

A 34-year-old engineer and native of Atlantic City, Singh graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and has worked in the aerospace and defense industries. According to his financial disclosure report filed with the U.S. Senate, he is senior director at Engineering and Information Technologies Inc. in Egg Harbor.

Singh has been in attack mode against Mehta. In a May 26 press release, Singh contended that Mehta supported the Affordable Care Act and got on the ballot by using Democrat Party operators to circulate his petition.

This is Singhs third attempt at a major office. In 2017, he lost the Republican gubernatorial primary and a year later he lost the GOP nomination to run for the House in the sprawling 2nd District in South Jersey despite having more money and more county endorsements than his three rivals.

On his campaign website, Singh portrays himself as the true conservative in the race and a strong Trump supporter. He states he would support a second round of tax cuts, including a reduction in the corporate tax rate to a flat 15%. Singh also said he would work to build the trans-Hudson rail tunnel between New Jersey and New York, although Trump has refused to support the project.

Singh is against abortion rights and says he would enact a measure that would end legal abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

In addition to having the endorsement of the Ocean County GOP, Singh has raised more money than Mehta almost $584,00, or close to $200,000 more than Mehta. But Mehta had slightly more in the bank as of June 17: $48,000, compared with Singhs $35,000.

Of the three remaining candidates, only Patricia Tricia Flanagan has reported any fundraising to the Federal Election Commission. Her latest report, dated March 31, showed she had raised less than $15,000 and spent all but about $2,200.

Flanagan, a biotech executive, is making her second run for the Senate. In 2018, she ran as an independent against Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, receiving about 0.5% of the vote.

Born in Massachusetts, Flanagan obtained an undergraduate degree from Wheaton College and went on to present her thesis in biochemistry at Brown University, according to her LinkedIn page. A Princeton resident, she is managing director and president of global marketing at Anderson Ludgate, a biopharma market research firm. She has also worked at pharma giants Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb and at medical device company BD, all of which have a presence in New Jersey.

Flanagans campaign website touts her Christian faith and prominently features photos of her with White House adviser and New Jersey native Kellyanne Conway and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, as well as pictures from her campaign. The site also sells items emblazoned with her name and the slogan Patriots Rising, including coffee mugs, tote bags and T-shirts.

According to the campaign site, Flanagan wants to reduce government spending and income taxes and promote economic growth, especially in New Jerseys biotech sector; she opposes minimum wage mandates. Flanagan also highlights the U.S. relationship with Israel and her work with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, a multimillion-dollar global charity.

If elected, Flanagans site says reforming health care is her top priority. She calls the federal Affordable Care Act unaffordable and unreliable and promises to use her experience in the private sector to preserve affordability (and) increase quality of care & treatment access. The website contains few specifics, but she calls for putting the American people in charge of their healthcare dollars and decisions, indicating support for health savings accounts.

Another candidate making her second Senate attempt is Natalie Lynn Rivera. A social services coordinator from Sicklerville, Rivera ran as an independent under the slogan For the People in 2018, garnering about 0.6% of the vote.

Rivera, 44, said she wants to give typical New Jersey residents a voice in Congress. On her Facebook campaign site she calls herself a conservative. Among her priorities are restoring Second Amendment rights that she says are under seige in the state and outlawing abortion.

What sets her apart from the other candidates, she said, is that she will be a servant to the people I think I am authentic and will serve from the heart to put their best interests at the forefront.

Another candidate running a shoestring campaign is Eugene Tom Anagnos, a retired middle school teacher who taught in Newark and Elizabeth schools. A Greek immigrant who now lives in East Hanover, Anagnos is an Army veteran who holds a bachelors degree in English Literature from Indiana University.

A strong Trump supporter, he began gathering signatures for his Senate race at Trumps January rally in Wildwood and subsequently outside of gun ranges in north Jersey, he said. Anagnos added in an email that driving his campaign is his attempt to remove NJ from leftist indoctrination and prevent CA East. The latter is a phrase that appears on his Twitter page, where he goes by the name BuddyRider aka Gene Anagnos.

If elected, Anagnos said, his top priorities would include removing some gun control restrictions, limiting interest charges on predatory lending and restructuring education to focus on building character. He opposes abortion rights.

He said that he has tried to live my life without malicious intent even though I know, as we all do, that decisions we make inadvertently affect others with unintended consequences and with love and tolerance for all of humanity.

The primary is July 7. At least one polling place will be open in every municipality, but most voters are expected to use mail-in ballots due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Lilo Stainton contributed to this report.

Go here to read the rest:
NJ Primary Elections 2020: The Five Republicans Who Want to Take over as US Senator - NJ Spotlight

A local veteran is rounding up armed volunteers to protect a Land Run monument in Oklahoma City and a group calling for its removal after he said Black Lives Matter supporters threatened to vandalize it. Black Lives Matter officials said theyre not affiliated with any alleged threats against the monument. Brenda Golden, the founder of the group SPIRIT (Society to Protect Indigenous Rights and Indigenous Treaties), added the group doesnt need the veterans or armed peoples protection as it calls for the removal of the Land Run monument.No person of color was allowed to participate in the Land Run, so it affects all people of color, or it did, Golden said. So, we invited Black Lives Matter to support this, and we did not ask him (Shannon Collins) for his support. So, I would just reach out my hand to him in friendship and say, I appreciate that you want to protect us, but we dont need protection. Were working together with Black Lives Matter.Thats the message Golden wants to give Collins, a veteran who organized the Protect the Land Run Monuments event. He said more than 300 people are expected to attend the event thats scheduled for 10 a.m. July 11 in Oklahoma City.I want to make sure that everybody knows were not coming there as the Second Amendment rights. Were coming there with protection, just in case, Collins said. Were not going to come there with long rifles strapped. I made it clear on my event thats not going to happen.The SPIRIT group planned a peaceful display, lying under the monument as a reminder of what was a dark day for Indigenous people. The group hopes Collins and his volunteers have a change of heart and dont show up.I almost feel sorry that these people do not have the empathy to understand how painful those monuments are to our Indigenous people, Golden said. What they symbolize is racism and how the treaties were all broken in order for that Land Run to happen.I would personally rather have the monument stay and then, maybe, Native American monuments and then Black people that formed Oklahoma monuments so that when you walk through the park, you can read the history of Oklahoma, Collins added.

A local veteran is rounding up armed volunteers to protect a Land Run monument in Oklahoma City and a group calling for its removal after he said Black Lives Matter supporters threatened to vandalize it.

Black Lives Matter officials said theyre not affiliated with any alleged threats against the monument. Brenda Golden, the founder of the group SPIRIT (Society to Protect Indigenous Rights and Indigenous Treaties), added the group doesnt need the veterans or armed peoples protection as it calls for the removal of the Land Run monument.

No person of color was allowed to participate in the Land Run, so it affects all people of color, or it did, Golden said. So, we invited Black Lives Matter to support this, and we did not ask him (Shannon Collins) for his support. So, I would just reach out my hand to him in friendship and say, I appreciate that you want to protect us, but we dont need protection. Were working together with Black Lives Matter.

Thats the message Golden wants to give Collins, a veteran who organized the Protect the Land Run Monuments event. He said more than 300 people are expected to attend the event thats scheduled for 10 a.m. July 11 in Oklahoma City.

I want to make sure that everybody knows were not coming there as the Second Amendment rights. Were coming there with protection, just in case, Collins said. Were not going to come there with long rifles strapped. I made it clear on my event thats not going to happen.

The SPIRIT group planned a peaceful display, lying under the monument as a reminder of what was a dark day for Indigenous people. The group hopes Collins and his volunteers have a change of heart and dont show up.

I almost feel sorry that these people do not have the empathy to understand how painful those monuments are to our Indigenous people, Golden said. What they symbolize is racism and how the treaties were all broken in order for that Land Run to happen.

I would personally rather have the monument stay and then, maybe, Native American monuments and then Black people that formed Oklahoma monuments so that when you walk through the park, you can read the history of Oklahoma, Collins added.

Go here to read the rest:
Group calling for Land Run monument's removal says it doesn't need armed volunteers' protection - KOCO Oklahoma City

Sad, toxic and terrible were used to describe Americas current partisan environment in this edition of the ongoing Pulse of the Voters series tracking political sentiment.

Democrat Nancy Presnall said this is the worst political division she has seen in her 71 years of life.

We are so divided and so polarized, Presnall said. It does not have to be that way.

Democrats, Republicans and independents said there is not enough civil discussion in politics. Republican Bob Osborn said everyone is so opinionated there is no room for discussion.

Independent Whitney Hall said there is too much us versus them in politics today.

I feel like people are not as interested in learning how or why things work or do not work anymore, Hall said.

Two major events have changed the political landscape leading to Novembers presidential election as the coronavirus pandemic continues to see rising numbers and Black Lives Matter protests see some Americans pushing back.

Protests

Since the death of George Floyd, a Minnesota man who died under the knee of now-former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, protests against police brutality and systemic racism are happening worldwide.

Some protests were violent, most were peaceful and nearly all of them divided opinion.

Osborn said as long as the protests are peaceful, he has no problem with them. Osborn and his wife even attended a protest in Enid, he said.

The term Black Lives Matter and the movement it has reignited are creating a national conversation about the political and racial divide in America.

Presnall said there might be some misconception about what Black Lives Matter means.

I fully support Black Lives Matter, Presnall said. I know there is a lot of misunderstanding about it. Nobody said that everybodys lives dont matter, but its just that the Black lives are the ones that are being threatened right now.

People have looked to President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, to see how they have responded to the protests.

Hall said Trumps responses have done nothing but inflame unrest.

He uses completely different jargon to talk about these people, Hall said. For instance, when people had guns at the state Capitol or different places talking about wanting to reopen the economy or wanting to use Second Amendment rights or different things, they were considered good people. Anybody that is protesting now was automatically considered a thug. Its already causing a problem.

Osborn, on the other hand, said he would rate Trumps response to the protests highly, saying the president does not have anything against peaceful protests.

He would rate Bidens response as a zero.

He has done nothing to help, Osborn said.

Protesters have torn down statues of Confederate generals and other historical figures. Republican Paul Allen said it really irritates him to see historical figures being erased.

COVID-19

In an effort to get the economy running again, the U.S. and several states have begun their phased reopening plans. Now, there is a continued steady increase of new cases in Oklahoma and nationwide.

Hall thinks better information could have been distributed to citizens earlier in the outbreak.

I think (the government) could have done more to partner with other agencies and countries, Hall said. We could have actually had the group in the federal government that deals with pandemics as part of the government still, instead of having gotten rid of them a few years ago. We could have actually had somebody look at previous pandemic plans that had been developed many years ago.

Many have criticized Trumps response to the spread of the virus, saying he under-reacted or ignored the warnings before it became too late.

Allen, on the other hand, thinks Trump has done everything he could with the information given to him.

Nobody has all the answers, and somebody has to make decisions and the rest of us get to sit back and wait and see what that decision is, Allen said. Then we all get the chance to second-guess it. I personally dont see anything wrong with what he has done.

Tulsa, the location of Trumps latest political rally, currently has the highest number of active coronavirus cases of any city in Oklahoma.

Presnall criticized Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Trump for seemingly ignoring health guidelines to have the rally June 20.

Stitt and Trump are like two peas in a pod just denying the realities and going ahead and doing whatever they want to do, Presnall said. Their response has been totally inadequate, and I think they are not doing enough. In fact, even worse than that, they are lying about the situation to the people.

Election 2020

The political divide between parties continues to grow as America heads toward the 2020 election in November.

Presnall said she expects a dogfight going into the election.

It is going to be a really hard-fought battle, Presnall said. One of my concerns is whether we will have a free and fair election.

I think in Oklahoma we have paper ballots and we use scanners and not voting machines, and so I think that part of it is pretty safe I guess my first concern is just voting machine tampering and voter suppression.

Republicans, however, feel confident in their candidate.

Osborn said he believes Trump will win by a comfortable margin.

It will be a very good thing for the country because conservatives believe in personal freedom and personal development, and they are not the ones that are rioting, Osborn said.

Allen said the Democratic Party does not have what it takes to keep the country running properly.

It would be a sorry situation if (the Democrats) win because they do not have the right approach to keep things rolling in America, Allen said. We cannot survive if we elect the left-wing people. Thats all there is to it. They will change the country.

Independents find themselves in a tough situation when deciding who to vote for, as their political ideas usually do not line up exactly with the Democratic or Republican parties.

Hall said she is undecided on whom she supports.

My vote is toward the people that want to have a functional, civil government, Hall said. I really dont see it going well either way.

People are going to continue to be hateful and more polarized than they ever have been, and I think you are going to see a lot of people also become very cynical with the system.

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

Continued here:
PULSE OF THE VOTERS: Oklahoma, U.S. see polarizing political landscape ahead of election - Enid News & Eagle