Category: Domestic Affairs,

A Whistle-Blower Alleges Corruption in Rick Perry’s Department of Energy

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Infrastructure and Transportation,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

At one point, the coal magnate handed Perry a document containing his “Action Plan for reliable and low cost electricity in America and to assist in the survival of our Country’s coal industry.” Edelman snapped a closeup. Afterward, he said, he heard Perry tell Murray, “I think we can help you with this.”

…Perry proposed that all coal plants in certain areas, including many that do business with Murray Energy, be required to keep a ninety-day supply of coal onsite to provide “fuel-secure” power. Edelman was alarmed: the language in Perry’s letter clearly echoed Murray’s “action plan.” Moreover, only a month earlier, a report by Perry’s own staff had concluded that “reliability is adequate today,” raising the question of why the rule was necessary.

A Whistle-Blower Alleges Corruption in Rick Perry’s Department of Energy | The New Yorker

oy!

Purchase of Mount Ida is an insult to UMass Boston

On By peanutgallerynhIn Boston,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Race,, Schools,Leave a comment

[UMass Boston] …students — who make up the most diverse campus in New England — are getting another painful lesson about where they stand in the university pecking order. As low as it goes.

…The 72-acre Mount Ida campus will give UMass Amherst students a pastoral base of operations for internships and academic collaborations in Boston. Meanwhile, UMass Boston students have endured months of administrative turmoil and cold-hearted cost-cutting on a campus infamous for its crumbling infrastructure.

…And now Meehan, with customary rubber-stamped approval from the UMass board, is taking on debt at Mount Ida that is estimated to run from $55 million to $70 million.

……The memo states that the university will cut the funding for the centers and institutes that require the biggest subsidies. They include the William Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture, the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy, the Institute for New England Native American Studies, the Labor Resource Center, and the Center for Social Policy.

…Mills is closing the deficit by slicing away at programs that make up the heart and soul of UMass Boston. The cuts are not coming from the top. They are coming from the most vulnerable — children, women, veterans, and minorities.

…The cuts will reportedly save up to $1.5 million out of a $430 million operating budget. Meanwhile, there’s enough money in the overall system to take on debt-ridden Mount Ida and send its students to UMass Dartmouth at a reduced rate.

Purchase of Mount Ida is an insult to UMass Boston – The Boston Globe

Jeezus…

A Hit Man Came to Kill Susan Kuhnhausen. She Survived. He Didn’t.

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Local Interest,Leave a comment

Ten years after the attack, Susan finds comfort in helping others to understand that they, too, can survive a near fatal attack. “If you can’t run and you can’t hide, you have to fight,” she says. “You don’t know that you won’t survive.”

…”They’re not calling you a hero because you killed a man,” her boss told her. “They’re calling you a hero because they want to believe, given the same circumstances, they, too, might survive.”

A Hit Man Came to Kill Susan Kuhnhausen. She Survived. He Didn’t. – Willamette Week

huh

Wipeout: Human role in climate change removed from National Parks science report

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

National Park Service officials have deleted every mention of humans’ role in causing climate change in drafts of a long-awaited report on sea level rise and storm surge, contradicting Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s vow to Congress that his department is not censoring science.

The research for the first time projects the risks from rising seas and flooding at 118 coastal national park sites, including the National Mall, the original Jamestown settlement and the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

…In changes dated Feb. 6, a park service official crossed out the word “anthropogenic,” the term for people’s impact on nature, in five places. Three references to “human activities” causing climate change also were removed.

The 87-page report, which was written by a University of Colorado Boulder scientist, has been held up for at least 10 months, according to documents obtained by Reveal. The delay has prevented park managers from having access to the best data in situations such as reacting to hurricane forecasts, safeguarding artifacts from floodwaters or deciding where to locate new buildings.

…Columbia University’s Silencing Science Tracker documents more than 100 instances of government trying to restrict research or public information about climate change. Among them are reports on climate change that have been stripped from government websites. Climate change was removed from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s strategic plan. Environmental Protection Agency employees were issued talking points that promote an inaccurate message about gaps in climate science and downplay the role of human activities in global warming.

The edited national parks report “is probably the biggest scientific integrity violation at the Department of Interior, by far … because this is an actual scientific report.”

…The introduction also was substantially altered in February. These two sentences were deleted: “While sea levels have been gradually rising since the last glacial maximum approximately 21,000 years ago, anthropogenic climate change has significantly increased the rate of global sea level rise. Human activities continue to release carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, causing the Earth’s atmosphere to warm.”

…The National Park Service’s scientific integrity policy prohibits managers from engaging in “dishonesty, fraud, misrepresentation, coercive manipulation, censorship, or other misconduct that alters the content, veracity, or meaning or that may affect the planning, conduct, reporting, or application of scientific and scholarly activities.” It also requires employees to differentiate between their opinions or assumptions and solid science.

Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, said “the edits are glaringly in violation” of the science cited in the report and “such alterations violate” the policy.

“The individual who edited the document is making a personal opinion/assumption that runs counter to the scientific consensus that greenhouse gas emissions responsible for sea level rise are of anthropogenic origin and that the threat to the National Park Service assets arises primarily from human activities,” said McNutt, who led the U.S. Geological Survey, the Interior Department’s main scientific agency, from 2009 to 2013.

Wipeout: Human role in climate change removed from science report | Reveal

sigh….

Secret use of census info helped send Japanese Americans to internment camps in WWII

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Race,Leave a comment

It is illegal to release information that would identify individuals or families.

But that does not mean that census data has not been used to target specific populations in the past.

In fact, information from the 1940 Census was secretly used in one of the worst violations of constitutional rights in U.S. history: the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

…Even lawful disclosures can raise alarms. The Census Bureau came under scrutiny in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when the bureau gave publicly available information to the Department of Homeland Security about neighborhoods that were home to large numbers of Arab Americans.

Secret use of census info helped send Japanese Americans to internment camps in WWII – The Washington Post

Aghhhhhhhhh

Why Do Some Conservatives Believe Mueller Will Clear Trump?

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

First, they interpret each incremental development in the Mueller investigation completely in isolation. The overall pattern of the Mueller probe, fleshed out by a large amount of reporting, displays a series of trails between Russia and the Trump campaign. These include the Trump Tower meeting, Roger Stone’s interactions with WikiLeaks, Paul Manafort’s history of pro-Russian political work, Peter W. Smith’s work on behalf of Michael Flynn, to take the most prominent.

But Trump’s believers see not patterns in these episodes, but a series of disconnected dots. So, for instance, when Mueller charged Russian internet trolls with election interference, they saw it not as one element of a broader indictment of Russian interference, but proof that the bad actors were entirely those operating on the Russian side.

…Second, they concede Trump lies constantly, but insist he does so for no particular reason.

…The assumption here is that Trump’s lifelong habit of pathological lying tells us nothing about his underlying guilt.

…Third, and following logically from both of the above, Trump’s defenders do not see his actions forming any pattern of obstruction of justice.

Why Do Some Conservatives Believe Mueller Will Clear Trump?

hmmmm

Trump Tower catches fire

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

Fire sprinklers were not required in New York City high-rises when Trump Tower was completed in 1983. Subsequent updates to the building code required commercial skyscrapers to install the sprinklers retroactively, but owners of older residential high-rises are not required to install sprinklers unless the building undergoes major renovations.

Some fire-safety advocates pushed for a requirement that older apartment buildings be retrofitted with sprinklers when New York City passed a law requiring them in new residential high-rises in 1999, but officials in the administration of then-mayor Rudy Giuliani said that would be too expensive.

…rump was among the developers who spoke out against the retrofitting as expensive and unnecessary. No member of the Trump family was in the 664-foot tower on Saturday.

Mr. Trump’s family has an apartment on the top floors of the 58-story building, but he has spent little time in New York since taking office. The headquarters of the Trump Organization is on the 26th floor.

Todd Brassner, Trump Tower fire victim, was art collector who spent time with Andy Warhol – CBS News

hmmmm

Black Stoneman Douglas Shooting Survivors: Minority Voices

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Race,, Schools,Leave a comment

“We are proud to say we are from Douglas, we are proud to say that those who are at the front are doing a great job, but we have so much to say too,” Mei-Ling Ho-Shing said.

A black male student gave a speech about police having PTSD and “mentally ill” police officers on campus that may racially profile students and treat them as “potential criminals.”

“It is estimated that one-in-three police officers suffer from untreated post-traumatic stress disorder,” student Kai Koerber said. “When mentally ill police officers are invited to safeguard a traumatized student body that becomes a recipe for disaster. Police need to stay on the perimeter of our schools. Those chosen to work at school should receive PTSD counseling and special diversity training,”

Black Stoneman Douglas Shooting Survivors: Minority Voices Not Valued As Much As White Students | Video | RealClearPolitics

hmmmm

Stephon Clark shot 8 times, mostly in the back, private autopsy finds

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Domestic Affairs,, Race,Leave a comment

Unarmed Stephon Clark was shot eight times — mostly in the back — by two Sacramento police officers in his grandmother’s backyard, according to an independent autopsy released Friday.

…”This independent autopsy affirms that Stephon was not a threat to police and was slain in another senseless police killing under increasingly questionable circumstances,” said Benjamin Crump, a high-profile civil rights attorney hired by Clark’s family.

…Crump said the results directly contradict the narrative from Sacramento police and shows Clark wasn’t a threat.

…The narrative that had been put forth is that they had to open fire because he was charging at them.

…Clark didn’t immediately die from his wounds, he said, even though just one of the wounds could have been fatal on its own.

Authorities have said several minutes passed before Clark was treated because of fears he was armed.

“Whether you’re fatally wounded or not you should receive immediate and timely medical and surgical intervention,” Omalu said, citing the 2011 shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

She survived after being shot in the head “because of the timely, immediate medical and surgical intervention,” he said, adding “every minute you wait decreases the probability of survival.”

Stephon Clark shot 8 times, mostly in the back, private autopsy finds

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

We’re at a point in our society where officers sworn ot uphold the law and protect the citizenry from harm routinely murder the very citizens they are sworn to protect and afterwards lie about the circumstances of these cold-blooded killings to justify their actions and normalize their dangerous incompetence, inability to think calmly under pressure, and clearly racist paranoias.

If a civilian committed these acts we would be calling for the death penalty. Until we treat violent murderers in police uniforms the same as we would a poor person of color we are a nation without law and order.

Black Marjory Stoneman Douglas students feel overlooked

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Race,, Schools,Leave a comment

Black students gathered in Parkland Wednesday said they felt overlooked and underrepresented by both the media and their peers leading the charge for more gun control. And some of the solutions meant to keep them safer in the wake of a gunman slaughtering 17 of their classmates leave them feeling more afraid than before.

Kai Koerber, a 17-year-old Marjory Stoneman Douglas student, returned to school after the shooting to see his slain classmates’ empty desks turned into memorials — and a campus swarming with police officers. To him, extra cops around doesn’t mean more people to protect him; it means more chances to become a victim of police brutality.

…Kai worries that police will racially profile students and treat them as “potential criminals,” particularly students of color.

“It’s bad enough we have to return with clear backpacks,” he said. “Should we also return with our hands up?”

Black Marjory Stoneman Douglas students feel overlooked | Miami Herald

hmmmm

Black students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS want to be heard

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Race,, Schools,Leave a comment

“I would say that our voices were not intentionally excluded, but they were not intentionally included,” said Kai Koerber, a junior. “Now more than ever, it is time to represent the diversity of our school, and the diversity in the world.”

…About 11% of the high school’s 3,000 students are black, and some say their concerns about gun violence are not getting enough attention, WPEC reported.

“We are proud to say that we’re from Douglas,” student Mei-Ling Ho-Shing told reporters Wednesday, WPEC-TV reported.

“We are proud to say that those who are in the front are doing a great job, but we also have so much to say.”

…”The police are making their own rules and are turning our school into a police state,” he said. “Every day, students lose more and more freedoms at MSD. Students of color have become targets and white students have become suspects. …”

“Students of color, black and brown students, like myself have been racially profiled while we are on heightened alert, fearing the emergence of another Caucasian shooter,” [Junior, Kai] Koerber said.

“I would like to see us not only reclaim our school, but our right to privacy on campus. We do not welcome the militarization of MSD. It is terrible to see our school lose control over the protection of their students and their facilities.”

Black students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS want to be heard – CNN

Yup.

Last Stoneman Douglas shooting victim leaves hospital

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Schools,Leave a comment

Anthony was the last of 20 students who fled into a room and was trying to lock the door that day when he was shot, Carlos told “Good Morning America” in February. Anthony held his ground in the doorway, putting his body in between the bullets and his classmates, who all survived uninjured, Carlos said.

Last Stoneman Douglas shooting victim leaves hospital – ABC News

hmmm

Parkland Student David Hogg Says Black Classmates Weren’t Given a Voice by Media

On By peanutgallerynhIn Media and Culture,, Race,, Schools,Leave a comment

Speaking at an Axios event Friday focused on the gun debate, Hogg was asked about where the news media tripped up in its coverage of the tragic shooting at his Parkland, Florida school that left 17 people dead.

“Not giving black students a voice,” Hogg responded, via Axios. “My school is about 25 percent black, but the way we’re covered doesn’t reflect that.”

Parkland Student David Hogg Says Black Classmates Weren’t Given a Voice by Media

hmmmm

17 States, 7 Cities Sue To Remove Citizenship Question From 2020 Census

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New York state is leading a group of 17 states, seven cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in a lawsuit against the Census Bureau and Commerce Department to try to remove a new citizenship question from the 2020 census questionnaire. It comes more than a week after California filed a similar lawsuit in San Francisco federal court against Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who oversees the bureau, and Census Bureau officials.

The states joining New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s lawsuit filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. The cities are Washington, D.C.; Chicago; New York; Philadelphia; Providence, R.I.; Seattle; and San Francisco, plus the United States Conference of Mayors, a bipartisan group.

The census has not asked all U.S. households about citizenship since 1950.

17 States, 7 Cities Sue To Remove Citizenship Question From 2020 Census : NPR

hmmmm

Attorney Alex van der Zwaan, first person sentenced in Mueller probe, gets 30 days in prison

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Alex van der Zwaan, 33, had pleaded guilty in February to making false statements when he was interviewed last fall about his phone calls and e-mails with a former Trump campaign aide, Richard Gates.

Van der Zwaan addressed the judge directly on Tuesday, saying in a brief statement, “What I did was wrong. I apologize to the court, my wife and my family.”

The Belgian-born lawyer also was fined $20,000 and two months of supervised release was imposed.

…Van der Zwaan’s father-in-law, German Khan, is a prominent Russian billionaire.

Attorney Alex van der Zwaan, first person sentenced in Mueller probe, gets 30 days in prison

hmmm

EPA To Gut The Only Major Federal Rule To Cut Climate Pollution From Vehicles

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The Environmental Protection Agency has outlined plans to undo a landmark Obama-era rule tightening fuel standards for vehicles, weakening the only major federal policy to reduce planet-warming emissions from the nation’s top source of greenhouse gas pollution.

EPA To Gut The Only Major Federal Rule To Cut Climate Pollution From Vehicles | HuffPost

Future generation hating assholes!

Mueller Releases Secret Memo Underpinning Manafort Probe

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Special Counsel Robert Mueller defended the indictment of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort by releasing a secret government memorandum granting him authority to investigate crimes related to Manafort’s political consulting work for former President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine.

Mueller is using the memo to refute Manafort’s claims that prosecutors went too far by investigating crimes beyond Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Prosecutors released the memo just before midnight on Monday, arguing that Manafort can’t legally challenge his indictment for financial crimes arising from his work for Yanukovych and other Russian-backed politicians.

The memo, dated Aug. 2, 2017, and signed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, supplements a May 2017 appointment order directing Mueller to investigate possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign, as well as “any matters that arose or may arise directly” from his probe.

Mueller Releases Secret Memo Underpinning Manafort Probe – Bloomberg

hmmmm

What It’s Like to Be a Woman in the Academy – The Chronicle of Higher Education

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Education,, Media and Culture,, Schools,Leave a comment

I was 22, fresh from undergrad, and, as a child of the “girl power” 1990s, entirely unused to the idea that anyone would take me less seriously simply because I was not a man. I soon learned that being taken seriously depended on style and self-presentation as much as on intelligence and insight.

The male graduate students in my cohort displayed their academic seriousness with an ease that I found impossible to imitate. They knew how to dress for class (blazer, oxfords, a touch of tweed); how to speak forcefully in seminar, without making apologies or soliciting approval*; how to shake hands with male faculty members in a way that was both chummy and professional.

…”Women are welcome,” announced the male graduate student who directed the Hegel reading group, as if women needed his permission** to think dialectically.

…Anxious and confused about how to establish a suitable academic self, I spent my first few years of graduate school vacillating between girlishness and a kind of steely professionalism. I started wearing dresses, then chopped off all my hair. I spoke with ingratiating, self-effacing “uptalk” one day, and was entirely too strident the next.

As the years went by, and I advanced toward the Ph.D., the rules for women became more numerous, and the box for acceptable behavior grew smaller still. Do be an approachable teacher, but don’t be too friendly with your students, or they’ll take advantage of you. Don’t wear a dress to your MLA interview; you’ll be in a hotel room, possibly proximate to a bed, and men won’t be able to stop themselves from sexualizing you. At your job talk, be sure to say “thank you” after each question; men shouldn’t do this — they would appear obsequious — but women must (or so a female faculty member advised me). Be extremely careful when speaking about partners and families, or you might not get the job.

…Hierarchies — of gender, race, and class — are established and reinforced through hirings and firings, handshakes and outfits.

What It’s Like to Be a Woman in the Academy – The Chronicle of Higher Education

hmmmm

 

 

 

* – one be inclined to add, without fear of their confidence being interpreted as being over-the-top, bitchy, unfounded, or inappropriately aggressive, and giving rise to reactions like, “Who do he think he is?”

** – (or encouragement and support)