Greene County Democrat

Category: Politics

  • U.S. Senators demand study on Federal advertising in Black-owned media

    By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)

    Sen. Corey Booker (D-NJ).jpg

    NJ Senator Corey Booker speaks on issue of Federal advertising

    Five U.S. Senators have joined the fight for accountability in the federal government’s advertising practices – or lack thereof — when it comes to minority-owned news outlets. A letter penned by the senators demands that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate the advertising habits of federal agencies.

    Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) each signed the letter.

    In the new letter sent this month on United States Senate letterhead to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, a request is made that the GAO issue a report on federal advertising contracts and subcontracts with minority-owned publications, public relations firms, advertising agencies, and media companies.

    “News outlets and media companies owned or published by people of color are critical to ensuring that diverse viewpoints are presented to the American people,” the letter stated. The letter continued: “As one of the largest advertisers in the United States, the federal government should play an active role in ensuring that minority-owned media outlets have fair opportunities to compete for and be awarded federal advertising contracts.”

    Menendez said that contracting opportunities through the federal marketplace has proven to be a valuable way for firms to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

    Dr. Benjamin Chavis, the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), applauded the new letter by the senators. He noted the joint effort between NNPA and the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) in pushing for a new federal advertising study.

    “The NNPA and NAHP thank Senators Booker, Schumer, Menendez, Hirono and Gillibrand for helping to push for this strategically important GAO inquiry,” Chavis said. “2017 should be the year of greater economic equity and parity with respect to more inclusiveness in the billions of dollars spent annually by government departments and agencies on advertising.”

    Earlier this year, Democratic Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and many of her colleagues in the House formally requested an investigation into how federal government agencies spend advertising dollars.

    Jonathan Sanchez, the associate publisher and chief operating officer of the East Los Angeles-based Eastern Group Publications, Inc., which boast a loyal readership of about 500,000 subscribers, the news is more than welcome. Earlier this year, after Norton’s letter, Sanchez said he was appreciative that action was finally being taken.

    “I have been working on this issue for years and I am glad this is finally becoming a reality,” said Sanchez. Sanchez has supported efforts by NNPA and NAHP that calls lawmakers to sponsor a new report that will help determine why minority media companies have been excluded from the lucrative advertising deals government agencies have made with other news organizations.

    Norton’s letter came a little more than one month after she held a press conference on Capitol Hill with leaders from the NNPA and NAHP. At that press conference, Norton called on the GAO to perform a new study and update a 2007 report that revealed government agencies spent $4.3 billion in advertising but just a pittance of that amount was spent with minority media publications.

    The Congresswoman also secured the support of many others in the House of Representatives. Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield, California Rep. Karen Bass, New York Rep. Yvette Clarke, Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, Michigan Rep. John Conyers, Georgia Rep. John Lewis, and California Rep. Maxine Waters – all Democrats – were among those who signed Norton’s letter and called for action.

    “We believe that this request is particularly timely, because GAO will be conducting an audit of spending by federal agencies on public relations and advertising,” Norton said. “We ask [the GAO] to take this opportunity to consider how much is spent with newspapers and other media companies that are owned by people of color and whose audiences are largely African-American or Hispanic.”

    In 2007, GAO considered spending on advertising contracts with minority-owned businesses by five agencies – the Department of Defense, Department of the Treasury, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of the Interior, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration – and found that just five percent of the $4.3 billion available for advertising campaigns went to minority-owned businesses.

    Norton and others have asked for an update from the GAO as well as more accountability. The federal government is the largest advertiser in the nation and it plays an important role in supporting minority-focused publications that reach African-American, Latino, Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-California.

    “Historically, there has been a lack of adequate federal government funding granted to disadvantaged and minority-owned advertising agencies,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield, (D-N.C.). “This issue shows the systemic problems that exists across numerous arenas in both the public and private sector.”

  • Trump wins, but a record number of African Americans will now serve in Congress

     

    kamala-harris

    Kamala Harris

    By Lauren Victoria Burke (NNPA Newswire Contributor)

    Reality star billionaire Donald Trump won the presidency in shocking fashion, but African American candidates also made history on November 8.

    There will be a record number of African Americans in Congress during the time Trump is in the White House. That number will rise from 48 to 52. There have never been more African Americans elected to Congress in American history.

    Kamala Harris of California will be the second African American woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. Former Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brown will serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Both Republicans in the House, Mia Love (R-Utah) and Will Hurd (R-Texas) won re-election, as did the only Black Republican in the Senate, Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

    Lisa Blunt Rochester was elected to the U.S. House in Delaware. Former Orlando Police Chief Val Demings will also serve in the House. Virginia State Senator Don McEachin was elected to the House in a newly configured seat in Virginia that covers Richmond.

    Though there will be more African American members serving in Congress, the dilemma they find themselves in is obvious: All but three are Democrats who will be serving in the minority in the House and Senate. Being a member of the minority party in the House is one of the most powerless positions in Congress. It’s the majority that sets the agenda, the hearing schedules, the floor schedule and when the Congress will be in recess.

    The Senate is different. The two African American Democrats who will serve next year, Senator-elect Harris and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) could have some opportunities to influence the agenda moving forward. The Senate will be a narrower 52-48, and the rules allow for some disruption from members of the minority party.

    But it won’t be easy. Currently members of the Democratic leadership in both the House and the Senate are in a period stunned silence and are not even harping on the fact that Hillary Clinton won more votes than Trump and therefore no Trump has no real mandate.

    The Democratic Party in recent years has not been anywhere as militant as the rightwing, who created the so-called Tea Party movement and the “alt-right” to deal with the growing influence of African Americans and Latinos at the ballot box. Democrats in Congress are primed for a new set of younger leaders to take the place of those who are in their mid-70s and who have failed strategically to win over voters in a country where Democrats are in the majority.

    That the Democrats had two candidates over the age of 68 running for the presidency as Republicans fielded a candidate in his mid-40s is a sign it’s time for younger and more dynamic leadership on the left side of the aisle. One of those young leaders could come out of the Congressional Black Caucus, who is soon to elect a new caucus chair.

  • Hillary Clinton is now more than 2.5 million votes ahead of Donald Trump

    hillary-clinton Hillary Clinton

    It’s three weeks after the US election, but we’re only just getting a final tally (and it’s not set in stone yet) as some of the ballots took a long time to be counted. This is the current situation:

    Votes for Hillary Clinton: 65,152,310

    Votes for Donald Trump: 62,626,216

    Votes for other candidates: 7,373,248

    The Democrats are 2,526,094 votes ahead – but they won’t be in power after January 20. Due to the American ‘electoral college’ system, it doesn’t matter that Hillary won the popular vote by such a striking majority.

    Her vote share, at 1.9% ahead of Trump, is bigger than that of 10 US presidents. In most situations, it would be an impressive victory. She actually got more votes than any presidential candidate in history, except for Barack Obama.

    If all the extra people who voted for Hillary over Trump came together to form a state, that state would be more populous than New Mexico, Hawaii, Nebraska and West Virginia (and a dozen others that we didn’t have the space to list).

    Why has it taken so long to count votes? States such as California still counted postal votes even if they arrived days after the election, as long as they were mailed on election day. Other states delayed their declaration because they thought the vote could be close and they might need a recount. Problems with voting machines could lead to a delay too, as well as actual recounts.

    You generally expect that the person who wins the most votes wins the election, but that’s not how it always works in practice. You can bet that if Donald Trump had won the popular vote but lost the election, many of his supporters would have been out on the streets calling for blood. The ‘rigged system’ was a major feature of Trump’s campaign and he regularly complained that US democracy was in crisis.

    ‘The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy’, he even tweeted in 2012.And in a now-deleted tweet, he claimed in 2012 (inaccurately): ‘[Obama] lost the popular vote by a lot and won the election. We should have a revolution in this country!’

    Since that same system helped him get to power, however, he seems to have had a change of heart. Now, it’s ‘actually genius’.

    However, people who feel their vote effectively didn’t count are unlikely to agree. You’d imagine that one person, one vote, makes things equal. But actually, there are vastly different numbers of individual votes which make up one electoral college vote (the one that actually counts).

    In California, for example, it takes around half a million people to make up one electoral college vote. But in Wyoming, which will contribute three electoral votes in total, there are only around 143,000 voters for each one. In other words, a vote in Wyoming is worth around four times as much as in California.

    – See more at: http://nehandaradio.com/2016/12/02/hillary-clinton-now-winning-popular-vote-ridiculous-amount/#sthash.AlE96Jjc.dpuf

     

     

     

  • We can’t survive at $7.25 ‘Fight for $15’ rallies at Birmingham McDonalds

    mcdonaldOne Hundred Fifty fast food workers and their supporters rallied last evening at a Birmingham McDonalds at 1501 Fifth Avenue South. The group holding signs and banners was chanting: “We can’t survive on $7.25”, “Put some respect in my check”, “Nothing to loose but our chains …”
    The Birmingham demonstration was one of hundreds in cities across the nation to push for living wages for fast food and other low paid workers.
    “We are not giving up our fight for better wages just because Trump was elected President.“He needs to hear our demands for living wages,” said a protest organizer.
    The group marched around the block passing a Captain D’s and stopping in at a Burger King – all places where people are working for unacceptable minimum wages.

  • Eutaw City Council approves construction financing for water project; modifies pay for some city employees; plans to update all water bills by January 2017

    steele-and-smith

    L to R: Mayor Raymond Steele and Mayor Pro Tem Sheila H. Smith.

    The Eutaw City Council met on November 22, 2016 for its first full meeting since the election to consider business. All members were present.
    LaTasha Johnson moved to amend the agenda to consider election of a Mayor Pro Tem of the Council to serve in the absence of the Mayor. This decision was left over from the Council organizational meeting on November 7, 2016. Johnson then proposed rotating Pro Tem for a year’s term, starting with Sheila H. Smith, representing District 4 and then moving to the other districts in numerical order. This motion was approved and Sheila H. Smith was designated as Mayor Pro Tem.
    City Attorney Ken Aycock brought up approval of a contract with Co-Bank, a Denver based agricultural cooperative bank, to provide interim construction financing for the $3.1 million loan and grant water project for the City approved by USDA Rural Development. Co-Bank is providing the financing during construction and USDA RD will pay off the construction loan once the project is completed according to the proposed and designed specifications.

    Co-Bank’s interest is based on a commercial banking index rate that changes as interest rates rise but is currently close to 1%, which is a very reasonable rate.
    The City Council moved to unanimously approve the construction financing agreement with Co-Bank, which was the last remaining paperwork hurdle before the low bidders can start the project.
    Mayor Steele introduced a resolution modifying the pay rates of several positions including City Clerk, Water Clerk, Assistant Police Chief and others. The salary adjustments were approved but not shared with the public. Councilwoman Sheila H. Smith urged that the City Council consider all the police officers for a raise in the future. The Democrat has submitted a written request for the City’s salary schedule for all employees.
    The Council approved the purchase of two used vehicles from ALDOT for use by the City’s Public Works Department. The Council paid outstanding bills and claims for September and October 2016.
    The Council approved the travel of the City Clerk to a Municipal Training Conference in Florence, Alabama from November 30 to December 2, 2016. The Council also approved the selection of Walter Beck as Assistant Police Chief.
    Mayor Steele brought up the issue of filling seats on the Eutaw Housing Authority Board. In the public comment period later in the meeting, James Powell said it was important to fill these positions so that the Eutaw and Greene County Housing Authorities could proceed with discussion of a merger, which HUD is actively pushing and supporting. “The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) wants one unified housing board to work through to improve public housing, including Branch Heights, in the city and the county,” said Powell.
    Mayor Steele also brought up the need for a resolution for the City of Eutaw to accept the roads and streets in Branch Heights as a first step to finding the resources to solve the problems in Branch Heights. In response to questions, Steele said, “we need an official resolution to clear up any confusion on who owns these streets; and then we can work to find the resources to fix them. The Council asked Attorney Aycock to prepare a resolution for the next meeting.
    The Mayor reported that the City water bills were 5 to 6 months behind and that citizens would soon get a water bill for three months and then in January 2017 a water bill catching up on all past due usage. “We will give residents and businesses grace time to pay these water bills, if time and payment plans are needed. We must get the water billing up to date. We are working diligently to make repairs and fix leaks in the system while waiting for the major new steps, like the digital self-reporting meters, that come with the USDA water project.”
    Mr. Babb, City Engineer reported on building permits and progress on the resurfacing of Prairie Avenue from the Courthouse Square to Highway 43.

  • School board members sworn into office; schools accreditation affirmed

    sworning

    L to R: Mrs. Janette Cockrell holds Bible as her daughter Kashaya Cockrell is sworn-in; John Zippert holds Bible for his wife Dr. Carol Zippert as Judge Lillie Jones Osborne administers the Oath .

    boe-and-principal

    Shown L to R displaying Schools Accreditation Plaque: Superintendent James Carter,Sr., School Boardmembers Carrie Dancy, Kashaya Cockrell, Leo Branch, Carol Zippert, William Morgan, Principals Sharon Jennings and Frederick Square.

     

    Ms. Kashaya Cockrell, representing School Board District 2, and Dr. Carol P. Zippert, representing District 1, were sworn into office at the Board of Education meeting held, Monday, November 28, 2016. Greene County District Judge Lillie Jones Osborne conducted the ceremony. Cockrell and Zippert were elected to six year terms each following the November 8, 2016 general election. Zippert served on the school board for the past two years completing the term vacated by Lester Brown when he was elected to the Greene County Commission in 2014, representing District 1.

    Superintendent James H. Carter, Sr. presented the board with a plaque affirming the accreditation of the Greene County School System by the AdvanceEd Accreditation Commission. Following an intensive examination of the school system’s total operations in April, 2016, the AdvanceEd External Review Team recommended Greene County Schools for accreditation.
    In other business the school board approved the following personnel items.
    Employment of Tweela Jordan as Part-time Teacher-Aide at Greene County Career Center; Ivory Robinson as Elementary Teacher at Robert Brown Middle School; Eddie Coats as Bus Driver for the system; Wennoa Peebles as Bus Driver for the system; Adding TreDemis Davis to the current Bus Driver Substitute List 2016-2017. November 14, 2016 approved as the last working day for Ms. Brenda Grant (Retirement was approved October 17, 2016).
    The board approved the following administrative services recommended by Superintendent Carter.
    * Acceptance of bids for a wrought iron fence, brick column, and gate for Greene County High School when funds are available.
    * Permission to research cost of building an athletic field house on Greene County High School campus (Rationale: To be able to utilize the practice field).
    * Agreement between Greene County Board of Education and Integra Realty Resources – Birmingham for Valuation and Consulting Services for the former Paramount Jr. High School and Carver Middle School properties.
    * Contract with West Central Official Association of Livingston, Alabama for basketball officials during the 2016 -2017 school term.
    * Contract with Criterion Consulting LLC for Formative Administrator Evaluation Support Services for 2016 – 2017 school year.
    * Permission for Dr. James Carter, Superintendent, to attend the National Superintendent Conference in New Orleans, LA on March 2 – 4, 2017.
    * Surplus old athletic uniforms for Paramount Jr. High and Carver Middle School or allow coaches to decide how to use them.
    * Request to install a security fence at football stadium at Robert Brown Middle School Stadium
    * Surplus and sale inventory at Paramount Jr. High and Carver Middle School.
    Field trip Request for students and teachers at Greene County High to attend Education Day at Carowinds in Charlotte, NC on April 21, 2017.
    Field Trip Request for Robert Brown Middle School’s 4 – 6 grade to participate in the Disney YES (Youth Educational Series) Program in Orlando, FL on May 7, 2017.
    Field Trip Request for Drama Class to travel to New York City during Spring Break.
    Field Trip Request for students and teachers at Robert Brown Middle School to travel to Atlanta, Ga to visit a Civil Rights Museum and have a College Tour on April 25, 2017.
    Field Trip Request for students and teachers at Robert Brown Middle School to visit Ruby Falls and Rock City in Chattanooga, TN on April 21, 2017.
    Out of School Violent Criminal Conduct Policy.
    Black History In the School Curriculum Policy.
    Resolution to remove authorized signers, Shane Martin and Emma Louie and add Leon Dowe and James Carter as authorized signers at Bank of Tuscaloosa.
    Closing Carver Middle School’s account at Merchants and Farmers Bank.
    Bid submitted by ADS Security in the amount of $19, 980.00 for Camera System at Robert Brown Middle School when funds are available.
    Payment of all bills, claims, and payroll.
    Bank reconciliations as submitted by Mr. Leon Dowe, CSFO.
    In his report, Dr. Carter noted the following:
    * Attended the World of Work Conference at Shelton State.
    * Participated in the Red Ribbon Week Activities.
    * Participated in the Breast Cancer Awareness Program.
    * Attended and Toured Mercedes Automobile Plant.
    * Performed structured interviews with Principals to enhance student achievement
    * Reviewed test data with staff. This should help us better plan our instructional goal of 5% increase on the ACT Aspire.
    * Ordered 40 jackets to help parents of students who were unable to pay for jackets at the time the uniform dress code for the 9th grade academy was established.
    * Participated in the homecoming parade and several school coronations
    * Attended and participated in the Induction Ceremony at Greene County High School Mu Alpha Theta honor society and Rho Beta history honor society
    Attended West Alabama Works – a Workforce Development Council meeting hosted by Mercedes Benz.
    Inquire about a partnership with city and county government to build or to organize a technology center.
    “In order for the Greene County School System to continue improving, teachers must develop measurable goals for all students. It is my opinion that this system needs refining, better data and better assessments instruments. We must get empowerment right starting with teachers, parents, school community and above all, the students. Our leadership must find a vision that yield positive results.
    “The leadership in our schools and classrooms must perform a self assessment and ask the tough question. Do I want a world class school and district or am I satisfied with the status quo.
    Robert Brown Dedication Ceremony held November 10. Brown was honored by the recently organized middle school being officially named in his honor, Dr. Carter stated.

  • Fidel Castro, Cuban leader was ‘strong voice for social justice’ says U. N. Secretary General

    castro-and-do-santos

    President Fidel Castro of Cuba with President J. doSantos of Angola

    Nov. 28, 2016 (GIN) – U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon extended sympathies to the Cuban people on the passing on Friday, Nov. 25, of their longtime president, Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, who he called ‘a strong voice for social justice.’

    Admired by leftists and people of the developing world as a revolutionary champion of the poor, the former president died at the age of 90. On Monday, tens of thousands of Cubans, some wrapped in red, white and blue Cuban flags, lined the streets from Havana to Santiago de Cuba as a funeral cortege made its way across the country, carrying the ashes of the renowned leader.

    Speaking to reporters at a conference in Turkmenistan, Ban Ki-Moon praised Fidel Castro’s advances in the fields of education, literacy and health. “As Prime Minister, President, Commander of the Cuban Armed Forces and First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, his role at the helm of Cuba spanned nearly 50 years, during which he left a major imprint on his country and on global politics,” said the U.N. chief. “His revolutionary ideals left few indifferent. He was a strong voice for social justice in global discussions at the UN General Assembly and international and regional forums.”

    “I offer the support of the United Nations to work alongside the people of the island,” he said, adding his hope that Cuba “would continue to advance on a path of reform and greater prosperity.” Fidel Castro served as Cuba’s President from 1976 to 2008.

    The U.N.’s General Assembly president, Peter Thomson, called Mr. Castro “one of the iconic leaders of the 20th century… an inspirational figure for developing countries in particular,” adding that “his dedication to their advancement, especially in the fields of education and health, would be long remembered.”

    Bill Fletcher, founder of the Black Radical Congress and a columnist for BlackCommentator.com, recalled Fidel’s storied role in Africa’s anticolonial movements.

    After Cuba’s first venture in Algeria that ended French domination there in 1962, Cuba under Fidel “went on to support the various anticolonial movements in Africa,” said Fletcher. “These included, in particular, the anti-Portuguese movements in Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Mozambique. And (the Cubans) were unquestioning in their support for the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.”

     

    In the film “Fidel: The Untold Story” directed by Estela Bravo, the documentary highlights strong ties forged between Fidel and such national liberation leaders as such as Sékou Touré, Amílcar Cabral, Julius Nyerere, Samora Machel and Agostinho Neto. South African President Jacob Zuma is reportedly on route to Cuba for Fidel’s funeral.

     

    It was the “unwavering commitment of Fidel Castro to Namibia’s freedom that led to the destruction of apartheid in the country,” said Namibian leader Hage Geingob.

     

    The late Castro had no interest in the natural resources of a free Namibia,” recalled President Geingob, nor did Cubans come to collect gold and diamonds. Instead, Castro offered an education to more than 3,000 Namibian children; many of whom today occupy influential positions in all sectors of the economy.

     

  • Democrats ask Oversight Committee to investigate Trump’s potential conflicts of interest

    Matt Fuller, Congressional Reporter, The Huffington Post

    WASHINGTON ― Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Monday asked the committee’s chairman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), to look into President-elect Donald Trump’s financial entanglements and make sure he’s not breaking the law.

    “The scope of Mr. Trump’s conflicts of interest around the world is unprecedented,” the 17 Democrats on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee wrote. “Over the past two weeks, new revelations have raised serious concerns about the intermingling of Mr. Trump’s businesses and his responsibilities as president.”

    Trump’s potential conflicts of interest are staggering, with business interests across the globe and no clear firewall between those businesses and the office of the presidency. Trump had said previously that he would enter into a blind trust, which would require him to sell many of his businesses and be unaware of his holdings, but he’s backed away from those promises. Trump also said he would step away from his dealings and have his children run day-to-day operations. But several of Trump’s children are intimately involved in his political operation ― Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr. are all on the presidential transition team ― and simply handing over the businesses to his children wouldn’t disassociate Trump from his enterprises. He still knows what businesses he owns.

    Trump’s potential conflicts of interest have already raised serious questions about his actions and the actions of foreign governments. Just three days after a phone call between Trump and Argentine President Mauricio Macri, the development company building the $100 million Trump Tower in Buenos Aires said construction could begin as soon as June 2017.

    Trump also owes a foreign bank over $300 million, and has foreign diplomats booking hotel reservations at his hotel in Washington, D.C., so they can curry favor with the president.

    Trump himself seems unconcerned about the potential conflicts of interest. In an interview with The New York Times last week, the president-elect offered the Nixonian thought that “the president can’t have a conflict of interest.”

    As the letter noted, no one truly has a handle on Trump’s finances, since his exorbitant wealth has allowed him to list assets in overly broad financial disclosure categories, and he’s kept his tax returns private.

    “Mr. Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns has already demonstrated a troubling lack of transparency and accountability, making it even more critical that the Committee conduct rigorous oversight right away ― before he is sworn in as President,” the letter said.

    The ranking Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), asked for a congressional probe of Trump’s potential conflicts of interest two weeks ago. Democrats say they have yet to hear back from Chaffetz. A Huffington Post request for comment from an Oversight spokeswoman on Monday was not returned.

    Chaffetz had promised a thorough investigation of Hillary Clinton when she was expected to win the presidency. Even after the election, Chaffetz said he still wanted to investigate Clinton’s handling of a private email server to determine if she had broken the law. (An FBI investigation determined that she had not.)

    “You acted with unprecedented urgency to hold ‘emergency’ hearings and issue multiple unilateral subpoenas to investigate Secretary Clinton before the election,” the letter said Monday. “We ask that you show the same sense of urgency now.”

    Chaffetz promised rigorous oversight in August, saying he didn’t care which party won the White House. “My job is not to be a cheerleader for the president. My job is to hold them accountable and to provide that oversight,” he said then.

    “If you’re going to run and try to become the president of the United States, you’re going to have to open up your kimono and show everything, your tax returns, your medical records,” he went on. “You are… just going to have to do that.”

  • Sioux Tribe leaders respond to army eviction notice of #NoDAPL camp, refuse to give up

     

    By: Whitney Webb, Nation of Change Newsreport

     

    Indians protest Dakota Access Pipeline

    Throughout the months of protests against the controversial Dakota Access pipeline project, the federal government has tried to “spin” its indirect support for the project in order to quell national outrage and prevent further growth of the resistance movement.

    In September, the Department of Justice ordered a temporary halt to all construction on the pipeline as the government “reconsidered” its approval for the project. However, construction never stopped as the injunction was voluntary and Energy Transfer Partners, the pipeline’s parent company, continued building. Then again, last month, the US Army Corps of Engineers ordered another temporary halt on construction, which was also ignored, while the Corps held “talks” with the tribes leading the resistance.

    This past Friday, the federal government finally made its intentions public when the Corps sent a letter to Sioux tribal leaders, telling them that their camps of peaceful protestors and water protectors would be evicted to protect “the general public.” To add insult to injury, the Corps’ commander told the protestors they could move to an officially sanctioned “free speech zone” away from the construction site. These hollow words are clearly more “spin” designed to distance the government from its obvious, though indirect support of the $3.8 billion pipeline project.

    Tribal leaders have now responded to what they termed the Corps’ “direct and irresponsible threat to the water protectors.” The Cheyenne River tribe, who are co-litigants in a lawsuit against the pipeline, sharply rebuked the plan, citing that the area on which the targeted camps lie are Sioux territory per the 1851 Fort Laramie treaty signed by the Sioux and the US federal government. Their leader, Harold Frazier, also pointed out that much of the Sioux’s territory had been illegally claimed by the Corps via the Pick-Sloan Flood Control Act, lamenting the US government’s habit of ignoring the numerous treaties it has signed with the indigenous tribes within its borders.

    The leader of the Standing Rock Sioux, David Archambault II also seconded this statement, saying that the news of the eviction notice was “saddening” but not surprising considering the US government’s historical treatment of indigenous people. Frazier said that, in light of the government’s failure to respect tribal land or autonomy,that his tribe and their allies “will no longer allow our rights as a Tribe or as indigenous people as a whole to continue to be eroded.”

    Frazier also argued that the Corps’ notice “appears to further empower the militarized police force that has been brutalizing and terrorizing our water protectors while imposing the blame and risk on unarmed peaceful people.” He called the Corps’ decision “a grave and dangerous mistake” and said that the protestors would not be leaving their camps regardless of the threat of removal. When the Army Corps’ enforces its eviction notice on December 5th, they will be greeted with peaceful resistance, civil disobedience, and prayer. However, groups of military veterans from around the US are set to arrive at the camps to protect protestors on December 4th, a day before the eviction notice takes effect. This could make for a truly explosive confrontation between the Americans who have chosen to fight for their beliefs and those who have chosen to back the will of the state and corporations.

  • Clinton hits 2M popular vote lead amid calls for recount

     

    By Theodore Bunker   

    hillary-clinton

     Hillary Clinton

    Hillary Clinton’s lead in the popular vote over President-elect Donald Trump has reached more than 2 million, UPI reports.

    Last Wednesday, Cook Political Report announced that Clinton reached 64,225,863 votes, compared to Trump’s 62,210,612. There are still a million uncounted votes in California.

    Clinton’s loss of the Electoral College despite winning the popular vote prompted outcries from her supporters. Now some are calling for a full audit of the election results in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states Clinton narrowly lost and could have brought her the election.

    “I’m interested in verifying the vote,” Dr. Barbara Simons, who advises the U.S. election assistance commission and is an expert on electronic voting, said to The Guardian. “We need to have post-election ballot audits.”

    Clinton was only the fifth presidential candidate to win the popular vote and lose the election.

    “Unfortunately, nobody is ever going to examine that evidence unless candidates in those states act now, in the next several days, to petition for recounts,” J. Alex Halderman, the director of the University of Michigan’s center for computer security and society, wrote in a Medium post Wednesday that focused on election fraud.

    Jill Stein, Presidential candidate of the Greene Party, has raised $7 million on the internet for a recount of votes in three pivotal states: Wisconsin (Trump’s margin – 27,000 votes), Michigan (11,000) and Pennsylvania (68,000) which provided the margin of victory for Trump by 107,000 total votes.

    “The person who received the most votes free from interference or tampering needs to be in the White House,” said Alexandra Chalupa, former consultant to the Democratic National Committee, to the Guardian. “It may well be Donald Trump, but further due diligence is required to ensure that American democracy is not threatened.”