Good Morning, Vietnam: In turnabout, US to arm former Communist enemy

The Vietnam People’s Navy — a wing of the Communist Party — is now cleared by the White House to cruise the seas with American guns.

That marks a sea change: With few exceptions, America hasn’t provided weapons to a Communist nation since World War II, when the US armed the Soviet Union in its fight against Nazi Germany.

To American GIs during the Vietnam War, supplying Communist forces would have been unimaginable. These days, not so much.

The White House partially nixed its longstanding embargo on lethal arms sales to Vietnam last year. So far, there’s a major caveat: the weapons must be used for “maritime-related” defense. But some officials are pushing to kill the ban completely.

US defense companies, with Washington’s blessing, have been wooing the Vietnamese government for months. Now Washington itself is beefing up Vietnam’s military. The US announced last month it would pour $119 million toward modernizing naval forces across Southeast Asia this financial year, with just under $20 million of that going toward boosting Vietnam’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities at sea.

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-12-28/first-time-decades-us-prepares-arm-communist-country

anything for a buck....

New Hampshire paper compares Trump to Biff from 'Back to the Future'

By NICK GASS
12/28/16 09:06 AM EST

The New Hampshire Union Leader tore into Donald Trump ahead of the Republican candidate's latest visit to the state, calling his campaign an insult to voters' intelligence and remarking upon his similarities to a 1980s movie villain.

"He reminds us of the grownup bully 'Biff' in the 'Back to the Future' movie series. Lo and behold, the screenwriter says that he based Biff on Trump," wrote publisher Joseph W. McQuaid in an article published Sunday night. "On Feb. 9, we trust New Hampshire Republicans will send 'Biff Trump' back to somewhere — anywhere but on the road to the most important elective office in the United States at a most crucial time for this nation."

The paper, which endorsed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in November, made reference to an October Daily Beast interview with screenwriter Bob Gale, who wrote 1989's "Back to the Future Part II." In that interview, Gale said that Trump was "what we were thinking about" when they conceived of the Biff Tannen character, a town bully who becomes a wealthy casino owner when the film jumps ahead to an alternate version the year 2015.

"Trump can certainly be an entertaining character," McQuaid wrote. "He toys with TV journalists and dismisses critics with name-calling that drives the Politically Correct crowd insane. But his public descent into bathroom humor and verbal bullying has been painful, and educational, to watch."



Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/donald-trump-biff-tannen-back-to-the-future-217161#ixzz3vdlNQ85K

Monday Toon Roundup 2- The Rest

Haters




Wishes


War




Police






Crook




Economy


Climate

Monday Toon Roundup 1- GOP

MSNBC head admits massive Trump coverage is because of ratings

Over the last few months, viewers of MSNBC have noticed a shift in the network's direction. Moving to more of a traditional news format with less liberal opinionated shows, MSNBC has opened its umbrella for potential new viewers, but has alienated those who have been loyal over the years.

Since the start of the summer, popular names like Ed Schultz have been released from the network, while others like Al Sharpton have been switched to different time slots, and limited in their contribution. Leading into their left-leaning prime time programming, executives at MSNBC decided to it would be beneficial to broadcast more unbiased news coverage to tinker with the network's image. As Mediaite reported on Dec. 24, NBC and MSNBC News Chairman Andrew Lack gave the reason for the change, including why Republican front runner Donald Trump is receiving so much attention.

"Had we not made this turn to breaking news with seriousness of purpose, in these times and in this election," Lack said to The Daily Beast in a recent interview, admitting, "we would have been clobbered." Pointing out that the network had been struggling to keep pace with rivals Fox News and CNN is not shocking, but it does come as a surprise for an executive to openly admit it. Lack then turned his attention to Trump, who he says is receiving so much airtime because he is impacting the election in a "profound" way and is doing well in the polls.

more

http://www.examiner.com/article/msnbc-head-gives-shocking-reason-for-network-s-24-7-donald-trump-coverage

Alabama Governor Uses BP Spill Money To Fix Up A Second Mansion For Himself

BY ALICE OLLSTEIN

DEC 27, 2015 11:54 AM



As storms once again battered the state of Alabama over Christmas, Republican Gov. Robert Bentley moved to divert funding from the 2010 BP oil spill recovery effort to finance the renovation of a second Governor’s mansion on the Gulf Coast.
Yet that beachside mansion, which Alabama governors beginning with famed segregationist George Wallace have enjoyed, was not damaged by the BP oil spill. It was damaged more than two decades earlier by Hurricane Danny, and has sat empty ever since.
While Alabama’s oyster industry and coastal communities continue to suffer from the effects of the massive Deepwater Horizon oil well blowout, the repairs to the governors’ mansion are estimated to cost between $1.5 million and $1.8 million. Though Bentley says he will stay there only “on occasion,” the administration said the property would be “primarily” used to wine and dine corporate executives considering the state for investment.
While the funding comes from a grant, not taxpayer money, the state plans to divert other BP settlement dollars to cover the state’s General Fund shortfalls. Bentley has been widely criticized for prioritizing the far-flung beachfront property at a time when the state is struggling to provide basic services to its residents.

more
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/12/27/3735129/alabama-mansion-bp/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=webfeeds

Volunteers give away free marijuana joints to the homeless on Christmas Eve in Denver

Nonprofit raising awareness about homelessness


by Jennifer Kovaleski

DENVER (KMGH) - A local nonprofit hit the streets of downtown Denver on Christmas Eve and gave away a thousand free, pre-rolled marijuana joints to the homeless and anyone else who wanted one.

"Merry Christmas and a puff puff, New Year's," said one woman who accepted a joint.

Nick Dicenzo, the founder of Cannabis Can and the one responsible for handing out the free weed, said they're trying to raise awareness about homelessness and encourage people to donate to their cause.

The cause? To raise money to buy several RV's and provide restrooms and showers for those in need. Dicenzo said their goal is to use weed for good and to bring people together to make a difference.

"'Cannabis can make a difference,' is kind of what we're standing for," said Dicenzo.

more

http://www.wxyz.com/news/volunteers-give-away-free-pot-to-the-homeless-this-christmas-eve-and-its-all-for-a-good-cause

New Polymer Could Purify Water In Seconds: Study

NEW YORK: Scientists have developed a new reusable polymer that can remove pollutants from flowing water within seconds, just like air fresheners trap invisible air pollutants in the home and remove unwanted odours.

Researchers have used the same material found in air fresheners, cyclodextrin, to develop a technique that could revolutionise the water-purification industry.

The team, led by Will Dichtel, associate professor at Cornell University in the United States, developed a porous form of cyclodextrin that has displayed uptake of pollutants through adsorption at rates vastly superior to traditional activated carbon - 200 times greater in some cases.

Activated carbons have the advantage of larger surface area than previous polymers made from cyclodextrin - but they do not bind pollutants as strongly as cyclodextrin.

"What we did is make the first high-surface-area material made of cyclodextrin combining some of the advantages of the activated carbon with the inherent advantages of the cyclodextrin," Mr Dichtel said.

"These materials will remove pollutants in seconds, as the water flows by," he said.

more

http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/new-polymer-could-purify-water-in-seconds-study-1259134

'Boom, Boom, Boom': Woman Points Fake Gun at Police in Connecticut

Officers had a brief standoff with a woman who circled a police department with a fake gun and pointed it at officers.

"What are you doing? Shoot me!" Elaine Rothenberg told the Torrington police. "Boom, boom, boom."

On Christmas Eve, Rothenberg, 66, was seen circling the perimeter of the Torrington police station. She pointed what appeared to be a gun at two civilians and asked if they were police officers. The civilians were able to get away unharmed.

Rothenberg then stood in front of an employee only entrance way and stood with the handgun raised in a shooting stance. After pointing it at officers she threw the gun and was taken into custody.


Source: http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Boom-Boom-Boom-Woman-Points-Fake-Gun-at-Police-in-Torrington-363536941.html

Bernie Sanders says he’d use executive orders to spur immigration reform

Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders told an invite-only group of Latino activists and politicians Wednesday night that he plans to use executive orders as a means of bypassing Congress to guarantee a path to legalization for millions of undocumented immigrants.

Sanders spoke to a crowd of supporters at the Village Leadership Academy near the UIC campus, flanked on stage by progressive activists such as Atlanta rapper Killer Mike, academic Cornel West, and Ben and Jerry's cofounder Ben Cohen.

But hours before Sanders reached the stage, he met with community members at Little Village's El Pollo Feliz restaurant.

Sanders first spoke against economic injustice and in favor of increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Then a community organizer forced Sanders into a discussion on immigration, according to several people who attended the meeting. Tania Unzueta, an undocumented immigrant and cofounder of Immigrant Youth Justice League, asked Sanders how he planned to bring comprehensive immigration reform if he were elected as president.

Sanders then proposed to use executive orders to broaden President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA). Sanders said he believes this plan to be within the scope of presidential powers.

more

http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2015/12/24/bernie-sanders-says-hed-use-executive-orders-to-spur-immigration-reform