July 13, 2016

US to send 560 more troops to Iraq

July 13, 2016

Amnesty International calls on Vietnam to end torture

Source: Associated Press

Jul. 13, 2016 3:32 AM EDT

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Amnesty International has called on Vietnam to end what it says is torture and ill treatment against prisoners of conscience.

In a report released Tuesday, the human rights group said prisoners of conscience have to endure including prolonged periods of solitary confinement, beatings and are denied medical treatment.

The report was based on a year of research, including interviews with 18 former prisoners of conscience.



Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/374e01242b6e402dbd40562710129887/amnesty-international-calls-vietnam-end-torture

---

Yeah, that's right: Vietnam is still a totalitarian Communist country!

July 13, 2016

‘O Canada’ singers add ‘all lives matter’ to anthem at All-Star Game

Source: Sports Illustrated

The performers of the Canadian national anthem at Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game added the phrase “All Lives Matter” to their rendition of “O Canada.”

The Canadian group The Tenors changed lyrics from the first verse of the song, substituting “With glowing hearts we see thee rise, the True North strong and free,” to “We're all brothers and sisters, all lives matter.”

The Tenors released a statement about the anthem, condemning the member of the group who changed the lyrics, saying he did so without the knowledge of the other members.



Read more: http://www.si.com/mlb/2016/07/12/o-canada-tenors-anthem-singers-all-lives-matter

---

If he did it without the knowledge of the other three, then why weren't they singing over him instead of being silent?

July 13, 2016

Post 666: Who do you think of when you hear the words "Pure Evil"?

I've got my nominee:



Who's yours?

July 13, 2016

Conservatives May Force Vote on Impeaching IRS Commissioner

Source: Roll Call

Posted Jul 12, 2016 7:08 PM
Lindsey McPherson

A handful of House Freedom Caucus members are considering forcing a vote on a resolution to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen before Congress adjourns for a seven-week recess, members said Tuesday.

"We're still hopeful that it will go through committee, still hopeful that there's a potential for judiciary to act on this particular issue," said North Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, a founding member of the Freedom Caucus. "There's lots of questions about procedural motions. Those things are still all on the table but no decisions have been made."

Since House leaders have offered no commitment that the chamber will vote on the impeachment resolution, members of the conservative caucus have discussed offering a privileged motion to force a floor vote on the matter.

"Certainly leadership has been given ample opportunity to move that forward with plenty of efforts to suggest that need," said Freedom Caucus member John Fleming of Louisiana.


Read more: http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/conservatives-may-force-vote-impeaching-irs-commissioner

---

Republicans are even do-nothing on their own proposals!

July 12, 2016

Appeals court hears case over kosher food in Florida prisons

Source: Associated Press

By CURT ANDERSON
Jul. 12, 2016 11:01 AM EDT

MIAMI (AP) — The state of Florida wants a federal appeals court to allow it to discontinue a kosher meals program in state prisons if its budget problems worsen.

An attorney for Florida told a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday the estimated $12.3 million cost of the program could become prohibitive if other budget needs arise. The state is appealing a decision by a lower court judge requiring that it provide kosher food to Jewish inmates and others who request it for religious reasons.

A U.S. Justice Department attorney countered that cost is not a compelling reason for the state to drop a federally required kosher food program. The Justice Department sued the state in 2012 over the issue.


Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2677fbe950694cff80c22194888ec278/appeals-court-hears-case-over-kosher-food-florida-prisons

---

This story fascinates me, as I'm a firm believer in respect for people's rights, even when those people are incarcerated. Of course Jewish prisoners who keep kosher should HAVE kosher. But I'm wondering: Is there a corresponding halal program for Muslim inmates, most of whom are likely to be black?

July 12, 2016

Off-duty cops quit security for Lynx game after players wear Black Lives Matter shirts

Source: Washington Post

By Des Bieler July 12 at 1:20 AM

Four off-duty police officers who were providing security at a Minnesota Lynx {WNBA} home game Saturday walked off the job following pregame comments by some players and team members warming up in shirts with messages supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. The president of the Minneapolis Police Federation offered praise for the officers’ decision to quit and suggested that their colleagues may all choose to do the same.

Before a game against the Dallas Wings, Lynx players wore shirts with the phrase, “Change Starts With Us -- Justice and Accountability,” on the front. The backs of the shirts bore the names of two men killed by police officers in incidents in Minnesota and Louisiana last week, the logo for the Dallas Police Department and the words, “Black Lives Matter.”

Lt. Bob Kroll, the Minneapolis police union’s president, said Monday (via the Minneapolis Star Tribune), “If [the players] are going to keep their stance, all officers may refuse to work there.” He noted that the four officers removed themselves from a list of candidates to provide security at Lynx games and added, “Others said they heard about it and they were not going to work Lynx games.”

“I commend them for it,” Kroll said of the officers who walked off the job. When asked about a report indicating twice as many off-duty cops had quit, the union chief said, “They only have four officers working the event because the Lynx have such a pathetic draw.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/off-duty-cops-quit-security-for-lynx-game-after-players-wear-black-lives-matter-shirts/2016/07/11/42c71145-37cb-4422-aecc-2527df5a75c4_story.html

---

Blue Minnesota!

July 12, 2016

Federal Judge Rules for Anti-Trump GOP Delegate

Source: NBC News

Jul 11 2016, 10:56 pm ET
by Ari Melber , Pete Williams, Alexandra Jaffe, Brad Gold and Hallie Jackson

A federal judge blocked enforcement Monday of a Virginia law binding delegates to support the primary winner at the nominating convention.

It was a victory for Carroll "Beau" Correll, a delegate to the Republican national convention who argued that the law violated his First Amendment rights to vote for his preferred candidate. Correll supported Ted Cruz in the primary, while Donald Trump received the most votes in the state.

Correll said in an interview that the Trump campaign got "morbidly humiliated" by the outcome of the case.

"They put all their chips on the table and they lost all of them — if I were them I'd go hide in a closet in Trump Tower," he said.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/judge-va-trump-delegate-unbound-voting-him-rnc-n607461

---

New life for #NeverTrump? I hope not, because Donnie as the R nominee guarantees we get the Senate back, and may even put the House in play!

July 12, 2016

Philippines wins South China Sea case against China

Source: The Guardian

China has lost a key international legal case over strategic reefs and atolls that it claims would give it control over disputed waters of the South China Sea. The judgment by an international tribunal in The Hague chiefly in favour of claims by the Philippines will increase global diplomatic pressure on Beijing to scale back military expansion in the sensitive area.

By depriving certain outcrops – some of which are exposed only at low tide – of territorial-generating status, the ruling effectively punches a series of holes in China’s all-encompassing “nine-dash” demarcation line that stretches deep into the South China Sea. It declares large areas of the sea to be neutral international waters.

The findings by the Hague tribunal contain a series of criticisms of China’s actions and claims. The court declares that “although Chinese navigators and fishermen, as well as those of other states, had historically made use of the islands in the South China Sea, there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or their resources.

“The tribunal concluded that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash line’.”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/12/philippines-wins-south-china-sea-case-against-china

July 11, 2016

U.S. to Deploy 560 More Troops to Iraq, Defense Secretary Ash Carter Says

Source: NBC News

by Courtney Kube
Jul 11 2016, 9:06 am ET

BAGHDAD — The U.S. will deploy an additional 560 troops to Iraq, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday.

Carter made the announcement during an unannounced visit to Baghdad, saying the troops will deploy for infrastructure and logistical support at Qayara airfield south of Mosul.
~
The fight for Mosul was described by one senior defense official ahead of Carter's trip as "the fight for Iraq... the culminating battle."

President Barack Obama has approved the additional deployment announced Monday, which will bring the total number of U.S. servicemen in Iraq to around 4,600.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-deploy-560-more-troops-iraq-defense-secretary-ash-n607086

---

creep-y