wnd--2020-06-09--Kickstart stalled economy with ... infrastructure investment?

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]
There are two discussion topics that federal policymakers should be having right now : relief and recovery .
Relief , for the estimated 40 million people this pandemic has put out of work as well as the millions of others impacted by the steps taken to slow its spread .
Recovery , for the day when it ’ s safe to return to work but the demand for goods and services is still missing .
TRENDING : Trump 's congressional endorsements result in undefeated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economists predict many jobs will simply disappear as industries use this moment to reorganize , compounding the economic crisis our nation faces .
But , as we all know , this isn ’ t the first time we ’ ve faced an economic crisis .
In the 1932 presidential election , Franklin D. Roosevelt decisively beat President Hoover because of the latter ’ s inability to revive the economy in the early years of the Great Depression .
Democrats eschewed Hoover ’ s volunteerism and leveraged the power of government to spur an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preference bill that the lame duck president signed – the Buy American Act of 1933 – and then cleared the way as FDR expanded the federal response to the crisis .
The banking system was reorganized .
Labor protections were established in exchange for regulating industrial production levels and price coordination .
Farms were incentivized to limit production and thereby raise prices .
The financial system was reined in , and a modest social safety net for our most vulnerable was established .
This was the New Deal .
But the program born @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most lasting impact on American life was the Works Progress Administration – a national project that put approximately 8.5 million jobless people back to work .
Those WPA workers laid roads and bridges , dug sewers , canals and culverts , built schools and post offices , and erected art installations .
It was a massive infrastructure program that is still physically evident today .
The landmark Griffith Observatory ( pictured ) in Los Angeles .
Midway Airport in Chicago .
Camp David in Maryland .
Today ’ s disaster was brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crash .
But the nation ’ s needs today are similar .
The economy is on the verge of atrophy .
There are already armies of unemployed .
Be it direct cash payments to every American or a functioning Paycheck Protection Program , millions more will soon need financial aid .
And no matter who is president in 2021 , we ’ re going to need a jobs program to put people back to work and infrastructure investment to drive it .
When our nation has faced wrenching change before , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – even if it was difficult , as the slow recovery from the Great Depression was .
The shift from an agrarian to industrial economy forced hard changes , but many good ones too , like the creation of public education systems that reached those at the bottom of the economy .
World War II meant sacrifice in virtually every American community , but our response was the Arsenal of Democracy , the GI bill and the economic framework for a middle class that lasted decades .
So far , the response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less consequential .
More than 100,000 Americans have died , and Washington still quibbles about who to blame , the terms of business loans , and how far to extend unemployment insurance .
It owes the nation much more than that .
This is the perfect time to lay the foundation for America ’ s 21st century infrastructure .
We should rebuild and repair the useful national heirlooms created by the WPA and Interstate Highway System , and expand our networks of rural broadband , energy storage , and clean water systems .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of Americans need work , and factories will be eager to supply the materials necessary to turn these ambitions into reality .
But getting this done will require political movement .
Senate Republicans must persuade Mitch McConnell to act instead of using infrastructure as a bargaining chip .
President Trump ’ s supporters should be prepared to hold him accountable for his ambitious but unfulfilled infrastructure promises .
And House Democrats , as they did on the USMCA trade agreement , must be willing to get to “ yes ” with an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do so .
The history of this pandemic is going to include the needless deaths of thousands of Americans , as well as the social and economic disruptions to life in the United States .
But the history isn ’ t entirely written yet .
It doesn ’ t have to only be a nightmare .
It can also show that , like our greatest generations , Americans in the 2020s rose to the occasion and built something that will outlast them .
It ’ s time to get to work .

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]
By Scott Paul
Real Clear Politics
There are two discussion topics that federal policymakers should be having right now: relief and recovery. Relief, for the estimated 40 million people this pandemic has put out of work as well as the millions of others impacted by the steps taken to slow its spread. Recovery, for the day when it’s safe to return to work but the demand for goods and services is still missing.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Some economists predict many jobs will simply disappear as industries use this moment to reorganize, compounding the economic crisis our nation faces.
But, as we all know, this isn’t the first time we’ve faced an economic crisis. In the 1932 presidential election, Franklin D. Roosevelt decisively beat President Hoover because of the latter’s inability to revive the economy in the early years of the Great Depression. Democrats eschewed Hoover’s volunteerism and leveraged the power of government to spur an economic revival, passing a landmark domestic preference bill that the lame duck president signed – the Buy American Act of 1933 – and then cleared the way as FDR expanded the federal response to the crisis.
The banking system was reorganized. Labor protections were established in exchange for regulating industrial production levels and price coordination. Farms were incentivized to limit production and thereby raise prices. The financial system was reined in, and a modest social safety net for our most vulnerable was established. This was the New Deal.
But the program born in this crucible that has arguably had the most lasting impact on American life was the Works Progress Administration – a national project that put approximately 8.5 million jobless people back to work. Those WPA workers laid roads and bridges, dug sewers, canals and culverts, built schools and post offices, and erected art installations.
It was a massive infrastructure program that is still physically evident today. The landmark Griffith Observatory (pictured) in Los Angeles. Midway Airport in Chicago. Camp David in Maryland.
Today’s disaster was brought on by pandemic, not a banking crash. But the nation’s needs today are similar. The economy is on the verge of atrophy. There are already armies of unemployed. Be it direct cash payments to every American or a functioning Paycheck Protection Program, millions more will soon need financial aid. And no matter who is president in 2021, we’re going to need a jobs program to put people back to work and infrastructure investment to drive it.
When our nation has faced wrenching change before, we’ve responded by building something more powerful – even if it was difficult, as the slow recovery from the Great Depression was. The shift from an agrarian to industrial economy forced hard changes, but many good ones too, like the creation of public education systems that reached those at the bottom of the economy. World War II meant sacrifice in virtually every American community, but our response was the Arsenal of Democracy, the GI bill and the economic framework for a middle class that lasted decades.
So far, the response to today’s pandemic has been far less consequential. More than 100,000 Americans have died, and Washington still quibbles about who to blame, the terms of business loans, and how far to extend unemployment insurance. It owes the nation much more than that.
This is the perfect time to lay the foundation for America’s 21st century infrastructure. We should rebuild and repair the useful national heirlooms created by the WPA and Interstate Highway System, and expand our networks of rural broadband, energy storage, and clean water systems.
It’s cheap to borrow, millions of Americans need work, and factories will be eager to supply the materials necessary to turn these ambitions into reality.
But getting this done will require political movement. Senate Republicans must persuade Mitch McConnell to act instead of using infrastructure as a bargaining chip. President Trump’s supporters should be prepared to hold him accountable for his ambitious but unfulfilled infrastructure promises. And House Democrats, as they did on the USMCA trade agreement, must be willing to get to “yes” with an administration that makes it hard for them to do so.
The history of this pandemic is going to include the needless deaths of thousands of Americans, as well as the social and economic disruptions to life in the United States. But the history isn’t entirely written yet. It doesn’t have to only be a nightmare. It can also show that, like our greatest generations, Americans in the 2020s rose to the occasion and built something that will outlast them. It’s time to get to work.


wnd--2020-06-09--Lawyering up kindergartners on school sex abuse

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Investigations . ]
Investigating sexual misconduct involving schoolkids is about to get more complicated than marching students down to the principal ’ s office to explain what happened on the playground .
Now they can lawyer up .
In replacing disputed Obama-era campus-rape policies with more robust protections for the accused , the Trump administration is also expanding federal oversight to K-12 education – and giving even prepubescent pupils the right to a lawyer or an adviser during a sexual misconduct investigation .
( The same goes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's congressional endorsements result in undefeated record of 64-0 for Republican candidates Come next school year , an accused grade-schooler , the accuser and their parents will get to review each other ’ s evidence – such as social media posts , texts , and photos – and submit written responses for the opposing parties and questions for witnesses .
Those are key legal protections embedded in new rules finalized by the U.S. Department of Education in a 2,033-page document issued in May .
Lawyers who work with school districts say the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few hours or days into quasi-judicial proceedings lasting a month or more .
The rules consolidate and codify legal standards for handling sexual misconduct disputes from campus to kindergarten in the name of ending violations of due-process rights for the accused .
But at the same time , they raise the prospect of drawing younger people into prolonged legal confrontations and escalating the disputes they are meant to resolve , critics warn .
The new K-12 policies also expand the reach of the Department of Education under Republicans , a break with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to limit the agency ’ s powers – or even abolish it – since President Jimmy Carter created it four decades ago .
“ We ’ ve moved from a fairly unregulated , guided environment , to regulations that are so prescriptive that they give [ schools ] no latitude to employ best practices , ” said Brett Sokolow , president of ATIXA , the Association of Title IX Administrators .
“ So the fact that that ’ s happened under a Republican administration is truly remarkable.
” School systems now have less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into district policies and hire or train staff to administer the rules , which apply the 1972 federal Title IX anti-discrimination law .
When Education Secretary Betsy DeVos undertook revising the Obama-era rules three years ago -- a process that generated more than 124,000 public comments -- no one could have foreseen that the new protocols would coincide with the coronavirus pandemic , which forced schools nationwide to close and conduct classes remotely .
Now there is great uncertainty over whether and how K-12 classes will resume this fall .
The new regulations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights advocates and social justice activists since their inception ; the critics say the rules favor male perpetrators and will make victims less likely to come forward with complaints .
The American Civil Liberties Union has already filed a lawsuit to block the new rules , as have 18 state attorneys general , legal moves that could result in courts delaying them .
Rep. Elissa Slotkin , a Michigan Democrat , has introduced a bill in Congress to stop the new rules , and Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if he is elected to the White House this year .
The Department of Education ’ s Office for Civil Rights maintains that expansion of federal oversight is necessary to address a troubling rise in sexual misconduct episodes in K-12 schools .
The agency cites an alarming statistic : Harassment and violence complaints have increased nearly 15-fold over the past decade .
Boston College professor R. Shep Melnick , author of a 2018 study on the evolution of Title IX , said the new rule will bring sweeping changes to public schools .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexual harassment during the Obama years , until recently , OCR [ the Office of Civil Rights ] devoted few resources to investigating complaints in elementary and secondary schools , ” he wrote in Education Next a journal affiliated with Harvard University .
“ Public schools are on notice that the federal spotlight now shines on them , ” Melnick wrote .
“ Complying with Title IX regulation has become more important than ever.
” The Trump administration ’ s new rules are mainly a response to longstanding concerns that Obama-era policies led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assault cases in favor of advocacy for accusers .
The strategy , led by then-Vice President Biden , turned into a nationwide effort to dismantle so-called campus “ rape culture , ” based on a disputed contention that one in five campus women were victims of an attempted or successful sexual assault while in college .
The Obama policies prompted a backlash , with hundreds of lawsuits filed by accused students , almost all men , who claimed they had been deprived of due-process rights , including the right to present their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ kangaroo courts.
” Some students claimed they were branded as sexual predators and even expelled because of misunderstandings resulting from drunken hookups or ugly breakups .
The Obama-era effort had largely bypassed K-12 schools , which were already covered by a combination of federal standards , child abuse laws , state anti-bullying laws and school district anti-harassment policies .
But they have now been swept up in the new rules – the Department of Education ’ s first Title IX rules that focus on sexual harassment – because Title IX applies both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Obama campus effort had been pursued through a putatively informal “ Dear Colleague ” letter to college administrations that was technically non-binding . )
Three factors led the Education Department to shift its attention to earlier education , Melnick wrote : Its own data showing that “ nearly 10,000 students in elementary or secondary schools were the victim of assault , rape , or attempted rape during the 2015–16 school year ” ; an investigation of Chicago schools that found pervasive sexual misconduct by teachers and students ; and a new federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a sexual misconduct rap sheet to other school districts .
The new policy is “ so far-reaching that I can see most K-12 administrators looking at it and being paralyzed , ” said Sokolow of the Title IX administrators ’ group .
“ If you think colleges were bad at this , wait 'til you see K-12.
” The new rules go into effect Aug. 14 and are binding on the nation ’ s colleges and K-12 schools as well as private and independent schools that participate in the federal Small Business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Education said the legal safeguards are necessary to protect students from sexual misconduct as well as from bureaucratic misconduct .
They ensure that “ students in all grade levels have strong , clear procedural rights so that every sexual harassment incident is resolved fairly and accurately , ” said department spokeswoman Angela Morabito in an email .
In their break with the Obama era , the rules scale back some university standards while expanding the standards at K-12 schools .
For example , fewer college employees but more K-12 employees are designated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misconduct to the Title IX administrator when a student brings a potential problem to the employee ’ s attention or when the employee has reason to believe there has been a violation .
Currently about 60 % to 80 % of a university ’ s staff have that responsibility , but only about 1 % will have that legal duty explicitly under the new rules , Sokolow said .
However , colleges have the discretion of exceeding the minimum requirement , and most are expected to do so , resulting in little or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees will now be required to report sexual misconduct to the Title IX coordinator .
The Department of Education set different standards because K-12 sexual assault victims are almost always minors and deemed to require the highest level of protection .
The new rules emphasize due process and require a presumption of innocence for those accused of sexual misconduct .
No longer will the person who investigates the complaint also be the one who rules on the case .
Now K-12 schools and colleges will have to have different people in those two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsibility for an offense will no longer have to be the “ preponderance of evidence ” standard common in civil cases ( as opposed to “ beyond a reasonable doubt ” in criminal cases ) .
Under the new rules , school districts will still be able to use the lower standard of proof , albeit with the new due-process protections , including the right to submit questions to witnesses .
Or they can opt for an even tougher standard , called “ clear and convincing evidence , ” which requires an accuser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a case .
In the coming school year , K-12 school systems will have to provide and train investigators , adjudicators and appeals officers at their own cost , which could be considerable , especially to smaller school systems .
Melissa Carleton , a partner with Bricker & Eckler LLP in Columbus , Ohio , which provides legal services to 200 districts in the state , calls the federal rules an unfunded mandate .
A Department of Education spokeswoman agreed on background that the requirements are not federally funded but said it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have to comply .
However , non-compliant schools would risk losing federal funding that ’ s contingent on obeying Title IX .
Carleton , who works as an investigator and decision-maker in sexual misconduct matters , predicts that most Title IX investigations will be handled by school administrators who handle school disciplinary matters now , and the decision-maker and appeals functions will be assigned to district-level administrators .
Outsourcing the services will not be the norm , she predicted , but when it does happen it will most likely be to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will take up the bulk of the time , as they will now allow for a minimum of 20 days for the parties to submit questions and comments .
“ It wouldn ’ t be unheard of for a single case to run several thousand dollars or more , ” Carleton said of complex investigations that involve interviewing multiple witnesses and plowing through written evidence , such as emails , texts and social media exchanges .
“ I have had cases with literally hundreds of pages of written evidence.
” The impact of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation ’ s school systems are anything but monolithic .
The largest districts have hundreds of thousands of students and easily eclipse the biggest statewide university systems , while small , rural school districts with just several hundred students can have principals whose duties include athletic director or school bus driver .
“ It ’ s easy to say that a university like Harvard or Ohio State should have a big department with lots of people that are trained and can do this stuff , ” said Texas attorney Chris Gilbert , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Houston , which provides legal services to close to 100 school districts in Texas .
“ But you ’ re talking about a school district like Devers ISD [ independent school district ] in Texas , which is a K-8 district , doesn ’ t even have a high school .
There ’ s just no way they can have people on their staff , as many people as the system now calls for , that have been trained in this kind of thing.
” School districts are in limbo as they await @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommendations on how to revise local K-12 policies to conform to the federal standards .
This process is expected to work its way through school board meetings over the summer , said Patrick Corbett , executive director of Neola Inc. , which provides services to 1,500 school districts in six states and is creating template policies for its clients based on the new Title IX rules .
Then the policy revisions would have to come before local school boards for adoption .
“ Some of those board meetings could get contentious because there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sides , ” said Heidi Maynard , an attorney at Vandeberg , Johnson & Gandara LLP in Tacoma , Wash. , who represents a dozen school districts in the state and is a board member of the National School Board Association ’ s Council of School Attorneys .
“ It ’ s just the concept that more protections are necessary for the accused , ” Maynard said .
“ That right there is the trigger for a lot of people who believe that women are not believed to begin with and that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexual misconduct allegation at the K-12 level had long been presumed to be harder to brush off as soured romance , because such charges almost always involve minors or children , and sometimes an adult with a minor .
But that assumption has been put to the test lately .
In February , the Department of Education announced a civil rights initiative “ to combat the troubling rise of sexual assault in K-12 public schools.
” The Department of Education said it plans to review more than 70 K-12 schools around the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information , to assess their record-keeping and responsiveness to sexual misconduct complaints .
According to the latest federal data available , about 9,700 incidents of sexual assault , rape and attempted rape were reported in the nation ’ s K-12 schools in the 2015-16 year .
As part of its initiative , the department cited chronic deficiencies at Chicago Public Schools , the nation ’ s third-largest public school district , such as shoddy recordkeeping , investigations by untrained staff or a failure to respond promptly to complaints of misconduct .
The agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a Title IX coordinator from 1999 until late 2018 .
The feds reviewed 249 student-on-student sexual harassment and misconduct complaints in the 2017-18 school year , describing “ widespread , documented reports of sexual harassment among students at all grades , including complaints involving serious allegations of rape and attempted rape.
” According to one of the incidents cited by the Department of Education ’ s Office for Civil Rights : “ In an elementary school complaint , a male student announced to his peers that he was going to rape one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chased this female classmate around the playground during recess , threatening her with anal rape .
Six students tried to restrain the male student , but they were unable to hold him back.
” The report says when the boy could not catch the girl , he moved on and “ ended up suspended for five days after attacking another girl.
” Gilbert , the Texas attorney , said he is handling four Title IX lawsuits currently for his school district clients .
One involves a 48-hour investigation that he said would have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new Title IX rules .
According to the federal lawsuit , a ninth-grade student alleged that another ninth-grader forced her to perform oral sex in a band room .
The school district investigated and concluded the alleged incident didn ’ t take place .
The girl ’ s family sued and alleged the school district botched the investigation .
A federal judge granted summary judgment for the school district earlier this year and the girl ’ s lawyers have filed a motion for reconsideration .
“ The investigations are all very quick and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gilbert said .
“ The new regulations are going to require you to stop and sit on your hands.
” But longer investigations could inspire more confidence in the system , Gilbert said .
“ If you do a 48-hour investigation and you tell the mother of the daughter , ‘ We ’ ve looked into it and we don ’ t believe your child , ’ there ’ s still a lot of anger and emotion going on there , ” Gilbert said .
“ It ’ s possible that the more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it looks like the school district is taking time and thinking about this , the more parties may buy into it.
” Not everyone agrees on the degree to which the new standards will stymie school administrators .
School systems are already highly bureaucratized and operate under complex state laws designed to oversee the safety of minors .
All K-12 employees are required to report suspected child abuse , for example , and many states have aggressive laws against bullying and harassment .
The new Title IX rules allow K-12 schools to hold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which would be new in most school districts .
School districts have experience conducting hearings for serious disciplinary decisions .
A 1975 U.S. Supreme Court decision requires public school districts to provide a hearing when a student is facing a suspension or expulsion , but in some states that hearing can take the form of a non-adversarial , informal conference , lawyers say .
Disciplinary hearings will still be required for K-12 disciplinary reviews under the 1975 ruling , whether involving sexual misconduct or some other infraction , when the student faces suspension @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules bring is the narrowing of the definition of inappropriate sexual behavior .
The new definition defines unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature as conduct that a reasonable person would find severe and pervasive and objectively offensive , meaning that it has to satisfy all three conditions .
The previous federal definition , dating to 2001 , said the offensive behavior had to be severe or pervasive , but not both , to trigger a Title IX investigation .
Lawyers say it would be a mistake to assume that some inappropriate misbehavior will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside the new definition of sexual harassment .
Rather , misconduct not covered by federal Title IX rules can still be addressed under existing state laws and district policies for inappropriate conduct , and it will likely be resolved more quickly .
“ I don ’ t see anyone getting away with anything because of this process .
It just may be that a different process will be triggered , ” said Jennifer Smith , a partner at the Franczek PC law firm in Chicago , which represents more than 100 K-12 districts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Department of Education under Republicans is overriding local jurisdiction in favor of a federal standard , and imposing regulatory burdens on local governments .
But at least some conservatives say it was unavoidable , once the Obama administration set the regulatory mechanism into motion .
That 's because it is more politically viable for the Education Department to fix perceived problems by introducing more civil rights than by revoking policies that had been presented as civil rights .
`` Greater Washington control , not less , is paradoxical , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Walter Olson , a senior fellow at the Cato Institute who specializes in harassment law .
`` Even an attempt to rectify a glaring injustice will often get you into new problems and new costs that were n't necessarily on anyone 's mind when they exposed the injustice they 're trying to fix . ''
Sarah Orman , a staff attorney for the Texas Association of School Boards , says the days of schools disregarding Title IX as regards sexual misconduct are over .
“ We have flown under their radar so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Investigations . ]

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Investigations.]
By John Murawski
Real Clear Investigations
Investigating sexual misconduct involving schoolkids is about to get more complicated than marching students down to the principal’s office to explain what happened on the playground. Now they can lawyer up.
In replacing disputed Obama-era campus-rape policies with more robust protections for the accused, the Trump administration is also expanding federal oversight to K-12 education – and giving even prepubescent pupils the right to a lawyer or an adviser during a sexual misconduct investigation. (The same goes for accused teachers.)
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Come next school year, an accused grade-schooler, the accuser and their parents will get to review each other’s evidence – such as social media posts, texts, and photos – and submit written responses for the opposing parties and questions for witnesses.
Those are key legal protections embedded in new rules finalized by the U.S. Department of Education in a 2,033-page document issued in May. Lawyers who work with school districts say the new protocols will turn reviews that lasted a few hours or days into quasi-judicial proceedings lasting a month or more.
The rules consolidate and codify legal standards for handling sexual misconduct disputes from campus to kindergarten in the name of ending violations of due-process rights for the accused. But at the same time, they raise the prospect of drawing younger people into prolonged legal confrontations and escalating the disputes they are meant to resolve, critics warn.
The new K-12 policies also expand the reach of the Department of Education under Republicans, a break with their party’s past of seeking to limit the agency’s powers – or even abolish it – since President Jimmy Carter created it four decades ago.
“We’ve moved from a fairly unregulated, guided environment, to regulations that are so prescriptive that they give [schools] no latitude to employ best practices,” said Brett Sokolow, president of ATIXA, the Association of Title IX Administrators. “So the fact that that’s happened under a Republican administration is truly remarkable.”
School systems now have less than three months to translate the rules into district policies and hire or train staff to administer the rules, which apply the 1972 federal Title IX anti-discrimination law. When Education Secretary Betsy DeVos undertook revising the Obama-era rules three years ago -- a process that generated more than 124,000 public comments -- no one could have foreseen that the new protocols would coincide with the coronavirus pandemic, which forced schools nationwide to close and conduct classes remotely. Now there is great uncertainty over whether and how K-12 classes will resume this fall.
The new regulations have faced opposition from women’s rights advocates and social justice activists since their inception; the critics say the rules favor male perpetrators and will make victims less likely to come forward with complaints.
The American Civil Liberties Union has already filed a lawsuit to block the new rules, as have 18 state attorneys general, legal moves that could result in courts delaying them. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, has introduced a bill in Congress to stop the new rules, and Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee, has vowed to quickly rescind them if he is elected to the White House this year.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights maintains that expansion of federal oversight is necessary to address a troubling rise in sexual misconduct episodes in K-12 schools. The agency cites an alarming statistic: Harassment and violence complaints have increased nearly 15-fold over the past decade.
Boston College professor R. Shep Melnick, author of a 2018 study on the evolution of Title IX, said the new rule will bring sweeping changes to public schools.
“Despite all the attention devoted to sexual harassment during the Obama years, until recently, OCR [the Office of Civil Rights] devoted few resources to investigating complaints in elementary and secondary schools,” he wrote in Education Next , a journal affiliated with Harvard University.
“Public schools are on notice that the federal spotlight now shines on them,” Melnick wrote. “Complying with Title IX regulation has become more important than ever.”
The Trump administration’s new rules are mainly a response to longstanding concerns that Obama-era policies led universities to abandon impartial adjudications of sexual assault cases in favor of advocacy for accusers. The strategy, led by then-Vice President Biden, turned into a nationwide effort to dismantle so-called campus “rape culture,” based on a disputed contention that one in five campus women were victims of an attempted or successful sexual assault while in college.
The Obama policies prompted a backlash, with hundreds of lawsuits filed by accused students, almost all men, who claimed they had been deprived of due-process rights, including the right to present their own cases, in campus proceedings some called “kangaroo courts.” Some students claimed they were branded as sexual predators and even expelled because of misunderstandings resulting from drunken hookups or ugly breakups.
The Obama-era effort had largely bypassed K-12 schools, which were already covered by a combination of federal standards, child abuse laws, state anti-bullying laws and school district anti-harassment policies. But they have now been swept up in the new rules – the Department of Education’s first Title IX rules that focus on sexual harassment – because Title IX applies both to K-12 and post-secondary schools. (The Obama campus effort had been pursued through a putatively informal “Dear Colleague” letter to college administrations that was technically non-binding.)
Three factors led the Education Department to shift its attention to earlier education, Melnick wrote: Its own data showing that “nearly 10,000 students in elementary or secondary schools were the victim of assault, rape, or attempted rape during the 2015–16 school year”; an investigation of Chicago schools that found pervasive sexual misconduct by teachers and students; and a new federal law barring schools from passing along employees with a sexual misconduct rap sheet to other school districts.
The new policy is “so far-reaching that I can see most K-12 administrators looking at it and being paralyzed,” said Sokolow of the Title IX administrators’ group. “If you think colleges were bad at this, wait 'til you see K-12.”
The new rules go into effect Aug. 14 and are binding on the nation’s colleges and K-12 schools as well as private and independent schools that participate in the federal Small Business Administration coronavirus relief program.
The Department of Education said the legal safeguards are necessary to protect students from sexual misconduct as well as from bureaucratic misconduct.
They ensure that “students in all grade levels have strong, clear procedural rights so that every sexual harassment incident is resolved fairly and accurately,” said department spokeswoman Angela Morabito in an email.
In their break with the Obama era, the rules scale back some university standards while expanding the standards at K-12 schools. For example, fewer college employees but more K-12 employees are designated as responsible for reporting allegations of sexual misconduct to the Title IX administrator when a student brings a potential problem to the employee’s attention or when the employee has reason to believe there has been a violation.
Currently about 60% to 80% of a university’s staff have that responsibility, but only about 1% will have that legal duty explicitly under the new rules, Sokolow said. However, colleges have the discretion of exceeding the minimum requirement, and most are expected to do so, resulting in little or no change.
Meanwhile, all K-12 employees will now be required to report sexual misconduct to the Title IX coordinator. The Department of Education set different standards because K-12 sexual assault victims are almost always minors and deemed to require the highest level of protection.
The new rules emphasize due process and require a presumption of innocence for those accused of sexual misconduct. No longer will the person who investigates the complaint also be the one who rules on the case. Now K-12 schools and colleges will have to have different people in those two roles.
And the standard of determining responsibility for an offense will no longer have to be the “preponderance of evidence” standard common in civil cases (as opposed to “beyond a reasonable doubt” in criminal cases). Under the new rules, school districts will still be able to use the lower standard of proof, albeit with the new due-process protections, including the right to submit questions to witnesses. Or they can opt for an even tougher standard, called “clear and convincing evidence,” which requires an accuser to have substantially more evidence to win a case.
In the coming school year, K-12 school systems will have to provide and train investigators, adjudicators and appeals officers at their own cost, which could be considerable, especially to smaller school systems.
Melissa Carleton, a partner with Bricker & Eckler LLP in Columbus, Ohio, which provides legal services to 200 districts in the state, calls the federal rules an unfunded mandate.
A Department of Education spokeswoman agreed on background that the requirements are not federally funded but said it’s not a mandate because schools don’t have to comply. However, non-compliant schools would risk losing federal funding that’s contingent on obeying Title IX. Carleton, who works as an investigator and decision-maker in sexual misconduct matters, predicts that most Title IX investigations will be handled by school administrators who handle school disciplinary matters now, and the decision-maker and appeals functions will be assigned to district-level administrators.
Outsourcing the services will not be the norm, she predicted, but when it does happen it will most likely be to retain investigators, because Title IX investigations will take up the bulk of the time, as they will now allow for a minimum of 20 days for the parties to submit questions and comments.
“It wouldn’t be unheard of for a single case to run several thousand dollars or more,” Carleton said of complex investigations that involve interviewing multiple witnesses and plowing through written evidence, such as emails, texts and social media exchanges. “I have had cases with literally hundreds of pages of written evidence.”
The impact of the changes will vary, as the nation’s school systems are anything but monolithic. The largest districts have hundreds of thousands of students and easily eclipse the biggest statewide university systems, while small, rural school districts with just several hundred students can have principals whose duties include athletic director or school bus driver.
“It’s easy to say that a university like Harvard or Ohio State should have a big department with lots of people that are trained and can do this stuff,” said Texas attorney Chris Gilbert, a partner at Thompson & Horton LLP in Houston, which provides legal services to close to 100 school districts in Texas.
“But you’re talking about a school district like Devers ISD [independent school district] in Texas, which is a K-8 district, doesn’t even have a high school. There’s just no way they can have people on their staff, as many people as the system now calls for, that have been trained in this kind of thing.”
School districts are in limbo as they await legal analyses of the new regulations and recommendations on how to revise local K-12 policies to conform to the federal standards. This process is expected to work its way through school board meetings over the summer, said Patrick Corbett, executive director of Neola Inc., which provides services to 1,500 school districts in six states and is creating template policies for its clients based on the new Title IX rules.
Then the policy revisions would have to come before local school boards for adoption.
“Some of those board meetings could get contentious because there are high voltage emotions involved on both sides,” said Heidi Maynard, an attorney at Vandeberg, Johnson & Gandara LLP in Tacoma, Wash., who represents a dozen school districts in the state and is a board member of the National School Board Association’s Council of School Attorneys.
“It’s just the concept that more protections are necessary for the accused,” Maynard said. “That right there is the trigger for a lot of people who believe that women are not believed to begin with and that a lot of allegations go unaddressed.”
A sexual misconduct allegation at the K-12 level had long been presumed to be harder to brush off as soured romance, because such charges almost always involve minors or children, and sometimes an adult with a minor. But that assumption has been put to the test lately.
In February, the Department of Education announced a civil rights initiative “to combat the troubling rise of sexual assault in K-12 public schools.” The Department of Education said it plans to review more than 70 K-12 schools around the country, based on news reports and other information, to assess their record-keeping and responsiveness to sexual misconduct complaints.
According to the latest federal data available, about 9,700 incidents of sexual assault, rape and attempted rape were reported in the nation’s K-12 schools in the 2015-16 year.
As part of its initiative, the department cited chronic deficiencies at Chicago Public Schools, the nation’s third-largest public school district, such as shoddy recordkeeping, investigations by untrained staff or a failure to respond promptly to complaints of misconduct. The agency said that Chicago Public Schools did not have a Title IX coordinator from 1999 until late 2018. The feds reviewed 249 student-on-student sexual harassment and misconduct complaints in the 2017-18 school year, describing “widespread, documented reports of sexual harassment among students at all grades, including complaints involving serious allegations of rape and attempted rape.”
According to one of the incidents cited by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights: “In an elementary school complaint, a male student announced to his peers that he was going to rape one of his female classmates. He then chased this female classmate around the playground during recess, threatening her with anal rape. Six students tried to restrain the male student, but they were unable to hold him back.” The report says when the boy could not catch the girl, he moved on and “ended up suspended for five days after attacking another girl.”
Gilbert, the Texas attorney, said he is handling four Title IX lawsuits currently for his school district clients. One involves a 48-hour investigation that he said would have taken four to six weeks under the new Title IX rules.
According to the federal lawsuit, a ninth-grade student alleged that another ninth-grader forced her to perform oral sex in a band room. The school district investigated and concluded the alleged incident didn’t take place. The girl’s family sued and alleged the school district botched the investigation. A federal judge granted summary judgment for the school district earlier this year and the girl’s lawyers have filed a motion for reconsideration.
“The investigations are all very quick and usually finished within the week,” Gilbert said. “The new regulations are going to require you to stop and sit on your hands.”
But longer investigations could inspire more confidence in the system, Gilbert said.
“If you do a 48-hour investigation and you tell the mother of the daughter, ‘We’ve looked into it and we don’t believe your child,’ there’s still a lot of anger and emotion going on there,” Gilbert said. “It’s possible that the more process that we give, the more it looks like the school district is taking time and thinking about this, the more parties may buy into it.”
Not everyone agrees on the degree to which the new standards will stymie school administrators. School systems are already highly bureaucratized and operate under complex state laws designed to oversee the safety of minors. All K-12 employees are required to report suspected child abuse, for example, and many states have aggressive laws against bullying and harassment.
The new Title IX rules allow K-12 schools to hold hearings as part of their investigations, which would be new in most school districts. School districts have experience conducting hearings for serious disciplinary decisions. A 1975 U.S. Supreme Court decision requires public school districts to provide a hearing when a student is facing a suspension or expulsion, but in some states that hearing can take the form of a non-adversarial, informal conference, lawyers say. Disciplinary hearings will still be required for K-12 disciplinary reviews under the 1975 ruling, whether involving sexual misconduct or some other infraction, when the student faces suspension or expulsion.
Another change the new rules bring is the narrowing of the definition of inappropriate sexual behavior. The new definition defines unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature as conduct that a reasonable person would find severe and pervasive and objectively offensive, meaning that it has to satisfy all three conditions. The previous federal definition, dating to 2001, said the offensive behavior had to be severe or pervasive, but not both, to trigger a Title IX investigation.
Lawyers say it would be a mistake to assume that some inappropriate misbehavior will go unaddressed and unpunished because it falls outside the new definition of sexual harassment. Rather, misconduct not covered by federal Title IX rules can still be addressed under existing state laws and district policies for inappropriate conduct, and it will likely be resolved more quickly.
“I don’t see anyone getting away with anything because of this process. It just may be that a different process will be triggered,” said Jennifer Smith, a partner at the Franczek PC law firm in Chicago, which represents more than 100 K-12 districts.
The irony has not gone unnoticed that the Department of Education under Republicans is overriding local jurisdiction in favor of a federal standard, and imposing regulatory burdens on local governments. But at least some conservatives say it was unavoidable, once the Obama administration set the regulatory mechanism into motion. That's because it is more politically viable for the Education Department to fix perceived problems by introducing more civil rights than by revoking policies that had been presented as civil rights.
"Greater Washington control, not less, is paradoxical, but it's not the first time," said Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute who specializes in harassment law. "Even an attempt to rectify a glaring injustice will often get you into new problems and new costs that weren't necessarily on anyone's mind when they exposed the injustice they're trying to fix."
Sarah Orman, a staff attorney for the Texas Association of School Boards, says the days of schools disregarding Title IX as regards sexual misconduct are over.
“We have flown under their radar so long,” she said.
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Investigations.]


wnd--2020-06-09--The media race where Biden is trailing

The media race where Biden is trailing

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]
FDR ’ s fireside chats made him the radio president , JFK showed how powerful television can be , and Donald Trump continues to display an unparalleled mastery of social media , which no doubt will in part define his presidency .
But will it win him reelection ?
The continued threat of COVID-19 is reshaping the political atmosphere leading up to this fall , since many Americans are social distancing and using digital media more heavily to share and consume news .
TRENDING @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undefeated record of 64-0 for Republican candidates It 's the perfect formula for the spread of misinformation , and it makes for a challenging environment for the Democratic challenger , Joe Biden .
In-person rallies were suspended when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic , and public health officials ’ social distancing guidelines have thwarted many of the campaigns ’ plans since .
As a result , we are seeing history in the making : an almost fully mediated campaign for president .
The shift to remote-style campaigning clearly benefits the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is reaping the typical benefits of incumbency , such as a fundraising advantage and unfettered access to the media and the American public .
But during the pandemic , Trump ’ s bully pulpit appears to have grown even stronger , with greater opportunities for him to speak to the American public free of charge .
On Friday , for example , Trump held a press conference where he glossed over the anguish Americans across the country are facing while touting a recent decline in unemployment rates , taking credit for saving “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blaming state and local leaders for remaining problems with policing and the economy .
Before the return of Black Lives Matter protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd , Biden had little opportunity to reach mass audiences .
His attempts at holding virtual campaign events were labeled “ a disaster , ” and although his team has appeared to work out some of the kinks , it is clear they must do more to energize potential voters between now and Nov. 3 .
Biden ’ s team better improve its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a huge $ 187 million edge in advertising .
Facebook ’ s Ad Library shows that the Trump campaign and its affiliated PACs ran more than $ 41 million in ads on all Facebook-owned platforms since May 2018 , compared to slightly more than $ 15 million in such ads for Biden during that time .
( It must be pointed out , however , Biden didn ’ t announce his candidacy until April 2019 . )
But the Biden campaign recently hired a number digital whizzes from the Obama team , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As the pandemic emerged , the vast majority of his ads focused on health care .
The Trump campaign , by contrast , focused the bulk of its efforts on immigration and “ fake news.
” However , those ads made up just a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of ads the Trump team has targeted to individual Facebook users .
Biden is also at a clear disadvantage when it comes to his own social media posts .
Not only does he lack a strong follower base — Trump has nearly 110 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whereas Biden has a mere 7.7 million — but he also lacks rhetorical savviness and the knack for media spectacle that Trump is known for .
For example , some of Trump ’ s recent controversial tweets — linking absentee ballots to voter fraud , accusing Barack Obama of committing crimes more scandalous than Watergate , alleging one of his most vocal critics committed murder , and suggesting that police should respond to protestors with violence — are irresistibly salacious .
Not only do messages like these spread false information that helps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his opponents , but they also attract media attention .
As my research has shown , Trump ’ s posts not only speak directly to a broad audience on social media , but they are amplified significantly thanks to attention given them by media professionals .
This power is common to the presidency , but when considered in the context of the pandemic and the election cycle , we should remain mindful of this ability to shape media and public agendas .
Whether or not the sideshows help Trump achieve genuine political goals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ namely , away from his mishandling of the greatest public health crisis of our lifetime — should be seen as a romping success for him , and a failure for much of the public .
By comparison , Biden ’ s recent Twitter posts have focused on criticizing his opponent , empathizing with average Americans , displaying his leadership qualities , and the like .
These messages may be just what voters are looking for from their next president , but in terms of helping him break through the wall-to-wall coverage of Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short .
To turn the tides in their favor , Biden ’ s team must continue to find creative ways to draw attention back to their candidate .
That could mean showing bold leadership on how to confront the myriad problems America currently faces , discovering new ways to mobilize voters , or inspiring grassroots efforts for supporters to amplify campaign messaging .
Either way , a failure to innovate in the current moment may mean a failure in November .

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]
By Stephen R. Barnard
Real Clear Politics
FDR’s fireside chats made him the radio president, JFK showed how powerful television can be, and Donald Trump continues to display an unparalleled mastery of social media, which no doubt will in part define his presidency.
But will it win him reelection? The continued threat of COVID-19 is reshaping the political atmosphere leading up to this fall, since many Americans are social distancing and using digital media more heavily to share and consume news.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
It's the perfect formula for the spread of misinformation, and it makes for a challenging environment for the Democratic challenger, Joe Biden.
In-person rallies were suspended when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and public health officials’ social distancing guidelines have thwarted many of the campaigns’ plans since. As a result, we are seeing history in the making: an almost fully mediated campaign for president.
The shift to remote-style campaigning clearly benefits the Trump team, for now. It is reaping the typical benefits of incumbency, such as a fundraising advantage and unfettered access to the media and the American public. But during the pandemic, Trump’s bully pulpit appears to have grown even stronger, with greater opportunities for him to speak to the American public free of charge. On Friday, for example, Trump held a press conference where he glossed over the anguish Americans across the country are facing while touting a recent decline in unemployment rates, taking credit for saving “millions of American lives,” and blaming state and local leaders for remaining problems with policing and the economy.
Before the return of Black Lives Matter protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd, Biden had little opportunity to reach mass audiences. His attempts at holding virtual campaign events were labeled “a disaster,” and although his team has appeared to work out some of the kinks, it is clear they must do more to energize potential voters between now and Nov. 3.
Biden’s team better improve its social media presence, because Trump has a huge $187 million edge in advertising. Facebook’s Ad Library shows that the Trump campaign and its affiliated PACs ran more than $41 million in ads on all Facebook-owned platforms since May 2018, compared to slightly more than $15 million in such ads for Biden during that time. (It must be pointed out, however, Biden didn’t announce his candidacy until April 2019.)
But the Biden campaign recently hired a number digital whizzes from the Obama team, and have increased digital advertising efforts significantly. As the pandemic emerged, the vast majority of his ads focused on health care. The Trump campaign, by contrast, focused the bulk of its efforts on immigration and “fake news.” However, those ads made up just a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of ads the Trump team has targeted to individual Facebook users.
Biden is also at a clear disadvantage when it comes to his own social media posts. Not only does he lack a strong follower base — Trump has nearly 110 million followers on Twitter and Facebook combined, whereas Biden has a mere 7.7 million — but he also lacks rhetorical savviness and the knack for media spectacle that Trump is known for.
For example, some of Trump’s recent controversial tweets — linking absentee ballots to voter fraud, accusing Barack Obama of committing crimes more scandalous than Watergate, alleging one of his most vocal critics committed murder, and suggesting that police should respond to protestors with violence — are irresistibly salacious. Not only do messages like these spread false information that helps energize his base and generate outrage among his opponents, but they also attract media attention.
As my research has shown, Trump’s posts not only speak directly to a broad audience on social media, but they are amplified significantly thanks to attention given them by media professionals. This power is common to the presidency, but when considered in the context of the pandemic and the election cycle, we should remain mindful of this ability to shape media and public agendas.
Whether or not the sideshows help Trump achieve genuine political goals, their ability to redirect attention — namely, away from his mishandling of the greatest public health crisis of our lifetime — should be seen as a romping success for him, and a failure for much of the public.
By comparison, Biden’s recent Twitter posts have focused on criticizing his opponent, empathizing with average Americans, displaying his leadership qualities, and the like. These messages may be just what voters are looking for from their next president, but in terms of helping him break through the wall-to-wall coverage of Trump, they appear to be falling far short.
To turn the tides in their favor, Biden’s team must continue to find creative ways to draw attention back to their candidate. That could mean showing bold leadership on how to confront the myriad problems America currently faces, discovering new ways to mobilize voters, or inspiring grassroots efforts for supporters to amplify campaign messaging. Either way, a failure to innovate in the current moment may mean a failure in November.


wnd--2020-06-08--Report: New Iranian law will make country 'go back to pen and paper'

Iran has been hit with new U.S. sanctions since President Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal arranged by Barack Obama that sent $ 1.7 billion in cash to the rogue Islamic regime .
But it 's not only the United States that is squeezing the nation 's economy .
Iran is shooting itself in the foot , setting itself back at least a half century , by passing a law that bans products and technology developed by or produced in Israel , points out Saul Singer , co-author of `` Start-Up Nation : The Story of Israel 's Economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go back to pen and paper , horses , and home visits by doctors with stethoscopes and World War II-era hospitals , '' he said in an interview with the Times of Israel .
TRENDING : Trump 's congressional endorsements result in undefeated record of 64-0 for Republican candidates With its impact on computers , the internet and smartphones , the move will make North Korea `` look advanced and cosmopolitan , '' Singer said .
`` Essentially , Iran would go back to the world of 50 years ago , maybe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ huge Amish colony in Muslim garb , '' he said .
`` If you count all the Fortune 500 companies that have critical development centers in Israel — including Siemens , an Iranian favorite , IBM , GE ... — there 's not much left . ''
The legislation imposes a ban on all use of Israeli technology , even though Israel is among the world 's technology leaders .
President Hassan Rouhani this week ordered the implementation of the law , the Fars News Agency in Iran reported .
The Times explained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an `` act against God . ''
A legislative spokesman explained it requires all Iranian groups to `` confront the Zionist regime 's measures . ''
Under the law , any cooperation or spying for `` the Zionist regime '' is regarded as `` equal to enmity towards God and corruption on earth . ''
In March , Breaking Israel News reported , Iran 's Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi said it was allowable to use a future vaccine against the coronavirus even if it was developed by Israel .
But if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the report said , Iranians will be jailed for using Pampers diapers , Teva Pharmaceuticals , Hewlett Packard , Intel products , Motorola products including cell phones , universities in the U.S. , medical technology of which Israel is a leader , USB flash drives , Voice over Internet Protocol ( VOIP ) , Mobileye advanced driver-assistance systems , Waze , drip irrigation systems and many other products and scientific developments .
Fars said , `` Based on the first article of the bill , all Iranian bodies are required to use the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to confront the Zionist regime ’ s measures , specially its warmongering and terrorist moves , siege ( of Gaza ) , settlement construction , displacing the Palestinian people and occupation of countries ’ lands , including Golan . ''

Iran has been hit with new U.S. sanctions since President Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal arranged by Barack Obama that sent $1.7 billion in cash to the rogue Islamic regime.
But it's not only the United States that is squeezing the nation's economy.
Iran is shooting itself in the foot, setting itself back at least a half century, by passing a law that bans products and technology developed by or produced in Israel, points out Saul Singer, co-author of "Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle."
"They would have to go back to pen and paper, horses, and home visits by doctors with stethoscopes and World War II-era hospitals," he said in an interview with the Times of Israel.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
With its impact on computers, the internet and smartphones, the move will make North Korea "look advanced and cosmopolitan," Singer said.
"Essentially, Iran would go back to the world of 50 years ago, maybe more. It would look like a huge Amish colony in Muslim garb," he said.
"If you count all the Fortune 500 companies that have critical development centers in Israel — including Siemens, an Iranian favorite, IBM, GE ... — there's not much left."
The legislation imposes a ban on all use of Israeli technology, even though Israel is among the world's technology leaders. President Hassan Rouhani this week ordered the implementation of the law, the Fars News Agency in Iran reported.
The Times explained the legislation brands any cooperation with Israel as an "act against God."
A legislative spokesman explained it requires all Iranian groups to "confront the Zionist regime's measures."
Under the law, any cooperation or spying for "the Zionist regime" is regarded as "equal to enmity towards God and corruption on earth."
In March, Breaking Israel News reported, Iran's Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi said it was allowable to use a future vaccine against the coronavirus even if it was developed by Israel.
But if the new law is scrupulously enforced, the report said, Iranians will be jailed for using Pampers diapers, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Hewlett Packard, Intel products, Motorola products including cell phones, universities in the U.S., medical technology of which Israel is a leader, USB flash drives, Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), Mobileye advanced driver-assistance systems, Waze, drip irrigation systems and many other products and scientific developments.
Fars said, "Based on the first article of the bill, all Iranian bodies are required to use the country’s regional and international capacities to confront the Zionist regime’s measures, specially its warmongering and terrorist moves, siege (of Gaza), settlement construction, displacing the Palestinian people and occupation of countries’ lands, including Golan."


wnd--2020-06-08--Charlie Daniels: God's in control, but owning a 12-gauge doesn't hurt

As America reels from the one-two punch of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic devastation , followed by the third strike of rioting over the death of a black man in police custody in Minneapolis , country-rock superstar Charlie Daniels says there are things only God controls .
But it does n't hurt to own a 12-gauge .
In his latest Soap Box column , he said politicians are trying `` to take advantage '' and media are trying `` to scare us even more than we are already . ''
`` The pandemic , the economy , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the violence on the streets is enough to keep you depressed , despondent , afraid and confused , '' he wrote .
TRENDING : Trump 's congressional endorsements result in undefeated record of 64-0 for Republican candidates So he has several suggestions , including not watching the news all day .
`` You ’ re basically not getting anything new , and the media loves to beat the same old tired horse , and the worse scenario they can project the better they like it , '' he said .
Second , remember @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` to paint the darkest picture they can conjure up to scare the public into going along with profligate spending and loss of personal freedoms . ''
Next , focus on meeting the needs of your family and do n't buy into the idea that those `` busting up storefronts and setting police cars on fire '' can `` overcome our society . ''
Lastly , if you don ’ t own a firearm , `` get one , and it doesn ’ t have to be a 9mm semi-automatic or an AK-47 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handle and are not afraid of .
The more basic , the better , the best home protection I know of is a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun with hammers you cock by hand before you shoot , it doesn ’ t jam and when loaded with double aught buckshot and both barrels fired simultaneously , can take down any three people coming through your front door , '' he said .
And , above all , there are `` things that happen in this world that man has no control whatsoever over . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but he can ’ t make it grow .
A baby can be delivered into the world , but no one can make it start breathing .
A doctor can treat , prescribe medicine and perform surgery , but he can not heal , '' he said .
`` All these things require the touch of the Creator ’ s hand , to cause a seed to grow , a baby to breathe , a medicine to heal and the answer to a cure for a deadly pandemic .
`` Man can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and administer drugs and therapies , but he can not make them work .
The knowledge to develop a cure for coronavirus will have to be imparted by Almighty God . ''
Daniels has been honored for his gospel music , Southern rock anthems and country hits .
He started out in the blue grass genre with the Misty Mountain Boys and moved to Nashville in 1967 .
Elvis Presley recorded a tune Daniels co-wrote titled `` It Hurts Me , '' which was released on the flip side of `` Kissin ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ landmark albums as Bob Dylan 's `` Nashville Skyline . ''
He started the Charlie Daniels Band in 1972 , and among the many hits he 's known for are `` Long Haired Country Boy , '' `` The South ’ s Gon na Do It Again , '' `` In America '' and his signature , `` The Devil Went Down to Georgia . ''

As America reels from the one-two punch of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic devastation, followed by the third strike of rioting over the death of a black man in police custody in Minneapolis, country-rock superstar Charlie Daniels says there are things only God controls.
But it doesn't hurt to own a 12-gauge.
In his latest Soap Box column, he said politicians are trying "to take advantage" and media are trying "to scare us even more than we are already."
"The pandemic, the economy, the seeming shutdown of almost everything along with the violence on the streets is enough to keep you depressed, despondent, afraid and confused," he wrote.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
So he has several suggestions, including not watching the news all day.
"You’re basically not getting anything new, and the media loves to beat the same old tired horse, and the worse scenario they can project the better they like it," he said.
Second, remember that some politicians and media outlets want "to paint the darkest picture they can conjure up to scare the public into going along with profligate spending and loss of personal freedoms."
Next, focus on meeting the needs of your family and don't buy into the idea that those "busting up storefronts and setting police cars on fire" can "overcome our society."
Lastly, if you don’t own a firearm, "get one, and it doesn’t have to be a 9mm semi-automatic or an AK-47."
"Get something you can handle and are not afraid of. The more basic, the better, the best home protection I know of is a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun with hammers you cock by hand before you shoot, it doesn’t jam and when loaded with double aught buckshot and both barrels fired simultaneously, can take down any three people coming through your front door," he said.
And, above all, there are "things that happen in this world that man has no control whatsoever over."
"A farmer can plant a seed, but he can’t make it grow. A baby can be delivered into the world, but no one can make it start breathing. A doctor can treat, prescribe medicine and perform surgery, but he cannot heal," he said.
"All these things require the touch of the Creator’s hand, to cause a seed to grow, a baby to breathe, a medicine to heal and the answer to a cure for a deadly pandemic.
"Man can discover, experiment, develop, test and administer drugs and therapies, but he cannot make them work. The knowledge to develop a cure for coronavirus will have to be imparted by Almighty God."
Daniels has been honored for his gospel music, Southern rock anthems and country hits.
He started out in the blue grass genre with the Misty Mountain Boys and moved to Nashville in 1967.
Elvis Presley recorded a tune Daniels co-wrote titled "It Hurts Me," which was released on the flip side of "Kissin’ Cousins." He played on such landmark albums as Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline."
He started the Charlie Daniels Band in 1972, and among the many hits he's known for are "Long Haired Country Boy," "The South’s Gonna Do It Again," "In America" and his signature, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."


wnd--2020-06-08--The left's war on cops is not spontaneous

Newly painted in huge yellow letters on 16th Street , just north of the White House , is the slogan : `` Defund the Police . ''
That new message sits beside the `` Black Lives Matter '' slogan , also in huge letters , painted there at the direction of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser .
She renamed that section of 16th Street `` Black Lives Matter Plaza . ''
Still , the messages are less ominous than the chants of protesters in New York after the takedown that resulted in the death of Eric Garner .
Protesters then chanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we want ?
Dead cops .
When do we want it ?
Now ! ''
TRENDING : Trump 's congressional endorsements result in undefeated record of 64-0 for Republican candidates While this sudden campaign to defund and dismantle city police forces seems an absurdity , it is actually part of a thought-out radical program that has gained momentum since the sadistic public execution of George Floyd in Minneapolis two weeks ago .
Consider .
On Sunday , nine members of the city council , a veto-proof majority , voted to disband the Minneapolis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support the council decision , Mayor Jacob Frey hedged , `` I do not support the full abolition of the police . ''
As the crowd jeered and booed , the mayor walked away alone .
The idea of defunding police departments has caught fire , and liberal politicians are scrambling to get in front of their radical constituents .
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced that he will reallocate up to $ 150 million from the LAPD budget to social programs .
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says he will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We will be moving funding from the NYPD to youth initiatives and social services . ''
In two weeks , there has been a sea change in attitudes toward police , with not a few coming to share the hard left 's hatred .
While the criminal elements burned cop cars and showered police with bottles , rocks and bricks , even `` peaceful protesters '' were calling the police fascists and racists .
Two decades ago , the NYPD were celebrated `` first responders '' who ran toward the collapsing twin towers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Funerals of the cop heroes were televised .
Those days are gone .
Indeed , after two weeks of seeing police decried on nightly TV as racist oppressors of African Americans , cops must realize that they are reviled and detested by some of the countrymen they have sworn to protect .
What will happen now is predictable , as it has happened before .
To pander to the militants on the left , liberal politicians will devise new restrictions on cops and more severe punishments for infractions , treating the police as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The `` Ferguson Effect '' will take hold .
Cops will back off from confronting the lawless and violent .
Criminals will see an opening to seize opportunities .
The urban poor who look to the police as their only protection will stay inside and lock their doors .
And small businesses , realizing the cops may not be there , will sell and move out .
Where is this leading ?
According to former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik , not only did New York law enforcement officers suffer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of cops , seeing how they are regarded and were treated by many whom they protect , are preparing to leave the NYPD .
As the Democrats ' `` police reform '' bill is debated on the Hill , Republicans will largely stand with the police and Attorney General William Barr , who said Sunday that while there is racism in America , there is no `` systemic racism '' in the nation 's police departments .
If there were , it would be an indictment of the Democrats , who have run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As it rises in prominence , the issue of defunding police will divide the Democratic Party more than the GOP .
For while the hard left sees cops in ideological and class terms as racist and fascist , the right , by and large , sees the police as the last line of defense again the anarchy we saw erupt when there were not enough cops in New York and D.C. to control the mobs looting Fifth Avenue and Georgetown .
And this , too , is likely to become a forever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost inevitable that we are going to see more violent collisions between white cops and black suspects , collisions that result in deaths .
For every large urban police force has daily encounters with black male criminals , who commit a disproportionate number of violent crimes .
Some will end with dead cops , and the others with dead criminals .
President Donald Trump has taken his stand with the police .
It is Joe Biden who has the problem .
For while Democratic mayors are unlikely to join a campaign to abolish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have to tell his Bernie Bro and socialist constituents that their ideas for getting rid of police departments are ridiculous .
Monday , Joe made a start .
He said that defunding cops is off the table .

Newly painted in huge yellow letters on 16th Street, just north of the White House, is the slogan: "Defund the Police."
That new message sits beside the "Black Lives Matter" slogan, also in huge letters, painted there at the direction of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
She renamed that section of 16th Street "Black Lives Matter Plaza."
Still, the messages are less ominous than the chants of protesters in New York after the takedown that resulted in the death of Eric Garner.
Protesters then chanted of the NYPD: "What do we want? Dead cops. When do we want it? Now!"
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While this sudden campaign to defund and dismantle city police forces seems an absurdity, it is actually part of a thought-out radical program that has gained momentum since the sadistic public execution of George Floyd in Minneapolis two weeks ago.
Consider. On Sunday, nine members of the city council, a veto-proof majority, voted to disband the Minneapolis police department. Asked if he would support the council decision, Mayor Jacob Frey hedged, "I do not support the full abolition of the police."
As the crowd jeered and booed, the mayor walked away alone.
The idea of defunding police departments has caught fire, and liberal politicians are scrambling to get in front of their radical constituents. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced that he will reallocate up to $150 million from the LAPD budget to social programs.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says he will be transferring $1 billion: "We will be moving funding from the NYPD to youth initiatives and social services."
In two weeks, there has been a sea change in attitudes toward police, with not a few coming to share the hard left's hatred. While the criminal elements burned cop cars and showered police with bottles, rocks and bricks, even "peaceful protesters" were calling the police fascists and racists.
Two decades ago, the NYPD were celebrated "first responders" who ran toward the collapsing twin towers, many never to come back. Funerals of the cop heroes were televised. Those days are gone.
Indeed, after two weeks of seeing police decried on nightly TV as racist oppressors of African Americans, cops must realize that they are reviled and detested by some of the countrymen they have sworn to protect.
What will happen now is predictable, as it has happened before.
To pander to the militants on the left, liberal politicians will devise new restrictions on cops and more severe punishments for infractions, treating the police as potential threats to civil and constitutional rights.
The "Ferguson Effect" will take hold. Cops will back off from confronting the lawless and violent. Criminals will see an opening to seize opportunities. The urban poor who look to the police as their only protection will stay inside and lock their doors. And small businesses, realizing the cops may not be there, will sell and move out.
Where is this leading?
According to former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, not only did New York law enforcement officers suffer many injuries in the riots, hundreds of cops, seeing how they are regarded and were treated by many whom they protect, are preparing to leave the NYPD.
As the Democrats' "police reform" bill is debated on the Hill, Republicans will largely stand with the police and Attorney General William Barr, who said Sunday that while there is racism in America, there is no "systemic racism" in the nation's police departments.
If there were, it would be an indictment of the Democrats, who have run most of our great cities for decades.
As it rises in prominence, the issue of defunding police will divide the Democratic Party more than the GOP.
For while the hard left sees cops in ideological and class terms as racist and fascist, the right, by and large, sees the police as the last line of defense again the anarchy we saw erupt when there were not enough cops in New York and D.C. to control the mobs looting Fifth Avenue and Georgetown.
And this, too, is likely to become a forever war in America. For it is almost inevitable that we are going to see more violent collisions between white cops and black suspects, collisions that result in deaths.
For every large urban police force has daily encounters with black male criminals, who commit a disproportionate number of violent crimes. Some will end with dead cops, and the others with dead criminals.
President Donald Trump has taken his stand with the police.
It is Joe Biden who has the problem. For while Democratic mayors are unlikely to join a campaign to abolish their police forces, Biden is going to have to tell his Bernie Bro and socialist constituents that their ideas for getting rid of police departments are ridiculous.
Monday, Joe made a start. He said that defunding cops is off the table.


wnd--2020-06-08--CBS News deceptively edits Barr interview to back false claims about Trump

Through selective editing , the CBS News program `` Face the Nation '' on Sunday minimized the violent rioting threatening the White House as it peddled false claims that President Trump ordered 10,000 active-duty military troops into the streets and that Defense Secretary Mark Esper clashed with the president over the use of the Insurrection Act , according to an analysis by a veteran Washington reporter .
Mollie Hemingway , a senior editor at The Federalist , writes that anchor Margaret Brennan left out of her interview with William Barr the attorney general 's detailed accounting of the violent context @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House .
Barr was trying to counter media claims that Park Police were facing peaceful protesters .
TRENDING : Trump 's congressional endorsements result in undefeated record of 64-0 for Republican candidates Some of the remarks missing from the broadcast were that `` bricks and inflammable liquid '' were being thrown at police as rioters `` were trying to get entry '' over the fences , five dozen officers were `` lost '' the previous night in the violence , and individuals `` wrestled with the police officers trying to tear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , struggling to get one of the police officer 's guns . ''
Hemingway also noted that the broadcast left out Barr 's detailed comments on improving policing and how working with police agencies improves results .
The interview began with Brennan asking Barr about CBS ' claim , based on a single anonymous source , that Trump ordered 10,000 active-duty military troops into the streets .
Barr said that was `` completely false . ''
And White House Director of Strategic Communications Alyssa Farah further denied the report via Twitter : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the mtg .
@ realDonaldTrump very clearly directed DOD to surge the National Guard – not active duty- after nights of vandalism & arson in DC . ''
Brennan also reported Defense Secretary Esper publicly said he opposed using the Insurrection Act , and the network played a clip of Esper stating , `` I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act . ''
But Esper actually said that using active duty forces for such situations should be only `` as a matter of last resort . ''
`` Edited out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what constitutes a 'last resort ' and the history of using the military in the states , beginning with the country ’ s first president George Washington who 'led the army into the field to suppress rebellion and insurrection in Pennsylvania in the very first term of his administration . '
He noted he brought the military in last time he was attorney general , during the George H. W. Bush administration , once in the Virgin Islands , '' Hemingway wrote .
The `` Face the Nation '' report also left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I would also point out it was done during the civil rights era in places like Selma , Alabama , and other places to integrate schools , '' he said .
`` The governors stood in the doorway .
The governors did not approve the use of federal troops to enforce civil rights in the South . ''

Through selective editing, the CBS News program "Face the Nation" on Sunday minimized the violent rioting threatening the White House as it peddled false claims that President Trump ordered 10,000 active-duty military troops into the streets and that Defense Secretary Mark Esper clashed with the president over the use of the Insurrection Act, according to an analysis by a veteran Washington reporter.
Mollie Hemingway, a senior editor at The Federalist, writes that anchor Margaret Brennan left out of her interview with William Barr the attorney general's detailed accounting of the violent context of the clash in Lafayette Square outside the White House.
Barr was trying to counter media claims that Park Police were facing peaceful protesters.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Some of the remarks missing from the broadcast were that "bricks and inflammable liquid" were being thrown at police as rioters "were trying to get entry" over the fences, five dozen officers were "lost" the previous night in the violence, and individuals "wrestled with the police officers trying to tear their shields from them, in one case, struggling to get one of the police officer's guns."
Hemingway also noted that the broadcast left out Barr's detailed comments on improving policing and how working with police agencies improves results.
The interview began with Brennan asking Barr about CBS' claim, based on a single anonymous source, that Trump ordered 10,000 active-duty military troops into the streets.
Barr said that was "completely false." And White House Director of Strategic Communications Alyssa Farah further denied the report via Twitter: "This is FALSE. I was in the mtg. @realDonaldTrump very clearly directed DOD to surge the National Guard – not active duty- after nights of vandalism & arson in DC."
Brennan also reported Defense Secretary Esper publicly said he opposed using the Insurrection Act, and the network played a clip of Esper stating, "I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act."
But Esper actually said that using active duty forces for such situations should be only "as a matter of last resort."
"Edited out of the broadcast was Barr’s explanation of what constitutes a 'last resort' and the history of using the military in the states, beginning with the country’s first president George Washington who 'led the army into the field to suppress rebellion and insurrection in Pennsylvania in the very first term of his administration.' He noted he brought the military in last time he was attorney general, during the George H. W. Bush administration, once in the Virgin Islands," Hemingway wrote.
The "Face the Nation" report also left out Barr's provision of historical context.
"I would also point out it was done during the civil rights era in places like Selma, Alabama, and other places to integrate schools," he said. "The governors stood in the doorway. The governors did not approve the use of federal troops to enforce civil rights in the South."


wnd--2020-06-08--I'm sick of the 'black lives matter' blather

I 'm sick of hearing how black lives matter .
Black Lives Matter is a Stalinist domestic terrorist group comprised of bigots , racists , anarchists and terrorists with three things in common : 1 ) They all hate America ; 2 ) they 're funded by taxpayer money and Soros money ; and 3 ) they 're all going to hell when they die , if they do not confess their sins , repent and turn from them , and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior .
The factual truth is that lives do not matter , be they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , until a black person dies during a confrontation with white police officers .
If lives mattered , there would be no alcoholism ; there would be no drug addiction ; there would be no violent assaults ; there would be no rape ; there would be no pornography and prostitution ; there would be no marital infidelity or spousal abuse .
Because if lives mattered , the mentality that supports , encourages and applauds the aforementioned reprobate behavior would not be celebrated .
And , if black lives mattered , there would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been murdered by the industrialized systematic extermination of black children .
If lives mattered , women as a collective would n't have had over 60 million children murdered .
If lives mattered , people would n't be fixated on color of skin .
Rather they would be fixated upon integrity , truthfulness and honesty ; they would n't celebrate the most reprobate forms of moral turpitude .
TRENDING : Trump 's congressional endorsements result in undefeated record of 64-0 for Republican candidates If lives mattered , Ambassador Christopher Stevens , Tyrone Woods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be alive , because Obama would have moved heaven and hell to ensure their safe return from Benghazi – just as he did to return Army deserter and Muslim sympathizer Bowe Bergdahl .
If lives mattered , journalist Danny Pearl would be alive today and with his family .
He would n't have been beheaded because he was a Jew in Muslim territory .
If lives mattered , the over 3,000 innocent Americans who were murdered the morning of Sept. 11 , 2001 , would still be alive .
If lives mattered , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trillion dollars in property damages across the United States owing to domestic terrorist groups like Antifa and godless immoral opportunists who personify the zeitgeist where looting and stealing is viewed as supporting one 's family .
If lives mattered , retired St. Louis City former police Capt .
David Dorn would still be alive .
He would n't have been murdered by black street trash looting a pawnshop .
If lives mattered , those like CNN hosts Don Lemon and `` Fredo '' Cuomo would n't call rioters freedom fighters .
If lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would n't have blocked the streets to prevent firefighters from getting to the house they set on fire with a small baby inside .
If lives mattered , Pennsylvania health director Richard Levine ( who specialized in mental health ) would n't have destroyed his family by selfishly waking up one morning and deciding he wanted to be Rachel Levine in order to live out some fantasy of sexual perversion as reality .
The same goes for others like him .
The idea that lives matter is a damnable heterodoxy and a corrupt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ riot and political gain .
If lives mattered , government would abide by and support the constitutional right to life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness .
Government would n't endorse the edicts of malicious neo-Leninist governors who contrived draconian mandates that crippled states , spread fear and instituted Hitlerian practices of spying and reporting on neighbors and family .
Specifically , if black lives mattered , over 70 percent of homes with black families would n't be single-parent households , headed by women with children from multiple men .
If lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community organizers would n't attack America as being racist .
They would speak the truth that in America opportunity abounds and that the road to success begins with proper behavior , personal responsibility , and marketable educational and employment skills .
Said marketable employment skills for most are best found and developed vis-à-vis trade schools and apprentice programs , not by accumulating massive tuition debt and then defaulting , which leads to severe handicap based upon poor credit .
This limits one 's ability to own or rent a home or purchase an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama would n't have embarked upon Fast and Furious , the illegal gunrunning operation that resulted in hundreds of innocent Mexicans being murdered as well as American border personnel .
If lives mattered , Obama and his cohorts would n't have used lies and sabotage in their attempt to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president ; because , as we know , their seditious criminal acts did destroy the lives of innocent people whose only crime was loyalty to candidate Trump and later President Trump .
Lives do not matter to those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blind to the truth .
If lives mattered , the false teachers/preachers espousing blasphemous pedagogy would not be given a platform from which to spread their revisionist lies and bastardization of historical fact .
If lives truly mattered , be they black or otherwise , true men and women of God would speak the truthful Word of God , not advocate sinful orthodoxies that promote sexual deviants to the pulpit , women to pastoral positions and the fallacious idea that God is a respecter of persons based upon skin color .
If lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ green , black or stupid – there would be no need for me to point out everything I 've just said .
Order Mychal Massie 's new book , `` I Feel the Presence of the Lord , '' a collection of devotions intended to encourage the reader to seek and see the Lord in every aspect of life .

I'm sick of hearing how black lives matter. Black Lives Matter is a Stalinist domestic terrorist group comprised of bigots, racists, anarchists and terrorists with three things in common: 1) They all hate America; 2) they're funded by taxpayer money and Soros money; and 3) they're all going to hell when they die, if they do not confess their sins, repent and turn from them, and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The factual truth is that lives do not matter, be they black, white, gray or chartreuse, until a black person dies during a confrontation with white police officers.
If lives mattered, there would be no alcoholism; there would be no drug addiction; there would be no violent assaults; there would be no rape; there would be no pornography and prostitution; there would be no marital infidelity or spousal abuse. Because if lives mattered, the mentality that supports, encourages and applauds the aforementioned reprobate behavior would not be celebrated.
And, if black lives mattered, there wouldn't be over 20 million blacks who have been murdered by the industrialized systematic extermination of black children. If lives mattered, women as a collective wouldn't have had over 60 million children murdered.
If lives mattered, people wouldn't be fixated on color of skin. Rather they would be fixated upon integrity, truthfulness and honesty; they wouldn't celebrate the most reprobate forms of moral turpitude.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
If lives mattered, Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Tyrone Woods, Glen Doherty and Sean Smith would be alive, because Obama would have moved heaven and hell to ensure their safe return from Benghazi – just as he did to return Army deserter and Muslim sympathizer Bowe Bergdahl. If lives mattered, journalist Danny Pearl would be alive today and with his family. He wouldn't have been beheaded because he was a Jew in Muslim territory. If lives mattered, the over 3,000 innocent Americans who were murdered the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, would still be alive.
If lives mattered, there wouldn't be north of a trillion dollars in property damages across the United States owing to domestic terrorist groups like Antifa and godless immoral opportunists who personify the zeitgeist where looting and stealing is viewed as supporting one's family.
If lives mattered, retired St. Louis City former police Capt. David Dorn would still be alive. He wouldn't have been murdered by black street trash looting a pawnshop. If lives mattered, those like CNN hosts Don Lemon and "Fredo" Cuomo wouldn't call rioters freedom fighters. If lives mattered, these thugs and hired trash wouldn't have blocked the streets to prevent firefighters from getting to the house they set on fire with a small baby inside.
If lives mattered, Pennsylvania health director Richard Levine (who specialized in mental health) wouldn't have destroyed his family by selfishly waking up one morning and deciding he wanted to be Rachel Levine in order to live out some fantasy of sexual perversion as reality. The same goes for others like him.
The idea that lives matter is a damnable heterodoxy and a corrupt demonic construct perpetuated as an excuse for riot and political gain.
If lives mattered, government would abide by and support the constitutional right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Government wouldn't endorse the edicts of malicious neo-Leninist governors who contrived draconian mandates that crippled states, spread fear and instituted Hitlerian practices of spying and reporting on neighbors and family.
Specifically, if black lives mattered, over 70 percent of homes with black families wouldn't be single-parent households, headed by women with children from multiple men.
If lives mattered, vile self-serving politicians and lucifarian community organizers wouldn't attack America as being racist. They would speak the truth that in America opportunity abounds and that the road to success begins with proper behavior, personal responsibility, and marketable educational and employment skills. Said marketable employment skills for most are best found and developed vis-à-vis trade schools and apprentice programs, not by accumulating massive tuition debt and then defaulting, which leads to severe handicap based upon poor credit. This limits one's ability to own or rent a home or purchase an automobile.
If lives mattered, Barack Obama wouldn't have embarked upon Fast and Furious, the illegal gunrunning operation that resulted in hundreds of innocent Mexicans being murdered as well as American border personnel. If lives mattered, Obama and his cohorts wouldn't have used lies and sabotage in their attempt to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president; because, as we know, their seditious criminal acts did destroy the lives of innocent people whose only crime was loyalty to candidate Trump and later President Trump.
Lives do not matter to those who blather same but are uninformed and mercilessly blind to the truth. If lives mattered, the false teachers/preachers espousing blasphemous pedagogy would not be given a platform from which to spread their revisionist lies and bastardization of historical fact.
If lives truly mattered, be they black or otherwise, true men and women of God would speak the truthful Word of God, not advocate sinful orthodoxies that promote sexual deviants to the pulpit, women to pastoral positions and the fallacious idea that God is a respecter of persons based upon skin color.
If lives really mattered – be they pink, green, black or stupid – there would be no need for me to point out everything I've just said.
Order Mychal Massie's new book, "I Feel the Presence of the Lord," a collection of devotions intended to encourage the reader to seek and see the Lord in every aspect of life.