#1
Awkward moment gormless-looking Biden shuffles away from lectern as Hawaii Democrat tries to speak to him minutes after giving tone-deaf speech to victims of Maui's killer wildfires
#3
Furious Hawaiians had already greeted the President with ire, shouting 'f*** you' at his motorcade and brandishing signs telling him to go home as the 80-year-old and his wife toured the island of Maui 13 days after the inferno broke out.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/22/2023 8:54 Comments ||
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#4
/\ Ok, fine. Will this convince them to stop voting democrat ?
#7
Re: #2 Besoeker: "Little more than a incoherent babbling figurehead."
Which makes him the absolutely perfect candidate for the bureaucracy/party apparatchiks. Look for an overhwelming acclamation of him as the Democratic nominee next year. To be followed by total obscurity as the propaganda machine focues on "abortion" and "Trump is icky."
Posted by: Tom ||
08/22/2023 14:47 Comments ||
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[Foxnews] PAC says, 'Until City Hall rejects the poison of police abolitionists and their allied activists and ensures we have a strong, adequately staffed police department, public safety will continue to deteriorate'
The Austin, Texas, chief of police abruptly retired from his post on Monday in the wake of major staffing shortages, the absence of a police union contract and years of issues with the city council and mayors.
Austin Police Department Chief Joseph Chacon announced his retirement "with a heavy heart" on Monday in a post on X, formerly Twitter, saying he came to the decision after a lot of thought.
"This is one of the hardest messages that I’ve ever had to write," he said. "A few months ago, I began seriously considering retirement and after long conversations with my wife and family, and thoughtful prayer, I have now made the decision that the moment is right to hang it up on a 25-year career with APD."
Chacon added that he never thought it possible to become chief of police, though it has been the "pinnacle" of his career and an "absolute honor."
He encouraged everyone to hold their heads up, continue the good fight and honor the profession by keeping the people of Austin safe, and thanked them for "making this one of the safest big cities in the country."
Mayor Kirk Watson responded with a brief statement thanking Chacon for his service.
In the coming days, Chief of Staff Robin Henderson will be named Interim Chief of Police, Chacon said. As Henderson transitions into the role, Chacon will move into an advisory role for a brief period to ensure a smooth transition, before finalizing retirement and leaving the department.
The announcement comes as residents continue to feel the aftermath of staffing shortages, which include longer-than-normal hold times for those who call 911, and crime that continues to spiral out of control.
In 2020, the Austin City Council slashed APD's budget by about $150 million, or roughly a third of its budget at the time. A state law passed the following year forced the city to restore the lost funding to APD, but by then, officers were departing the force in large numbers. At the same time, the city paused police cadet classes, further squeezing the department's staffing.
Thomas Villarreal, president of the Austin Police Association, spoke to "Fox & Friends" on Monday, blaming the Austin City Council for neglecting local law enforcement and alleging that the council’s missteps created a larger problem.
"We just continue to have a city council that doesn’t show its police officers that [it] cares about them," Villarreal said.
#3
The situation is impossible to resolve from her position. She would be ill advised to accept the position permanently unless the contract is structured in a way that she gets left holding the bag.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
08/22/2023 16:47 Comments ||
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[AMUtv] Secretary of State Antony Blinken failed to provide the House Foreign Affairs Committee with eight crucial documents related to the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan two years ago, according to a news report released on Saturday.
The State Department shared 300 documents pertaining to the Afghanistan withdrawal with the committee on Thursday. However, alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... a news report reveals that eight documents, specifically requested by committee chairman Michael McCaul in a letter dated August 9, were conspicuously absent. Among these were several memos from Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security Todd Brown, which McCaul indicated were referenced in the Afghanistan After-Action Review.
"The AAR files are essential to guide the Committee’s deliberations on prospective legislation aimed at preventing the recurrence of the catastrophic errors of the previous withdrawal," McCaul stated on August 10.
According to an anonymous committee source who spoke to Just The News, the 300 documents largely contained information that was already publicly accessible. The stipulated deadline for providing all requested documents to the committee was Tuesday.
Detractors of the withdrawal have characterized it as "disastrous" in light of over 170 fatalities during the Taliban ...Arabic for students... ’s seizure of power, including 13 military servicemembers. McCaul has asserted his determination to acquire additional insights from the Biden administration concerning the evacuation. This includes details on the decision to reject a preemptive Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... request, despite U.S. intelligence being aware of ISIS plotting an attack to kill Americans.
"I will not cease my efforts until we attain answers and hold individuals accountable for the series of events," McCaul affirmed. "How did this situation devolve so drastically?"
The after-action report published earlier this summer highlighted that both the Biden and Trump administrations displayed "insufficient high-level consideration of worst-case scenarios and their potential rapid occurrence" while striving to meet the withdrawal deadline.
The report also revealed that the U.S. overestimated the viability of the now-defunct democratically elected Afghan government’s ability to withstand Taliban offensives. It further exposed a significant lack of communication between the Pentagon and the State Department, exacerbated by poor coordination among leaders within these distinct entities.
The White House allowed the two-year anniversary of the evacuation to pass unmarked on Tuesday. Despite this, Blinken maintained that the administration’s decision to withdraw its forces from the Middle Eastern nation was the correct one.
Blinken addressed news hounds, saying, "The determination to exit Afghanistan was exceptionally challenging, yet undeniably correct. We concluded America’s lengthiest conflict. For the first time in two decades, we’ve spared a new generation of American youth from deploying to, and perishing in, Afghanistan."
White House officials neither confirmed nor denied whether the president would address the withdrawal later in the month. Nonetheless, they noted that the full evacuation’s anniversary would occur at the end of this month.
[NEWS.WTTW] Paramedics and EMTs working for the large private firm Elite Ambulance say the company illegally deducted the cost of red light and speed camera tickets incurred on the job from their paychecks.
In a class action wage theft lawsuit filed Wednesday in Cook County court, plaintiffs say instead of contesting the tickets, which were incurred during emergency calls while running with lights and sirens, the company charged the cost of the moving violations against employees' pay without their consent.
"These are paramedics, EMTs, these are people who are engaging in life-saving work," said attorney Ramsin Canon. "We know that ambulances need to sometimes move a little faster than the rate of traffic, so it's not something that should come as a surprise … it seems as though the company just didn't want to be bothered to appeal those tickets, or they just didn't want to pay for them themselves."
The two EMTs who are named plaintiffs in the suit say they were told they had to agree to the deduction after the fact and refused. The third plaintiff, a paramedic, says he wasn't notified at all.
Representatives of Elite Ambulance did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
"The first thing on my mind is taking care of the patient … in an emergency," said paramedic Pablo Acevedo, one of the plaintiffs. "The last thing on my mind is whether or not we are going through a red light with our lights and sirens on, or what that's going to cost me as far as my pay." That is a conundrum
Acevedo says when he was younger and new at the company, he was upset about the deductions but didn't push back. In the years since, he says he's talked with many other employees who told him the practice goes back years. Acevedo also thinks Elite is picking up the pace.
"Over the past six months, I've seen a huge increase in these deduction waivers being forced onto employees ... who they believe are the ‘probable' drivers of the vehicle at that time," Acevedo said. "It became really aggravating for me and a few other paramedics who, as we've gotten older, have realized that this is just not fair practice."
The plaintiffs say the tickets they got on the job were for $100 each.
Canon says while $100 is still significant depending on how much money you make, relatively small amounts like these are one of the things that can make cases of alleged wage theft difficult to pursue.
"Unscrupulous employers rely on the idea that people aren't going to be willing to go to court to recover $100, $200," Canon said. "That's why the class actions are so important, because not only does it make sure that everybody gets made whole in this case … but also that there are penalties."
A judge will need to certify the lawsuit as a class action. Elite's website says it has 2,000 employees and 175 ambulances working in the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana, meaning the class size and dollar amount of any judgment against the company could be significant.
The paramedics and EMTs Canon eventually came to represent began discussing the alleged wage theft during an organizing drive. Last month, workers at Elite filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board.
Acevedo says they've had workplace problems like management not properly stocking company vehicles with necessary equipment or medication. He also says low pay means many first responders are struggling to make ends meet.
"The current average pay in this field is already so low and without unionization, emergency health workers are never going to be able to make the money that they deserve," Acevedo said. "A lot of workers are forced to work 75 hours a week, sometimes 40 hours of overtime just to be able to afford having an apartment in Chicago."
Canon says whether it's through unionization or legal action, employees coming together at a workplace helps people exercise their rights.
"That first step of talking to your coworkers openly is so important to making sure that first of all, you don't just feel alone, but also that you understand that these are systematic things that you can get remedies for," Canon said. As WTTW is a PBS outlet, they would of course dwell on the Employer/Employee aspect of this story. What is egregious in my mind, is that that the ambulances running lights and sirens are even getting ticketed.
The ambulance company should fight back against this utter lack of common sense......but then, it is Chicago where trust is just the name on a bank.
Of course, a PBS stattion would NEVER question the local government's role in this fiasco.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
08/22/2023 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[10 views]
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#2
The ambulance company clearly should have contested this, UNLESS the ambulance company has cut a deal with the red light camera company to get a discount on the fine while still deducting the entire amount from from the employees pay check.
[FoxNews] Alabama's attorney general is calling for an investigation into President Biden reversing his decision to put Space Command headquarters in Huntsville.
Fox News Digital obtained Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's letter to Government Accountability Office (GAO) Director of Defense Capabilities and Management Elizabeth Field and Department of Defense (DOD) Assistant Inspector General (IG) Randolph Stone with regard to Biden's "sudden reversal" of placing Space Command headquarters in Colorado.
"On January 13, 2021, after a thorough vetting process that spanned almost two years, the Secretary of the Air Force selected Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, as the preferred location for Space Command’s headquarters," Marshall wrote.
"According to the announcement, the Air Force evaluated six possible headquarters locations ‘based on factors related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support and costs to the Department of Defense,’" he continued, noting that the "factors strongly favored Huntsville."
Marshall wrote that multiple "independent reviews" by the two offices "confirmed the Air Force’s decision that Huntsville was the best location for Space Command’s headquarters" and that the DOD IG's "20-person team" found the Air Force's selection process was lawful.
The Alabama attorney general also said the GAO "similarly reported that Huntsville was clearly the preferred headquarters location" for Space Command.
"After its investigation, the Government Accountability Office concluded that the selection of Huntsville ‘was consistent with the Air Force’s analysis,’" Marshall wrote. "The Huntsville headquarters should have cleared its final hurdle when the Air Force determined last year that the site 'will not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment.'"
"Yet on July 31, 2023, government officials reported that President Biden had reversed the decision to locate Space Command’s headquarters in Huntsville and instead selected a location in Colorado. News reports credited General James Dickinson with convincing Biden to choose Colorado," he continued, citing Associated Press reporting of the southern snub.
Marshall wrote that Dickinson's "role understandably surprised Alabama officials" weeks after the U.S. Space Command commander "confirmed to Alabama's congressional delegation that ‘the headquarters of U.S. Space Command belongs on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala.’"
"Newly uncovered Colorado property records reveal that General Dickinson had at least 1.5 million reasons to recommend Colorado over Huntsville for the permanent U.S. Space Command headquarters," Marshall wrote.
"In April 2023, General Dickinson registered a deed to a $1.5 million, 20-acre ranch near the Colorado headquarters location," the Alabama attorney general continued. "When he was assuring them that ‘he couldn’t envision any circumstance where he wouldn’t recommend Huntsville,’ General Dickinson did not disclose his Colorado purchase to Alabama officials."
"It is unknown whether General Dickinson disclosed his personal interests in the Colorado site to President Biden or any other superiors," Marshall added.
Marshall alleged that Dickinson’s "personal interests may explain why the Secretary of the Air Force announced in May that General Dickinson ‘had recently changed his needs for a headquarters and that the "fundamental changes" could affect the basing decision.’"
The Alabama AG also noted the GAO found that "the Huntsville location was the highest scoring location at every stage of the decision-making process."
#1
Considering most of the space defense sites are in Colorado, the GPS command is in Colorado and most of the defense contractors that support it are in Colorado.... seems to make pretty good sense to me to have the HQ in Colorado.
#2
If the defense of the nation was the primary mission of our military, treating military bases like a congressional piggy bank would be totally off the table in the first place.
Just sayin'
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
08/22/2023 10:15 Comments ||
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#3
Alabama is a red state; Co!orado is blue.
"We're gonna reward our friends and punish our enemies."
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/22/2023 10:52 Comments ||
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#4
The military bases that support this are in El Paso county next to Colorado Springs. 5 bases are there surprisingly, including the Air Force Academy. That county is redder than Alabama. Blue Colorado is the I25 corridor from Denver to Ft. Collins and that wins the elections.
So if they "rewarded friends" it would be a huge backfire.
[DM] House Republicans are ramping up their investigation into Hunter Biden by bringing in witnesses who they believe will back up stunning allegations of political interference by the Biden administration.
The House Judiciary and Ways and Means Committees are demanding testimony from FBI and IRS agents who sat in on a key meeting that whistleblowers say exposed special treatment for Hunter, whose 'sweetheart' plea deal on tax and gun crimes imploded late last month.
GOP panel chairmen Jim Jordan and Jason Smith say four agents have knowledge of an October 7, 2022 meeting where David Weiss - the top prosecutor in the Hunter case - allegedly said he was not the 'deciding person' on whether charges are filed against the president's son.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
08/22/2023 07:28 ||
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Link ||
[13 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
They can’t comment on corruption that they are still in the process of perpetrating.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
08/22/2023 9:26 Comments ||
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#2
/\ Yes, 'on-going' investigations must also be protected. You will of course be informed of what you must know.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...
[NEWS.WTTW] Paramedics and EMTs working for the large private firm Elite Ambulance say the company illegally deducted the cost of red light and speed camera tickets incurred on the job from their paychecks.
