Positive News from the USA

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 08 Oct 2014 09:01

A government foir you, by you, and as you.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 08 Oct 2014 11:02

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 09 Oct 2014 19:17

Vonderrick Myers shooting: Off-duty St Louis police officer kills black teenager sparking new 'Hands Up Don't Shoot' Ferguson-style protests
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 83588.html

An off-duty police officer in St Louis has shot and killed a black teenager, prompting a repeat of the Ferguson protests that followed the death of Michael Brown two months ago today.

Police in the already conflict-ridden county of Missouri said that the officer involved was wearing his uniform but working a second job as a security guard when the incident occurred late on Wednesday night.

The officer, who is 32 years old and white, was unharmed in the incident.

Pictures from the scene on Shaw Boulevard in south St Louis showed people gathering to protest the shooting. KTVI News reported that the crowd was preparing to march on the St Louis police station, with many chanting "hands up don't shoot", a slogan that was used across the US after Ferguson.

As with the death of Michael Brown, there were conflicting initial reports on whether or not the victim, who has been named locally as 18-year-old Vonderrick Myers, was armed.

Teyonna Myers, 23, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper that she was the cousin of the man and that he was unarmed when he was killed.

"He had a sandwich in his hand, and they thought it was a gun. It's like Michael Brown all over again," she told the paper. St Louis Public Radio quoted chief of police Sam Dotson as saying that the officer fired "17 times", while alderman Antonio French, on the scene with protesters, tweeted: "At the scene of yet another young man's death. This happens too often in our city. It's a crisis that we should all be concerned about."

He later wrote: "The victim's mother was here. She fainted. An ambulance came to attend to her. There is nothing like a mother's pain at the loss of a child."

But a spokesperson for St Louis Police, Colonel Alfred Adkins, said the officer - who has not been named - approached Myers and three other men in the street and only "returned fire" after he was shot at himself.

"As [the officer] exited the car, the gentlemen took off running. He was able to follow one of them before he lost him and then found him again as the guy jumped out of some bushes across the street," Adkins said.

"The officer approached, they got into a struggle, they ended up into a gangway, at which time the young man pulled a weapon and shots were fired. The officer returned fire and unfortunately the young man was killed."

Police said a gun was retrieved from the scene near Missouri Botanical Gardens.

Another spokesperson, for the St Louis city police division, said the officer was a six-year veteran of the department. He has now been placed on administrative leave, she said, and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Multatuli · Post by **Multatuli** » 09 Oct 2014 21:38

This one you won't believe.

Police: 4-year-old took heroin to day care

SELBYVILLE, Del. (AP) — A 4-year-old girl mistakenly took hundreds of packets of heroin to her day care center and began passing it out to classmates, thinking it was candy, Delaware State Police said Tuesday.

Several children who received the packets Monday morning went to the hospital as a precaution, police said. But no packets were opened, and all of the kids were released after being examined.

Police say the child unknowingly brought the heroin to the center when her mother gave her a different backpack because the girl's regular backpack had been ruined by the family pet. Police say the backpack contained nearly 250 packets of heroin, totaling nearly 4 grams, all labeled "Slam."

http://news.yahoo.com/police-4-old-took ... 41978.html

Mom, beau plead not guilty in alcohol-in-IV death

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — A man told police he poured vodka into the IV feeding tube of his girlfriend's disabled 13-year-old son to settle him down, a dose of alcohol that contributed to his death, according to court documents released Wednesday.

Walter Richters and Melissa Robitille, both 38, were charged with second-degree murder in the Aug. 22 death of Isaac Robitille. They entered not-guilty pleas at their arraignment Wednesday afternoon in Caledonia County and were ordered held without bail. Neither spoke.

"There is great evidence of guilt," said Maria Byford, deputy state's attorney.

Isaac was born with significant medical conditions and disabilities that required the assistance of caretakers for up to 80 hours a week. Feeding tubes supplied him with a strict diet of a pediatric nutritional drink, baby formula, water and vitamins. Court records show that Robitille told police that an insurance foul-up meant she was paying $800 a month for the formulas.

http://news.yahoo.com/cops-pair-put-boo ... 17764.html

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 09 Oct 2014 21:52

msnbc ‏@msnbc 20m20 minutes ago

A black man suspected of possessing marijuana was allegedly pistol-whipped and punched while surrendering to police: http://on.msnbc.com/1xtU9lX

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 09 Oct 2014 22:14

The Independent ‏@Independent 11m11 minutes ago

Police pepper-spray black teenager in his home after mistaking him for a burglar http://ind.pn/1vRmpxT

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 10 Oct 2014 13:19

Huffington Post ‏@HuffingtonPost 52m52 minutes ago

Protesters clash with police in St. Louis http://huff.to/1vT2gY8

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 10 Oct 2014 16:34

The New York Times ‏@nytimes 20m20 minutes ago

Supreme Court Blocks Wisconsin’s Voter Identification Law http://nyti.ms/1w8142S

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 10 Oct 2014 18:58

msnbc ‏@msnbc 2h2 hours ago

6 anti-woman policies Scott Walker may want voters to forget: http://on.msnbc.com/1vb8sOf (John Hart/AP)

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 10 Oct 2014 19:58

Salon.com ‏@Salon 41s41 seconds ago

The latest NFL bombshell: Former exec says teams have covered up "hundreds and hundreds" of domestic violence cases http://slnm.us/nQlUj6l

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 10 Oct 2014 20:12

Salon.com ‏@Salon 24m24 minutes ago

Stephen Colbert rips the "White Christian" establishment and its moronic defense of Columbus http://slnm.us/AbGemeu

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 11 Oct 2014 14:35

Los Angeles Times ‏@latimes 43m43 minutes ago

LAPD falsified records to make it appear that officers were patrolling when they weren't, investigation finds: http://lat.ms/1so0GhR

Zynda · Post by **Zynda** » 11 Oct 2014 15:49

Peace Officers are just and right

Note: Link points to a video

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 11 Oct 2014 23:16

The Independent ‏@Independent 23m23 minutes ago

Black teen in the US? You're 21 times more likely to be shot by police http://i100.io/iZOZpzN

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 13 Oct 2014 15:15

Salon.com ‏@Salon 2m2 minutes ago

America's "scientific" racists: These groups don't wear white hoods, but their ideas are just as ugly as the KKK http://slnm.us/Ldp6Gq8

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 13 Oct 2014 18:55

WSJ Greater New York ‏@WSJNY 1h1 hour ago

Under a national spotlight, Sayreville, N.J., grapples with sexual hazing allegations against its football team http://on.wsj.com/1sGOrxp

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 13 Oct 2014 20:28

Salon.com ‏@Salon 39m39 minutes ago

"Grow a spine": Mike Huckabee demands that the GOP be more anti-gay http://slnm.us/twIu9Pg

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 13 Oct 2014 20:29

Slate ‏@Slate 41m41 minutes ago

Elizabeth Warren says Obama "protected Wall Street…not people who lost their jobs": http://slate.me/11aSkjj

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 13 Oct 2014 21:19

Slate ‏@Slate 10m10 minutes ago

A Clinton-era military official compared gays to Nazis and rapists in a White House meeting: http://slate.me/1s9VooM

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 13 Oct 2014 21:51

Huffington Post ‏@HuffingtonPost 1h1 hour ago

State lawmaker: Democratic congresswoman will lose because she's "ugly as sin" http://huff.to/1sHySoV

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 13 Oct 2014 22:37

The New York Times ‏@nytimes 7m7 minutes ago

The towering presence of Florida State football had cast a shadow over justice in Tallahassee http://nyti.ms/1z4txN5

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 14 Oct 2014 03:42

Rats! We need a Pied Piper man to rid us of these vermin who've escaped from Washington and the White House!

Rat population out of control in New York, report warns
Rat sightings jump 10 per cent in year as city finance chief warns rodents are “daily, stomach-turning insult to New Yorkers”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... warns.html
[quote] By Rosa Prince
13 Oct 2014

It is no wonder New Yorkers have a reputation for being somewhat ratty.

An official report into the rodent problem in the Big Apple confirms that rat sightings are up by 10 per cent in a year, with the pests straying into residential homes, businesses and restaurants.

In the last financial year there were 24,586 complaints, compared to 22,300 during the previous 12 months.

As most people do not report rat sightings, the true number of rodents on the streets of New York is thought to run into the millions, possibly surpassing the 8 million human population.

Scott Stringer, New York City Comptroller, said: “Rats are a daily, stomach-turning insult to New Yorkers – whether they’re scurrying over people’s feet on the sidewalks, invading homes where children sleep or swarming through restaurants.”
Related Articles

Louvre rats: rodents plague Paris museum gardens
28 Jul 2014

Rise of the super rat
27 Jun 2014

Downing Street rat strikes again
24 Jan 2011

Giant rat attempts to cross busy road
04 Apr 2014

Rats are a frequent sight on the city’s streets, with tourists complaining that they pop up at popular venues such as Central Park and Columbus Circle in Manhattan.

But it is the infestation of homes which carry the biggest health hazard to New Yorkers, as the rodents can transmit numerous infectious diseases.

An audit conduction by the Officer of the Comptroller found that the City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene had failed to manage its pest control program effectively.

Mr Stringer said: “Without a vigilant and timely response by the city to citizen complaints, this problem will come back to bite us again and again.”

In a statement, however, the Health Department said it “strongly disagrees” with the audit.

“We believe the auditors reached incorrect conclusions because they focused only on complaints while ignoring the fact that complaint response is a small part of the department’s overall approach to discovering where rats are present, notifying owners about how to respond, and carrying out targeted efforts to exterminate and prevent rats from re-emerging,” the statement said.
[quote]

PS:Will there be plague in the Big Apple after Ebola?

member_28797 · Post by **member_28797** » 15 Oct 2014 01:35

Proud americans fighting for their freedom and kicking out the socialist commies who want health care and shit

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 15 Oct 2014 13:26

Huffington Post ‏@HuffingtonPost 11m11 minutes ago

Preacher claims God will send something worse than Ebola as punishment for allowing gay marriage http://huff.to/1sQrXKn

A Baptist preacher says the biblical "End Times" are upon us thanks to a federal judge striking down a ban on gay marriage in North Carolina.

According to Ron Baity of the Berean Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., God is so angry over the decision that He's about to send something even worse than Ebola.

"You think Ebola is bad now, just wait," Baity warned during his sermon on Sunday.

Baity spoke of hearing an official bless a gay marriage, something he claimed was a direct violation of the Bible.

“If you think for one skinny minute, God is going to stand idly by and allow this to go forward without repercussions, you better back up and rethink this situation,” Baity said in remarks transcribed by Raw Story. “I want you to understand, that is raw, pure blasphemy.”

Baity also drew comparisons between gay marriage and Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities destroyed by God in biblical stories.

"My friend, we are meriting, we are bringing the judgement of God on this nation as sure as Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed, don’t be surprised at the plagues. Don’t be surprised at the judgement of God," Baity said. “You think Ebola is bad now, just wait. If it’s not that, it’s going to be something else. My friends, I want you to understand, you can’t thumb your nose at God, and God turn his head away without God getting your attention.”

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 15 Oct 2014 18:14

Fox News ‏@FoxNews 32m32 minutes ago

Pastor with AIDS sued after revelation of multiple affairs: http://fxn.ws/1EXI5hQ

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Rev. Juan D. McFarland is described as a man of "passion, prayer and purpose" in a three-paragraph summary on the website of the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. The site concludes by saying such an overview "does not begin to tell his story."

Parishioners realized just how true that was in recent weeks, when McFarland dropped the bombshells: He had had affairs with several women in the parish -- inside the church -- but neglected to tell them he had AIDS.

"It was surprise, shock, but I think the leadership team did not react wanting to get him out. We wanted to get him help," said James Long, vice chairman of the board of trustees.

McFarland refused -- and in a later sermon dropped another bombshell: He had been abusing drugs.

That was enough. The deacons voted 80-1 to fire him on Oct. 5

...
In contrast to the website's glowing portrayal of McFarland, the suit accuses him of "debauchery, sinfulness, hedonism, sexual misconduct, dishonesty, thievery and rejection of the Ten Commandments."

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 15 Oct 2014 20:33

The New York Times ‏@nytimes 60m60 minutes ago

New York Police Officer Is Found Guilty in Ticket-Fixing Case http://nyti.ms/1wGOF6q

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 16 Oct 2014 01:22

Ongoing wonders of the workplace in the land of milk and honey (and elsewhere too)

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 16 Oct 2014 19:12

He's back.Former peanut farmer,ex-Governor,ex-Pres,renowned global peacemaker Jimmy Carter ,is back on the campaign trail,this time rooting for his grandson Jason for the Georgia gubernatorial spat.Who said that nepotism was only a disease of the "turd world"? Remember a certain family called the Kennedys?

Jimmy Carter campaigns again – to get grandson elected as Georgia governor
Ex-US president praises Jason Carter’s fight for voter rights as Democrats expect tight race against incumbent Nathan Deal
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014 ... georgia-us

It has been more than four decades since Jimmy Carter campaigned to become governor in Georgia – and his winning race set the stage for his election as president in 1976.

On Sunday, Carter – who has just turned 90 – was out campaigning again, for his grandson Jason, a Democratic state senator and lawyer from Atlanta, who is challenging the Republican governor, Nathan Deal, on 4 November, in a close race.

The former president and his grandson spoke during a church service open to the public in south Georgia, a key area for Jason as he looks to woo former Democrats back to a party that many left more than a decade ago. The visit to Mt. Zion Baptist church in Albany was part of a campaign push ahead of early voting, which begins on Monday.

The former president spoke of the struggle for black people to obtain the right to vote and praised his grandson for fighting against the state’s voter identification law. Carter said Republicans were for limiting, not expanding, voter access.

“He’s led the charge,” Carter said of his grandson’s work in the courtroom to challenge the state law. “Everyone here and everyone you can contact should join with Jason when the time comes this year to make Martin Luther King’s dream come true.”
Former president Jimmy Carter hugs his grandson, Georgia Democratic candidate for governor Jason Carter. Former president Jimmy Carter hugs his grandson, Georgia Democratic candidate for governor Jason Carter. Photograph: Phil Sears/AP

Republicans who have pushed the legislation obliging voters to show a photo ID at the polls say the requirement will reduce fraud, but Democrats insist fraud is extremely rare and that the law represents a Republican effort to reduce Democratic turnout on election day. Young people and minorities, who tend to support Democratic candidates, often lack the required photo IDs.

Polls suggest a tight race between Carter and Deal and Democrats see both the governor’s race and a fierce battle for the state’s open Senate seat as critical to laying the foundation for Georgia to become a presidential swing state in 2016.

Until this point, the elder Carter had largely stayed behind the scenes, headlining private fundraisers and offering counsel to his grandson’s campaign. But in the final weeks, he is taking on a more prominent role.

Among those in the crowd was Hildry Branch, a retired teacher from Albany, who brought her family to hear the former president and who appreciated his support for his grandson. A lifelong Democrat, Branch said she planned to vote for the younger Carter.

“I like what he’s said about education,” she said. “All children need to be educated. That’s one thing no one can take from you.”

During his remarks, Carter talked about how his grandfather had inspired him, and what prompted him to run for governor this year.

“He was born in a little country town in south Georgia,” he said of his grandfather. “He didn’t have a lot in his life. But if one child in rural Georgia can grow up to do the things he has done, then we owe it to every child to educate them and give them opportunity.”

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 16 Oct 2014 22:29

Move Over, ISIS, and Go Ahead, Make Our Day! We need to train using our 34 bullets!

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 16 Oct 2014 22:30

Slate ‏@Slate 3h3 hours ago

This little-known PAC is teaching companies to coerce their employees to pick the "right candidates": http://slate.me/1DefZNu

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 16 Oct 2014 23:03

Salon.com ‏@Salon 47m47 minutes ago

Washington man arrested after firing shots into multiple police stations & patrol cars, one sergeant wounded http://slnm.us/tBRg30K

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 17 Oct 2014 13:42

This is sort of routine, except its next doort.

Cops locked down the local highway and are searching grass with flashlights. No sign of the person they are looking for. Prior to the search, this gentleman went to the coffee shop I would go to if I wanted coffee. There he paid for coffee with a lot of blood on his hands. He then sat down and had his coffee while trying to borrow the computer tablet from the customer on the next table over unsuccessfully (this is a bit hazy, the protocol is usually to hand over valuables without a fight). He then walked a block and dived into the bushes around the main highway. Main/big highway shutdown for hours, no sign yet.

In the meantime, there were a dozen or so gunshots on someone in a different part of the town.

Whats going on around you?

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 18 Oct 2014 09:34

Dont look over there...

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 Oct 2014 10:36

He's back (carter) and now She's Back!

Hillary Clinton's back – and already she’s raising the rafters
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 02705.html

Seven years after Obama dashed her White House hopes, the former first lady returns to the stump. But it’s just to support others – isn’t it?
David Usborne

Michigan
Friday 17 October 2014

It has been seven years since Hillary Clinton was in Michigan setting out on her ultimately unsuccessful 2008 bid for the White House, and this Thursday night – to deafening roars of approval in a basketball arena in Auburn Hills, north of Detroit – she was back. Only this time she was campaigning for others. Technically.

Freshly a grandmother – Chelsea gave birth to a girl named Charlotte at the end of September – Mrs Clinton, 66, has embarked on a gruelling grind of stump appearances to support Democrat candidates in races that may make the difference between Democrats being humiliated in midterm elections next month or just about hanging on.

It is a tour which inevitably has a back-to-the-future subtext that has Democrats all over the country titillated in anticipation. The former first lady, senator from New York and Secretary of State, still hasn’t said if she means to run again in 2016 – but to many the question is more when than if. A switch of control of the US Senate from Democrats to Republicans on 4 November, a distinct possibility, may prompt her to declare sooner than later.

“If it’s today, I’ve got my camera ready,” declared Tina Gloss Finnell, 45. The die-hard Hillary fan was attending a rally on the campus of Oakland University for Gary Peters and Mark Schauer– a current and a former member of Congress – who are seeking election to the US Senate and the state governorship respectively. She wasn’t alone in dreaming that Mrs Clinton might end the suspense here, though she knew it wasn’t the place or the moment.

Only one speaker, US congressman Sandy Levin – it’s the retirement of his brother, Carl Levin, from the Senate that has created a vacancy here – broke the will-she-won’t-she taboo of the night. “She is not here because of possibilities in 2016,” he insisted, as he warmed up the crowd before she came to the stage. The mere mention of the year caused ripples of knowing laughter. “She is here because of the problems and concerns of 2014.”

Those are real if you are a Democrat in Michigan which, in spite of its blue-collar traditions of manufacturing, especially in the car industry, has been under unchallenged Republican rule since the current governor, Rick Snyder, was elected in 2010 and Democrats found themselves in the minority in both chambers of the state legislature. Losing Carl Levin’s seat would be the ultimate humiliation, winning back the governor’s office the sweetest rebuke.

Doubtless, the presence of Mrs Clinton will be a boost for Mr Peters and Mr Schauer, for whom turnout among Democrats on 4 November will decide everything. Both are in tight races; energising voters in the midterms is hard. There was another big-name Democrat on hand last week, Michelle Obama. And Barack Obama, who otherwise is largely absent from the campaign trail, will be here next week.

“Secretary Clinton will be a great motivator to get Democrats out to the polls, which is always critical in a midterm election,” commented Guy Cecil, director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Before coming to Michigan, Mrs Clinton also campaigned last week in Kentucky for Alison Lundergan Grimes who is trying to unseat Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell.

Both states speak to the particular strengths Mrs Clinton showed in 2008 when she was narrowly beaten to the nomination by Mr Obama. While it was too late in the primary process, she walloped Mr Obama in Kentucky by wooing a demographic he struggled always to connect with: white and working-class men. And working women.

If Mrs Clinton is rusty after so long off the trail, no one would have known it. Instead she dug deep into her rhetorical repertoire to deliver a roof-raiser, pounding the themes of jobs, family and grit, knowing they would resonate especially well here. She demanded a higher minimum wage and equal pay for women.

A bus promoting Hillary Clinton's new book A bus promoting Hillary Clinton's new book (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty)
“This is the state where Rosie the Riveter inspired a country,” Mrs Clinton offered, in a reference to the mythical icon of the American manufacturing effort during the Second World War, when women lined a converted car-production line in Ypsilanti, Michigan, building B-24 bombers. “Why is it that women still get paid less than men for doing the same work?” she raged. “Why after American women have contributed so much to our economy over the past decades do we still act as if it’s 1955?” And she didn’t forget the trauma suffered by the car industry in the crash.

“GM and Chrysler teetered on the brink ... more than a million jobs hung in the balance,” she declared, noting that Messrs Schauer and Peters had both supported the car-industry bail-out when they were in Congress and Mr Obama was newly elected. “They could have lined up with those saying, ‘Let Detroit go bankrupt. Let manufacturing just wither away. They could have been on the side of those who were criticising what they called Government Motors.”

Hillary Clinton greets supporters at a rally for U.S. Senate candidate Gary Peters and gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer in Michigan Hillary Clinton greets supporters at a rally for U.S. Senate candidate Gary Peters and gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer in Michigan (AP)
If the reception for her was warm – thunderous even – not everyone in the crowd was sure Mrs Clinton is who they want. Bob Frase, 54, a retired concrete labourer, would rather see Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who made her reputation taking on Wall Street and the banks that helped create the financial meltdown. And he has a long memory. In 2008 Mrs Clinton proposed tackling high petrol prices by tapping into the US emergency oil reserve. “That was a chicken-shit thing to say,” he said. “She was just pandering for votes. I can’t forget it.”

Ken Labelle, 61, a specialist in sleep disorders, says he would normally like to see Vice-President Joe Biden given a shot in 2016 or indeed Senator Warren. But he isn’t sure either would be viable. “We are going to need a strong candidate who is going to win. Hillary would be a very strong candidate and I think a very good president.”

The speech she gave here was a little reminder of how powerful a candidate she could be. And for her, it was a warm-up. (Just in case, of course.) Before she was done she returned to Rosie the Riveter, who was celebrated, she said, for “cracking the ceiling and showing there’s no job a woman can’t do.” Count among them, being president.

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 20 Oct 2014 22:08

The Independent ‏@Independent 4m4 minutes ago

15-year-old boy left in critical condition after being gang raped at a party in Kentucky http://ind.pn/1t2WpAJ

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 21 Oct 2014 19:13

msnbc ‏@msnbc 1h1 hour ago

House GOP candidate calls gay couples "gremlins" and "bullies": http://on.msnbc.com/1t8b3rw #LGBT (Photo: Allen Breed/AP)

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 21 Oct 2014 22:10

Salon.com ‏@Salon 56m56 minutes ago

When white teens smash pumpkins, they're "kids being kids." When black protestors do the same, they're arrested http://slnm.us/vcs4tQw

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 22 Oct 2014 10:23

The Associated Press ‏@AP 2h2 hours ago

FBI says 3 Denver girls may have tried to join jihadis in Syria after stealing parents' money, flying to Germany: http://apne.ws/1DyLxhl

Another U.S. official called the case "concerning" both to the community and to the country in general. The official said the evidence gathered so far made it clear that the girls were headed to Syria, though the official said investigators were still determining what sort of contacts they had in that country. The official said investigators would be trying to figure out whether there were "like-minded" friends and acquaintances in the girls' social circle.

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 22 Oct 2014 22:22

Salon.com ‏@Salon 2h2 hours ago

GOP congressman delivers shocking speech to high school crowd, compares gay marriage to bull sex and worse http://slnm.us/1hOvWWK

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 23 Oct 2014 07:44

David Usborne
Wednesday 22 October 2014

With two more years still left in office, has Obama already lost the plot entirely?
It’s election time again and the President is getting pelted
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/com ... 11779.html

I stumbled across an old press photo of Barack Obama delivering a speech in Pennsylvania in a downpour days before his election to the White House in 2008. You may remember the image yourself, his black jacket slick with rain, brow glistening. He looked heroic. The thousands who got soaked listening were heroic too.

That was six years ago almost to the day. It’s election time again – these are the midterms, when voters once more pick all of the House of Representatives and about a third of the Senate, plus assorted governors – and Mr Obama is getting pelted again, not by the elements but by those who think they know better than he on everything.

A tempest of pundits is harder to endure. It might explain why in an interview in the latest New Yorker, Mr Obama is drawn into musing about what he might do next even though he has over two more years in office. Or rather not do next, which is seek a nomination to the US Supreme Court. The question was cheeky if only because it assumed that the next president will pick him and therefore will be Hillary Clinton.

“I think being a justice is a little bit too monastic for me. Particularly after having spent six years and what will be eight years in this bubble, I think I need to get outside a little bit more.” He recalled, instead, the joy of teaching.

So Mr Obama is mentally packing his bags, unmeasuring the Oval Office curtains? They will be saying that somewhere. He has to be miserable, doesn’t he? Michelle Obama is a hot ticket on the campaign trail for Democrat candidates – she is in Denver today – but almost no one wants him to stump with them. And then there is what happened when he did get out last Sunday trying to boost the Democrat candidate for Maryland governor.

There has been some debate about the accuracy of this and I wasn’t there, but according to a Reuters reporter who was at the rally for Anthony Brown, “a steady stream of people walked out of the auditorium” while Mr Obama was in full, presidential flow. They were reportedly mostly African-Americans. Mr Obama was talking about voter turnout.

Was he really that dull? Has it come to pass that Mr Obama’s stock has fallen so far that even his most faithful friends, black Americans, can’t be bothered to hear him out even when indoors? I can’t fathom it. African-Americans may fret he hasn’t achieved more, but they blame Republicans for getting in the way, not him

As if he had lost the plot entirely, the President is now being lambasted for telling the Rev Al Sharpton on the radio this week that he doesn’t mind if Democrat candidates keep their distance from him if that’s what they need. “The bottom line is, though, these are all folks who vote with me; they have supported my agenda in Congress,” he said.

Reasonable point, no? No! This – allegedly – was stupendously clumsy, because it basically gives the lie to all those Democrats out there, like Senator Mary Landrieu in Louisiana, who have been so strenuously pretending NOT to support his agenda. What a gift to the Republicans, cried the pundits on the right and the left.

But Mr Obama is no dummy. He has good reason to be on radio shows with a direct line to black voters. He is explaining how things actually are because getting them to vote on 4 November in big numbers is at this point the only thing standing between Democrats and catastrophe. If it gets him a little wet again, so be it.