tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76330057765135513362024-03-14T10:23:07.968-07:00Critical ThinkingThe Critical Thinking Co.™
"Critical thinking is the identification and evaluation of evidence to guide decision making. A critical thinker uses broad in-depth analysis of evidence to make decisions and communicate his/her beliefs clearly and accurately." "Critical thinking includes the ability to respond to material by distinguishing between facts and opinions or personal feelings, judgments and inferences, inductive and deductive arguments, and the objective and subjective."ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.comBlogger277125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-14167885634073352662021-04-01T19:09:00.006-07:002021-04-01T19:12:16.211-07:00Racism101<p> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">WHAT I CAN TEACH YOU</span></p><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">ABOUT RACISM</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">Let me tell you how my story ends: I become a tenured, award-winning professor of political science at an Ivy League university, and then at one of the leading universities in the South.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">Now let me tell you how my story begins: I grow up in rural Virginia, literally dirt poor. I drop out of school in the eighth grade and have three children by the time I'm 20.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">I consider myself to be a reasonably modest person, but even I have to admit that's quite a journey.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPB4-LLiEYWD5eY5aMMjCFUwkBggoRLFzgE2U11kf8XFuEXlSAYZgQdysOqXGKXbtpLnj8bRT4wO4gDsXIB1x_9bkNoIhldkUgXS_EpHkKZuOc2X-AP56XLswNC4oksbhXPf70B84LbGA/s960/CarolSwainOnRacismInAmericaIMG_6165.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="686" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPB4-LLiEYWD5eY5aMMjCFUwkBggoRLFzgE2U11kf8XFuEXlSAYZgQdysOqXGKXbtpLnj8bRT4wO4gDsXIB1x_9bkNoIhldkUgXS_EpHkKZuOc2X-AP56XLswNC4oksbhXPf70B84LbGA/s320/CarolSwainOnRacismInAmericaIMG_6165.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">How did I do it?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">I worked hard. Not crazy, 24/7 hard—just hard. I made good decisions. Not brilliant, three-dimensional-chess decisions—just good ones. I met people along the way who helped me and sincerely wanted to see me succeed—not because they had something to gain, but because they were decent people. Almost all of these individuals, by the way, were white.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">But mostly, I think I was blessed in one crucial way:<u> I was born in America</u>, a true land of opportunity for anyone of any color or background. In this country, where you start your life does not determine where you end up.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">That works in both directions, by the way. You can start out with every advantage and waste them all. Or you can start out with nothing and become a success. It all depends on you. Your attitude is far more important than your race, gender, or social class in determining what you will accomplish in life.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">When I hear young Blacks—or anyone, for that matter—talk about systemic racism, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I want to laugh because it's such nonsense. I want to cry because I know it's pushing untold numbers of young Blacks into a dead end of self-pity and despair. Instead of seizing the amazing opportunities America offers them, they seize an excuse to explain why they're not succeeding.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">I was born into a world where systemic racism was real—no-fooling, outright-bigotry, back-of-the-bus real. But here's what you need to know: Yes, that racism shaped the black experience—but even then, it did not define it. Change was in the air. Call it systemic reform.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">The modern Civil Rights Movement was in its infancy, and the leaders who fought for equal rights for Blacks were men and women of all races. They believed in America and were determined to see it live up to its highest ideals—ideals manifest in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBg-pivMQTcZ7SY7llIwastmxrRYhi-LnoHQ58FHhswlgO2lXk3G6N6TMY8hD1Bj0hmw_Ud5KfX2dgrQ5-B4-1nxzK3HD6bb3OAW-NuYNUD51SsG83gZQpJD7nMr3GehOhwAsqBZ0p2_w/s960/LondonBook117333510_3294615280608282_2788042277584375215_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBg-pivMQTcZ7SY7llIwastmxrRYhi-LnoHQ58FHhswlgO2lXk3G6N6TMY8hD1Bj0hmw_Ud5KfX2dgrQ5-B4-1nxzK3HD6bb3OAW-NuYNUD51SsG83gZQpJD7nMr3GehOhwAsqBZ0p2_w/s320/LondonBook117333510_3294615280608282_2788042277584375215_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" />(<a href="https://cgalightbearer.blogspot.com/2020/08/only-in-america-living-dream.html)">https://cgalightbearer.blogspot.com/2020/08/only-in-america-living-dream.html)</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">Did I know, growing up, that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson owned slaves? I don't think I ever thought about it. If I did, I'd like to think that I would have had enough common sense to know that we can't judge men who lived 250 years ago by the moral standards of our own day.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">But I know that Jefferson wrote the words in the Declaration of Independence that made slavery ultimately impossible: that <u>all men are created equal.</u> And I know that Washington, Hamilton, Franklin, Adams and the rest of the Founders risked everything to make my world, my America, possible. How could I not be grateful for that and for the sacrifices so many others have made to preserve it?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">The truth is I cannot remember a time when I did not<u> love America and feel pride</u> in the belief that I live in the greatest country in the world. I knew if I diligently pursued my ambitions, I could leave the poverty of my early years, with all its abuse and depression, behind me.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">I was fortunate in another way. I was spared the life-sapping, negative messages about America that are crippling a generation of young people. <b><u>These ideas are poison:</u></b></span><b><u><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /></u></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">☆ White privilege.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">☆ Whiteness as a form of property.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">☆ Unconscious racism.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">☆ Reparations.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">☆ Microaggressions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">☆ Police have it out for blacks.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">☆ That the United States was created to protect and promote slavery.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">These are the ideas young people are told they must accept. And then they're told to reject the ideas that can save them—the antidote: the success principles that enabled me and millions of other Americans to escape lives of poverty.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">These principles aren't complicated: work hard, learn from your mistakes, take personal responsibility for your actions. When I made the decisions to get my high school equivalency, attend a community college, and then earn four additional college and university degrees, <u>I believed that my education would open doors</u>. And it did.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">It was only when exposed to academic theories of oppression in graduate school that I was informed that because I was Black, poor, and female, I could never do what I had already accomplished.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">Thank God, it was too late for these toxic messages to stop me. Don't let them stop you.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">—Carol Swain</span></div>ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-55962976715861876692020-11-07T09:30:00.007-08:002020-11-07T11:18:04.727-08:002020 Voter Fraud Coup<p> </p><p> AMERICA UNDER SIEGE.</p><h1 class="art-title">"Color Revolution": Biden team is following carefully scripted coup intended to take down America</h1>
<div class="art-subtitle">'This is a carefully scripted
coup intended to take down our constitutional republic and transform it
into something unrecognizable to our Founders and inimical to our
liberties'</div><p>November 5, 2020 (<a href="http://lifesitenews.com/">LifeSiteNews</a>)
– I know that some of you may be dispirited, even despairing, that
Trump and all of us who support him didn’t achieve a decisive win on
election day. But events are moving very quickly now. We need everyone
to get back on their feet and back in the game. Your country needs
you. The babies need you.</p>
<p>The first thing everyone must recognize is the seriousness of the current situation. We are in the middle of what is called <a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.choosefreedom.io%2F%3Fs%3Dcolor%2Brevolution&data=04%7C01%7Cpbaklinski%40lifesitenews.com%7C602a65a3f4244588439808d881b5f273%7Cb1de1e02454440878df20244507fd8e6%7C1%7C1%7C637401965763902521%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000&sdata=gBdoZwKNnYKcJReS7DfTt1HRXaCwD3oWQAZxr9tCLl8%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank">Color Revolution</a>. This
is a carefully scripted coup intended to take down our constitutional
republic and transform it into something unrecognizable to our Founders
and inimical to our liberties. </p><p>This means that what just happened was not a “normal”
election. Rather, it was a pre-scripted scam used by the
revolutionaries to determine how many votes they needed to tip the
balance in their favor. Once they knew that number—in Michigan,
Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania—late ballots are being “discovered” to put
their candidate in the lead. This is how the Left operates in places
like Venezuela. It must not be allowed to succeed here.</p>
<p>The forces arrayed against us are formidable. I’m not talking here
just about the Democrat Party. Despite the fact that it has been
hollowed out by Socialists, it alone could be dealt with. Rather, I’m
talking also about the Globalists and their institutions, including Wall
Street and the major U.S. media. And, of course, I’m talking about the
Chinese Communists and their many front organizations and flunkies in
the United States. Joe Biden is the compromise candidate of all these
groups.</p><p>In the same way, the chaos is not just about President Trump; it is
about defeating and disarming every last one of us who believes in the
promise of America as a sovereign nation that defends life, protects
liberty, and preserves equal justice before the law. As the president
has said, “They are really after you. I am just in the way.”</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjET7-r6GH2fdXpiKaQoWKWmi-UpqWlKRmlyKpeWVEttlgd6tvF7DyDff94HaUPH9ZyKa0qQXWvll8WKaHZLKeRmVUf24UWR0SPz8UylZNy5D2j9oazl-82dB8ns27yovshz-ZXoV63OFJm/s843/TrumpAmerFlag91169677_10222002632797859_8539712560155328512_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjET7-r6GH2fdXpiKaQoWKWmi-UpqWlKRmlyKpeWVEttlgd6tvF7DyDff94HaUPH9ZyKa0qQXWvll8WKaHZLKeRmVUf24UWR0SPz8UylZNy5D2j9oazl-82dB8ns27yovshz-ZXoV63OFJm/s320/TrumpAmerFlag91169677_10222002632797859_8539712560155328512_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><p>In order to encourage each other and organize, we must all move onto
new media. Even Fox (aside from the evening talk show hosts) can no
longer be trusted. Sign up for <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/">LifeSiteNews</a>
and other news sites like Epoch Times, Breitbart, Newsmax, One America
News (OAN), or Real America’s Voice. Use Twitter but link up on Parler
as well for the day when @Jack shuts you down like he has so many
others. </p>
<p>To encourage ourselves and others, keep the Trump signs up and the
flags flying. Ramp back up the Trump Trains that shocked the
opposition. I look for the President and his surrogates to start
holding rallies again soon. It’s a great way for him to bypass the
hostile media and speak directly to the American people. </p>
<p>Don’t listen to the voices of surrender—there will surely be a few of
these from the members of the Republican Establishment. Take your cues
instead from people like Newt Gingrich, Tom Cotton, Allen West, Mike
Huckabee, Donald Trump Jr., and, of course, from the President
himself. </p><p>Finally and most importantly, we must pray. Try to spend some time
before the Blessed Sacrament to pray for our country and our president.
The late, great Father John Hardon often reminded us to never
underestimate the graces that flow from spending any amount of time in
His Eucharistic presence.</p>
<p>Prayer can change history. We all know about the Battle of
Lepanto. But let me also share with you a much more recent example that
comes from the “People Power” revolution in the Philippines which was
shared with me by Cardinal Jaime Sin, the then-Cardinal-Archbishop of
Manilla, over dinner some years ago.</p><p>In 1986, the people of Manilla rose up and demanded an end to the
dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Cardinal Sin was afraid that the
demonstrations, which grew larger every day, would end in a government
crackdown and much bloodshed. </p>
<p>He called all of the convents in the country and begged the nuns to
get down on their knees before the Blessed Sacrament and pray for divine
intervention. “Raise your arms to Heaven as Moses did and pray for
victory,” he told them. “Pray that Marcos will step down, and democracy
restored.”</p>
<p>The key moment came when the demonstrators approached the
presidential palace. The palace guard was lined up in firing
position. Just as the commander was about to give the order to fire, a
beautiful lady appeared in the sky before the soldiers. They all
simultaneously took their fingers off the triggers.</p>
<p>The massacre was averted and Marcos fled.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjST4QBIC29FwoC4MIaoHoRCiMXoXOL0pSLDe0tVCHIeP8TBZtVftihrVHoZ860j4di8EsahjkM67JR_gwq4sMqiyu1MFr5bCg8Bhyphenhyphen3hjbwX-GVYOriwFLpziJLWtiybaTSB8Logxq_JYnT/s960/Trump118616632_10223539614021429_907934155225571021_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="764" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjST4QBIC29FwoC4MIaoHoRCiMXoXOL0pSLDe0tVCHIeP8TBZtVftihrVHoZ860j4di8EsahjkM67JR_gwq4sMqiyu1MFr5bCg8Bhyphenhyphen3hjbwX-GVYOriwFLpziJLWtiybaTSB8Logxq_JYnT/s320/Trump118616632_10223539614021429_907934155225571021_o.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<p>In order to defeat those who would steal not just an election, but our very country, we must likewise storm Heaven.</p>
<div>
<p><i>Steven W. Mosher is the President of the Population Research
Institute and the author of Bully of Asia: Why China’s Dream is the New
Threat to World Order</i></p><p><i>CON'T</i></p><p>As devout Christians and faithful citizens of the United States of
America, we have intense and heartfelt concern for the fate of our
beloved country while the final results of the Presidential election are
still uncertain.</p>
<p>News of electoral fraud is multiplying, despite the shameful attempts
of the mainstream media to censor the truth of the facts in order to
give their candidate the advantage. There are states in which the number
of votes is greater than the number of voters; others in which the
mail-in vote seems to be exclusively in favor of Joe Biden; others in
which the counting of ballots has been suspended for no reason or where
sensational tampering has been discovered: always and only against
President Donald J. Trump, always and only in favor of Biden.</p><p>In truth, for months now we have been witnessing a continuous trickle
of staggered news, of manipulated or censored information, of crimes
that have been silenced or covered up in the face of striking evidence
and irrefutable testimony. We have seen the deep state organize itself,
well in advance, to carry out the most colossal electoral fraud in
history, in order to ensure the defeat of the man who has strenuously
opposed the establishment of the New World Order that is wanted by the
children of darkness. In this battle, you have not failed, as is your
sacred duty, to make your own contribution by taking the side of the
Good. Others, enslaved by vices or blinded by infernal hatred against
Our Lord, have taken the side of Evil.</p>
<p>Do not think that the children of darkness act with honesty, and do
not be scandalized if they operate with deception. Do you perhaps
believe that Satan’s followers are honest, sincere, and loyal? The Lord
has warned us against the Devil: “<i>He was a murderer from the
beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and
the father of lies</i>” (Jn 8:44).</p><p><u><b> <span data-offset-key="l752-0-0"><span data-text="true">Trump Planned Ahead!! Secretly Marked All Official Ballots, like the Silk Threads in U S Money Paper.</span></span></b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ny-1xgRwOTa4wMnfm5HlhmkhVJhCLkyh6v-vgmHkP7TK5fqo3TLc3_LD1slyLOj_0mJYHysChkB6d1QbnX_Lcjin4Biws7JVD3N4BWtBrApP_Nqu2RY8WRnxczTl6vrRMn4Hn0mgae4/s960/LondonVoterFraudTrap124058386_3474544702625098_7228520594099573529_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="674" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ny-1xgRwOTa4wMnfm5HlhmkhVJhCLkyh6v-vgmHkP7TK5fqo3TLc3_LD1slyLOj_0mJYHysChkB6d1QbnX_Lcjin4Biws7JVD3N4BWtBrApP_Nqu2RY8WRnxczTl6vrRMn4Hn0mgae4/s320/LondonVoterFraudTrap124058386_3474544702625098_7228520594099573529_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><i> </i></p>
</div>ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-81550373398590844062020-09-29T03:33:00.008-07:002020-09-29T04:41:06.446-07:00Ugly as SinNews Feed posts
Daily magyar
2h ·
Csúnya, mint a bűn. [ˈtʃuːɲɑ mint ɑ byːn]
or
Csúnya, akar a bűn. [ˈtʃuːɲɑ ɑkɑr ɑ byːn] (gipsy slang)
Translation: He/she/it is ugly as sin.
Meaning: He/she/it is ugly as fuck.; He/she/it is really ugly.
csúnya [ˈtʃuːɲɑ] – ugly; nasty
mint [ˈmint] – than; as…as; like
akár [ˈɑkaːr] – just like; as; like
akar [ˈɑkɑr]
1) just like; as; like (dialectical word or gipsy slang)
2) he/she wants
akarni [ˈɑkɑrni] – to want
bűn [ˈbyːn] – sin; vice; guilt
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoxweT0aEAZDKbtKsLPmnC3Q3FT2RiNlnD1S9pgAcpLZfw_7qr5lkhtAvAwShgkdeAt8h6pVdh3iiVxi5rAOCS3OYb2G6yIUH7gBaHSP_4syryqVqOmIyF30NYZIX9I3z4Iad4oHYGYo/s810/HungarianWordUGLYasSin95859020_2817139028412192_6917713844378796032_o.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoxweT0aEAZDKbtKsLPmnC3Q3FT2RiNlnD1S9pgAcpLZfw_7qr5lkhtAvAwShgkdeAt8h6pVdh3iiVxi5rAOCS3OYb2G6yIUH7gBaHSP_4syryqVqOmIyF30NYZIX9I3z4Iad4oHYGYo/s320/HungarianWordUGLYasSin95859020_2817139028412192_6917713844378796032_o.jpg"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsYeDVdCLXI7tOjuUN7k1uiI4q0sG8jxHfFZVyE9wc1jkvM2LQ9o4fhTsirENlEiJ2f-Z-OJYEsb3Q5Vh8gGLDH8E59pRtlr3nSsqw3d9t_p6sPeC8jpc-2aaVhVm5ccTOiVHKOrROec/s720/HungarianWordUglyAsSin120192808_10214087087050718_2130928860088192674_n.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsYeDVdCLXI7tOjuUN7k1uiI4q0sG8jxHfFZVyE9wc1jkvM2LQ9o4fhTsirENlEiJ2f-Z-OJYEsb3Q5Vh8gGLDH8E59pRtlr3nSsqw3d9t_p6sPeC8jpc-2aaVhVm5ccTOiVHKOrROec/s320/HungarianWordUglyAsSin120192808_10214087087050718_2130928860088192674_n.jpg"/></a></div>ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-54329547086699863762020-09-15T19:39:00.001-07:002020-09-15T19:39:58.371-07:00Black Like Me, or You, or Us. Whatever (Draft)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgLcmRYMz3cpSBV9w7mH67l-ffQz4zKDosMpaHKrXY53mgQHo09x3kCtF6UvyC9IQXOEpPkCIAcir5PnbrqVE6Xdxm3mqnsMcy4LDJyOYXjRzhjqLOTzw-qIEgTnXM3Q3akhKPFI9cRc/s1600/LondonWhiteGWUprofPretendsToBeblackJackson-JessicaKrug.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgLcmRYMz3cpSBV9w7mH67l-ffQz4zKDosMpaHKrXY53mgQHo09x3kCtF6UvyC9IQXOEpPkCIAcir5PnbrqVE6Xdxm3mqnsMcy4LDJyOYXjRzhjqLOTzw-qIEgTnXM3Q3akhKPFI9cRc/s320/LondonWhiteGWUprofPretendsToBeblackJackson-JessicaKrug.webp" width="320" /></a></div>
Jessica A. Krug, then an associate professor at George
Washington University, posted a confession on the publishing platform
Medium, last Thursday, explaining that she is not who she’d been
claiming to be. “To an escalating degree over my adult life,” she wrote,
“I have eschewed my lived experience as a white Jewish child in
suburban Kansas City under various assumed identities within a Blackness
that I had no right to claim: first North African Blackness, then US
rooted Blackness, then Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness.” Her life and,
by extension, her scholarly career—or is it the other way around?—had
been based on a lie, she admitted, or rather a glut of them, feeding on
good faith like, as Krug put it, “not a culture vulture” but “a culture
leech.”The blog post is light on details—the where, when, and how
of Krug’s masquerade. She speculates that “mental health issues” were
an impetus for her behavior; professionals have assured her that altered
identity is a “common response” to “the severe trauma” that she
incurred during childhood. But she does not name a diagnosis or
elaborate upon the instigating traumatic events, resorting instead to
the generic jargon of self-help, blended with the D.I.Y. verbiage
endemic to the self-care branch of social justice: “redress,” “harm,” “gaslit,” “belonging,”
“accountability.” (Absent are the words “sorry” and “apologize.”) The
post is not well written, but it wants to be—its self-flagellations
taking on the repetitious rhythms of slam poetry. (“I am a coward…. I am
a coward”; “Intention never matters more than impact.”) The performance
is, above all, profoundly awkward. For all her apparent study of the
ways in which certain oppressed groups address wrongs that are done,
Krug proves incapable of writing her way to recompense. “You should
absolutely cancel me, and I absolutely cancel myself,” she writes,
borrowing, with all sincerity, a term of cultural panic that lost its
candor eons ago. “What does that mean?” she asks. “I don’t know.” Within
twenty-four hours, a group of Krug’s colleagues at G.W. released a
statement calling on her to resign or, if not, to be stripped of her
tenure and fired. “With her conduct, Dr. Krug has raised questions about
the veracity of her own research and teaching,” the G.W. Department of
History said in a written statement posted to its Web site. On
Wednesday, it was announced that Krug had resigned. (She did not respond
to my requests to speak with her.)<br />
It seems that Krug exposed herself to avoid being exposed. “I had been following her
transformation for a while,” a scholar in Krug’s field told me. The
scholar, a junior professor who wished to remain anonymous, met Krug
more than a decade ago. “The first time I encountered her, she would
talk about ‘us’ and ‘we,’ ” the junior professor said over the phone.
“And I was scratching my head, like, ‘us’ and ‘we’? And then I realized
she meant Black.” Specifically, “part Algerian”—Krug said that she was
the daughter of Algerian immigrants on her mother’s side, and that her
father was a white man of German origin. “I took her at her word,” the
professor said, “But I always had certain misgivings.” Krug spoke back
then of trauma as part of her heritage, describing herself as the
product of rape between her mother and father, and the junior professor
said that she didn’t want to impinge on Krug by bringing it up, even as
she and other friends, all Latinx, harbored doubts about Krug’s claims.
The way Krug spoke about the junior professor’s own identity was part of
what aroused her suspicion. “I’m middle class. I’ve never tried to be
anything else,” she said. “I think she was pushing me or encouraging me
to adopt a more radical political position.” These sorts of challenges
ate away at the remaining amiability between
<br />
Krug and her Afro-Latinx peers. “There came a point when we were
just, like, ‘This is bullshit.’ ” Still, they were operating on a
feeling. Without proof or a violation of academic protocol or issues
with Krug’s scholarship—“I always respected her intellectually,” the
junior professor said—there was nothing to be done but add distance.
“There wasn’t any big dramatic moment. I just quietly severed the
relationship on all fronts.”<br />
Years later, Krug came back on the
scholar’s radar when mutual friends on Facebook shared articles Krug had
written for RaceBaitr, a platform for race-forward news and criticism,
and later for <em>Essence</em>. Those articles, now deleted (though Krug’s work appears in the September/October print issue of <em>Essence</em>),
made it apparent that a change had occurred. Krug had left her Algerian
roots and been remade, chameleon-like, by Spanish Harlem. “I am
boricua, just so you know,” she wrote for <em>Essence</em> last year. Still, the junior scholar told me, “I just sat quietly with it, because who is going to believe me?”<br />
(Krug’s
reckoning was finally set in motion after another G.W. professor, H. G.
Carrillo, died, in April, at the age of fifty-nine, due to
complications of the novel )Krug’s reckoning was finally set in motion after another G.W. professor,
H. G. Carrillo, died, in April, at the age of fifty-nine, due to
complications of the novel coronavirus. Carrillo, who went by the
nickname Hache (“H” in Spanish, spelled out), was known as a queer
Cuban-American author who captured the estranged experience of the Latin
American diaspora, notably in his novel “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Loosing-My-Espanish-H-G-Carrillo/dp/1400078148?ots%3D1%26slotNum%3D0%26imprToken%3D46ba4a56-2d6f-0aec-496%26tag%3Dthneyo0f-20%26linkCode%3Dw50&source=gmail&ust=1600309957232000&usg=AFQjCNHL8MOWbLv08yTXMx7ricRcG4z0bQ" href="https://www.amazon.com/Loosing-My-Espanish-H-G-Carrillo/dp/1400078148?ots=1&slotNum=0&imprToken=46ba4a56-2d6f-0aec-496&tag=thneyo0f-20&linkCode=w50" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Loosing My Espanish</a>,” from 2004. Upon reading a tribute to the author in the Washington <em>Post</em>,
however, Carrillo’s sister and niece contacted the paper with some
critical updated information: Carrillo was not born in Cuba but in the
United States, Detroit to be exact. His parents were also born in
Michigan, and they, like Carrillo (born Herman Glenn Carroll), were
Black Americans with no Latino heritage. This was a shock to Carrillo’s
husband and to the literary community, prompting conversations among
Afro-Latinx writers who had counted him as one of their own.<br />
<br />
<div>
Jessica Anne Krug grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. Her parents, Stuart
and Sherry Krug, worked as a grocer and a teacher, respectively,
according to obituaries in the Kansas City <em>Jewish Chronicle</em>.
Krug attended the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, a Jewish day school
located in the suburb of Overland Park, followed by the Barstow School, a
prep school in the city proper. In 1996, when she was in the eighth
grade, Krug wrote an op-ed in the Kansas City <em>Star</em> against
“white-male bashing,” despite her experiences with harassment from
people in that demographic. “A few years ago, while taking a shortcut
through a local country club, I was confronted by people who uttered
slurs about the Jewish star hanging around my neck,” she wrote. She
attended Portland State University and later received her doctorate in
history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in 2012. She was
“passionate about African and African Diaspora history,” Francisco
Scarano, a member of her dissertation committee, told me via e-mail,
describing her as a “voracious reader.” After travels to Africa, the
Caribbean, and Latin America, he said, “she always seem to come back
</div>
energized by experiences she had and by the people she had met here.”
They never had conversations about her race and ethnicity, though, and
Scarano said that he was shocked by the news of her forged identities.<br />
“North
African Blackness,” “US rooted Blackness,” “Caribbean rooted Bronx
Blackness”—even the coming clean reverts to a sweeping shorthand. In the
course of her academic career, Krug has identified as Algerian,
African-American, Black Boricua, vaguely Afro-Latinx, vaguely Caribbean;
she’s been from Kansas City, from the Bronx, and “of the hood.” Krug’s
students, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.thecut.com/2020/09/students-on-fake-black-professor-jessica-krugs-classes.html&source=gmail&ust=1600309957232000&usg=AFQjCNE7WWVr2YEFZGEu6dSS6iSp5C33sg" href="https://www.thecut.com/2020/09/students-on-fake-black-professor-jessica-krugs-classes.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">interviewed by The Cut</a>,
recalled a “very heavy accent” and an affected brown-girl cool. The
trail of locales and labels explicates little besides their author’s own
ethnographic tastes. What unites them, though, is Krug’s affinity for
Blackness as an instrument of authenticity as she made her way through
academia.<br />
Much of the coverage of Krug has reduced her story to
this point: the want of Blackness. The comparisons to Rachel Dolezal,
the Spokane woman, now known as Nkechi Amare Diallo, who went viral, in 2015, for her own living
minstrel act, write themselves. But while Dolezal’s fabrication relied
upon a flat sense of Black American identity (the Howard University
degree, the leadership position at the N.A.A.C.P.), Krug’s
transformation from white to Black was knottier. The places Krug chose
to identify with—North Africa, the West Indies, East Harlem, the
Bronx—cannily preyed upon a certain American laziness when it comes to
parsing race beyond Jim Crow. It is germane that Krug hid among the bona
fides of the American humanities, which, still, as a whole, like the
nation as a whole, tend toward incuriosity about the difference between
race and ethnicity, let alone how one cuts across the other. (Hence the
tendency of so many outlets to account for Adele’s showing only in Black
and white terms.)<br />
Consider, for instance, the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3Dn40wEIFtImU&source=gmail&ust=1600309957232000&usg=AFQjCNGYUc3bZG1IU7EazxWA13MD2ukJTw" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n40wEIFtImU" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">footage</a>
that has been circulating from a New York City Council hearing, held
over Zoom in June, which shows Krug in her Afro-Latinx pose. She
introduces herself as Jess La Bombalera, a nickname apparently of her
own making, adapted from Bomba, an Afro-Puerto Rican genre of music and
dance. Broadcasting live from “El Barrio,” and wearing purple-tinted
shades and a hoop in her nose, she lambasts gentrifiers, shouts out her “black and brown
siblings,” and twice calls out “white New Yorkers” for not yielding
their speaking time. What stands out, though, is the way Krug speaks, in
a patchy accent that begins with thickly rolled “R”s and transitions
into what can best be described as B-movie gangster. This is where
desire outruns expertise. The <em>Times</em>, in a <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/us/jessica-krug-gwu-race.html?smtyp%3Dcur%26smid%3Dtw-nytimes&source=gmail&ust=1600309957232000&usg=AFQjCNGMaHJ1RikOxWnxDwsPYX9OpCiTfQ" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/us/jessica-krug-gwu-race.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">piece</a>
on Krug’s exposure, last week, nonetheless called this a “Latina
accent,” lending credence to Krug’s performance. (The phrase was later
deleted.) The offhand notation is a tiny example of the buy-in Krug has
been afforded her entire scholastic career, by advisers and committee
members and editors and colleagues. They failed to recognize the gap not
between real and faux, so much, as between something thrown-on and
something lived-in. That inattentiveness was Krug’s escape hatch.<br />
A
symptomatic reading of the situation is almost too easy. Krug’s
academic research is focussed on unhomed peoples whose identities are
not reducible to state or tribal filiation—indigenous peoples turned
Africans turned slaves turned fugitives who forged a new sense of
themselves out of thin air. Her book, “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Fugitive-Modernities-Kisama-Politics-Freedom/dp/1478001542?ots%3D1%26slotNum%3D1%26imprToken%3D46ba4a56-2d6f-0aec-496%26tag%3Dthneyo0f-20%26linkCode%3Dw50&source=gmail&ust=1600309957233000&usg=AFQjCNEMQNdb6oe9WsHj4LcZrpP5OWrJ-g" href="https://www.amazon.com/Fugitive-Modernities-Kisama-Politics-Freedom/dp/1478001542?ots=1&slotNum=1&imprToken=46ba4a56-2d6f-0aec-496&tag=thneyo0f-20&linkCode=w50" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Fugitive Modernities</a>,” from 2018, centers on Kisama, a region within present-day Angola whose people
resisted Portuguese enslavement and colonialism in the seventeenth
century. It was published by Duke University Press, which is known for
its cutting-edge monographs in the area of Black studies. The editorial
director, Gisela Fosado, explained in a <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://dukeupress.wordpress.com/2020/09/10/editorial-director-gisela-fosado-speaks-out-about-jessica-a-krug/&source=gmail&ust=1600309957233000&usg=AFQjCNHlTtjrqpfbh_L35ZARUEdBYzU3oA" href="https://dukeupress.wordpress.com/2020/09/10/editorial-director-gisela-fosado-speaks-out-about-jessica-a-krug/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">post on the press’s blog</a>
that she, too, had been lied to—in their initial contact, Fosado wrote,
Krug claimed that her surname was actually Cruz. Fosado added that she
is not sure what’s to be done now with Krug’s scholarship, which “has
been widely praised and recognized as important.” I, working far afield
from Krug’s work in period, region, and methods, am not equipped to
evaluate the fitness of her research. I can only say that her writing is
heavy on the kind of equivocation (“and” ... “but” ... “furthermore”)
that, in academic texts, can reflect broad-mindedness—or insecurity.
After the Medium post was published, excerpts from “Fugitive
Modernities” circulated on Twitter. Seasoned authors like to joke about
the length of the acknowledgements section in books by début authors,
who tend to thank everyone they’ve ever encountered, down to their
kindergarten teachers. But Krug is light on thanks, and takes a
combative tone. The only person acknowledged by name is the late rapper
Biggie Smalls; Krug is tempted, she writes, to just “crib” her comments
from him, “to stunt on every institution and person who has ever stood
in my way.”<br />
<br />
Black
studies, a collaborative and multidisciplinary field, is whiter than
anyone who hasn’t been in a room with us might assume. Here I’m
referring not to the white scholars, though they are plentiful, but to
the rest of us: gather us in a group and you’ll be hard pressed to find a
tenure-track scholar darker than the proverbial paper bag. There’s a
familiar story that accounts for the prevalence of lighter-complected
folk in America, the post-bellum legacy of rape—the same narrative that
Krug latched onto in making the myth of her “lightskin” presentation,
wielding it as a cudgel to protect her against those who might try to pry into the
finer points of her background. (According to the junior scholar, during
grad school Krug called herself “high yella,” a playfully derogatory
term for the fairer African-American set.) But then there is another
story that helps account for how someone who looks like Krug can blend
in, so to speak: the story of how the lightest among us have a way of
perpetuating their lightness over generations, prizing it as it is
prized by the institutions they move within. This presents an odd
paradox among the scholars presumably best poised to confront white
supremacy from inside the university: all of this light skin is not
incidental to how Black studies sees itself—to who is promoted,
professionally and ideologically, within the field, and to who is
extended, as Krug was extended, so much benefit of the doubt.<br />
These
things are known but rarely acknowledged in such mixed company. There
may be a shift in the air, though. The unravelling of Krug’s charade
began with a whisper network of sorts, as so many of these things do.
The whispering continues. I am aware of at least one scholar, known for
playing with the color line, who quietly modified her institutional bio
recently. The self-description now specifies “white.”<br />
( <br />
<h1 class="content-header__row content-header__hed" data-testid="ContentHeaderHed">
The Layered Deceptions of Jessica Krug, the Black-Studies Professor Who Hid That She Is White</h1>
<div class="content-header__row content-header__accreditation content-header__accreditation-without-dek content-header__row--with-bottom-border">
<div class="content-header__row content-header__byline">
<div class="content-header__byline__content">
<div class="sc-AxjAm sc-fzozJi dYuXQB bylines content-header__bylines content-header__bylines--with-publish-date" data-testid="BylinesWrapper">
<div class="sc-AxhCb HDCWW byline bylines__byline byline--author" data-testid="BylineWrapper" itemprop="author" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<span class="sc-AxjAm sc-AxirZ sc-AxheI bMZiEL byline__preamble">By </span><span class="sc-AxmLO gmtmqV" itemprop="name"><span class="sc-AxhUy kMyssS byline__name"><a class="sc-AxjAm sc-AxirZ sc-AxiKw sc-AxgMl djjHNr byline__name-link" href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/lauren-michele-jackson">Lauren Michele Jackso<span class="sc-Axmtr hvJMgY link__last-letter-spacing">n</span></a></span></span></div>
</div>
<time class="content-header__publish-date content-header__publish-date--with-float-left">September 12, 2020)</time></div>
</div>
</div>
<span class="responsive-asset lead-asset__media"><source media="(max-width: 767px)"></source><source media="(min-width: 768px)"></source></span><br />ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-35499442715686999712020-09-14T23:43:00.004-07:002020-09-15T00:12:43.878-07:00Concerning The China Virus From Wuhan, I Have An Opinion<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 24.0pt;">Bill
O’Reilly didn’t go home to pout after his ejection from Fox News. He’s
still one of the best commentators on current news topics. This is an
interesting piece. </span><span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 24.0pt;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 24.0pt;">Please keep an open mind… I know, it’s not that easy when someone like O’Reilly is throwing butcher knives. </span><span style="color: #26282a;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 13.5pt;">T</span><span style="color: #26282a;">h</span><span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">is
is one of the most concise narratives of what this Covid-19 pandemic is
all about. It is written by Bill O’Reilly. Don’t refuse to read just
because you may not like him. He is a true student of history and a
rabid researcher. He gets the facts before he speaks. </span><b><span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">He
is not a big fan of President Trump, so this is not written in support
of him, but an attempt to get the truth out to all of us.</span></b><span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">Please read it with an open mind, absorb it,</span></b><span style="color: #26282a;"> </span><span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;"> do
your own research if you don’t trust his. But do not just accept what
the media is spitting at you endlessly from behind their partisan
platforms - Democratic or Republican, Libertarian, or Socialist. READ
IT, PLEASE! It is eye-opening.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">An amazing story that explains everything and China’s role in it.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">Written by Bill O'Reilly</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">China’s Bioweapon, and Pelosi...</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6Equ1iPdLQPYKXQXNs02jx5edwlYJy_Adyg-SFTbvmNFIhoLLuhDkDAAYxzE0sLz3yy1dbQiMy-3hglQkxGoaP_Qy5zTT55tq0E8LywJBkUgPOpplWR5PD8X0YdamXbCq3xhU8R5ycE/s1600/CoronaVirusRpa_QFDK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="680" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6Equ1iPdLQPYKXQXNs02jx5edwlYJy_Adyg-SFTbvmNFIhoLLuhDkDAAYxzE0sLz3yy1dbQiMy-3hglQkxGoaP_Qy5zTT55tq0E8LywJBkUgPOpplWR5PD8X0YdamXbCq3xhU8R5ycE/s320/CoronaVirusRpa_QFDK.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
wife Angie will tell you that I study history and world events fluently
every day. I have studied China for many years. To get answers I need
to questions, I call many I know in Washington on Capitol Hill (from my
tenure on two Presidential campaigns and Presidential talks) and I ask
them for straight-up answers to better understand what affects us as a
nation.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well, in 2016 America elected a new Sheriff: Donald J Trump. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">For
decades the Chinese walked all over America but the new President said
“not anymore”. Trump literally strangled China’s economy to the point
their economy was in its worst free fall ever. Trump negotiated a new 50
billion trade agreement. He had Xi by the proverbial balls. America’s
economy was on fire and unstoppable. President Xi Jinping knew he could
not beat the USA militarily and he knew any domesticated economic attack
would fail as our economy was too strong. He had to act. But how?</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">Enter
the USA democrats led by Pelosi and Schiff. Impeachment. A hoax. A
distraction for our people and President. Xi Jinping and his thugs see
this. They aren’t stupid. They have very intelligent intellectual
thinkers in their government. Now you must understand, the Chinese
regime is truly Barbarians. Notice I did not say ALL CHINESE. Chinese
people are good people. I enjoy my interactions with them.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
communist regime has millions of its own citizens slaving in gulags
simply for speaking against the government or openly practicing
Christianity. Knowing they could not attack us openly they needed to be
coy, like a deceptive fox. In my opinion, I believe the regime released a
biological weapon upon the world that doesn’t kill everyone but kills
“enough,” especially the elderly and in-firmed. Back in WW 2, Hitler
thought the same way. He got rid of what he considered the useless and
rejects of society.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">Trump's
task force uses models to figure out things. Xi used and uses “models”
too. China's president figured that if he killed a few of his own (a few
hundred thousand to them would be a few out of 1.4 billion people) and
spread the virus to other nations (especially to the USA) they would
“level the economic playing field” and not have fired a shot.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">Losses
of his own people were acceptable costs of a new war. When China’s own
doctors attempted to sound the warning, they were immediately silenced.
In fact one died and another has simply disappeared. Trump and the other
allied leaders indeed KNOW this is what happened. They have
under-reported their own deaths. Trump knows he cannot outrightly seek
retribution. His news conference today showed me this when he balked
publicly about no outright retribution over Xi’s handling of this and he
immediately brought up the “trade deal”.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;"> However,
Trump wasn’t being weak, he too was now being coy. We know this was a
biological weapon. The food market story is bullshit.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">Xi
knows we know it. Trump also today announced he sent two battle groups
of destroyers and other ships to sea several days ago to fight drugs and
rogue actors like Iran should they try anything.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
say he did this to show Xi he knows what has transpired (we have the
greatest intelligence assets) and that they (the Chinese) should rethink
further action. Politics is premier. We cannot overtly attack China for
what they have done as we would also suffer greatly We all know this.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">But China has temporarily achieved its goal. <span style="background: #fdf869;">America
was literally consumed by Trump's phony impeachment brought by the
ultra-left democrats (supported by democrat rank and file and one
Republican Mitt Romney) and Xi Jinping saw an opening.</span> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">He
took it. Xi did what Trump usually does...he walked onto the world
stage and threw a grenade into the “room” and left. It exploded in the
form of this worldwide pandemic. It brought the USA and the rest of the
world to its knees and leveled the economic playing field.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">Our
economy is now near depression Xi didn’t fire one bullet. Trump needed
to up his game of chess and putting our Naval ships to sea was his next
move. He said he is a “war” President. He is.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
now on not one but two fronts. One front is the virus and the other
front is the Chinese. While the Saudi’s and Russians are screwing with
oil prices they aren’t overtly doing what this pandemic is doing. The
drug smuggling story for dispatching the Naval Force is bullshit and the
world knows it. </span><b><span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am of the opinion Trump can indeed bring us back from this catastrophe albeit with a changed playing field.</span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
Trump is a genius in chess and financial matters. He’s become a champ
at international politics too. I am sure Trump can once again lead the
economy to even stronger strength and greatness than it was. He can do
it quickly I’m sure of it. He has proved it. Xi Jinping needs to be sent
a message loud and clear. NEVER AGAIN. We need to bring all of our
critical manufacturing back from China beginning with our medicines they
were recently threatening to withhold. We can do it immediately. Again,
another reason for Trump putting to sea such a sizable Naval Force.
Sending a clear message.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
all must ride out the next few weeks. Then we and the world pick up the
pieces and move on. The democrats who have given Xi this opening
wrapped in a bow must pay a heavy price in November as they (the
democrats) truly have cost and continue to cost America precious lives
by the phony scandals. Nancy Pelosi continues to help the Chinese by her
daily shameless attacks upon the President and meddling in stimulus
packages as she did this last weekend. Yesterday’s statements she made
were truly appalling and the lowest of low. I didn’t think she could go
any lower. <span style="background: #fdf869;">What a disgrace she is to our nation.</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">But,
Pelosi aside, make no mistake, China must and will be taught a lesson
the likes they have never seen before and Trump is the man to pull the
trigger.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #cd232c; font-size: 14.0pt;">We the people must teach the democrats the same lesson at the polls.</span></b><span style="color: #26282a;"> </span><span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;"> They
(the radical wing of the party) are the enemy of a free America. I am
certain of it. The entire democrat party of our forefathers is dead.
Remember people, Trump indeed tried to warn us all of the Coronavirus in
his State of the Union Speech. He spoke of it. He said he was on top of
it. After he spoke, Nancy Pelosi ripped up the speech calling Trump's
words “a manifesto of lies”. She disgraced the country and all of our
fellow honored citizens present in the House Chamber. Well, she now has
American blood on her hands. She is very majorly responsible for these
needless deaths as well as the Chinese. She and Adam Schiff.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
left and democrats laughed as she tore up his speech. Well, as they
laughed the disease he just spoke of in that speech came to our shores.
Republicans and Democrats alike are now dying. Your family members and
mine. Our grandparents and middle-aged citizens alike. Our liberty is
for the most part suspended. As we bury our dead (without proper
funerals) from this calamity let’s drive the nails into the coffin of
the Democrat party as well in November.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s time people. Stand up for your rights and your country! Our Liberty and survival are at stake!</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
am praying for God’s blessing on our nation. But, God also gave us the
ability to think for ourselves and it’s time we placed blame for all
this death where it belongs: on the doorsteps of Nancy Pelosi, Adam
Schiff, and Xi Jinping directly. Wake Up America WAKE UP!</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-17482667265358653562020-09-14T23:11:00.004-07:002020-09-15T00:43:36.641-07:00Professional Athletes And Social Protesting, Biting The Hands That Feed Them<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span class="oi732d6d ik7dh3pa d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb hrzyx87i jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" dir="auto">Open Letter To The NFL PLAYERS. The Boycott is coming.<br />You
graduated high school in 2011. Your teenage years were a struggle. You
grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Your mother was the leader of
the family and worked tirelessly to keep a roof over your head and food
on your plate.<br /><br />Academics were a struggle for you and your grades
were mediocre at best. The only thing that made you stand out is you
weighed 225 lbs and could run 40 yards in 4.2 seconds while carrying a
football. Your best friend was just like you, except he didn’t play
football. Instead of going to football practice after school, he went to
work at McDonald’s for minimum wage.</span><br />
<span class="oi732d6d ik7dh3pa d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb hrzyx87i jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" dir="auto"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-M-RdRBrVNMKobwaK3T6e3XMJeW0_XVh5kqTb6h_JDzcEHAv_LdzzO4XhPGQ0CYWdfJDocdNTjC-eJrTTVEcMSIF7x2fFnbIh9uCuuZdMiHjwoM27GIBCVU3daSSSU-8SJ-pu1dzmvc/s1600/FootBallPlayersProtest119291940_658193134799331_5577466850213907291_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="960" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-M-RdRBrVNMKobwaK3T6e3XMJeW0_XVh5kqTb6h_JDzcEHAv_LdzzO4XhPGQ0CYWdfJDocdNTjC-eJrTTVEcMSIF7x2fFnbIh9uCuuZdMiHjwoM27GIBCVU3daSSSU-8SJ-pu1dzmvc/s320/FootBallPlayersProtest119291940_658193134799331_5577466850213907291_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>You were recruited by all
the big colleges and spent every weekend of your senior year making
visits to universities where coaches and boosters tried to convince you
their school was best. They laid out the red carpet for you. Your best
friend worked double shifts at Mickey D’s. College was not an option for
him. On the day you signed with Big State University, your best friend
signed paperwork with his Army recruiter. You went to summer workouts.
He went to basic training.<br /><br />You spent the next four years living
in the athletic dorm, eating at the training table. You spent your
Saturdays on the football field, cheered on by adoring fans.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKiQpz_8fwlwQwImSrgzZY26hBJ7Yb6xeCkLVEvtoI1Ial94XptGPvGD4qr-hbaDnZ6F2QN3NITsoLaK8lZ4QsqzsstC4zqVFKY-JT2MSN-OmaB05Lrpkxvu-91EZzusgZwuxxAowbXs/s1600/ProfessionalFootBallPlayersKneelsafe_image.php.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="540" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKiQpz_8fwlwQwImSrgzZY26hBJ7Yb6xeCkLVEvtoI1Ial94XptGPvGD4qr-hbaDnZ6F2QN3NITsoLaK8lZ4QsqzsstC4zqVFKY-JT2MSN-OmaB05Lrpkxvu-91EZzusgZwuxxAowbXs/s320/ProfessionalFootBallPlayersKneelsafe_image.php.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="oi732d6d ik7dh3pa d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb hrzyx87i jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" dir="auto"><span class="oi732d6d ik7dh3pa d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb hrzyx87i jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" dir="auto">Tutors
attended to your every academic need. You attended class when you felt
like it. Sure, you worked hard. You lifted weights, ran sprints, studied
plays, and soon became one of the top football players in the country.
Your best friend was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. While you
were in college, he deployed to Iraq once and Afghanistan twice. He
became a Sergeant and led a squad of 19-year-old soldiers who grew up
just like he did. He shed his blood in Afghanistan and watched young
American's give their lives, limbs, and innocence for the US.<br /><br />You
went to the NFL combine and scored off the charts. You hired an agent
and waited for draft day. You were drafted in the first round and your
agent immediately went to work, ensuring that you received the most
money possible. You signed for $16 million although you had never played
a single down of professional football. Your best friend re-enlisted in
the Army for four more years. As a combat tested sergeant, he will be
paid $32,000 per year.<br /><br />You will drive a Ferrari on the streets of
South Beach. He will ride in the back of a Blackhawk helicopter with 10
other combat loaded soldiers. You will sleep at the Ritz. He will dig a
hole in the ground and try to sleep. You will “make it rain” in the
club. He will pray for rain as the temperature reaches 120 degrees.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYH8OxFha7uduFJ6dgLkNZJrsuVjTBNBCIJY0cxQ6aR0VAMgqVXK1Oy8vdEkn9ZPyOQlvipIc8i1DNDpRf2N8d8ljIIk-tnzJ_IpvRjW3Sb0WklJrMHFp_KOBFSWw7hcN04og8yQ-zHx4/s1600/ProfessionalFootBallPlayers118801867_1306407926471150_6359148420234433038_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="960" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYH8OxFha7uduFJ6dgLkNZJrsuVjTBNBCIJY0cxQ6aR0VAMgqVXK1Oy8vdEkn9ZPyOQlvipIc8i1DNDpRf2N8d8ljIIk-tnzJ_IpvRjW3Sb0WklJrMHFp_KOBFSWw7hcN04og8yQ-zHx4/s320/ProfessionalFootBallPlayers118801867_1306407926471150_6359148420234433038_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="oi732d6d ik7dh3pa d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb hrzyx87i jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" dir="auto"><span class="oi732d6d ik7dh3pa d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb hrzyx87i jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" dir="auto"><span class="oi732d6d ik7dh3pa d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb hrzyx87i jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" dir="auto">On
Sunday, you will run into a stadium as tens of thousands of fans cheer
and yell your name. For your best friend, there is little difference
between Sunday or any other day of the week. There are no adoring fans.
There are only people trying to kill him and his soldiers. Every now and
then, he and his soldiers leave the front lines and “go to the rear” to
rest.<br /><br />When the National Anthem plays and you take a knee, he
will jump to his feet and salute the television. While you protest the
unfairness of life in the United States, he will give thanks to God that
he has the honor of defending his great country.<br /><br />To the players
of the NFL: We are the people who buy your tickets, watch you on TV, and
wear your jerseys. We anxiously wait for Sundays so we can cheer for
you and marvel at your athleticism. Although we love to watch you play,
we care little about your opinions until you offend us. You have the
absolute right to express yourselves, but we have the absolute right to
boycott you. We have tolerated your drug use and DUIs, your domestic
violence, and your vulgar displays of wealth. We should be ashamed for
putting our admiration of your physical skills before what is morally
right. But now you have gone too far. You have insulted our flag, our
country, our soldiers, our police officers, and our veterans. You are
living the American dream, yet you disparage our great country. I
encourage all like-minded Americans to boycott the NFL.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="oi732d6d ik7dh3pa d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb hrzyx87i jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" dir="auto"><span class="oi732d6d ik7dh3pa d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb hrzyx87i jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" dir="auto"><span class="oi732d6d ik7dh3pa d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb hrzyx87i jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" dir="auto"> </span></span></span><span class="oi732d6d ik7dh3pa d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb hrzyx87i jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" dir="auto">National
boycott of the NFL is November 8th & 15th in honor of Veteran’s
Day, November 11. Boycott all football telecast, all fans, all ticket
holders, stay away from attending any games, let them play to empty
stadiums. Pass this post along to all your friends and family. Honor our
military - some of whom come home with the American flag draped over
their coffin.<br />Add MLB, NBA, and any other sport that kneels to this <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu"><img alt="🇺🇸" height="16" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t93/1/16/1f1fa_1f1f8.png" width="16" /></span><br /><br /><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/boycottnfl?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" tabindex="0">#BoycottNFL</a> <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/boycottthenfl?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" tabindex="0">#BoycottTheNFL</a> <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/nflboycott?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" tabindex="0">#NFLBoycott</a><br /><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/boycottnba?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" tabindex="0">#BoycottNBA</a> <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/boycottthenba?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" tabindex="0">#BoycottTheNBA</a> <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/nbaboycott?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" tabindex="0">#NBABoycott</a><br /><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/boycottmlb?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" tabindex="0">#BoycottMLB</a> <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/mlbboycott?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" tabindex="0">#MLBBoycott</a><br /><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/usa?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" tabindex="0">#USA</a> <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/veterans?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" tabindex="0">#Veterans</a> <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/backtheblue?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" tabindex="0">#backtheblue</a> <a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/standfortheflag?__eep__=6&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" tabindex="0">#StandForTheFlag</a> </span>ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-16445681745690994402020-08-18T12:22:00.002-07:002020-08-18T12:22:40.119-07:00Kamala Harris Not Eligible To Become President, Is She Eligible To Be Vice President?<div class="yiv9710194036MsoNormal">
The $64 Thousand Question begins with this, </div>
<div class="yiv9710194036MsoNormal">
The 14th
Amendment has two requirements to become a citizen of the U.S..<br />
1) born
in the U.S. and<br />
2) subject to the jurisdiction thereof.<br />
The Supreme
Court has yet to address the significance of #2. Those most interested
in the subject have gone back to the intent of the drafters, as
expressed before Congress, to determine that the drafters expressly
stated that <u>"subject to the jurisdiction thereof"</u> excluded the birth of
babies of foreign nationals such as diplomatic representatives of
foreign countries and persons of foreign nations here legally or
illegally.<br />
<a href="https://cgalightbearer.blogspot.com/2020/08/kamala-harris-is-not-eligible-for.html">https://cgalightbearer.blogspot.com/2020/08/kamala-harris-is-not-eligible-for.html </a><br />
The discussions centered around the term <u>"inhabitants"</u> and
the concept of inhabitants owing their allegiance to the U.S. To
understand the importance of this term one must remember the backdrop of
events surrounding the 14th Amendment. <br />
(The Year 1868) This was just after the end
of the Civil War. Most of the Southern states had yet to be admitted
back into the Union. Take Texas, for example and states to come within
the territory of the U.S. such as AZ and NM. These "inhabitants" owed
their allegiance to the U.S. and were not yet part of the Union.
Because of the allegiance to the U.S. they became citizens having been
born and <u>subject to the jurisdiction thereof </u>of the U.S. Noteworthy,
because of either systemic bias against American Indians or simply
because American Indians owned their allegiance to their independent
tribe or nation,<u> they were not considered citizens of the U.S. at that
time.</u><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRnBPWKvVwdGBmnrQfiNGNxpZE2x229IfFGs8FoowfuvLrNym9idvkU5L-B7TdiX5n6u9_5RZRhzWf9Pj1Fo-p2IrVSPMtf7R_-HEJjpwGW5N_MRn40ELxRLo_10LPyuEEAhoG8JD5SPZ/s1600/KamalaParents117730366_3283580611711749_8013889743311603840_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRnBPWKvVwdGBmnrQfiNGNxpZE2x229IfFGs8FoowfuvLrNym9idvkU5L-B7TdiX5n6u9_5RZRhzWf9Pj1Fo-p2IrVSPMtf7R_-HEJjpwGW5N_MRn40ELxRLo_10LPyuEEAhoG8JD5SPZ/s320/KamalaParents117730366_3283580611711749_8013889743311603840_n.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="yiv9710194036MsoNormal">
So,
with the above in mind, <u>people here legally or illegally, from a
foreign nation, with a passport and allegiance to that nation, do not
fit within the definition of "inhabitants" as that term was used by the
framers of the 14th.Amendment. </u>Their children would have the same
allegiance the
parents. For example, John McCain was born in a foreign country to
U.S. citizen parents. He was deemed to have the same allegiance as that
of his
parents. I do not recall the circumstances of having a birth
certificate of say Spain to U.S. citizens who happen to be there for one
reason or another but in that gray area of memory I recall that McCain,
when he reached the age of maturity, had to apply for and go through
the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag to obtain a U.S. passport and
vote.</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="yiv9710194036MsoNormal">
So,
with the above in mind, after receiving the an email from <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">an astute City Attorney friend of mine</span> and being
somewhat intrigued by the questions it raises, I decided to do a Google
search to see what I could find.<br />
Do you recall Google, Facebook and the
lot being placed on the carpet by Senate hearings regarding their
control over what comes up on your research screen when you do a
search? When I plugged in my research criteria I was shocked to see how
many articles from all of the alphabet media, newspapers and liberal
organizations there were saying, in the headline of the article, "fake",
so one reading the result of the research would immediately feel the
above email was fake. I had to go to page 9 to find my first article
discussing the subject and revealing questions I have.</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="yiv9710194036MsoNormal">
<u>What
I found is that Kamala's parents were not U.S. citizens. </u> Her
mother
was scheduled to go to India for an arranged marriage but, instead,
she married Harris. Both were students at the UniversityCalifornia.
They appear to have been
here legally. Then, the stories split on circumstance. One, Peggy
Noonan of t he Waall Street Journal, related a wonderful experience of
Kamila growing up with the
classic American experience. Others address the fact that Kamila's
mother divorced and she and Kamala moved to Canada- suggesting no
allegiance to the U.S.- where Kamala was raised without the American
experience (OK, Canada is pretty close).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIcAeUCiTfSAvJCykwjHUn3kuhhGYAXFFPtswUECr4zz4ohgWlFREewa0ryc_iFUSBACcAib5s17qJHz_ZMgvZLeQSTPOReFqzZbDtTxjXcAjgleD1CWITDK45NdfNZxliFIPRkj3yOhm/s1600/KamalaHarrisWillieBrown3e7zjRQ.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="720" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEIcAeUCiTfSAvJCykwjHUn3kuhhGYAXFFPtswUECr4zz4ohgWlFREewa0ryc_iFUSBACcAib5s17qJHz_ZMgvZLeQSTPOReFqzZbDtTxjXcAjgleD1CWITDK45NdfNZxliFIPRkj3yOhm/s320/KamalaHarrisWillieBrown3e7zjRQ.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(Above, Former Senator and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and Kamala Harris.)<br />
<br />
The
story goes that Kamala
then returned to the U.S. for her college education, thereafter she met
California Senator Willie Brown, 15 years the Speaker of the Assembly,
and we know what happened thereafter. She worked for his Law Firm,
became his Mistress, and he appointed he r to several influencial Boards
of Directors on a salary of $73,000/year each. Eventually with his
recommendations she eventually became the Attorney General of
California.</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="yiv9710194036MsoNormal">
Questions
I have, beyond the fact that <u>Kamala's parents were not U.S. citizens,</u>
include <u>what citizenship did she declare when she was in Canada</u> ( if
this is accurate), and<u> how and when did she become a U.S. citizen</u>. As they say,
"prove it"</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="yiv9710194036MsoNormal">
So,
these questions that should not be swept under the rug as
they were with Barack Hussein Obama. Qualification for president is a serious Issue.
If one party, with <u><b>the ability and money to hide the past or fake the
past of a candidate</b></u> can look to how it worked once will continue to
ignore the Constitution and try fix the history of their candidates. This
conduct makes the Constitution meaningless.<br />
Where there are questions,
the public should have the freedom to raise the question and <u><b>the person
running for President or Vice President of the United States should automatically have the obligation to prove
their citizenship.</b></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="yiv9710194036MsoNormal">
</div>
</div>
ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-73275337357433006702020-08-03T10:50:00.001-07:002020-09-15T18:54:49.054-07:00San Francisco Named Part Of Street For First Black Fireman<div class="fusion-post-title-meta-wrap">
<h1 class="entry-title fusion-post-title fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" data-fontsize="32" data-lineheight="38.4px" style="--fontsize: 32; line-height: 1.2;">
Street named after San Francisco’s first Black Fireman<span style="font-size: 0.6em; line-height: 1;"> </span></h1>
<h1 class="entry-title fusion-post-title fusion-responsive-typography-calculated" data-fontsize="32" data-lineheight="38.4px" style="--fontsize: 32; line-height: 1.2;">
<span style="font-size: 0.6em; line-height: 1;">He was a convert who tried to see the best in people.</span></h1>
</div>
<div class="fusion-flexslider flexslider post-slideshow fusion-post-slideshow" style="height: 433px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibM5vaGgIdEq4FMWCKBftAVmIzVxsvK-zVgCFwUrXKzYyut9XjoXQxr_CkhYqToFGvmJ2OrNKJhBzDYY68L1Wpi3s_lCwWdkp0v6FfkzC_ZJ_zq9ynF3CSqCq48ZA589fy5Im3ZCeeznAW/s1600/LondonBlackFireManHonoredWithStreetNaming2020SanFran.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="924" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibM5vaGgIdEq4FMWCKBftAVmIzVxsvK-zVgCFwUrXKzYyut9XjoXQxr_CkhYqToFGvmJ2OrNKJhBzDYY68L1Wpi3s_lCwWdkp0v6FfkzC_ZJ_zq9ynF3CSqCq48ZA589fy5Im3ZCeeznAW/s320/LondonBlackFireManHonoredWithStreetNaming2020SanFran.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<figure class="wp-caption featured"><figcaption class="ccfic-text"><b>Earl Gage Jr. in San Francisco Independent newspaper</b> (<i>Photo courtesy of Blondell Chism via Catholic San Francisco</i>)</figcaption><figcaption class="ccfic-text"> </figcaption> </figure><figure class="wp-caption featured">The
board of supervisors voted unanimously June 14, 2020 to name a portion
of
Willow Street between Buchanan and Laguna after Earl Gage Jr. The
street runs through the Western Addition neighborhood of the city where
the Gage family — longtime St. Emydius parishioners — lived.“He was a
man who kept his strong faith,” said his daughter Blondell Chism on July
24. “No matter what happened, all was good and he was blessed.”Gage
was already a Christian but converted to Catholicism to marry his
wife.While
the department of public works readies the new street sign for an
as-yet-unscheduled installation date, San Francisco Supervisor Dean
Preston has commissioned a mural of Gage to accompany it.<u> </u></figure><figure class="wp-caption featured"><u> Gage was
hired by the San Francisco Fire Department in 1955 at age 28 and was
the sole Black firefighter for the next 12 years</u>. He retired in 1983 and
died in 2017 at age 90.His hire was a progressive move for the
times and not embraced by all members of the department, said Sherman
Tillman, president of the Black Firefighters Association.</figure><figure class="wp-caption featured"> </figure><figure class="wp-caption featured"> </figure><figure class="wp-caption featured"> </figure></div>
<div class="responsive_wrapper">
<div id="maincolumn">
<div id="content">
<div class="story_body">
<div data-io-article-url="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/san-francisco-to-name-street-after-first-black-firefighter-18412">
<div id="noticia_contenido">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
There
were the fellow firefighters who refused to sleep on any mattress Gage
had occupied in the communal firehouse, he said. His mattress was
urinated on so repeatedly that the young firefighter took to carrying
his own with him from station to station.<br />
“When you think about
the discrimination he saw toward himself you’d think a person would be
disillusioned and hateful toward the people who did those things,” said
Tillman, a longtime parishioner of Star of the Sea Parish on Geary Blvd.
“He wasn’t.”<br />
<u>Threats to his safety </u>eventually led Gage away from
field work and to a role as the SFFD’s director of community services.
There he helped create a new training course for the firefighter’s exam
after seeing it was a hurdle for many aspiring firefighters.<u> He was also
part of a <b>federal court consent degree</b> that pushed for diversity in the
predominantly white, male department.</u><br />
Tillman called Gage a “man of God who tried to see the best in people despite their flaws….”<br />
<i>The above comes from <a data-wpel-link="external" href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/san-francisco-to-name-street-after-first-black-firefighter-18412" rel="external noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a July 30 story</a> from Catholic San Francisco via Catholic News Agency.</i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-88720779612291941892020-06-28T12:43:00.000-07:002020-06-28T12:56:52.941-07:00PARLER, or Twitter, or Facebook, or GAB? You be the Judge.<div>
<h1 class="dd de ay df b dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv dw" id="1857">
The Right’s New Favorite Social Media Platform Parler Is Just as Restrictive as Twitter</h1>
</div>
<h2 class="dx de ay ax dy dz ea eb ec ed ee ef eg eh ei ej ek el em en eo bc" id="8fb0">
The platform bans ‘fisticuffs’ but allows ‘buttock’</h2>
<div class="ep">
<div class="n eq er es et">
<div class="o n">
<div>
<a href="https://onezero.medium.com/@sarahnemerson?source=post_page-----64591eefa08b----------------------" rel="noopener"><img alt="Sarah Emerson" class="r eu ev ew" height="48" src="https://miro.medium.com/fit/c/96/96/2*RpZF00uBkTpnjlPw1OhTOQ.jpeg" width="48" /></a></div>
<div class="ex ai r">
<div class="n">
<div style="flex: 1;">
<span class="ax b ay az ba bb r dw q"></span><br />
<div class="ey n o cl">
<span class="ax b ay az ba bb r dw q"><span class="ax dy ez az bx fa fb fc fd fe dw"><a class="ff fg bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn fh bq fi fj" href="https://onezero.medium.com/@sarahnemerson?source=post_page-----64591eefa08b----------------------" rel="noopener">Sarah Emerson</a></span></span></div>
<span class="ax b ay az ba bb r dw q">
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span class="ax b ay az ba bb r bc bd"><span class="ax dy ez az bx fa fb fc fd fe bc"></span></span><br />
<div>
<span class="ax b ay az ba bb r bc bd"><span class="ax dy ez az bx fa fb fc fd fe bc"><a class="ff fg bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn fh bq fi fj" href="https://onezero.medium.com/the-rights-new-favorite-social-media-platform-parler-is-just-as-restrictive-as-twitter-64591eefa08b?source=post_page-----64591eefa08b----------------------" rel="noopener">Jun 26</a> , 2020<span style="padding-left: 4px;"><svg class="star-15px_svg__svgIcon-use" height="15" style="margin-top: -2px;" viewbox="0 0 15 15" width="15"></svg></span></span></span></div>
<span class="ax b ay az ba bb r bc bd"><span class="ax dy ez az bx fa fb fc fd fe bc">
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="gp r">
<div class="q">
<a class="ff fg bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn gn go bq fi fj" href="https://medium.com/m/signin?operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fonezero.medium.com%2Fthe-rights-new-favorite-social-media-platform-parler-is-just-as-restrictive-as-twitter-64591eefa08b&source=post_actions_header--------------------------bookmark_header-" rel="noopener"><svg height="25" viewbox="0 0 25 25" width="25"><br /></svg></a></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<section class="cx cy cz da db"><div class="n p">
<div class="z ab ac ae af dc ah ai">
<br />
<div class="ht hu ay hv b dz hw hx ec hy hz ia ib eh ic id ek ie if en ig cx dw ih" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="e0e4">
<span class="r ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ha">C</span>onservative internet personalities are migrating to Parler, a social media app created in 2018 that <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://home.parler.com/about/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">bills itself</a> as a “non-biased free speech” platform. The wave of support follows Twitter’s recent decision to <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/twitter-suspends-pro-trump-meme-maker-carpe-donktum" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">permanently suspend Logan Cook</a>,
a pro-Trump meme creator who goes by the moniker “CarpeDonktum” and was
removed from the platform on Tuesday over repeated copyright
violations.</div>
<div class="ht hu ay hv b dz hw hx ec hy hz ia ib eh ic id ek ie if en ig cx dw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3611">
But while Parler <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://parler.com/auth/access" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">claims to promote</a>
“free expression,” a closer look at its guidelines reveals a set of
rules that in many ways is just as restrictive, or even more so, than
Twitter’s own terms of service.</div>
<div class="ht hu ay hv b dz hw hx ec hy hz ia ib eh ic id ek ie if en ig cx dw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="0be3">
Parler (pronounced “par-lay,” <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/28/trump-campaign-twitter-1345357" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">as in the French word</a> meaning “to speak”) was founded by John Matze, a libertarian software developer in Nevada who briefly worked at Amazon, <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmatze/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">according to LinkedIn</a>.
It is functionally similar to Twitter, allowing people to follow other
users and access a news feed akin to Twitter Moments but overwhelmingly
populated by conservative pundits, politicians, and outlets like <i class="iv">Zero Hedge</i> and <i class="iv">Epoch Times</i>.
Posts can be upvoted or downvoted and “echoed” rather than retweeted.
Parler also features a built-in meme maker containing filters such as a
“Breaking News” chyron. Matze claims the platform has <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-campaign-weighs-alternatives-to-big-social-platforms-11593003602" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">roughly 1 million users</a>, up from an estimated 100,000 last year.</div>
<div class="ht hu ay hv b dz hw hx ec hy hz ia ib eh ic id ek ie if en ig cx dw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="4b0b">
Parler’s
surges in popularity over the past two years have been mostly linked to
the moderation of conservative figures on Twitter. Several months after
its launch in August, Parler <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/12/conservatives-twitter-alternative-platform-parler-news/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">experienced a bump in users</a>
after far-right activist Laura Loomer and pro-Trump commentator Candace
Owens were respectively banned and suspended by Twitter. Both <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://twitter.com/RealCandaceO/status/1071985751418654726" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Owens</a> and <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/congressional-candidate-laura-loomer-leader-of-twexit-movement-encourages-president-trump-to-get-on-parler-301069663.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Loomer</a> joined Parler in 2018, along with other figures such as YouTube host <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet/status/1072641252502454272" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Paul Joseph Watson</a>, Turning Point USA founder <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/pro-trump-activists-are-boosting-a-twitter-app-for-banned" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Charlie Kirk</a>, and Trump campaign manager <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/28/trump-campaign-twitter-1345357" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Brad Parscale</a>. Matze <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/parler-ceo-social-media-is-supposed-to-be-a-community-forum" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">has appeared</a>
on Fox News describing Parler as a haven for people who felt censored
online. He added that only content containing “some sort of
constitutional violation” would be moderated by the platform.</div>
<div class="ht hu ay hv b dz hw hx ec hy hz ia ib eh ic id ek ie if en ig cx dw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3e88">
But a review of Parler’s community guidelines shows the platform has more in common with Twitter than its marketing implies.</div>
<div class="ht hu ay hv b dz hw hx ec hy hz ia ib eh ic id ek ie if en ig cx dw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="b7f4">
Parler’s
rules were updated sometime between 2019 and this year. As of July
2019, Parler’s community guidelines protected “offensive speech,” “hate
speech ([that] is not considered obscene by the FCC),” and “fake news,”
according to <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190712060214/https://legal.parler.com/documents/guidelines.pdf" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">a previous version of its rules</a>
accessible on the Internet Archive. A vague chart comparing protected
and prohibited content allows “dark humor” but discourages “fighting
words.” Satire is permitted but not impersonation.</div>
<div class="ht hu ay hv b dz hw hx ec hy hz ia ib eh ic id ek ie if en ig cx dw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="83c5">
“We
want to uphold the rights of free speech according to the U.S.
Constitution; however, we also do not want user content to be so obscene
that it undermines the core purpose of Parler as a platform for
meaningful discussion,” these guidelines state. Parler cites the Federal
Communications Commission’s <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/obscene-indecent-and-profane-broadcasts" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">definition</a> of “obscenity,” which regulates on-air programming and <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-case-tests-fccs-power-to-police-tv-indecency/2012/01/03/gIQANAEujP_story.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">has been invoked</a> in recent complaints about mild nudity and profanity, <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://psmag.com/news/the-fcc-and-indecency-here-we-go-again-38675" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">drawing criticism</a> from some First Amendment experts over the scope of its use.</div>
<blockquote class="iw">
<div class="ix iy ay df b iz ja jb jc jd je ig bc" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="a9be">
Unlike
Gab, another conservative platform that has attracted white
supremacists in the wake of events like Charlottesville, Parler has kept
a fairly low profile.</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="ht hu ay hv b dz jf hx ec jg hz ia jh eh ic ji ek ie jj en ig cx dw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="9e6f">
Parler’s <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://legal.parler.com/documents/guidelines.pdf" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">current community guidelines</a>
are more specific and less permissive, and it’s unclear why the
company’s rules were changed. Whereas it once allowed “fake news,” it
now advises users to “not purposefully share rumors about other
users/people you know are false.” Parler previously discouraged fighting
words; it now clarifies that rule as “a personal assault with the
intention of inviting the other party to fisticuffs.” (Fisticuffs being a
somewhat outdated word for fistfight.) The platform prohibits nudity,
including <i class="iv">female</i> nipples, specifically, and any form of genitalia. Parler does note, however, that “buttock is acceptable.”</div>
<div class="ht hu ay hv b dz hw hx ec hy hz ia ib eh ic id ek ie if en ig cx dw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="2196">
For comparison, Twitter <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/24/17275114/facebook-community-guidelines-nipples-nudity" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">forbids</a> images of female breasts, with the exception of breastfeeding. Twitter allows parody or satire accounts but similarly <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-impersonation-policy" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">draws the line</a> at impersonation. Much like Twitter’s policy that resulted in the <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/29/twitter-labels-trump-tweet-as-glorifying-violence-288356" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">labeling of President Trump’s tweet</a>
last month — “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Trump
wrote of protests in Minneapolis — Parler also discourages content that
incites violence or produces a clear and present danger.</div>
<div class="ht hu ay hv b dz hw hx ec hy hz ia ib eh ic id ek ie if en ig cx dw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="011c">
So
far, none of these rules have been tested to the extent of Twitter’s
guidelines. And unlike Gab, another conservative platform <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/30/tech/gab-anti-semitic-speech-invs/index.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">that has attracted</a> white supremacists in the wake of <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/10/28/how-gab-became-white-supremacist-sanctuary-before-it-was-linked-pittsburgh-suspect/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">events like Charlottesville</a>,
Parler has kept a fairly low profile. (All of this could change,
however, if Parler manages to court President Trump, for whom Matze has <a class="ff gd ir is it iu" href="https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/12/conservatives-twitter-alternative-platform-parler-news/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">preemptively reserved a handle</a>.)
But despite its free speech veneer and anti-moderation promises, Parler
is, at present, merely a haven for Twitter social media castoffs.</div>
</div>
</div>
</section><br />
<hr class="jk dy jl jm jn jo hq jp jq jr js jt" />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<section class="cx cy cz da db"><div class="n p">
<div class="z ab ac ae af dc ah ai">
<div class="ht hu ay hv b dz hw hx ec hy hz ia ib eh ic id ek ie if en ig cx dw" data-selectable-paragraph="" id="3b81">
<i class="iv">Parler did not immediately respond to </i>OneZero<i class="iv">’s questions about its community guidelines.</i><br />
<br />
<h1 class="fs-headline speakable-headline font-base font-size">
Parler’s Founder Explains Why He Built Trump’s New Favorite Social Media App</h1>
<div class="top-contrib-block ">
<div class="contribs">
<div class="contrib-container top-contrib">
<a class="fs-author-avatar" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/" title="Photo of Abram Brown"><img alt="Abram Brown" class="fs-author-image" src="https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/400x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fimageserve%2F5dacd8eda210800006f00425%2F960x0.jpg%3FcropX1%3D416%26cropX2%3D1270%26cropY1%3D0%26cropY2%3D853" /></a><br />
<div class="contrib-byline">
<div class="fs-author-wrapper">
<span class="fs-author-name"><a class="contrib-link--name remove-underline" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/">Abram Brown</a><span class="contrib-byline-type">Forbes Staff</span></span></div>
<div class="section-name header__color--capitalist-teal">
<a class="remove-underline" href="https://www.forbes.com/business">Business</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<figure class="embed-base image-embed embed-1" role="presentation">
<div>
<img alt="Donald Trump Hosts Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc At White House" data-height="2000" data-width="3000" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/690979232/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" />
</div>
<figcaption>
<div aria-expanded="false" class="color-body light-text">
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 31: U.S. President Donald Trump shouts answers to reporters after Vietnamese <span class="plus" data-ga-track="caption expand">... [+]</span></div>
<small>Getty Images</small>
</figcaption>
</figure>
“I hope you don’t mind that I’m eating: I haven’t eaten all day,”
says Parler founder John Matze, devouring a late lunch. His social media
app—a new favorite of President Trump’s and other GOP leaders—has been
under siege for the past few hours. “I’m sitting here like, banning
trolls.” <br />
By trolls he means teenage leftists who’ve flooded onto Parler after the Trump campaign <a aria-label="publicly declared" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-campaign-weighs-alternatives-to-big-social-platforms-11593003602" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-campaign-weighs-alternatives-to-big-social-platforms-11593003602" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-campaign-weighs-alternatives-to-big-social-platforms-11593003602">publicly declared</a>
on Wednesday that it might decamp from Facebook and Twitter and refocus
its efforts through Parler. Matze knows the leftists’ ages of the
trolls, as he calls them, because some verified their accounts, coughing
up selfies and driver’s licenses or passports (a set of highly unusual
requirements for proving identity and registering for an online
account). They’re comment-raiding Parler posts—swamping them with
messages that make it unpleasant for the app’s conservative users to
post and interact with each other. “They’re trying to get people to have
a bad experience and leave,” he says. “We've got a big army of
volunteers to help take care of this. It's going to be handled within 48
hours.”<br />
Parler—as in, a parlor room where a chat might happen—is a
two-year-old app dedicated, Matze says, to the promulgation of free
speech: “The best thing is for everyone to engage with a bad idea and
shut it down through public discourse.” Right now, Parler is hosting a
very one-sided conversation. It is almost entirely made up of Republican
leaders, officials, thinkers and publications. (Liberals account for a
“very minute share of the population,” Matze says.) The Trump campaign,
of course, is on Parler. Likewise, Trump’s son Eric, his lawyer, Rudy
Giuliani, and his campaign manager, Brad Parscale. Alongside them:
senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, the National Rife Association and <i>The Washington Times</i>. Listening to what they say are 1.7 million users, almost double the amount of people on the app in April. <br />
<div class="article-body fs-article fs-responsive-text current-article">
<br />
Presumably <a aria-label="many have arrived" class="color-link" data-ga-track="InternalLink:https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/06/25/as-twitter-labels-trump-tweets-some-republicans-flock-to-new-social-media-site/#1f0ef87178c8" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/06/25/as-twitter-labels-trump-tweets-some-republicans-flock-to-new-social-media-site/#1f0ef87178c8" target="_self" title="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/06/25/as-twitter-labels-trump-tweets-some-republicans-flock-to-new-social-media-site/#1f0ef87178c8">many have arrived</a>
in the days following Trump’s announcement. This moment in the sun for
Parler comes courtesy of the president’s on-going feud with Facebook
and, especially, Twitter over what he and other conservatives see as
censorship and unfair treatment. That tension has grown recently after
Twitter <a aria-label="applied fact check and explanatory labels" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/technology/trump-twitter-label-seattle.html" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/technology/trump-twitter-label-seattle.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/technology/trump-twitter-label-seattle.html">applied fact check and explanatory labels</a> on several of Trump’s tweets; Facebook now appears poised <a aria-label="to do something similar" class="color-link" data-ga-track="InternalLink:https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/06/26/in-reversal-zuckerberg-says-facebook-will-label-newsworthy-posts-that-violate-its-rules/" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/06/26/in-reversal-zuckerberg-says-facebook-will-label-newsworthy-posts-that-violate-its-rules/" target="_self" title="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/06/26/in-reversal-zuckerberg-says-facebook-will-label-newsworthy-posts-that-violate-its-rules/">to do something similar</a>.
Trump has already threatened the social media industry with increased
regulation. And he may go a step further than that and move his own
digital presence—<a aria-label="a key factor" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/09/the-man-behind-trumps-facebook-juggernaut" href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/09/the-man-behind-trumps-facebook-juggernaut" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/09/the-man-behind-trumps-facebook-juggernaut">a key factor</a>
in his 2016 victory—over to an app like Parler. It has been a home for
the right since its beginning, and it’s an ideal spot for the
president’s fiery words given Matze’s devoutly laissez faire attitude
toward speech. <br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="embed-base image-embed embed-2" role="presentation">
<div>
<img alt="john matze founder of parler" data-height="853" data-width="1280" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ef765916cd39700069cf06a/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" />
</div>
<figcaption>
<div aria-expanded="false" class="color-body light-text">
"I've been talking about free speech for a while before it was cool," says John Matze, 27, the <span class="plus" data-ga-track="caption expand">... [+]</span></div>
<small>The Epoch Times</small>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<br />
<div class="vestpocket" style="display: inline-block;">
<br /></div>
“There are going to be no fact checkers. You're not going to be told
what to think and what to say. A police officer isn't going to arrest
you if you say the wrong opinion,” says Matze, 27. “I think that's all
people want. That's what they like.”<br />
Matze has been weighing these thoughts for some time, stretching back
to his time as a University of Denver undergrad, where he studied math,
German and business. He found himself leaning a lot toward the
conservative economist Thomas Sowell (“very logical”), and he also digs
the classic libertarian lodestar Ayn Rand (“very interesting”). Matze
describes himself as an arguer. “I don't have too many friends, but the
ones I do have, we just talk amongst ourselves about ideas—crazy ones,
easy ones, whatever.”<br />
After graduating in 2014, he took shorts gigs as a software developer at number of companies, including a few months at Amazon
<a aria-label="AMZN" class="ticker-link" data-ga-track="Ticker:AMZN" data-vars-event-label="ticker:AMZN" href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/amazon" target="_blank">AMZN</a>
. Matze was never into “big central points of authority,”
and this included bosses. So he struck out on his own in 2018, raising
some angel round money from friends to begin Parler (he won’t say
exactly how much).<br />
At the start, the app got a number of lucky boosts. During a
networking lunch in 2018, Matze struck up a conversation with Candace
Owens, the conservative activist, who promptly began encouraging people
to join Parler. By the following June, it had about 200,00 users, a
figure that <a aria-label="doubled almost overnight" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-saudi-politics/unhappy-at-twitter-thousands-of-saudis-crash-pro-trump-social-network-idUSKCN1TE32S" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-saudi-politics/unhappy-at-twitter-thousands-of-saudis-crash-pro-trump-social-network-idUSKCN1TE32S" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-saudi-politics/unhappy-at-twitter-thousands-of-saudis-crash-pro-trump-social-network-idUSKCN1TE32S">doubled almost overnight</a>
when hundreds of thousands of Saudi Arabian dissidents deserted Twitter
for Parler, unhappy with what they saw as Twitter protecting the Saudi
government. Media outlets including Reuters, <a aria-label="Slate" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://slate.com/technology/2019/06/thousands-saudi-twitter-users-crash-pro-trump-social-media.html" href="https://slate.com/technology/2019/06/thousands-saudi-twitter-users-crash-pro-trump-social-media.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://slate.com/technology/2019/06/thousands-saudi-twitter-users-crash-pro-trump-social-media.html">Slate</a> and <a aria-label="The Daily Beast" class="color-link" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.thedailybeast.com/about-200000-saudi-arabian-users-suddenly-flood-parler-a-pro-trump-twitter-alternative" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/about-200000-saudi-arabian-users-suddenly-flood-parler-a-pro-trump-twitter-alternative" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://www.thedailybeast.com/about-200000-saudi-arabian-users-suddenly-flood-parler-a-pro-trump-twitter-alternative">The Daily Beast</a> reported on the exodus, helping Parler keep growing. <br />
Parler functions like a barebones Twitter with users (such as the
Trumps and Giuliani) to follow and a feed to see their posts. True to
Matze’s hands-off stance, the feed flows chronologically—unlike
Twitter’s algorithm-based one. As for the exact rules, Matze is still
figuring out which ones should apply, setting up an uncertain landscape
that could be stampeded over if Trump carries through on his threat and
switches to Parler. For instance, when asked if there ever might be an
instance when the N-word would be appropriate, Matze has this answer:
“It depends on the context. If they just said that word alone, I don't
think we would touch it.” He thinks a couple minutes longer, then
restates his opinion. “If somebody came on there and said the N-word to
somebody, and they got very upset as a result of that, then it would get
taken down.”<br />
Matze is also just initially considering how Parler might make money.
His plan: lure conservative influencers onto the platform, then help
match them up with advertisers, taking a cut of the what the influencers
charge the advertisers to shill their products. To encourage ads, he
hopes to be able to offer up a legion of super engaged users—ones like
himself. “I've been kind of on my own island on Parler for a while. I
don't watch TV. I don't do anything. I get everything off Parler.”</div>
<div class="sigfile article-body fs-responsive-text">
Follow me on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/abebrown716" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Send me a secure <a href="https://www.forbes.com/tips/" target="_blank">tip</a>. </div>
<div class="contrib-byline">
<a class="fs-author-avatar" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/" title="Photo of Abram Brown"><img alt="Abram Brown" class="fs-author-image" src="https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/400x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fimageserve%2F5dacd8eda210800006f00425%2F960x0.jpg%3FcropX1%3D416%26cropX2%3D1270%26cropY1%3D0%26cropY2%3D853" /></a><br />
<div class="contrib-info">
<div class="author-wrapper">
<a class="author-name contrib-byline-author speakable-author" data-ga-track="contrib block byline" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/">Abram Brown</a></div>
</div>
</div>
Abram Brown is a senior editor at Forbes, where he covers social media, <br />
<div class="article-body-container">
<br />
<br />
<li class="article-sharing__item"><a aria-label="Share Twitter" class="social-icon twitter" data-ga-track="Twitter Click" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="screen-reader-text"></span><svg class="fs-icon fs-icon--twitter" viewbox="0 0 60 60" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"></svg></a><br /></li>
<li class="article-sharing__item"><a aria-label="Share Twitter" class="social-icon twitter" data-ga-track="Twitter Click" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="screen-reader-text"></span><svg class="fs-icon fs-icon--twitter" viewbox="0 0 60 60" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"></svg></a><br /></li>
<li class="article-sharing__item"><a aria-label="Share Twitter" class="social-icon twitter" data-ga-track="Twitter Click" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="screen-reader-text"></span><svg class="fs-icon fs-icon--twitter" viewbox="0 0 60 60" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"></svg></a><br /></li>
<li class="article-sharing__item"><a aria-label="Share Twitter" class="social-icon twitter" data-ga-track="Twitter Click" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="screen-reader-text"></span><svg class="fs-icon fs-icon--twitter" viewbox="0 0 60 60" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"></svg></a><br /></li>
<li class="article-sharing__item"><div class="speakable">
There’s a new social media <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/tech/technologies/apps" target="_blank">app</a> trying to give Facebook and Twitter a run for their money -- without the censorship.</div>
<div class="speakable">
Instead of using fact-checkers or a “third party editorial board,” <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/health/orthopedics/technology" target="_blank">Parler</a> moderates posts based on FCC guidelines and Supreme Court rulings, <a href="https://video.foxnews.com/v/6167586083001#sp=show-clips" target="_blank">Parler CEO John Matze told</a> Fox News’ <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/person/c/neil-cavuto" target="_blank">Neil Cavuto</a> on Friday.</div>
“It’ll
feel very similar to Twitter, which I’m sure many people are accustomed
to,” Matze said. “However ... we take a really firm stance that we want
to be unbiased.”<br />
<b><a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/parler-app-twitter-alternative-trump" target="_blank">CONSERVATIVES USE TWITTER TO PUSH ALTERNATIVE PARLER APP AFTER TRUMP TWEET FLAGGED</a></b><br />
If
someone does post something inaccurate on Parler, Matze said the app
would not fact-check it. Instead, other users would be able to comment.<br />
“They
can make any claim they’d like, but they’re going to be met with a lot
of commenters, a lot of people who are going to disagree with them,”
Matze said. “That’s how society works, right? If you make a claim,
people are going to come and fact check you organically.”<br />
<br />
“You don’t need an editorial board of experts to determine what’s
true and what’s not,” he added. “The First Amendment was given to us so
that we could all talk about issues, not have a single point of
authority to determine what is correct and what’s not.”<br />
<b><a href="https://video.foxbusiness.com/v/6167558196001/#sp=show-clips" target="_blank">WILL TRUMP SWITCH FROM TWITTER TO PARLER?</a></b><br />
So far, Matze said Parler has gotten a lot of attention from <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics" target="_blank">conservatives</a>
-- because “they seem to be the ones that are most affected by Twitter
censorship or Facebook censorship” -- but the website is for people from
all places on the political spectrum.<br />
“We’re a town square,” Matze said. “That’s how I view us. So everyone’s welcome, any kind of discussion.”<br />
“We
want people to actually have conversations again,” he added. “The
country’s too partisan right now. And when you go on these sites, it
feels like a battleground. And so the idea is that you’re going to get
on Parler and have discussions with people.”<br />
<b><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/ag-barr-on-tech-companies-censoring-viewpoints-theres-something-very-disturbing-about-whats-going-on" target="_blank">AG BARR ON TECH COMPANIES CENSORING VIEWPOINTS: ‘THERE’S SOMETHING VERY DISTURBING ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON’</a></b><br />
But it’s not just conservatives who are getting on Parler, Matze said.<br />
“You’re
going to see a lot of people on the other side of the aisle coming over
very soon,” he said. “In fact, we’re seeing them in waves now. Not to
the extent that they’re high-profile individuals, but you’re seeing a
lot of people on the left who are actually curious.”<br />
“They will come in bigger numbers and we’re going to see some bigger
names come over, too, when they don’t want to miss out on the
conversation,” he added. “They can’t resist.”<br />
<br />
However, the app is particularly important for conservatives to have a place where their voices can be heard, Matze said.<br />
“Right
now, conservatives need this kind of place, right?” he said. “This is
something that they need in an election year, when they’re experiencing
censorship or some kind of bias against them, whether it’s perceived or
real … People want a place that they can feel like they’re appreciated
and their voice matters and they can speak.”<br />
Several Republican lawmakers have already joined the app including Texas <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1276200378296664066" target="_blank">Sen. Ted Cruz</a>, Kentucky <a href="https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1275899361013235720" target="_blank">Sen. Rand Paul</a> and Ohio <a href="https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1276606238491643909" target="_blank">Rep. Jim Jordan</a>.</li>
<li class="article-sharing__item"></li>
<li class="article-sharing__item">COMMENTS:</li>
<li class="article-sharing__item"><span><div class="spcv_entity spcv_text-entity" data-spot-im-class="message-text">
<span class="spcv_text-trigger"></span>Won’t take long for liberal progressives to migrate over to the new format and begin to contaminate it. It’s what they do for live. They are a cancer upon society.</div>
<div class="spcv_entity spcv_text-entity" data-spot-im-class="message-text">
<span><div class="spcv_entity spcv_text-entity" data-spot-im-class="message-text">
<span class="spcv_text-trigger"><span data-title="Options"></span></span> </div>
<div class="spcv_entity spcv_text-entity" data-spot-im-class="message-text">
Nothing free about it and these platforms are collective endeavors, designed to stifle opinion- every time.</div>
</span> </div>
<div class="spcv_entity spcv_text-entity" data-spot-im-class="message-text">
<span><div class="spcv_entity spcv_text-entity" data-spot-im-class="message-text">
<span class="spcv_text-trigger"><span data-title="Options"></span></span>PARLER, MINDS, & GAB = the future of social media ..... FREE SPEECH always prevails..... censorship kills!! just like communism!</div>
</span></div>
</span><br />
<br />
<a aria-label="Share Twitter" class="social-icon twitter" data-ga-track="Twitter Click" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><svg class="fs-icon fs-icon--twitter" viewbox="0 0 60 60" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"></svg></a></li>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-18715957832481271922020-05-19T13:08:00.000-07:002020-05-19T13:08:15.950-07:00PUNITIVE DAMAGES FOR VICTIMS OF EMBASSY BOMBINGS<div class="_5pbx userContent _3576" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-testid="post_message" id="js_4">
18 May 2020 PUNITIVE DAMAGES FOR VICTIMS OF EMBASSY BOMBINGS from Supreme Court.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8yRAyLktdPWg7tCdGJQZ5QihJ0xn9CEfovmcO0Dm50YIwvVpAkmOdBK9Tb_LU7Xb5L_rZDEfz83c_BuzHkybSKuSqklyGMqtKbNs35fSPG80fBbzZcvLOmVW1Hnd2-zjbe5RviWiiJo/s1600/SupCt29Sept09SoniaSotomayor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="400" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8yRAyLktdPWg7tCdGJQZ5QihJ0xn9CEfovmcO0Dm50YIwvVpAkmOdBK9Tb_LU7Xb5L_rZDEfz83c_BuzHkybSKuSqklyGMqtKbNs35fSPG80fBbzZcvLOmVW1Hnd2-zjbe5RviWiiJo/s320/SupCt29Sept09SoniaSotomayor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /> Unanimous ruling for plaintiffs on punitive damages for embassy bombings<br />
It has been over two decades since al Qaeda operatives detonated bombs
outside the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing over 200
people and injuring thousands more. The victims and their family members
later filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking to
hold Sudan responsible for its role in providing support for al Qaeda.
The trial court awarded them billions of dollars, but a federal appeals
court cut that award in half. It ruled that the plaintiffs could not
recover punitive damages from Sudan because Congress did not authorize
such damages until 10 years after the bombings. Today the Supreme Court
unanimously (with Justice Brett Kavanaugh recused) threw out that
ruling, setting the stage for billions of dollars in punitive damages to
be reinstated.<br />
Although foreign governments normally cannot be
sued in U.S. courts, the plaintiffs brought their lawsuit under the
Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which governs immunity for foreign
countries and includes several exceptions to the general bar on
lawsuits. One such exception is the “terrorism exception,” enacted in
1996, which allows foreign countries that have been identified as “state
sponsors” of terrorism to be sued in U.S. courts for supporting
terrorists.<br />
Congress passed another amendment to the FSIA in
2008, to make clear that victims of terrorism can sue a state sponsor of
terrorism in federal court and that they can seek punitive damages,
which the FSIA otherwise prohibits. The dispute between the plaintiffs
and Sudan hinges largely on the interpretation of this 2008 amendment.<br />
In an opinion by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the court began by acknowledging
that, as a general rule, laws only apply prospectively. But even so,
the court continued, Congress could not have been clearer in authorizing
plaintiffs to seek punitive damages for conduct that occurred before it
amended the FSIA in 2008. The court explained that Congress “expressly
authorized punitive damages under a new cause of action” and then it
“explicitly made that new cause of action available to remedy certain
past acts of terrorism.” “Neither step,” the court concluded, “presents
any ambiguity, nor is the” 2008 amendment “fairly susceptible to any
competing interpretation.”<br />
The court rejected Sudan’s suggestion
that it should “create and apply a new rule requiring Congress to
provide a super-clear statement” before allowing punitive damages for
conduct that predates the law at issue. The court conceded that
“applying new punishment to completed conduct can raise serious
constitutional questions.” “But,” the court added, “if Congress clearly
authorizes retroactive punitive damages in a manner the litigant thinks
unconstitutional, the better course is for the litigant to challenge the
law’s constitutionality,” rather than ask a court to ignore the plain
text of the law. In any event, the court reasoned, when it creates rules
for interpreting statutes, it tries to come up with workable ones, and
“Sudan’s proposal promises more nearly the opposite: How much
clearer-than-clear should we require Congress to be when authorizing the
retroactive use of punitive damages?”<br />
The court declined to
weigh in on a separate question in the litigation – whether punitive
damages are available for claims brought under state law by family
members who are not U.S. citizens (and therefore could not rely on the
new federal cause of action at the heart of this case). Because the
plaintiffs did not raise this question in their petition for review, the
court explained, “we think it best not to stray into new terrain on the
basis of such a meager invitation and with such little assistance.”
Having said that, however, the justices noted that the court of appeals
had thrown out the punitive damages award to the foreign-national family
members who brought their claims under state law “for ‘the same
reason’” it relied on to rule against the plaintiffs proceeding under
the new federal cause of action. Because “punitive damages are
permissible for federal claims,” and “the reasons the court of appeals
offered for its contrary decision were mistaken,” the Supreme Court
instructed, “the court of appeals must also reconsider its decision
concerning the availability of punitive damages for claims proceeding
under state law.”<br />
The case will now return to the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for further proceedings.
But for the plaintiffs, today’s ruling was nonetheless a significant
victory.</div>
<div class="_3x-2" data-ft="{"tn":"H"}">
<div data-ft="{"tn":"H"}">
<div class="mtm">
<div class="_2a2q _65sr" style="height: 500px; width: 500px;">
<a class="_5dec _xcx _487t" data-ploi="https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/99404691_10222618759240635_3026823745965654016_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=G7TiA0x-UXAAX-1LJha&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=3537da0a2b984bd0968988090e43749c&oe=5EE7FF9D" data-render-location="permalink" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10222618759200634&set=pcb.10222618771520942&type=3&__tn__=HH-R&eid=ARA4vYjm-LjAiZoHEbYRDzRHYvTJbj4mKzXmwDntXQhLUecsWHZblLNhZzZXOWH2QND4mICMUjA-098l" id="u_0_14" rel="theater" style="height: 333px; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 500px;"><div class="uiScaledImageContainer" style="height: 333px; width: 500px;">
<img alt="Image may contain: sky and outdoor" class="scaledImageFitHeight img" data-src="https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/99404691_10222618759240635_3026823745965654016_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=G7TiA0x-UXAAX-1LJha&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=3537da0a2b984bd0968988090e43749c&oe=5EE7FF9D" height="333" src="https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/99404691_10222618759240635_3026823745965654016_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=G7TiA0x-UXAAX-1LJha&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=3537da0a2b984bd0968988090e43749c&oe=5EE7FF9D" style="left: -6px;" width="513" /></div>
</a><a class="_5dec _xcx" data-ploi="https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/99131984_10222618759600644_6320108761918734336_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=GwdSFlsuheoAX_Tbefw&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=252607a22f3fb98538c6fb410816d72d&oe=5EEAFACE" data-render-location="permalink" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10222618759560643&set=pcb.10222618771520942&type=3&__tn__=HH-R&eid=ARDfX99nhD3zh9japESkEo5glEkJ6rSX9b02wp_y3ghOOAsIemU2EE3tlCjvyRuuvqijCXW_yXeObqXM" id="u_0_15" rel="theater" style="height: 165px; left: 0px; top: 335px; width: 249px;"><div class="uiScaledImageContainer" style="height: 165px; width: 249px;">
<img alt="Image may contain: 1 person, standing and suit" class="scaledImageFitHeight img" data-src="https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p235x165/99131984_10222618759600644_6320108761918734336_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=GwdSFlsuheoAX_Tbefw&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&_nc_tp=6&oh=6ada3553405710eb47841c44669421a2&oe=5EEB831B" height="165" src="https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p235x165/99131984_10222618759600644_6320108761918734336_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=GwdSFlsuheoAX_Tbefw&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&_nc_tp=6&oh=6ada3553405710eb47841c44669421a2&oe=5EEB831B" style="left: -37px;" width="287" /></div>
</a><a class="_5dec _xcx" data-ploi="https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/97878362_10222618759480641_422669806068563968_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=QGm6sNzbdfgAX-Uubkp&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=f17560450495dcc6795c33221eb776cb&oe=5EEA4F12" data-render-location="permalink" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10222618759440640&set=pcb.10222618771520942&type=3&__tn__=HH-R&eid=ARBxUCxO3LEeWDuZixVOXqhri1MpnCqlmzL1dSOY1EO_4jTF3z9Ux3ZYDmQctMVQwXndw67NChQxlnqQ" id="u_0_13" rel="theater" style="height: 165px; left: 251px; top: 335px; width: 249px;"><div class="uiScaledImageContainer" style="height: 165px; width: 249px;">
<img alt="No photo description available." class="scaledImageFitWidth img" data-src="https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/97878362_10222618759480641_422669806068563968_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=QGm6sNzbdfgAX-Uubkp&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=f17560450495dcc6795c33221eb776cb&oe=5EEA4F12" height="191" src="https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/97878362_10222618759480641_422669806068563968_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=QGm6sNzbdfgAX-Uubkp&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=f17560450495dcc6795c33221eb776cb&oe=5EEA4F12" width="249" /></div>
</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="_78bu">
<div class="_1dnh">
<div class="_3vuz">
<span class=" _18vi"><div class="_666k">
<div class="_8c74">
<a aria-pressed="false" class=" _6a-y _3l2t _18vj" href="https://www.facebook.com/cgachasehall/posts/10222618771520942#" role="button" tabindex="0">Like</a></div>
</div>
</span><span class=" _18vi"><a class=" _666h _18vj _18vk _42ft" href="https://www.facebook.com/cgachasehall/posts/10222618771520942#" role="button" tabindex="0" title="Leave a comment">Comment</a></span><span class=" _18vi"><span class="_1j6m"><div class="_6800 uiPopover _6a">
<a aria-controls="u_i_0" class="_2nj7 _18vj _18vk _p" data-ft="{ "tn": "J", "type": 25 }" href="https://www.facebook.com/cgachasehall/posts/10222618771520942#" id="js_6c" role="button" tabindex="0" title="Send this to friends or post it on your timeline.">Share</a></div>
</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="_3w53">
<h6 class="accessible_elem">
Comments</h6>
<div class="clearfix _4eez _43u6 _4jby clearfix" data-ft="{"tn":"["}">
<div class="_ohe lfloat">
<span aria-hidden="true" class=" _3mf5 _3mg0"><img alt="London Eugene Livingston Richter" class="_3me- _3mf1 img" src="https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-1/cp0/p32x32/24291763_10214820681453564_4233130214592134249_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=7206a8&_nc_ohc=-slCWFjh8YgAX-BXj2f&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=d8c7106b8f563a0a475c41b3f90b2cab&oe=5EEA617B" /></span></div>
<div class="">
<div class="_42ef">
<div class="_25-w">
<div class="_17pg">
<div class="_17pg">
<div class="_1rwk">
<div class="_7c_r _4w79">
<div class="_7c-l">
<div class="_7c-t">
Write a comment...</div>
</div>
</div>
<ul class="_1obb">
<li class="_1obc"><span data-hover="tooltip"></span><br /></li>
<li class="_1obc"><span data-hover="tooltip"></span><br /></li>
<li class="_1obc"><span data-hover="tooltip"></span><br /></li>
<li class="_1obc"><span data-hover="tooltip" id="js_6a"></span><br /></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-80608125706642355742020-05-19T10:59:00.002-07:002020-05-19T11:01:02.586-07:00 Coronavirus-relief Payments Scams and Social Security Fraud With coronavirus-relief payments circulating and many Americans in
isolation amid the pandemic, scammers are seizing on the moment to
exploit the fear and uncertainty the outbreak is creating.<br />
<u>Seniors</u> are among the most vulnerable as scammers often target
them because they may have more assets or regular income and because
they’re often more trusting than other age groups, the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau warns. <br />
<div class="paywall">
Among the myriad coronavirus-related
schemes circulating: sending queries on stimulus checks in an <u><b>attempt to
pry financial information from vulnerable targets; offering unproven
coronavirus test kits; and setting up bogus charities. </b></u><br />
<div class="media-object type-InsetNewsletterSignup wrap article__inset article__inset--type-InsetNewsletterSignup article__inset--wrap" data-layout-mobile="inline" data-layout="wrap
">
<div class="webui-newsletter-inset" id="webui_newsletter_inset">
<div class="">
<div class="">
<div class="BarronsTheme--newsletter-card-container-1vKMM9ClyVhAZG4WdDS2Do " id="newsletter-card-container-456">
<div class="BarronsTheme--newsletter-card-container-1vKMM9ClyVhAZG4WdDS2Do " id="newsletter-card-container-456">
<hr class="BarronsTheme--partial-hr-2JwbT-BvA8VtPQdL5tGEq1 " />
<br />
<hr class="BarronsTheme--partial-hr-2JwbT-BvA8VtPQdL5tGEq1 " />
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="sliderBox">
<div class="main">
<div class="js-print-article" data-id="SB50591326059716934308104586382431272488272" id="article_sector">
<br />
<article class="article" id="article-contents"><div class="article__body article-wrap at16-col16 barrons-article-wrap" data-sbid="SB50591326059716934308104586382431272488272" id="js-article__body" itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="sc-Rmtcm bsTdJm">
<div class="media-object type-InsetNewsletterSignup wrap article__inset article__inset--type-InsetNewsletterSignup article__inset--wrap" data-layout-mobile="inline" data-layout="wrap
">
<div class="webui-newsletter-inset" id="webui_newsletter_inset">
</div>
</div>
The Federal Trade Commission received 45,623 <a class="icon none" href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/attachments/coronavirus-covid-19-consumer-complaint-data/covid-19-daily-public-complaints.pdf?mod=article_inline" target="_blank">coronavirus-related consumer and small-business complaints</a> through May 14, representing reported fraud loss of more than $33.84 million, with a median individual loss of nearly $500.<br />
<h6>
Social Security Scams</h6>
The Social Security
Administration recently warned about fraudulent letters threatening
beneficiaries that their payments would be suspended or discontinued due
to coronavirus-related office closures unless they called a phone
number referenced in the letter. Scammers could then encourage those who
called in to provide personal information or payment via retail gift
cards, wire transfers, internet currency, or cash to maintain their
benefits, the administration warned.<br />
The agency said it won’t suspend or discontinue benefits due to
the pandemic. Anyone who receives any communication about an alleged
problem with their Social Security number, account, or payments that
they believe to be suspicious should hang up or not respond, it advises.<br />
Beneficiaries shouldn’t trust their caller ID as scam calls may
show up on caller ID as the Social Security Administration, the FTC
warns.<br />
The agency says to <a class="icon none" href="https://oig.ssa.gov/?mod=article_inline" target="_blank">report Social Security scams online</a>. <br />
<h6>
Stimulus Scams</h6>
The Internal Revenue Service is warning
of scams to intercept the economic-impact payments that have been
mailed to taxpayers. Taxpayers will likely encounter official-looking
web pages or social media-based communications or receive phishing
email, text messages, or other communications that request sensitive
personal information or payments in order to receive an economic-impact
payment, the agency warns.<u><b> Taxpayers shouldn’t follow any embedded links
or open any attached files, i</b></u>t says.<br />
Scammers may offer to help seniors get their stimulus check if
they first verify their Social Security or bank routing number, says
Colleen Tressler, a consumer education specialist with the FTC. They may
also try to get you to sign your check over to them or they may send
you a bogus check that requires you to verify it online or by calling a
number. <br />
No one from the IRS will reach out by telephone, email, or in
person asking for information to complete economic-impact payments, the
agency says.<br />
The Better Business Bureau offers more information on coronavirus-related <a class="icon none" href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/21774-scam-alert-government-relief-checks-trigger-latest-coronavirus-scam?mod=article_inline" target="_blank">scams that target economic-impact checks on its website</a>. The Treasury Department also has websites for reporting <a class="icon none" href="https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_covid.shtml?mod=article_inline" target="_blank">IRS-related coronavirus scams</a> and scams <a class="icon none" href="https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_treasurycheck.shtml?mod=article_inline" target="_blank">specifically targeting economic-impact payments</a>. <br />
Imposters are also trying to take advantage of the growing anxieties around the pandemic to tap into seniors’ Medicare benefits.
Common themes among Medicare scams are unsolicited phone calls
to beneficiaries offering items and services related to coronavirus,
such as Covid-19 testing and protective equipment, with no intent of
delivery, according to a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services. The scams are designed to obtain Medicare beneficiary
numbers to enable fraudsters to submit false claims for unrelated,
unnecessary, or never-performed testing or services, as well as to steal
the beneficiary’s identity. <br />
</div>
<div class="sc-Rmtcm bsTdJm">
Beneficiaries should share their Medicare number only with
their doctor, pharmacist, hospital, health insurer, or other trusted
health-care provider. Those who receive a call from someone claiming to
represent Medicare, asking for their Medicare number or other personal
information should hang up, the spokesman says. If a beneficiary needs
to be tested for Covid-19, he or she should call his or her health-care
provider directly. <br />
Beneficiaries should also monitor their quarterly Medicare
summary notice for any services for which they were billed but which
they didn’t receive or request. <br />
Those who suspect Medicare fraud can report it by calling Medicare’s toll-free customer service center at 1-800-633-4227<br />
<span class="wsj-article-credit article__inset__image__caption__credit" itemprop="creator"></span>
</div>
</div>
</article></div>
<div class="continuous_articles" id="continuous_articles">
<div class="continuous" data-capi-id="0a6384a4617771d82bd7e6660a81fdb9" data-id="SB50591326059716934308104586384131954116052" data-image="" data-index="0">
<br />
<article class="article article--continue"><div class="continue-reading article__body">
<div class="preview snippet__preview">
<br />
The novel coronavirus has the world firmly in its grip.
Images from northern Italy, Madrid, and New York City have shown that
the threat of the virus should not be underestimated. Tens of thousands
of people have died because of it. Most countries now face a dilemma: If
drastic shutdowns continue, serious economic and social problems will
arise, but going back to normal life is very dangerous and will risk
tens of thousands of additional deaths. The final return to normalcy
will be possible only if there is a vaccine or an effective medicine
against Covid-19. <br />
The European Union is on the front line of
developing this vaccine. Some companies and laboratories that cooperate
with experts from other parts of the world are already conducting human
clinical trials. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen led a
worldwide virtual summit on cooperation in this area. <br />
While public and private stakeholders from all over the world—including Israel, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the United States.</div>
</div>
</article></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="cx-scrim">
</div>
<div id="cx-poptart">
</div>
<a href="https://store.barrons.com/shop/US/US/barmv5220/?inttrackingCode=aaqvqrv5&icid=BAR_ON_ALL_ACQ_NA&n2IKsaD9=n2IKsaD9&cx_campaign=BARUSMVFY20" id="cXLinkIdkae7th3n3t30momt" target="_top">
</a>ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-44690534965138315272020-04-16T09:34:00.002-07:002020-04-16T10:44:08.445-07:00The Wise Guys Good Fellas and The Democrats Solve Coronavirus<div class="_5pbx userContent _3576" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-testid="post_message">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhxylQzCUvz4D7Ggi1kagbtrAi1n0TgFkUPf0p96QgbcJCQ9XPNxv44aE_eNR4YuEibeSgXT9XzcAaRHtveeyeWaqNsqhnuNyN15Bbz8j5LvqERHfHV6PLHKQD6fQcZ73JwtNd7diiAQ/s1600/LondonMafia93412097_10222220746610568_3607686418840682496_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhxylQzCUvz4D7Ggi1kagbtrAi1n0TgFkUPf0p96QgbcJCQ9XPNxv44aE_eNR4YuEibeSgXT9XzcAaRHtveeyeWaqNsqhnuNyN15Bbz8j5LvqERHfHV6PLHKQD6fQcZ73JwtNd7diiAQ/s320/LondonMafia93412097_10222220746610568_3607686418840682496_n.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I wanna get to the bottom of the Corovirus thing. Call The Boys. All of 'em.<br />
Call Fat Tuna Provenzano, Little Tony "The Lip" Fauci, Franky Five
Angels, Salvatore "Sammy The BULL" Gravano, Berni "The Tractor"
Provenzano, Lefty "Two Guns" Pacino, Dapper John "Teflon Don" Gotti,
Lucky Luciano, Albert "Little Augie" Anastasia, Big Jim Colosimo, Sammy
"The Plummer: Cavalcante, Salvatore Giuliano, Tommaso Buscetta, Don "The
Leopard" Fabrizio, Don Calogero Vizzini, Giuseppe "The Prince" Tomasi,
Paul Castellano, Tomas Billotti, Thomas Gambino, Gino Falcone, Giullio
Andreotti, Luca Brotzsy, and all The Wise Guys, Good Fellas, Democrat
Congressmen, Nancy Di Lorenzo Pelosi, Pencil Neck Schiff, Chuck "The
Schmuck" Shummer, Fredo Cuomo, and Jerry "the Penguin" Nadler.</div>
<span aria-label="See who reacted to this" class="_1n9r _66lh" role="toolbar"><span class="_1n9k" data-hover="tooltip" tabindex="-1"></span></span><a class="_3dlf" data-testid="UFI2ReactionsCount/root" href="https://www.facebook.com/ufi/reaction/profile/browser/?ft_ent_identifier=ZmVlZGJhY2s6Mjk3ODE1Njg4NTU4NzQ1OA%3D%3D&av=100001795260231" rel="dialog" role="button" tabindex="0"><span aria-hidden="true" class="_3dlg"><span class="_3dlh"><span class="_81hb">1</span></span></span></a>ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-83953696438981163742019-12-16T10:23:00.003-08:002019-12-17T06:40:35.518-08:00Cuban Political Machine Eclipses Mexican Machine In Downey California, New Mayor Cuban Female<h1 class="title entry-title" itemprop="name">
<a data-id="393339261641955880" data-item-type="post" href="https://cgalightbearer.blogspot.com/2019/12/downey-california-elects-first-cuban.html" itemprop="url" rel="bookmark">
Downey, California Elects First Cuban Female Mayor</a>
<span class="blog-admin"></span>
</h1>
<div class="article-content entry-content" itemprop="articleBody">
<h6>
<a href="http://www.scpr.org/about/people/staff/leslie-berestein-rojas">f/leslie Berestein Rojas</a>, <i>Immigration and Emerging Communities Reporter</i></h6>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFj_iuGEtp17dEwheKuBY45hi2-TXQScP51R9_lMoGt0cD_UA6thtpcCbzr-phezwHYwoV8uzt17_ze_7u_goixvwyoUXE2WlJIf-z5b356Ugn77A5M90cWsqG4fXAYT7AlmqbynyBg4/s1600/DowneyMayorBlancoNewsPaperArticle79140631_2591005590967293_6391001646725332992_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1087" data-original-width="1440" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFj_iuGEtp17dEwheKuBY45hi2-TXQScP51R9_lMoGt0cD_UA6thtpcCbzr-phezwHYwoV8uzt17_ze_7u_goixvwyoUXE2WlJIf-z5b356Ugn77A5M90cWsqG4fXAYT7AlmqbynyBg4/s320/DowneyMayorBlancoNewsPaperArticle79140631_2591005590967293_6391001646725332992_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="_5pbx userContent _3576" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-testid="post_message" id="js_8nh">
"On
Tuesday I was sworn in as the Mayor of Downey. It was a historic night
for our city as I became the first Latina to be sworn in as Mayor for
our great city of Downey. Equally historical is that this is the first
time in the history of Downey that two females serve together as Mayor
and Mayor Pro Tem. Claudia Marroquin- Frometa is our Mayor Pro Tem and I
look forward to serving with her in our new roles.<br />
I am truly
blessed and honored to serve as Mayor. Thank you to all the residents
who voted me into office in 2016, and have given me this opportunity to
serve our city.<br />
To everyone that posted on my Facebook page, thank
you for your congratulatory messages. To everyone that came to my
swearing in, thank you for attending. It was nice to see everyone!!"
(Blanco Pacheco)<br />
<span class="_5mfr"><span class="_6qdm" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t6c/1/16/2764.png"); font-size: 16px; height: 16px; width: 16px;">❤️</span></span><span class="_5mfr"><span class="_6qdm" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t68/1/16/1f495.png"); font-size: 16px; height: 16px; width: 16px;">💕</span></span> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/downey?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG"><span class="_5afx"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz">#</span><span class="_58cm">downey</span></span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/mayor2020?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG"><span class="_5afx"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz">#</span><span class="_58cm">Mayor2020</span></span></a><br />
<span class="_5afx"><span class="_58cm"> </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMDL_w4bOA5dAXmkMyZPCtOAgcRcjMQvFC0qQmY2yg6lU50tCDoEO12m1NP3P0br0U9zKYXXGO6p7RybSeRtvELFK1bSpfBreD2pytGV-RHdHC2vjRIcuFBkKmaLgwOULOyxywO0Oh_w/s1600/DowneyMayorBlancoSarahAndSamNissTeenDowney79822731_2261816480776073_1886144521650044928_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="661" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMDL_w4bOA5dAXmkMyZPCtOAgcRcjMQvFC0qQmY2yg6lU50tCDoEO12m1NP3P0br0U9zKYXXGO6p7RybSeRtvELFK1bSpfBreD2pytGV-RHdHC2vjRIcuFBkKmaLgwOULOyxywO0Oh_w/s320/DowneyMayorBlancoSarahAndSamNissTeenDowney79822731_2261816480776073_1886144521650044928_o.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
<div class="_46-h" style="height: 250px; width: 249px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(Above, Mayor Blanco Pacheco, center, with Miss Teen Downey 2019-2020, Sarah and her brother, Sam,)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01KZJynlFDfW_1NLGH5KpPQJLj3ZDVsKsrXRECvI8QvenVvnT-m4Ln25Vy77tOCeomIZB57og9itFwEmnh62dzYFChDJcLKxcsiRodswPifEasq_yMjB9oaZ2BsZ9pSJySTv1Q0INMoYr/s1600/DowneyMayorBlancoAndChrist79143751_10213075291231870_7315349308281192448_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01KZJynlFDfW_1NLGH5KpPQJLj3ZDVsKsrXRECvI8QvenVvnT-m4Ln25Vy77tOCeomIZB57og9itFwEmnh62dzYFChDJcLKxcsiRodswPifEasq_yMjB9oaZ2BsZ9pSJySTv1Q0INMoYr/s320/DowneyMayorBlancoAndChrist79143751_10213075291231870_7315349308281192448_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://scontent.fhhr1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s261x260/80355320_2722403621162787_7275607421840523264_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ohc=Bp-pMcjOljMAQl5EMQAWDrEJccAMyOfaoTaMvvmZumi0AWyLmUAafrj4w&_nc_ht=scontent.fhhr1-1.fna&oh=387f62fa9eeba1aeb43f4f3fb4791c0b&oe=5EB2701F" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Image may contain: 3 people, including Blanca Pacheco, people smiling, screen" border="0" class="_46-i img" data-src="https://scontent.fhhr1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s261x260/80355320_2722403621162787_7275607421840523264_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ohc=Bp-pMcjOljMAQl5EMQAWDrEJccAMyOfaoTaMvvmZumi0AWyLmUAafrj4w&_nc_ht=scontent.fhhr1-1.fna&oh=387f62fa9eeba1aeb43f4f3fb4791c0b&oe=5EB2701F" height="260" src="https://scontent.fhhr1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s261x260/80355320_2722403621162787_7275607421840523264_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ohc=Bp-pMcjOljMAQl5EMQAWDrEJccAMyOfaoTaMvvmZumi0AWyLmUAafrj4w&_nc_ht=scontent.fhhr1-1.fna&oh=387f62fa9eeba1aeb43f4f3fb4791c0b&oe=5EB2701F" style="left: -5px; top: 0px;" width="260" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWbPvV2EVeBeUVifRqArFcNyBK-T8UGhwqMi-ulCBcKOOCnx9ouJnnlHBzgC0VpgapUzvC55M5NIVNR5M3iiiy6-MazkhWyFjp7mz0ZRb-0fGTIAUr-yt1GxKCOn9RgKAALHMDGB7XF0U/s1600/Downey2019BlancoPachecoMayor79032297_10215701026893805_752368568204525568_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWbPvV2EVeBeUVifRqArFcNyBK-T8UGhwqMi-ulCBcKOOCnx9ouJnnlHBzgC0VpgapUzvC55M5NIVNR5M3iiiy6-MazkhWyFjp7mz0ZRb-0fGTIAUr-yt1GxKCOn9RgKAALHMDGB7XF0U/s320/Downey2019BlancoPachecoMayor79032297_10215701026893805_752368568204525568_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaEYfzZlDxmXQlQNUcEU9imGf4aHWdCwtK0J9uPyJA4HHbMcTnYzZjnuRgJjo8keCUmc5UX9lNUSdVnrFUt1sRuXpxSYi8E7O8c_namjczw_9_EBpDOgTHy5P3bYT9xV-ApkID3lR4Awo/s1600/Downey2019BlancoPachecoMayor79238870_10215702907060808_6764810491790360576_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="960" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaEYfzZlDxmXQlQNUcEU9imGf4aHWdCwtK0J9uPyJA4HHbMcTnYzZjnuRgJjo8keCUmc5UX9lNUSdVnrFUt1sRuXpxSYi8E7O8c_namjczw_9_EBpDOgTHy5P3bYT9xV-ApkID3lR4Awo/s320/Downey2019BlancoPachecoMayor79238870_10215702907060808_6764810491790360576_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5EdJdQZxoG_LN8ZpTzqel5El1_YtRJKbu18eezObHIJNYnO2jznDVS50DTwkxqkESX0y0oY9C5OUj7CUdd0Rmf3P5Fe8GsqPpSQR6J6gslmXoB3Q7h-8gHwYz0whq7e9HiURZRNYolqQo/s1600/Downey2019BlancoPachecoMayor79474969_10215701025693775_3827286172539813888_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="917" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5EdJdQZxoG_LN8ZpTzqel5El1_YtRJKbu18eezObHIJNYnO2jznDVS50DTwkxqkESX0y0oY9C5OUj7CUdd0Rmf3P5Fe8GsqPpSQR6J6gslmXoB3Q7h-8gHwYz0whq7e9HiURZRNYolqQo/s320/Downey2019BlancoPachecoMayor79474969_10215701025693775_3827286172539813888_n.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7k_nr7kNgG_H0cu8DmzEoAcZ7OQOnfxqEs3tqtMzyi7dBTJNLiWEqplg1UNO2IuhBLnR5SnEn-aUHvv8I6FbJhVYafM28mqPDSleysOdf4taaOg1hlEafbWZui_X6EJYlaMgZGHxnNBYS/s1600/Downey2019BlancoPachecoMayor79445515_10215702623613722_7372340917253963776_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7k_nr7kNgG_H0cu8DmzEoAcZ7OQOnfxqEs3tqtMzyi7dBTJNLiWEqplg1UNO2IuhBLnR5SnEn-aUHvv8I6FbJhVYafM28mqPDSleysOdf4taaOg1hlEafbWZui_X6EJYlaMgZGHxnNBYS/s320/Downey2019BlancoPachecoMayor79445515_10215702623613722_7372340917253963776_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2r9yW8cBEvJtFDlwKSusoSqKOlVQ8ziumRqMNcfGYmVuP5usEbOXDjaSyzDMJQ3G8UTSDA8IrVqrn2NErPofnQhydweD16XNPPxRzMuPzpkilrzdn_y5FvmPmACFGRTGIfne646d9yQTC/s1600/Downey2019BlancoPachecoMayor79925888_10215702906460793_6674678223671918592_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2r9yW8cBEvJtFDlwKSusoSqKOlVQ8ziumRqMNcfGYmVuP5usEbOXDjaSyzDMJQ3G8UTSDA8IrVqrn2NErPofnQhydweD16XNPPxRzMuPzpkilrzdn_y5FvmPmACFGRTGIfne646d9yQTC/s320/Downey2019BlancoPachecoMayor79925888_10215702906460793_6674678223671918592_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3REjn3SMRJ33UcRuH_AcTOsGp5gGC4ussXNlBFn-DEErJC90mkMKZJKGTadBb6m86AWIGPRLKjcp1AXNlp1fWrbgE_YNPa_htK6JEOzuXMvKmM_gJ0oR22F-EQPhle-xAMd6q8nOWVUDC/s1600/Downey2019BlancoPachecoMayor80030965_10215701029253864_4178474116346544128_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3REjn3SMRJ33UcRuH_AcTOsGp5gGC4ussXNlBFn-DEErJC90mkMKZJKGTadBb6m86AWIGPRLKjcp1AXNlp1fWrbgE_YNPa_htK6JEOzuXMvKmM_gJ0oR22F-EQPhle-xAMd6q8nOWVUDC/s320/Downey2019BlancoPachecoMayor80030965_10215701029253864_4178474116346544128_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MD8uaE4RF4-fUonT_urtbjYLTpBVFvq4J5LZ-9CHUnas3eTEu17InPHDl63E9YqS-aLcXg-jXCsBi2gG7xZDDJ9YRVOYFErfN-55Epk3NYggJI2R3vF_bCmoLgUicxZmLq0Nu2dRmtP_/s1600/DowneyFirstFemaleCubanMayorBlancoPacheco79199675_10218394254762033_7585651090780061696_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MD8uaE4RF4-fUonT_urtbjYLTpBVFvq4J5LZ-9CHUnas3eTEu17InPHDl63E9YqS-aLcXg-jXCsBi2gG7xZDDJ9YRVOYFErfN-55Epk3NYggJI2R3vF_bCmoLgUicxZmLq0Nu2dRmtP_/s320/DowneyFirstFemaleCubanMayorBlancoPacheco79199675_10218394254762033_7585651090780061696_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="_46-h" style="height: 250px; width: 249px;">
<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt28aTrmQwGIKtRT5k4oYuRRVJ6y0traCZbCqcW7NmBYncGh3Y8gQdBOTYw-sRF9Km4yAy5gwZ4IVwBcrrYF2Npu_ZmQLomFNWF7aUeHKAL_Easw9woP91iljRRPq3VR7XzubNd1XZERMO/s1600/DowneyMayorCountySupervisorDonKnabe79656771_2722473461155803_5045100844828065792_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1232" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt28aTrmQwGIKtRT5k4oYuRRVJ6y0traCZbCqcW7NmBYncGh3Y8gQdBOTYw-sRF9Km4yAy5gwZ4IVwBcrrYF2Npu_ZmQLomFNWF7aUeHKAL_Easw9woP91iljRRPq3VR7XzubNd1XZERMO/s320/DowneyMayorCountySupervisorDonKnabe79656771_2722473461155803_5045100844828065792_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLd6PvUDZTV8FGZaM9JFlA2CDPe-I_OXRC0Gq2qLywuQix8jioPkzyZnT_1muV9w4TXiosV65D-K1ZZhVv005mXU1driWaPqp7Qp4rWzURIDhckFl-yDgWx0CTpjCBoIZGgZ0OQG_s2bH/s1600/DowneyMayorRickLopez79693393_2722473454489137_6850901088309084160_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1176" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLd6PvUDZTV8FGZaM9JFlA2CDPe-I_OXRC0Gq2qLywuQix8jioPkzyZnT_1muV9w4TXiosV65D-K1ZZhVv005mXU1driWaPqp7Qp4rWzURIDhckFl-yDgWx0CTpjCBoIZGgZ0OQG_s2bH/s320/DowneyMayorRickLopez79693393_2722473454489137_6850901088309084160_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNAtk8e9jLhLsSC6QJ0se1M5mEYENj2q7nPsAjzmoLf4G_Y3WXeJApJxHG_-FkUcRWyPKkCFu404hE4uagpH8BQR2uThOcVYvQN0_1Kyr0E28uT2ZGX5LIYULhyphenhyphenR24OnRgsxAIGgIlYgB/s1600/DowneyMayorSupporterFayeCampbell79534734_2722473537822462_8224657836907429888_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1242" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNAtk8e9jLhLsSC6QJ0se1M5mEYENj2q7nPsAjzmoLf4G_Y3WXeJApJxHG_-FkUcRWyPKkCFu404hE4uagpH8BQR2uThOcVYvQN0_1Kyr0E28uT2ZGX5LIYULhyphenhyphenR24OnRgsxAIGgIlYgB/s320/DowneyMayorSupporterFayeCampbell79534734_2722473537822462_8224657836907429888_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5bEK2dm3gvTmhNogtabo8mGoc9v0FOfiufjaDMyIQ6DYEqN-oWOtIW2MrUtKmhhONoZkSLRWbTRbcVEx58NfZhP33RakecJX1stB41KKEKSXTax-kJzDZ8qLv6IDHzepXC5SNWt1vaz2/s1600/DowneyPatriot3A38280490_10212704829195476_8987006392984403968_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="674" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5bEK2dm3gvTmhNogtabo8mGoc9v0FOfiufjaDMyIQ6DYEqN-oWOtIW2MrUtKmhhONoZkSLRWbTRbcVEx58NfZhP33RakecJX1stB41KKEKSXTax-kJzDZ8qLv6IDHzepXC5SNWt1vaz2/s320/DowneyPatriot3A38280490_10212704829195476_8987006392984403968_n.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXaj932xWrN0CF9kB6sYoM-5mld7g0lP7o_CtLufomBh03lfcb1Gd0FxpPEqolruOj6EPWCsTbnGaLDrDTCPMAxgM_1TTpDNesPdED-F6s8gbkmYq7UOgV83td39bou2aGJFE-u1rcANd/s1600/DowneyPatriot138624360_10212704681511784_6532183230404100096_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="718" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXaj932xWrN0CF9kB6sYoM-5mld7g0lP7o_CtLufomBh03lfcb1Gd0FxpPEqolruOj6EPWCsTbnGaLDrDTCPMAxgM_1TTpDNesPdED-F6s8gbkmYq7UOgV83td39bou2aGJFE-u1rcANd/s320/DowneyPatriot138624360_10212704681511784_6532183230404100096_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
</h3>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
From Red Neck to Red Beans and Rice. Downey, California in 30 Years.
</h3>
<br />
<br />
<header><h1 class="story-headline">
</h1>
<h1 class="story-headline">
</h1>
<h1 class="story-headline">
</h1>
<h1 class="story-headline">
</h1>
<h1 class="story-headline">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmewtkla_ZH-dlOBtqQ_UgZb8Eq8G8rJPZ62XwnKSZMMOo_IGYh_OgFnTmjf3ps3wsnwzeFpCOChaJDZa1hdB6lrwEhB1u7F_Xb_UtuIf3VbysIFGBCIRc-znIuiVrpF5etSkUgkPFncU/s1600/DowneyChristmas2013Parade1458461_340797549396078_571531104_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmewtkla_ZH-dlOBtqQ_UgZb8Eq8G8rJPZ62XwnKSZMMOo_IGYh_OgFnTmjf3ps3wsnwzeFpCOChaJDZa1hdB6lrwEhB1u7F_Xb_UtuIf3VbysIFGBCIRc-znIuiVrpF5etSkUgkPFncU/s1600/DowneyChristmas2013Parade1458461_340797549396078_571531104_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>
</h1>
<h1 class="story-headline">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1lM2lB7Ivn2o47wywFDRr_PxffHkBoduVRiUHVhbaDxtj0BKjD-ghtb6-QMHaUqBQMZD23YYutx8RK_EVJju_MEvyehGYncjuL0onYWKoEjrTAYfhMsH7IyUildnfkue3Y2kGtJswzE/s1600/DowneyMissDowney.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1lM2lB7Ivn2o47wywFDRr_PxffHkBoduVRiUHVhbaDxtj0BKjD-ghtb6-QMHaUqBQMZD23YYutx8RK_EVJju_MEvyehGYncjuL0onYWKoEjrTAYfhMsH7IyUildnfkue3Y2kGtJswzE/s1600/DowneyMissDowney.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
</h1>
<h1 class="story-headline">
<a href="http://www.scpr.org/blogs/multiamerican/2013/12/10/15354/downey-a-new-kind-of-suburban-idyll/">Downey, California: A new kind of suburban idyll</a></h1>
<span class="byline">
<time datetime="2013-12-10T06:05:25-08:00" pubdate="pubdate"></time>
</span>
</header>
<br />
<div class="slideview" id="asset_slideshow_blog_entry-15354">
<div class="static-slides">
</div>
<br />
<div class="slides asset-block">
<div class="slide active">
<div class="asset-block">
<div class="contentasset">
The etched-glass door of the Downey Brewing Company still
reads <b>"Foxy's</b>" -- all that's left of the restaurant that occupied the
space for decades, catering to a long-gone crowd.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyc_mf_fqj7Y2AXytIeMlnjZsnc9XUDOTtLgTbALoS9NCHcEimFvReOs14HFYgHmuXVsGdGHl5asI_ZdBwsAugEaFNJGZSlmbWXtukoB-XdmYrVQQqOeqotopNaVErPIea9L8TlkMCxs/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1956.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyc_mf_fqj7Y2AXytIeMlnjZsnc9XUDOTtLgTbALoS9NCHcEimFvReOs14HFYgHmuXVsGdGHl5asI_ZdBwsAugEaFNJGZSlmbWXtukoB-XdmYrVQQqOeqotopNaVErPIea9L8TlkMCxs/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1956.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Pub co-owner Sergio Vasquez remembers the place as <u>"a coffee shop
which served Scandinavian food</u>." But, he says, as the city's
demographics changed, "The population didn’t catch up with it. The only
people that really attended were elderly people. They decided to shut it
down. And that’s where we came in.”<br />
Today, the five-year-old boutique brewpub buzzes with the sounds of
craft beer pouring out of taps, clanking glasses and dishes, and a crowd
of patrons that - like the population on the outside - is mostly
Latino.<br />
<a href="http://www.scpr.org/blogs/multiamerican/2013/12/10/15354/downey-a-new-kind-of-suburban-idyll/"><img alt="Downey Middle Class" height="486" src="https://a.scpr.org/i/c3880d6c23d7ec0efa1cfaf373716fb7/71820-eight.jpg" width="729" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="slideshow-header">
</div>
(Jessica
Haro and Eric Ibarra sit at a fountain on the corner of Firestone Blvd
and Downey Ave on November 9th, 2013.) Photo by Mae Ryan/KPCC<br />
<br />
In some ways, the pub's story reflects the story of Downey, a onetime<u> aerospace hub</u> which, like<b> </b>nearby
Whittier and a cluster of other Southern California communities,
embodies the latest chapter in the evolution of Latino L.A.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvF8jMRcZg-7jPI9w6nOYTrSkxKA4wBj771AzLMjxLS-hrYipn9bTzDV3VwyP86sZ1SP-CKGziy_8u2E9jIbr3-WGFt6sCxlhk7HAjnPmN0AZFYOnm4uFUilS6xcywSpYlfTujXc4OCU/s1600/022+(2).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvF8jMRcZg-7jPI9w6nOYTrSkxKA4wBj771AzLMjxLS-hrYipn9bTzDV3VwyP86sZ1SP-CKGziy_8u2E9jIbr3-WGFt6sCxlhk7HAjnPmN0AZFYOnm4uFUilS6xcywSpYlfTujXc4OCU/s320/022+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPRwTU0-Sbp_I9-eEvw_rkdKIQYnA-VOlRk-VgKduz48jVbdz9rTD2Ho3UMQAKd_ZHyryDfoljpj_prVW2R74PUUvA9-6X7u3ffCGUwISK4RAOOC9HtX91W5YWOj5EO2JISI7LItgeZQ/s1600/046.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPRwTU0-Sbp_I9-eEvw_rkdKIQYnA-VOlRk-VgKduz48jVbdz9rTD2Ho3UMQAKd_ZHyryDfoljpj_prVW2R74PUUvA9-6X7u3ffCGUwISK4RAOOC9HtX91W5YWOj5EO2JISI7LItgeZQ/s320/046.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Back in 1980, Downey was mostly<u> non-Latino<b> white</b></u>, with Latinos
representing less than 17 percent of the population.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IFcB_TOP1TQCU2eeygFRMryHMBdsEKeVBFBU7y5AVYYgAttMZeB8PkU0tfGQbYqzlJyiE0cECO8FoVZ68yluMMNCVNSz3b4MuSHIxExdNxKCtNMqA8Mml3H7xiiMx5-CtqneEbKRL6w/s1600/6494.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IFcB_TOP1TQCU2eeygFRMryHMBdsEKeVBFBU7y5AVYYgAttMZeB8PkU0tfGQbYqzlJyiE0cECO8FoVZ68yluMMNCVNSz3b4MuSHIxExdNxKCtNMqA8Mml3H7xiiMx5-CtqneEbKRL6w/s1600/6494.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It was an earlier
era's picture of the suburban idyll: wide green lawns, tidy ranch-style
homes,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2iXdj4j49jKDKCoizL5I6KwC0-pH5Lkl8u7n_DgR5xijPJxvixz6IbBeEoeNbWIT9sEMaMS5Z0Cd08HKcIaaDc8eXfkCUWHZwar_ccPLEbAzHYcvBh4QrbTpKk9jMD3ECf6IzOAiZ7E/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2393.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2iXdj4j49jKDKCoizL5I6KwC0-pH5Lkl8u7n_DgR5xijPJxvixz6IbBeEoeNbWIT9sEMaMS5Z0Cd08HKcIaaDc8eXfkCUWHZwar_ccPLEbAzHYcvBh4QrbTpKk9jMD3ECf6IzOAiZ7E/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2393.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
a <u>Stonewood Shopping</u> mall, a golf course,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Mpfj55wFSZqLwLNvngiDPSm1PlDdrGnpnfIZV_om9g33DJyjoAGc0LAY70p6NJaVxq7P6hB52mGHGUF9FISIyehjoXG7RZ31RF7p8ynehRY4DbWF9iVSdkeqsYPqG0ElAL46ZlDudQI/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2787.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Mpfj55wFSZqLwLNvngiDPSm1PlDdrGnpnfIZV_om9g33DJyjoAGc0LAY70p6NJaVxq7P6hB52mGHGUF9FISIyehjoXG7RZ31RF7p8ynehRY4DbWF9iVSdkeqsYPqG0ElAL46ZlDudQI/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2787.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5p0_FTkXDQBY6tdmkmBgrvH-oo8EgNdyQeIPdm7t3NiznKomiXO63e6Z_3lViIelC-uPbIi4uyW5okBoaFDoM2sP1ZdLzUpDTAViFudPTb0wK1Q6QGdmJbNqc64VDGt3MkXPuF7sTM_g/s1600/LondonDowneyMcDs1486034_629347270459472_448471862_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5p0_FTkXDQBY6tdmkmBgrvH-oo8EgNdyQeIPdm7t3NiznKomiXO63e6Z_3lViIelC-uPbIi4uyW5okBoaFDoM2sP1ZdLzUpDTAViFudPTb0wK1Q6QGdmJbNqc64VDGt3MkXPuF7sTM_g/s320/LondonDowneyMcDs1486034_629347270459472_448471862_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<u> an iconic McDonald's</u> with <b>golden
arches </b>that's still the chain's oldest surviving outlet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGcB9ShMwzL1j3OLje9EuEShktHXBSz6YXsY0ZU8PPPIkN4zpO_8VG0ydCPcqayYpF7C6gnWHdzf5ytyIF01_vx5x6DZzJIr_KyPZICvWpBdujn3zvNT6aenf6sYlQKWN61FzUBAVm-E/s1600/DowneyRichardKarenCarpenter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGcB9ShMwzL1j3OLje9EuEShktHXBSz6YXsY0ZU8PPPIkN4zpO_8VG0ydCPcqayYpF7C6gnWHdzf5ytyIF01_vx5x6DZzJIr_KyPZICvWpBdujn3zvNT6aenf6sYlQKWN61FzUBAVm-E/s1600/DowneyRichardKarenCarpenter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(Karen and Richard Carpenter grew up in this house in Downey)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3EIJr4GL16lazZdlWxfOSiftWlWEvKzo5VzNTftNjAt-zBPvT8h45yPXmv5qi1KZsPb5GKA_eBLn2h681boDehBr5VzIk-ifRaU95SVTl35-9EsLYjvtSAOkeaQpwIpg2x0BA4NVM0M/s1600/DowneyRichardKarenCarpenter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKR6knMxV1WcFDSGoo56eSraMWuiWUH4cVh7OZDmZyfY6ue9EPgAjbajfy7Ek1U5jnQ3RwzkEoMPcGBsTfLGS9cYSR77j5xv1eZfdhXjzCyX7v-UTETJn4_EKCJBRCVSha1MuWgPBb-_4/s1600/DowneyHighSchool.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKR6knMxV1WcFDSGoo56eSraMWuiWUH4cVh7OZDmZyfY6ue9EPgAjbajfy7Ek1U5jnQ3RwzkEoMPcGBsTfLGS9cYSR77j5xv1eZfdhXjzCyX7v-UTETJn4_EKCJBRCVSha1MuWgPBb-_4/s1600/DowneyHighSchool.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>The Carpenters</b>,
the soft-pop singing duo, once attended Downey High School, the home of the Vikings..<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALbA8Xzy02WGsDNDYuud6SdTrm47J1xo_yPfIVFDPWiHIIT-FU9pKSbwRoJZIlU6o_ml5BUgElZ10AmtKxWP32HwBMjV37pU4ALqDVZ5RjyHKCbAR12pjYNSK6Ef3eGtlBzFJ1mqM-hA/s1600/DowneyRockwell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALbA8Xzy02WGsDNDYuud6SdTrm47J1xo_yPfIVFDPWiHIIT-FU9pKSbwRoJZIlU6o_ml5BUgElZ10AmtKxWP32HwBMjV37pU4ALqDVZ5RjyHKCbAR12pjYNSK6Ef3eGtlBzFJ1mqM-hA/s1600/DowneyRockwell.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYZH5wRncJUursFLbrpo9h4M3A0bNfPXAQBBSSO8TDdOTAMACPNLEaDS-rPIgJ2NeXthB6wARfpKLKS34jNwrjbmqc7hBMCzzHT8eUKcyK-JbzlZ0usv_m4O7QPGvTPkb9sSbeMDnRvU/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2416.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYZH5wRncJUursFLbrpo9h4M3A0bNfPXAQBBSSO8TDdOTAMACPNLEaDS-rPIgJ2NeXthB6wARfpKLKS34jNwrjbmqc7hBMCzzHT8eUKcyK-JbzlZ0usv_m4O7QPGvTPkb9sSbeMDnRvU/s320/TennesseeAug08+2416.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHGU1CAYGsQdCKj6aeX0PTOe5WpuUm9S_z3XpiZGaE8WeGqeme1A3sh4ovQKx5iJXY8-DYX5zOzxGju4AAAqJdrn2DpsEZc7G9XdagajPHDE64j-gLh2tOToX4Oh_5UmA_9mPoHrRrSg/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2417.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHGU1CAYGsQdCKj6aeX0PTOe5WpuUm9S_z3XpiZGaE8WeGqeme1A3sh4ovQKx5iJXY8-DYX5zOzxGju4AAAqJdrn2DpsEZc7G9XdagajPHDE64j-gLh2tOToX4Oh_5UmA_9mPoHrRrSg/s320/TennesseeAug08+2417.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Thousands of residents held good jobs at the sprawling<b> Rockwell
</b>aerospace plant, which in its heyday produced<b> Apollo capsules</b> and the <b>
Space Shuttle</b>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF6hCi_0hsvklEeXDbrxUEGhxZFGWUdyOtO3gjLwM79ZCm-gVIveU3PlhheQf_XkJ2r4CSqQMb5RLJ032PCMFt59OXTBBAkXgSAcXLGrWr44gFjkbR533NHBi5SKBJaxotTN2ayk6awA/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2095.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF6hCi_0hsvklEeXDbrxUEGhxZFGWUdyOtO3gjLwM79ZCm-gVIveU3PlhheQf_XkJ2r4CSqQMb5RLJ032PCMFt59OXTBBAkXgSAcXLGrWr44gFjkbR533NHBi5SKBJaxotTN2ayk6awA/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2095.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
But defense cuts began taking their toll in the 1990s.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlpr5SQTgsiuCuUTK78TknnroRQYeRyrcSUkEURJiyZhkpHIsAS_F0J85qRoWGKHVM3vRESRTZJLSc3tpphJqMyPqpU9U1nkqVO-v8gMhRETh4JsxFurckNQyXAPqG44E37cUILLI09g/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2413.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlpr5SQTgsiuCuUTK78TknnroRQYeRyrcSUkEURJiyZhkpHIsAS_F0J85qRoWGKHVM3vRESRTZJLSc3tpphJqMyPqpU9U1nkqVO-v8gMhRETh4JsxFurckNQyXAPqG44E37cUILLI09g/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2413.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
By
the time the plant closed in 1999, the city's <b>white</b> suburban <b>identity</b>
was in a state of flux, with many families moving out.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_NTqtss1fMLc_W55tRId5V9EwdSbmRkZhQ_uMMnhM7BBOB3sEGfDrT8kV_uemMB_4rDTFt8nIWfRTidux5tWWxedzotXXjq-nIjSfRAU8iVe5wqU8nL67W8vQ-VDSRjAQJJfYxZMju8/s1600/5349.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_NTqtss1fMLc_W55tRId5V9EwdSbmRkZhQ_uMMnhM7BBOB3sEGfDrT8kV_uemMB_4rDTFt8nIWfRTidux5tWWxedzotXXjq-nIjSfRAU8iVe5wqU8nL67W8vQ-VDSRjAQJJfYxZMju8/s1600/5349.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
(Above, Russel Epson, a member of the Downey Seventh-Day Adventist Church, take his daily walk down Downey Avenue.)<br />
Left behind was a mix of retirees, languishing businesses,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGE_agg53wg2ZLf6ki2qCoLLNqOP9IDdKV5WlgepST4YlOkZt5AzEkBq2vPC_UloTLKcmdJcLueJBZHE9Y3zxKWsGvRJNkAdLWGGCEWbf9sde_Q6Oe0kGjNnpX4SGadclyNwc0REWn3M/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1951.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGE_agg53wg2ZLf6ki2qCoLLNqOP9IDdKV5WlgepST4YlOkZt5AzEkBq2vPC_UloTLKcmdJcLueJBZHE9Y3zxKWsGvRJNkAdLWGGCEWbf9sde_Q6Oe0kGjNnpX4SGadclyNwc0REWn3M/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1951.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
and - for
some Latinos who had been saving their pennies in more modest
communities nearby – opportunity.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4iGeAQptK6GFdj4Vo0ntsnQyT9XLAB69UExg4XksZGwS8C4FjXG5DBAea7-rf_F60sDJGzMI2JE3nlFvE8bUtSR49iQbE9yN2NWpF6RBpt0sNV79FD8trlRh2zduYXMzyPG8FiOH-Hg/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2373.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4iGeAQptK6GFdj4Vo0ntsnQyT9XLAB69UExg4XksZGwS8C4FjXG5DBAea7-rf_F60sDJGzMI2JE3nlFvE8bUtSR49iQbE9yN2NWpF6RBpt0sNV79FD8trlRh2zduYXMzyPG8FiOH-Hg/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2373.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Like Vasquez, who grew up a short distance to the west in Bell, Latin
American immigrants and their descendants gradually began transforming
the city.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOyhzEN0URe71OEpxvbaqpw9qHQw4yvkqMa5SO8yP8nDphDg1WjM3Ap8wO6mMktzGO_ML4zsKrcEDBdth02eywM7TdSBWnSvMDPkZJfuAjEsGVTdhu7SNJol8Lp0KHEkYBZBYfMuun-pY/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2788.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOyhzEN0URe71OEpxvbaqpw9qHQw4yvkqMa5SO8yP8nDphDg1WjM3Ap8wO6mMktzGO_ML4zsKrcEDBdth02eywM7TdSBWnSvMDPkZJfuAjEsGVTdhu7SNJol8Lp0KHEkYBZBYfMuun-pY/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2788.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
They started buying up the ranch-style homes and investing in
businesses.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mWfiJi4vR8t8iDTXiDChBa73TvZ6czmvccCp9RPRrigaxFHjENt7cni9d8Sgwz7Q_GZpzvYhDkz69MAlTdhyphenhyphen4HIZIk6pAkL5yBDtHYdwgJe_24eW4n1aoE5A4FOThHgQD_2F9SBMwL4/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1990.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mWfiJi4vR8t8iDTXiDChBa73TvZ6czmvccCp9RPRrigaxFHjENt7cni9d8Sgwz7Q_GZpzvYhDkz69MAlTdhyphenhyphen4HIZIk6pAkL5yBDtHYdwgJe_24eW4n1aoE5A4FOThHgQD_2F9SBMwL4/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1990.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Today Downey is 71 percent Latino – and like their
predecessors – these newer residents are mostly middle class.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThnb_70AOEmzx4UxHFz5I26P5eSmXEZAuMITkotYI1oANjlXXrd-OxdqWIK_VqZ-gqJli2AMG4OguIkLkHTbNd4mQIjVMfz5j3Km0X5Dqc-rGcolUAbKIxoRKLhBz8x89O79KYuODUGY/s1600/D1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThnb_70AOEmzx4UxHFz5I26P5eSmXEZAuMITkotYI1oANjlXXrd-OxdqWIK_VqZ-gqJli2AMG4OguIkLkHTbNd4mQIjVMfz5j3Km0X5Dqc-rGcolUAbKIxoRKLhBz8x89O79KYuODUGY/s1600/D1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<u>University of Southern California</u> sociologist <b>Jody Vallejo</b> says they
represent a growing group of upwardly mobile (Yuppies) Latinos who have chosen to
settle in Latino-majority communities that reflect their economic
reality. These include Whittier, West Covina, pockets of Orange County,
and<b> Downey</b>,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKDGE-az9xA6KGYj76MfF8w9HBJ-F6Ro8Pa8-ce9qw6hFrFl-l2wGvlvBTg-CiYgPrMV4h8ms5ZxDqom1tlG9bw8nF7ZmCsCFUvM50hx7kJdHF7SIPD7Au_2CdYL2WvKp4b77Um87kCo/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2376.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKDGE-az9xA6KGYj76MfF8w9HBJ-F6Ro8Pa8-ce9qw6hFrFl-l2wGvlvBTg-CiYgPrMV4h8ms5ZxDqom1tlG9bw8nF7ZmCsCFUvM50hx7kJdHF7SIPD7Au_2CdYL2WvKp4b77Um87kCo/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2376.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
"Which is often referred to by Mexican Americans themselves
as the Mexican American Beverly Hills," Vallejo says.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9d3xDHf2zalS3Bc0K4T8khkjY3NUBq6Ko3dWJKqdqdd0QkBCEq-KPKIC50ZJhNu3TWmTvKCbVvo4jQq_hk23zae3EvjST0qWWtMTf9OFedaDrXa1Y-_rV8rec5ed8GABD723tZu3zm_c/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2411.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9d3xDHf2zalS3Bc0K4T8khkjY3NUBq6Ko3dWJKqdqdd0QkBCEq-KPKIC50ZJhNu3TWmTvKCbVvo4jQq_hk23zae3EvjST0qWWtMTf9OFedaDrXa1Y-_rV8rec5ed8GABD723tZu3zm_c/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2411.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZF35gUkDHo0pzD_FFmdlj4TDR1t-U4XMpDbxySYAqN6QxViPV9Y4uUZadPG04Vn9ZetGcGBNeEsDdJmhQAtG-sUiT13eeH7IKSDL57Ur8-IM6J399y3hrprR-soKqpHN7mf-Pd4SGaZA/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2410.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZF35gUkDHo0pzD_FFmdlj4TDR1t-U4XMpDbxySYAqN6QxViPV9Y4uUZadPG04Vn9ZetGcGBNeEsDdJmhQAtG-sUiT13eeH7IKSDL57Ur8-IM6J399y3hrprR-soKqpHN7mf-Pd4SGaZA/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2410.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Okay, so it's not quite Beverly Hills.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoEov_75DXBtaRNLYawN6Yoq2YBx5hhkAPpnkRPofVI_Lux2LE3ognsqNgXDzGGQNcGmxs4Qppn6qdLYLnQsaBUK_jIVXCPkrpbAhBlaJEFebmpyPF-XErZ-AvXXGGyVgIyNVTDbN4Yc/s1600/D1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbeQn71ChuQoPIs8ZhsJOeGJTi1Z1z_pwaDXmyRCiX7bk3X8Y39I88ExuNmulIjqIr9w-JYWq9tYq6RRxp9aZzWY_VzXypcQO6xjFOnOvaDY-4nPEdlWkHlHTsLuy_fsbjLpYjR5-KlA/s1600/D2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbeQn71ChuQoPIs8ZhsJOeGJTi1Z1z_pwaDXmyRCiX7bk3X8Y39I88ExuNmulIjqIr9w-JYWq9tYq6RRxp9aZzWY_VzXypcQO6xjFOnOvaDY-4nPEdlWkHlHTsLuy_fsbjLpYjR5-KlA/s1600/D2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Downey has a <u>mix of more and
less affluent neighborhoods</u>, with property values generally higher on
the north end of town.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1g2VjxEK6OIGZoFUcExEY1_bfMXnBCdZT-ngJA9SlCionU5QTIQj-HwmubNIHhdO4Ly-t1Xahe-M6rF15nSCrLzAaJh4OTHaGcauHZsoFgiUyWNmLKa11KixzY81wCnkfhScdB7yMLc/s1600/D6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1g2VjxEK6OIGZoFUcExEY1_bfMXnBCdZT-ngJA9SlCionU5QTIQj-HwmubNIHhdO4Ly-t1Xahe-M6rF15nSCrLzAaJh4OTHaGcauHZsoFgiUyWNmLKa11KixzY81wCnkfhScdB7yMLc/s1600/D6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
But with a median annual household income of more
than $60,000 - and close to 40 percent of its households earning <a href="http://www.csulb.edu/colleges/cla/departments/economics/gateway-cities/gateway-cities-census-data/city-of-downey/">$75,000 or more</a>, according to a Cal State Long Beach analysis - it’s earned its reputation as a middle class Latino stronghold.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSvFAw36KqjrVayIZLM2Q6AjWEYghvvLjRT4baBoFkmZpRMHAGR6xY6YyVQM2Y3EW0J5toLfBhqJpdEmjo7X49dHtkwiLV3ZfYsVgZzWHP_bxh8FQlO6ald-oykQ6eJkecvz5dz8ukyY/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2391.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSvFAw36KqjrVayIZLM2Q6AjWEYghvvLjRT4baBoFkmZpRMHAGR6xY6YyVQM2Y3EW0J5toLfBhqJpdEmjo7X49dHtkwiLV3ZfYsVgZzWHP_bxh8FQlO6ald-oykQ6eJkecvz5dz8ukyY/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2391.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The Latino version of the middle-class <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ethnoburb">"ethnoburb"</a>
- a term typically associated with Asian American suburbs - is a
phenomenon that Vallejo says began in the 1990s but took off in earnest
during the last decade.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5ldUR76ybj56oVoiOuoUKS6EIfKuYPBZdplQw7NQAZpO3Gs9hvVk_sOdgyhb-n7K0jhCnUjrSUzfx4OarCHNiIR9a4BJ79gYzXORIqMBdhaCro1mVyFWtnXuNKel7H7WZnqO0m8MuCA/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2956.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5ldUR76ybj56oVoiOuoUKS6EIfKuYPBZdplQw7NQAZpO3Gs9hvVk_sOdgyhb-n7K0jhCnUjrSUzfx4OarCHNiIR9a4BJ79gYzXORIqMBdhaCro1mVyFWtnXuNKel7H7WZnqO0m8MuCA/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2956.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It coincides with slow but steady gains in
educational and career attainment among Latinos as the great, post-1965
wave of immigration from Latin American settles into its second and
third generations.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcaRwI7bqCeLjzx1plkpu_hD8kpGqdp2_mb-9XCrZjwcX1DaMukTb5EkL0NRWh_nk_5LDgJm7hRpCDigxgjDE6-dqrnhCXh7LZzjrWDw-ZXw5YPGcVdP7ggHaeDUIPhiNvDhyphenhyphenu48ZmzM/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1938.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcaRwI7bqCeLjzx1plkpu_hD8kpGqdp2_mb-9XCrZjwcX1DaMukTb5EkL0NRWh_nk_5LDgJm7hRpCDigxgjDE6-dqrnhCXh7LZzjrWDw-ZXw5YPGcVdP7ggHaeDUIPhiNvDhyphenhyphenu48ZmzM/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1938.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
For those who succeed, moving into communities once perceived as out of reach is part of "making it," Vallejo says.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKtxxkPVEDThHqndz16CNwc8RGvf4-4NZIO0kGVMG2NWtdzWpQ6uf9Y6E4ZOTruF95816VQKFlMF7RD2CGgz6vlLzCYpizFhzAmQ25jWPjUm-WtBse5M4sOwUr0OcDTQPN5L_ZDD4atY/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1944.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKtxxkPVEDThHqndz16CNwc8RGvf4-4NZIO0kGVMG2NWtdzWpQ6uf9Y6E4ZOTruF95816VQKFlMF7RD2CGgz6vlLzCYpizFhzAmQ25jWPjUm-WtBse5M4sOwUr0OcDTQPN5L_ZDD4atY/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1944.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
"Many Latinos who are moving to places like Downey did grow up in
places like<b> South Gate</b> or Lynwood, and really saw, or see, Downey as the
next step," Vallejo says.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBNvLCmCfPYWi_fSG-vn6WW1uT4-KYYbuPVkmuONCn9wZMORdRFBPFKAbSD3ZArPVSLooMlMrAFfoYQH9dYIgayxL7G08EPrkm9B5X-ALE2mvaVElmqfRgSeJSOOEUhyscre4R_Fvt3s/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1953.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBNvLCmCfPYWi_fSG-vn6WW1uT4-KYYbuPVkmuONCn9wZMORdRFBPFKAbSD3ZArPVSLooMlMrAFfoYQH9dYIgayxL7G08EPrkm9B5X-ALE2mvaVElmqfRgSeJSOOEUhyscre4R_Fvt3s/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1953.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
"Growing up, you thought that's where all the
wealthy or the middle class people lived.”<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9T0b5tOBP-UcYVC7mvNzEnqtOU15ly6wj_9krcAYqP1d3BZW3evBWrnA6ykgNuIEgztqLQ1SCVnYA9JOnzXWF4-l_mOylKlb8_LkB4Y4mObZHDYc4W3Axw2yhNc3OIdQTeu42GoFgWtE/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2006.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9T0b5tOBP-UcYVC7mvNzEnqtOU15ly6wj_9krcAYqP1d3BZW3evBWrnA6ykgNuIEgztqLQ1SCVnYA9JOnzXWF4-l_mOylKlb8_LkB4Y4mObZHDYc4W3Axw2yhNc3OIdQTeu42GoFgWtE/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
(Reeves Mansion on Paramount Boulevard, across from the Nordic Fox restaurant.)<br />
Mexico City transplant Elsa Valdez once lived in Maywood. But for her, Downey was the always the place to go.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd04uNiP8uux1aaNPzuFTEQkE6bnw4sm3XiJ9kjRwGog09b_-5929zeP0kRXyvDpEhnQXLwRx5NRF3iyiUAA3_ejc08aZaWHwUvJ_3S7EKuK6aLTpP9Fyg-R97_zqNlWp6YAUOAKRmS5c/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2408.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd04uNiP8uux1aaNPzuFTEQkE6bnw4sm3XiJ9kjRwGog09b_-5929zeP0kRXyvDpEhnQXLwRx5NRF3iyiUAA3_ejc08aZaWHwUvJ_3S7EKuK6aLTpP9Fyg-R97_zqNlWp6YAUOAKRmS5c/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2408.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
(The Krikorian Theater)<br />
“This is the city that we were coming to the mall, to the <b>theaters</b>,"
Valdez said. "I see the city that it was cleaner than the city that I
was living. It is also really close to my community, that is, Latin
people in Huntington Park, Maywood, Cudahy and all those cities.”<br />
Valdez bought in Downey in 1995. Now she sells real estate in the
area, and says most of her clients are the children of immigrants -
entrepreneurs and professionals who can afford homes costing half a
million or more.<br />
This latest wave of residents has spawned a new wave of businesses,
including upscale Latino-owned ones.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhucoUOTL3vETYaviPcy0vL0TXT9eNhLghB8ktDAfQIQSZ651h5XWfK2z7WG7rrhxGbtPN4VKCHy3fbhAsAxMGA4p88pwLa2R4xR0l5q72_CIZLJriGyxlO4Z9BQOEmwBj6BHNbp2SVO4/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1960.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhucoUOTL3vETYaviPcy0vL0TXT9eNhLghB8ktDAfQIQSZ651h5XWfK2z7WG7rrhxGbtPN4VKCHy3fbhAsAxMGA4p88pwLa2R4xR0l5q72_CIZLJriGyxlO4Z9BQOEmwBj6BHNbp2SVO4/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1960.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Recently, Valdez took her mother to
lunch at Porto's, L.A.’s famous bakery begun decades ago by a Cuban
immigrant family. The $14 million Downey location opened three years
ago, drawing long lines of customers who line up at gleaming glass
counters to order flawless guava pastries and steaming cups of café con
leche brewed on on luxe equipment.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzHEVCuFqBYMu1dZGjJw2L5IPwX-B4oa3EneFIEPJU1Qd9mKoFgQE2PEM26OCpa4o0eMmofOTs7ycHmtwUyDL46lhYfLFt1Q9lEPgTjIrRv65HTgvBP7lYNpA3b635pwkraPQjLqIb-U/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1958.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzHEVCuFqBYMu1dZGjJw2L5IPwX-B4oa3EneFIEPJU1Qd9mKoFgQE2PEM26OCpa4o0eMmofOTs7ycHmtwUyDL46lhYfLFt1Q9lEPgTjIrRv65HTgvBP7lYNpA3b635pwkraPQjLqIb-U/s1600/TennesseeAug08+1958.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
City officials have drawn several chain restaurants and other
businesses catering to middle-class tastes, but there's a homegrown
element, too: an <a href="http://www.stay-gallery.com/">art gallery that opened last year</a> and highlights the work of local artists, for example, and a soon-to-open upscale independent steakhouse whose chef <a href="http://www.thedowneypatriot.com/article.do?id=17720477">has promised</a> a signature mac and cheese spiked with chorizo.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjebPtTD1S8fTo97G3AgdxjceC-3mPjClXcRe-mVVy6Q1zJcCTr2CSaTP5uJB2FEHOCZRvlQw8a0KMya9hBNoKjEvKtmIGhEo-aWoIfpAoG1UBf1lr1t1p8Xx5eCEFaInERZNNmvJir3yc/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2661.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjebPtTD1S8fTo97G3AgdxjceC-3mPjClXcRe-mVVy6Q1zJcCTr2CSaTP5uJB2FEHOCZRvlQw8a0KMya9hBNoKjEvKtmIGhEo-aWoIfpAoG1UBf1lr1t1p8Xx5eCEFaInERZNNmvJir3yc/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2661.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
"All one needs to do is look around to see the effects of <a href="http://www.scpr.org/blogs/multiamerican/2011/12/28/7605/the-cultural-mashup-dictionary-gentefication/">gentefication</a>," says Vallejo,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_d0M1gBqOvCzdZ14T4DzkzgGMUD1NoVXEnpYaukl1dFWvd8qlMHHN9nj7arXS_KWvY_YE3RqQZf7xNpJTifTnS6-kHfCabCw15ll_x4Qd0l8-l4hGQ2Yf4GaFHWybg0whNgILQjg_CY/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2666.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_d0M1gBqOvCzdZ14T4DzkzgGMUD1NoVXEnpYaukl1dFWvd8qlMHHN9nj7arXS_KWvY_YE3RqQZf7xNpJTifTnS6-kHfCabCw15ll_x4Qd0l8-l4hGQ2Yf4GaFHWybg0whNgILQjg_CY/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2666.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
using a coined term that refers to <b>gentrification</b> by Latinos.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUMCE6hHypbC8VTXPR2h1iaAMhdLi7h23y1SJuC1PDv0WYZ2yIAe6NNc4dwq3y07TFgi41iszilvJflTX2pwsbyxgM0cfeOA6DbCzie3KtA9Y-g6TXrmeL6ExOYhD6attC2iPb48bsVE/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2400.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZUMCE6hHypbC8VTXPR2h1iaAMhdLi7h23y1SJuC1PDv0WYZ2yIAe6NNc4dwq3y07TFgi41iszilvJflTX2pwsbyxgM0cfeOA6DbCzie3KtA9Y-g6TXrmeL6ExOYhD6attC2iPb48bsVE/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2400.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLXhow7stoPIp_Wr9k-Avfp8PeM0D7FiIHlB-OMrgjFHgrRujMplIHw9SJn3mkvAaDKh0q7anXbBNdVP1mH6TyyZ1o28nwkwyC53i5CGzFYk7dRyqmQCJyNGs7jkBHb5YVW27wzw9quk/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2770.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLXhow7stoPIp_Wr9k-Avfp8PeM0D7FiIHlB-OMrgjFHgrRujMplIHw9SJn3mkvAaDKh0q7anXbBNdVP1mH6TyyZ1o28nwkwyC53i5CGzFYk7dRyqmQCJyNGs7jkBHb5YVW27wzw9quk/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2770.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8I5FLYvuBr49WtIsZ9BqQZDpw499A-97mIRCf9NUMBT8xDbGEw1YxaDGmxlH4Ni6grDIKHuaCDfrz8kyXF5qQoCYCZaIpP5PnL3bJHAhjNyUxquH_cEWe1-DceMmGnSbpn6u3ZyNr0A/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2772.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8I5FLYvuBr49WtIsZ9BqQZDpw499A-97mIRCf9NUMBT8xDbGEw1YxaDGmxlH4Ni6grDIKHuaCDfrz8kyXF5qQoCYCZaIpP5PnL3bJHAhjNyUxquH_cEWe1-DceMmGnSbpn6u3ZyNr0A/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2772.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXxJbmEKywZovO0Tg43W34cje6OFdH7m8AtOPihFEvZhx2TwGNbneUrJBBvDIlRZOEVdXc-Jkku7uH7S32qHlkTgVeURjZQ4HX9B4lDeTY-STyiIhy6CY7I8q0-vqmp3EgtIvIgel5os/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2371.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXxJbmEKywZovO0Tg43W34cje6OFdH7m8AtOPihFEvZhx2TwGNbneUrJBBvDIlRZOEVdXc-Jkku7uH7S32qHlkTgVeURjZQ4HX9B4lDeTY-STyiIhy6CY7I8q0-vqmp3EgtIvIgel5os/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2371.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
There are still a few wants: For example, a specialty grocer. A <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Downey-Loves-Trader-Joes/126469817388607">Facebook campaign</a> by residents to lure a much-coveted Trader Joe's (Whittier has the nearest) has not yet done so.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQm1i03cOki7PyYIZIADb9xEGQS_HCy-S2yUw6j8vITR3ovO5HAn85Xae2aTOWwgDAopxmZw4G13dV1Hxgbxrf5dyxhWvh3K3Wp4AYmgl-Hm-faNa71154Zy-h-ISmlUBvAVbtIAlkYQo/s1600/LondonDowneyJhonnieBroiler79182727_2724253814311101_1259305748584726528_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="960" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQm1i03cOki7PyYIZIADb9xEGQS_HCy-S2yUw6j8vITR3ovO5HAn85Xae2aTOWwgDAopxmZw4G13dV1Hxgbxrf5dyxhWvh3K3Wp4AYmgl-Hm-faNa71154Zy-h-ISmlUBvAVbtIAlkYQo/s320/LondonDowneyJhonnieBroiler79182727_2724253814311101_1259305748584726528_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(Above, JHONNIE"S BROILER, partially demolished,)<br /><br />
<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Making
room for progress, JOHNNIE’s BROILER was destroyed. It was a favorite
Hollywood shooting site, featured in Ike and Tina Turner movie, <u>What’s
Love Got To Do With It?</u></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Outgoing Downey mayor Mario Guerra </b>says that in some cases, a majority Latino population can still be a hard sell for some retailers.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt76K9M9XgvcuOuAIdkLSSKwxWnT3gv7RROJMpk3gqiQvXyPGL5QRGrnornM-dkGd1i0Hep9EQztilaNu98ghA18xLSP9sUI_ezbpD_Cl1ZFs8byMXox1t1iqm5n9FlCdo505HEs8EBO0/s1600/DowneyNew2013MayorFernandovalasquez988813_621365441235764_1780080995_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt76K9M9XgvcuOuAIdkLSSKwxWnT3gv7RROJMpk3gqiQvXyPGL5QRGrnornM-dkGd1i0Hep9EQztilaNu98ghA18xLSP9sUI_ezbpD_Cl1ZFs8byMXox1t1iqm5n9FlCdo505HEs8EBO0/s1600/DowneyNew2013MayorFernandovalasquez988813_621365441235764_1780080995_n.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
(New Downey Mayor, Vernando Vasquez was sworn in December 2013)<br />
“There’s certain businesses that look at a certain demographic, and
don’t take in the reality and look at the buying power of Latinos,"
Guerra says. "And it’s sad for them, because they are missing out on
opportunities.”<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQFsx5MUKXxRpXCGVcti25NDvOhLaGGj9QPyiVtZTBFYF1F3qL627zsTMUI-Liv2FTuKfXxzoNilOLpw7W6DWNePz0DKXYpZxie_9I3zXgCYdPeykOdkEXDfp3lNbt82rtnxDFrhc4SA/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2746.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQFsx5MUKXxRpXCGVcti25NDvOhLaGGj9QPyiVtZTBFYF1F3qL627zsTMUI-Liv2FTuKfXxzoNilOLpw7W6DWNePz0DKXYpZxie_9I3zXgCYdPeykOdkEXDfp3lNbt82rtnxDFrhc4SA/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2746.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SIgh85qNs9Me48DzWZnYxp__YowPk_K-TtV7c364yw44FNXSHqpKuss3G9_jELaRigV7EDn4hxaZedXBGnJBOt3HGUB748Jthc4OXSNsgQh6r7zi5wYny04kCiUxwcb53h2Q-8vKJmg/s1600/063.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SIgh85qNs9Me48DzWZnYxp__YowPk_K-TtV7c364yw44FNXSHqpKuss3G9_jELaRigV7EDn4hxaZedXBGnJBOt3HGUB748Jthc4OXSNsgQh6r7zi5wYny04kCiUxwcb53h2Q-8vKJmg/s320/063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzbMdqVShoBDUMBelvc2cGYhdDQ_B9c-RcqQLV-sHYhIvAwWg_jcsjynSOa70KUPJg9GfxTn4v679ABP9QWuac5HX0oAITpGOZy4QnW7A40bc24B8PXW1oO_PL-GelOwr3jzhwz-Xps8/s1600/SisCity32.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzbMdqVShoBDUMBelvc2cGYhdDQ_B9c-RcqQLV-sHYhIvAwWg_jcsjynSOa70KUPJg9GfxTn4v679ABP9QWuac5HX0oAITpGOZy4QnW7A40bc24B8PXW1oO_PL-GelOwr3jzhwz-Xps8/s320/SisCity32.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(At Sambi's of Tokyo for a Sister City Association Christmas Party with
former Mayors Barbara Riley and Joyce Lawrence of Downey.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9xEbI_q2TQXtYhhneIE3Z34hHeng84efYVjNUJFKulGOisrKjvKwYnmXmcScDy5YjWiN8euFraba4bHEUxbRFFBExLRTIZRjN2QdEk3mZCayJqyxAL_J5m_BWusiY6hauJUkUudE41Y/s1600/DowneyMayorRickLopez79693393_2722473454489137_6850901088309084160_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1176" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9xEbI_q2TQXtYhhneIE3Z34hHeng84efYVjNUJFKulGOisrKjvKwYnmXmcScDy5YjWiN8euFraba4bHEUxbRFFBExLRTIZRjN2QdEk3mZCayJqyxAL_J5m_BWusiY6hauJUkUudE41Y/s320/DowneyMayorRickLopez79693393_2722473454489137_6850901088309084160_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(Above, Former Mayor Rick Lopez and Judge London Steverson at City Hall. circa 2003.)<br />
<br />
But there are others willing to cash in on that buying power. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVDcHTCAgqXXnLviOq6gqIxVzjjz4Is-BrpzOU5a8bEpp3R_lZxmzHYeX9iBPRQ7tzH_M4KimA8hchg1vdliM6IdvzabpiYKoOLQaEdk2ym9TPscAVz0-zWOsoE48REdVIq12avqs-28/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2380.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVDcHTCAgqXXnLviOq6gqIxVzjjz4Is-BrpzOU5a8bEpp3R_lZxmzHYeX9iBPRQ7tzH_M4KimA8hchg1vdliM6IdvzabpiYKoOLQaEdk2ym9TPscAVz0-zWOsoE48REdVIq12avqs-28/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2380.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkUGroQTeTt-rRJhBZBOxt8HconFz6eVWfIuLBZlc-C0YDLUigqs-AzzpfSY6pktO6fezKDXrdlyv61tLpq_HnLARnJr8pF2AqvKfZNvOZokdMmjy0uas7TTqbsOFemYymmdrpJljUSA/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2775.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkUGroQTeTt-rRJhBZBOxt8HconFz6eVWfIuLBZlc-C0YDLUigqs-AzzpfSY6pktO6fezKDXrdlyv61tLpq_HnLARnJr8pF2AqvKfZNvOZokdMmjy0uas7TTqbsOFemYymmdrpJljUSA/s320/TennesseeAug08+2775.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
(The Abortion Clinic on Firestone was open six days a week. Right-to-Lifers were picketing out front)
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdjuUHS248ziq0DjAw6Vimqg_9chNtYi8KbxX5WTexwmAGOpt9z7tCaVphHXiJyYXfrKqaT9yZwn1n4i1Ptl00rYgN6xT0gW4wh1ktRKViCXb3kl3LyX0VC8Irm4fyJgSNjk98lgazPw/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2774.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdjuUHS248ziq0DjAw6Vimqg_9chNtYi8KbxX5WTexwmAGOpt9z7tCaVphHXiJyYXfrKqaT9yZwn1n4i1Ptl00rYgN6xT0gW4wh1ktRKViCXb3kl3LyX0VC8Irm4fyJgSNjk98lgazPw/s320/TennesseeAug08+2774.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="story-body">
<br />
<br />
Guerra
and other city officials broke ground recently at the old Rockwell
site, making way for a new development that will host theaters,
restaurants and a pedestrian shopping village.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0h909i7cwpGfM-ksNFWD6LNMMSZDTbMcXpLUr3VNAtT6ffkOg2SNQ2cUexrcSKP2IofV8o2DdzPBLbN5cuqUMvv0OoSjqr4pc297LKVvRudAKZiePsGnPDN5A3x9tNnfhyphenhyphenpatXhtMHo/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2745.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0h909i7cwpGfM-ksNFWD6LNMMSZDTbMcXpLUr3VNAtT6ffkOg2SNQ2cUexrcSKP2IofV8o2DdzPBLbN5cuqUMvv0OoSjqr4pc297LKVvRudAKZiePsGnPDN5A3x9tNnfhyphenhyphenpatXhtMHo/s1600/TennesseeAug08+2745.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
(As we drive out of Downey on Firestone Boulevard, we wish you well.)<br />
<span class="byline">
<a href="http://www.scpr.org/about/people/staff/leslie-berestein-rojas">Leslie Berestein Rojas</a> <span class="pipe">|</span> <time datetime="2013-12-10T06:05:25-08:00" pubdate="pubdate">December 10th, 2013, 6:05am</time>
</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<footer>
<div class="author-info">
<br />
ADDENDUM:<br />
After being sworn in, Mayor Fernando Vasquez said "<b>Only in America</b> can a son of immigrant parents with a 1st grade
education earn a college education and become the Mayor of Downey.
Thank you Downey for allowing me to serve as your 46th Mayor!"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRu6_PZsdu4yE3aif_-r6NUk-c1s-6FUDS8Wc-lF0AEMDqHRbxeAGo7-GNpnY-DtYF_KVTiq261PTCDOCUIqUm2mBAgV6rVLgBSnHmDZio-DZTLI0Knd3ncMFNnaZdDET3G89581el3fc/s1600/DowneySeal300px-City_of_Downey_Seal.svg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRu6_PZsdu4yE3aif_-r6NUk-c1s-6FUDS8Wc-lF0AEMDqHRbxeAGo7-GNpnY-DtYF_KVTiq261PTCDOCUIqUm2mBAgV6rVLgBSnHmDZio-DZTLI0Knd3ncMFNnaZdDET3G89581el3fc/s1600/DowneySeal300px-City_of_Downey_Seal.svg.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<figure class="clearfix">
<img alt="Leslie Berestein-Rojas" height="88" src="https://a.scpr.org/i/2222582af380aa60a9bfc5f512525a25/38874-thumb.jpg" width="88" />
<figcaption>
<h6>
<a href="http://www.scpr.org/about/people/staff/leslie-berestein-rojas">Leslie Berestein Rojas</a>, <i>Immigration and Emerging Communities Reporter</i></h6>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFj_iuGEtp17dEwheKuBY45hi2-TXQScP51R9_lMoGt0cD_UA6thtpcCbzr-phezwHYwoV8uzt17_ze_7u_goixvwyoUXE2WlJIf-z5b356Ugn77A5M90cWsqG4fXAYT7AlmqbynyBg4/s1600/DowneyMayorBlancoNewsPaperArticle79140631_2591005590967293_6391001646725332992_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1087" data-original-width="1440" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFj_iuGEtp17dEwheKuBY45hi2-TXQScP51R9_lMoGt0cD_UA6thtpcCbzr-phezwHYwoV8uzt17_ze_7u_goixvwyoUXE2WlJIf-z5b356Ugn77A5M90cWsqG4fXAYT7AlmqbynyBg4/s320/DowneyMayorBlancoNewsPaperArticle79140631_2591005590967293_6391001646725332992_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="_5pbx userContent _3576" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-testid="post_message" id="js_8nh">
"On
Tuesday I was sworn in as the Mayor of Downey. It was a historic night
for our city as I became the first Latina to be sworn in as Mayor for
our great city of Downey. Equally historical is that this is the first
time in the history of Downey that two females serve together as Mayor
and Mayor Pro Tem. Claudia Marroquin- Frometa is our Mayor Pro Tem and I
look forward to serving with her in our new roles.<br />
I am truly
blessed and honored to serve as Mayor. Thank you to all the residents
who voted me into office in 2016, and have given me this opportunity to
serve our city.<br />
To everyone that posted on my Facebook page, thank
you for your congratulatory messages. To everyone that came to my
swearing in, thank you for attending. It was nice to see everyone!!"
(Blanco Pacheco)<br />
<span class="_5mfr"><span class="_6qdm" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t6c/1/16/2764.png"); font-size: 16px; height: 16px; width: 16px;">❤️</span></span><span class="_5mfr"><span class="_6qdm" style="background-image: url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t68/1/16/1f495.png"); font-size: 16px; height: 16px; width: 16px;">💕</span></span> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/downey?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG"><span class="_5afx"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz">#</span><span class="_58cm">downey</span></span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/mayor2020?source=feed_text&epa=HASHTAG"><span class="_5afx"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz">#</span><span class="_58cm">Mayor2020</span></span></a><br />
<span class="_5afx"><span class="_58cm"> </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMDL_w4bOA5dAXmkMyZPCtOAgcRcjMQvFC0qQmY2yg6lU50tCDoEO12m1NP3P0br0U9zKYXXGO6p7RybSeRtvELFK1bSpfBreD2pytGV-RHdHC2vjRIcuFBkKmaLgwOULOyxywO0Oh_w/s1600/DowneyMayorBlancoSarahAndSamNissTeenDowney79822731_2261816480776073_1886144521650044928_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="661" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMDL_w4bOA5dAXmkMyZPCtOAgcRcjMQvFC0qQmY2yg6lU50tCDoEO12m1NP3P0br0U9zKYXXGO6p7RybSeRtvELFK1bSpfBreD2pytGV-RHdHC2vjRIcuFBkKmaLgwOULOyxywO0Oh_w/s320/DowneyMayorBlancoSarahAndSamNissTeenDowney79822731_2261816480776073_1886144521650044928_o.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
<div class="_46-h" style="height: 250px; width: 249px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(Above, Mayor Blanco Pacheco, center, with Miss Teen Downey 2019-2020, Sarah and her brother, Sam,)</div>
<a href="https://scontent.fhhr1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s261x260/80355320_2722403621162787_7275607421840523264_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ohc=Bp-pMcjOljMAQl5EMQAWDrEJccAMyOfaoTaMvvmZumi0AWyLmUAafrj4w&_nc_ht=scontent.fhhr1-1.fna&oh=387f62fa9eeba1aeb43f4f3fb4791c0b&oe=5EB2701F" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Image may contain: 3 people, including Blanca Pacheco, people smiling, screen" border="0" class="_46-i img" data-src="https://scontent.fhhr1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s261x260/80355320_2722403621162787_7275607421840523264_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ohc=Bp-pMcjOljMAQl5EMQAWDrEJccAMyOfaoTaMvvmZumi0AWyLmUAafrj4w&_nc_ht=scontent.fhhr1-1.fna&oh=387f62fa9eeba1aeb43f4f3fb4791c0b&oe=5EB2701F" height="260" src="https://scontent.fhhr1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s261x260/80355320_2722403621162787_7275607421840523264_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ohc=Bp-pMcjOljMAQl5EMQAWDrEJccAMyOfaoTaMvvmZumi0AWyLmUAafrj4w&_nc_ht=scontent.fhhr1-1.fna&oh=387f62fa9eeba1aeb43f4f3fb4791c0b&oe=5EB2701F" style="left: -5px; top: 0px;" width="260" /></a> <br />
</div>
<ul class="tease clearfix">
<li class="follow"><a href="https://twitter.com/multi_american" target="_blank">Follow @Multi_American on Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.scpr.org/about/people/staff/leslie-berestein-rojas">More from Leslie Berestein Roja</a></li>
<li> <div id="imageDiv">
<img src="https://c2397195.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/121213-01-01.jpg" style="float: none;" title="Fernando Vasquez, center, was sworn-in as Downey mayor Tuesday. He is pictured with finance commissioners Jason Valle and Ricardo Perez." />
<br />
<div class="photoLine">
<ul>
<li style="border-right: none; color: #888888; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">
Fernando Vasquez, center, was
sworn-in as Downey mayor Tuesday. He is pictured with finance
commissioners Jason Valle and Ricardo Perez.
</li>
<li style="border-right: none;">
<a href="https://c2397195.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/121213-01-01.jpg" rel="lightbox[mix2]" style="color: #888888; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" title="Fernando Vasquez, center, was sworn-in as Downey mayor Tuesday. He is pictured with finance commissioners Jason Valle and Ricardo Perez.">
VIEW ALL PICTURES
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="title" style="padding: 10px 0; text-transform: capitalize; width: 550px;">
Vasquez becomes Downey's 46th mayor
</div>
<div class="teaser" style="width: 575px;">
New mayor plans expanded community events in 2014, including a 'Tour de Downey.'
</div>
<div class="author">
<b>WRITTEN BY :</b> Christian Brown, Staff Writer
</div>
<br />
<br />DOWNEY
- With more than 100 community leaders, city officials, and residents
looking on, Councilman Fernando Vasquez was sworn-in as the 46th mayor
of Downey on Tuesday night December 10.<br /><br />The 34-year-old councilman, who was elected in 2010, was administered the oath of office by his fiance' Donna Noushkam.<br /><br />Echoing
themes of economic growth, quality of life, and community engagement,
Vasquez reaffirmed the city's commitment to the Healthy Downey
initiative by introducing an array of new 2014 community events,
including a "Tour de Downey" bicycle race.<br /><br />"Folks, we're going to
have a big Downey bike day with a 30-mile route for experienced
cyclists and a five-mile route for those who want something smaller," he
said. "But we want to promote active living and encourage people to
spend time in Downtown Downey."<br /><br />Vasquez said he will also
advocate a bicycle-sharing program modeled after a similar system in
Denver. The program will allow users to pick up and drop off bicycles as
often as they like at designated stations throughout the downtown area
using their credit cards as currency. <br /><br />The incoming mayor also
said he hopes to host a FIFA World Cup viewing party for the community
on June 22 when the United States soccer team faces Portugal.<br /><br />"Soccer
is very popular in our community -- and I see a lot of communities come
together for these games," he said. "We're very fortunate that the U.S.
plays Portugal on a Saturday at noon." <br /><br />Vasquez's other
community-building events include an international food festival,
highlighting Downey's strong Mexican, Cuban, Greek, Lebanese, Argentine
and Brazilian communities, summer sunset rooftop events, such as movie
screenings, and a music and arts festival.<br /><br />"We want to rebrand
the city as a regional hub for arts and culture. There's been a huge
push for the arts, it's one of the city's strengths," Vasquez said.
"Cities like Long Beach and Santa Monica are known for their arts
communities, but in Downey, we have a lot of talent. We need to support
them." <br /><br />In addition to the new events, Vasquez said he plans
to hand out Mayor's Healthy Heart awards to local hospitals, nursing
facilities, doctors, coaches, teachers, and trainers who are making a
difference in the community. <br /><br />Vasquez also pledged to embrace new
technologies such as solar power on public facilities, online water
bill payment options, and social media for means of community
engagement.<br /> <br />"Managing city funds responsibly, business and
economic growth, running city operations smoothly, maintaining a high
quality of life, and engaging our citizens...anything proposed [by the
council] has to meet these priorities," said Vasquez. "We will continue
to have a balanced budget and a healthy reserve so we can weather any
storm in the future."<br /><br />Citing it as a quality of service issue, Vasquez also strongly reaffirmed his commitment to maintain the Downey Fire Department.<br /><br />Before
Vasquez's swearing-in ceremony, outgoing mayor Mario Guerra gave a
final address, highlighting the accomplishments of the Healthy Downey
initiative, which motivated him to lose 84 pounds over the course of
2013.<br /><br />During his tenure, Guerra facilitated Walking Wednesdays,
Walk to School Day, National Night Out, and Dia De Los Muertos, which
was attended by 4,000 people. <br /><br />In 2013, Downey became an
All-America City and<u><b> a sister city to Roscommon County, Ireland, </b></u>the
birthplace of the city's namesake Governor John Gately Downey.<br /><br />Guerra
also touted the groundbreaking ceremonies for The View apartment
complex, the Downey Gateway food court, and the Promenade at Downey,
which will create 1,500 permanent jobs once completed.<br /><br />"I'm
looking forward to working with Mayor Vasquez. When I leave, I do get a
different office," Guerra said drawing laughs. "But we're in good hands
-- Fernando has a great vision." </li>
<li><br /> </li>
</ul>
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
</footer>
<br />
<div class="post-footer">
<div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1">
<span class="post-author vcard">
Posted by
<span class="fn" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<a class="g-profile" data-gapiattached="true" data-gapiscan="true" data-onload="true" href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395" rel="author" title="author profile">
<span itemprop="name">ichbinalj</span>
</a>
</span>
</span>
<span class="post-timestamp">
at
<a class="timestamp-link" href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html" rel="bookmark" title="permanent link"><abbr class="published" itemprop="datePublished" title="2013-12-13T14:45:00-08:00">2:45 PM</abbr></a>
</span>
<span class="reaction-buttons">
</span>
<span class="post-comment-link">
</span>
<span class="post-backlinks post-comment-link">
</span>
<span class="post-icons">
<span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1352804509">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=456387536530665513&from=pencil" title="Edit Post">
<img alt="" class="icon-action" height="18" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif" width="18" />
</a>
</span>
</span>
<br />
<div class="post-share-buttons goog-inline-block">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-2">
<span class="post-labels">
Labels:
<a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/search/label/America" rel="tag">America</a>
</span>
</div>
<div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-3">
<span class="post-location">
</span>
</div>
</div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="comments"></a>
<br />
<h4>
14 comments:</h4>
<ol id="top-ra">
<li class="comment" id="c5790984069526588611"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user">Anonymous</cite><span class="icon user "></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386974777684#c5790984069526588611" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 2:46 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
Sara said:<br />
The
City of Downey has turned into an overpopulated suburban version of
Tijuana. I have lived in this city since 1982 and it is nothing like it
used to be. Each year there are more and more people, mostly Spanish
speaking. The streets are always full of traffic and everyone you
encounter when you are out are rude; cashiers, tellers, people in
retail, etc. Forget the mall! Stonewood is horrible. Its overcrowded,
filthy and disgusting. People that used to live in surrounding ghettos
have infiltrated this once nice city. Despite everyone from surrounding
cities coming to Downey because they feel they are 'moving up', they are
actually all 'bringing down' the town. Residents have steadily left
over the years and the remaining older people, of all races I might add,
are sick and tired of the way the city is. They want out and they are
all moving. Give this city 5 years and it will be just like Lynwood.
More gangs, drugs, crime, and overpopulation.</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="5790984069526588611" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1495709212"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=5790984069526588611" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c1813849759262551828"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user">Anonymous</cite><span class="icon user "></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386974866868#c1813849759262551828" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 2:47 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
Estela Salas-Sarmiento said to Sara:<br />
Well my previous comment was blocked, so let me try to be as offensive
as you without "crossing the line". Downey in the 70s was a xenophobic
community. I experienced first hand being racially profiled as soon as I
crossed the bridge on Florence ave. Sara, let go of the past and accept
it's no longer reasonable to "ghettoize" groups based on ethnicity.
Also, I find it hard to believe that you ever ventured into the mean
streets of Tijuana. If you had, you would have seen that "people in
retail" are typically quite pleasant and hard working; I don't think
Latinos have monopolized that market to the extent your comment
suggests.<br />
<br />
I wish you could teach us Latinos how not to use
drugs, commit crimes, and join gangs--oh wait a minute! I don't do any
of that. You know why? It's not ethnicity, it's SES, SARA!</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="1813849759262551828" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1495709212"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=1813849759262551828" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c883751079003572072"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user">Anonymous</cite><span class="icon user "></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386974933143#c883751079003572072" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 2:48 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
Ernesto said to Sara:<br />
Maybe
the reason they are rude to you is because people treat you as a
reflection of who you are. If you are an bitter, hateful person, you
will receive the same treatment in return. I have been here since the
late 70's and I think the city is finally getting an identity of its
own. The only thing that matters are the people that are here now trying
to make it better. The residents that leave, good riddance.<br />
<br />
The
way you speak about spanish speaking people is so hateful, it's almost
like you resent people who are different that you or what you are
accustomed to. You are a scary person that, as the most said below,
should consider moving away to somewhere you can have a better attitude.
good luck Sara</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="883751079003572072" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1495709212"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=883751079003572072" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c8271949168133524417"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user">Anonymous</cite><span class="icon user "></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386975000017#c8271949168133524417" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 2:50 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
Sara to Sara:<br />
Oh,
and those huge "McMansion" houses that these people are building. They
look ridiculous and out of place. Some even have ridiculous looking
statues of lions. What is that all about. Yes, I have to speak up here.
It is sad to see Downey the way it is and its even worse to read an
article like the one above that almost glamorized this 'new' Downey.
Horrible, just horrible.</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="8271949168133524417" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1495709212"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=8271949168133524417" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c1880552021068212580"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqztuxUBgNBcUh7gCVO4n-ukhU_X9w8fBRpMFsMpqgGBYJx4rvWuSiEh_5MSLud2FCSFN4lgUnch25KfxGP5vpal5b8Nm0vfOZEaERbuBWBc1d1zoudraoeb5QnSKr8TwStlz_fSsOHBy/s35/BOOK!%2BScannedIMG_0002.jpg" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395" rel="nofollow">ichbinalj</a></cite><span class="icon user blog-author"></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386975132855#c1880552021068212580" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 2:52 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
We used to call them "Taj Mahals". This is the first time I have heard the term "McMansion". I am curious as to its derivation.<br />
I spent twenty of the best years of my life in Downey, on Downey Avenue.</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="1880552021068212580" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1352804509"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=1880552021068212580" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c8200028058723329711"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user">Anonymous</cite><span class="icon user "></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386975182117#c8200028058723329711" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 2:53 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
Adele to Sara:<br />
McMansions
aren't new. I saw them going up in the 70s. So what? And statues?
Haven't you seen the house at 7th and Wiley-burke? That house went up in
the 60s. Again, so what? Diversity is great. Do you want everything in
Downey to be ticky-tacky?</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="8200028058723329711" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1495709212"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=8200028058723329711" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c6592350176102014499"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user">Anonymous</cite><span class="icon user "></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386975220392#c6592350176102014499" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 2:53 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
Downey DAD to Sara:<br />
Sara , you are exactly the type of person that NEEDS to leave. Please do us all a favor and move out.</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="6592350176102014499" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1495709212"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=6592350176102014499" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c2814318324954061834"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqztuxUBgNBcUh7gCVO4n-ukhU_X9w8fBRpMFsMpqgGBYJx4rvWuSiEh_5MSLud2FCSFN4lgUnch25KfxGP5vpal5b8Nm0vfOZEaERbuBWBc1d1zoudraoeb5QnSKr8TwStlz_fSsOHBy/s35/BOOK!%2BScannedIMG_0002.jpg" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395" rel="nofollow">ichbinalj</a></cite><span class="icon user blog-author"></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386975252107#c2814318324954061834" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 2:54 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
Downey DAD to Sara:<br />
So you have a problem with people that are culturally different and value different things than you. It is all very clear Sara,</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="2814318324954061834" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1352804509"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=2814318324954061834" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c5258859065766212387"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user">Anonymous</cite><span class="icon user "></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386975318375#c5258859065766212387" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 2:55 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
JDiaz said:<br />
Great
article, and yes, there are some great improvements, some of which I
personally disagree with. Its nice to see businesses opening up,
however, this town needs more than just fast food chains, eateries, and
bars to flourish. I think a convention center where the new shopping
center is being built would have been a better choice. The residents in
this city need FULL TIME JOBS with benefits and good pay to flourish
here. Fast food chains and bars aren't going to offer that. I understand
that the city may benefit greatly from new alcohol and liquor licenses,
but the Downey City Council should be working harder to attract BIG
businesses to establish themselves here in this once conservative
community.<br />
<br />
Also, I like to give Stay Gallery BIG kudos for
bringing culture and creative education to the city. We need more places
like that around here.<br />
<br />
Although bars are great, the destructive
consequences of these sprawling businesses in this town seem to be
overlooked. I live next to The Palms restaurant, which attracts
riff-raff and trouble from other cities, including prostitution, drug
deals, and drunkards who stumble around the neighborhood, even on Sunday
nights. I once viewed Downey as being "the land of milk and honey" and
now, I see this fine town decaying. I notice things going down hill
mostly in neighborhoods that are heavily concentrated with apartments. I
understand the communal living culture of the evolving demographics,
but seriously, people need to take pride of ownership around here, even
if they rent. I'll close with this: Inglewood, in it's heyday, was just
as clean, crisp, and conservative as Downey was pre-1999. Huntington
Park used to be just as nice. Let's see where this town stands in a few
years.</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="5258859065766212387" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1495709212"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=5258859065766212387" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c6128688824405111582"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user">Anonymous</cite><span class="icon user "></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386975505258#c6128688824405111582" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 2:58 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
Mike in Whittier said:<br />
I'd
have to live pretty far on the west side to consider Whittier near
Downey. And the Trader Joes in Cerritos is closer to Downey than
Whittier. I actually liked the article, though.</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="6128688824405111582" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1495709212"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=6128688824405111582" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c3369528246647228425"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user">Anonymous</cite><span class="icon user "></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386975582393#c3369528246647228425" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 2:59 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
Adele said to Mike in Whittier:<br />
Whittier's
not as far as you think. Go back - way back - to the early 30s. My Dad
lived on Studebaker Rd, in the Triangle area (far east side) of Downey,
which was outside the Downey School District. He graduated from Whittier
High School.</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="3369528246647228425" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1495709212"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=3369528246647228425" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c7016278497074075348"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user">Anonymous</cite><span class="icon user "></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386975630185#c7016278497074075348" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 3:00 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
DowneyDad said:<br />
great article… a region on the rise for sure.</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="7016278497074075348" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1495709212"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=7016278497074075348" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c5845092184716022157"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user">Anonymous</cite><span class="icon user "></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386975701182#c5845092184716022157" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 3:01 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
Sara said to DowneyDad:<br />
Not exactly, but I guess it depends on who you ask.</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="5845092184716022157" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1495709212"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=5845092184716022157" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li class="comment" id="c1802258349141255256"><div class="avatar-image-container">
<img alt="" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif" /></div>
<div class="comment-block">
<div class="comment-header">
<cite class="user">Anonymous</cite><span class="icon user "></span><span class="datetime secondary-text"><a href="https://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2013/12/home-sweet-home.html?showComment=1386994348504#c1802258349141255256" rel="nofollow">December 13, 2013 at 8:12 PM</a></span></div>
<div class="comment-content">
Mayor
Fernando Vasquez said : Only in America can a son of immigrant parents
with a 1st grade education earn a college education and become the Mayor
of Downey. Thank you Downey for allowing me to serve as your 46th
Mayor!</div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text"><a class="comment-reply" data-comment-id="1802258349141255256" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_self">Reply</a><span class="item-control blog-admin blog-admin pid-1495709212"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=7633005776513551336&postID=1802258349141255256" target="_self">Delete</a></span></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbeQn71ChuQoPIs8ZhsJOeGJTi1Z1z_pwaDXmyRCiX7bk3X8Y39I88ExuNmulIjqIr9w-JYWq9tYq6RRxp9aZzWY_VzXypcQO6xjFOnOvaDY-4nPEdlWkHlHTsLuy_fsbjLpYjR5-KlA/s1600/D2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbeQn71ChuQoPIs8ZhsJOeGJTi1Z1z_pwaDXmyRCiX7bk3X8Y39I88ExuNmulIjqIr9w-JYWq9tYq6RRxp9aZzWY_VzXypcQO6xjFOnOvaDY-4nPEdlWkHlHTsLuy_fsbjLpYjR5-KlA/s1600/D2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
Posted <abbr class="time published" itemprop="datePublished" title="2019-12-16T18:09:00.001Z">11 minutes</abbr>ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-45664186783872126432019-05-21T00:43:00.000-07:002019-05-21T00:56:13.572-07:00Black Billionaire Vows To Pay Off Student Loans For Morehouse College Class of 2019Rich Graduation Speaker at Morehouse College vows to pay off Student Loans for entire 2019
Class, EXCEPT for women, and those who worked their way through college. The Liberal Social Justice Warriors in the Democratic Party will find it hard to challenge the All American Spirit in that gesture. Morehouse College is an all male college. There were no women in the Class of 2019.<br />
<br />
The average Student Loan Debt for Class Of 2019 estimated to be between $35,000 and $45,000.<br />
<br />
<b>Robert Frederick Smith</b> is an African-American businessman,
investor, and philanthropist. A former chemical engineer and investment
banker, he is the founder, chairman, and CEO of private equity firm
Vista Equity Partners. In 2018, Smith was ranked by Forbes as the 163rd
richest person in America. This 8th Generation African American, <b>Robert F. Smith,</b> is from Denver,
CO. His family has been in America for 8 Generations. They lived through
and worked through America’s Slavery Period and overcame. Slavery and
Segregation slowed them down, but did not stop them from overcoming the
Democratic Liberal Political Practices.<br />
<br />
He is not a Fresh Of The Boat (FOB) Silicon Valley Instant Millionaire
from some Muslim Country with a good Colonial Education System.<br />
<br />
<div class="css-18icg9x evys1bk0">
Robert F. Smith was giving the
commencement address to the graduating class of Morehouse College when
he made a surprise announcement: He would be <a class="css-1g7m0tk" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/19/education/morehouse-commencement-robert-f-smith.html?module=inline" title="">paying off the student loans</a> of the roughly 400 graduates.</div>
<div class="css-18icg9x evys1bk0">
It was just the latest substantial gesture from Mr. Smith, the <a class="css-1g7m0tk" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2015/09/29/meet-the-african-american-billionaire-businessman-whos-richer-than-michael-jordan/#697e1cde24ad" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">richest black man in America</a>, who until just a few years ago was practically unknown.</div>
<div class="css-18icg9x evys1bk0">
Mr. Smith grew up in a mostly black, middle-class neighborhood in
Denver. Both of his parents had Ph.D.s in education, and he was
ambitious from an early age. He applied for an internship at Bell Labs
in high school, but was told he was too young. Mr. Smith called every
Monday for five months and finally got the position.</div>
<div class="css-18icg9x evys1bk0">
He went to college at Cornell, studying
chemical engineering, then took a job at Kraft General Foods. He got a
master’s degree in business administration from Columbia, then worked at
Goldman Sachs in San Francisco, advising companies including Apple,
Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft.</div>
<div class="css-18icg9x evys1bk0">
■ Mr. Smith has a passion for music. In 2016, he was <a class="css-1g7m0tk" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/arts/music/trustees-elect-carnegies-halls-first-african-american-chairman.html?module=inline" title="">named chairman of the board</a>
of Carnegie Hall, the nation’s most prestigious concert stage. He
bought and restored a storied resort, Lincoln Hills, outside Denver,
where black jazz musicians like Duke Ellington once played. And he has
founded programs to support music education and minority
entrepreneurship in Austin, Tex., where he lives, and Chicago, where
Vista has an office.</div>
<div class="css-18icg9x evys1bk0">
<br /></div>
<div class="css-18icg9x evys1bk0">
Here’s what you need to know about him:</div>
<div class="css-18icg9x evys1bk0">
■ Mr. Smith has amassed a fortune that <a class="css-1g7m0tk" href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/robert-f-smith/#146bce9c2236" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">Forbes estimates</a>
to be worth $5 billion by founding Vista Equity Partners, a private
equity firm that focuses on buying and selling software firms.</div>
■
Vista has about $46 billion in assets under management, according to
Forbes. The company is privately held and does not publicly report its
results, but it is believed to be one of the best-performing firms in
the country, with annualized returns of more than 20 percent since its founding.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGgDzOhvkpQJoQy_nN6zc3MsQGW05psOpOsCk03Q6SmdJ-ub3q8kkkosuZhVkG6V2DVfD0AI5nzF5twaQqPU_BccDKZoG_GJ4I4xcMUq1svfvSIdkz8oGVa9-Ok2R3Llz8BZ5iSqxBL4E/s1600/Morehouse260748395_10157215306863805_8467830071934058496_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="960" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGgDzOhvkpQJoQy_nN6zc3MsQGW05psOpOsCk03Q6SmdJ-ub3q8kkkosuZhVkG6V2DVfD0AI5nzF5twaQqPU_BccDKZoG_GJ4I4xcMUq1svfvSIdkz8oGVa9-Ok2R3Llz8BZ5iSqxBL4E/s320/Morehouse260748395_10157215306863805_8467830071934058496_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVNVmB4ZxVUmLaTkcvlcD-YdDw0xno-6OcW8yq0o0pnoBy5uZrwkcJBUjgc58NLTFFBlkZrTsWdQBXffnJjeiPz4KzlX0Jrp6oWNax6ZhkQsUePkDUmUWJRibsiAdxhfeb_KSuqqtB1Y/s1600/Morehouse360748940_10157216888183805_1466569518691123200_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="960" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVNVmB4ZxVUmLaTkcvlcD-YdDw0xno-6OcW8yq0o0pnoBy5uZrwkcJBUjgc58NLTFFBlkZrTsWdQBXffnJjeiPz4KzlX0Jrp6oWNax6ZhkQsUePkDUmUWJRibsiAdxhfeb_KSuqqtB1Y/s320/Morehouse360748940_10157216888183805_1466569518691123200_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTJgrISxUh20WQENs2G6GuzeC0Q3Xs2ulJ0Ed1VjqapDMt_ZVFtjHFnhpUAhfrV7FvfJhDb0Tj7REpQwdbPFkVrulcxLCM30vL4zPrZLLiVEKJcPXG4zK9elI2FqxzmnqX_tD9aX5qlY/s1600/Morehouse560599952_10219145499251306_810192387220439040_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="889" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTJgrISxUh20WQENs2G6GuzeC0Q3Xs2ulJ0Ed1VjqapDMt_ZVFtjHFnhpUAhfrV7FvfJhDb0Tj7REpQwdbPFkVrulcxLCM30vL4zPrZLLiVEKJcPXG4zK9elI2FqxzmnqX_tD9aX5qlY/s320/Morehouse560599952_10219145499251306_810192387220439040_n.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
Mr. Smith has a flamboyant side as well. He favors three-piece suits,
owns one of Elton John’s old pianos and hired John Legend and Seal — and
a youth orchestra — to perform at his wedding on the Amalfi Coast. He
named two of his sons, Hendrix and Legend, after Jimi Hendrix and Mr.
Legend. He is married to Hope Dworaczyk, an actress and former Playboy
model. (See FOOTNOTE)<br />
<br />
Though he shunned the spotlight for many years, he has recently embraced
a more public role, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, and making major charitable contributions. <a class="css-1g7m0tk" href="http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2016/01/robert-f-smith-gives-50m-engineering-cornell-tech?version=meter+at+0&module=meter-Links&pgtype=article&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2F2ZJqvf3mrY&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=meter-links-click" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">Cornell renamed</a>
its School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering after Mr. Smith,
and he has made major gifts to the National Museum of African-American
History and Culture and other cultural institutions. In January, Mr.
Smith <a class="css-1g7m0tk" href="https://www.morehouse.edu/newscenter/morehousecollegereceives15milliongiftfrominvestorphilanthropistrobertfsmith.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">donated $1.5 million to </a>Morehouse to fund student scholarships and a new park on campus.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7Guycd0KRilPb8BC6ZqhOfBISDwn3MzV4VedgdNgCDxMjDOBLSyIZydC2tJ_V9FDUFMxIDaFh9qY7Ix6MSjRSWLGftvjMuAvU3x-WqkTPiV4g4tKzn2PtmmajMI04tDzvKLzxqIGQZQ/s1600/Morehouse661034889_10219140024474440_4296431415991468032_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7Guycd0KRilPb8BC6ZqhOfBISDwn3MzV4VedgdNgCDxMjDOBLSyIZydC2tJ_V9FDUFMxIDaFh9qY7Ix6MSjRSWLGftvjMuAvU3x-WqkTPiV4g4tKzn2PtmmajMI04tDzvKLzxqIGQZQ/s320/Morehouse661034889_10219140024474440_4296431415991468032_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfYylt0hvA7J4lYHFFbA9AfEb2EUmyMbGU1QV5tfMNYgRd38tlzYPgF3vZMuuUeQAa-OLEdvj2Tm6BXPOyhEA0wefnE4EDBWFhu02XG4NLQaGbozBCvLoRB4QYowQvBbxALC6aWQZlYk/s1600/Morehouse201961100692_10157215306063805_738052926810882048_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="960" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfYylt0hvA7J4lYHFFbA9AfEb2EUmyMbGU1QV5tfMNYgRd38tlzYPgF3vZMuuUeQAa-OLEdvj2Tm6BXPOyhEA0wefnE4EDBWFhu02XG4NLQaGbozBCvLoRB4QYowQvBbxALC6aWQZlYk/s320/Morehouse201961100692_10157215306063805_738052926810882048_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlwqEH9BZjWhuUFn7uqHBHb5do6YhsHWoquVO0Vg6Q06o8jtnRWGO8mf8LNzGaCjjlZPc4hS2cHC7Bo4Oxc9KrOwFA_0kPkGjPH9MrFV7_TmPh4dfQKbME_aSdec-fQsNUZjYU4v2uEc/s1600/MorehouseTuLane2019Grads60585337_10219145499451311_4613058982032965632_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="1148" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlwqEH9BZjWhuUFn7uqHBHb5do6YhsHWoquVO0Vg6Q06o8jtnRWGO8mf8LNzGaCjjlZPc4hS2cHC7Bo4Oxc9KrOwFA_0kPkGjPH9MrFV7_TmPh4dfQKbME_aSdec-fQsNUZjYU4v2uEc/s320/MorehouseTuLane2019Grads60585337_10219145499451311_4613058982032965632_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">A TALE OF TWO COMMENCEMENTS!<br /> THE BATTLE OF THE BILLIONAIRES!!</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> <b>Tim Cook</b> tells grads, “We failed you”!<br /> <b>Robert F. Smith</b> says, “I declare you Debt Free”!<br /> Robert F Smith, a Billionaire, vowed to pay off the Student Loan Debt for the 400 Morehouse graduates in the Class Of 2019.<br /> <u>Apple CEO, Tim Cook,</u> a Billionaire told Tulane University grads, “My Generation failed you on Climate Change”!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">FOOTNOTE: </span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><img alt="Hope Dworaczyk 2009.jpg" data-file-height="864" data-file-width="576" height="330" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Hope_Dworaczyk_2009.jpg/220px-Hope_Dworaczyk_2009.jpg" width="220" /></span><br />
<table class="infobox vcard"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;"><div>
Hope Dworaczyk at the Playboy Mansion in May 2009</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color: #ffe4e9; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playboy" title="Playboy">Playboy</a></i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playboy_Playmate" title="Playboy Playmate">centerfold appearance</a></th></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">April 2009</td></tr>
<tr><th scope="row">Preceded by</th><td><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Pershing" title="Jennifer Pershing">Jennifer Pershing</a></td></tr>
<tr><th scope="row">Succeeded by</th><td><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_McCahill" title="Crystal McCahill">Crystal McCahill</a></td></tr>
<tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color: #ffe4e9; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Playboy_Playmates_of_the_Year" title="List of Playboy Playmates of the Year">Playboy Playmate of the Year</a></th></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">2010</td></tr>
<tr><th scope="row">Preceded by</th><td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_Ljungqvist" title="Ida Ljungqvist">Ida Ljungqvist</a></td></tr>
<tr><th scope="row">Succeeded by</th><td><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Sinclair" title="Claire Sinclair">Claire Sinclair</a></td></tr>
<tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color: #ffe4e9; text-align: center;">Personal details</th></tr>
<tr><th scope="row">Born</th><td>November 21, 1984<span class="noprint ForceAgeToShow"> (age 34)</span><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Lavaca,_Texas" title="Port Lavaca, Texas">Port Lavaca, Texas</a>, U.S.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-aprkingly_1-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Dworaczyk#cite_note-aprkingly-1">[1]</a></sup></td></tr>
<tr><th scope="row">Measurements</th><td>Bust: 34C<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-aprkingly_1-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Dworaczyk#cite_note-aprkingly-1">[1]</a></sup><br />
Waist: 23<br />
Hips: 35</td></tr>
<tr><th scope="row">Height</th><td>5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-aprkingly_1-2"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Dworaczyk#cite_note-aprkingly-1">[1]</a></sup></td></tr>
<tr><th scope="row">Weight</th><td>126 lb (57 kg)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> </span>ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-1249281709967202972019-05-06T20:00:00.000-07:002019-05-06T20:00:05.949-07:00Big Win At Supreme Court For Social Security Practicioners<span></span><br />
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="90ind-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="90ind-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="90ind-0-0"><span data-text="true">Since 1956, the Social Security Administration(SSA) has made disability benefits available to people whose long-term medical conditions make completing their jobs impossible.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="5o73d-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5o73d-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5o73d-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Lawyers who want to maximize their earning capacity don’t do Social Security law. They would be crazy to do Social Security law.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="emv9p-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="emv9p-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="emv9p-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Recognizing that many Social Security disability claimants are in poor financial health, the federal government devised a payment scheme whereby lawyers receive a portion of their client's judgment if they win and nothing if they don't.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="bp6gh-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bp6gh-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bp6gh-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Since 1956, the Social Security Administration has made disability benefits available to people whose long-term medical conditions make completing their jobs impossible.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="fu3vr-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fu3vr-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="fu3vr-0-0"><span data-text="true"> A U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year created a uniform method for allocating fees across judicial jurisdictions, ensuring attorneys will have access to higher fees regardless of where they practice. </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="tao3-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="tao3-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="tao3-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Considering that just 22% of workers receive disability benefits on the first try, the attorneys who help these workers often don't see payment for years, if ever.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="1mh1e-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1mh1e-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1mh1e-0-0"><span data-text="true"> Without attorneys, disability benefit applicants can get lost in the confusing maze of the claim process. They must first take their case before an administrative law judge(ALJ), and if the judge rejects the claim or makes a mistake — which attorneys say is fairly common — they then must go to federal court to dispute the decision.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="2oan6-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2oan6-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2oan6-0-0"><span data-text="true"> In some Federal Circuits, judges interpreted separate limits the Social Security Act placed on fees for legal work before the SSA and the federal court as a single limit, capping the overall fees at an amount equivalent to 25% of the client's benefit award.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="7jmu8-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7jmu8-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="7jmu8-0-0"><span data-text="true"> As an example, Lawyers in the Third Circuit, were not affected by the fee cap that plagued disability attorneys in the Fourth, Fifth and Eleventh circuits before the recent Supreme Court decision.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="27uqi-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="27uqi-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="27uqi-0-0"><span data-text="true"> In those circuits, judges interpreted separate limits the Social Security Act placed on fees for legal work before the SSA and the federal court as a single limit, capping the overall fees at an amount equivalent to 25% of the client's benefit award.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="doq7m-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="doq7m-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="doq7m-0-0"><span data-text="true"> In other circuits, like the Third, judges allowed attorneys to collect an amount equivalent to 25% of the client's benefit award for court-level work. For agency-level work, attorneys could collect either $6,000 or an amount equivalent to 25% of the benefit award, whichever is less. Fees could come from both the benefit award and the federal government, which offers a pool of money to disability attorneys under the Equal Access to Justice Act.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="6da6h-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6da6h-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6da6h-0-0"><span data-text="true"> The ruling's main impact could be to encourage Social Security attorneys who already practice in federal court to continue doing so, rather than abandon cases at the appeal stage because the money isn't good.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="1vl9c-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1vl9c-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1vl9c-0-0"><span data-text="true"> In the past, Social Security claimants' probability of successfully going up against the SSA varied depending on where they were. Now, claimants should have an easier time across the country.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="3rf16" data-offset-key="dmqfk-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dmqfk-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="dmqfk-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-31481872507645383382019-02-01T16:22:00.001-08:002019-02-01T16:22:50.669-08:00SocialSecurity Defrauds Another Widow(er)<div class="aju">
<div class="aCi">
<img aria-hidden="true" class="ajn" data-hovercard-id="london.richter@gmail.com" data-name="Richter" id=":0_89-e" name=":0" src="https://plus.google.com/u/0/_/focus/photos/public/AIbEiAIAAABDCPmWxvTipc7TeyILdmNhcmRfcGhvdG8qKDAwYzlmN2ZkMzkwZjY2Y2RkOTg2ZTU5ODMwZmQ0NzQzOTg3YmMwYTMwASTrHkEZspBRgzfsJl2oBHdV3aJV?sz=32" /></div>
</div>
<div class="gs">
<div class="gE iv gt">
<table cellpadding="0" class="cf gJ"><tbody>
<tr class="acZ"><td class="gF gK"><table cellpadding="0" class="cf ix"><tbody>
<tr><td class="c2"><h3 class="iw">
<span class="qu" role="gridcell" tabindex="-1"><span class="gD" data-hovercard-id="london.richter@gmail.com" name="Richter">Richter</span> </span></h3>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td class="gH bAk"><div class="gK">
<span></span><span alt="Feb 1, 2019, 7:20 PM" class="g3" id=":24u" role="gridcell" tabindex="-1" title="Feb 1, 2019, 7:20 PM">7:20 PM (0 minutes ago)</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" class="cf gJ"><tbody>
<tr class="acZ"><td class="gH"><br /></td><td class="gH acX bAm" rowspan="2"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" class="cf gJ"><tbody>
<tr class="acZ xD"></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" class="cf gJ"><tbody>
<tr class="acZ xD"><td colspan="3"><table cellpadding="0" class="cf adz"><tbody>
<tr><td class="ady"><div class="iw ajw">
<span class="hb">to <b><span class="g2 ac2" data-hovercard-id="ichbinalj@yahoo.com" dir="ltr" name="L.">L.</span></b> </span></div>
<div aria-haspopup="true" class="ajy" role="menuitem" tabindex="0">
<img alt="" aria-label="Show details" class="ajz" data-tooltip="Show details" id=":265" role="button" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif" /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="">
<div class="ii gt adO" id=":24k">
<div class="a3s aXjCH " id=":24j">
<div dir="ltr">
<span class="im"><div class="adM">
</div>
<span><div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-header-content-container">
<h1 class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-headline m_6542522688512714944gmail-speakable-headline m_6542522688512714944gmail-font-base">
Social Security Defrauds Yet Another Widow(er) -This Could Be You!</h1>
</div>
</span>
</span><div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-top-authors">
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-top-contrib-block"><div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib-container m_6542522688512714944gmail-top-contrib">
<a class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-author-avatar" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kotlikoff/&source=gmail&ust=1549153269382000&usg=AFQjCNEiRk6SdA0-bystXHDHQaSczcVPdA" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kotlikoff/" target="_blank" title="Photo of Laurence Kotlikoff">
<img alt="Laurence Kotlikoff" class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-author-image CToWUd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj81WowL6wtId_flHlDKkqiTAQvtF4W9wrPeSVoYGFSOM_V9pzHvI28hugX4a5G0VmwD4omFN5UenGP8ovU-rajVDKfi_Xac6meDtjL7o5iByeeJSpBkivX2Xs6v1KCuBlVha71xV0I2oGR8ykItmx_Lu4QvCpx85n2lD87zaEBk-pyxEodQ6ja7ArCemi-fn0Cemy8zo4E1_SE2BK45pNp_3j4QCVIPTWYIuz5stmKwiwRu4z3wQPBL6Nd07WomnNQ2yzN48loShw2Wj00WFnbxes7VhJpIMpQIEWBjaobiHYfpve9=s0-d-e1-ft" />
</a>
<span><div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib-byline">
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-author-wrapper">
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-author-name m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib-byline-author m_6542522688512714944gmail-speakable-author">
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kotlikoff/&source=gmail&ust=1549153269382000&usg=AFQjCNEiRk6SdA0-bystXHDHQaSczcVPdA" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kotlikoff/" target="_blank">
Laurence Kotlikoff
</a>
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib-byline-type">Contributor
</span>
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-disclaimer">
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-button-disclaimer"></span></span></span></div>
</div>
</span></div>
</span></div>
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-top-authors">
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-top-contrib-block"><div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib-container m_6542522688512714944gmail-top-contrib">
<span><div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib-byline">
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-author-wrapper">
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-author-name m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib-byline-author m_6542522688512714944gmail-speakable-author"><span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-disclaimer">
</span>
</span>
</div>
<a class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-channel-name m_6542522688512714944gmail-channel-color-benjamins-green" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.forbes.com/taxes&source=gmail&ust=1549153269382000&usg=AFQjCNEH5clrHTyeDvOSvChsSr05p3N9IQ" href="https://www.forbes.com/taxes" target="_blank">
Taxes
</a>
</div>
</span>
</div>
</span>
</div>
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-article-body m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-article m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-responsive-text m_6542522688512714944gmail-current-article">
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-article-container m_6542522688512714944gmail-color-body m_6542522688512714944gmail-font-body">
<span><ul>
<li>
</li>
</ul>
</span></div>
</span>
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-article-body m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-article m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-responsive-text m_6542522688512714944gmail-current-article"><div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-article-container m_6542522688512714944gmail-color-body m_6542522688512714944gmail-font-body">
<div>
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-wp-caption m_6542522688512714944gmail-alignnone" id="m_6542522688512714944gmail-attachment_1124646691">
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-article-body-image">
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-dam-image m_6542522688512714944gmail-getty m_6542522688512714944gmail-size-large m_6542522688512714944gmail-wp-image-1124646691 m_6542522688512714944gmail-show-img" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEie3NrBqd5QpLNfHh57zuop2C_hYniFgBo06j6sjJ2mwHKIIdMtyRn20SrbEgLVR50_t9eMmKCc9jcFDo-ySVlm1xeWLrS9ymc0S1nHugBbz9CshrZ5t6eGjI90Msxw9fsWGMe_so2TVnQPXmj27ABBMqTtk6wmfYfpb_mwsyoyD3E537JqPJOT6kJOacmbdMMNQRc=s0-d-e1-ft"><img alt="" class="CToWUd a6T" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEivqNe3fjq9YB1uXG4k36j8OkvWt0Rp7TG0t9WkCIBo-vBadvVlMB4IMPsiewK2WYEFh-dw_KI07giLYcCVMCea7DffSleDoBcPCjgR1194AD8OIxLOm4r0E8CPXAyaSPkQpHtl70H8VaLNZPfwFR2oQDJ0QpDseCcx-yp9ItaRUXeZRd8lJwGP4dbuN02H_onHpshS6bDWJjRDJVBqWWjw0sqyPKUtz_xRYAC9U-XZlYrDfVVEiISLSQ4B6bj4la0Xqr8hVmQeeGdAvdLe1Vsk=s0-d-e1-ft" style="display: block;" tabindex="0" /></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="adn ads" data-message-id="#msg-a:r331795582464025859">
<div class="gs">
<div class="">
<div class="ii gt adO" id=":24k">
<div class="a3s aXjCH " id=":24j">
<div dir="ltr">
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-article-body m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-article m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-responsive-text m_6542522688512714944gmail-current-article"><div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-article-container m_6542522688512714944gmail-color-body m_6542522688512714944gmail-font-body">
<div>
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-wp-caption m_6542522688512714944gmail-alignnone" id="m_6542522688512714944gmail-attachment_1124646691">
<div>
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-caption-container">
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-wp-caption-text">
A bunch of American dollars in
denominations of 100 dollars notes rolled up and held together with a
simple rubber band with two stack of american dollars in denominations
of 100 dollars isolated on a white background.<small class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-article-photo-credit">Getty</small></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-speakable-paragraph">
Social Security just defrauded
Seattle-based William Shimeall of tens of thousands of dollars in
widower benefits based on a decision by Social Security's Administrative
Law Judge Glenn G. Myers.</div>
Bill's story is instructive. It teaches us a lesson we all should already know - <em>You
can't trust anything the Social Security staff tells you. Nor can you
rely on them to keep you from doing something that can only lower,
potentially dramatically, your future benefits</em>.<br />
It also teaches us a new lesson. <em>Social Security's self-appointed
"judges" aren't, apparently, sworn to uphold justice. Instead, they
appear sworn to uphold Social Security's patently fraudulent decisions
no matter the size of the swindle</em>.<br />
Here are the facts. Judge for yourself.<br />
Bill Shimeall turned full retirement age on August 3, 2015. Around
that time much was written, including by me and my co-authors in our
book, <em><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/s/ref%3Dnb_sb_ss_c_1_11?url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps%26field-keywords%3Dget%2Bwhat%2527s%2Byours%2Bthe%2Brevised%2Bsecrets%2Bto%2Bmaxing%2Bout%2Bsocial%2Bsecurity%26sprefix%3Dget%2Bwhat%2527s%2B%252Caps%252C146%26crid%3D2F4UG9622W8UX&source=gmail&ust=1549153269383000&usg=AFQjCNGAhGFqlje3DwSloRd9YylVBsO9hQ" href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=get+what%27s+yours+the+revised+secrets+to+maxing+out+social+security&sprefix=get+what%27s+%2Caps%2C146&crid=2F4UG9622W8UX" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get What's Yours - the Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security</a></em>,
about the file and suspend option which let eligible disabled children
and spouses collect child and spousal benefits without forcing the
primary earner to file before age 70 and accept permanently reduced
benefits.<br />
<span></span><br />
Some high-earning spouses were also able to use this mechanism to
collect spousal benefits while waiting to collect their own highest
retirement benefit. People in the Obama Administration decided, with no
hearings or actual evidence, that this was, on balance, a boondoggle for
the rich. So in November 2015, the Democrats in the House let House
Republicans rewrite the law and hide the changes inside the Bipartisan
Budget Act of 2015.<br />
I saw a draft of the bill on a Sunday. The vote was scheduled for
later that week. The next morning I posted a Forbes column pointing out
that the new Social Security provisions would mean benefit cuts in six
months for lots of people. Within a few hours of the appearance of the
column, there were two highly complex amendments passed by Congress that
included grandfathering clauses, some of which still <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://seekingalpha.com/article/4211684-millions-americans-age-64_9-68-leaving-free-spousal-benefits-table&source=gmail&ust=1549153269383000&usg=AFQjCNGG8QLsQBJbQXcO4Aua8z80wouvSw" href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4211684-millions-americans-age-64_9-68-leaving-free-spousal-benefits-table" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pertain</a> to millions of people, by the way.<br />
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-vestpocket">
<h2>
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE</h2>
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-ntv-wrapper">
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-ntv-ad">
<span></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
In any case, the new law with its complex amendments went into effect
in November 2017. Then Social Security's headquarters sent misleading
instructions to staff all around the country about the new provisions.
Through December, January and February of 2016, I kept getting emails
from people saying they had read my columns, which said X, but that
Social Security staff were saying not X. I started writing these
mistakes up on a weekly basis hoping someone at Social Security was
monitoring my columns and would fix things. Sure enough, in February
2016, senior staff at Social Security set up a conference call with me.
During the call, I explained what the new law actually said and how it
differed from what had been stated in the instructions. Within hours of
the call, new instructions were issued. But the damage had been done.
People continued to be misadvised by Social Security staff for months
all over the country.<br />
Bill appears to have been one of them. He went into his local
Lynnwood Social Security office, located near Seattle, Washington, in
early April 2016 to discuss filing and suspending his retirement benefit
so his ailing wife could start collecting a spousal benefit while
waiting for her disability benefit to be approved. Bill was under the
impression that by going into the office and calling Social Security
before the April 29, 2016 deadline he would be viewed as having met the
deadline and be given more time to complete the paperwork. April 29th
was the deadline for people who were grandfathered to file and suspend
and have others collect benefits on their work records. We can still
file and suspend. What we can't do, if we filed and suspended after
April 29, 2016, is let others collect benefits on our records while our
own retirement benefit is in suspension.<br />
Bill spoke with several different people at the Lynwood Office that
day and in the ensuing weeks. Each told him something different. In any
case, in early May, Bill, thinking he was grandfathered because he had
gone into the Lynwood Office to discuss filing and suspending before
April 29th, proceeded to file and suspend.<br />
Thereafter, Bill had lots of confusing back and fourths with the
folks at the Lynwood office to find out why his wife's spousal benefits
hadn't started. But by October, his wife had been granted disability
benefits, so he stopped worrying about getting her spousal benefits.<br />
In June 2017, Bill's wife died. Bill then applied for his widower's
benefit believing a) he would receive his full widower's benefit of $944
a month and b) that he could wait until 70 to collect his own age-70
retirement benefit. Instead of receiving the $944, Bill was awarded $18
per month in widower's benefits. Why? Because he had filed for his
retirement benefit back in May 2016. It didn't matter that his benefit
was in suspension. Nor did it matter that his filing for and suspending
his retirement benefit could never have helped his wife get spousal
benefits under the new law.<br />
No, Bill had filed for his retirement benefit, so Social Security
treated him as if he were actually collecting his retirement benefit and
since his retirement benefit exceeded his widowers benefit he was to
receive the difference, if positive, between his widower and retirement
benefit. I.e., he was to receive zero. The fact that Social Security
decided he was owed $18 per month was another mistake.<br />
Bill appealed the decision saying he had been mislead by Social
Security when he filed and suspended. He hadn't been told that doing so
could wipe out his potential widower benefit. Given his wife's physical
condition, potentially losing his widower's benefit was a real
possibility. But no one at the Lynnwood office told him this in either
April or May. Indeed, in early May, before filing, he contacted a top
Seattle financial planner, Julie Price, who warned him that he might
endanger his potential widower benefit if he filed and suspended and
that he should come see her. Bill didn't want to spend the money on
outside advice, so went with what the Lynnwood staff were saying <em>and weren't saying</em>.<br />
What the staff should have told Bill was, <em>It's past the April 29,
2016 deadline. You and your wife have absolutely NOTHING to gain by
your filing and suspending and potentially some $40,000 to LOSE in
widowers benefits if she passes in the near term</em>.<br />
But the staff didn't tell Bill any of this. Instead they sat back and
helped him shoot himself in the head by filing and suspending, whose
sole impact, they knew or should have known, would only serve to
eliminate his widower's benefit were his wife to die before he reached
70.<br />
"Judge" Myers looked at the evidence and decided that Bill had, in
fact, been warned about a possible widower's benefit issue by, get this,
Julie Price and should have followed Julie's advice, not what the
Lynnwood staff Social Security were and weren't saying. I.e., Bill,
according to the "judge," should have followed the advice not of the
Social Security professionals, but of a financial advisor whom Bill
didn't know.<br />
Based on Bill's "mistake" in relying on Social Security, he, not
Social Security was at fault and he must suffer the consequences. This
was the 'judge's" ruling.<br />
The injustice here is staggering. Just think about this. Due to the
Lynnwood's office's clear mistake (It should have refused to process
Bill's request unless he signed a paper stating that filing could only
hurt him financially.), the Judge Myers not only defrauded Bill. He also
defrauded Bill's wife. She worked her entire life, paid Social Security
taxes her entire life, only to have those taxes be confiscated by
incompetent bureaucrats and a judge who seems not to understand the
requirements of the word justice.<br />
<span>Bill is not alone in being defrauded by the Social Security system. Social Security's Inspector General's Report of (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/audit/full/pdf/A-09-18-50559.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1549153269383000&usg=AFQjCNF_QhvdgC4Br6ttUq22H4i81VCdGA" href="https://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/audit/full/pdf/A-09-18-50559.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://oig.ssa.gov/sites/<wbr></wbr>default/files/audit/full/pdf/<wbr></wbr>A-09-18-50559.pdf</a><span>)
of February 14, 2018 documents the routine failure of Social Security
staff to provide proper guidance to actual, let alone near-term
prospective widow(er)s)</span>.<br />
I <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2018/03/06/social-security-is-shortchanging-widows-and-widowers/%23350f87957a2d&source=gmail&ust=1549153269383000&usg=AFQjCNGIP91l-D7fMO8bMCGWtYBoSK_EVA" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2018/03/06/social-security-is-shortchanging-widows-and-widowers/#350f87957a2d" target="_blank">wrote</a> about this report last year. And I <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/social-security-staffer-blows-whistle-systems-treatment-widows&source=gmail&ust=1549153269383000&usg=AFQjCNGxKdmbUZGM6WtqEHbNG2MAjsrmwg" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/social-security-staffer-blows-whistle-systems-treatment-widows" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">wrote</a>
about the problem of Social Security's defrauding widow(er)s back in
2015 based on a courageous Social Security whistle blower's inside
account. Social Security has the ability to go back and determine how
much money they stole from people by letting them make filing decisions
or making those filing decisions for them when such decisions could only
work to their detriment. Once that determination is made, Social
Security should provide restitution of such stolen benefits to
participants or their survivors.<br />
But back to Bill and "Judge" Myers. Any decent Social Security judge
would conclude that if the staff assists someone in filing a claim that
can only lower their benefits in the future and can never raise them, <em>under any circumstance</em>,
that the staff has clearly made an error, to put it mildly. In this
case, the judge should withdrawal the filing even if it's beyond the
12-month withdraw deadline, of which Bill was also not informed.<br />
Judge Myers, it's time to reverse your decision and stand up for the
millions of widows and widowers who have been terribly defrauded by
Social Security staff, either knowingly or accidentally, over the years
via staff-assisted or unilateral staff decisions that served only to
financially injure actual or prospective widow(er)s.<br />
</div>
</div>
</span>
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-article-body m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-responsive-text"><div>
Follow me @kotlikoff To safely raise your living standard and assess your investment risk, check out <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.maxifi.com/&source=gmail&ust=1549153269383000&usg=AFQjCNFMxacuDLPcjGpxZBo5K6U8Qx6wCw" href="http://www.maxifi.com/" target="_blank">MaxiFi</a> and my <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.economicsecurityplanning.com&source=gmail&ust=1549153269383000&usg=AFQjCNGkX-pJUN71qmUy8Hh2fFpRHrzYjA" href="http://www.economicsecurityplanning.com/" target="_blank">company</a>. Pls pose Social Security questions at <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.maximizemysocialsecurity.com&source=gmail&ust=1549153269383000&usg=AFQjCNH-uD31nmEX33KWV2RAKuxMWrsjFQ" href="http://www.maximizemysocialsecurity.com/" target="_blank">Ask Larry</a>.</div>
</span>
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib m_6542522688512714944gmail-bottom-contrib-block">
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-full-block"><div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib-container">
<a class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-author-avatar" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kotlikoff/&source=gmail&ust=1549153269383000&usg=AFQjCNGAeYzKtjKWWvhVk6qdSmseCGTN5A" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kotlikoff/" target="_blank" title="Photo of Laurence Kotlikoff">
<img alt="Laurence Kotlikoff" class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-author-image CToWUd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj81WowL6wtId_flHlDKkqiTAQvtF4W9wrPeSVoYGFSOM_V9pzHvI28hugX4a5G0VmwD4omFN5UenGP8ovU-rajVDKfi_Xac6meDtjL7o5iByeeJSpBkivX2Xs6v1KCuBlVha71xV0I2oGR8ykItmx_Lu4QvCpx85n2lD87zaEBk-pyxEodQ6ja7ArCemi-fn0Cemy8zo4E1_SE2BK45pNp_3j4QCVIPTWYIuz5stmKwiwRu4z3wQPBL6Nd07WomnNQ2yzN48loShw2Wj00WFnbxes7VhJpIMpQIEWBjaobiHYfpve9=s0-d-e1-ft" />
</a>
<span><div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib-byline m_6542522688512714944gmail-full-block">
<div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-author-wrapper">
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-fs-author-name m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib-byline-author m_6542522688512714944gmail-speakable-author">
<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kotlikoff/&source=gmail&ust=1549153269383000&usg=AFQjCNGAeYzKtjKWWvhVk6qdSmseCGTN5A" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kotlikoff/" target="_blank">
Laurence Kotlikoff
</a>
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib-byline-type">Contributor
</span>
</span>
</div>
</div>
</span>
</div>
<span class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-contrib-bio"><div class="m_6542522688512714944gmail-full-description">
I am a professor of
economics at Boston University, a Fellow of the American Academy, a
Research Associate of the NBER, and President of Economic Security
Planning, Inc. -- a company that markets personal financial planning
tools at <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://maxifi.com&source=gmail&ust=1549153269383000&usg=AFQjCNGwYTDWRvVLYP2_rqRrM4O8FQ3h-g" href="http://maxifi.com/" target="_blank">maxifi.com</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://maximizemysocialsecurity.com&source=gmail&ust=1549153269383000&usg=AFQjCNGDrLNX43hIrLSRGJgd0bB-et4wyw" href="http://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/" target="_blank">maximizemysocialsecurity.com</a>,.<wbr></wbr>..</div>
</span></span></div>
<div class="yj6qo ajU">
<div aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Show trimmed content" class="ajR" data-tooltip="Show trimmed content" id=":1j4" role="button" tabindex="0">
<img class="ajT" src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif" /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="gA gt acV">
<div class="gB xu">
<div class="ip iq">
<div id=":24l">
<table class="cf wS" role="presentation"><tbody>
<tr><td class="amq"><img class="ajn bofPge" data-hovercard-id="london.richter@gmail.com" id=":0_88" name=":0" src="https://plus.google.com/u/0/_/focus/photos/public/AIbEiAIAAABDCPmWxvTipc7TeyILdmNhcmRfcGhvdG8qKDAwYzlmN2ZkMzkwZjY2Y2RkOTg2ZTU5ODMwZmQ0NzQzOTg3YmMwYTMwASTrHkEZspBRgzfsJl2oBHdV3aJV?sz=32" /></td><td class="amr"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-77945589425297389002019-02-01T16:07:00.002-08:002019-02-01T16:11:48.712-08:00After Reconsidering The Reconsideration Step, SSA Added It Again To The 5-Step Process<b>Changes in Social Security disability application process affect Louisianans</b><br />
<div id="section-content">
<div class="section-content-left">
<br />
<span class="redd"><b> </b></span>Administration has recently implemented changes
to their Social Security Disability Income application process,
including the<u><b> reinstatement of the reconsideration step in the claim
application process </b></u>in five states, with Louisiana among them.</div>
</div>
The SSA removed the reconsideration step from the claim application
process in ten states in 1999, and is adding it back now as part of an
effort to save money. Some filing for disability may benefit from
reconsideration, but others will see longer delays in claim processing. <br />
“What people basically need to know is that starting January 1,
Louisiana applicants see<u> a new step in the process of filing for SSDI</u>,”
said Mike Stein, assistant vice president of Operations Strategy and
Planning with Allsup, an organization that helps claim applicants
navigate the process.<br />
“<u>Reconsideration takes places after an initial application has been
denied, </u>which happens in two out of every three claims. For the 13
percent of people who get accepted after reconsideration, this step
saves them time and saves the government money. The other 87 percent of
applicants will continue to the appeal process, so reconsideration
effectively adds three to six months processing time to their claim,”
Stein said.<br />
Part of FICA taxes workers pay each year funds SSDI benefits, as sort
of a long term insurance program for workers who become injured beyond
their ability to continue working. <br />
“There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about the program,”
Stein said. “People think it’s easy to get on and the government just
gives away money, but it’s actually a very stringent program. It’s only
open to people who have paid in through their taxes and have been
injured in a serious and long term way. So, most of our clients are
people who have been dealt some of the worst hands anyone can be dealt,
from a medical standpoint.” <br />
After a worker is injured and files a claim with the SSA,<u> an initial
determination is made after four to six months,</u> with about 34 percent of
claims approved on average. For nearly twenty years, Louisiana
claimants moved from an initial rejection into an appeal process, held
before a judge, with <u>wait times that currently average around 450 days</u>.
Rejected claims filed after January 1 will now move into the
reconsideration phase prior to an appeal process. <br />
“Back in the late 90s, the SSA looked at the reality that only 13
percent of applications were accepted following reconsideration and
decided to see if they could save money, or speed things up, by
eliminating that step,” Stein said. “The Trump Administration now says
it has research indicating it could result in a net savings to keep
reconsideration.” <br />
SSDI appeal hearings are expensive, requiring judges, vocational and medical experts and travel budgets. <br />
<u>“The Trump Administration says that 13 percent less appeal hearings
could save money</u>,” Stein said. “For the people who see their application
granted during reconsideration, this will also save time. The vast
majority of people will see additional time and paperwork as part of
their SSDI claim process.” <br />
There has been some controversy surrounding the introduction of the
SSA’s new policy. During a congressional meeting of the House Ways and
Means Committee last summer, several members objected to the
reinstatement of the reconciliation process, and <u><b>acting SSA commissioner
Nancy Berryhill</b></u> signed a letter along with eleven members of Congress
arguing that “there is little evidence to show that reconsideration is a
meaningful step in the disability appeals process.” <br />
Despite some resistance to recent changes, the<u> Trump Administration
has nominated a <b>new commissioner to head the agency – Andrew Saul </b></u><b>– </b>and
plans to move forward. <br />
“They have a roll out schedule in place and we can expect to see more
changes in April and October, and well as early next year. These
changes can make an already complex situation more confusing, and we
just encourage people to hire someone knowledgeable to try and shorten
what will already be a long time without income after an injury,” Stein
said.<br />
<span class="redd"><b>28th January 2019 </b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="bottomcontainerBox" style="background-color: transparent;">
<div style="float: left; height: 30px; margin: 4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-right: 10px; width: 105px;">
<span class="IN-widget" data-lnkd-debug="<script type="in/share+init" data-url="http://www.louisianaweekly.com/changes-in-social-security-disability-application-process-affect-louisianans/" data-counter="right"></script>" style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="display: inline-block !important; font-size: 1px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; text-indent: 0px !important; vertical-align: bottom !important;">
</span></span></div>
</div>
<b>By Meghan Holmes</b><br />
<i>Contributing Writer</i><br />
The Social Security ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-36769467394501153052019-01-11T16:01:00.001-08:002019-01-11T16:42:14.559-08:00Who Is Robert W. Patterson and Why Do Homosexuals Hate Him?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pR1zYNnRlRMc0Os7zH_cOMT2Wuz_Q56uPsPqS5VZhVOnW9HMdPAkq5dIPDrsOv42wEvmH4AiCEBJH7Z6_LWZlOVT0oAl4q-tCZ3HUYjAuXugueEGvxnldhsfHBl18zJG7KheRxZrzTc/s1600/TrumpRobertPattersonimrs.php.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="908" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pR1zYNnRlRMc0Os7zH_cOMT2Wuz_Q56uPsPqS5VZhVOnW9HMdPAkq5dIPDrsOv42wEvmH4AiCEBJH7Z6_LWZlOVT0oAl4q-tCZ3HUYjAuXugueEGvxnldhsfHBl18zJG7KheRxZrzTc/s320/TrumpRobertPattersonimrs.php.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<u>Robert W. Patterson</u>, a right-wing commentator turned acting associate
commissioner at the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Office of
Strategic and Digital Communications, once railed against married women,
homosexuality, and condoms, according to a series of clips gathered by
liberal watchdog Media Matters for America.<br />
In a 2011 since-removed <i>Washington Examiner</i>
op-ed, Media Matters reports, Patterson wrote that <u>the government “has
facilitated the movement of mothers out of the home economy and into the
market economy, undermining the family as an economic unit, marriage as
a lifelong partnership, and the well-being of children</u>.” <br />
He has
also reportedly worked for two anti-gay organizations,<u><b> criticized the
American Psychiatric Association for not listing homosexuality as a
mental disorder,</b></u> and advocated for conversion therapy, a practice that
has been resoundingly debunked. Media Matters also cites a report from <i>The</i> <i>Philadelphia Inquirer</i>, which summarized a piece Patterson co-wrote for the conservative journal <i>Family in America</i>. The piece, the <i>Inquirer</i>
notes, summarizes recent family-related studies—and covers one study
which claims that condom use deprives women of the “remarkable”
chemicals in semen. The study also claims that “semen-exposed women”
performed better on cognitive tasks.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXaKZnYvMn823nkVQB7N7HJ-DcYOl513ma58oX5HE6zw1cHtkb9O_OrHFj1ceov486ADQV5-y4i_9oHVK-sRYsYsqSJ0GTtHNAdks06gnpQt9CYjsmNQKMP7OXVCH94MXtE3R6sLYGmA/s1600/TrumpRobertPattersonSSAheight.576.no_border.width.1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXaKZnYvMn823nkVQB7N7HJ-DcYOl513ma58oX5HE6zw1cHtkb9O_OrHFj1ceov486ADQV5-y4i_9oHVK-sRYsYsqSJ0GTtHNAdks06gnpQt9CYjsmNQKMP7OXVCH94MXtE3R6sLYGmA/s320/TrumpRobertPattersonSSAheight.576.no_border.width.1024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(Washington, DC, Jan 11, 2019) — The following is a statement from <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://socialsecurityworks.org/alex-lawson/&source=gmail&ust=1547308854812000&usg=AFQjCNHwIpMaSG-1mBxbhv6eFXkIKZ86Yw" href="http://socialsecurityworks.org/alex-lawson/">Alex Lawson</a>, Executive Director of <u><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://socialsecurityworks.org/&source=gmail&ust=1547308854812000&usg=AFQjCNFMskY1rLkIsQaBMlGw4y0PPltQHg" href="http://socialsecurityworks.org/">Social Security Works</a></u>, in reaction to a <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/01/11/social-security-official-married-working-mothers-hurt-society-condoms-rob-women-remarkable-chemicals/222474&source=gmail&ust=1547308854812000&usg=AFQjCNHzkFGLb_83nPw3w_Cxchf2kXQohg" href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/01/11/social-security-official-married-working-mothers-hurt-society-condoms-rob-women-remarkable-chemicals/222474">Media Matters </a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/01/11/social-security-official-married-working-mothers-hurt-society-condoms-rob-women-remarkable-chemicals/222474&source=gmail&ust=1547308854812000&usg=AFQjCNHzkFGLb_83nPw3w_Cxchf2kXQohg" href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/01/11/social-security-official-married-working-mothers-hurt-society-condoms-rob-women-remarkable-chemicals/222474">exposé</a> on
the outrageous misogyny and homophobia of Robert W. Patterson, who
Donald Trump <u><b>appointed as an Associate Commissioner at the Social
Security Administration:
</b></u><br />
“American workers earn their Social Security benefits with every
paycheck. It is the responsibility of the federal government to
competently and fairly administer those benefits.<br />
Donald Trump has made a mockery of that responsibility by appointing a
horrific bigot and crackpot, who seriously believes that condoms rob
women of “remarkable chemicals” in semen, to a key leadership position
at the Social Security Administration. Robert W. Patterson must resign
immediately. ”<br />
<br />
Part of the Trump administration’s numerous vacancies, the president
claims, are by design. Trump has frequently decried the<u> numerous White
House staffing positions as government waste</u>, saying in an October
interview with <i><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/randalllane/2017/10/10/trump-unfiltered/2/#7f7563151c77">Forbes</a></i> that his administration “[doesn’t] need as many people.”<br />
“<u>I’m
generally not going to make a lot of the appointments that would
normally be — because you don’t need them. I mean, you look at some of
these agencies, how massive they are, and it’s totally unnecessary.</u> They
have hundreds of thousands of people,” Trump told <i>Forbes</i>.<br />
<div class="article-page-body__mid-content-ad">
<div class="ad-wrapper ad-wrapper--mrec-layout">
</div>
</div>
Experts, however, say that simply not staffing his administration doesn’t work the way Trump claims.<br />
“There
is a legitimate case to be made for de-layering government, for
reducing the number of political employees, but you have to do that
intentionally,” Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public
Service, told the <i><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/21/donald-trump-administration-us-government-jobs-unfilled">Guardian</a></i>.
“Failing to nominate people in a reasonably quick fashion isn’t the
same as intentionally deciding, saying that you want to remove certain
jobs from government so that you can make it more streamlined. The
latter would be, I think, welcomed.”<br />
Many of the vacant positions, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/10/12/557122200/trump-leaves-top-administration-positions-unfilled-says-hollow-government-by-des">NPR</a>
noted in October, are temporarily filled by career civil servants, who
experts said may be more tentative and risk-averse than political
appointees.<br />
These civil servants, Stier explained to NPR, are “the proverbial
substitute teacher; everyone knows you’re not around for the long term.
Whatever decisions you make aren’t going to necessarily stick. You’re
not likely to take the long-term view or handle the most difficult
issues.”<br />
Furthermore, these interim employees’ tenures are now surpassing their legal limits. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/11/22/566098660/trump-administration-has-more-than-250-unfilled-jobs">NPR</a>
reported in November that the <b>Federal Vacancies Reform Act </b>gives
presidential administrations 300 days to fill political appointments, in
order to prevent administrations from simply circumventing the Senate
confirmation process by appointing someone to an acting role
indefinitely. Trump’s administration has blown past the 300-day mark,
meaning that decisions made by an employee in an acting capacity could
be subject to a court challenge as being improperly made.<br />
<br />
Well, I offer no apology for what I am posting, for this is truly how I feel.
This is my opinion, not a debate. If you disagree, or find my position
offensive, I'm perfectly fine with that.<br />
I have
lived through several United States Presidents prior to our current
President Trump. In my lifetime, I have never seen nor heard of a
President scrutinized over every word he speaks, humiliated by<span class="text_exposed_show">
the public to the point of disgrace, slandered, ridiculed, insulted,
lied to/about, threatened with death, had his wife and our First Lady
disrespected, & his minor child insulted, threatened & harassed.<br />
I am ashamed and saddened by the ruthless, meanspirited, hateful,
cruel, biased people who display themselves as having no civic pride,
morals, ethics, decency or respect for our country's traditions and
values. My elders and teachers taught me many yrs ago to respect our
President, whether I voted for them or not. All the news stations &
reporters who feel they have the right to perpetuate blatent lies and
fabricate "facts" for a "good story" are dividing our country beyond
belief. Many only report the negative "news" and never the
accomplishments of our President. If people do not research everything
put out by the MSM, they are left to believe all the hate mongering
news. This is leading to so much intolerance that I feel we are nearing
the brink of a civil war! No other President that took the oath of
office, has been on the news 24/7, scrutinized for their every word,
facial expression, decision, handshake, what he eats... NO, he is not
perfect, far from it! No President or person is, including you and
I!!!!! Yes, he makes stupid comments and doesn't use the flowery
language of a "professional politician". However, I believe he truly
loves the United States of America and works tirelessly to make things
better for us all. He is very different than what we've become
accustomed to, thank goodness. The people who would rather see our
country fail than help him do his job need to stop. I was always taught
"If you can't be part of the solution then at least don't be part of the
problem". I personally want our President Donald Trump, as I did his
predecessors, to succeed. To hope for failure is INSANE. United we
stand; divided we fall.</span> <br />
<br />ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-45044410572517948212019-01-11T14:39:00.002-08:002019-01-11T14:39:40.035-08:00No Cap On Amount Of Fees Social Security Attorneys May Charge Clients<div class="post-title">
<h1>
Opinion analysis: Social Security cap on attorney’s fees applies separately to successful representation before a court</h1>
</div>
According to a unanimous opinion released today, Social Security
law does not impose an aggregate cap of 25 percent on attorney’s fees
for successful representation of a Social Security disability claimant
before both the Social Security Administration and a court. Instead, a
25 percent cap applies separately to representation before the court.
This is a win for attorney Richard Culbertson, who represented a
disability claimant both before the Social Security Administration and
in court. He may now collect separate attorney’s fees for his successful
representation before the court.<br />
The case turned on the meaning of “such representation” in 42 U.S.C. § 406(b), which provides in relevant part:<br />
<blockquote>
Whenever a court renders a judgment favorable to a
claimant under [Title II of the Social Security Act] who was represented
before the court by an attorney, the court may determine and allow as
part of its judgment a reasonable fee for such representation, not in
excess of 25 percent of the total of the past-due benefits to which the
claimant is entitled by reason of such judgment.</blockquote>
The opinion, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, first applied a
plain-meaning approach. The court quoted the Concise Oxford Dictionary
of Current English for the definition of “such”: “[o]f the kind or
degree already described or implied,” and declared that “the only form
of representation ‘already described’ in § 406(b) is ‘represent[ation]
before the court by an attorney.’” Based on this statutory language, the
court announced that “the 25% cap applies only to fees for
representation before the court, not the agency.”<br />
<span id="more-278443"></span><br />
Although the court began its analysis by quoting an earlier opinion:
“We begi[n] with the language of the statute itself, and that is also
where the inquiry should end, for the statute’s language is plain,” the
court did not end the inquiry with the dictionary definition of “such.”
Instead, it also considered other provisions of the statute and found
that the structure of the statute and its other provisions were
consistent with its interpretation of the statute.<br />
The court noted that two different provisions, 42 U.S.C. § 406(a) and
42 U.S.C. § 406(b), address different stages of representation and
calculate fees differently. Section 406(b) applies to court
representation and imposes a flat 25 percent cap on fees for court
representation. Section 406(a) applies to representation before the
agency and provides two methods for determining fees for agency
representation. One method, Section 406(a)(2), applies to fee agreements
and caps fees at the lesser of 25 percent of past-due benefits or
$6,000. The second method, Section 406(a)(1), applies when there is no
fee agreement and authorizes the agency to set any fee, including a fee
that exceeds 25 percent of past-due benefits, as long as the fee is
“reasonable.”<br />
The Supreme Court concluded that it would make little sense to apply
the Section 406(b) court-stage cap to agency-stage Section 406(a) fees
or the aggregate of Sections 406(a) and 406(b) fees. First, because many
claimants never litigate in court, it would be incongruous to impose a
25 percent cap on agency fees based on a statutory provision regulating
representation before a court. Second, applying the 406(b) cap to agency
representation without a fee agreement would impose a limitation that
Congress did not include in the relevant statutory provision. According
to the court, “[i]f Congress had wanted these fees to be capped at 25%,
it presumably would have said so directly in subsection (a), instead of
providing for a ‘reasonable fee’ in that subsection [§ 406(a)(1)] and
adding a 25% cap in § 406(b) without even referencing subsection (a).”<br />
The court then turned to amicus Amy Weil’s argument that, when the
statute is read as a whole, it is evident that Congress intended to
place a cumulative 25 percent cap on attorney’s fees. The court
acknowledged that Weil was correct in noting that the Social Security
Administration only withholds a single pool of 25 percent of past-due
benefits from which to pay fees for both agency and court
representation. The court, however, noted that the single pool was the
result of agency policy and the statute itself authorizes two pools of
money for direct payment of fees. More importantly, according to the
court, “the amount of past-due benefits that the agency can withhold for
direct payment does not delimit the amount of fees that can be approved
for representation before the agency or the court.” Until 1968, the
Social Security Act allowed fees for successful representation before
the agency but did not provide for direct payment from past-due
benefits. In addition, under current “§§ 406(a)(1) and (4), the agency
can award a ‘reasonable fee’ that exceeds the 25% of past-due benefits
it can withhold for direct payment.”<br />
The outcome is not surprising in light of the clear text of the
statute and the fact that neither party defended the judgment below.
Although Weil “ably discharged her assigned responsibilities” as amicus,
and “despite the force of [her] arguments,” the court ruled against her
as it does in 75 percent of cases with court-appointed amici curiae.<br />
<div class="swapimages" style="margin: 15px 0;">
<img id="big" src="https://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Culbertson-seniority.jpg" style="max-width: 580px;" /><br />
<div id="img-label">
Click for vote alignment by ideology.</div>
</div>
ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-87835045447322553492018-11-13T08:36:00.003-08:002019-01-11T14:41:13.055-08:00Attorneys Fees May Be Capped For Lawyers Representing SSA Claimants<div id="author-info">
</div>
<div class="post-title">
<h1>
Argument preview: Justices consider cap on attorney’s fees for
successful representation of Social Security disability claimants
(Corrected)</h1>
</div>
<a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/SSAimage.png"><img alt="" class="alignright wp-image-276571" height="200" src="https://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/SSAimage.png" width="206" /></a><br />
Attorney Richard Culbertson successfully represented several Social
Security disability claimants both before the Social Security
Administration and in federal court. Prior to his representation, he
entered into fee agreements that provided that the clients would pay him
attorney’s fees equal to 25 percent of past-due benefits for successful
representation before the court as well as separate attorney’s fees for
successful representation before the agency. Following longstanding
precedent of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, adopted by
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, the court below capped
his attorney’s fees at 25 percent of past-due benefits for
representation before both the Social Security Administration and the
court.<br />
In granting certiorari, the Supreme Court agreed to resolve a split
among the federal courts of appeals as to whether the Social Security
Act imposes an aggregate cap on attorney’s fees of 25 percent of
past-due benefits for representation before both the court and the
Social Security Administration, or instead the 25 percent cap applies
separately to representation before the court.<br />
<span id="more-276865"></span><br />
The Social Security Act regulates the amount and manner in which an
attorney may collect fees from a disability claimant for successful
representation before the agency and the court. 42 USC § 406(a) governs
attorney’s fees for successful representation before the agency, while
42 USC § 406(b) governs attorney’s fees for successful representation
before the court. The Equal Access to Justice Act also authorizes a
court to order recovery of “reasonable attorney’s fees” from the
government in certain cases in which the claimant is successful and the
government’s position was not “substantially justified.” If attorney’s
fees are awarded under the EAJA and under Section 406(b), the attorney
must refund the lesser fee to the claimant. The Social Security
Administration withholds a single pool of 25 percent of past-due
benefits from which to certify for payment any and all attorney’s fees
awarded under Section 406(a) and/or 406(b).<br />
Section 406(a) authorizes two avenues for recovery of attorney’s fees
from a claimant for successful representation before the agency. Under
Section 406(a)(1), an attorney may file a “fee petition” with the Social
Security Administration. Alternatively, under a more recent and more
commonly used, streamlined process, an attorney may seek approval of a
“fee agreement” with a claimant under Section 406(a)(2). No cap is
imposed under Section 406(a)(1). Section 406(a)(2) limits attorney’s
fees to the lesser of 25 percent of past-due benefits or a specified
dollar amount, currently set at $6,000.<br />
For successful representation before a court, Section 406(b)(1)(A) provides in relevant part:<br />
<blockquote>
Whenever a court renders a judgment favorable to a
claimant under [Title II] who was represented before the court by an
attorney, the court may determine and allow as part of its judgment a
reasonable fee for such representation, not in excess of 25 percent of
the total of the past-due benefits to which the claimant is entitled by
reason of such judgment.</blockquote>
Section 406(b)(1)(A) further provides that “no other fee may be
payable or certified for payment for such representation except as
provided in this paragraph.”<br />
Focusing on the “plain meaning” of Section 406(b), Culbertson argues
that the term “such representation” in Section 406(b)(1)(A) clearly
refers to the antecedent phrase “represented before the court,” and thus
under the plain meaning of Section 406(b), the 25 percent cap applies
to representation “before the court by an attorney” and does not include
representation before the agency. Culbertson also argues that a
separate cap on attorney’s fees for representation before the court is
consistent with the structure of Section 406 as well as the purpose of
the statute and its legislative history.<br />
Almost 40 years ago, in the first circuit-court decision to address this issue, <i><a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6469002067890193583&q=Dawson+v.+Finch&hl=en&as_sdt=4,110,125">Dawson v. Finch</a></i>,
the 5th Circuit held that Section 406(b) imposes an aggregate cap on
attorney’s fees for representation in the administrative proceedings as
well as before the court. In reaching this result, the 5th Circuit
looked to the legislative history of the provision in order to discern
Congress’ intent. Specifically, the court focused on the fact that
Congress added Section 406(b) to address two goals. First, Congress
sought to encourage effective legal representation by “insuring lawyers
that they will receive reasonable fees directly through certification by
the Secretary.” Second, Congress sought to protect claimants against
excessive attorneys’ fees, which in the past had reached one-third to
one-half of claimants’ past-due benefits, by imposing the 25 percent cap
on fees. In 1982, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit also
looked to this legislative history to hold in <i><a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4604032880517918842&q=Morris+v.+Social+Security+Administration&hl=en&as_sdt=4,109,124">Morris v. Social Security Administration</a></i> that Section 406(b) imposes a cumulative 25 percent cap on attorney’s fees.<br />
More recently, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 6th, 9th and 10th
Circuits have focused on the text of section 406(b) to hold that the 25
percent cap only applies to representation before a court. See <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12410316862714246781&q=Horenstein+v.+Secretary+of+Health+and+Human+Services&hl=en&as_sdt=4,111,126"><i>Horenstein v. Secretary of Health and Human Services</i></a>; <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=1841061292784647794&q=Wrenn+v.+Astrue&hl=en&as_sdt=4,114,129"><i>Clark v. Astrue</i></a>; and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12161927422951445093&q=Wrenn+v.+Astrue&hl=en&as_sdt=4,106,120"><i>Wrenn v. Astrue</i></a>, respectively.<br />
The commissioner’s position on this issue has flipflopped over the
years. Almost 40 years ago, the commissioner sided with the 5th Circuit
in interpreting Section 406(b) to impose an aggregate cap and opposed
the grant of certiorari in <i>Dawson</i>. Then about 15 years later, the commissioner sought and obtained 6th Circuit en banc review of the panel’s decision in <i><a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12410316862714246781&q=horenstein+v+secretary+of+health+and+human+serv&hl=en&as_sdt=4,111,126">Horenstein v. Secretary of Health and Human Services</a></i>
based on arguments that were logically inconsistent with an aggregate
25 percent cap. Almost 15 years after that, the commissioner argued in
briefs before the 9th and 10th Circuits that an aggregate cap honors
congressional intent and it would be inappropriate to permit attorneys
to potentially collect up to 25 percent of a disability claimant’s
past-due benefits at both the agency and court levels.<br />
In this case, the acting commissioner initially supported the 11th
Circuit’s rule imposing an aggregate cap. Then, after requesting four
extensions to file a response, the acting commissioner filed a response
siding with Culbertson and arguing that the text of Section 406(b)
unambiguously applies the 25 percent cap only to attorney’s fees for
representation before a court. The acting commissioner further argues
that a 25 percent cap would be inconsistent with other provisions of
Section 406(a) and that the absence of an aggregate cap does not mean
that the agency and courts should approve fees that in the aggregate are
equal to or greater than 50 percent of a claimant’s past-due benefits.<br />
Because the acting commissioner agrees with Culbertson, the Supreme
Court appointed Amy Levin Weil, an experienced 11th Circuit appellate
litigator, to serve as amicus curiae in support of the 11th Circuit’s
decision. Weil argues that the statute itself does not specifically
state whether combined attorney’s fees may exceed 25 percent, and that
the text of Section 406(a) and Section 406(b), read together, supports
the aggregate rule. She also points to the legislative history on which
the 4th and 5th Circuits relied in support of an aggregate 25 percent
cap. She contends that permitting attorney’s fees to exceed 25 percent
in the aggregate could lead to attorneys suing their clients to collect
fees out of their present or future Social Security benefits contrary to
the Social Security Act’s purpose of ensuring beneficiaries a protected
source of income. She also argues that rejecting the 25 percent
aggregate rule would lead to absurd results, with fees of up to 75
percent of past-due benefits if a favorable district court opinion is
appealed and the applicant is successful in the court of appeals. She
contends that the aggregate cap allows a logical division of agency and
court fees from the 25-percent-of-accrued-benefit pool in a manner that
recognizes that a portion of the accrued benefits is attributable to the
time that the case was pending before the agency while the other
portion is attributable to the time the case was pending before the
court.<br />
The National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives filed an <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/17/17-773/55141/20180723153525773_Culbertson-17-773-NOSSCR-Amicus-Brief-2018-Jul-23.pdf">amicus brief</a>
in the case. The NOSSCR does not address the plain meaning of the
statute. Instead, it contends that Section 406(b) cannot impose an
aggregate 25 percent cap on attorney’s fees for representation before a
court and the agency because Section 406(a)(1) does not impose a cap on
fees before the agency. NOSSCR further argues that a court has no
discretion to impose an aggregate cap. NOSSCR informs the court that in
circuits without an aggregate cap, the prevailing market rate includes a
cumulative cap either by contract or in practice.<br />
Weil faces an uphill battle in convincing the Supreme Court to uphold
the 11th Circuit’s decision. The plain-meaning approach to statutory
interpretation currently favored by the court supports Culbertson’s
position. Moreover, amici curiae appointed by the Supreme Court
typically only win about 25 percent of their cases.<br />
If, however, Weil can convince the court to look beyond the text of
the Section 406(b) in isolation, it may, like Chief Judge Geoffrey
Crawford of the District of Vermont, find that “it would be strange
indeed to believe that Congress would in 1965 denounce 50% contingency
fees as excessive and enact a statute to stop them, and then, in 1968,
pass a law with the effect of permitting 50% contingency fees.”<br />
<i>A previous version of this post inadvertently implied that NOSSCR advocated a particular method for EAJA offsets.</i><br />
<br />
<div id="author-info">
<img class="left" id="headshot-small" src="https://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com/headshots/default.png" />
<br />
<div class="left">
<div id="author-name-role">
<a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/author/kathryn-moore" style="color: #444444; text-decoration: none;">Kathryn Moore</a> Guest</div>
<div class="time">
Posted Wed, October 31st, 2018 11:04 am</div>
</div>
<div class="right" id="author-links">
<a class="email" href="mailto:kmoore@uky.edu">Email Kathryn</a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/author/kathryn-moore">Bio & Post Archive »</a>
</div>
</div>
ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-56097462067669993712018-09-18T07:16:00.001-07:002018-09-18T07:28:37.451-07:00Eric Conn's Clients Locked Out<h3 class="title">
Facing possible financial ruin, ex-Eric Conn clients still can’t get his files on them</h3>
<div id="story-body-items">
<br />
<div class="published-date">
</div>
<div class="dateline-storybody">
<div class="clearfix" id="story-target">
<div class="content-body" id="content-body-">
Former clients of disbarred
Eastern Kentucky attorney <b>Eric C. Conn</b> will have to wait a little longer
to get access to files in his defunct office that might be of use in
hearings on whether they’ll continue to receive disability benefits.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrt1GesK4aNHeK2MIgDIbDPAoyc7F1L7wiCrqtGLYonjj0U5ZvT67RWzg9vn-pPnUdl6rk77UAKsV2G06Su-wVo1wTM5HZZdXm_dA-mVt98rvk07Iq6JTH1gRitHNdauLhygoILggsv0M/s1600/EricConnSSAatty17425850_1354940004575829_2774502323418658462_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrt1GesK4aNHeK2MIgDIbDPAoyc7F1L7wiCrqtGLYonjj0U5ZvT67RWzg9vn-pPnUdl6rk77UAKsV2G06Su-wVo1wTM5HZZdXm_dA-mVt98rvk07Iq6JTH1gRitHNdauLhygoILggsv0M/s320/EricConnSSAatty17425850_1354940004575829_2774502323418658462_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The Kentucky Bar Association refused to appoint a Receiver for the files earlier, a federal prosecutor said in a court motion.<br />
Because of the “complete
abdication of responsibility by the KBA” for the files, prosecutor
Darren L. McCullough asked<u> U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves </u>to
appoint someone to take charge of getting the <u>records to Conn’s former
clients</u>.<br />
There are 6,000 to 8,000 files at the office, McCullough said in the motion.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
The issue is important because
the Social Security Administration(SSA) last month began holding <b><u>hearings on
whether nearly 2,000 former clients of Conn will get to keep their
disability benefits</u></b>.<br />
The hearings require people to
show they were disabled at the time they originally were awarded
benefits, which is more than a decade in some cases, said Ned
Pillersdorf, a Prestonsburg attorney who has represented dozens of
former Conn clients and helped line up volunteer lawyers for others.<br />
Social Security<u><b> (SSA) won’t consider
evidence from several medical professionals</b></u> Conn used to complete
paperwork in clients’ cases because of the potential that the
information was fraudulent.<br />
Conn admitted he filled out evaluations that doctors and a psychologist signed without doing real examinations on the clients.<br />
However, the files in Conn’s
former office may contain evidence from other medical professionals not
suspected of wrongdoing, meaning it could still be used in proving
eligibility, Pillersdorf said.<br />
Pillersdorf said he has learned that<u> Conn did not file key medical evidence</u> in many cases.<br />
That may have been because he
didn’t want to pay the extra cost to do so and didn’t need to,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAa2Tey9iZ3GeRVjmbuKoshYjr9gr2FfyqRVOXJ9dg6E2ouGOUhkG_9zBQYpukJkpcYbqjDRQZcBJ-8JMqjvd2zkQu2S18Lp07h1hT6wzJ316ywHlzj6ptH2wnLGDIwtzuagBGBy-wEI/s1600/SSAJudgeDaugherty17498661_1354940441242452_2185551254771557044_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAa2Tey9iZ3GeRVjmbuKoshYjr9gr2FfyqRVOXJ9dg6E2ouGOUhkG_9zBQYpukJkpcYbqjDRQZcBJ-8JMqjvd2zkQu2S18Lp07h1hT6wzJ316ywHlzj6ptH2wnLGDIwtzuagBGBy-wEI/s1600/SSAJudgeDaugherty17498661_1354940441242452_2185551254771557044_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
because
<b><u>he was bribing a Social Security ALJ David Black Daugherty.</u></b><br />
Pillersdorf said Social Security
judges <u><b>SSA ALJs</b> have refused requests from him</u> and other attorneys representing
Conn’s former clients to delay making decisions in their cases.<br />
Many of Conn’s one-time clients
can’t remember which doctors treated them a decade or more ago, so
without the files Conn kept on them, many of them will have to go
through hearings without information that might help them, Pillersdorf
said.<br />
That despite the old files being stored 12 miles from where the hearings are being held.<br />
<b>“That’s scandalous</b>,” Pillersdorf
said. “The files are relevant in that they were likely generated from
2006-2009, which is the time frame the ongoing hearings are focused on.”<br />
Conn, who lived in Pikeville and had an office in Floyd County, <a href="https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article217981665.html" target="_self">is serving a 27-year prison sentence</a>
after admitting using false information in clients’ cases;<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-Soclv0TZdEXgwOXeS6l7EIBZoM2CifFwa9MwByWpElI3S2SXWbgz8BeVEJMMnp9uehB6K3vMMBUQaqaZJ-mvFQ66Z8_il1fWG0J-pAbPB9SAdSi4A2KO5qy-zUQqv117rfnWuHhKUc/s1600/JudgeDavidBlackDaughertyP1-BA768_Judge__DV_20110518183403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-Soclv0TZdEXgwOXeS6l7EIBZoM2CifFwa9MwByWpElI3S2SXWbgz8BeVEJMMnp9uehB6K3vMMBUQaqaZJ-mvFQ66Z8_il1fWG0J-pAbPB9SAdSi4A2KO5qy-zUQqv117rfnWuHhKUc/s320/JudgeDavidBlackDaughertyP1-BA768_Judge__DV_20110518183403.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
paying <b>ALJ David
Daugherty, </b>a Social Security judge, more than $600,000 in bribes; and
other charges.<br />
Conn had been one of the <a href="https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article157933819.html" target="_self">most prolific Social Security disability attorneys in the nation</a> before he was indicted in 2016, representing thousands of people in Eastern Kentucky.<br />
Social Security said it had to
make a new determination of whether about 3,700 of those people deserved
to continue getting disability benefits because of Conn’s fraud.<br />
In the first round of about
1,800, the agency kept benefits in place for about 250 people without a
hearing. Of the rest, nearly 800 lost benefits.<br />
The files at Conn’s old office might have been useful in those hearings, Pillersdorf said.<br />
<u>Many people turned down for
continued benefits in those hearings have appealed or re-applied, but
the loss of income has caused financial hardship</u>, and at least three
people <b>committed suicide</b> over the prospect of losing checks, Pillersdorf
said.<br />
<b>Disability benefits </b>are an important piece of the economy in some Eastern Kentucky counties.<br />
The 12 counties with the <u>highest
percentage of people receiving disability payments through Social
Security in 2015 were all in Eastern Kentucky, </u>according to a report
issued last year from a division of the Cabinet for Health and Family
Services.<br />
Wolfe County led that list, with 24.92 percent of residents receiving disability.<br />
Statewide, <u>11.2 percent of
Kentuckians received disability benefits in 2015, the second-highest
rate in the nation, t</u>he report said.<br />
Pillersdorf said he and other
lawyers representing Conn’s former clients only learned last spring that
there were hundreds of boxes of files regarding them at the complex of
five interconnected mobile homes Conn used as an office.<br />
Conn has been away from the office since April 2016, either on home detention or jail, or <a href="https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article193706559.html" target="_self">outside the country when he absconded for six months</a> last year.<br />
<div class="photo-inline-horizontal">
<div class="img-container picture ">
<source media="(min-width: 992px)"></source>
<source media="(min-width: 768px)"></source>
<source media="(min-width: 601px)"></source>
<source media="(min-width: 441px)"></source>
<source media="(min-width: 320px)"></source>
<img alt="Eric Conn" class=" lazy responsive-image" data-original="//www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/robp7s/picture207462294/alternates/FREE_1140/Eric%20Conn" src="https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/robp7s/picture207462294/alternates/FREE_1140/Eric%20Conn" style="display: inline;" title="Eric Conn" />
<br />
<div class="inline-caption">
<div class="inline-caption-text">
Eric Conn
was escorted by SWAT team agents prior to his extradition, at the
Toncontin International Airport, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Tuesday, Dec.
5, 2017. Conn, a fugitive Kentucky lawyer who escaped before facing
sentencing for his central role in a massive Social Security fraud case,
was captured Dec. 2 as he came out of a restaurant in the coastal city
of La Ceiba.</div>
<div class="inline-creditInfo">
<span class="inline-photographer"> Moises Castillo </span> <span class="inline-credits"> AP </span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Conn’s employees had told former clients their files were no longer available at the office, Pillersdorf said.<br />
Pillersdorf sent the U.S.
Department of Justice an email late last March asking the agency to
preserve the files, which are the property of the clients.<br />
In May, he asked the Kentucky Bar Association to appoint a special commissioner to take charge of the files.<br />
Conn agreed to forfeit the office
to the government so that it could be sold, with proceeds applied to a
$5.7 million judgment imposed as part of his guilty plea.<br />
The state bar association has a
procedure in place to take control of records in the office of an
attorney and distribute them to clients, such as when a lawyer dies or
is disbarred, as Conn was.<br />
However, McCullough said John D.
Meyers, executive director of the bar association, notified prosecutors
in June that the association would not appoint someone to take charge of
Conn’s files.<br />
Meyers said he had told a Justice
Department attorney who contacted him in early April that the process
for appointing a special commissioner is cumbersome and time-consuming.<br />
Before appointing a special
commissioner, the rule requires the bar association to first determine
there is no one else who could wrap up matters at a defunct law office,
Meyers said.<br />
In Conn’s case, the bar
association determined there was a former employee of his office who was
qualified to do that, noting she is familiar with the location of the
files and the filing system, he said.<br />
Meyers said the KBA “will not
speculate” on why the Justice Department and other parties decided not
to let the former Conn employee do the job.<br />
McCullough said the former
employee did not have the resources for the “daunting project” of
dealing with<u> 6,000 to 8,000 abandoned files.</u><br />
After the KBA decision, the
Justice Department began looking for another option and decided to have
Janet Stumbo, a former state Supreme Court and Appeals Court judge who
is married to Pillersdorf, take control of the files and get them to
Conn’s former clients.<br />
The job, which is likely to be time consuming, would have included compensation.<br />
The department asked Reeves to appoint Stumbo.<br />
Reeves, however, ordered the
government to submit the names of at least three potential receivers,
and said they could not be family members or employees of firms involved
in any matter related to claims arising from Conn’s former
representation of claimants.<br />
That would not allow Stumbo to do the job.<br />
The effort to find another receiver could mean there wouldn’t be one in place until next year, Pillersdorf said.<br />
“At this rate<u><b> hundreds of former Conn clients either have or will have gone through hearings without their files,” </b></u>he said.<br />
The government also can’t sell Conn’s old office until the files are out of it.<br />
<br />
<div class="embed-media inline-video">
<div class="media-wrap " id="video-detail-174651316-1537274486540">
<div class="video-media vjs-wrapper" id="playerWrap-174651316-1537274486540">
<div class="video-js vjs-16-9 mi-videojs brightcoveEnabled vjs-paused vjs-fluid player-174651316-1537274486540-dimensions vjs-controls-enabled vjs-workinghover vjs-v7 vjs-user-active" crossorigin="anonymous" data-account="5615998026001" data-ad-tag="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?ad_type=video&client=ca-video-pub-3446305859157241&description_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kentucky.com%2Fnews%2Fstate%2Farticle174651316.html&env=vp&gdfp_req=1&unviewed_position_start=1&output=vast&iu=%2F7675%2FLEX.site_kentucky%2FNews%2FState&sz=400x300&url=[referrer_url]&correlator=[timestamp]&adsafe=high&videoad_start_delay=0&hl=en&max_ad_duration=30000&sdmax=120000&vid_t=Becoming%20%E2%80%98Mr.%20Social%20Security%E2%80%99%3A%20The%20bizarre%20story%20of%20fugitive%20lawyer%20Eric%20Conn&vpa=0&vpmute=0&adtest=false&ciu_szs=300x250&cmsid=2475972&vid=5730816696001&cust_params=sect%3DState" data-asset-type="video" data-is-new-video-design="false" data-key="BCpkADawqM0t4aWUwOHWSCwx3mgmeRyLa66dBNb1WQQSVL4VoBk7TLqUVm-_2_XIJhjy8rw3EPc7KWWbmGrCe1IJcQZdJB-sshOfgKxpuWUEPqhgyq9Bs914AR5wr4xzGafgwPHIJAYafmQM" data-publication="kentucky" data-sport-article="false" data-title="Becoming ‘Mr. Social Security’: The bizarre story of fugitive lawyer Eric Conn" data-url="https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article174651316.html" data-video-auto-play="false" data-video-id="5730816696001" data-video-type="inline" id="player-174651316-1537274486540" lang="en" role="region">
<video class="vjs-tech" controls="" crossorigin="anonymous" data-account="5615998026001" data-ad-tag="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?ad_type=video&client=ca-video-pub-3446305859157241&description_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kentucky.com%2Fnews%2Fstate%2Farticle174651316.html&env=vp&gdfp_req=1&unviewed_position_start=1&output=vast&iu=%2F7675%2FLEX.site_kentucky%2FNews%2FState&sz=400x300&url=[referrer_url]&correlator=[timestamp]&adsafe=high&videoad_start_delay=0&hl=en&max_ad_duration=30000&sdmax=120000&vid_t=Becoming%20%E2%80%98Mr.%20Social%20Security%E2%80%99%3A%20The%20bizarre%20story%20of%20fugitive%20lawyer%20Eric%20Conn&vpa=0&vpmute=0&adtest=false&ciu_szs=300x250&cmsid=2475972&vid=5730816696001&cust_params=sect%3DState" data-asset-type="video" data-is-new-video-design="false" data-key="BCpkADawqM0t4aWUwOHWSCwx3mgmeRyLa66dBNb1WQQSVL4VoBk7TLqUVm-_2_XIJhjy8rw3EPc7KWWbmGrCe1IJcQZdJB-sshOfgKxpuWUEPqhgyq9Bs914AR5wr4xzGafgwPHIJAYafmQM" data-publication="kentucky" data-sport-article="false" data-title="Becoming ‘Mr. Social Security’: The bizarre story of fugitive lawyer Eric Conn" data-url="https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article174651316.html" data-video-auto-play="false" data-video-id="5730816696001" data-video-type="inline" id="player-174651316-1537274486540_html5_api" poster="https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/5615998026001/4921a783-82cc-4ab1-92c0-a2e53d8c6423/1a653a6e-b1ae-4c37-af78-d4083b257a1b/1280x720/match/image.jpg" preload="none" tabindex="-1" title="Becoming 'Mr. Social Security': The bizarre story of fugitive lawyer Eric Conn">
</video></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="video-js vjs-16-9 mi-videojs brightcoveEnabled vjs-paused vjs-fluid player-174651316-1537274486540-dimensions vjs-controls-enabled vjs-workinghover vjs-v7 vjs-user-active" crossorigin="anonymous" data-account="5615998026001" data-ad-tag="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?ad_type=video&client=ca-video-pub-3446305859157241&description_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kentucky.com%2Fnews%2Fstate%2Farticle174651316.html&env=vp&gdfp_req=1&unviewed_position_start=1&output=vast&iu=%2F7675%2FLEX.site_kentucky%2FNews%2FState&sz=400x300&url=[referrer_url]&correlator=[timestamp]&adsafe=high&videoad_start_delay=0&hl=en&max_ad_duration=30000&sdmax=120000&vid_t=Becoming%20%E2%80%98Mr.%20Social%20Security%E2%80%99%3A%20The%20bizarre%20story%20of%20fugitive%20lawyer%20Eric%20Conn&vpa=0&vpmute=0&adtest=false&ciu_szs=300x250&cmsid=2475972&vid=5730816696001&cust_params=sect%3DState" data-asset-type="video" data-is-new-video-design="false" data-key="BCpkADawqM0t4aWUwOHWSCwx3mgmeRyLa66dBNb1WQQSVL4VoBk7TLqUVm-_2_XIJhjy8rw3EPc7KWWbmGrCe1IJcQZdJB-sshOfgKxpuWUEPqhgyq9Bs914AR5wr4xzGafgwPHIJAYafmQM" data-publication="kentucky" data-sport-article="false" data-title="Becoming ‘Mr. Social Security’: The bizarre story of fugitive lawyer Eric Conn" data-url="https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article174651316.html" data-video-auto-play="false" data-video-id="5730816696001" data-video-type="inline" id="player-174651316-1537274486540" lang="en" role="region">
<div class="vjs-control-bar" dir="ltr">
<div class="vjs-duration vjs-time-control vjs-control">
<span class="vjs-control-text">Duration </span><span class="vjs-duration-display">2:33</span></div>
</div>
<div class="vjs-title-bar">
Becoming ‘Mr. Social Security’: The bizarre story of fugitive lawyer Eric Conn</div>
</div>
<div class="vjs-share">
</div>
<div class="media-wrap " id="video-detail-174651316-1537274486540">
<div class="video-media vjs-wrapper" id="playerWrap-174651316-1537274486540">
</div>
</div>
<div class="embed-media-details">
<div class="media-leadtext">
Fugitive
lawyer Eric C. Conn was convicted in a fraud scheme that could have
cost the government more than $550 million in Social Security payments.
Here's how the onetime king of Eastern Kentucky disability cases ended
up on the FBI's most-wanted </div>
<div class="mi-video-bylines video-attributions-5730816696001">
By <span class="bylines">Nicole L. Cvetnic</span></div>
<div class="mi-video-bylines video-attributions-5730816696001">
<div class="byline element-spacing-small">
<span class="ng_byline_name">By Bill Estep</span></div>
<div class="published-date">
<span id="publish_date">
September 17, 2018 02:37 PM
</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: black; font: 10pt sans-serif; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-transform: none; width: 1px;">
<br />
Read more here: https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article218390780.html#storylink=cpy</div>
ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-84595742666374095482018-09-07T19:07:00.001-07:002018-09-07T19:07:43.477-07:00SSA Judge Commits Suicide<h1 itemprop="name">
'It Wasn't Pleasant': Retired Miami Judge Criticizes Social Security Judicial System After Former Colleague's Suicide</h1>
<h4 class="article-description hidden-xs hidden-sm">
"If I
had known about it, I would have driven down, gotten on a megaphone and
said, ‘Tim, do you really want your son to grow up without a father?’
because he was very caring about the child," said retired judge Thomas
Snook, former colleague of Social Security Judge Timothy Maher, who
committed suicide after a 10-hour standoff with police.</h4>
<div class="social-byline">
<div class="byline">
<span class="top-info" itemprop="author"><br /></span><span class="top-info"></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row" id="article-standard">
<div class="col-lg-8" id="article-left-col">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-1">
<div class="share-tools">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="aligncenter">
<figure align="aligncenter" id="attachment_31488" width="620">
<img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-31488 img-responsive" height="372" src="https://images.law.com/contrib/content/uploads/sites/392/2018/09/Thomas-Snook-Article-201809051604.jpg" width="620" /> Retired Social Security judge Thomas Snook, Miami. Courtesy photo.
</figure></div>
A former colleague of <b>Judge Timothy Maher,</b> a federal jurist who <b><u>shot
himself with a rifle Aug. 24 after a prolonged standoff with police,</u></b> is
speaking out about events leading to the incident.<br />
“He wasn’t some maniac running around,” retired Social Security Judge
Thomas Snook said about Maher, who had been arrested days earlier on a
charge of aggravated assault with a firearm after a domestic dispute at a
home in El Portal. “I was very disappointed to read that he wasn’t
Baker Acted.”<br />
Snook, who was appointed to Miami’s Social Security office in 1997
and retired two years ago, took to social media, with a post on
Facebook.<br />
<hr />
<hr />
<br />
“I hope someone will investigate SSA culpability in this tragedy so it does not happen again,” he wrote. “Please share.”<br />
“I am angry right now that a friend has needlessly died,” Snook’s
post continued. “But I am more angry at how the Social Security
Administration mishandled this tragic situation.”<br />
The Social Security Administration did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.<br />
“I felt helpless in seeing this turn from a tragic situation that
could have been remedied into a death spiral,” Snook told the Daily
Business Review.<br />
<hr />
<h3>
<strong><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-30742 alignleft img-responsive" height="76" src="https://images.law.com/contrib/content/uploads/sites/392/2018/08/Police-Line-Square-201808281937.jpg" width="115" />Related: <a href="https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/2018/08/24/federal-judge-kills-himself-in-standoff-with-police/" target="_blank">Federal Judge Kills Himself in Standoff With Police</a></strong></h3>
<hr />
Maher’s personal issues arose from beyond the courthouse, and it’s since been reported by the Miami Herald that he <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article217507885.html" target="_blank">owned more than 50 guns and had a “hit list.</a>”<br />
But Snook said that wasn’t the side of the judge that he knew.<br />
<figure align="alignleft" class="alignleft" id="attachment_31512" width="245">
<img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-31512 img-responsive" height="369" src="https://images.law.com/contrib/content/uploads/sites/392/2018/09/Timothy-Maher-Vert-201809051752.jpg" width="245" /> Miami-Dade County Administrative Law Judge Timothy Maher. Photo courtesy of Miami-Dade courts.
</figure>
“He was a decent, honorable, good judge, who needed some help and had
some severe personal problems, so I was very sorry and angry to see
that he died,” Snook said.<br />
Snook’s anger is predominantly directed at the Social Security
operation, which he feels ”is not a good model for a judicial system.”<br />
He said the agency is home to a huge backlog of cases.<br />
“That certainly played into my decision to retire,” Snook said.<br />
When he left the bench, judges were “working toward” 50 hearings a month.<br />
“The agency was putting more pressure on the judges to put out more
cases,” Snook said. “Well, the judges aren’t the only person on the
conveyor belt. But that’s unfortunately the way the agency looked at it,
as a productivity issue, when you have to judge each case
individually.”<br />
Snook said he and Maher were among an “overwhelming number” of
disability judges who weren’t able to retain staff because they were
members of a union, the Association of Administrative Law Judges.<br />
“In order to be a union member no one can work for you. It’s a very strange situation,” Snook said.<br />
<hr />
<a href="https://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/audit/full/pdf/A-12-18-50285.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>Click here to read a recent audit report from the Office of the Inspector General</strong></a><br />
<hr />
Being a social security judge “wasn’t pleasant,” Snook said. That
said, he doesn’t recall an instance when Maher said he felt stressed or
pressured at work.<br />
Back in 2014, Snook and Maher were featured in a Washington Post article, “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/10/18/the-biggest-backlog-in-the-federal-government/?utm_term=.cfb87fbfdb02" target="_blank">The biggest backlog in the federal government</a>,” along with Miami Social Security Judge Carol Pennock. It stated that the backlog at that time was over 900,000 cases.<br />
“It’s more than a million now,” Snook said.<br />
That article <span style="font-size: 1rem;">almost collapsed before it began, but </span>“Judge Maher saved the whole plan,” Snook said.<br />
The reporter, David Fahrenthold, had traveled to Miami to sit in on
another judge’s hearing, but the claimant didn’t show up and the hearing
was canceled.<br />
According to Snook, “Judge Maher immediately said, ‘I have a hearing
coming up in a few minutes and I don’t think the attorney would have any
problem with somebody sitting in on the case. Why don’t you talk to the
attorney?’”<br />
But things took a turn in 2015, when the Office of Disability
Adjudication and Review, or ODAR, conducted an investigation into Maher
over allegations of harassment.<br />
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Read ODAR’s letter at the conclusion of its investigation of Maher:</strong></h3>
<hr />
According to Snook, Maher was barred from the Miami office and told
to conduct all hearings from Fort Lauderdale for the duration of the
investigation. The Office of Disability Adjudication and Review also
allegedly instructed Fort Lauderdale staff not to speak to him,
according to Snook.<br />
Snook met Maher before he became a judge, when Maher was an attorney
with the Internal Revenue Service. He expressed interest in becoming a
disability judge, so Snook guided him through the “competitive”
application process.<br />
“As an example of how kind-hearted he could be, I got a gift card in
the mail for a couple hundred dollars to Morton’s Steakhouse from Judge
Maher afterward,” Snook recalled. “He wrote a little note and thanked me
for helping him.”<br />
<hr />
<h3>
<strong><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-30894 alignleft img-responsive" height="71" src="https://images.law.com/contrib/content/uploads/sites/392/2018/08/Police-Car-Lights-Square-201808281940.jpg" width="115" /><a href="https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/2018/08/28/the-last-days-of-judge-timothy-maher-what-led-a-federal-jurist-to-end-his-own-life/" target="_blank">The Last Days of Judge Timothy Maher: What Led a Federal Jurist to End His Own Life?</a></strong></h3>
<hr />
“There was an allegation brought against Judge Maher. With the
secrecy this agency has, I still don’t know exactly what the allegation
is,” he said. ‘But in any event, they ordered Judge Maher to conduct his
hearings from the Fort Lauderdale hearing office.”<br />
Snook felt like “things weren’t handled well by the agency.”
He remembers Maher as having a “good sense of humor” and being “very
caring” to courthouse employees.<br />
When an attorney Maher knew became involved in a domestic dispute situation, he offered a helping hand.<br />
“(The attorney) actually called Judge Maher and he told her to come
to his home, as, basically, a safe house, and she did,” Snook said.<br />
Ironically, when Maher was arrested Aug. 14, it was after he
allegedly pointing a rifle at his ex-girlfriend in her El Portal home
when he came to pick up their 4-year-old son under a shared-custody
arrangement.<br />
“When this incident with his girlfriend occurred, my understanding
was that Maher went to the office the next day. But he certainly
expressed to some judges that, basically, his career was over, that the
agency would go after him for this,” Snook said.<br />
A week later, Maher held his in-laws hostage inside a house in Homestead, then ended his life.<br />
“If I had known about it, I would have driven down, gotten on a
megaphone and said, ‘Tim, do you really want your son to grow up without
a father?’ because he was very caring about the child.”<br />
<br />
<div class="social-byline">
<div class="byline">
<span class="top-info" itemprop="author">By
<a href="https://www.law.com/author/profile/Raychel%20Lean/"><strong>Raychel Lean</strong></a>
</span>
<span class="pipe">|</span>
<span class="top-info">September 05, 2018 at 03:14 PM</span>
</div>
</div>
ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-76668722959147819562018-08-06T15:48:00.001-07:002018-08-06T15:48:35.820-07:00Trump's Executive Order Concerning ALJs; Will It Eliminate The Back Log, Drain The Swamp, of Just Make ALJs Political?<div class="insight-title col-sm-8">
<h1 class="yellow">
ALJs Could Get Political With New Executive Order</h1>
</div>
<br />
<section class="people-list sm-card clearfix"><div class="col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-sm-12">
<dl class="col-md-6 col-xs-12 col-sm-6 clearfix"><dd class="col-xs-6 col-md-8 info name-tile">The new executive order (EO) granting agency chiefs the power to
hire administrative law judges (ALJs) according to their own
standards—and eliminating the exam and competitive hiring process
formerly in place—could turn the position of ALJ into a politicized one,
critics of the move argue.</dd></dl>
</div>
</section>
The “<u>Executive Order Excepting Administrative Law Judges from the
Competitive Service,” </u>signed by President Donald Trump on July 10,
attempts to solve the problems raised by the Supreme Court’s decision
this year in<b> <i>Lucia v. Securities & Exchange Commission</i>. </b>But critics worry about the unforeseen consequences to the regulatory process that this EO may cause.<br />
<div class="collapse in" id="collapseNewsletter" style="padding-top: 5px;">
<b>What happened</b><br />
In a closely watched case, the Supreme Court in <i>Lucia</i>
held that the common practice of having ALJs appointed by the staffs of
federal agencies was unconstitutional. ALJs, such as those used by the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), are “Officers of the United
States” who can be appointed only by the president, “Courts of Law” or
“Heads of Departments” pursuant to the Appointments Clause of the
Constitution, the <a href="https://www.manatt.com/Insights/Newsletters/Client-Alert/SCOTUS-Overturns-SEC-Judge-Appointments-What-You" target="_blank">Court held</a>.<br />
The
opinion, authored by Justice Elena Kagan and joined by the five
conservative-leaning justices (with a concurrence in part by Justice
Breyer), has resulted in considerable uncertainty, not just for the SEC
but for all federal agencies that use ALJs. ALJs are found throughout
the federal system, from the National Labor Relations Board to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, with the bulk of the approximately<u>
1,900 ALJs found in the Social Security Administration</u>. Before the
president’s July 10 EO, federal agencies had hired ALJs through a
competitive merit selection process administered by the Office of
Personnel Management. After <i>Lucia</i>, this practice might no longer pass constitutional scrutiny.<br />
In
an effort “to eliminate doubt regarding the constitutionality of the
method of appointing officials who discharge such significant duties and
exercise such significant discretion,” Trump issued the EO.<br />
In
the EO, the president explained: “I find that conditions of good
administration make necessary an exception to the competitive hiring
rules and examinations for the position of ALJ.<br />
“These conditions
include the need to provide agency heads with additional flexibility to
assess prospective appointees without the limitations imposed by
competitive examination and competitive selection procedures.”<br />
The
EO “will also give agencies greater ability and discretion to assess
critical qualities in ALJ candidates, such as work ethic, judgment, and
ability to meet the particular needs of the agency,” the president
added. “These are all qualities individuals should have before wielding
the significant authority conferred on ALJs, and each agency should be
able to assess them without proceeding through complicated and elaborate
examination processes or rating procedures that do not necessarily
reflect the agency’s particular needs. This change will also promote
confidence in, and the durability of, agency adjudications.”<br />
Now,
the sole requirement to be appointed an ALJ is a professional license to
practice law and good standing to practice in one of the states, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or any territorial court. As a result,
agency heads have broad discretion to appoint ALJs as they see fit,
with very little oversight.<br />
Critics of the EO expressed concern
that this new process will lead to political appointments that lack the
appearance of independence. “This change will politicize our courts,
lead to cronyism and replace independent and impartial adjudicators with
those who do the bidding of political appointees,” <u>Marilyn Zahm,
president of the Association of Administrative Law Judges, </u>said in a
statement, calling the EO “an assault on due process for the American
people.”<br />
<br />
<b>Why it matters</b><br />
While the White House touted the EO as a means to alleviate uncertainty in the wake of the <i>Lucia</i>
decision and as a more efficient and less burdensome procedure than the
former competitive examination and selection process, critics were not
appeased. Forgoing the merit-based hiring process and putting the
selection power into the hands of politically appointed agency heads
will lead to politicized ALJs, opponents argued. Going forward, it will
be important to watch and see how this new appointments process affects
ALJ decisions throughout the federal agencies. </div>
ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-87249260325986374842018-06-11T12:55:00.001-07:002018-06-11T12:55:34.088-07:00Fugitive Lawyer Eric Conn Pleads Guilty<div class="asset-masthead ">
<header class="asset-header"><h1 class="headline">
Fugitive lawyer pleads guilty for escape, fraud</h1>
</header><div class="share-container headline-right pull-right hidden-xs hidden-sm" data-subscription-required-remove="">
A former fugitive and social security disability lawyer <u>pleaded guilty </u>in federal court June 6, 2018 for his role in<u> scheming to defraud</u> the Social Security Administration (SSA) of more than <b><u>$550 million,</u></b> retaliating against an informant and fleeing from the United States.</div>
</div>
<u><b>Attorney Eric Christopher Conn,</b></u> 58, of Pikeville pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves of the Eastern District of Kentucky to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to escape and one count of conspiracy to retaliate against an informant. Sentencing is set for September 7, 2018.<br />
<a href="http://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2017/12/when-judge-breaks-law-when-judge-goes.html">http://cgacriticalthinkers.blogspot.com/2017/12/when-judge-breaks-law-when-judge-goes.html</a><br />
According to the plea, from October 2004 to December 2017, Conn participated in a scheme with former SSA administrative law judge<u><b> David Black Daugherty, </b></u>multiple doctors, including clinical <u>psychologist Alfred Bradley Adkins</u>, and others to submit thousands of falsified medical documents to the SSA to fraudulently obtain disability benefits totaling more than $550 million for thousands of individuals.<br />
According to the plea, of a former SSA employee discovering and providing information about the scheme to federal agents, Conn and former SSA administrative law judge <u><b>Charlie Paul Andrus </b></u>conspired and acted to have the former SSA employee terminated in an effort to discredit the employee.<br />
Finally, Conn admitted that after pleading guilty in March 2017, and prior to being sentenced on June 2, 2017, <u>he fled the country</u> with the help of <u><b>Curtis Lee Wyatt</b></u> by severing the electronic monitoring device from his ankle and fleeing across the Mexican border. <br />
Conn was originally charged in April 2016, along with Daugherty and Adkins, in<u> an 18-count indictment</u> with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and other related offenses in connection with the disability fraud scheme.<br />
Conn subsequently<u> pleaded guilty</u> on March 24, 2017, to a two-count information charging him with theft of government money and paying illegal gratuities, and he was sentenced in absentia on July 14, 2017 to <u>12 years in prison</u> on those charges.<br />
After his flight from the United States, Conn was charged, along with Wyatt, in September 2017, in a <u>seven-count indictment </u>with conspiracy to escape, escape and other related offenses.<br />
On Dec. 5, 2017, Conn was returned to the United States from Honduras after being apprehended by Honduran authorities.<br />
Conn’s plea today resolves the outstanding charges against him.<br />
In addition to the<u> 12 years in prison </u>Conn is currently serving, he now faces <u>an additional 15 years in prison</u>. As part of the plea agreement, Conn agreed to recommend to the Court at sentencing that the Court sentence him to the maximum possible sentence, a 15-year sentence, and run that sentence <u><b>consecutive </b></u>to the 12-year sentence previously imposed, for <u>a total of 27 years in prison.</u><br />
<u><b>Andrus</b></u> pleaded guilty in June 2016 to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to retaliate against an informant, and was sentenced Aug. 7, 2017 to six months in prison.<br />
<u><b>Daugherty </b></u>pleaded guilty in May 2017 to a two-count information charging him with receiving illegal gratuities, and was sentenced on Aug. 25, 2017, to four years in prison.<br />
<u><b>Adkins</b></u> was found guilty following a six-day trial in June 2017 of one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of making false statements, and was sentenced on Sept. 22, 2017, to 25 years in prison. Wyatt pleaded guilty in March 2018, and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 29.<br />
(June 6, 2018)<br />
ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633005776513551336.post-8721755722787628482018-04-14T18:00:00.001-07:002018-04-14T18:03:01.792-07:00Another NY Cop, Fireman, Bouncer, Muscleman Arrested For Stealing Social Security Disability Benefits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPa1FiUgT31mrgM7eJ8Ritw2OYHhoV3_dhmatHlGs3Y91z6UQCVt8Atdeqp1RaD2Pvwhi67PCqRiKBc7223VZEe_hAlSXimOK7ODWJG7UmzIMen3pyKF0tHDBVEJzPQohYc5pJIT_yUM/s1600/LondonSSAimaged5fa7-img_3267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPa1FiUgT31mrgM7eJ8Ritw2OYHhoV3_dhmatHlGs3Y91z6UQCVt8Atdeqp1RaD2Pvwhi67PCqRiKBc7223VZEe_hAlSXimOK7ODWJG7UmzIMen3pyKF0tHDBVEJzPQohYc5pJIT_yUM/s320/LondonSSAimaged5fa7-img_3267.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Scott Maraio</b>, 53, was arrested and charged with theft of government
funds, making false statements in connection with Social Security
disability benefits.<br /> In 2002, at age 37 <b>Maraio</b> claimed he could no
longer work as a firefighter, suffering neck and back injuries. He
stopped working for the FDNY, began receiving Social Security disability
payments.<br /> <u>"I cannot stand or walk for more than a few minutes at a
time. I cannot lift or carry more than five pounds,"</u> Maraio said in a
2002.<br /> But from 2008 to 2018, he c<u>ollected more than $364,000 in SS
benefits </u>while simultaneously earning <u>over $450,000 as a bouncer</u>, fire
safety manager and fireguard. <br />
A Staten Island man who was a cop and
firefighter was caught side-gigging as a bouncer at a strip club and
television actor while collecting hundreds of thousands on disability,
authorities allege.<br />
Scott Maraio, 53, was arrested Wednesday and charged with theft of
government funds, making false statements and making false statements in
connection with Social Security disability benefits, prosecutors said.<br />
In 2002, a then 37-year-old Maraio claimed he could no longer work as
a firefighter after suffering neck and back injuries while on the job.
He stopped working for the FDNY, and then began receiving Social
Security disability payments, said the complaint filed in Manhattan
federal court.<br />
"I cannot stand or walk for more than a few minutes at a time. I
cannot lift or carry more than five pounds," Maraio said in a 2002
disability report, according to the court filing.<br />
But from October 2008 to February 2018, the feds allege the defendant
collected more than $364,000 in benefits for himself, his wife and
children while simultaneously earning approximately $450,000 as a
bouncer, fire safety manager and fireguard.<br />
Maraio, who was a police officer for one year, allegedly did not
report the extra income and arranged for the payments to be made to
third-party companies, including one owned by his wife called Blondie
Consultants.<br />
He did report making about $2,000 working as an extra on television shows from 2007 to 2009, said the complaint.<br />
While a security guard at the strip club from 2008 to 2014, he was in
good shape, often on his feet and worked 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. shifts, the
filing said. His duties included crowd control and checking patrons'
identification.<br />
The complaint claims the ex-cop made $110,000 as a security guard at
the strip club, and earned around $11,000 in tips from "Beaver Bucks" --
the club's internal form of currency -- he redeemed for cash.<br />
Beginning in 2012, he was working as an independent fire-related
contactor at various constriction sites, including Madison Square Garden
and Build it Back after Hurricane Sandy, said the complaint. His duties
were to prevent fire issues and serving as a fireguard at various
events.<br />
Then, last February, Maraio was allegedly caught working full-time as
a safety and loss control consultant at a department store construction
site in Brooklyn.<br />
Maraio, who public records indicate lives in Great Kills, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.<br />
Two other defendants, former NYPD detective Kenneth Rubero and
ex-officer Gerard Scparta, were charged in separate disability fraud
schemes.<br />
From
about 1997 up to 2017, Scparta received approximately $638,000 in
disability benefits for himself, his wife, and his children, during
which time he earned approximately $1.6 million from his work at a strip
club, the feds allege.<br />
From about 2008 up to this February, Rubero received a total of
approximately $396,000 in disability benefits for himself and his child,
during which time Rubero had earned a total of over approximately
$720,000 from his work with Baychester and Secure Logistics, authorities
said.<br />
"As alleged, these three defendants, all former law enforcement
officers, told lie after lie to obtain a total of over one million
dollars in disability benefits through fraud," said Manhattan U.S.
Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman. "In doing so, they allegedly took money
from truly disabled individuals who are dependent on this important
source of public support. Scparta and Maraio also allegedly concealed
their employment and income from the Social Security Administration by
hiding behind corporate entities purportedly owned by their wives."ichbinaljhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07968729252544011395noreply@blogger.com0