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Snarkoleptic
Snarkoleptic's Journal
Snarkoleptic's Journal
April 21, 2016
Gov. Bruce "Ruiner" Rauner suffers another setback in push for right-to-work-for-less!
http://www.nwherald.com/2016/04/20/mchenry-county-settles-union-lawsuit-over-turnaround-agenda-vote-for-25k/ag68xtl/...McHenry County was the only county in the state to adopt the agenda, which he said appears to have become an afterthought, even for Rauner.
The union filed the lawsuit April 17, about a week after the County Board voted to approve a resolution backing Rauner’s agenda to reverse Illinois’ economic straits. Among other measures, the Turnaround Agenda sought to limit collective bargaining laws.
Local 150 alleged that enough board members attended an April 8, 2015, event with Rauner at the Woodstock Opera House to constitute an open meeting under state law, which requires 48 hours advance public notice. The lawsuit alleges that no such notice was given, and contends that union members were illegally barred from attending the event.
The County Board voted the next day, 16-5, to approve the nonbinding resolution after 90 minutes of opposition during public comment from a standing room-only audience of union members.
April 20, 2016
Forget Everything Donald Trump Said. His Real Message Was The Guy Standing Behind Him.
Carl effing Paladino!
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/04/19/3771086/forget-everything-donald-trump-said-his-real-message-was-the-guy-standing-behind-him/
But Trump made a more subtle incendiary statement by choosing to deliver his victory speech while standing next to 2010 New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino. Paladino, a real estate developer who rode the tea party wave to a surprising victory in that year’s Republican primary before he was trounced by Democrat Andrew Cuomo in the general contest, is mostly remembered for a series of ridiculous and offensive things he said and did (during and before his campaign), including:
— Saying he’d transform some New York prisons into dormitories for welfare recipients, where they could work in state-sponsored jobs, get employment training and take lessons in “personal hygiene.”
“Instead of handing out the welfare checks, we’ll teach people how to earn their check. We’ll teach them personal hygiene… the personal things they don’t get when they come from dysfunctional homes,” he said.
— Forwarding emails containing racial messages about President Obama, birther claims, pornography, and bestiality. When confronted about his emails, Paladino blamed Democrats.
— Saying he’d transform some New York prisons into dormitories for welfare recipients, where they could work in state-sponsored jobs, get employment training and take lessons in “personal hygiene.”
“Instead of handing out the welfare checks, we’ll teach people how to earn their check. We’ll teach them personal hygiene… the personal things they don’t get when they come from dysfunctional homes,” he said.
— Forwarding emails containing racial messages about President Obama, birther claims, pornography, and bestiality. When confronted about his emails, Paladino blamed Democrats.
April 18, 2016
At NO POINT in the foreseeable future will I be clearing out my DU "Ignore List".
Because I have nobody on ignore and haven't in a very long time.
I will discuss anything with anyone, at any time and refuse to shut anyone out, even if I'm certain they completely wrong (IMHO) on all of the issues.
Which leads me to ask-
How many people do you have on ignore?
and
Do you plan on clearing out your Ignore List after the primary?
April 18, 2016
Something Is Going Seriously Wrong with New York Voter Registrations
Alternate title, "The corporatocracy gets what the corporatocracy wants."
http://usuncut.com/politics/something-amiss-new-york/
Hundreds of voters, most of them registered with the Democratic Party, are filing a class-action lawsuit against the New York State Board of Elections on Monday morning, claiming their voter registration was changed to “independent” or “no affiliation” without their consent.
In closed primary states like New York, voters who are not registered as Democrats or Republicans can’t vote in those primaries. Voters identifying as independents wishing to vote in the Democratic primary had to change their registration to Democrat by October of 2015 — the earliest registration deadline in the country.
This is almost exactly what happened in Arizona, when voters who had been eager to vote in the Democratic primary learned upon arrival to their designated polling place that their registration had been changed, making them ineligible to vote. In conducting their own investigation of what exactly happened in Arizona, hacktivist collective Anonymous discovered that Arizona kept voter information on an SQL database, which is so easy to hack a 3-year-old can do it. In fact, a white hat hacker discovered a database of 191 million voter registrations last year, which may mean that other, more nefarious hackers have accessed that information as well.
In closed primary states like New York, voters who are not registered as Democrats or Republicans can’t vote in those primaries. Voters identifying as independents wishing to vote in the Democratic primary had to change their registration to Democrat by October of 2015 — the earliest registration deadline in the country.
This is almost exactly what happened in Arizona, when voters who had been eager to vote in the Democratic primary learned upon arrival to their designated polling place that their registration had been changed, making them ineligible to vote. In conducting their own investigation of what exactly happened in Arizona, hacktivist collective Anonymous discovered that Arizona kept voter information on an SQL database, which is so easy to hack a 3-year-old can do it. In fact, a white hat hacker discovered a database of 191 million voter registrations last year, which may mean that other, more nefarious hackers have accessed that information as well.
April 13, 2016
More Republican Politicians Have Been Arrested For Sex Acts In Public Restrooms Than Trans People
We need to pass legislation now!
http://mindy-fischer-writer.com/2016/04/republican-politicians-arrested-acts-public-restrooms-trans-people/
Republican lawmakers across the country have been targeting the LGBT community with new discriminatory laws commonly called “bathroom laws.” But take a guess at who’s been arrested more often for sexual misconduct in public restrooms….trans people….or Republican politicians? I’ll give you a hint….it’s NOT the trans people.
Maybe it’s a case of Republicans wanting to play a game of bait-and-switch so that no one pays attention to what they’re really doing themselves. Or maybe they’re just incredibly egocentric hypocrites. But making new laws targeting the trans community under the premise that they are some kind of predators who can’t be trusted in public bathrooms is almost laughable when you consider that there are literally no known cases of such a thing. And what makes it even worse is that the people making these ridiculous discriminatory laws are protecting their own fellow Republican politicians from the very thing they are accusing the LGBT community of doing.
Funny how those “religious freedom laws” they so desperately say they need to protect the public from the gays don’t seem to do squat to protect anyone from politicians.
April 13, 2016
Kobach's Office Puts Out Spanish Voter Guide With Wrong Registration Deadline
(Not posted in GDP as their caucus was last month)
When your party's ideas as THIS bad, you have no option but to try to keep people from voting.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kansas-spanish-voter-guides-errors
The Spanish-language voter guides from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach's office include two errors about registering to vote in the state, while the English guides do not include the same errors.
The Spanish-language guides said that voters could register up to 15 days before the election, while the English version included the correct deadline, 21 days before the election, as the Daily Kos flagged last week. And while the English guides told voters they could use their passport as a photo ID, the guides in Spanish did not include a passport in the list.
Kobach is notorious for his push to enact strict voter ID laws in the state, impose other voting restrictions, and pursue criminal prosecutions of alleged voting fraud. Kansas faces several challenges to its law requiring proof of citizenship for residents to register to vote.
The Spanish-language guides said that voters could register up to 15 days before the election, while the English version included the correct deadline, 21 days before the election, as the Daily Kos flagged last week. And while the English guides told voters they could use their passport as a photo ID, the guides in Spanish did not include a passport in the list.
Kobach is notorious for his push to enact strict voter ID laws in the state, impose other voting restrictions, and pursue criminal prosecutions of alleged voting fraud. Kansas faces several challenges to its law requiring proof of citizenship for residents to register to vote.
April 6, 2016
California authorities raid home of anti-Planned Parenthood videographer (Daleiden)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/04/05/california-authorities-raid-home-of-anti-planned-parenthood-videographer/Investigators with the California Department of Justice on Tuesday raided the home of David Daleiden, the anti-abortion activist behind a series of undercover videos targeting Planned Parenthood, the activist said.
Authorities seized a laptop and multiple hard drives from his Orange County apartment, Daleiden said in an email. The equipment contained all of the video Daleiden had filmed as part of his 30-month project, “including some very damning footage that has yet to be released to the public,” he said.
A spokeswoman for California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) said she could not comment on an ongoing investigation. But the raid confirms that California is among the states looking into possible criminal activity on the part of Daleiden and his organization, the Center for Medical Progress, which have been the center of controversy since releasing videos purporting to show that Planned Parenthood illegally sells fetal tissue for a profit.
Authorities seized a laptop and multiple hard drives from his Orange County apartment, Daleiden said in an email. The equipment contained all of the video Daleiden had filmed as part of his 30-month project, “including some very damning footage that has yet to be released to the public,” he said.
A spokeswoman for California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) said she could not comment on an ongoing investigation. But the raid confirms that California is among the states looking into possible criminal activity on the part of Daleiden and his organization, the Center for Medical Progress, which have been the center of controversy since releasing videos purporting to show that Planned Parenthood illegally sells fetal tissue for a profit.
April 6, 2016
Much more at the link-
--snip--
Commentary: Mossack Fonseca's blanket denials have no factual basis
http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-Commentary%3A-Mossack-Fonseca's-blanket-denials-have-no-factual-basis-29917.htmlMuch more at the link-
The partners and the public relations people working for Mossack Fonseca have gone to great lengths to claim that the law firm merely formed corporations and foundations for valued clients, and was not involved in their financial matters. In truth and in fact, Mossack Fonseca was engaged in money laundering, as well as wealth management for their clientele, on a massive basis.
--snip--
(1) Mossack Fonseca employed over 120 sales staff worldwide in its wealth management branch, whose sole goal was to sign up clients. Their illicit funds would first be laundered, through bearer share Panamanian companies, and then invested, so that the client would realize a regular return on his or her illegally-acquired assets. There was a division of labour; money laundering was handled by one division and wealth management by another. Some these "investments" were arms trafficking into African countries caught up in civil wars; many of the others were for illegal or immoral purposes as well.
(2) Compliance officers at Mossack Fonseca were replaced and rotated every two months, which meant that nobody in compliance had the big picture about the clients who were engaged in criminal activities, or who were politically exposed persons (PEPs) banking bribe and kickback money. This short-term replacement also meant that Mossack Fonseca would not have to pay the ones who were let go severance, which is otherwise required under Panamanian employment law.
When the compliance officer ascertained that a new client was either a criminal, or subject to international or OFAC sanctions, or a corrupt PEP, management would tell her to disregard her information, because the Panamanian authorities would never discover that fact. Panama does have an abysmal record regarding arrests for money laundering. Simply put, there are none. Remember also, that Ramon Fonseca himself, while trying to defend his law firm, admitted that it does not always know the identity of the beneficial owner of a corporation that it forms for "valued clients." We call that willful blindness in the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986.
(2) Compliance officers at Mossack Fonseca were replaced and rotated every two months, which meant that nobody in compliance had the big picture about the clients who were engaged in criminal activities, or who were politically exposed persons (PEPs) banking bribe and kickback money. This short-term replacement also meant that Mossack Fonseca would not have to pay the ones who were let go severance, which is otherwise required under Panamanian employment law.
When the compliance officer ascertained that a new client was either a criminal, or subject to international or OFAC sanctions, or a corrupt PEP, management would tell her to disregard her information, because the Panamanian authorities would never discover that fact. Panama does have an abysmal record regarding arrests for money laundering. Simply put, there are none. Remember also, that Ramon Fonseca himself, while trying to defend his law firm, admitted that it does not always know the identity of the beneficial owner of a corporation that it forms for "valued clients." We call that willful blindness in the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986.
March 28, 2016
The Bird is the Word! (Birdie Sanders vid)
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