JFK Cold Case Murder Documents Remain Sealed

In 1992, Congress established a 25-year deadline for releasing all sealed archives pertinent to Pres. John F. Kennedy’s murder in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. When that deadline arrived — 26 Oct 2017 — Pres. Trump acceded to the CIA / FBI and declared a six-month extension to 26 Apr 2018.

Yesterday, Pres. Trump once again caved to the CIA / FBI. This time extending the deadline by 3 ½ years to 2021.

It is estimated that about, “15,884 records that have now been partially released, some with heavy redactions, will be subject to yet more review over the next three years under Trump's order.”*

Frankly, my guess is that all incriminating records must have been destroyed by now, erasing all traces of evidence leading back to the FBI / CIA’s involvement in Pres. Kennedy’s murder. Still, something must be in the documents or the people in charge of the current FBI / CIA would not be fearful of releasing them — 55 years after the coup d'état and murder of our 35th President.

*Trump keeps some JFK documents sealed until 2021 as Archives release final batch, Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 26 Apr 2018.

Coup d'état and murder of our 35th President? Yes. Here is why I believe that is exactly what happened.

President Kennedy’s Murder and Conspiracy

I was attending a junior high school biology class the day President Kennedy was murdered. If you were alive at that time, I’ll bet you remember where you were that day, too.

The nation was in shock the day President Kennedy was shot – well, many of us were, I guess. Since that day in 1963, I’ve learned that a whole lot of people wanted the President dead.

Because of the JFK Records Collection Act, Dr. Joan Mellen explained, “The CIA released thousands of documents, not all about the JFK assassination. I believe the CIA does not know what is included in the documents that they released many of them are about peripheral issues.”

What was released that’s so important? How about Lee Harvey Oswald’s FBI and CIA payroll records?

 “There is no mistaking that Lee Harvey Oswald was connected to CIA, US Customs and the FBI,” said Dr. Joan Mellen. (1. )

(For a more complete interview and discussion, go here for Dr. Mellen's Book TV C-SPAN2 presentation which was aired on 24 Jan 2006, following the first printing of her book, A Farewell to Justice: Jim Garrison, JFK’s Assassination, and the Case That Should Have Changed History.)

https://www.c-span.org/video/?191056-1/a-farewell-justice-jim-garrison-jfks-assassination

“I believe they (CIA) think they are invulnerable. They release a lot of these documents and they have no idea what is in their own documents.”

 

Dr. Joan Mellen

"CIA’s politics are clear: destabilize the governments of countries that are not inclined to do business with U.S. corporations under conditions advantageous to the U.S. This includes destabilizing those who not amendable to the imprecations of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Arm the militias willing to help do the destabilizing. Then kill them when they turn against us. Is Benghazi a surprise?", explained Dr. Mellen. (2.)

 “What I discovered,” she said, “is CIA has the power; the military is their arm; defense contractors are their clients; the government, elected officials are for show.”

In another recent presentation (3.) Dr. Mellen, said, "My belief is that the more we know about who was behind the murder of President Kennedy, the more empowered we are to combat the present assault on the Constitution. The more cogently we can analyze who profited by the death of President Kennedy, and by that I don’t mean the beleaguered Lyndon Johnson, a pawn in the hands of those who put him into office, long-time CIA assets Herman and George Brown, but not only the Browns, but D. H. Byrd, the Klebergs and others, the better able we will be to determine what is to be done. The more we uncover the similarities between the three Texas Presidents, the better equipped we are to reverse the authoritarian direction the government of this country has taken, if it isn’t already too late."

As painful as it is and so very difficult to accept, Dr. Mellen has found the truth for us.

Finally, after all the years of absolute denial about Oswald’s obvious connection to the CIA and FBI, we also now know, without a doubt that the CIA altered the Zapruder film, produced a “doctored” version, and swapped out the original film. This revelation alone negates countless investigations which were based upon the Zapruder film as an indisputable record of the President’s murder. Sadly, it also reveals formerly respected media giant, Time, Inc., an agent of the CIA, and its executive’s role in suppressing evidence. (4.)

Author Douglas P. Horne served on the staff of the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) during the last 3 years of its 4-year lifespan, from August 1995-September 1998. He was hired as a Senior Analyst on the Military Records Team and was promoted midway through my tour to the position of Chief Analyst for Military Records.  In addition to working with military records on Cuba and Vietnam, he worked extensively with the JFK medical evidence, and on all issues related to the Zapruder film.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/New_Evidence_of_Massive_Government_Cover_Up_in_the_JFK_Assassination/37249/0/38/38/Y/M.html

Sources
1."New Evidence in JFK Assassination", Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall, Veterans Today, 16 Mar 2014.

https://www.veteranstoday.com/2014/03/16/new-evidence-in-jfk-assassination/

"A revised version of the 2005 edition, the new 647 page A Farewell to Justice is a virtual encyclopedia of the JFK assassination. The book leaves no doubt that high level CIA officials authorized the murder and provides a complete list of the cast of characters who played roles in the assassination and/or cover up."

"The new edition makes use of documents Mellen obtained via her 2011 Freedom of Information (FOIA) lawsuit and personal  interviews with surviving assassination witnesses. The most startling new evidence relates to Robert Kennedy’s systematic efforts to obstruct both the Warren Commission investigation and Jim Garrison’s efforts to identify the real culprits behind his brother’s murder."
also see,"The Kennedy Assassination and the Current Political Moment", Talk at the 92nd Street Y, Joan Mellen, 28 Jan 2007

http://joanmellen.com/wordpress/speeches/the-kennedy-assassination-and-the-current-political-moment/

Also read: Speech delivered by Joan Mellen at the annual meeting of “November In Dallas,” for the JFK Lancer group, November 23, 2013

http://joanmellen.com/wordpress/2013/12/03/speech-delivered-by-joan-mellen-at-the-annual-meeting-of-november-in-dallas-for-the-jfk-lancer-group-november-23-2013/

And, please listen to:

Joan Mellen on WLRN’s Topical Currents, Joan Mellen Discusses “The Great Game in Cuba: How the CIA Sabotaged Its Own Plot to Unseat Fidel Castro” 15 April 2013.

http://joanmellen.com/wordpress/2013/04/15/joan-mellen-on-wlrns-topical-currents/

"Joan Mellen is the bestselling author of twenty books, including A Farewell to Justice, her biographical study of Jim Garrison’s New Orleans investigation of the Kennedy assassination. She has written for a variety of publications, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Baltimore Sun. Mellen is a professor of English and creative writing at Temple University in Philadelphia.

In 2004, she was awarded one of Temple University's coveted “Great Teacher” awards for outstanding achievement, in particular in the graduate program in creative writing. Joan Mellen lives in Pennington, New Jersey."

2. "The Politics of the CIA", presented at the 23 Nov 2013 annual meeting of COPA, Coalition on Political Assassinations, Dallas, Texas, Dr. Joan Mellen.

http://joanmellen.com/wordpress/2013/12/03/the-politics-of-cia-presented-joan-mellen-at-the-annual-meeting-of-copa-coalition-on-political-assassinations/

3."Who Rules American? How Did We Get Here?", Stewart Mott House, Washington, D.C., September 14, 2007, Dr. Joan Mellen

http://joanmellen.com/wordpress/speeches/who-rules-america-how-did-we-get-here/

4."TheTwo NPIC Zapruder Film Events: Signposts Pointing to the Film’sAlteration", Douglas P. Horne, www.assassinationofjfk.net

and Inside the Assassination Records Review Board, by Douglas P. Horne.

https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Assassination-Records-Review-Board/dp/0984314431

How Rude… and Spooky, Too!

Our Canadian brothers and sisters at the University of Waterloo have developed a new form of radar that puts to use "quantum entanglement". You might recall that Mr. Einstein labeled that stuff, "spooky action at a distance."

“Quantum radar”, as it’s called, “ uses a sensing technique called quantum illumination to detect and receive information about an object. At its core, it leverages the quantum principle of entanglement, where two photons form a connected, or entangled, pair”.

The new technology helps “cut through heavy background noise and isolate objects —including stealth aircraft and missiles— with unparalleled accuracy”.

How rude of them! How many $zillions did we spend on stealth aircraft and other stealthy tech?

Here’s the story:

Quantum radar will expose stealth aircraft, University of Waterloo, Institute for Quantum Computing, 12 Apr 2018.

"Stealth aircraft in the Canadian arctic will be no match for a new quantum radar system."

"Researchers at the University of Waterloo are developing a new technology that promises to help radar operators cut through heavy background noise and isolate objects —including stealth aircraft and missiles— with unparalleled accuracy."

“In the Arctic, space weather such as geomagnetic storms and solar flares interfere with radar operation and make the effective identification of objects more challenging,” said Jonathan Baugh, a faculty member at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and a professor in the Department of Chemistry who is leading the project with three other researchers at IQC and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology. “By moving from traditional radar to quantum radar, we hope to not only cut through this noise, but also to identify objects that have been specifically designed to avoid detection."

"Stealth aircraft rely on special paint and body design to absorb and deflect radio waves—making them invisible to traditional radar. They also use electronic jamming to swamp detectors with artificial noise. With quantum radar, in theory, these planes will not only be exposed, but also unaware they have been detected."

Please go here for more about quantum radar...

Classics IV - Spooky - 1967

Direct Energy “Ray Gun” Shuts Down Murderous Vehicles

A model of the short-range radio frequency stopper under development to stop
vehicle attacks, developed by JNLWD. Photo taken March, 2018.

It’s good to learn that a few of those$ bazillions in defense and black budget funding have been put to use for creating new technology for defending the public. Here’s an example of “Ray Gun” direct energy weapon technology that may one day be used to protect innocents from crazy people using trucks, cars, aircraft, boats as murder weapons.

Here's the story:

The Pentagon Is Making a Ray Gun to Stop Truck Attacks, Patrick Tucker, defenseone.com, 24 Apr 2018.

“A device that resembles an old phonograph may soon be used to jam and shut down vehicles like the one that killed 10 people in Toronto.”

“The van driver who killed 10 Toronto pedestrians on Monday showed that a terror technique that ISIS pioneered in Iraq and Syria in 2015 remains terrifyingly effective against unsuspecting urban populations. But the U.S. military is working on a new weapon to stop vehicle-born terrorist threats, one that could help police departments as well.”

“The Defense Department’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program, or JNLWD, is pushing ahead with a new direct energy weapon that uses high-powered microwaves to stop cars in their tracks without damaging the vehicle, its driver, or anyone else.”

“The jammer works by targeting the car’s engine control unit causing it to reboot over and over, stalling the engine. Like an invisible hand, the microwaves hold the car in place. “Anything that has electronics on it, these high-powered microwaves will affect,” David Law, who leads JNLWD’s technology division, said in March. “As long as the [radio] is on, it holds the vehicle stopped.”

Please go here for the rest of the story.

Vehicle Vessel Stopping RF HPM 480p

Plowing Under Those Nasty Innovation Seedlings

Back in the 70s & 80s, during the PC revolution*, IBM never was much of a competitor. IBM was mired in its Dark Ages mainframe and minicomputer world, while Apple regularly stomped all over their “technological innovation leadership” self-declared status.

Finally, when IBM introduced their PC, the old-world corporate IT departments would only buy IBM because, well, because, “that’s what we buy”. No graphical user interface (GUI) system or video graphics for them. IBM wasn’t selling that stuff. No VisiCalc, the spreadsheet program, or Word Star, the word-processing program, either. Because, after all, they were still punch card men at heart.

We know what happened to those “C-suite” execs”. They were, and still are, the innovation stifling types, so favored then as today. They see their role as preserving the existing corporation first and empowering their corporate lackeys to stomp on any glimmer of innovation without a second thought.

They feel safe making decisions that throttle innovation in favor of preserving the ways they know best. They are the ones who reward the corporate youth for keeping their ideas to themselves, accepting pauper wages, working through vacations, and Trump-like, create an atmosphere of chaos so everyone is always on guard for the next backstabbing attempt. These are the management teams that held tight to “proven” Big Blue technology as their corporations were buried under tons of dust thrown up by the early adopting, personal computer-aided, innovative, global competitors.

So, what are those antiquated, dust-covered, old boys doing today? Well, just like their innovation-stifling forefathers, they are doing the same ole thing. But, this time they are tossing out their skilled people, the employees who know something in favor of younger people who know nothing but will do nothing for a lot less pay.

It’s good to know that, like death and taxes, IBM’s leadership will always tie-up ole Bessie and plow under those nasty innovation seedlings and make lots of dust to save a few shekels. They sure did innovate this time around. Instead of hanging on to their punch cards, they freed-up some talented, proven people for the competition.

This time, like last, will IBM's corporate brothers follow along making the same mistakes?

Here’s the story:

Video: How IBM Is Quietly Pushing Out Aging Workers, Ranjani Chakraborty and Ariana Tobin, ProPublica, 20 Apr 2018.

“Our latest in the Vox-ProPublica collaboration explores how IBM sidestepped age discrimination laws.”

“Last month, we reported that over the past five years, IBM has targeted its older U.S. employees for layoffs. The numbers are staggering: Since 2013, we estimated IBM eliminated more than 20,000 American employees ages 40 and over. We’ve collected the stories of over 1,400 former IBM employees and learned about their experiences during these job cuts. So exactly how does one of the country’s largest tech giants quietly push out this many older workers? Don’t we have laws to protect people at the end of their careers?”

Cutting ‘Old Heads’ at IBM
“As it scrambled to compete in the internet world, the once-dominant tech company cut tens of thousands of U.S. workers, hitting its most senior employees hardest and flouting rules against age bias.”

“In response to these claims, IBM spokesman Ed Barbini said: “We are proud of our company and our employees’ ability to reinvent themselves era after era, while always complying with the law. Our ability to do this is why we are the only tech company that has not only survived but thrived for more than 100 years.”

Much more here.

* Here's an excellent background, “Apple, Rising” 1976-1985

How IBM quietly pushed out 20,000 older workers

Vox
Published on Apr 20, 2018
Age discrimination can be very hard to prove.

Read ProPublica's full feature story here:
https://features.propublica.org/ibm/i...

In a ProPublica feature that collected the stories of over 1,400 former IBM employees, it was estimated that a staggering 20,000 American employees ages 40 and over have been eliminated by the company. How does one of the country’s largest tech giants quietly push out this many older workers? Don’t we have laws to protect people at the end of their careers?

Subscribe to the ProPublica newsletter:  http://go.propublica.org/weekly

Reducing the Hate Talk

A group called Better Angles is helping Trump supporters and non-supporters discover they have some things in common and that they are better served by talking together than not.

Recently, CBS News reported on Better Angels efforts to help ease tensions among the Trumpists and non-Trumpists:

Better Angels help communities ease political tensions, Don Dahler, CBS News, 26 March 2018.

“A recent CBS News poll found the number of Democrats and Republicans with negative views of the other party is growing. Unfavorable ratings hit almost 90 percent on each side in recent years. But a group called Better Angels is trying to bridge the gap.”

“It brings together people with differing opinions from the same community for face-to-face talks to ease tensions. CBS News correspondent Don Dahler visited a meeting in Lebanon, Ohio, where 14 people on both sides of the debate over gun control and the Second Amendment came together.”

"The idea is to stick to our own views and let others describe theirs," said David Lapp, who leads the discussion and enforces the rules. At Better Angels meetings, participants identify themselves as red or blue and the conversation is equally split.

Please go here for the CBS story and video.

According to their website, “Better Angels is a bipartisan citizen’s movement to unify our divided nation. By bringing red and blue Americans together into a working alliance, we’re building new ways to talk to one another, participate together in public life, and influence the direction of the nation.”

“The United States is disuniting. The last presidential election only made clear what many have feared – that we’re becoming two Americas, each angry with the other, and neither trusting the other’s basic humanity and good intentions. Today Americans increasingly view their political opponents not only as misguided, but also as bad people whose ways of thinking are both dangerous and incomprehensible. This degree of civic rancor threatens our democracy.”

On their website, Better Angels named these donors: the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Einhorn Charitable Trust, the Gill Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, the Koch Foundation, the Myers Family Foundation, the J.M. Smucker Foundation, and the Tides Foundation.” 

Better Angels Skills Workshop Part 1

Example of how Better Angels works

Hope Grows for Adult Gun Sanity

Photo by Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP

Not for a second, while I was in high school in the late '60s, did I fear that my life was in danger from some person walking into my high school with a gun. If I had, I would have been one among many of my friends demanding that our "responsible adults" do something to control guns and stop the madness.

Yesterday, youth from more than 2,500 schools across the U.S. did just that.

With our youth rests the hope that U.S. adults will at last become responsible for gun control sanity.

Here's the story:

Student walkouts sweep the US, Meg Wagner and Brian Ries, CNN, 20 Apr 2018

Today they walked. Here's what they want lawmakers to do next.

Today's National Student Walkout, while drawing momentum from February's mass shooting at South Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, marked the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado in which two gunmen killed 12 students and a teacher.

But organizers said the movement doesn't stop today, and they're encouraging young people to push for legislation at the state level if Congress doesn't act.

"The federal government can set standards and practices that apply to all states around gun safety. But states have the option of passing additional measures to protect their own residents from gun violence," the organizers' website says.

Students are calling for several measures, including...

• Banning assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and bump stocks
• Mandating universal background checks
• Placing a minimum age of 21 on all gun purchases
• Implementing waiting periods between a gun purchase and gun transfers
• Allowing families to petition a court to remove guns from individuals at risk of injuring themselves

There have been 20 school shootings in 2018

New York City students hold a "die in" in Washington Square Park. Photo: Kyle O’Leary

Swimming in the Frying Pan?

There are lots of reasons people become depressed. Among them are a relationship gone sour; work; illness; loss of a loved one; divorce, just to name a few.

But worse than knowing when you’re depressed is not realizing or accepting that depression has its cold hands around your neck. That’s when we’re like the proverbial frog in the frying pan, slowly cooking as the heat is gradually turned up.

Fortunately, there is now an alternative method of helping identify the signs that depression is at hand (The “black dog” as Winston Churchill called it). It’s all about how we use language.

Here’s the story:

People With Depression Use Language Differently -- Here's How to Spot It, Mohammed Al-Mosaiwi, The Conversation, alternet.org, 15 Apr 2018.

“Scientists have long tried to pin down the exact relationship between depression and language, and technology is helping us get closer to a full picture.”

“From the way you move and sleep, to how you interact with people around you, depression changes just about everything. It is even noticeable in the way you speak and express yourself in writing. Sometimes this “language of depression” can have a powerful effect on others. Just consider the impact of the poetry and song lyrics of Sylvia Plath and Kurt Cobain, who both killed themselves after suffering from depression.”

“Scientists have long tried to pin down the exact relationship between depression and language, and technology is helping us get closer to a full picture. Our new study, published in Clinical Psychological Science, has now unveiled a class of words that can help accurately predict whether someone is suffering from depression.”

“Traditionally, linguistic analyses in this field have been carried out by researchers reading and taking notes. Nowadays, computerised text analysis methods allow the processing of extremely large data banks in minutes. This can help spot linguistic features which humans may miss, calculating the percentage prevalence of words and classes of words, lexical diversity, average sentence length, grammatical patterns and many other metrics.”

Please go here for the rest of the story.

Three Dog Night - Joy To The World - "Jeremiah was a bullfrog" - 1971

Oops! "Unintentionally Engineered"

Prof John McGeehan (CREDIT Stefan Venter, UPIX Photography)

This from the Good Oops! or "Unintentionally Engineered" Department...

International team engineers plastic digesting enzyme, theengineer.co.uk, 17 Apr 2018.

"Scientists from Portsmouth University and the Diamond Light Source are part of an international team that has engineered an enzyme with the potential to digest certain plastics.

"The discovery could lead to a recycling solution for the millions of tonnes of plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which will persist for hundreds of years in the environment."

"The research was led by teams at the Portsmouth University and the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)."

"Portsmouth University’s Prof John McGeehan and Dr Gregg Beckham at NREL solved the crystal structure of PETase – an enzyme that digests PET- and used this 3D information to understand how it works. During this study, they unintentionally engineered an enzyme that is even better at degrading the plastic than the one that has already evolved."

Go here for the whole story...

Uh Oh, Accident, Tom Chapin - 2010

Will the 2,974 Cold Case 9/11 Murders Finally be Investigated?

While I do not totally agree with the Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth (AE911Truth) conclusion, I do support investigating the 9/11 cold cases to uncover the truth of what happened, how it happened, why it happened and who is responsible for murdering 2,974 people in New York City and 224 innocent people at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. and on flights 77 and 93.

To this day, these crimes remain unsolved and the perpetrators continue to elude justice.

Lawyers and Victims’ Families File Petition for Federal Grand Jury Investigation, Ted Walter, www.ae911truth.org, 1 Apr 2018.

"The petition notes, “If any crime ever warranted a full special grand jury inquiry, the mass murder of thousands on our nation’s soil on 9/11 clearly does.”

“Yesterday morning, attorneys from the Lawyers’ Committee for 9/11 Inquiry, together with more than a dozen family members of 9/11 victims, filed a petition with the interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey S. Berman, demanding that he present evidence of unprosecuted federal crimes at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, to a special grand jury.”

Please go here for the story

And here for my summary of research into the 9/11 murders.

Signs of Intelligent Life

We’ve finally gotten a beautiful, war, sunny day here in Michigan. So, I’m not looking to wish the best part of the year away. Still, the November elections are only a few months down the road and I’m hoping to see signs of “intelligent life” following soon after, or even before.

While I cherish my independence (Which I defined as: no political party affiliation) I’m hoping to live to witness the U.S. people elect Democrat Party majorities in both the U. S. Senate and the U. S. House of Representatives and to offices throughout all the states.

Then my dream come true would be that the Democrats display hitherto unacustomed intelligence and immediately begin impeachment processes to rid us, not only of the scoundrel currently occupying the Presidency, but also the goofball incompetents he appointed as cabinet secretaries. All these scalawags need to find employment elsewhere.

Why? They must all be removed for their betrayal of their sworn oath of office and dereliction of duty.

Clearly, Mr. Trump appointed each not based upon proven management strengths nor their inherent sense of duty to the nation. No, Mr. Trump appointed them based upon their determination to dismantle the department to which they were named to lead.

That is dereliction of duty. And, these people have done the deed “to a T” (with T defined as Treason). Together, they have managed the worst, most harmful crimes ever perpetrated against the People of the United States.

Please, let us see signs of Intelligent Life come this November.

Article Two of the United States Constitution, Section 4:
"The President, Vice President, and all civil Officers of the United States shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors."

Impeached Scorecard

Two Presidents, 14 federal judges; one Supreme Court Associate Justice; one Cabinet Secretary.; and, one U.S. Senator.

Impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives, the Record

William Blount, U.S. Senator from Tennessee
Impeached July 7, 1797, on charges of conspiring to assist in Great Britain’s attempt to seize Spanish-controlled territories in modern-day Florida and Louisiana
Charges dismissed for want of jurisdiction; Blount had been expelled from the U.S. Senate before his trial.

John Pickering, Judge, U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire
Impeached March 2, 1803, on charges of intoxication on the bench and unlawful handling of property claims
Found guilty; removed from office

Samuel Chase, Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court
Impeached March 12, 1804, on charges of arbitrary and oppressive conduct of trials
Acquitted

James H. Peck, Judge, U.S. District Court, Western district of Tennessee
Impeached April 24, 1830, on charges of abuse of the contempt power
Acquitted

West H. Humphreys, Judge, U.S. District Court, Western district of Tennessee
Impeached May 6, 1862, on charges of refusing to hold court and waging war against the U.S. Government
Found guilty; removed from office and disqualified from future office

Andrew Johnson, President of the United States
Impeached February 24, 1868, on charges of violating the Tenure of Office Act by removing Secretary of War Edwin Stanton from office
Acquitted

Mark H. Delahay, Judge, U.S. District Court, Kansas
Impeached February 28, 1873, on charges of intoxication on the bench
Resigned prior to trial

William W. Belknap, U.S. Secretary of War
Impeached March 2, 1876, on charges of criminal disregard for his office and accepting payments in exchange for making official appointments
Acquitted

Charles Swayne, Judge, U.S. district court, Northern district of Florida
Impeached December 13, 1904, on charges of abuse of contempt power and other misuses of office
Acquitted

Robert W. Archbald, Associate judge, U.S. Commerce Court
Impeached July 11, 1912, on charges of improper business relationship with litigants
Found guilty; removed from office and disqualified from future office

George W. English Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern district of Illinois
Impeached April 1, 1926, on charges of abuse of power
proceedings dismissed

Harold Louderback, Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern district of California
Impeached February 24, 1933, on charges of favoritism in the appointment of bankruptcy receivers
Acquitted

Halsted L. Ritter, Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern district of Florida
Impeached March 2, 1936, on charges of favoritism in the appointment of bankruptcy receivers and practicing law as a sitting judge
Found guilty; removed from office

Harry E. Claiborne, Judge, U.S. District Court of Nevada
Impeached July 22, 1986, on charges of income tax evasion and of remaining on the bench following criminal conviction
Found guilty; removed from office

Alcee L. Hastings, Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern district of Florida
Impeached August 3, 1988, on charges of perjury and conspiring to solicit a bribe
Found guilty; removed from office

Walter L. Nixon, Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern district of Mississippi
Impeached May 10, 1989, on charges of perjury before a federal grand jury
Found guilty; removed from office

William J. Clinton President of the United States
Impeached December 19, 1998, on charges of lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstruction of justice
Acquitted

Samuel B. Kent, Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern district of Texas
Impeached June 19, 2009, on charges of sexual assault, obstructing and impeding an official proceeding, and making false and misleading statements
Resigned June 30, 2009 before the completion of the trial

G. Thomas Porteous, Jr., Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern district of Louisiana
Impeached March 11, 2010, on charges of accepting bribes and making false statements under penalty of perjury
Found guilty; removed from office and disqualified from holding future office

American History Was Different Back Then

Which America Are We?

Back in high school my American history class was boring. It was so boring that most of us slept.

Don’t get me wrong. I really like learning about our past because, for me, life is all about people and their stories, what they faced, how they overcame their challenges, and importantly, what happened after all the winning and losing was over - how they lived their lives.

You might have been among the few to have a teacher who understood that people stories are a lot more interesting than memorizing war dates and endlessly repeating, glossy, truth-avoiding myths, like the “history” taught by authoritarian regimes, such as Nazi Germany, Mao’s China, FOX news, or high school history class.

I've come to learn that “history”, as taught by “zealots” of all persuasions, always favors the writer’s distorted beliefs – written purposefully or subconsciously steered –  to favor or manufacture a positive spin for them.

That’s why I have found it refreshing to read Maj. Danny Sjursen’s American History for Truthdiggers series, posted on truthdig.com. The first six parts are linked below. The segments are short, well written, enlightening and not the history I was taught in high school. Please check them out.

A U.S. Army officer and former history instructor at West Point, Sjursen, served tours with reconnaissance units in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has written a memoir and critical analysis of the Iraq War, “Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge.” He lives with his wife and four sons in Lawrence, Kan. Follow him on Twitter at @SkepticalVet and check out his new podcast, “Fortress on a Hill,” co-hosted with fellow vet Chris “Henri” Henrikson.”

American History for Truthdiggers

1. Original Sin
2. Roots in Religious Zealotry 
3. Whose Empire?
4. Were the Colonists Patriots or Insurgents?
5. Independence and Civil War (1775-1783)
6. Whose Revolution? (1775-1783)

Just for Fun: Peabody's Improbable History - Surrender of Cornwallis

Vote for Your Best Interests

What If Everyone Voted? - 5 April 2018

Demos President Heather McGhee looks at what would happen if everyone in the United States voted.

Demos (www.demos.org) is a public policy organization working for an America where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy.


Our name means “the people.” It is the root word of democracy, and it reminds us that in America, the true source of our greatness is the diversity of our people. Our nation’s highest challenge is to create a democracy that truly empowers people of all backgrounds, so that we all have a say in setting the policies that shape opportunity and provide for our common future. To help America meet that challenge, Demos is working to reduce both political and economic inequality, deploying original research, advocacy, litigation, and strategic communications to create the America the people deserve.

Demos’ work is guided by three overarching commitments:

1. Achieving true democracy by reducing the role of money in politics and guaranteeing the freedom to vote,
2. Creating pathways to ensure a diverse, expanded middle class in a new, sustainable economy, and
3. Transforming the public narrative to elevate the values of community and racial equity.

Michigan’s Scarlet Letters

11 Apr 2018 Editor's Note: Please see update below.

In the United States we all know how our culture judges people:

• skin color
• wealth
• religion
• parental heritage
• place of birth
• political beliefs
• job classification
• education

In addition to the "judging list" above, people in Michigan may soon have an additional, handy-dandy pocket tool for identifying "less-than-worthy" people – The Michigan driver’s license. 

Scarlet Letters

If some Republican legislative types get their way, certain people in Michigan will be required to include their immigration status on their state-issued driver’s license.

You know, as well as I, that for most anything, e.g. opening a bank account, concluding a contract, obtaining a job, etc., one must show a valid driver’s license. So, now your license will also show your immigration status, as well as your approval to pilot a vehicle through the Michigan potholes. That little tool will make it really easy to deny every known important service to the unworthy.

In my mind, it’s akin to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter (1850). You may recall reading the book in high school. Hester Prynne was forced to wear the red “A” for adulteress, throughout her life for her part in the extra-marital relationship she had with Rev. Dimmesdale. Suffering abuse, ridicule, shaming and shunning throughout her life, Hester never reveals that the father of her daughter, Pearl, is Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale.

What’s next Michigan? Will illegal immigrants be required to wear double Scarlet II’s on their cloths or branded on their chests? Or, will they be made to wear Puritan hats, emblazoned with scarlet IIs, rather than permitted a baseball cap, proudly sporting an Ole English D?

Please go here for the story.

Michigan House bill would mark driver's licenses for immigrants, raising fears of profiling, 

Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 10 April 2018.

The Scarlet Letter (1995) Official Trailer #1 - Demi Morre Movie HD

11 Apr 2018 Editor's Note
Good News, Michigan!
Panel drops plan for controversial marking on licenses, Beth LeBlanc, Detroit News, 10 Apr 2018.

"Lansing — A Michigan House committee on Tuesday dropped a controversial proposal for visually marking the driver’s licenses of temporary residents, while it unanimously approved a pair of bills requiring that the status of a temporary resident or immigrant be indicated on a driver’s license or state identification."

"Susan Reed, managing attorney for Michigan Immigrants Rights Center, said the proposed language was problematic and inaccurate because it failed to take into account that people who have applied to renew or received renewal of their licenses or IDs may be waiting on verification or reverification delays."

"Reed said her group corresponded with the Secretary of State and the bills’ Republican sponsors to address the concerns. Now that the “visual marking” language is out of the bill, the immigrants rights group is neutral on the bill."

“The legislative process really worked here,” Reed said.

Please go here for the rest of the story.

Driverless USA

I think this editorial cartoon by Pulitzer-Prize-winning cartoonist Kevin Siers, Charlotte Observer,  appropriately summarize our week.

Who Hates Ya, Baby?

Who Hates You?

I believe I now have discovered who hates most Americans.

It’s not ISIS, foreign terrorists, Al-Qaeda, or the current neocon bad boy, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

No, the main American-hater is ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Why? Because ALEC is both the author and implementing tool of nearly every bill passed into law by state and federal legislators that has directly lowered our (the 99.9% of Americans) quality of life, heightened the divide between poor and wealthy, eroded our privacy and attempted to extinguish our rights.

ALEC is the enemy of Americans.

A humanist by choice, I’ve come to understand that a person’s actions count more than his/her words. For me, our government’s reason for being is to implement and enforce legislation that passes this Golden Rule test: if it is not good for everyone... it's not good for anyone.

“In ALEC’s own words: corporations have ‘a VOICE and a VOTE’ on specific changes to the law that are proposed in your state.”

“Through the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), global corporations and state politicians vote behind closed doors to try to rewrite state laws that govern your rights.”

“These so-called ‘model bills’ reach into almost every area of American life and often directly benefit huge corporations.” (1.)

Recent interview: Lisa Graves, Executive Director of Center for Media and Democracy.

United States of ALEC: A Follow-Up – Moyers & Company – 21 June 2013

1. Please go here for ALEC in your state.

2. My apology goes to Telly Savalas for my “corruption” of his famous quote to fit ALEC. As Kojak, a police officer, Telly said: "Who loves ya baby!".

Avoiding Alzheimer's with Ibuprofen

Breakthrough... I needed one today. How about you?

"Our discovery is a game changer. We now have a simple test that can indicate if a person is fated to develop Alzheimer's disease long before it begins to develop. Individuals can prevent that from happening through a simple solution that requires no prescription or visit to a doctor. This is a true breakthrough since it points in a direction where AD can eventually be eliminated."

Neuroscientists say daily ibuprofen can prevent Alzheimer's disease, IOS Press, medicalxpress.com, 26 Mar 2018.

"A Vancouver-based research team led by Canada's most cited neuroscientist, Dr. Patrick McGeer, has successfully carried out studies suggesting that, if started early enough, a daily regimen of the non-prescription NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) ibuprofen can prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease. This means that by taking an over-the-counter medication, people can ward off a disease that, according to Alzheimer's Disease International's World Alzheimer Report 2016, affects an estimated 47 million people worldwide, costs health care systems worldwide more than US$818 billion per year and is the fifth leading cause of death in those aged 65 or older."

"The Alzheimer's Association estimates that there are more than 5 million cases in the United States alone, with a new case being identified every 66 seconds. The annual cost to the country in 2017 is estimated have been $259 billion, with that figure predicted to potentially rise to $1.1 trillion by 2050."

Please go here for  the whole story....