Washington State Announces It Will Not Allow Professors to Ban Words They Don’t Like

3358232491_512bc5a84eAfter a national uproar over a Washington State professor who threatened to mark down or even fail students who used words such as “illegal aliens,” “tranny,” or referring to men and women as “male or female,” campus officials on Monday came out in strong support of free speech, pledging to “modify” syllabuses that ban words.

Here is their statement:

PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University deeply values the tenets of freedom of expression for every member of our community, including all students, faculty and staff. Those First Amendment rights are reinforced in our policies, procedures and practices. Open dialogue, vigorous debate and the free exchange of ideas, as well as the language used to convey these ideas, are at the core of who we are as a higher education institution.

Over the weekend, we became aware that some faculty members, in the interest of fostering a constructive climate for discussion, included language in class syllabi that has been interpreted as abridging students’ free speech rights. We are working with these faculty members to clarify, and in some cases modify, course policies to ensure that students’ free speech rights are recognized and protected. No student will have points docked merely as a result of using terms that may be deemed offensive to some. Blanket restriction of the use of certain terms is not consistent with the values upon which this university is founded.

Free speech and a constructive climate for learning are not incompatible. We aim to cultivate diversity of expression while protecting individual rights and safety.

(Read more from “Washington State Announces It Will Not Allow Professors to Ban Words They Don’t Like” HERE)

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The Postal Service’s War on Religion Continues

458169256-e1441993099600U.S. Postal officials said Friday it was strictly “a business decision” when they opted to offer customers no new religiously themed holiday stamps in 2015, and not part of an effort to reduce religion’s influence in the U.S. Postal Service’s commemorative collection.

Mark Saunders, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service issued the comment in a letter to yesterday’s Daily Caller News Foundation report disclosing that the postal service will not be printing new religiously-oriented holiday stamps in 2015. Such stamps have been issued almost every year for more than half a century.

Saunders said in the letter that postal officials decided to end the practice of printing new religious stamps every year for Christmas, Chanukah, the Muslim Ramadan holiday of EID and Kwanzaa. The special stamps will now only be offered every other year.

Saunders did not say when the decision was made of who made it, but decisions about proposed commemorative stamps have been made since 1950s the Postal Service’s Citizens Advisory Stamp Committee.

No evidence was found of any public notice of denoting a change in postal policy, or any attempts to solicit public comment before implementing the new printing schedule. (Read more from “The Postal Service’s War on Religion Continues” HERE)

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107 Killed in Crane Collapse at Mecca’s Grand Mosque [+video]

150911203203-restricted-mecca-crane-crash-0911-exlarge-169A powerful storm toppled a construction crane Friday afternoon at the Masjid al-Haram, or Grand Mosque, in Mecca — killing at least 107 people and injuring 238 others, Saudi Arabia’s civil defense authorities said on Twitter.

Photos and video on social media showed the crane crashing through the mosque roof and the aftermath, with bodies, blood and debris spread across the courtyard.

The crane fell 10 days before the start of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage expected to bring 2 million people to Mecca. The Masjid al-Haram is the largest mosque in the world and surrounds Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba — a cube-shaped shrine that worshippers circle . . .

“We just washed and were getting ready to head to the Masjid al-Haram for the Maghrib prayer (sunset prayer),” said Yahya Al Hashemi, 30, a CNN iReporter who shot iPhone video of the crane striking the roof of the mosque. “It was a sandstorm which turned to rainstorm and lot of the construction covering boards were flying around, and lots of cracking noises which unfortunately ended with this tragedy. … Everybody were pushing trying to escape from inside towards the exits.”

More than 50 rescue teams and 80 ambulances converged on the mosque as part of the rescue effort after the crane fell at 5:24 p.m. local time (10:23 a.m. ET), said Saudi Civil Defense Director Maj. Gen Suleiman al-Amro. (Read more from “107 Killed in Crane Collapse at Mecca’s Grand Mosque” HERE)

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Trump Just Took His Fight With Ben Carson to a Whole New Level With These Words

donald-trump-angry1-1024x575Donald Trump has largely benefited from the dust-ups he has had with fellow Republican presidential candidates thus far in his unconventional campaign. White House contenders including Jeb Bush and Rick Perry have seen their favorability ratings drop after exchanging blows with the billionaire front-runner.

Two of Trump’s closest challengers, however, have been reticent to engage Trump in a war of words. Both Ben Carson and Ted Cruz have been willing to compliment Trump’s campaign, though the former recently earned the real estate mogul’s ire by questioning his faith.

Earlier this week, Carson told a crowd that he doesn’t “in any way deny” his Christian faith, describing the “humility and fear of the Lord” with which he lives his life. Such qualities, however, were difficult for Carson to ascribe to Trump . . .

Trump shot back Thursday on ABC’s The View.

“He talked about my faith,” the candidate said. “He doesn’t know me.”

He noted that he hardly knows Carson, adding that the retired neurosurgeon’s public expressions of faith seem to be a recent development. (Read more from “Trump Just Took His Fight With Ben Carson to a Whole New Level With These Words” HERE)

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Does Ted Cruz Know the GOP Establishment Has Made His Win

Ted Cruz• I get it. You want a person who values and cherishes the constitution with the same ferocity and protective instincts you carry.

• I get it. I understand the frustration and anxiety from years of watching our constitutional republic disregarded and torn to shreds through DC policy, judicial fiat and legislative usurpation.

• I get it. I understand the intense core belief that we are a constitutional republic and not a democracy. It should not be too much to ask for a valiant advocate to hear the calling and stand steadfast for the principles inherent within our nation. I really do understand, and feel the same.

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Long ago, during a dinner with Lou Holtz he told the story of his arrival at Notre Dame. Coach Holtz arrived to find his team filled with untapped talent, yet torn with internal conflict, turmoil, inter-player animosity and backbiting.

Holtz took measure of the team and called them to the locker room. He passed out paper and pencils and asked each player to write down their grievances and explain why their teammates were holding back the potential inherent in their own skill. A few hours later he returned to the locker room and led the team to the far side of the practice field.

There the players saw a shovel and hole he had been digging while they were writing. Coach held out a large empty coffee can; and before asking each player to place their scribe inside the container he asked them to commit to each-other and to God, that what they had written could be removed from their mind forever.

Holtz asked each player to make a promise; a pledge to themselves, to each other and most importantly to God, from that moment forward those grievances would be permanently gone.

Coach Holtz counseled everyone, without judgement, they were under no-compulsion to put their list into that can. No-one would think worse of them for retaining their grievance. He promised to fulfill the contract of those who were attending school on scholarship. Regardless of their decision, every man before him was guaranteed a college degree from Notre Dame University.

However, those who chose not to drop their grievances would not be on the team.

Even if it meant Holtz fielded a team of barely enough players, he was not going to lead a fractured army; his program could only succeed as a united effort.

Coach stood, and in order to give the young men time to think, he bowed his head in prayer. After several minutes Holtz then held out the can.

One-by-one the players folded their notes and placed them in the can; each fully understanding the severity of the counsel they had just witnessed. Each player in his own way defining himself in that moment of decision and choosing to give themselves to a greater possibility. The sum is greater than the collective assembly of the individual parts.

Holtz then took the can, sealed it, placed it in the ground and asked each of the players to use the shovel to bury their collective grievances. Linking hands they formed a circle around the now covered hole. They stood in the darkening twilight in that furthest corner of the field – and they prayed together.

The final words from Coach Holtz echoed with severity amid the stillness. He asked them to look at each other, and to look at the field behind them. He reminded them that in this moment, right then, they were looking at the birth place of champions. He looked toward the direction of the stadium where thousands gather to cheer the Fighting Irish, and he reminded them that is was not over there where champions were born – it was right here on the practice field, when no-one is cheering and no-one is watching.

Coach told them each how proud he was to be a part of “their team of champions” – and he pledged with full measure of intensity that he would never disregard them, nor would he ever fail them. He then sent them back to the dorms….. the rest, as they say, is history.

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This story is shared because I am willing to put all my Ted Cruz objections into a similar coffee can and bury them forever:

• The relationship with the Council on Foreign Relations.

• The relationship with Wall Street banking interests.

• The votes to support TPPA.

• The decision to support McConnell January through June 2014.

I fully understand that a man of principle can make mistakes and accidentally place himself in a position of compromise.

Ted Cruz won victory in the 2012 Texas Senate race despite the GOP establishment supporting his opponent Dewhurst. Cruz then went to DC to fulfill his campaign promise to repeal ObamaCare and fight against the DC constructs he later called the “cartel”.

Cruz is a very intelligent, intensely sharp and highly articulate representative Senator. All of these attributes are merited and evidenced by those who know and speak of him.

Ted Cruz walked into the belly of the beast and fought valiantly for 10 months in 2013 to bring about change. It stands as reasonable for a man who faced the severity of the professional DC Republican class, and the onslaught of a media machine seeking his destruction, that he would be exhausted in the winter of ’13/’14 and make a poor decision to trust Mitch McConnell purely based on finding himself in a position of isolation. I can reconcile the mistakes which stem as a result of psychological/emotional exhaustion.

But if we are going to stand naked before each other, and have an honest conversation, there are basic acceptances that must also stand.

During the period when McConnell was leading Cruz astray (December ’13 to June ’14) and while Cruz was vice-chair of the NRSC -which was maneuvering to support McConnell’s buddy Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran- unbeknownst to Cruz McConnell was actively engaged with the RNC in creating the GOPe roadmap.

Part of that 2014 activity, which Cruz was presumably unaware of, was the a collaboration between the GOPe and RNC to make changes to benefit the power interests who were planning the future nomination path for Jeb Bush.

Republican primary race rule changes, finance changes (hidden in the CRomnibus bill), delegate distribution changes, party primary date changes etc., were/are all part of the collaborative RNC/GOPe construct to deliver an GOP establishment win for Jeb Bush (similar to 2012 with Mitt Romney).

ted-cruz-and-rand-paul (1)

While the NRSC simultaneously plotted to attack Chris McDaniels in Mississippi, Matt Bevin in Kentucky, and following the RNC success against Ken Cuccinelli in Virginia, and while Cruz and Rand Paul were leveraged to sit on the sidelines, these aforementioned plans were all taking place behind closed door.

It is accepted that by the time Ted Cruz caught on, and after he had given $240,000 to the NRSC, it was too late – the GOPe had already launched their attacks.

As a result, and after the mid-term elections, in January of 2015 Ted Cruz quit the NRSC.

Regardless of the discomfort inherent in these admissions, they are historical realities. None of these acceptances disqualify Cruz from presidential consideration today.

Fair enough?

However, the acceptance of what follows next is where find ourselves at loggerheads. The pathway the RNC/GOPe constructed to elect Jeb Bush specifically was designed to eliminate/defeat Ted Cruz.

Stop. And re-read this reality:

The GOPe road map was specifically and intentionally created by scheme and construct, to intentionally block any possibility for Ted Cruz to achieve 2016 presidential victory.

As a direct and factual outcome there is nothing Ted Cruz can do to overcome the structural dynamics currently in place which block any possibility of him achieving electoral victory. Period.

We have laid out the rules, laid out the road-map, and laid out the primary contests -REPEATEDLY- and we continued to asked anyone who finds themselves refusing this reality to outline a path for Cruz victory.

Unfortunately, it simply does not exist.

The RNC rules are now in place; the RNC primary dates are now all confirmed; the RNC delegate distributions all now set in stone; and there’s enough key state polling data for anyone to use who wants to prove this false.

We have studied this road-map intensely. We have explored the district-by-district level possibilities within each of the pre-March 16th 2016 states a hundred different ways, the numbers for anyone other than Trump just don’t add up.

The GOPe road-map was specifically created to block Ted Cruz, or anyone like Ted Cruz, from achieving victory.

Team Jeb is: Rubio, Fiorina, Christie, Huckabee, Kasich, Perry, Graham, Pataki and Gilmore. (10 GOP establishment candidates all part of the RNC/GOPe machine) We have outlined it all HERE.

If, for the sake of intellectual exercise, you remove Donald Trump from the race and apportion his supporters in a reasonable manner, what you will find is that the GOPe road map kicks back into play – and no non-jeb is able to pull enough support to defeat Jeb.

Remove Trump and Ben Carson becomes Herman Cain 2012; Cruz becomes Gingrich, Jeb replaces Romney and the 2016 outcome becomes 2012 ground-hog day. Just as designed.

Here’s the kicker…. As previously mentioned, Ted Cruz is a smart guy, and therefore Ted Cruz also is aware of this.

Ted Cruz is fully aware of this – he picked up on it months ago. Hence:

trump-cruz-2

We don’t like it either. It’s almost too bitter a pill to swallow – too big a bitter pill to accept. But that doesn’t change the result.

However, if you find yourself still seeking some proof therein, just ask the man himself. Ask Cruz, or a Cruz campaign insider to outline a pathway to victory.

[ps. For what it’s worth, it’s strongly suspected that Scott Walker is also aware.]

The Republican Party, and the Republican media apparatus, view us as their enemy. We are the enemy they need to protect themselves from:

In 2014, the RNC approved selection rules that govern how each state’s delegates are portioned out from the primaries. Under one of the changes, states holding their primaries between March 1 and March 14 will have their delegates doled out proportionately with election results, a change that will likely stymie a movement candidate.

States that have primaries on or after March 15 will be winner-take-all states.

That’s important because another RNC rule change requires that a candidate must win a majority of delegates in eight or more states before his or her name may be presented for nomination at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

With 18 GOP presidential candidates, for now, it will be that much harder for any candidate to win a majority in any state, let alone eight. (Article July 2015)

Now, ask yourself, why would the RNC want to “stymie a movement candidate“? Who exactly does that benefit? Obviously, the “non-movement” candidate, ie “the turtle“.

Isn’t the entire reason for campaigning in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina etc. to make a movement/momentum?

In addition Rule #40 changed in 2014 from previously five needed state wins, to a newer threshold of eight (8):

Officially, it’s Rule 40 in the RNC handbook and it states that any candidate for president “shall demonstrate the support of a majority of the delegates from each of eight (8) or more states” before their name is presented for nomination at the national convention. (article March 2014)

Again, ask yourself who does this benefit? A candidate can win seven states outright, and still not have their name presented for nomination?

These rules were made/affirmed in 2014 – Who or what exactly was the GOP concerned about blocking in 2016 that would necessitate such rules? When combined with other rule changes you can clearly identify a consolidation of power within the RNC apparatus intentionally constructed to stop the candidate of the GRASSROOTS from achieving victory.

It’s all part of their GOPe Roadmap.

2014 Amended Rules of the Republican Party for 2016 Election

(For more from the author of “Does Ted Cruz Know GOP Establishment Has Made His Win ” please click HERE)

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Watch: Budweiser Honors 9/11 Victims With This Touching Ad

United Flight 175 Impacting Two World Trade CenterBy Caroline Bayard. Did you know that the first Budweiser commercial featuring Clydesdales aired back in 1967 — nearly 50 years ago? . . .

The reason? It’s not because it was too racy or controversial. Budweiser only wanted the ad to play one time, because they didn’t want to make any profit off of it. They only wanted to honor the victims of that fateful day in September of the year before. The result was a beautiful tribute, showing the horses on their journey to pay tribute to the fallen.

As you can see in the video, the ad was created on the 10th anniversary, but again, only to acknowledge that awful day and pay tribute to the heroes who were affected.

It’s hard to believe that this year marks the 14th anniversary of 9/11, as even though we’ve grown stronger with time, the wounds still feel fresh and painful. (Read more from “Budweiser Honors 9/11 Victims With This Touching Ad” HERE)

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On 9/11, This Hero Dog Risked His Life to Save a Blind Man, We Will NEVER Forget

By Barbara Diamond. Here’s a 9/11 hero you don’t often hear about…

Omar has been blind since the age of 28. He found Salty through Guiding Eyes For The Blind. The morning of September 11th, 2001 began like any other day. Omar and Salty headed off to work at the World Trade Center to prepare for a meeting. They made it up to the 71st floor when Omar heard the first plane crash into the North Tower.

As the electricity shut down and panic set in, this was the point where Salty could have fled and escaped to save himself — but there was no way he was about to leave his owner behind. Salty ran back and forth to find Omar, alerting him to the fact they had to run to the nearest stairs. There wasn’t enough room in the packed staircase for Omar to hold tightly to Salty’s reigns, so he let go and the dog was completely free. Amidst the wind, smog, and darkness, Salty could have bolted again — but instead, he guided Omar down a whopping 71 flights of stairs. Salty saved Omar’s life before the building collapsed. (Read more from “On 9/11, This Hero Dog Risked His Life to Save a Blind Man, We Will NEVER Forget” HERE)

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Senate Republicans Doing Nothing to Stop Obama’s Lawless Iran Treaty

Sen. Bob CorkerSenate Republicans have hit a new low. Not only are they doing nothing to stop Obama’s lawlessness on Iran in forging a treaty without Senate ratification, they are allowing him to break the very law that broke the treaty clause of the Constitution. You can’t make this stuff up!

First, the good news. When Mark Levin and Conservative Review were the lone voices against Corker-Cardin in April, everyone thought we were being purists. Most conservative pundits and elected Republicans thought this was the best opportunity to get congressional input. Every major news outlet was reporting this bill as a means of requiring congressional approval for the deal. It was so complicated and convoluted to explain to the American people that this bill really did the opposite of what it was advertised to do.

But as I noted a few weeks ago, you can’t fool all the people all the time, and now the entire country is aware of the Corker-Cardin betrayal and they don’t like it one bit. The pressure is so intense that when House leadership promised to bring the resolution of disapproval to the floor, House conservatives promised to vote down the rule to consider the legislation. Now the House is being forced to do what we have been demanding for months. They are scuttling the unconstitutional process of requiring congress to disapprove of the treaty. Instead they will bring the following three resolutions to the floor tomorrow:

A resolution (H. Res 411) stating that Obama has not abided by Corker-Cardin because he withheld the side agreements, thereby preventing the 60-day clock for congressional view from commencing.

A bill (H.R. 3461) to approve of the agreement, placing Democrats in the tough position of having to affirmatively approve of the legislation.

A bill (H.R. 3460) removing Obama’s waiver authority to lift sanctions until next year. Section (b)(3) of Corker-Cardin prohibits Obama from any effort to “waive, suspend, reduce, provide relief from, or otherwise limit the application of statutory sanctions with respect to Iran” before transmitting all of the components of the deal to Congress.

This process will leave Obama without any semblance of legitimacy to move along with this treaty, whether he ultimately follows through or not.

Now for the bad news. Amazingly, Mitch McConnell and Bob Corker are siding with Obama against their own legislation. They are asserting that the clock already started two months ago and will expire on September 17. Evidently, Corker didn’t read his own bill.

Congressional Quarterly reports that Sen. Lindsey Graham admitted Obama is “in clear violation of the terms” of Corker-Cardin, but still feels that “the best way to handle it is just disapprove the deal.”

These Senate Republicans don’t want to fight even when they have the law on their side. They would rather have a show vote and breathe a sigh of relief they didn’t have to engage in a full media war with Obama. Sen. John McCain, of course, threw in with his partner in trashing the Constitution.

McConnell and the Senate Republicans are a classic example of subtraction by addition. We would be in a stronger political position if they did not exist and the Democrats were forced to take responsibility for Obama’s double betrayal and lawlessness. Now, Republicans are defending them. There is nothing more powerful than having members of the opposite party play interference.

With the growing voice of the people placing these malcontents on defense, the momentum is beginning to change. (For more from the author of “Senate Republicans Doing Nothing to Stop Obama’s Lawless Iran Treaty” please click HERE)

Watch a recent interview with the author below:

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11 Vehicles Driving in Major US City Struck by Act of Terrorism, Police Say

sniper-913x480Shootings along Interstate 10 in the heart of Phoenix, Ariz., are domestic terrorism being perpetrated by a coward, Arizona Director of Public Safety Colonel Frank Milstead said Wednesday.

“I came literally 24 to 36 inches from losing my life,” said driver Robert Patterson, one of the victims of the shootings.

As of Wednesday, there were 11 incidents in 12 days in which projectiles were fired into cars, mostly along an eight-block section of I-10, Milstead said. Although only one injury has been reported, Milstead said multiple law enforcement agencies have made stopping the spree “Job One.”

“All these actions are potentially lethal encounters. Any time you shoot into a moving vehicle, it has the potential to be a lethal encounter,” Milstead said Wednesday evening. “I think you have to be concerned about safety of yourself and others.”

On Tuesday, an off-duty Phoenix police sergeant was driving to work along I-10 when a projectile shattered the passenger’s side window of his car. Milstead said the officer did not appear to be targeted.

On Tuesday, Milstead had branded the series of incidents, which began Aug. 29, as terrorism. (Read more from “11 Vehicles Driving in Major US City Struck by Act of Terrorism, Police Say” HERE)

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Ancient Human Fossils Found in African Cave Astonish Scientists, Reflect Intentional Burial

635774192580235042-06-ngm-1015-MM8345-mystery-man-robert-clarkThe two amateur cavers had to feel their way along the cave’s winding passages, crawl on their stomachs through an opening less than 10 inches high, ascend a jagged wall, cross a narrow ledge dubbed the “Dragon’s Back,” and make a 400-foot descent, sideways, through a vertical crack before finally arriving at the prize: a 30-foot-long chamber probably between 2 million and 3 million years old.

American paleoanthropologist Lee Berger had asked the men to keep their eyes open for fossils, though the well-explored cave at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in South Africa had given up most of its treasures decades ago.

What they found in September 2013 nearly took their breath away: fossil fragments of a relative of the human species, and a cache of bones and teeth buried in ancient clay that would eventually number more than 1,500 — the largest hominin fossil discovery of its kind in Africa. . .

Although the fragments have not yet been dated, the scientists said they could well represent one of the most primitive members of the genus Homo, which includes today’s humans.

Perhaps more remarkable, they added, was that the pieces belonged to at least 15 individuals of the same species — men, women, children and infants — and all of them appeared to have been deliberately placed there after death. The implication was as astonishing as the initial discovery: It suggested the ritualized disposal of bodies. (Read more from “Ancient Human Fossils Found in African Cave Astonish Scientists” HERE)

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O’Keefe Strikes Again: Undercover Video Suggests Hillary Campaign Violating Law

clinton (1)An undercover video published Thursday by James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas purports to show Nevada-based Hillary Clinton campaign staffers and volunteers ignoring and knowingly violating Nevada’s voter registration laws. Moreover, the video appears to show that this conduct is being condoned and encouraged by a local attorney who works for the Clinton campaign.

According to the video, it is a felony in the state of Nevada for anyone involved in the voter registration process to “solicit a vote for or against a particular question or candidate; speak to a voter on the subject of marking his or her ballot for or against a particular question or candidate.”

The video appears to show that numerous Hillary Clinton campaign staffers are well aware of the law. Nevertheless, the video shows them laughing at the law and repeatedly bragging about violating it by promoting Hillary Clinton verbally and with campaign literature as they attempt to register potential voters . . .

According to the video, when the attorney in question, identified as Christina Gupana, was told about this alleged lawbreaking, she advised the staffers to, “Do whatever you can. Whatever you can get away with, just do it, until you get kicked out like totally.” (Read more from “O’Keefe Strikes Again: Undercover Video Purports to Hillary Campaign Violating Law” HERE)

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