Angry parents expressed outrage after actress Janine Turner’s “conservative” presentation on the Constitution to fifth and sixth graders at Eubanks Middle School in Southlake, Texas.
Turner, the founder of “Constituting America,” spoke to the middle schoolers on Sept. 12 about patriotism and the meaning of America’s founding document. She gave a lecture to promote “civic engagement and understanding of constitutional rights,” the mission of her nonpartisan organization.
“‘Constituting America’ seeks to promote the Constitution for students of all ages,” according to its website.
“The program itself was great as she talked about love for country and being a good citizen,” said school district spokeswoman Julie Thannum, according to The Dallas Morning News Monday. “It wasn’t until later that we started getting calls and seeing social media postings upset about materials the speaker passed out to the children.” (Read more from “Parents Get Angry After Actress Teaches Students About Constitution” HERE)
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On Saturday, a Facebook user identified as a pregnant Texas woman publicly aired her grievances with the Red Cross after two of its representatives allegedly “berated” her for trying to provide 400 warm hamburgers to evacuees housed at Jack Brooks Regional Airport near Port Arthur, Texas.
The post, which had been shared more than 64,000 times as of Monday evening, alleges that Lindsey Scott and an unnamed pilot who “donated his time, fuel, money, plane, and arranged the delivery of the burgers,” arrived at the airport-turned-shelter to provide those stranded by the storm with a hot meal. According to Scott, two unnamed Red Cross representatives told her that the gesture was unnecessary because the evacuees “already had a sandwich.”
“Yes, they had one sandwich in 24 hours,” Scott wrote.
Members of the Red Cross then allegedly attempted to place the warm burgers into an ice chest, which prompted Scott to stand in shock, “mouth gaping open and fighting back tears.”
Scott, who had spent the early hours of the day aiding in the transportation and reception of supplies and materials provided by the Sky Hope Network, was perturbed by Red Cross representatives’ alleged treatment of the community upon their arrival.
“The Red Cross was not there at 6:30 am when we got there to find we had no food to serve the 100s of evacuees who had sat on a bus all night and some who had not eaten in 24 hours. They were not there when the sun came up and they woke up hungry, angry, tired, scared, and frustrated. They did not see them fighting over donuts that OUR friends and family answered the call to bring at 7:00 am,” Scott wrote in a post on her sister’s Facebook page.
Scott acknowledged that while she was not disturbed by the Red Cross’ delayed arrival into the area, she was caught off guard by the behavior some members displayed upon their arrival.
She referenced a second incident in which Red Cross members allegedly attempted to prevent local community members from distributing their donations to those in need, instead requesting all items be “shipped to their warehouse for processing and distribution.”
“We need these things here, locally, NOW. And while we refused to turn away anyone who came on foot or by other means (evacuee or not) or any other church, group, or organization asking for supplies…the Red Cross tried to prevent us from sharing OUR donations,” wrote Scott.
Scott attempted to separate the actions of the two Red Cross representatives from the organization as a whole.
“I pray this is not representative of the Red Cross organization as a whole. People who donate their money would be horrified.”
The Texas woman made sure to emphasize the tireless effort put forth by the Sky Hope Network, Republican State Rep. Dade Phelan, and local community volunteers. Scott ended her statement with an emphatic homage to the people of Texas.
“Our men may spit, smoke, dip, cuss, and drink from time to time…but when the s— hits the fan, our husbands, brothers, dads, uncles, cousins, sons, and all the other men we know put on their boots, waders and get their boats and trucks and go to work!” Scott wrote. “And our community will answer the call to donate, collect and distribute supplies and food wherever it’s needed. I won’t be waiting on the Red Cross.” (For more from the author of “Woman Claims She Was ‘Astonished at the Behavior of the Red Cross’ After Bringing 400 Burgers to Harvey Victims” please click HERE)
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott showed he is as nimble as they come this week by leaving a CNN reporter clutching air when she was seeking something to grab onto that she could use against President Donald Trump.
Abbott, whose state was slammed by Hurricane Harvey last weekend and has faced days of flooding in its aftermath, spoke with CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota on Wednesday’s edition of New Day. At that time, Trump had made one visit to Texas. His second visit would come Saturday.
Camerota first wanted to know what Trump actually accomplished Tuesday.
“Well, it was very important for the president to show up and to show how much he cared about the state of Texas, about our citizens, and about his commitment to helping Texas get through this emergency process and then rebuild,” Abbott said.
“But as far as the president himself is concerned,” he added, “I got to visit with him at length and see both his compassion and his commitment to helping Texas get through this process.”
Camerota then second-guessed how Trump spent his time.
have you seen any of allyson camerota? she had Gov Abbott and kept trying to lead him, almost begging him to find something Pres did wanting
“Do you think that the president should have talked more about the victims? I mean, when you talk about his compassion, obviously there is some criticism today that he didn’t talk enough about the victims, he didn’t reach out to them enough,” she said.
Abbott said just because Trump wasn’t wading in floodwaters did not mean he was not thinking about the flood victims.
“Well I know that he talked to me at length about the victims. And about the devastation that he saw and about his deep concern about what people were going through. He and I together were watching on TV the flooding that was occurring in Houston. He didn’t want to go to that location because he didn’t want to interfere with it. But he expressed his sorrow and deep concern about how these people’s lives have been completely inundated, and his compassion and commitment to help them to respond,” Abbott said.
Camerota tried again, asking if Abbott wanted more help.
“We talked about where we’re going to go from here and what needs to be done from here to take care of the challenges that Texans are going to be facing for months and for years to come. And we began to talk in detail about how we will continue to work seamlessly to make sure that we address these ongoing challenges.”
Trump has since said he will seek billions in federal disaster assistance to help Texas and Louisiana recover from Harvey.
Camerota then mentioned that Mexico has troops ready to send if the U.S. can’t do the job.
Abbott made it clear that the relief effort is working fine without them.
“We already have on the ground National Guard from countless states, across the United States. And let me use this opportunity to thank all these states. I can’t even list them all because so many have been involved in this process,” he said. “But again, as we speak, we have these conversations from the president to his Cabinet to the Department of Defense — and have the right strategies in place to make sure that we have the right personnel in place.” (For more from the author of “Texas Governor Rebuffs CNN Anchor’s Effort to Find Fault With Trump” please click HERE)
A Texas-based non-profit has created an “Emergency Fund for Harvey Survivors,” a fundraiser focused on collecting funds for women who seek abortions in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
The Lilith Fund “funds abortion and advocates for change through the movement for reproductive justice,” according to its mission statement. On Thursday, the group’s official Facebook page posted a graphic of Houston reading, “Join us in supporting Harvey survivors seeking an abortion but cannot afford it.” The post included a link to where users could donate money to assist displaced women obtain abortions.
Amid the devastating destruction of Hurricane Harvey, many different organizations, businesses, and individuals have raised millions of dollars to assist in aid, rescue, and relief efforts. President Donald Trump announced Thursday he would donate $1 million of his own money to the cause . . .
The Lilith Fund has chosen to focus its funding elsewhere amid emergency relief efforts.
While the organization’s social media post explained the donated funds would “assist displaced women obtain abortions,” the donation page says simply that it is an “Emergency Fund for Harvey Survivors.” There is no mention of abortions or that the donated money will be used to fund abortions. (Read more from “Group Fundraises for Texans’ Abortions – No Money for Hurricane Relief” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/3588065358_0bdcc729dd_b.jpg6851024Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-09-02 00:01:052017-09-02 00:01:05Group Fundraises for Texans’ Abortions – No Money for Hurricane Relief
By Jill Disis. Texas officials say they’ve gotten hundreds of complaints about price gouging and scams in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
One convenience store in Houston reportedly charged $20 for a gallon of gas, $8.50 for a bottle of water and $99 for a case of water, according to the Texas Attorney General’s office.
The state has received 684 complaints in all, according to Kayleigh Lovvorn, a spokeswoman for the office. The agency has started looking into nine cases so far but expects more. (Read more from “Harvey Brings ‘Hell’ to Texas” HERE)
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Texas Drivers Rush to Fill Gas Tanks as Pump Prices Rise
By Associated Press. Drivers lined up at gas pumps in parts of Texas Thursday as more stations ran out of gas and prices rose steeply in response to Hurricane Harvey’s impact on Gulf Coast refineries.
At least two major pipelines — one that ships gasoline across the southern United States and up to New York, and another that flows north to Chicago — have been slowed or stopped because of flooding and damage. Officials hoped to resume normal flow by Sunday, but meanwhile, the threat of shortages had people running to top off their tanks, even if their gauges weren’t on empty.
At a Shell Station at Interstate 635 in Dallas, manager Tim Flatt had an employee wave away motorists with a paper “Out of Gas” sign after they twice went dry on Thursday. They got a refill at about 10 a.m. and were drained again by 2 p.m. (Read more from “Texas Drivers Rush to Fill Gas Tanks as Pump Prices Rise” HERE)
A Texas woman’s gospel performance inside a shelter for Tropical Storm Harvey evacuees has gone viral after the impromptu performance lifted the spirits of people stranded away from home.
Although it is difficult to understand the full extent of damage from the monster storm until flood waters fully recede, at least 10,000 people have been rescued, more than 30,000 are in shelters and 20 people are reported dead.
Part of the 21-minute long performance was posted on Facebook by Joni Villemez-Comeaux, a volunteer at the Lone Star Convention and Expo Center north of Houston in Conroe. The video has been viewed over seven million times.
Victoria White, who works as an admissions counselor at Sam Houston State University, belted out songs with a few other evacuees, at one point singing “Spirit Break Out,” which was widely shared on social media. (Read more from “Texas Woman’s Gospel Performance at Harvey Shelter Goes Viral” HERE)
It didn’t take long for the politicization of the Texas floods to shift from First Lady Melania Trump’s high heels to the tried-and-true meme of the Confederate battle flag.
Logan Anderson, 24, a former digital strategist for the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign, took to Twitter to vent over white men in an airboat rescuing black people trapped by Hurricane Harvey’s high water because the boat sported the “Southern Cross” – the battle flag of Confederate fighting men.
“Y’all, the Confederate flag crowd is helping black people evacuate in Houston,’ she tweeted, adding three skull emojis to her message.
“I would absolutely get on that boat, by the way. And then, when they dropped me off, I’d tear off the flag and drop it into the flood,” she said in a second tweet.
If Anderson did try to “tear off the flag,” she’d probably be disappointed, as the banner is painted on the airboat’s large rudder. (Read more from “Hillary Aide ‘Triggered’ by Flood-Rescue Image” HERE)
Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas coast near Rockport as a powerful Category 4 storm late Friday night, packing 130-mph winds and unleashing powerful storm surges.
Harvey, the first major hurricane — classified as Category 3 or above — to hit the U.S. since Hurricane Wilma in 2005, could dump up to three feet of rain in some regions near the Gulf Coast in the next week as it lingers over the area . . .
The National Weather Service updated Hurricane Harvey to a Category 3 storm with 125-mph winds and located the storm five miles north of Rockport. The National Weather Service also said that it expects Hurricane Harvey’s winds to slowly weaken, but maintain hurricane-force speeds through Saturday . . .
Harvey is the first major hurricane — classified as Category 3 or above — to hit the U.S. in over a decade. Harvey could dump up to three feet of rain in some spots in the next week as it lingers over the area, adding to the threat of flash flooding and storm surges.
Some forecasts are calling for as much as a mind-boggling 60 inches of rain from Harvey. The National Weather Service also warned that Harvey could linger for days and even spin back offshore to regenerate in the Gulf before heading toward Louisiana. (Read more from “Hurricane Harvey Smashes Into Texas” HERE)
The Texas bullion depository took a major step closer to reality last week when officials formally announced the private vendor that will run the facility. The creation of a state bullion depository in Texas represents a power shift away from the federal government to the state, and it provides a blueprint that could ultimately end the Fed.
Gov. Greg Abbot signed legislation creating the state gold bullion and precious metal depository in June of 2015. The facility will not only provide a secure place for individuals, business, cities, counties, government agencies and even other countries to to store gold and other precious metals, the law also creates a mechanism to facilitate the everyday use of gold and silver in business transactions. In short, a person will be able to deposit gold or silver – and pay other people through electronic means or checks – in sound money.
Last Wednesday, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced Austin-based Lone Star Tangible Assets will build and operate the Texas Bullion Depository. Officials say the facility could open as early as next January.
The company will initially run the depository out of its current Austin location, and will build a new vault facility in the Austin area. Hegar said customers will not have to travel to Austin in order to utilize the depository. The plan is to establish a branch-like system.
“We envision a network of licensed and insured depository agents to help Texans sign up for our services,” Hegar told the Texas Tribune.
Tom Smelker will serve as the state’s first Texas Bullion Depository administrator. He is currently the director of Treasury Operations in the Comptroller’s office.
According to an article in the Star-Telegram, state officials want a facility ‘with an e-commerce component that also provides for secure physical storage for Bullion in an existing facility or a newly constructed facility.’ Officials say plans for a depository should include online services that would let customers accept, transfer and withdraw bullion deposits and related fees.
By making gold and silver available for regular, daily transactions by the general public, the new law has the potential for wide-reaching effect. Professor William Greene is an expert on constitutional tender and said in a paper for the Mises Institute that when people in multiple states actually start using gold and silver instead of Federal Reserve notes, it would effectively nullify the Federal Reserve and end the federal government’s monopoly on money.
Over time, as residents of the state use both Federal Reserve notes and silver and gold coins, the fact that the coins hold their value more than Federal Reserve notes do will lead to a ‘reverse Gresham’s Law’ effect, where good money (gold and silver coins) will drive out bad money (Federal Reserve notes).
As this happens, a cascade of events can begin to occur, including the flow of real wealth toward the state’s treasury, an influx of banking business from outside of the state – as people in other states carry out their desire to bank with sound money – and an eventual outcry against the use of Federal Reserve notes for any transactions.
University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus called development of a state gold depository a step toward independence.
This is another in a long line of ways to make Texas more self-reliant and less tethered to the federal government. The financial impact is small but the political impact is telling, Many conservatives are interested in returning to the gold standard and circumvent the Federal reserve in whatever small way they can.
The Texas gold depository will create a mechanism to challenge the federal government’s monopoly on money, and provides a blueprint for other states to follow. If the majority of states controlled their own supply of gold, it could conceivably make the Federal Reserve completely irrelevant.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/texas-flag-lonestar-state-usa.jpg12661920Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-06-23 00:01:202017-06-23 00:03:38Monopoly of the Fed Ending: Texas Picks Company to Run Bullion Depository
The House Freedom Caucus wants to “go big” on a tax reform package to include welfare reforms, but likely wouldn’t include a tax on imports, or a border adjustment tax.
“There is not consensus for the border adjustment tax,” Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said Friday during a panel of four House Freedom Caucus members at The Heritage Foundation. “The sooner we acknowledge that and get on with a plan that actually works and actually can build consensus, the better off we will be.”
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, has proposed the border adjustment tax as part of a broader tax proposal. The border adjustment tax would slap a levy on imported goods into the United States, but make exported goods tax-free, a move viewed in part by supporters of the tax as a means to keep American jobs.
“It is not anything where we’ve taken a formal position against the border adjustment, even though I have one of my colleagues on the panel who will argue we are divided in the Freedom Caucus,” Meadows said. “We have some who believe it’s a great idea, some who believe it is not a great idea.”
Meadows said the House Freedom Caucus could support much of the Brady plan, and believes Congress should move forward on common principles to pass a major package. But, he added, a corporate tax cut should help smaller businesses.
Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, said of tax reform, “We need to not tweak around the edges, we need to go big.” Davidson also said he could back the import tax, but thinks it’s a complicated sell.
“I’m the one guy up here that can live with a border adjustable tax,” Davidson said, but added, “How do you pull it off? I think it’s lost a lot of momentum.”
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was most adamantly opposed to a border adjustment tax, also known as BAT.
“Two principles should guide our tax policy. One, let families keep more of their money. Two, design a code that is conducive to producing economic growth,” Jordan said. “What is not conducive to those principles is a whole new tax on the American economy, the BAT.”
Brady has argued the tax would “restores America as the best place on the planet to do business.”
Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., noted strong supply-side policies will create economic growth, which is the only way the country can dig out of a fiscal hole.
“You’ve got $20 trillion in debt and then $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities for … young people,” Brat said. “Medicare and Social Security are insolvent in 2034. And [the Congressional Budget Office] … [said] in about 15 or 20 years, all federal revenues will go only to mandatory and entitlement programs—all federal revenues. So, that means there is nothing left for the military, education, transportation, etc. … ”
Jordan proposed a welfare reform bill for able-bodied Americans. He said House Freedom Caucus members might be willing to live with a higher budget number if Congress will agree to real welfare reform. He noted the conversation with his employer constituents.
“‘Hey Jordan, in spite of all the stupid things going on in Washington the last eight years, we are still creating jobs. We can’t find people to work,’” Jordan said, paraphrasing the conversations. “So this is where welfare reform is just good public policy. But I don’t think you achieve sustained growth if you don’t have a labor force to get you to the productivity number.”
Davidson also proposed a bill for a commission to consolidate the number of welfare programs, similar to the base realignment commission for the U.S. Defense Department. He said some Democrats could support the goal, since the 92 federal welfare programs are often duplicative.
“Some are more effective than others at promoting healthy families and some are more effective than others at actual education attainment that leads to employment,” Davidson said. “So you create a commission, sort of like the base realignment commission that’s called Welfare BRAC, four Republicans, four Democrats, they pick their own chair, they get a year to work … We could be talking about a reform that would take us from 92 means-tested programs, I don’t know if we can get to 12, but maybe we can get to 40 or 50 programs.” (For more from the author of “House Conservatives Ready to ‘Go Big’ on Tax Reform That Includes Welfare Reform” please click HERE)
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