DC METRO REFORM BILL SHOWDOWN - DEMS vs GOP (METRO NEEDS MORE WHITE RIDERSHIP)

DC METRO REFORM BILL SHOWDOWN - DEMS vs GOP:

DEMS ARE OPPOSING REP BARBARA COMSTOCK'S (R) METRO REFORM BILL BECAUSE IT CALLS FOR REAL REFORM AND A BADLY NEEDED NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

WASHINGTON DC'S METRO SYSTEM NEEDS MORE WHITE RIDERSHIP.

IF MOST OF THE RIDERSHIP WERE WHITE, MAYOR BOWSER & DEMOCRAT LEADERS WOULD CARE MORE ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMIC REFORM.

HOWEVER SINCE MOST OF THE RIDERS ARE BLACK, DC'S POLITICAL LEADERS COULD CARE LESS.

YET THEY STILL WANT THE BLACK VOTE IN 2018 & 2020.


Sources: Washington Post, Youtube


****** D.C.-area Democrats offer federal Metro bill to counter that of GOP’s Rep. Comstock


A partisan split in the Washington area’s congressional delegation over how to increase federal funding for Metro has raised concerns that the lack of unity will lead Congress to balk at giving the transit system critically needed support.

The division emerged Tuesday when Democratic House members from the area filed a Metro funding bill that would double the federal subsidy to the transit agency and be more friendly to its unions than legislation proposed by Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock (Va.).

The House bill, a copy of which was obtained in advance by The Washington Post, would raise the federal contribution to the transit agency from $150 million a year to $300 million a year for 10 years. Comstock’s bill would increase it by 50 percent, to $225 million annually.

The Democrats’ legislation also would provide a federal subsidy for Metro’s operating costs. That would be a significant change. The grants Metro receives — such as other direct federal subsidies for public transit — pay only for capital investments.

In perhaps the most important difference from Comstock’s bill, the Democrats’ legislation would not require the creation of a five-member reform board with power to revise existing union contracts and take other steps to restrain labor costs.

Instead, it addresses concerns about Metro’s performance by requiring that the agency to strengthen its Office of the Inspector General and meet targets for safety, reliability and cost efficiency as conditions for receiving the extra money.

“The other bill almost reads punitive when it comes to labor unions and the workforce,” said Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (Va.), the lead sponsor of the Democratic legislation. “We don’t tell Metro they have to vitiate existing labor contracts,” or weaken pension guarantees or limit overtime, as Comstock’s bill does, he said.

Connolly said his bill has support throughout the Washington region. Co-sponsors, all Democrats, include Reps. Anthony G. Brown, Steny H. Hoyer, Jamie Raskin and John Sarbanes, all of Maryland; Rep. Don Beyer (Va.); and D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton.

But Comstock’s bill, which she filed in December, has the advantage of being sponsored by a member of the party that controls both the House and the Senate. Her bill, which was drafted in consultation with regional business leaders, including some Democrats, also reflects their support for replacing the 16-member Metro board with a reform board designed to improve the agency’s governance.

Comstock defended her bill in a statement Tuesday and faulted the Democrats’ legislation for not requiring specific management reforms on pensions and overtime supported by Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld.

“Throwing billions more at Metro without defined reforms is a dead-on-arrival strategy,” Comstock said. “It’s unfortunate that in the nine years it took Gerry Connolly to write an eight-page bill, he failed to include any of the substantial management, financial or pension reforms advocated on a bipartisan basis by numerous transportation experts and Metro advocates who have been working for years to seriously improve and reform the system.”

The differences between the parties’ bills aggravated concerns among Metro supporters that Congress will be reluctant to endorse a package that lacks unified support from the region.

“What’s so discouraging about this is, it really undercuts the bipartisan necessity of getting a federal funding source for Metro,” said Gus Bauman, a former chairman of the Maryland Blue Ribbon Transportation Funding Commission. “To have an all-Democratic bill and an all-Republican one does no one any good.”

The Democrats’ decision to take on Comstock appears aimed in part at hurting her chances of positioning herself as an effective champion of Metro when she seeks reelection in November. Comstock, whose Northern Virginia district has been trending Democratic, is viewed as vulnerable.

“I don’t know their true motivations, but they must be intensely aware that giving a major victory on Metro funding to Barbara Comstock would be an enormous benefit to her reelection chances this year,” said Mark J. Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.

MetroNow, a coalition of leading business groups and nonprofit organizations, issued a statement applauding Connolly’s leadership, but warned that the region’s politicians need to work together on Metro.

“This is a critical time when our leaders must collaborate instead of compete against one another,” the group said.

While the region’s federal representatives trade jabs, there have been signs recently of a narrowing of partisan differences in Maryland and Virginia, where state lawmakers are considering bills to provide Metro with dedicated funding.

Numerous political obstacles remain to the legislation in both states, but many Metro supporters and political veterans say there is unprecedented momentum for change. The federal bickering adds another hurdle.

The Democrats’ position partly reflects their desire to represent the interests of labor, an important part of their political base.

Brown noted that his congressional district, which includes portions of Prince George’s County, is home to more Metro workers than any other, and said “they deserve a voice” in the debate about the agency.

“It’s mistaken to believe that Metro’s problems are excessive labor costs,” Brown said. “I don’t think you need to mess around with their pensions and arbitration, or somehow blow up or reform the board, and think that’s going to solve it.”

The Connolly and Comstock bills have one thing in common: They call for extending and increasing a $150 million annual federal subsidy for Metro that is scheduled to expire after the fiscal year ending in 2019.

Connolly’s bill would do so in two steps.

First, it would extend the program, part of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA), for 10 years and increase the subsidy to $200 million a year. Of that, $150 million would continue to be for capital investment. The District, Maryland and Virginia would continue making a matching contribution totaling $150 million.

The additional $50 million in the Connolly bill would go to operations. Of the latter, $10 million would be for Metro’s inspector general. This money would not require a local match.

Obtaining federal money for operating expenses — such as wages, fuel and electricity — would be a breakthrough long sought by many Metro supporters. They have complained for years that the District, Maryland and Virginia pay for all of Metro’s operating subsidies even though the federal government depends on the system to get its workers in the Washington area to their jobs.

“I have always believed that the federal government gets a free ride,” Connolly said. “The largest single user of Metro every day is the federal government.”

The condition for extending and increasing PRIIA money would be to strengthen the Office of the Inspector General by giving it new powers, including independent budget, procurement and hiring authority. Congress and others have pressed for a more robust IG to hold Metro accountable.

The second part of the funding plan in Connolly’s bill would give Metro an additional $100 million a year in grants for capital investment for 20 years. These federal grants also would have to be matched by a total of $100 million annually contributed by the three jurisdictions.

For the first five years, the additional money would be subject to the condition of Metro meeting performance bench marks set by the U.S. transportation secretary together with the District, Maryland and Virginia.

The secretary would grant the money each year only after certifying that Metro was “making progress toward goals and metrics for system performance established by the Secretary in collaboration with the signatories to the [Metro] Compact on safety, reliability and operations costs as measured by vehicle revenue miles,” the bill says.

For the remaining 15 years, the $100 million a year in additional grants would be conditioned on continued progress toward the goals and metrics, plus the establishment of a dedicated funding source by the District, Maryland and Virginia of at least $300 million a year.

JAY-Z vs DONALD TRUMP (RACISM & JOBS)

JAY-Z vs DONALD TRUMP (RACISM & JOBS):

TWO RICH NATIVE NEW YORKERS AT ODDS.

TWO DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES BASED ON RACE & ECONOMICS.


Sources: CNN, Yahoo News, Youtube


******* Trump hits back at Jay-Z after rapper dismissed his claims about black unemployment

In an interview with CNN’s Van Jones that aired Saturday night, Jay-Z — whose birth name is Shawn Carter — said that the numbers don’t matter.

“It’s not about money at the end of the day,” said Carter, whose net worth is estimated to be $810 million. “Money doesn’t equate to happiness. It doesn’t. That’s missing the whole point. You treat people like human beings then — that’s the main point.”

Carter also criticized the disparaging remarks Trump reportedly made about African countries during an Oval Office meeting on immigration this month.

“It is disappointing and it’s hurtful,” Carter said. “It really is hurtful, more than so … everyone feels anger. But after the anger, it’s real hurtful. It’s looking down at a whole population of people, and it’s so misinformed because these places have beautiful people and beautiful everything. This is the leader of the free world speaking like this.”

SCOTUS BLOCKS NORTH CAROLINA ANTI-GERRYMANDERING DECISION FROM LOWER COURT (2018 & 2020)

SCOTUS BLOCKS NC ANTI-GERRYMANDERING DECISION FROM LOWER COURT:

GOP’S NC VOTING DISTRICTS APPROVED.

BLACK ELITE NORTH CAROLINA LEADERS & WHITE DEM LEADERS WERE TOO BUSY BEING RACIALLY DIVIDED TO SEE THIS POLITICAL ALBATROSS LOOMING OVERHEAD.

WHILE BLACK ELITE & WHITE DEM LEADERS WERE COMFORTABLY BLOCKING PROGRESS FOR LOCAL NC VOTERS, THE GOP QUIETLY REVISED NORTH CAROLINA’S VOTING DISTRICTS.

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR, 1964


Sources: NY Times, PBS News, The Young Turks, YouTube


**** Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks North Carolina Gerrymandering Ruling


WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily blocked a trial court’s order requiring North Carolina lawmakers to produce a revised congressional voting map, making it likely that the midterm elections this year will be conducted using districts favorable to Republican candidates.

The trial court had found that Republican legislators in the state had violated the Constitution by drawing congressional voting districts to hurt the electoral chances of Democratic candidates.

The Supreme Court’s move was expected and not particularly telling. The court, which is considering two other major tests of partisan gerrymandering, has granted stays in similar settings. Its decisions in the pending cases, from Wisconsin and Maryland, are likely to effectively decide the North Carolina case, too.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor noted dissents from Thursday’s order, which was brief and unsigned.

The previous North Carolina decision, issued by a three-judge panel last week, was the first from a federal court to strike down a congressional map as a partisan gerrymander. Republican state lawmakers, the court said, had violated the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection by drawing voting districts to their party’s advantage.

The judges noted that the legislator responsible for drawing the map had not disguised his intentions. “I think electing Republicans is better than electing Democrats,” said the legislator, Representative David Lewis, a Republican. “So I drew this map to help foster what I think is better for the country.”

The plan worked. In 2016, the court said, Republican congressional candidates won 53 percent of the statewide vote. But they won in 10 of the 13 congressional districts, or 77 percent of them.

The Supreme Court has ruled that racial gerrymandering can violate the Constitution. But it has never struck down a voting map as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.

Republicans and, in private, many Democrats in North Carolina had expected the Supreme Court to stay last week’s ruling, which ordered legislators to prepare a new map by Jan. 24. But elected officials and political strategists had been preparing for the possibility of a hasty redrawing of the congressional map and an upending of carefully laid plans for the midterm campaigns.

Even the brief gap between the trial court’s ruling and the Supreme Court’s order left the state in turmoil weeks before the deadline to declare candidacies.

Few states in recent years have seen as much political turbulence as North Carolina, where Republicans took control of the General Assembly in 2010 and now face off regularly with a Democratic governor. Many of the high-decibel clashes in North Carolina, even before Gov. Roy Cooper was elected in 2016, focused on elections and voting procedures.

A voter ID law has been the subject of contentious litigation, and a different three-judge panel concluded that many of the state’s legislative districts had been racially gerrymandered. In 2016, a court struck down a different version of the congressional map, saying it was a racial gerrymander.

But last week’s ruling stirred particular anger in Raleigh, the state capital, with Republicans infuriated that the judges had begun making arrangements for a court-appointed expert to draw a map as an alternative to one that the Legislature might develop.

Although observers said the three-judge panel’s ruling, stayed or not, had offered Democrats a valuable talking point in the months before midterm elections, Republicans welcomed the Supreme Court’s order on Thursday.

“We did fully expect this, but we are still grateful,” said Dallas Woodhouse, the executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party, who complained in an interview that the lower court had tried to “inject chaos into our elections.” Mr. Woodhouse said he fully expected that this year’s elections would be carried out under the existing map.

Critics of the map expressed disappointment and frustration with the court’s order.

“We still believe the day is coming soon for the General Assembly to be held to account for this madness,” said Allison Riggs of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, which represents the League of Women Voters of North Carolina, a group that challenged the map. “The law and the facts of this case make that clear.”

J. Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College, near Charlotte, said the Supreme Court’s order was an important, if perhaps temporary, win for Republicans in North Carolina.

“Certainly, Republicans will view this as a victory but probably a short-term victory,” he said. “They certainly dodged a bullet tonight. The question is: ‘How long do we have before the Wisconsin decision comes down, and what kind of impact will that have on 2018’s elections?’”

In October, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case from Wisconsin. The trial court in that case had struck down a voting map for the State Assembly as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.

The Supreme Court has also agreed to decide whether Maryland Democrats crossed a constitutional line by redrawing House districts to flip a Republican-held seat to Democratic control.

In asking the Supreme Court to block the North Carolina ruling, state lawmakers said the trial court had made legal errors and unreasonable demands, notably in ordering new congressional maps to be drawn by Jan. 24.

The lawmakers’ brief reminded the justices that they had granted a stay in the Wisconsin case. “Particularly given the relief this court already granted to Wisconsin,” they wrote, “it makes no sense whatsoever to force North Carolina to immediately remedy a purported partisan gerrymandering violation and commence its 2018 election cycle under a new court-imposed map before this court can even decide whether and under what circumstances such claims may be adjudicated.”

In their own brief, lawyers for Democrats challenging the map said the lawmakers’ motive in seeking a stay was “plain as day.”

“The Republican contingent of the legislature wants to enjoy the fruits of their grossly unconstitutional actions for yet another election cycle,” the brief said.

CORY BOOKER FOR PRESIDENT IN 2020? (BOOKER vs TRUMP vs OBAMA)

CORY BOOKER FOR PRESIDENT IN 2020? (BOOKER vs TRUMP vs OBAMA):

BOOKER IS A GREAT CANDIDATE BUT DON'T KNOW IF HE CAN RAISE BIG MONEY LIKE OBAMA DID.

BOOKER IS PASSIONATE BUT IT TAKES MORE THAN PASSION TO BECOME U.S. PRESIDENT.

TRUMP STILL PULLS BIG MONEY FROM BUSINESS BILLIONAIRES.

OBAMA ALSO PULLED BIG MONEY FROM BUSINESS BILLIONAIRES.

IN FACT TRUMP BORROWED HIS 2016 WINNING STRATEGY FROM OBAMA'S POLITICAL PLAYBOOK.

OBAMA SET A POLITICAL GENIUS STANDARD HARD TO BEAT FOR ALL FUTURE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES.

MANY SOUTHERN BLACK VOTERS DON'T KNOW BOOKER.

WILL BLACK VOTERS SHOW UP FOR BOOKER IN LARGE NUMBERS? I DON'T KNOW.

~ FYI:
I DON'T BELIEVE TRUMP IS RACIST, PERHAPS MISGUIDED.

SOMETIMES I REALLY DO MISS "COOL HAND LUKE" OBAMA.

I'M JUST SAYING.


Sources: NJ.com, Raw Story, BBC News, CNN, Youtube


****** Cory Booker's voice challenges the silence of Trump supporters


Every now and then, a political leader seems to capture what is on our minds. Franklin Roosevelt had that ability. So did John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and occasionally Barack Obama. Even Chris Christie could do it until he became intoxicated with his presidential ambitions and his bully ways.

This week Cory Booker found his voice – and ours, too, with just six words.

“She hit a nerve in me.”

Booker was not talking about one of his colleagues in the U.S. senate or even one of his constituents back in New Jersey. His words, spoken during an interview on CNN, were directed at Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

It was evening in Washington, D.C. Booker looked worn out. He was sporting a five o’clock shadow beard when he appeared on CNN.

Hours earlier, in one of his first appearances as a new, very junior Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Booker had listened quietly as Nielson said she “could not recall specific words” when President Trump reportedly cursed a blue streak a week earlier as he criticized an immigration plan suggested by Sen. Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican.

As almost everyone in America has heard, the “specific words” that Trump is said to have uttered are “s---hole” during that immigration discussion. The president was not describing the plan or any of the people in the Oval Office. His words were aimed at Africa, Haiti and El Salvador. Simply put, the president wanted to register his disapproval of immigrants from those “s---hole” nations.

After the meeting broke up, Durbin went public with Trump’s vulgarity, saying Trump was out of line and disrespectful of those nations and their people. Graham backed Durbin up. Neither Trump nor the White House tried to deny the “s---hole” remark – at least not initially.

But as uproar spread across the nation that the president – indeed, any political leader – would describe poor nations like that, Trump had second thoughts. He suggested that he didn’t quite use the “s---hole” phrase.

So what did Trump say?

About a dozen people were in the Oval Office for the immigration discussion. But it seems that everyone except Durbin and Graham came down with a sudden case of hearing loss, amnesia or had taken a monk-like vow of silence.

Actually, that’s not quite correct. After first claiming they did not know what Trump said, two GOP senators who were present for the discussion said that Trump did not say “ s---hole” but “s--- house.”

As if that makes a difference.

But now, here was Kirstjen Nielsen several days later testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Maybe she could recall what Trump actually said. Was it “s---hole” or “s--- house” – or something else?

Instead of shedding light on what happened, Nielsen did her best imitation of Sergeant Schultz, the rotund, dim-witted Nazi prison guard in the 1960’s TV sitcom, “Hogan’s Heroes,” who habitually exclaimed to “know nothing” when asked by his commander whether the American and British prisoners of war were planning to escape.

Nielson first claimed too many people were talking at once so she couldn’t quite determine what was being said. Then, she conceded that she managed to hear what she described as “rough talk.” She just couldn’t recall anything specific. So how did she know the talk was “rough”?

As Nielson offered this lame explanation, the TV footage showed Booker in what could kindly be called a slow burn. When it was his time to speak, his eyes widened and he declared that he was “seething with anger” over Trump’s alleged comments.

He then used his entire 10-minute session that had been set aside for him to question Nielson to lecture her. He mentioned Ghandi and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He also described his parents’ difficulty in confronting bigotry when they purchased a home in Harrington Park.

Booker's message was simple: Why wasn’t Nielson confronting bigotry – in this case, the words of her boss, the president?

Nielson sat stone-faced.

“I sit here right now because when good white people in this country heard bigotry or hatred, they stood up,” Booker declared.

Nielson still sat stone faced.

When Booker had finished, Nielsen did not address what he said but instead talked about threats from white supremacists. Then Nielson said she believed that the president was trying to suggest in that Oval Office discussion that America ought to have a “merit-based” immigration system – meaning that highly educated immigrants or those with skilled would be admitted.

She didn't have to say that immigrants from “s---hole” nations would be rejected. She didn’t need to. Suggesting a “merit-based” immigration system was her clever way of avoiding any discussion of immigrants from “s---hole” nations – the poorest of the poor.

What is disturbing here is not just the president’s words, but the reaction from those closest to him like Kirstjen Nielson. Simply put: What is it going to take for people in the White House – or, frankly, in the Republican Party – to criticize Trump for stepping over a line?

We shouldn’t be surprised by the silence. Remember Trump’s “rapist” comment about Mexicans? Or when he doubted that John McCain was a war hero? Or when he disparaged the Muslim parents of an Army officer who was killed in Iraq? Or when he mocked a disabled journalist?

Trump loves picking on anyone who is vulnerable. But the uproar over Trump’s litany of outrageous statements was often brief at best and coming mainly from Trump’s critics. Trump’s allies were mostly mute, dulled into tacit acceptance.

This pattern seemed to bother Booker deeply – and rightly so. What does it take for Trump’s buddies to speak up?

And so, when Kirstjen Nielson seemed overcome with amnesia, Booker fired back. And a few hours later, when asked on CNN why he was so bothered, he said, “She hit a nerve in me.”

In that simple sentence, Booker captured the frustration that so many have felt in the first year of Trump’s presidency. He not only strikes a nerve when he opens his mouth, but his supporters strike that same nerve in their silence.

This week, Cory Booker found his voice.

When will Trump’s people find theirs?

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE vs BLACK WOMEN (RAY RICE)

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE vs BLACK WOMEN (RAY RICE):

AMERICAN SOCIETY DOES NOT PROTECT BLACK WOMEN WHO ARE BEATEN & DISRESPECTED BY BLACK MEN.

WHEN WHITE WOMEN ARE PHYSICALLY ABUSED BY THEIR HUSBANDS THEY RECEIVE EMPATHY.

WHEN BLACK WOMEN ARE PHYSICALLY ABUSED BY THEIR HUSBANDS THEY ARE OFTEN ACCUSED OF PROVOKING THEM.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CAN HINDER A WOMAN'S CREATIVITY.


Sources: TIME, Bradblog, TMZ, Youtube


****** Why Black Women Struggle More With Domestic Violence


Domestic and intimate partner violence (DV/IPV) is a “family secret” in our Black communities. While I’m not suggesting that all Black people think and function in similar enough ways that we could all be labeled simply as one “community,” I do know we have pervasive problems that require nuanced discourse — especially in light of the national conversation about domestic abuse that has erupted over the last week.
Since Ray Rice, former Baltimore Ravens running back, was indefinitely suspendedbecause a video was released of him punching his then-fiancée Janay until she was unconscious, there have been many conversations about violence between partners, and about the particular vulnerability of Black female victims. Much of the discussion has centered around the level of empathy and compassion shown toward victims like Janay, who choose to remain with their abusers.

These events have forced the country to face difficult truths about how prevalent domestic and intimate partner violence (DV/IPV) is in America. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an estimated 1.3 million American women experience DV/IPV each year. Women make up 85% of the victims of DV/IPV. Despite this, most cases are never reported to the police and most women are victimized by people they know.

And for Black women, it’s an even bigger problem: Black women are almost three times as likely to experience death as a result of DV/IPV than White women. And while Black women only make up 8% of the population, 22% of homicides that result from DV/IPV happen to Black Women and 29% of all victimized women, making it one of the leading causes of death for Black women ages 15 to 35. Statistically, we experience sexual assault and DV/IPV at disproportionate rates and have the highest rates of intra-racial violence against us than any other group. We are also less likely to report or seek help when we are victimized.

The reasons Black women suffer disproportionately from abuse are complex. Racism and sexism are two of the biggest obstacles that Black women in America face. But because many Black women and men believe racism is a bigger issue than sexism, Black women tend to feel obligated to put racial issues ahead of sex-based issues. For Black women, a strong sense of cultural affinity and loyalty to community and race renders many of us silent, so our stories often go untold. One of the biggest related impediments is our hesitation in trusting the police or the justice system. As Black people, we don’t always feel comfortable surrendering “our own” to the treatment of a racially biased police state and as women, we don’t always feel safe calling police officers who may harm us instead of helping us. And when we do speak out or seek help, we too often experience backlash from members of our communities who believe we are airing out dirty laundry and making ourselves look bad in front of White people.

Access to employment and economic self-sufficiency are also important. Racism has a disparate impact on Black people, men especially, who have, for the past six decades, consistently been held to an unemployment rate almost double that of white men. In a society that measures “manhood” primarily by one’s ability to provide, being denied access to the means to provide can cause some men to seek power through dominating women. For some men, the venting of anger turns violent and their partners suffer the greatest blows. Black women also face employment disparities, earning less than Black men and White men and women. This wage disparity limits available options and leaves many women, particularly mothers, feeling trapped in bad relationships where financial needs trump all.

Spiritual beliefs and negative views about mental health services also factor into why many Black women remain with abusive partners. One in three Black Americans who need mental health treatment actually receive it, and we are more likely to rely on religious guidance and faith-based practices when working through relationship issues. Religious beliefs often discourage divorce, encourage forgiveness and occasionally condemns those who seek psychiatric services instead of relying on faith. Black women’s perceptions of what constitutes abuse have been influenced by their negotiation of spiritual and mental health beliefs and how they have shaped our paradigms. Researchers have also found that Black women report feeling more obligated to fight back than to report abuse and that is reflected in the disproportionate rates of DV/IPV reported by Black men. Our attempts to embody the “strong Black woman” stereotype have often done more harm than good, to us and those we love.

There is a lot we don’t fully understand about the unique ways in which Black women endure DV/IPV because the lack of empirical research is indicative of what may simply be lack of empathy and concern for what Black women experience. I have been a fierce advocate for Black women and a mental health social worker for more than a decade and I have learned that we cannot win this fight if we don’t acknowledge any such fight exists to begin with. We need to continue speaking out and social media has become valuable in helping victims share their stories and learn about resources that can help. We need to push for stronger laws that punish criminal abusers and we need to advocate for more treatment options for victims and abusers who seek help. We need to fund advocacy programs and supportive services for victims of DV/IPV and work on reducing the stigma attached to seeking help when one is in trouble. Most of all, we need to believe that Black girls and women are valuable, important and worth putting ourselves and our personal safety first, and in our society that might be the hardest thing of all.

For too long, the experiences of Black women have been ignored, particularly when it comes to those that affect our overall health and well-being. For centuries, our bodies and labor have been exploited to serve the needs of everyone but ourselves, and the physical and psychological toll can no longer be swept under the rug.

Black women matter and the longer we remain invisible and have our dignity stripped and our humanity disregarded, the closer we get to the destruction of our families and communities. We must all work to end the marginalization of Black women and focus our energies on amplifying our voices and sharing what we go through at home, at work and in our communities.

NFL RATINGS vs FLAG PROTESTS: BYE-BYE FANS (STOP USING U.S. MILITARY)

NFL RATINGS vs AMERICAN FLAG PROTESTS:

CORE FANS ARE QUIETLY SLIPPING AWAY.

PLEASE STOP USING U.S. MILITARY TROOPS TO PUSH DIVISIVE AGENDAS.

THIS PROTEST HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE U.S. MILITARY.

THIS PROTEST IS ABOUT 400 YEARS OF INTENTIONAL INSTITUTIONAL RACISM CONGRESS REFUSES TO STOP.


Sources: USA Today, Washington Examiner, Fox News, Youtube


***** Shock poll: NFL now least liked sport, core fans down 31%


Over just one month of player, coach, and owner protests of the flag and National Anthem, the National Football League has gone from America's sport to the least liked of top professional and college sports, according to a new poll.


From the end of August to the end of September, the favorable ratings for the NFL have dropped from 57 percent to 44 percent, and it has the highest unfavorable rating – 40 percent – of any big sport, according to the Winston Group survey provided exclusively to Secrets.

Worse for football, which was already seeing lower TV ratings and empty stadium seats, the month of protests and complaints about them from President Trump drove core fans, men 34-54, away, the most significant indicator that NFL brass aren't in touch with their base.

The Winston Poll from the Washington-based Winston Group found that the attitude of those fans went from an August rating of 73 percent favorable and 19 percent unfavorable to 42 percent favorable and 47 percent unfavorable, a remarkable turn against the sport.

According to the poll analysis, "more critically for the NFL, the fall off in favorables occurred among important audiences. Among males, NFL favorables fell 23 percent, going from 68 percent to 45 percent. In looking at a more specific audience, males 34-54, NFL favorables fell 31 percent, going from 73 percent to 42 percent. Among this group the NFL has a surprising negative image, as it went from +54 percent in August to -5 percent in September."

The Winston Poll was of brand images for the NFL, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and college football and basketball. It was of 1,000 registered voters and taken August 29-30 and then again September 28-29.

In August, baseball had the highest favorables, just a few points above the NFL.

August Winston Poll

MLB/61 percent favorable to 13 percent unfavorable.
NFL/57 percent favorable to 23 percent unfavorable.
College football/53 percent favorable to 16 percent unfavorable.
College basketball/48 percent favorable to 17 percent unfavorable.
NBA/47 percent unfavorable to 23 percent unfavorable.
September Winston Poll

MLB/63 percent favorable to 16 percent unfavorable.
College football/51 percent favorable to 21 percent unfavorable.
NBA/46 percent favorable to 28 percent unfavorable.
College basketball/45 percent favorable to 25 percent unfavorable.
NFL/44 percent favorable to 40 percent unfavorable.
During the month, the college basketball drop was likely influenced by the suspension of Louisville Coach Rick Pitino who is linked to a scandal.

According to the Winston Poll, every category of NFL fan saw a drop in support.

TRUMP DC HOTEL SUED FOR EMPLOYMENT & RACIAL DISCRIMINATION (DOMINIQUE HILL, IRVING SMITH JR); BLACK vs LATINO WORKERS

TRUMP DC HOTEL SUED FOR EMPLOYMENT & RACIAL DISCRIMINATION (DOMINIQUE HILL, IRVING SMITH JR); BLACK vs LATINO WORKERS:

I REALLY HOPE THIS ISN'T TRUE.

BLACK PEOPLE & LATINO PEOPLE ARE BOTH CONSIDERED MINORITIES BUT LATINOS CAN'T BE HIRED TO REPLACE BLACKS.

LARGE & SMALL COMPANIES ARE NOW HIRING LATINOS TO REPLACE BLACKS FOR LOWER WAGES WITH THE PREMISE THAT LATINOS ARE STILL MINORITIES.

WHEN BLACK EMPLOYEES SUE COMPANIES FOR SUCH DISCRIMINATION, EMPLOYERS DON'T BELIEVE WE CAN PROVE IT.

EEOC NO LONGER PROTECTS BLACK PEOPLE WHO ARE TRULY DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN THE WORKPLACE.

OBAMA CHANGED EEOC LAWS TO ONLY PROTECT WHITE WOMEN, LATINOS, MIDDLE EASTERN MUSLIMS AND NON-BLACK GAY PEOPLE.

SO WHERE IS CONGRESS ON THIS ISSUE?

CONGRESS DOESN'T CARE.

YET MILLIONS OF BLACK VOTERS ELECTED CONGRESS.

IN FACT MILLIONS OF BLACK VOTERS ELECTED CONGRESS DECADES BEFORE LATINOS VOTED FOR AMERICAN POLITICIANS.



Sources: Washington Post


***** Black employees of BLT Prime, in Trump International Hotel, allege racial discrimination


Dominique Hill and Irving Smith Jr. had good jobs.

Last year, Hill worked as a bartender at P.F. Chang’s in Tysons Corner and Smith had recently been promoted to bartender at Wildfire grill, also in Tysons. Each had more than a decade of experience working in restaurants and was making $700 to $900 a week.

But last summer both of them walked away from their jobs for a chance at something better: the opportunity to work at BLT Prime, the steakhouse in the luxury Trump International Hotel, Washington D.C.

The couple said they soon discovered their hopes were misplaced. In a civil complaint filed Wednesday morning in D.C. Superior Court, Hill, a former BLT employee, and Smith, a current one, allege that the Trump Organization and hotel managing director Mickael Damelincourt saw to it that the restaurant routinely steered black employees to less lucrative shifts and subjected them to discriminatory behavior by other staff and by guests. The two men are joined in the case by another former BLT employee, JaNette Sturdivant.

Hill said he was the first bartender the restaurant hired last summer, before the hotel opened, but was almost exclusively given only lunch shifts.
“Some days I would just stand there all day long and have no customers,” he said. He routinely made $300 to $400 for a 30- to 35-hour workweek at BLT. He claims only four black employees still work at BLT after the hotel opened with 15 or more.

Smith, who works as a BLT server, said he was demoted to assistant server early on and rarely given prime shifts, where weekly earnings averaged $600 to $1,500 and which allegedly went instead to newly hired white and Latino employees.
“They started hiring all these people and instead of putting them on day shifts they was giving them night shifts and keeping us on day shift. Next thing I know, within the month all the black people were on the day shift,” he said.
In a statement, the Trump Organization, which runs the hotel, called the allegations “utterly baseless,” particularly because “the Hotel never employed these individuals.”

“Rather, the plaintiffs worked for a third-party restaurant company that is solely responsible for the direction, supervision, and management of its own employees. In short, this lawsuit appears to be nothing more than a desperate, politically-motivated publicity stunt. We look forward to litigating this matter,” said Amanda Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, in a statement.
ESquared Hospitality, which operates the restaurant, said it “wholeheartedly” disputed the allegations and that the employees “did not previously voice or file complaints through any of the proper channels.”
“Had they done so, BLT Prime would have immediately taken the alleged complaints seriously and investigated them to the fullest extent and would have taken appropriate action where warranted,” the company said.

Trump opened the hotel last fall, weeks before he was elected president. He no longer runs his company and has placed his ownership into a trust, but the family name still adorns everything from the sign out front to the cocktail napkins. After the election, Smith claimed one of his co-workers began making racist statements to him and that Smith’s complaints to management fell on deaf ears.

The lawsuit’s allegations about the restaurant stand in contrast to the operation of the larger hotel, whose is widely diverse by race, gender and nationality. On a busy Friday night in September, when the hotel unveiled a new dessert menu, staff who appeared to be black worked in prominent positions as bartender, hostess, server, valet and other posts.
A reporter observing six shifts of morning, afternoon and evening work at BLT, viewed staffs that appeared to be diverse as well, although evening bartenders appeared to usually be white. “We work diligently to create a culture of equal opportunity employment with a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of discrimination regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or otherwise,” ESquared said in its statement.
Gregg C. Greenberg, a Maryland employment attorney, said racial discrimination cases are often difficult to prove.

“If you have a client that says, ‘I have been discriminated against,’ how and why are you able to prove it? Do you have emails or policies in place that are objectively discriminatory? Or do you just have the feeling that someone there is out for you?” he said.
Smith and Hill, unlike most workers in the hotel, were not employed directly by the Trump Organization but by ESquared. Hill produced paperwork showing that in March he filed a discrimination charge with the D.C. Office of Human Rights and underwent mediation in July with attorneys for ESquared.
When that failed, he filed suit with representation from A.J. Dhali, a D.C. attorney who said he has brought nearly 100 employment cases in his career and averages 15 to 18 annually.
Dhali argued the Trump Organization had control over the BLT employees’ employment because of the nature of the management contract between the hotel and ESquared. Whether other black employees were treated well or not was not the issue for the court to consider, he said.
“I don’t have to show that discrimination occurred against everybody. I just have to show that discrimination occurred against my clients,” Dhali said. The plaintiffs are seeking $14.5 million in damages.
Hill and Smith said they have both experienced discrimination in other restaurant jobs. Smith said guests at Wildfire once informed management they did not want a black or gay server. “Management asked them to leave,” he said. He said management at Clyde’s issued the same directive when necessary, but that at BLT, he said he had twice observed guests requesting service from nonblack staff who were allowed to stay. The suit cites other allegedly racist behavior by some guests, and it describes a working environment where, for instance, a staff memo posted in the kitchen details how the staff ought to handle $39 ostrich eggs for a dish that includes a photo of an ostrich chasing a black man.
The third plaintiff, Sturdivant, 34, a black woman who worked at BLT from May to June as a server, claimed she was complimented on her light skin after arriving.

“When I first came on board … the server manager said it’s good to see someone with Milano complexion here,” she said. Still, she said she was not given “moneymaking” night shifts.
Hill said he was fired after dropping a bloody mary on a baby in a stroller at a weekend brunch. But he said a white server who spilled a bottle of champagne down a bride’s dress and was not suspended or fired.
“I kept saying, why am I being terminated? Why can’t I be suspended or transferred? … My feeling was Mickael, who was right there, was letting me go from the company.” After being fired he said he was without work for six weeks and had his cable and electricity cut off in his apartment. Smith lost his car because he could not make the payments.
Smith said he took a second restaurant job to pay his bills and works about 60 hours a week.
“I would go to work crying and ask god why are you doing this? We were so comfortable and gave up everything to go to this place. And then to be treated like this.”

RACIST WHITE TEACHER TELLS BLACKS "GO BACK TO AFRICA" (SHE WAS FIRED)

RACIST WHITE TEACHER TELLS BLACKS "GO BACK TO AFRICA":

SHE WAS FIRED AFTER POSTING THIS STATEMENT ON FACEBOOK.

SHE THEN PRETENDED HER PAGE WAS HACKED.


Sources: USA Today


****** Teacher fired after Racist Facebook post


A Mississippi teacher has been fired after a racist comment appeared on her Facebook page.


The South Panola School District told WREG Tuesday that Cammie Rone, a second grade teacher at Batesville Intermediate School in Batesville, was dismissed from employment following an investigation.

Rone can appeal the decision.


Monday, Fox13 in Memphis obtained a screenshot of a post made on Rone's Facebook page.


The post read, "If Blacks in this country are so offended no one is forcing them to stay here. Why don't they pack up and move back to Africa where they will have to work for a living. I am sure our government will will pay for it! We pay for everything else."


Rone made a post on her Facebook page Monday, saying she was hacked.


"I think I have been hacked,” the post read. “I keep getting messages about racist posts but when I go to my page I can’t see it. Someone screenshoted (sic) and sent me.

If anyone knows me I post about cows recipes and home improvements stuff not racism. Please know I have not posted or made any kind of ractist (sic) comments.”


Rone did not return requests for comment. Neither post is available to the public.

WHITE MAN (GLEASON, 23) OPENS FIRE ON BLACK FAMILY IN LOUISANA, KILLS TWO BLACK MEN IN THE NAME OF HITLER

WHITE MAN (GLEASON, 23) OPENS FIRE ON BLACK FAMILY IN LOUISANA, KILLS TWO BLACK MEN IN THE NAME OF HITLER:

POLICE SAID ATTACKS WERE RACIALLY-MOTIVATED.

KENNETH GLEASON COULD FACE DEATH PENALTY SAYS DISTRICT ATTORNEY.

DO YOU HEAR ANY LATINO LEADERS STANDING AGAINST SUCH RACIST VIOLENCE INFLICTED ON BLACK PEOPLE??


Sources: AP, ABC News, The Guardian, Youtube


***** White man accused of killing 2 Blacks had Hitler speech


• Kenneth Gleason, 23, charged with murder after shootings in Baton Rouge
• Gleason could face the death penalty, district attorney says

A 23-year-old white man arrested Tuesday was accused of killing two black men and firing on a black family in a string of attacks that police say may have been racially motivated.

A law enforcement official said they had found a copy of an Adolf Hitler speech at the home of Kenneth James Gleason, and investigators said DNA on shell casings and other evidence link him to the crimes.

Gleason was led away from the police department in handcuffs just before authorities there held a news conference to announce that he would be charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths last week of a homeless man and a dishwasher who was walking to work.

"I feel confident that this killer would have killed again," interim Police Chief Jonny Dunnam said.

Gleason's attorney, J. Christopher Alexander, said his client "vehemently denies guilt, and we look forward to complete vindication." Alexander declined to say anything else.

Authorities found a copy of the Hitler speech during a search of Gleason's home over the weekend, according to the law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

Asked whether police suspect race was a motive for the shootings, Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said: "We're not completely closed off to that. We're looking at all possibilities at this time, so we're not going to just pinpoint that."

District Attorney Hillar Moore said his office could seek the death penalty.

"It appears to be cold, calculated, planned (against) people who were unarmed and defenseless," he said. "We don't need to prove motive. There are a lot of things that are unanswered."

No one was injured when Gleason fired multiple times into the home of a black family in his neighborhood on Sept. 11, authorities said. It's not clear if Gleason knew the family.

In the other shootings, Gleason fired from his car then walked up to the victims as they were lying on the ground and fired again multiple times, police said.

Neither victim had any prior relationship with Gleason.

The first fatal shooting occurred Sept. 12 when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was shot to death.

The second happened last Thursday night when 49-year-old Donald Smart was gunned down while walking to his job as a dishwasher at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students.

The attacks came at a time when Louisiana's capital already was in the grips of a surge in violence. The number of homicides in East Baton Rouge Parish has already surpassed last year's total of 62, The Advocate newspaper reported earlier this month.

"Baton Rouge has been through a lot of turmoil in the last year. Has there not been a swift conclusion to this case, I feel confident that this killer probably would have killed again," the police chief said. "He could have potentially created a tear in the fabric that holds this community together."

Racial tensions roiled the city in the summer of 2016 when a black man was shot to death by white police officers outside of a convenience store.

About two weeks later, a black gunman targeted police in an ambush, killing three officers and wounding three others before he was shot to death.

The city of about 229,000 is about 55 percent black and 40 percent white.

Gleason didn't appear to have any active social media profiles. A spokesman at Louisiana State University said a student by that name attended the university from the fall of 2013 to the fall of 2014 before withdrawing.

He had transferred to LSU from Baton Rouge Community College.

During the search of Gleason's home, authorities also found 9 grams of marijuana and vials of human growth hormone, according to a police document.

VETERANS WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY NOT BEING HIRED, ESPECIALLY MANY BLACK MALE VETS (AGE 50+), VET DISCRIMINATION

VETERANS WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY NOT BEING HIRED, ESPECIALLY MANY BLACK MALE VETS (AGE 50+):

VET DISCRIMINATION IS RAMPANT YET OFTEN IGNORED.

JOBLESS AND HOMELESS REMAINS THE PLIGHT OF MANY HONORABLE US MILITARY VETS........THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.

NON-PROFIT AGENCIES ARE NOT USING FEDERAL MONEY TO ASSIST BLACK MALE US MILITARY HONORABLE VETS.

JOBS FOR HARDWORKING, RELIABLE VETS ARE GOING TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND UNSKILLED WORKERS.

YET COMPANIES ARE STILL RECEIVING FEDERAL MONEY TO HIRE VETS WHEN THEY ARE REALLY NOT HIRING VETS.

AND MANY COMPANIES WHO DO HIRE VETS PAY THEM VERY LOW WAGES.

WHERE ARE THE FEDERAL AUDITS FOR EMPLOYERS AND NON-PROFIT VETERANS' AGENCIES??


Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics



****** Employment Situation of Veterans Summary

For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Wednesday, March 22, 2017



~ EMPLOYMENT SITUATION OF VETERANS -- 2016

The unemployment rate for veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time since September 2001--a group referred to as Gulf War-era II veterans--
edged down to 5.1 percent in 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

The jobless rate for all veterans also edged down over the year to 4.3 percent.

About 36 percent of Gulf War-era II veterans had a service-connected disability in August 2016, compared with 22 percent of all veterans.

This information was obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 households that provides data on employment and
unemployment in the United States.

Data about veterans are collected monthly in the CPS; these monthly data are the source of the 2016 annual averages presented in this
news release.

In August 2016, a supplement to the CPS collected additional information about veterans on topics such as service-connected disability and veterans' current or past Reserve or National Guard membership. Information from the supplement is also presented in this release.

The supplement was co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs and by the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service.

For more information, see the Technical Note, which provides definitions of terms used in this release.


Highlights from the 2016 data:

--The unemployment rate for male veterans overall was not statistically different from the rate for female veterans in 2016.

The unemployment rate for male veterans (4.2 percent) edged down over the year, and the rate for female veterans (5.0 percent) changed little.

--Among the 453,000 unemployed veterans in 2016, 60 percent were age 45 and over,
36 percent were age 25 to 44, and 4 percent were age 18 to 24.

--Veterans with a service-connected disability had an unemployment rate of 4.8 percent in August 2016, about the same as veterans with no disability (4.7 percent).

--Nearly 1 in 3 employed veterans with a service-connected disability worked in the public sector in August 2016, compared with about 1 in 5 veterans with no
disability.

--In 2016, the unemployment rate of veterans varied across the country, ranging from 1.8 percent in Indiana to 7.6 percent in the District of Columbia.


The Veteran Population:

In 2016, 20.9 million men and women were veterans, accounting for about 9 percent of the civilian noninstitutional population age 18 and over.

About 10 percent of all veterans were women. In the survey, veterans are defined as men and women who have previously
served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and who were civilians at the time these data were collected.

Veterans are more likely to be men than nonveterans and also tend to be older.

In part, this reflects the characteristics of veterans who served during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era, all of whom are now over 55 years old.

Veterans who served during these wartime periods accounted for 41 percent (8.5 million) of the total veteran population in 2016. Just over one-third of veterans (7.3 million) served during Gulf War era I (August 1990 to August 2001) or Gulf War
era II (September 2001 forward). Another quarter (5.2 million) served outside the designated wartime periods.


Gulf War-era II Veterans:

In 2016, there were 3.9 million veterans who had served during Gulf War era II (September 2001 forward).

Eighteen percent of these veterans were women, compared
with about 4 percent of veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era.

Seventy-one percent of all Gulf War-era II veterans were between the ages of 25
and 44.

Among Gulf War-era II veterans, the unemployment rate for men was not statistically different from the rate for women in 2016.

The unemployment rates for both men (5.0
percent) and women (5.6 percent) were little changed from the prior year.

The unemployment rate for male Gulf War-era II veterans (5.0 percent) was little different than the rate for male nonveterans (4.8 percent) in 2016.

Among men age 25 to 34, Gulf War-era II veterans had a higher unemployment rate (6.6 percent) than did nonveterans (4.9 percent).

For the other age groups, unemployment rates of male Gulf
War-era II veterans and nonveterans were not statistically different.

Among women, the unemployment rate for Gulf War-era II veterans (5.6 percent) was not statistically different from the rate for nonveterans (4.6 percent) in 2016.

By age, unemployment rates for female Gulf War-era II veterans and nonveterans were not statistically different.

Employed Gulf War-era II veterans were about twice as likely to work in the public sector in 2016 as employed nonveterans--28 percent and 13 percent, respectively.

Among the employed, 16 percent of Gulf War-era II veterans worked for the federal government, compared with 2 percent of nonveterans.

In August 2016, 48 percent of Gulf War-era II veterans reported serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both locations.

These veterans had an unemployment rate of 4.8
percent, not statistically different from Gulf War-era II veterans who served elsewhere (6.0 percent).

Gulf War-era I Veterans:

Of the 3.4 million veterans who served during Gulf War era I (August 1990 to August 2001), 15 percent were women. Nearly all (98 percent) Gulf War-era I veterans were
age 35 and over in 2016, compared with half of Gulf War-era II veterans.

In 2016, the unemployment rate for male Gulf War-era I veterans was 3.5 percent, lower
than the rate for their Gulf War-era II veteran counterparts (5.0 percent).

The difference in the unemployment rates reflects, at least in part, the older age profile
of veterans who served during Gulf War era I. Younger people--whether veterans or nonveterans--tend to have higher unemployment rates.

Among women, the rates for Gulf
War-era I veterans (4.2 percent) and Gulf War-era II veterans (5.6 percent) were not statistically different.


Veterans of Other Service Periods:

In 2016, 5.2 million veterans had served on active duty during "other service periods," mainly between the Korean War and the Vietnam era and between the Vietnam era and Gulf
War era I.

All veterans from this period of service were 40 years or older at the time of the survey.

Twenty-six percent of these veterans were age 45 to 54 in 2016, another 34 percent were age 55 to 64, and another 39 percent were age 65 and over.

In 2016, 1 in 10 veterans of other service periods were women. Among veterans of other service periods, the unemployment rate for men was 4.1 percent, little different than
the rate for women (4.9 percent).


Veterans with a Service-connected Disability:

In August 2016, about 4.6 million veterans, or 22 percent of the total, had a service- connected disability.

Veterans with a service-connected disability are assigned a
disability rating by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Department of Defense.

Ratings range from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percentage points, depending on the severity of the condition.

The unemployment rate for veterans with a service-connected disability was 4.8 percent in August 2016, about the same as veterans with no disability (4.7 percent).

The labor force participation rate for veterans with a service-connected disability (46.4 percent)
was lower than the rate for veterans with no disability (50.7 percent).

Among veterans with a service-connected disability, 30 percent had a disability rating of less than 30 percent, while another 37 percent had a rating of 60 percent or higher.

In August 2016, veterans with a service-connected disability rating of less than 30 percent were much more likely to be in the labor force than those with a rating of 60
percent or higher (54.7 percent and 29.9 percent, respectively).

The unemployment rate For veterans with a disability rating of less than 30 percent was 4.4 percent, not
statistically different than for those with a disability rating of 60 percent or higher (3.8 percent).

Among veterans who served during Gulf War era II, 36 percent (1.4 million) had a service-connected disability.

Of these, 76.0 percent were in the labor force in August 2016, lower than the 86.6 percent for veterans from this period with no service- connected disability.

Among Gulf War-era II veterans, the unemployment rate for those with a service-connected disability was 5.4 percent, little different from those with no disability (5.7 percent).

In August 2016, about a quarter (901,000) of veterans who served during Gulf War era I had a service-connected disability. Their labor force participation rate (64.0 percent)
was lower than the rate for veterans from the era who did not have a disability (86.7
percent).

The unemployment rate for Gulf War-era I veterans with a service-connected disability (5.3 percent) was not statistically different than that for Gulf War-era I
veterans without a service-connected disability (4.2 percent).

Among the 1.6 million veterans with a service-connected disability from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era, 14.1 percent were in the labor force in August
2016 , lower than the 25.3 percent of veterans from these periods who did not have a
service-connected disability.

The unemployment rate of veterans with a disability from these wartime periods was 3.7 percent, about the same as their counterparts with no disability (3.8 percent).

About 669,000 or 13 percent of veterans who served during other service periods reported a service-connected disability in August 2016.

The labor force participation rate for these veterans (37.8 percent) was lower than their counterparts without a
service-connected disability (50.3 percent), while the unemployment rate was not statistically different for veterans with a service-connected disability (2.0 percent)
and those with no disability (4.8 percent).

Regardless of period of service, many veterans with a service-connected disability worked in the public sector. In August 2016, 31 percent of employed veterans with a
disability worked in federal, state, or local government, compared with 19 percent of
veterans with no disability and 13 percent of nonveterans. In particular, 20 percent of employed veterans with a disability worked for the federal government, compared
with 7 percent of veterans with no disability and 2 percent of nonveterans.


Reserve and National Guard Membership:

In August 2016, about one-third of Gulf War-era veterans (August 1990 to present) were current or past members of the Reserve or National Guard.

Labor force participation rates were higher for veterans who were current or past members of the Reserve or
National Guard (83.6 percent), compared with veterans who were never members (80.6
percent).
Among Gulf War-era veterans, those who were current or past members of the Reserve or National Guard had an unemployment rate (4.0 percent) that was not
statistically different than those who had never been members (5.6 percent).

KENNEKA JENKINS IS MURDERED YET MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL REMAINS SILENT (BUT HE SCREAMED FOR DACA)

#RAHMEMANUEL

KENNEKA JENKINS WAS MURDERED YET CHICAGO MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL REMAINS SILENT:

HOW IRONIC RAHM SPOKE UP LOUD FOR DACA DREAMERS BUT KEEPS HIS MOUTH SHUT FOR KENNEKA.

PERHAPS IF KENNEKA WERE LATINO RAHM WOULD CARE.

WHAT A SHAME BLACK VOTERS ARE BEING REPLACED AND NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE, NOT EVEN BLACK LEADERS.

#KENNEKA


Sources: Chicago Tribune, CBS News



**** What we still don't know about Kenneka Jenkins' freezer death — despite what's on social media



Nearly three days after Kenneka Jenkins was found dead inside a walk-in freezer in a Rosemont hotel, police have said very little about what happened to the 19-year-old.

No cause of death has been released and police won't say if there were signs of trauma on her body when it was discovered early Sunday morning at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Yet that has not kept thousands and thousands of online commenters from accusing and making threats against people they think set Jenkins up and then attacked her. "The day of punishment will come," one person posted, though police have not even said whether a crime has been committed.

Much of the speculation is based on a livestream video that was apparently broadcast from a hotel room shortly before Jenkins disappeared.

The video — which has gotten more than 4 million views — features a woman in mirrored sunglasses talking to the camera. Reflected in her glasses is the other side of the room, where Jenkins appears to be sitting.

The video has been shared more than 53,000 times and has drawn nearly 35,000 comments. Some viewers claim to hear her cry for help, others hear someone say she is being attacked.

But words are often garbled or obscured by music or other people talking. The images reflected in the woman's sunglasses appear clear at times, but it's still hard to tell what exactly Jenkins is doing.

Investigators say they have been reviewing the Facebook video as well as surveillance video, and have been talking with people who were in the room. But they have said very little so far about what they have found.

Here is a timeline of events that unfolded over the weekend at the hotel, as disclosed by family and police, followed by what we do not know about the case.

Yet that has not kept thousands and thousands of online commenters from accusing and making threats against people they think set Jenkins up and then attacked her. "The day of punishment will come," one person posted, though police have not even said whether a crime has been committed.

Much of the speculation is based on a livestream video that was apparently broadcast from a hotel room shortly before Jenkins disappeared. The video — which has gotten more than 4 million views — features a woman in mirrored sunglasses talking to the camera. Reflected in her glasses is the other side of the room, where Jenkins appears to be sitting.

The video has been shared more than 53,000 times and has drawn nearly 35,000 comments. Some viewers claim to hear her cry for help, others hear someone say she is being attacked.
But words are often garbled or obscured by music or other people talking.

The images reflected in the woman's sunglasses appear clear at times, but it's still hard to tell what exactly Jenkins is doing.

Investigators say they have been reviewing the Facebook video as well as surveillance video, and have been talking with people who were in the room. But they have said very little so far about what they have found.

Here is a timeline of events that unfolded over the weekend at the hotel, as disclosed by family and police, followed by what we do not know about the case.

• 12:48 a.m. Sunday. Jenkins is pronounced dead, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. The cause of death remains undetermined after an autopsy the next day, pending further studies and investigation.

• Around 5 a.m. Sunday. Martin is allowed to see her daughter's body. She says the body had been removed from the freezer, which appeared to have been defrosted. “Her hair had soaking water up on there," she told reporters.

What We Don't Know

• What Jenkins was doing between the time she left home at 11:30 p.m. Friday and the time the video began around 1:35 a.m. Saturday.

• Who was in the hotel room. Police have not said how many were in the room and whether Jenkins knew all or most of them.

• What witnesses have told police about what went on in the room. Do they contradict each other?

Jenkins' mother has said her friends’ stories about what happened have changed. Is anyone considered a suspect?

• Whether Jenkins left alone or with someone, and whether anyone else was with her at the front desk.

• Who finally found Jenkins? How? Police have not said whether video shows her entering the freezer or whether there was anyone with her.

• We don't know how Jenkins died or whether there were signs of trauma. Jenkins' family said they were initially told by police that Jenkins apparently let herself into the freezer while drunk and died inside.

But a police spokesman said on Monday that nothing has been ruled out.

The medical examiner's office says the cause of death remains undetermined pending further studies and investigation.

• Police initially said the freezer was running at the time, but a spokesman later appeared to back off that comment.

It's also unknown whether there was a lever inside that would have allowed Jenkins to get out.

HURRICANE IRMA TARGETED ORLANDO, FL (MOSTLY BLACK POPULATION), JUST AS KATRINA TARGETED NEW ORLEANS (MOSTLY BLACK POPULATION)

HURRICANE IRMA TARGETED ORLANDO, FL (MOSTLY BLACK POPULATION:

JUST AS KATRINA TARGETED NEW ORLEANS (MOSTLY BLACK POPULATION).

THOUSANDS OF BLACK PEOPLE HAD TO EVACUATE FLORIDA.

JUST AS THOUSANDS OF BLACK PEOPLE HAD TO EVACUATE NEW ORLEANS IN 2005 DURING HURRICANE KATRINA.

MANY OF NEW ORLEANS BLACK POPULATION WERE NOT ALLOWED TO MOVE BACK AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA.


Sources: AP, Orlando Sentinel, NY Times, Washington Post


****** Hurricane Irma leaves trail of downed trees, high water, power outages in Florida


Hurricane Irma battered the Florida Keys and South Florida, swiped the Tampa area and unexpectedly targeted Orlando at the last moment late Sunday, bringing hours of rain and strong winds that left about 6.5 million homes and businesses without power and 200,000 people in shelters.

At least two people were killed during the storm in Orange County. About 900,000 homes and businesses were still without power Monday night in five Central Florida counties, and residents came outside after hours indoors to find downed trees blocking streets and damaging homes and cars.

And about 4 a.m. Monday, a lake in west Orange County’s Orlo Vista neighborhood overflowed leading to flooding. Orange County firefighters and members of the National Guard pulled more than 200 people from 500 homes and took them to local shelters.

“How are we going to survive from here?” asked Gwen Bush, a resident who walked through thigh-deep floodwaters. “What's going to happen now? I just don't know.”

No injuries were reported in the neighborhood.

In South Florida, Gov. Rick Scott said he saw boats washed ashore and flood damage when he flew over the Florida Keys Monday. He did not know whether there were casualties, but said he hoped everyone who did not evacuate survived the storm.

“The Keys right now,” Scott said, “not having water, not having sewer, not having electricity, I mean, how can you live there?”
“Marathon was completely underwater,” said state Rep. Holly Raschein, R-Key Largo. “Cudjoe Key took a direct hit; we’re still having problems communicating there. Flooding on Big Pine.

It’s pretty widespread. The good thing is a lot of people did evacuate, so we’re seeing a bad situation that could have been worse.”

Tampa and St. Petersburg were spared the damage some meteorologists feared when the storm did not hug the state’s gulf coast, and instead headed closer inland.

The National Weather Service recorded maximum wind gusts of 79 mph at Orlando International Airport, and gusts of 83 mph in Cocoa Beach.

The higher winds brought damage to Central Florida.
Edgardo Plaza, 53, looked out from the seawall where his sailboat was docked at SunDance Marine in Palm Shores, Brevard County. He could see only the mast and ropes dangling. The ocean had buried the rest of the vessel.

"I checked on it last night, and it seemed fine," he said perched atop wood and metal debris along the harbor. "I can't believe it."
The damage was only an ounce of what Brevard County saw during Hurricane Irma, which left many without electricity and nearly half of the county’s 579,000 residents without running water.

About 80 percent of Polk County was without power, including shelters. Polk County officials warned drivers of potentially dangerous downed power lines.

In nearby Lake County, firefighters in Clermont rescued a 23-year-old man who was crushed in bed when a tree fell through his roof, police Sgt. Malcolm Draper said. During a lull in the storm at 1:45 a.m., when sustained winds were higher than 50 mph and gusting to 90 mph, firefighters hurried to the home and lifted the tree from the man.

Fire Chief Carle Bishop drove the man to South Lake Hospital, where authorities quickly realized he needed surgery but no doctor was available. Police officers went to a doctor’s home and drove him to the hospital, where the man successfully underwent surgery for internal injuries. He is in stable condition, Draper said.

More than 30 people were rescued in Volusia County during Hurricane Irma on Sunday night and Monday morning.

Volusia County Manager Jim Dinneen said the west side of the county and Beach Street in Daytona Beach sustained the most damage, particularly downed trees.

“In the end, if we all work together we can all guarantee a safe return to normalcy,” he said.

The biggest hurdle will be restoring power, he said. More than 220,000 customers in Volusia County were without power as of Monday afternoon, according to Florida Emergency Management.

As the day went on and winds quieted, people across Central Florida tried to return to normal. Against advice, some left their homes — 24 people were arrested on charges of curfew violations in Orange County , including three on burglary charges. Others just got out of the house — a person in an inflatable T-Rex costume and black flip-flops found a tree blocking an Orlando road and climbed onto it as people nearby filmed with their cell phones.

Schools are still closed Tuesday. Most curfews were lifted by Monday afternoon, though Mount Dora instituted another one from Monday night to 6 a.m. Tuesday because of a power line down.

Robert and Maria Gonzalez said they looked outside their Kissimmee home overnight in the night and saw flood waters almost up to the front door. The water looked like a lake — and they joked they didn't know they'd gotten a lake house.

"We were thinking, 'Please don't come in,'" Maria Gonzalez said.

The couple and their 10-year-old son had seen images of residents stranded because of flooding in Houston after Hurricane Harvey weeks before. They feared they could end up in the same situation.

Water seeped into their garage on Town & Country Drive, but they found no damage. Water had begun to recede midday Monday, but still not enough they would risk driving their van through it, they said.

Despite curfews and hazardous debris blocking off streets, local highways across counties in Central Florida were used all day Monday. Florida Highway Patrol troopers were pulling over drivers who refused to follow road laws at intersections where traffic lights were still out.

FHP spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said drivers should exercise additional caution until road conditions return to normal, which could take some time.

One fatality in the storm was a car crash: Heidi Zehner, 50, died after losing control of an SUV on State Road 417 Sunday evening as the storm approached. The other, Brian Buwalda, 51, was apparently electrocuted at Leith and Westchester avenues in Winter Park by a downed power line Monday morning.

The University of Central Florida offered to house up to 1,000 National Guard members and 250 of their vehicles on campus as recovery continues, a university spokeswoman said.

Saturday’s UCF football game against Georgia Tech was canceled Monday.

In Seminole County, the driver of a van accidentally drove head first into a sinkhole that opened in the parking lot of the Astor Park apartments off Tuskawilla Road near Red Bug Road.

The driver, who was not injured, was pulled out of the vehicle from the back window of the van by a resident Good Samaritan.
Jeff Lane was out walking his dog on Monday morning in his neighborhood near Aloma Avenue and SR 417.

Overnight, a wind gust tore his kitchen skylight open.

"I threw some blankets down and grabbed a storage crate to catch the water," he said. "It's not too bad."
He said the sound of the storm reminded him of Charley in 2004.

"We were without power for three weeks after Charley," he said. "Hopefully it won't be that long."

HURRICANE HARVEY TARGETED HOUSTON, TX (MOSTLY BLACK POPULATION) JUST AS KATRINA TARGETED NEW ORLEANS (MOSTLY BLACK POPULATION)

HURRICANE HARVEY TARGETED HOUSTON, TX (MOSTLY BLACK POPULATION:

JUST AS KATRINA TARGETED NEW ORLEANS (MOSTLY BLACK POPULATION)

THOUSANDS OF BLACK PEOPLE HAD TO EVACUATE TEXAS.

JUST AS THOUSANDS OF BLACK PEOPLE HAD TO EVACUATE NEW ORLEANS IN 2005 DURING HURRICANE KATRINA.

MANY OF NEW ORLEANS BLACK POPULATION WERE NOT ALLOWED TO MOVE BACK AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA.


Sources: AP, Black America Web, NY Times, Washington Post


******* Tropical Storm Harvey Leaves Houston Underwater


Tropical Storm Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into the nation’s fourth-largest city Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.

The incessant rain covered much of Houston in turbid, gray-green water and turned streets into rivers navigable only by boat. In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, airboats buzzed across submerged neighborhoods and high-wheeled vehicles plowed through water-logged intersections. Some people managed with kayaks or canoes or swam.

Volunteers joined emergency teams to pull people from their homes or from the water, which was high enough in places to gush into second floors.

The flooding was so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas. They urged people to get on top of their homes to avoid becoming trapped in attics and to wave sheets or towels to draw attention to their location.

Judging from federal disaster declarations, the storm has so far affected about a quarter of the Texas population, or 6.8 million people in 18 counties. It was blamed for at least two deaths.

As the water rose, the National Weather Service offered another ominous forecast: Before the storm that arrived Friday as a Category 4 hurricane is gone, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50 inches (1.3 meters) of rain.

That would be the highest amount ever recorded in Texas.
Some areas have already received about half that amount. Since Thursday, South Houston recorded nearly 25 inches (63 centimeters), and the suburbs of Santa Fe and Dayton got 27 inches (69 centimeters).

“The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before,” the National Weather Service said in a statement.

Average rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches (1 meter) for Houston, weather service meteorologist Patrick Burke said.

The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, predicted that the aftermath of the storm would require FEMA’s involvement for years.

“This disaster’s going to be a landmark event,” Long said.
Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves.

Tom Bartlett and Steven Craig pulled a rowboat on a rope through chest-deep water for a mile to rescue Bartlett’s mother from her home in west Houston. It took them 45 minutes to reach the house. Inside, the water was halfway up the walls.

Marie Bartlett, 88, waited in her bedroom upstairs.

“When I was younger, I used to wish I had a daughter, but I have the best son in the world,” she said. “In my 40 years here, I’ve never seen the water this high.”

The city’s main convention center was quickly opened as a shelter.

Gillis Leho arrived there soaking wet. She said she awoke Sunday to find her downstairs flooded. She tried to move some belongings upstairs, then grabbed her grandchildren.

“When they told us the current was getting high, we had to bust a window to get out,” Leho said.

William Cain sought shelter after water started coming inside his family’s apartment and they lost power. “I live in a lake where there was once dry land,” he said.

Some people used inflatable beach toys, rubber rafts and even air mattresses to get through the water to safety. Others waded while carrying trash bags stuffed with their belongings and small animals in picnic coolers.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities had received more than 2,000 calls for help, with more coming in. He urged drivers to stay off roads to avoid adding to the number of those stranded.

“I don’t need to tell anyone this is a very, very serious and unprecedented storm,” Turner told a news conference. “We have several hundred structural flooding reports. We expect that number to rise pretty dramatically.”

The deteriorating situation was bound to provoke questions about the conflicting advice given by the governor and Houston leaders before the hurricane. Gov. Greg Abbott urged people to flee from Harvey’s path, but the Houston mayor issued no evacuation orders and told everyone to stay home.

The governor refused to point fingers on Sunday.

“Now is not the time to second-guess the decisions that were made,” Abbott, a Republican, said at a news conference in Austin. “What’s important is that everybody work together to ensure that we are going to, first, save lives and, second, help people across the state rebuild.”

The mayor, a Democrat, defended his decision, saying there was no way to know which parts of the city were most vulnerable.

“If you think the situation right now is bad, and you give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare,” Turner said, citing the risks of sending the city’s 2.3 million inhabitants onto the highways at the same time.

Jesse Gonzalez, and his son, also named Jesse, used their boat to rescue people from a southeast Houston neighborhood.

Asked what he had seen, the younger Gonzalez replied: “A lot of people walking and a lot of dogs swimming.”

“It’s chest- to shoulder-deep out there in certain areas,” he told television station KTRK as the pair grabbed a gasoline can to refill their boat.

The Coast Guard deployed five helicopters and asked for additional aircraft from New Orleans.

The White House announced that President Donald Trump would visit Texas on Tuesday.

He met Sunday by teleconference with top administration officials to discuss federal support for response and recovery efforts.

The rescues unfolded a day after Harvey settled over the Texas coastline. The system weakened Saturday to a tropical storm.

On Sunday, it was virtually stationary about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Victoria, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of about 40 mph (72.42 kph), the hurricane center said.
Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961’s Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.