What would you do if you had to report child abuse?

Do you have a friend who needs to know how to report abuse or neglect?

Sometimes, youth workers just need to know what to do first — what to look for, what to ask about, what to steer clear of in the early hours of a crisis. Right now, this one is free. Crisis HelpSheets | Square One in a Crisis https://buff.ly/2p1201i

On Hearsay, On the White House Driveway

 A Press Gaggle Joined in Progress

...and this ... what? — "reporter?" ... "analyst?" ... "subject matter expert? ... I don't know folks ... This person we never heard of claims that it "rained" ... but she was a thousand miles away at the time of the alleged "precipitation." A thousand miles away … maybe more.

All she has to go on, really, is secondhand sources who — she says — say it rained. So you'll ask her, "Did you get wet when it rained?" and she will have to say, "No, I did not get wet when it rained," which — doesn't that ... honestly — she doesn't know, folks ... she doesn't KNOW! It's all second-hand... She doesn't know.

So, we have to ask, "What is her interest in pushing this rain story?" What does she have to gain — what's in it for her? Her defenders say, "But she has people and measuring devices on the ground where the rainfall occurred." To which we have to ask, "Why?" Why would she have people in a place she doesn't live? Why does she need so-called "measuring devices" more than a thousand miles away? What is she up to? Something, that I can tell you. I don't know….

And she says -- get this -- she says "It rained there overnight" ...  "overnight?" I don't know, I was asleep, but I'm told it was completely dry outside. We have a thing called "Street lights," OK? And I have "people" of my own, and they tell me it not rain overnight. If you looked out your window when she says it was raining, know what you would have seen? Nothing. Street lights illuminating beautiful dry pavement ... dry sidewalks, dry everything.

"Oh, but she's a 'Meteorologist' they say. A "Meteorologist" ... I don't know if she has any firsthand knowledge about meteors, but she sure as hell doesn't know anything about rain, that I can tell you.

So, you tell me. Do you suppose it could be raining and not raining at the same time? I don't think so.

Another — and no one wants to talk about this — there's a story that she's trying to make it rain … maybe even actually making it rain in something called "local showers" ... I've — have you heard of local showers? I don't know, folks. What we have is a nasty woman getting rich while other people get wet — if we can believe her story ... which, by the way is all based on secondhand sources... It's all secondhand. We're going to be looking into that, that I can tell you. We're looking at a lot things, so we'll see what happens. But this whole -- I call it a "fake weather" thing — is just sad. I'll be releasing a detailed report on it in about four weeks ... three, maybe four, weeks.

OK, thanks everyone. You can all shout questions at my back while I walk away.

Lesson for the Ages

Teach your children

It is prudent to anticipate that someone 

who lies about most everything may be 

expected to lie about most anything.

Read It Yourself | Whistleblower’s Letter to US Congress dated 08.12.19, made public 09.26.19

Here is a searchable PDF of the August 12, 2019 letter from the "Whistleblower" — at this writing not identified — to the chairs of the US Senate and House Intelligence Committees.

The original file, publicly available from a variety of sources, came from The Washington Post, here. 

The optical character recognition function in PDF Editor 6 Pro converted the scanned image to a searchable PDF. No translation errors have been identified.

For Those About to Vote, We Salute You.

Today of all days, if you're happy with what's going on ... or if you're not ... register to vote. Check and update your status. 

When the time comes, you don't have to vote, but you can't vote if you’re not registered. 

REGISTER.ROCKTHEVOTE.COM

Rock the Vote

You can't vote unless you register. Register to vote using our quick and easy online voter registration tool.

Still standing with students for Climate Protection

I stand with the students striking for Climate Protection.

April 22, 1970, I skipped high school to take part in the first Earth Day teach-in at the university in my home town. There were thousands of us on the lawn in front of the library, eager to learn and eager to act. 

We weren’t the only ones. 

In July that year, President Nixon filed the executive order that created the Environmental Protection Agency and laid the groundwork of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency. 

The Clean Air Act of 1963 was extended and expanded to set national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants. The Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Act, the Environment Quality Improvement Act, the Clean Water Act were all signed that year. 

Much more followed, to the benefit of the real economy and the health of the nation. Over the next few years, we saw dramatic turnarounds in air and water quality in disaster zones like Southern California and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania … meaning we could literally see the positive changes in the environment and see the positive impact on public health costs.

It was an important start.

Today, the evidence-based macro- and micro-ecological sciences are clearer than ever about what we need to do for ourselves, our children, our children’s children….

The striking students, unlike many of their parents and grandparents, are open to learning and action … they are, after all, students. They take seriously the ancient wisdom: "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example…" 

I stand with the young, and with many in my own generation, determined not to let anyone look down on us because we’re old … but to be an example of openness to learning and action for the common good.

You may say I’m a dreamer; but I’m not the only one.

raising children is not all it’s cracked up to be [updated]

Raising Adults 
Because raising children is not all it’s cracked up to be, is it…. 

Now available for download at NoiseTrade by Paste

A nice thing about NoiseTrade is that you can pay what you can afford — from “I need this book and I’m going to download it even though I don’t have an extra cent right now” ... to “This book is prices way too low and I’m going to pay what it would cost to put my name on a new computer science building at my alma mater.”

Most of us buying books on NoiseTrade fall somewhere between those extremes.

Because I Said So :: 10 Things I Never Say to Kids + What I Say Instead :: Thing 03 Available Now

Because I Said So :: 10 Things I Never Say to Kids :: Why I Stopped + What I Say Instead

Thing 03 Available Now at NoiseTrade  

This 10 Things Single is about how we run to risk of setting children up for abusers if we teach them that the demands of parents and other adults with authority doesn’t need to be reasonable, fair, consistent — or ever subject to review or negotiation.

I get it: sometimes swift obedience is necessary for protecting life and limb. Do you get that that’s best accomplished when children come to believe we will never make unreasonable demands simply because we can?

This is one of 10 Things I Never Say to Kids :: Why I Stopped + What I Say Instead. It’s adapted from the book Ten Things We Should Never Say to Kids.

Turnabout is fair play for American Evangelicals

From two years ago, today, an update that has aged distressingly well.

Jim Hancock

August 12, 2017 · 

I have an American Muslim friend — an imam — who is constantly challenged by White Americans to disavow ISIS — which he has done, over and over, without any prompting from people outside his religion, from the moment ISIS raised its ugly head. 

Perhaps turnabout is fair play. Perhaps every White American preacher should disavow White nationalism from the pulpit this weekend and every weekend until everyone gets the message: There is no place for White nationalism in a church that follows Jesus. #nojokeproject #NoWhiteNationalism

Again....

Lament . Resist . Vote . Repeat

Read it yourself. House Resolution "Condemning President Trump's racist comments directed at Members of Congress"

..................................................................... 

(Original Signature of Member)

116th Congress1st Session

H. RES. ________

Condemning President Trump’s racist comments directed at Members of

Congress.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Mr. MALINOWSKI submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the

Committee on_____________

RESOLUTION

Condemning President Trump’s racist comments directed at 

Members of Congress.

Whereas the Founders conceived America as a haven of ref- uge for people fleeing from religious and political perse- cution, and Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison all emphasized that the Nation gained as it attracted new people in search of freedom and liveli- hood for their families;

Whereas the Declaration of Independence defined America as a covenant based on equality, the unalienable Rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and government by the consent of the people;

Whereas Benjamin Franklin said at the Constitutional con- vention, ‘‘When foreigners after looking about for some other Country in which they can obtain more happiness, give a preference to ours, it is a proof of attachment which ought to excite our confidence and affection’’;

Whereas President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, ‘‘Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists’’;

Whereas immigration of people from all over the Earth has defined every stage of American history and propelled our social, economic, political, scientific, cultural, artistic and technological progress as a people, and all Americans, ex- cept for the descendants of Native people and enslaved African-Americans, are immigrants or descendants of im- migrants;

Whereas the commitment to immigration and asylum has been not a partisan cause but a powerful national value that has infused the work of many Presidents;

Whereas American patriotism is defined not by race or eth- nicity but by devotion to the Constitutional ideals of equality, liberty, inclusion, and democracy and by service to our communities and struggle for the common good;

Whereas President John F. Kennedy, whose family came to the United States from Ireland, stated in his 1958 book ‘‘A Nation of Immigrants’’ that ‘‘The contribution of im- migrants can be seen in every aspect of our national life. We see it in religion, in politics, in business, in the arts, in education, even in athletics and entertainment. There is no part of our nation that has not been touched by our immigrant background. Everywhere immigrants have en- riched and strengthened the fabric of American life.’’;

Whereas President Ronald Reagan in his last speech as President conveyed ‘‘An observation about a country which I love’’;

Whereas as President Reagan observed, the torch of Lady Liberty symbolizes our freedom and represents our herit- age, the compact with our parents, our grandparents, and our ancestors, and it is the Statue of Liberty and its val- ues that give us our great and special place in the world;

Whereas other countries may seek to compete with us, but in one vital area, as ‘‘a beacon of freedom and opportunity that draws the people of the world, no country on Earth comes close’’;

Whereas it is the great life force of ‘‘each generation of new Americans that guarantees that America’s triumph shall continue unsurpassed’’ through the 21st century and be- yond and is part of the ‘‘magical, intoxicating power of America’’;
Whereas this is ‘‘one of the most important sources of Amer- ica’s greatness: we lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people -- our strength -- from every country and every corner of the world, and by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation’’;

Whereas ‘‘thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we’re a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge’’, always leading the world to the next fron- tier;

Whereas this openness is vital to our future as a Nation, and ‘‘if we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leader- ship in the world would soon be lost’’; and

Whereas President Donald Trump’s racist comments have le- gitimized fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color: Now, therefore, be it

1. 1  Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
   
   
2. 2  (1) believes that immigrants and their descend-
   
   
3. 3  ants have made America stronger, and that those
   
   
4. 4  who take the oath of citizenship are every bit as
   
   
5. 5  American as those whose families have lived in the
   
   
6. 6  United States for many generations;
   
   
7. 7  (2) is committed to keeping America open to
   
   
8. 8  those lawfully seeking refuge and asylum from vio-
   
   
9. 9  lence and oppression, and those who are willing to
   
   
10. 10  work hard to live the American Dream, no matter
    
    
11. 11  their race, ethnicity, faith, or country of origin; and
    
    
12. 12  (3) strongly condemns President Donald
    
    
13. 13  Trump’s racist comments that have legitimized and
    
    
14. 14  increased fear and hatred of new Americans and
    
    
15. 15  people of color by saying that our fellow Americans
    
    
16. 16  who are immigrants, and those who may look to the
    
    
17. 17  President like immigrants, should ‘‘go back’’ to
    
    
18. 18  other countries, by referring to immigrants and asy-
    
    
19. 19  lum seekers as ‘‘invaders,’’ and by saying that Mem-
    
    
20. 20  bers of Congress who are immigrants (or those of
    
    
21. 21  our colleagues who are wrongly assumed to be immi-
    
    
22. 22  grants) do not belong in Congress or in the United
    
    
23. 23  States of America.
    
    [copied and pasted here by me on July 16, 2019, from: https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=6200155-House-Resolution-Condemning-Trump-Comments]

Plausible deniability for the underlying thoughts, ideas and motives driving the behaviors and policies of Donald John Trump crumbled with his affirmative declarations on July 14, 2019. The sitting president has unmasked himself as a convinced and determined racist. Every subject and friend of the United States is on notice and every citizen is on the hook for damages the chief of the executive branch is permitted to inflict going forward.