Workers Rights and Another OK City Bomb Plot?

The Teamsters Union marched on the state capitol to deliver more than 300,000 signatures calling for a vote to repeal SB 19, the state's right-to-work law championed by Republican Gov. Eric Greitens. They said they have submitted nearly three times the necessary signatures to place a vote on the ballot in Missouri. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have also decried the bill. I Guess they were losing money...

Did you know that someone was going to try to blow up a building in Oklahoma City? According to Senator James M. Inhofe (R - OK):

"This weekend the FBI, working with local law enforcement, successfully prevented a hateful act of domestic terrorism that could have mirrored the Alfred P. Murrah Building bombing of 1995. I am grateful for the service of state and federal law enforcement who not only foiled the attempted terrorist, but did so without putting the community at risk.

“I also appreciate the concerned citizens who exemplified the Oklahoma Standard—looking out for their community by sharing concerns about the alleged perpetrator. It is only by working together as a community that we can continue to prevent future instances of domestic terrorism and extremism."

I don't remember seeing this on the news.

Rep. shares article saying Charlottesville was ‘set-up’

Idaho Falls: Post Register

Idaho Falls Rep. Bryan Zollinger took to Facebook on Friday, re-posting a conspiracy theory suggesting that the tragic events in Charlottesville, Va., could have been an inside job orchestrated to smear President Donald Trump.

The post, written on a site called “The American Thinker,” is replete with wild, unevidenced claims couched in what-ifs.

“The conflagration in Charlottesville is beginning to feel like a set-up, perhaps weeks or months in the planning,” the author wrote.

In a comment, Zollinger called the blog post “completely plausible.”

Read more...

Citing Charlottesville Unrest and its Harmful Effect on Children, First Book Provides Resources for Educators Serving Kids in Need

by First Book

Washington, D.C. - August 19, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Our nation is reeling from the unrest in Charlottesville and the hateful rhetoric that is reverberating across the country. These groups and their acts of bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, Islamophobia, transphobia, and homophobia are repulsive and counter to our belief in the fundamental rights that First Book has championed as leaders in the fight for educational equity.

Among those most vulnerable to this climate of violence and terror are our nation's children, in particular, children from low-income areas, including communities of color, immigrants, rural communities, and other underserved populations. First Book stands with these communities every day, providing desperately needed educational resources and supporting the heroic educators and other caring adults who work to lift these children up. These outrageous acts of hate are not only antithetical to all we believe in, but do insidious and lasting damage to these children, families, and communities – and to all of us.

First Book is committed to supporting those working in the lives of children in need with resources to help kids and families who are struggling. First Book will shortly announce an initiative to increase the supply of books and educational resources to elevate empathy and understanding, including diverse and inclusive books, and social and emotional learning guides to help children navigate their feelings and fears.

As a tangible next step, we are making a gift of new books to educators serving children in need in the Charlottesville area and beyond to help them begin to restore a sense of normalcy. We are in continuous conversation with our more than 325,000 First Book members across the country – the largest network of educators serving children from low-income communities – as to what they need and how we can best support them during this time.

We have seen first-hand the power of stories to blunt hate, create empathy, and change lives. That is our focus. Our responsibility to these children, families, educators, and communities is unwavering. As we reach this new level of crisis in our country, we are reminded that this work – while always important – has reached a new level of urgency.

First Book transforms the lives of children in need. Through a sustainable, market-driven model, First Book is creating equal access to quality education — making everything from brand-new, high-quality books and educational resources, to sports equipment, winter coats, snacks, and more – affordable to its member network of more than 325,000 educators who exclusively serve kids in need. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 160 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families in more than 30 countries. First Book currently reaches an average of 3 million children every year and supports more than one in four of the estimated 1.3 million classrooms and programs serving children in need. With an additional 1,000 educators joining each week, First Book is the largest and fastest-growing network of educators in the United States exclusively serving kids in need.

Note to Parents from The Ponder: Please make sure you check this out thoroughly before you let your child have one of these books. It is up to you to make sure they are not instructing your child in a biased way that does not include ALL hateful rhetoric, not just one group of individuals, or one Supremacist race.

Los Angeles Police Protective League Urges Hate Groups to Stay Home

by the Los Angeles Police Protective League

Los Angeles, CA - August 19, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- In anticipation of potential rallies and demonstrations being organized by hate groups, the Los Angeles Police Protective League issued the following statement today:

"Our Constitution prescribes the right for even the vilest, repugnant, and hate-filled individuals and organizations to peacefully assemble and protest. As members of law enforcement, no matter how much we abhor and repudiate the beliefs of Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, Anti-Semites and the KKK, we are duty bound by the oaths we swore to keep the peace when these disgusting and despicable individuals congregate.

The recent events that unfolded in Charlottesville, Virginia cannot be tolerated in our country and, make no mistake, there is no moral equivalency between Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, Anti-Semites, or the KKK and those that showed up to protest against them. The tragic murder of Heather Heyer and the line-of-duty deaths of Lt. H. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke Bates should serve as stark reminders that good people, good Americans, must continue to stand up and stand for what is right and peacefully confront hate and hate-mongers.

We strongly urge any organization or individuals planning to assemble with the goal of re-creating the violence that occurred in Charlottesville, to cancel their event and stay home. We urge them to look into their souls and try to figure out where their hate is coming from and seek professional help. No one is born hating other people."

Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education.

North Korea, Manufacturing Council, Confederate Monuments

The Associated Press reports, "With corporate chieftains fleeing, President Donald Trump abruptly abolished their White House business councils on Wednesday — the latest fallout from his combative comments on racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Virginia."

"Combative Comments"? I didn't see his comments as combative at all, except when he addressed the media as "Fake News" -- which, in this case, fits.

After eight CEO's used Charlottesville as an excuse to resign the Manufacturing Council, Trump decided to just disband the whole thing. What I'd like to know is what does Charlottesville have to do with national manufacturing? Perhaps Trump needs to vet his choices before he makes them when it comes to placing them in elite key positions of influence. Personally, I don't think they got anything done by resigning.

North Korea has eased off on its Missile testing after Trump threatened them with "fire and fury". Steve Bannon claims he shouldn't make such threats since there is no military means of backing up his words. However, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis insist that should it come to a show of military strength, the U.S. is ready.

Just because Bob Corker chose to call President Trump "incompetant", the main stream news media is now saying that a bunch of lawmakers are saying he is incompetent and they are worried. They cited the words he said and micro-analyzed it to death, as usual. It is my belief that just because a person doesn't have the vocabulary that most politicians have doesn't make him incompetent. If anything, it makes him human. His humanity towards what he is working for is why Americans elected him.

Trump said, in his press conference that allowing Confederate monuments to be removed will lead to the destruction of our national monuments such as Lincoln and the Washington Memorial, and the statue of Jackson. True to his prediction:

Five Texas Democrat lawmakers are pressuring the Dallas mayor to remove Confederate monuments near City Hall and in Oaklawn.

A plaque commemorating Jefferson Davis at a state highway just west of Phoenix was tarred and covered in feathers

Colorado had a constructive way of dealing with their monument controversy.

Mayor Catherine Pugh of Baltimore, Maryland decided Tuesday to take their monuments down.

Government leaders in Kentucky's second-largest city took a decisive stand Thursday night in favor of moving two Confederate statues from their prominent places outside a former courthouse being converted into a visitors center.

In Richmond, Virginia Confederate leaders' descendants want monuments pulled down.

In Madison, Wisconsin, the mayor has ordered all the Confederate monuments removed from the cemetery.

That's just a few of the towns and cities contemplating removing these historical monuments. If they all succeed, soon we will have nothing to remind us of our grisley past. Then, we'll be right back where we started, and our children will be in danger of making the same mistakes over again.

What is going to be done with all these monuments? The Jefferson Davis estate offered to take them all. I think that's a great idea! I hope that each city considers it a viable option.

How to deal with the aftermath...

by Shonda Ponder, editor of The Ponder News

The mainstream news channels have been going non-stop on the ISIS car attacks in Barcelona. Here at The Ponder, we are not going to be covering the Barcelona attacks, except to say that the CIA warned them two months ago what was about to happen and they neglected to prepare for it. Let someone warn us here in the U.S. and watch how fast we prepare for it, whether we believe them or not. Therefore, it's as much the government's fault there as it is the criminal's for doing it, in my opinion.

I'm not trying to sound insensitive to the pain that has been inflicted on the city of Barcelona and its people. My thoughts and heartfelt prayers go up for them; but, we have problems here at home, and there is a lot that isn't being reported because the media's focus is not where it should be.

Someone last night asked me, "Why are they reporting on something that is half a world away? I want to know what is going on HERE!"

I answered him with, "Because, after Charlottesville, the media got caught with their pants down, so they are trying to distract us from that." He nodded and smiled as if to agree.

I wonder how many people are actually buying it.

Having said all that...

I was impressed by the words of Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R - UT) as I read these words from a press release he sent out:

"I was just eight years old when my older brother Jesse was killed in World War II. As I said on Saturday, Jesse didn't give his life fighting Hitler for Nazi ideas to go unchallenged here at home. I will never hesitate to speak out against hate--whenever and wherever I see it.

In the wake of this weekend's violence, our nation has some soul-searching to do. It is not a time to say "What about" but to seriously ask ourselves "What now?

The choice before us is stark: Either we succumb to the bigotry and tribalism which threaten to tear us apart--or we condemn evil in all its forms and determine to come together as one nation, one people, united under God.

I believe in the infinity capacity of the American people. And I believe that the unbreakable bonds of affection, which for so long have held us together as a nation, are stronger than the forces which seek to divide us.

Above all, I believe in the virtue of civility. While I have strived to demonstrate compassion, comity, and respect throughout my public service, I have, at various times, fallen short of the ideal. But today, I am recommitting myself to civility--and I hope you will join me in doing the same.

Civility requires that we approach debate and discourse with sound logic and new ideas, not with cardboard shields and tiki torches. It asks that we bear our beliefs proudly and in the open, not behind the cowardly anonymity of social media accounts.

The tragedy in Charlottesville calls for a moment of national renewal. Let us all resolve to change. Let us all commit to fighting hatred in our communities with love, empathy, and understanding."

Evil in all its forms. Civility. A call for ALL to resolve to change.

I can go with that, as long as that doesn't mean I have to shut up and that my point of view should be stifled and displaced just because you don't like me. Debate means being willing to listen to the other side, even though you already know you disagree, and addressing the words that come out of their mouth with respect, not insults.

I've learned a lot through my years of debating on the internet.

Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) wrote to Attorney General Jeff Sessions urging him to create an interagency task force to address the tragic increase in hate crimes that has stricken the United States. The recent outburst of violent racism and domestic terrorist activity by white supremacist organizations and individuals in Charlottesville, Virginia, has made the senators’ call for action more forceful.

“President Trump’s reluctance to quickly and directly condemn the hate, bigotry, and racism of the white supremacists and members of the Ku Klux Klan that gathered in Charlottesville was deeply alarming to us and to millions of Americans,” wrote the Senators. “In light of the horrific attack and hatred demonstrated this weekend in Charlottesville, we urge you to act quickly to address the alarming rise of hate in our country.”

That right there is lack of sufficient information, which leads me to believe that the senators in question did not listen to the press conference I heard. Instead, they heard what CNN and the Main Stream Media had to say. There should be a law against our leaders in office listening to the news on television. Instead, they should be required to converse and read what their constituents are saying.

In April, Senator Hirono joined a similar group of her colleagues to send a letter to President Trump asking for the task force; to this day, the letter has yet to be directly answered by the Administration. Although the Department of Justice has created a subcommittee focused on hate crimes, the subcommittee lacks sufficient power to effectively address the rise of hate crimes as its scope has never been defined. It's scope? You mean, should the BLM and ANTIFA groups be included in any investigations?

The letter notes that hate crime incidents have increased from 5,479 in 2014 to 5,850 in 2015, a rise of seven percent, and expresses concerns about the Administration’s recent actions to decrease funding for efforts to stop white extremism and eliminate funding for efforts dedicated to de-radicalizing neo-Nazis. The Southern Poverty Law Center found that the number of hate groups operating in the U.S. rose to 917 in 2016, an increase of 25 from 2015. In particular, anti-Muslim hate groups almost tripled in 2016.

Well, considering that the SPLC doesn't have correct information on who is a white supremacist and who isn't, I wouldn't be depending on their information in order to secure funding for anything...and if white supremacy is going to be addressed, shouldn't also black supremacy? This is the one-sided madness that needs to be stopped. This is what is causing the racial rift in our nation today. It ALL needs to stop.

In addition to the formation of the task force, the Senators’ letter urged the Attorney General to devote more resources from his department to supporting states and local communities in addressing the root causes of hate through education, community development, and cross-cultural exchanges. I'm all for that.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) released a letter in response to Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and the Democrat Members’ call for a hearing on the threat of domestic terrorism. In the letter he said:

"On September 12th, we will hold a full committee hearing and have invited the leaders of the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Counterterrorism Center to discuss the most serious threats America faces. I strongly encourage Members of both parties to engage the witnesses on the dangers posed by domestic terrorists and other extremist groups."

This should be interesting to watch.

African American Attorney on Removal of Confederate Statues: Only Way to Say ‘Never Again’ Is When You Remember

Breitbart

Marc Little came to Washington, D.C. recently in his capacity as the vice president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) think tank to talk to reporters and the public about supporting President Donald Trump’s agenda of helping inner cities through job creation, school choice, and public safety.
But the tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia, changed his plans. Little — who is also a pastor, attorney, and author who lives in Los Angeles — joined his colleagues at the National Press Club on Monday to defend Trump against attacks by the left, who blamed the president for the violent protest and counter-protest on Saturday over the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

A protester and two law enforcement officers died on Saturday, the former after the woman was hit by a car driven deliberately into the crowd, and the police after the helicopter they were riding in crashed.

“This whole idea now of pulling down statues and changing the names of schools and cities as if we can bury the cemetery of our past,” Little told Breitbart News. “You can’t.”

In fact, Little said, the past is what makes America what she is today.

Read more...

More Opinion from House Members on Charlottesville

House Representative Vicky Hartzler (R-MO, 4th) made a heartfelt statement about the violence in Charlottesville, saying, “Over the past few days America has witnessed the disturbing events in Charlottesville and the racism and violence that continues to inflict harm on our nation. It breaks my heart that today's young generation is still having to witness this unAmerican way to settle disagreements. Racism is not acceptable in our society in any form and should not be tolerated. It is one thing to have disagreements on the validity of historical monuments but violence is not the answer. It cannot be tolerated. This is not representative of America or the values that we hold dear.”

I appreciate how she refused to name either side as sole culprit. Of course, not everyone had the same view. House Representative Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL, 20th) shot back, "Today’s comments by President Trump were completely appalling. What took place in in Charlottesville was an act of domestic terrorism, not a two-sided affair." I'd like to ask Mr. Hastings if he was there at the rally, or did he speak to anyone at the rally to make this assumption. Just because there where White Nationalists present did not mean that there weren't black bigots taunting and instigating them, throwing feces, urine and spraying pepper spray.

"The President has lost all moral authority to lead this nation," he continues. It takes a lot of morals to look at both sides of an issue before deciding which bandwagon to jump on. "By continuing to stand with white supremacists promoting the abhorrent, anti-democratic ideology of inequality, injustice, and fascism, President Trump is fueling the fires of hate." Nowhere did Trump say he stood with white supremacists. What he said was that the violence was the responsibility of BOTH sides, and BOTH sides need to be held accountable (not in those exact words). "This is completely outrageous, and every single elected representative to Congress, regardless of party, must hold him to account." Go ahead, and when you do, make sure you bring the unedited version of the Youtube video in which Trump speaks to the press about Charlottesville.

House Representative Brian Higgins (D-NY, 26th) made his viewss known by saying, “Over the past several months, a regular barrage of words and actions coming from those entrusted to lead have demonstrated disrespect for women, refugees, transgender service members and others based on race. We are witnessing a dangerous and dismissive attitude toward some people as less accepted and less valued than others. This display of intolerance is hurtful to individuals and the noble principles that genuinely make our nation great.

“I am proud to call Buffalo -- the ‘City of Good Neighbors’ -- my home. As a country and as humans we could all benefit from being more neighborly. Each of us face our own struggles but they are better overcome when we are united rather than divided. Each of us bring our own strengths as individuals but we are wise to recognize we are significantly stronger together.

“Genuine leadership doesn’t embolden hate; instead, it should promote kindness and understanding. These exhausting distractions tear us apart, preventing us from working together and making real progress. We need less confrontation and more collaboration, fewer outbursts and more outcomes, and less heat and more light.”

Promoting kindness and understanding does not mean shutting out the voices of those who are different from us. It means being willing to listen to what they have to say, even if you don't like them, and finding a way to accommodate that won't hurt either side of the issue, and may even help both. THAT, Mr. Higgins, is what TRUE leadership does. Demonizing someone who thinks differently than you do doesn't do anything to help the relationship. The next step after demonization is extermination, and if you would look at history and learn from it, you will see the truth in what I have just said. But, I digress, most of those who think like you are for getting rid of any reminders of that history.

House Representative French Hill (R-AR, 2nd) condemned what happened by saying, ""During World War II, my father-in-law helped to liberate Buchenwald concentration camp. He bore witness to Nazi terror – a terror that started with an ideology of hate and superiority based upon race and creed. He and so many other Americans and Allies fought against that ideology, which was an affront to American values and continues to have no place in our civil society. I reject, in the strongest terms possible, the speech of hate and bigotry of white supremacists and others. It's repugnant and un-American. I condemn acts of domestic terror as the tools of cowards. Let's pray for civil discourse in our country, and my thoughts are with the community, those hurt, and those grieving over loss and injury."

My granddaddy was one of 300 soldiers who rode in a ship to Normandy. He fought for freedom so everyone, including his wife (who he encouraged to get her high school diploma, so she could better help with the war effort at home), could have the opportunity to better themselves and the world around them. When it came time to come home, there were only 73 men from the same ship who survived. He fought the war every day of his life since then. I would not be here today if he hadn't survived -- and I will not let his sacrifice be in vain by picking and choosing who has rights regardless of race, creed, religion, color or nationality, and that includes those who wish to preserve their heritage...even if I don't agree with their views. The First Amendment was not written for popular opinion holders.

House Representative Jim Himes (D-CT, 4th), who obviously has no idea what the President said, retorted, "White supremacy in any form has no place in our society, our politics or our civil discourse. It takes surpassing ignorance, total moral bankruptcy and a pathetic sense of entitlement to have marched with the KKK and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. Period, full stop, and I am shocked I need to say so, much less to the President of the United States.

"I condemn the violence in Charlottesville and the hateful ideology behind the late night march and the daytime rally, and I stand aghast with the rest of the nation and leaders in both parties at the President's equivocation on this fundamental principle of decency. The President betrays the ideals and legacy of the country he leads - a country which paid with the lives of millions of its people to defeat white supremacy and Nazism."

While I agree with Himes about the characterization of those who marched with the KKK, I would like to extend that same characterization to the BLM group who decided that the KKK didn't have First Amendment rights and disrupting their Freedom of Assembly, which is also a First Amendment right. As far as what he said about the President, the President did not betray anything. He is not going to condemn one without condemning the other, and he is working to make those guilty of breaking the peace accountable on BOTH sides.

Policinski: It takes great effort, restraint to defend First Amendment

Greeley Tribune

History tells us of the rise at various times in our nation of groups preaching hate and bigotry and violence, using their rights of speech, press and assembly to inflame rather than inform, incite rather than inspire and indoctrinate rather than educate. Nativists, the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and others at various times have used fear, prejudice and ignorance to flourish and gain public accommodation or support — sometimes for decades — before crawling back under the social rocks from whence they came.

It's tempting to believe if only such domestic terrorists were silenced by government, their views would dissipate; that "out of sight" truly would mean "out of mind." But such censoring, suppressing and silencing is a betrayal of our core principles — along with being ineffective and often counterproductive.

Read more...

This guy is saying what I have been saying. He gets it.

Black Lives Matter Gets Free Pass in Grand Junction, Colorado

Grand Junction Sentinel

“We have Nazis on American soil,” said Samantha Harris. “That wall of presuppositions, we all need to dismantle them otherwise we are going to head into a serious internal conflict.”

Read more...

Why are they allowing gatherings of a racist group claiming to fight racism by being racist and not allowing anyone who is different to hold a peaceful rally, thereby stomping on others Constitutional Rights? Does the Constitution matter anymore? If BLM gets a free pass, then the KKK should too.

The Ponder does not condone what the KKK stands for, or BLM. We do, however wish to see our Constitutional Rights protected, and taking it from someone else opens the door to have it taken from us.