Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Iran’s Government Must End the Violence and Allow Peaceful Protest

By Center for Human Rights in Iran




The Iranian government and state security forces should immediately end their violent crackdown on the nationwide protests that have so far led to the deaths of at least 21 people, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said in a statement yesterday.

The government must respect the Iranian people’s right to freedom of assembly and expression guaranteed under the Iranian Constitution and honor its responsibility to protect any and all of its citizens who are exercising those rights, CHRI said.

On January 2, 2018, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed the current unrest in Iran on foreign “enemies.”

“The people of Iran who are peacefully protesting are not the ‘enemy.’ Khamenei’s dismissal of the unrest as the work of ‘foreign enemies’ is a boilerplate response that ignores legitimate domestic grievances,” said Hadi Ghaemi, CHRI’s executive director.

“The rapid spread of the unrest shows just how combustible conditions have become,” added Ghaemi, “and the potential for further bloodshed is extremely worrisome.”

Since the start of the protests in the city of Mashhad on December 28, 2017, the unrest has quickly spread throughout the country. The security forces have responded with increasingly deadly violence and on January 1, 2018, Iran’s deputy interior minister for security affairs, Hossein Zolfaghari, said 400 protestors had been arrested in Tehran alone. “Ninety percent of detainees are under the age of 25 and the majority do not have any previous judicial or arrest records,” he added.

CHRI is greatly concerned about the conditions of hundreds of protestors detained throughout the country and calls for their immediate release. Iranian security forces have a longstanding history of subjecting political detainees to torture and ill-treatment.

Economic grievances, political repression and corruption are propelling an entirely new generation of protestors onto the streets, but there have been rumblings of discontent and labor protests building for many months.

“Rouhani talks of the people’s right to protest, but for years has refused to permit students, women, workers and others to voice their demands,” said Ghaemi. “It is under Rouhani’s authority to issue these permits and it is clear that patience with empty rhetoric is running out.”

CHRI urges the international community to forcefully call upon the Iranian government to guarantee the security of the protestors and their right to peaceful protest.


Veterans Learn Digital Photography Fundamentals With Wounded Warrior Project

By Wounded Warrior Project



London, OH - January 3, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Before digital photography, people had to wait forever for their photos to come back from the lab, if they came back at all. But injured veterans recently learned how to be the artist, editor, photo lab, and publisher, as they discovered the liberating creativity of digital photography.

Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) and the Thomas Media Group recently hosted a two-day program, empowering warriors to understand the advantages of digital photography and feel the power of connecting with art to help cope with the physical and mental wounds of war.

"During our second day of Project Snap class, we walked around downtown and took photos, applying what we learned about camera functions, lighting, and composing," said Angela Ross, wife of Army veteran Albert Ross. "I love taking photos, and now I have the knowledge to hone my skills."

"Our instructor gave us each a word and asked us to take photos to show our visual interpretation of the word," said Army veteran Stacey Wells. "My word was freedom."

A highlight of Project Snap for Marine Corps veteran Lindsay Linkes was connecting with other veterans. "It was interesting to see how each person viewed the outside world — capturing little moments in time through photography to tell a story. The class definitely helped me become a better photographer." Lindsay plans on using her new skills to document work projects for the custom hotrod and motorcycle business she and her husband own.

WWP program events like this give wounded warriors an opportunity to experience firsthand what is possible at social gatherings that get them out of the house and connect them with fellow service members and their communities.

"Wounded Warrior Project gives veterans the tools and resources they need to re-enter the civilian world," Lindsay said. "We have opportunities to engage with other veterans who share similar interests, but come from different branches of the military and all different walks of life."

See more headlines at The Ponder News Web Site

Help Raise Awareness for Clinical Trials

by Pancreatic Cancer Action Network



Washington, D.C. - January 3, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- January is National Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Trials Awareness Month. Thanks to the community’s participation last year, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) provided over 2,200 clinical trials searches in January – giving valuable treatment information to patients and their families. Please join us again to Demand Better. For Patients. For Survival.

Pancreatic cancer patients who participate in clinical research have better outcomes, and every treatment available today was approved through a clinical trial. This is why PanCAN strongly recommends clinical trials at diagnosis and during every treatment decision.

Learn More About Clinical Trials

Pres. Donald Trump Named Operation Rescue’s 2017 Pro-Life Person of the Year

By Operation Rescue



Washington, D.C. - January 3, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Operation Rescue is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2017 Pro-Life Person of the Year Malachi Award is Pres. Donald J. Trump.

The Malachi Award is given by Operation Rescue every year to recognize individuals who sacrificially work to advance the cause of protecting the pre-born.

“Operation Rescue is grateful Pres. Trump for having the courage to keep promises made during the campaign that provide greater protections for the pre-born and deny Federal funds from those who commit abortions,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “He has proven to be the most pro-life president we have had in modern history and has backed up his pro-life rhetoric with action like no other before him.”

Since Trump took office, he has accomplished more for the pro-life agenda than any other president.

• Trump appointed conservative, pro-life Justice Neil Gorsuch to the U.S, Supreme Court.
• He has effectively denied public money to those who commit and promote abortions around the world.
• The Trump Administration Department of Justice has launched a formal investigation into Planned Parenthood’s illegal baby parts trafficking scheme.
• He has actively supported pro-life legislation, such as the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which is currently held up in the U.S. Senate.
• He supports legislation to defund Planned Parenthood in the U.S., and removed an Obama-era mandate that forced states to continue funding Planned Parenthood.
• He has worked to fill his administration with pro-life people and put them in places where they can do the most good.
• Trump’s administration has taken active steps within the Health and Human Services and other agencies to establish pro-life policies that protect the pre-born.
• He has provided protections for those of religious and moral convictions from paying for abortifacient drugs through Obamacare, and continues to work to repeal and replace it.

“We are proud of President Trump and his bold willingness to advance the cause of life. There are more battles ahead, but under the Trump administration, we can now finally see progress within our government toward restoring the sanctity of life and the protections of personhood to the pre-born,” said Newman. “This makes Pres. Trump a deserving recipient of the 2017 Pro-Life Person of the Year Malachi Award.”

See more headlines at The Ponder News Web Site

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

US Court Announces Ruling That Should Scare the Hell Out of Every American

Source: Daily News Briefing



Perhaps marking the beginning of the end of religious freedom in America, a federal court has denied a request by the area’s Catholic Archdiocese to force the DC Metro to take its Christmas advertisements.

Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington DC denied the Catholic Church’s request essentially saying (for now, anyway) that the DC mass transit system had a right to deny the church’s advertisements because it was “too religious” and would “offend” some people, BizPacReview reported.

Naturally, church officials said that the denial is unconstitutional discrimination against its religious beliefs.

Read more about this at Your Daily News Briefing


SENATE RULES AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEES RELEASE OOC HARASSMENT SETTLEMENT DATA

Source: Senate Rules and Appropriations Committee

Awesomeemails4u


The U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, on behalf of Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (R-Minn.), and the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, on behalf of Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), today released information provided by the Office of Compliance (OOC) regarding the statistical breakdown of awards and settlements involving Senate employing offices from 1997-2017.

“Harassment in the workplace should not be tolerated under any circumstances, but particularly not in the United States Senate,” said Chairman Shelby of the Senate Rules Committee. “While the Rules Committee has been eager to provide this information in a transparent manner, it has been our priority to protect the victims involved in these settlements from further harm. I am pleased that we have received assurances from Senate Legal Counsel that the release of this data does not violate confidentiality and as such, are able to make it public.”

“Harassment of any kind is unacceptable. The Senate should hold itself to the highest standards of professionalism and respect,” said Appropriations Committee Chairman Cochran.

The Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee consulted extensively with Senate Legal Counsel prior to this release to ensure it complied with the confidentiality protections governing these agreements and was sufficiently protective of the victims in these cases. The Committees received assurances from Senate Legal Counsel that the release of this information in no way implicates confidentiality concerns. It should be noted that the Senate – unlike the House – does not have its own records of individual settlements and therefore cannot independently verify the accuracy of the data provided by the OOC.

Read more at the Senate Rules and Appropriations Committee Web site

No One Saw This Coming! President Trump Just Launched Federal Investigation On Liberal Giant, Dems Said He Couldn’t Do It

Source: Guerrilla News



The advancement of unfettered abortion openings is a bedrock position of the Democratic Party. Truth be told, party leaders have contended that such a position must be a litmus test for fitting the bill to try and keep running as a Democratic candidate for office. At any rate, they’re straightforward about their position, if deplorably off-base.

Thus, Planned Parenthood is just about a segment of the Democratic Party. It should be from that organization and the Democrats are joined at the hip. Given the activities of Planned Parenthood, that really ought to be to the Democrats’ disgrace.

A standout amongst the most hostile practices of which Planned Parenthood has been blamed has been the deal for the body parts of aborted babies. The reality of the matter is that once they’ve killed the kid, no further damage is accessible for the abortion mill to cause. However, treating dead babies like some other animal is frightful. What’s more, President Trump has had the FBI launch an examination of Planned Parenthood and claims of this disgusting demonstration. Keeping in mind that despite everything anybody question, Mr. Trump descends in favor of expert life.


Read more about this at The Guerrilla News

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Cities sue after Pentagon failed to report crimes to FBI gun check system

Source: MSN



Three major U.S. cities on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against the Pentagon to address a "clearly broken system" that they contend allowed a former Air Force serviceman to buy a gun and kill 26 people in a Texas church in November.

New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco seek to have the Defense Department (DOD) "fulfill their long-standing legal obligation to report all service members disqualified from purchasing and possessing firearms to the FBI's national background check system," according to a statement from the law firm filing the case.

Law enforcement officials in all three cities "regularly rely upon the integrity of the FBI's background check system," the attorneys write.

The case was brought after Devin Kelley opened fire Nov. 5 at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing 26 people.

Read more about this at MSN


Judge Strikes Down Indiana Law Against Selling Aborted Baby Parts

Source: Life News



Indiana received bad news this Christmas season when a judge struck down part of a state law prohibiting the trafficking of aborted baby body parts.

The Indiana Lawyer reports Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana sided with Indiana University researchers on Friday, arguing that most of the law was unconstitutional.

The university sued the state in 2016 after lawmakers passed a law prohibiting the acquisition, receipt, sale or transfer of aborted baby body parts. Violations would be a felony.

Read more about this at The LifeSite News




See more headlines at The Ponder News Web Site

Reports: PA President Mahmoud Abbas Instructs Staff to Sever Ties With U.S.

Source: Breitbart

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PA President Mahmoud Abbas president has come to see U.S. President Donald Trump as “a lost cause,” according to the Tims of Israel.

The PA leader reportedly instructed his staff to sever all ties with US diplomatic officials at every level, including relations between the Palestinians and American diplomats posted at the U.S. Consulate in East Jerusalem.

The White House is reportedly looking for a Palestinian liaison other than Abbas.

Read more about this at Breitbart