May 23, 2015

About 20 motorcyclists protest mass incarceration of biker suspects in Waco

About 20 motorcyclists stood in front of the McLennan County Courthouse about noontime Saturday to protest the arrest of 170 suspects in the Twin Peaks shooting that killed nine people.

Ferrell Surette, 47, said he and other protesters from the Houston area have no motorcycle club associations but know some of those arrested. He said they are “just regular motorcycle guys who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” referring to the meeting of the Texas Confederation of Clubs and Independents that was to take place Sunday when the violence occurred.

Protestors claimed such meetings have happened regularly for as many as 18 years without problems.

The protesters arrived at the courthouse in pickup trucks and cars and contacted law enforcement about their plans to gather. Many said they were friends from the hot rod community who just happen to also own motorcycles and feel passionate about the issue.

Read more: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/twin_peaks_biker_shooting/about-motorcyclists-protest-mass-incarceration-of-biker-suspects/article_913715f7-fdd9-5f26-b8cc-baccf945cd9a.html

May 23, 2015

Albuquerque Public Schools teachers burn their evaluations

More than three dozen Albuquerque school teachers, including many who have just been rated “highly effective” by the New Mexico Public Education Department, burned their teacher evaluations in front of the Albuquerque Public Schools headquarters Wednesday to protest what many called the inherent “unfairness” of the process.

Courtney Hinman ignited the blaze by taking a lighter to his “effective” evaluation. He was quickly followed by a “minimally effective” special education teacher from Albuquerque High School, then by a “highly effective” teacher from Monte Vista Elementary School.

Wally Walstrom, also of Monte Vista Elementary, told the crowd of 60 or 70 people that his “highly effective” rating was “meaningless,” before tossing it into the fire.

One after another, teachers used the words “meaningless” and “unfair” to describe the evaluations and the process used to arrive at those judgments.

Read more: http://www.abqjournal.com/587949/news/aps-teachers-burn-their-evals.html

Cross-posted in the Labor Movement Group.

May 23, 2015

Albuquerque Public Schools teachers burn their evaluations in protest

More than three dozen Albuquerque school teachers, including many who have just been rated “highly effective” by the New Mexico Public Education Department, burned their teacher evaluations in front of the Albuquerque Public Schools headquarters Wednesday to protest what many called the inherent “unfairness” of the process.

Courtney Hinman ignited the blaze by taking a lighter to his “effective” evaluation. He was quickly followed by a “minimally effective” special education teacher from Albuquerque High School, then by a “highly effective” teacher from Monte Vista Elementary School.

Wally Walstrom, also of Monte Vista Elementary, told the crowd of 60 or 70 people that his “highly effective” rating was “meaningless,” before tossing it into the fire.

One after another, teachers used the words “meaningless” and “unfair” to describe the evaluations and the process used to arrive at those judgments.

Read more: http://www.abqjournal.com/587949/news/aps-teachers-burn-their-evals.html

Cross-posted in the New Mexico Group.

May 23, 2015

Report: Bandidos plotting attacks on law enforcement officers

HOUSTON -- A Texas DPS bulletin reportedly warns that members of the Bandidos motorcycle gang may be plotting attacks on law enforcement officers in Houston and other Texas cities.

An informant said they plan to retaliate for Sunday's shootout at a Twin Peaks in Waco, which left nine bikers dead and 18 injured.

The bulletin was leaked to CNN.

Members of the gang who are in the military will supply grenades and explosives, CNN reported.

The Bandidos have used similar explosives in the past, specifically during what is known as the Great Nordic Biker War of the mid-1990s, said James Quinn, a University of North Texas professor who has studied outlaw motorcycle gangs. In those clashes, the Bandidos and rival gang Hell's Angels engaged in a three-year war in Sweden, Denmark and other Nordic countries that included clubhouse attacks, rocket launchers and car bombs.

Read more: http://www.khou.com/story/news/crime/2015/05/22/report-bandidos-plotting-attacks-on-law-enforcement-officers/27802233/

May 23, 2015

French Quarter restaurant employee fired after racial slur printed on customer's receipt

A French Quarter restaurant said an employee who printed a racial slur on a customer's receipt Thursday (May 21) afternoon has been fired.

An image of a receipt with the words "N----- 100% Dislike" from Huck Finn's Café on Decatur Street was circulated Thursday on social media.

A woman who posted a picture of the receipt on Twitter said her friend was the customer. It was shared almost 400 times.

The customer could not immediately be reached.

Huck Finn's Café posted a statement on its website apologizing for the employee's actions. The restaurant said it was "shocked and appalled."

Read more and see links to video at http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2015/05/huck_finns_racial_slur_receipt.html#incart_most-read_news_article .

May 23, 2015

Hole in one? Giant sinkhole forms at Missouri golf course entrance (photos)

This Friday, May 22, 2015 photo shows a sinkhole at the Top of the Rock Golf Course in Branson, Mo. Approximately 7,000 cubic feet of material has been displaced in four holes at the golf course. (Nate Papes/Springfield News-Leader via AP)

BRANSON, Mo. — A big sinkhole discovered Friday near the driving range of a southwest Missouri golf course is attracting the attention of geological experts.

The hole, which is 80 feet wide and 35 feet deep in some places, was created by two separate sinkholes that formed near the entrance to Top of the Rock golf course near the resort town of Branson, Martin MacDonald, conservation director for Bass Pro Shops, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

The Jack Nicklaus-designed par-3 course is part of the Bass Pro Shops-owned Big Cedar Lodge complex and hosted a Champions Tour event last month. The sinkhole isn't near the main course and won't affect play, MacDonald said.

Geologists say such sinkholes are fairly common in the Ozarks because of its karst topography, a feature in which water is constantly circulating through bedrock below the ground. That's why the region has so many sinkholes and caves, including Lost Canyon Cave, an attraction at the Big Cedar complex, MacDonald said.

Read more: http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/hole_in_one_giant_sinkhole_for.html

May 23, 2015

Can the Democratic Party be used for good?

[font color=330099]Note: This article is from socialistworker.org. I am posting this article for discussion even though I do not agree with all of the information within the article (e.g., calling Sanders supporters radicals or the characterization of the Democratic Party as a criminal enterprise). In addition, I have made any declaration as to which candidate I intend to support in the Democratic primary. If any of the hosts of this group believes that the article violates the SOP of this forum please contact me so that we can discuss whether the article should be deleted.
[/font]

Danny Katch, author of the e-book America's Got Democracy! The Making of the World's Longest-Running Reality Show, has some questions for radicals who are supporting Bernie Sanders' campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

THE PRESIDENTIAL run of Bernie Sanders poses an important question for socialists.

On the one hand, the Vermont senator's progressive populism could inspire millions of voters disenchanted with Wall Street domination and might give thousands of mostly young people their first taste of political activism--even if it's the limited electoral activism of passing out brochures and praising their candidate. The fact that Sanders calls himself a socialist and famously has a portrait of socialist leader Eugene V. Debs in his office is cool, too.

On the other hand, while Sanders is nominally a political independent, he is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, and he has long acted as a de facto member of the Democratic Party, one of the most criminal enterprises the modern world has ever known--with a rap sheet that includes, chronologically: slavery; the Trail of Tears; stealing half of Mexico; the Confederacy; Jim Crow; Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the Korean and Vietnam Wars; NAFTA; mass incarceration; mass deportations; and massively escalated drone and cyber warfare.

Yes, the Democrats also can claim credit for good things like Social Security, as well as Medicaid and Medicare--though we socialists insist the real credit belongs to the mass movements that put the "party of the people" under such pressure that it had to act. Even setting that aside, remember this: The Mafia has also been known to provide services to the neighborhood to reduce opposition to its nefarious activities.

Read more: http://socialistworker.org/2015/05/21/can-the-democratic-party-be-used-for-good

May 23, 2015

Former A&M quarterback Kenny Hill headed to TCU

TCU might have the top quarterback returning nationally with Heisman Trophy candidate Trevone Boykin coming back for his senior season .

The Horned Frogs have already started preparing for Boykin’s departure after this season by boosting their depth at the position with a huge transfer.

As expected, former Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill has made plans to enroll in summer school on June 1, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The former Southlake Carroll standout has been on campus several times this spring to watch the practices of TCU co-offensive coordinators Sonny Cumbie and Doug Meacham.

Read more: http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2015/05/the-trill-is-gone-to-tcu/#26286101=0

[font color=330099]In other news, El Supremo is confused as to whether cheer or jeer this transfer.[/font]

May 23, 2015

Mom: Outed pastor told gay son he’s going to hell

Jennifer Kish (l) with her 17-year-old son, Tyler.

Saginaw, MI (WNEM) — A mother came forward with new accusations against the local pastor who resigned after being outed as gay.

She said what that pastor told her son nearly drove him to suicide.

Jennifer Kish is angered over the recent revelation that Matthew Makela might be gay, not because of his alleged sexual preference, but because of how he treated her son while they were parishioners at his church.

Makela is a Midland pastor who resigned after being outed by a website. The website said it outed Makela because of his outspoken stance in recent years against homosexuality, a stance one woman said was particularly harmful to her family.

Read more: http://www.outsmartmagazine.com/2015/05/mom-outed-pastor-told-gay-son-hes-going-to-hell/

May 23, 2015

Texas Church Reverses Course After Relegating Gay Couple To Side Chapel For Son's Ceremony

Earlier this month, we told you how a church in Florida had agreed to allow a gay couple's child to be baptized after initially turning them away, igniting a weeklong national firestorm.

Apparently, a church in Austin, Texas wanted to avoid a similar controversy.

Rich Jones and Adrian Mertz have both attended Shoreline Church since before they were married last year. They've continued to attend with their 4-year-old adopted son, Santino, and say they've been welcomed.

But when Jones and Mertz requested to hold a dedication ceremony for Santino at the church, they were told it would have to be in a side chapel rather than the main sanctuary. The topic of homosexuality was too sensitive, church officials said, and the congregation wasn't ready to deal with it.

However, after a reporter from a local TV station contacted the church about turning away Jones and Mertz, officials quickly changed their mind.

Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2015/05/texas-church-reverses-course-after-relegating-gay-couple-to-side-chapel-for-sons-ceremony-video.html#.VV-CwBWkK74.twitter