July 26, 2013

Questions of Gov. Snyder's Public Office Ethics, in light of revealing emails plotting Bankruptcy

Abstract from the article:

Many citizens across the World continue to be in complete awe regarding Detroit's present fate.

Yet, Governor Rick Snyder continues to move full speed ahead with destroying whatever is left --minus the downtown area-- of the "Motorcity". So much so that Governor Snyder embarked on plans for months and shared by email with others, how drive a stake though the heartbeat of Detroit.

A groundbreaking article by Southeastern Michigan's Independent News Resource, the Michigan Citizen, revealed today Snyder --who took the Oath of Office to fully service all residents of the Great Lakes state irregardless of annual income earned--- conspired by email communications non-profit NERD Fund employee - Rich Baird, Emergency Manager to be Kevyn Orr, and Mayor Dave Bing on a course of inaction seeking to end at a Federal Bankruptcy Courthouse.

Read more here.

July 16, 2013

The Strange Fruit of Juror B37 --- George Zimmerman Trial

Normally, I don't dip my toes in the water of conspiracy theories but in my strong opinion, the fix was in on George Zimmerman's "Not-Guilty" verdict. The line connecting all the dots is Juror B37. I'll post a part the article "The Strange Fruit of Juror B37" here on Democratic Underground but, before I do, let's connect all the tealeaves -- so to speak.

Juror B37 - A Resident of Seminole County, Florida husband is an attorney.

Juror B37 - Possibly has a book deal to detail her actions during the Zimmerman trial

Juror B37 - Attorney Husband is co-authoring the book, with her.

Zimmerman Attorney - Mark O' Mara is President of the Seminole County, Florida Bar

Juror B37 - During the jury selection process claimed she did not watch TV, follow the media but said "riots" occurred in Seminole County, Florida in the city of Sanford after George Zimmerman was not immediately charged with the killing of Trayvon Martin. No such riots occurred.

Juror B37 - Referred to victim Trayvon Martin -- during the jury selection process -- as a "Color Boy" and called his death by the gun of Twin Lakes Condo Watchman George Zimmerman a "unfortunate incident that happened".

Frank Taffee a "friend" of George Zimmerman stated on Fox News last Friday that the Zimmerman jury were 5-1 for acquittal with one hold out for the charge of Manslaugher.

Juror B37 - During a interview on CNN's Anderson Cooper states that one juror held out until the Judge's "non-answer" to the Manslaughter definition question was received back by the jury.

One hour after the Judge requested clarity in the juries question about the manslaughter charge, George Zimmerman is Acquitted of all charges.

Juror B37 - Throughout the interview with Anderson Cooper repeatedly referenced George Zimmerman in the "first person" as George, instead of Mr. Zimmerman or Zimmerman.

Juror B37 - Stated to Cooper she believe the incident between Zimmerman and victim Trayvon Martin was "unfortunate for both individuals" yet she felt sympathy for "George".

Juror B37 - Told Cooper the testimony of a Doctor who was in war describing "the screams of injured soldiers", was the witness who impacted her final verdict to acquit Zimmerman. None of the Doctors testifying during the Zimmerman trial veterans of war. Only the testimony of John Donnelly, describing how George Zimmerman was like a "Son" to him and donated up to $50K to Zimmerman's legal defense fund, testified on hearing the "screams of injured soldiers during Vietnam". Anderson Cooper asked Juror B37 for clarification -- i.e. was she speaking on Donnelly's testimony -- and the Juror continued to insist she was referencing "a doctor" expert testimony.

Remember the song "Strange Fruit" sung by Billie Holiday? The fix of "Strange Fruit" was in I believe, granting George Zimmerman a "not-guilty" verdict -- regardless of the evidence presented.

Here's a link to the article: http://bit.ly/18icCWL

June 26, 2013

BREAKING: Lt. Gov. Dewhurst has agreed that #SB5 is dead.

Source: Cecile Richards - President of Planned Parenthood

"BREAKING: Lt. Gov. Dewhurst has agreed that #SB5 is dead."

https://twitter.com/CecileRichards/status/349788778614890497

Ironically, the VOTING RIGHTS ACT saved filibustering Texas Senator Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) seat in 2012:

"Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis (D), who captivated the country with her attempted 13-hour filibuster of a sweeping anti-abortion bill, likely would have lost her seat in 2012 to redistricting if not for the Voting Rights Act that was gutted Tuesday by the U.S. Supreme Court.

MSNBC's Zachary Roth reported earlier this month that Republican leaders in Texas tried to slice up Davis' Fort Worth district in 2011 and move thousands of black and Hispanic voters into neighboring districts. But Davis challenged the move in federal court under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act -- a part of the law rendered inoperable by the Supreme Court decision that struck down the heart of the law.

Section 5 allows the federal government to prevent states with a history of racial discrimination from making election changes that could affect the voting rights of minorities. Davis told MSNBC that under Texas' new districting plan, minority voters “were being separated very purposely from each other -- and therefore from the power to ever express their preference at the ballot box again.”

Davis and the U.S. Justice Department won the case in August 2012, a few months before elections, and Texas was forced to drop its redistricting plan. Davis was narrowly reelected to her state Senate seat in November."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/26/wendy-davis-voting-rights-act_n_3500171.html?utm_hp_ref=tw



Read more: Twitter

---

May I add that Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte deserves a HUGE HUG and THANK YOU on defending Texas Senator Bill 5 too. Senator Van de Putte, who attended a memorial service for her FATHER today, rushed back to the Texas Senate Chamber to fight this bill. Upon not being recognized to speak by chair after Senator Davis con't filibuster was stopped, Senator Van de Putte took up the cause stating:

"As Republican lawmakers suspended Texas state senator Wendy Davis' marathon filibuster of a contentious abortion bill late Tuesday night, a Democratic lawmaker called out her male colleagues for silencing the legislature's female representatives.

"Did the President hear me or did the President hear me and refuse to recognize me?" state Sen. Leticia Van De Putte asked.

"At what point must a female senator raise her hand or her voice to be recognized over her male colleagues?” she asked as the chamber erupted in cheers.

Earlier in the evening, De Putte, whose father died in a car accident last week, helped run out the clock after Republicans suspended the filibuster on the grounds that Davis' discussion of mandatory ultrasound testing was not related to the abortion bill.

“Since I was not able to be here on the floor because of my father’s funeral, I ask that you tell me the three points of order so that I may understand even in the most basic way the debate about to begin,” she said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/26/leticia-van-de-putte_n_3500497.html

Texas Citizens won tonight! Yet, what's ironic and truly sad that without the Voting Rights Act Sections 4 & 5, filibustering Senator Wendy Davis, might not have been in the Texas Senate at all!!

Congress NEEDS TO ACT, period!

"I was proud to Stand With Wendy tonight. If Senate Bill 5 becomes law, it will roll back women's rights," from Senator Van de Putte's Facebook page - http://on.fb.me/10kgmo4

June 11, 2013

Fireside Chat - NSA/Bill of Rights/US Constitution - June 10, 2013

?t=12m38s

March 16, 2013

Records show Detroit's emergency manager has tax liens on his Maryland home

Source: The Detroit News

Detroit — The man charged with fixing Detroit's faltering finances has been hit with four liens in four years from the state of Maryland for unpaid taxes, records show.

State records show Kevyn D. Orr, who was appointed emergency manager on Thursday, has two outstanding liens on his $1 million home in Chevy Chase, Md., for $16,000 in unemployment taxes in 2010 and 2011. Two other liens of more than $16,000 in unemployment and income taxes were satisfied in 2010 and 2011, records show.

Orr said he didn't know anything about the liens when shown records of them Friday morning by The Detroit News.

"I don't know what they are," Orr said, as his new boss, Gov. Rick Snyder, sat next to him in The News' offices. "That's surprising to me, to be honest."

Late afternoon, a spokeswoman for Snyder — who appointed Orr to the $275,000 per year post Thursday — said Orr spent the day researching the issue and would pay "in full ASAP." The Washington, D.C., bankruptcy attorney blamed the problems on an outside accountant hired to file his tax returns, said Sara Wurfel, a Snyder spokeswoman.


From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130316/METRO01/303160352#ixzz2NjLFGDcu

Read more: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130316/METRO01/303160352#ixzz2NjLFGDcu

---

How embarrassing for Gov. Snyder as his first major test of his new dictator law P.A 436 of 2012 and he FAILED to vet the appointee's finances....who would be handling finances for Michigan's largest City. Kind of John McCain, Sarah Palin like you know....

April 24, 2012

Former Emergency Manager Michael Stampfler, suggest changes to Michigan's Public Act # 4, at event

At the Rotary Club of Wyandotte, former Emergency Manager Michigan Stampfler held press and public event on April 24th, highlighting what ways he believes Michigan Controversial statue Public Act #4 should be altered.

"Civil capital and capital infrastructure. Civil capital is engaging and making a new construct of leaders in the community", former Ponitac Emergency Manager Stampfler stated. "Civil infrastructure is preparing the community to have a new economy."

Michigan urban communities of Pontiac, Benton Harbor, Flint and Detroit are all under of Emergency Management or a Consent Agreement with the State after a 'Financial Advisory Board' recommendation to Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and State Treasurer Andy Dillion.

All members of the 'Financial Advisory Board' are appointed by Gov. Snyder and Treasurer Dillion. Dillion has also self-appointed himself, onto some of these boards.

Stampfler displayed confidence that if his ideas were amended into Michigan's Public Act #4 statue, each locality under Emergency Management or a Consent Decree would be able to repair its' fiscal budgetary issues and thinks acts to repeal P.A. #4 aren't focusing on financial reasons for the crisis.

"The idea is to not repeat the process, once your in the situation and trying to fix it, one must attend to the issue of civic capital to fix the job," he stated.

Pontiac, Benton Harbor and Flint, Michigan previously was under a form of Emergency Management with the states' now defunct statue, Public Act #72 of 1990, during former Gov. Jennifer Granholm's administration.

Stampfler addressed federal governmental programs such as block grants and Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.) financing and loans, originally allotted to improve community infrastructure and encourage property ownership in urban municipalities.

He believes these programs, operated under similar administrative guidelines in all states, fail to work effectively distressed urban areas nationwide.

"There's a lack of tailored approaches. Its a big bureaucracy and they only go by the book." "That doesn't work for some of these communities. In fact, it works the wrong way," Stampfler cited.

"Recently there's this issue that redevelopment loans have not been paid. That's a case that not only the city is deficient in collecting but the feds are deficient in enforcing that. So what that does is take away money that could be repayed back or be recycled, continuing the process. They have problems like that which exacerbates the situation in distressed communities."

Voters in distressed communities who repeatedly elect governmental officials who fail to balance budgets, provide efficient reasoning for State Government oversight on whom operates a municipality, county or school board, Stampfler believes.

"Civil capital is building Democracy and spreading it, building Democracy with civil participation. Build the base and get more people involved," he cited.

A resident of Pontiac, Michigan asked Stampfler if he studied its' city charter documentation, during his tenure as Emergency Manager from May 2010-September 12, 2011.

"The charter is just maybe interesting reading", Stampfler responded leading to a conclusion during this 14 month Emergency Manager stint, suggesting he hadn't studied Pontiac City Charter document during his tenure with the city.

A search of the city's Governmental webpage, references to Neustar Landing Page, suggesting Pontiac now no longer functions as a municipal community in Michigan.

Former Emergency Manager Michael Stampfler, suggest changes to Michigan's Public Act # 4-ROJS News

February 26, 2012

The Case against Michigan's P.A. 4 & Why a Constitutional Referendum Vote is Right

In the past couple of weeks, my local newspaper Ann Arbor.com has featured two articles attempting to slam the work Michigan Forward and its' Chairman Brandon Jessup has done to place a Constitutional Referendum vote on the general election ballot; re-affirming or repealing Michigan's Public Act #4.

Now for a disclaimer-As a Michigan Politics Blogger and political activist...our blog and weekend podcast radio show via Blog Talk Radio Network-have worked for the past year in educating the public why P.A.#4 present a vicious direct attack on Democracy in Michigan witnessed in my lifetime. On our podcast, we've interview Brandon three times and wrote three articles this year about the effort to repeal P.A. 4.

When I saw these articles in my local newspaper (especially the last one) I felt the need to write a Op/Ed piece, specifically highlighting areas in Michigan Constitution were P.A. 4 and our states' founding document greatly conflict. Additionally, I found on a Google Archive search, a 1981 Michigan Daily Article including a groundbreaking quote from Michigan's longest serving Gov. William Milliken (R) (yes, he was/is a Republican) detailing his vicious defense of Michigan's Open Meeting Act 267 of 1976. Former Gov. Milliken signed this act into law.

On February 6th, Judge William Collette of Ingham County Circuit Court ruled that P.A. 4's the "closed Financial Review Teams" meetings violated Michigan's Open Meeting Act Statue. This was a very important ruling as it raises a question. Specifically, with legal precedence of "Emergency Managers" appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and State Treasurer Andy Dillon (DINO-D) after these previously "closed Financial Review Team" meetings. Open for debate and discussion is if these Emergency Managers have authority to make mandates on cities, townships, villages, school boards, counties and local authorities at all....literally.

Today, Michigan has Emergency Managers in the cities of Benton Harbor, Flint, Pontiac and up until 2/21 Emergency Manager Jack Martin was running Highland Park Public Schools District. Martin was "deactivated" from his duties, by Gov. Rick Snyder (R) nearly three weeks after Judge Collette's ruling. Another open question is why was Martin deactivated and did it have anything to do with Judge Collette's ruling, noted above.

I have forwarded this article on our blog for a "Letter to the Editor" with Ann Arbor.com. Either way, until its' possibly posted there, I believe its' important to share this piece with Michigan forum members of Democratic Underground. It's rare that I cross-link articles on the blog here. But, I think this article raises important questions about our Constitution, The Open Meetings Act, why Gov. Milliken signed the law, defended it against a 1981 Republican attempt to test validity of the statue and why P.A. 4 is the most aggrieved piece of legislation crafted in Michigan since 1837.

Thanks!

The first two links are the Ann Arbor.com articles highlighted above:

Piece 1-Why bankruptcy is worse for Michigan cities than emergency managers

Piece 2-Q&A with Brandon A. Jessup: The fight to repeal Michigan's Emergency Manager law

The last link is to our article on ROJS News.com
The case against Michigan Public Act #4 and why a Constitutional Referendum vote is right

December 12, 2011

What's happens when a 'Emergency Manager' runs your town...Not Pretty!

Hello D.U. This is my first post here. I want to placed my initial comment and link (below) into the Michigan room, since this topic manner impacts our beloved state.

Michigan's Public Act #4 as I'm sure you know, is one of the most draconian laws to ever be enacted by our state Legislature. Currently, there is a Constitutional Referendum drive, taking place to stop further destruction of our Democracy though P.A. #4.

Hopefully, most members of this site, if not all would agree the sooner we can have a halt of this 'law' in Michigan, the better. Especially when one considers that all of our cities, towns, school districts and counties can be impacted by E.M.'s that aren't accountable to the people of a community.

Still, some might think that their area have immunity from a E.M. and see no reason to sign the Constitutional Referendum petition.

I would like to share sound file footage from a interview on our weekend based podcast on Michigan and National Politics. On Sunday, Dec. 11th, were honored to have the City of Pontiac Councilman, Kermit Williams visit the program.

Pontiac is currently under a E.M. authority. Councilman Williams discussed (this is the second E.M. for the city, as they had a E.F.M. previously under the repealed legislation Public Act #72) the brutal facts of what's happens if a E.M. runs your town or community.

Worst yet, in our cities budgetary issues statewide, any Michigan location could face a E.M. appointment. How you might ask? Councilman Williams explains in the interview.

Just to ease minds if we're posting on D.U. today to gain hits for our podcast....we added the sound footage of the Councilman's interview to a Box Cloud. In other words, our podcast wouldn't gain hits from anyone listening to this interview.

The reason why we're adding this information here is that it's highly important that Michiganders know the real facts about Public Act #4. If after listening to the 34 minute interview, you would like to share with others....its' appreciated.

Thanks!
LovingA2andMI

http://www.box.com/s/lfmmjkr4iu258hpuisj1

To sign the Constitutional Referendum to repeal P.A.#4, please contact Michigan Forward @ http://www.michiganforward.org