The GOP are after journalist with a vengeance

Angered by gun control, this lawmaker drafted a bill to require licenses for journalists

A state lawmaker in Indiana has drafted a measure to require licenses for journalists akin to those that pertain to handgun owners, a proposal legal experts says directly violates the First Amendment.

The measure would require journalists — defined as anyone writing or broadcasting news for a newspaper, magazine, website or television or radio station — to be registered and fingerprinted by the police and vetted for their “character and reputation.”

State Rep. Jim Lucas, a Republican from the southeastern part of Indiana and a vocal critic of his state’s gun restrictions, drafted the bill by copying language from a state law that requires a license to carry a handgun in public.

With these laws proposed for journalists, Lucas's measure reads like satire.

Committing journalism without a license within 500 feet of school or on a school bus would bump the penalty up from a misdemeanor to a felony. Journalists with felony or domestic battery convictions would be prevented from getting licenses. And unlicensed people would still be able to engage in journalism on property they own or rent.

The proposal has not been submitted. And though Lucas says the measure was drafted in part to point out what he views as the hypocrisy of gun regulations, he would not rule out introducing the proposal in the state legislature in the future.

“I'm going to see,” he told The Washington Post on Friday.

First Amendment experts said the proposal — first reported by the Indianapolis Star — has no chance of surviving a court challenge, should it ever be introduced, then passed.

“It’s an absolute nonstarter,” said Burt Neuborne, a New York University law professor and a civil liberties expert. “The whole reason for the free press clause was to abolish licensing rules for the press.”

Neuborne added: “Maybe we should license state legislators.”

Lucas's proposal comes amid heightened political tensions around the First Amendment.

President Trump, who has demonized the news media as “the enemy of the American People,” alarmed free-speech advocates this week by writing on Twitter that NBC News should be punished by regulators after the organization published a report that he did not like.

By Eli Rosenberg October 13 at 2:17 PM
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/10/13/angered-by-gun-control-this-lawmaker-drafted-a-bill-to-require-licenses-for-journalists/?tid=sm_fb&utm_term=.cf74fc28514d

If Trump is a one term Pres. what do you think he will do as far as politics go?

I do not think he will go away and play golf. He will start some kind of trouble in the political landscape. remember he is a narcissist, they never go away

**Breaking** On TV now giving speech

Trump to refuse to recertify Iran agreement. He says Iran is not complying with the deal. Giving Congress the ok to come up with a deal in 6 months. That means that Congress has to say that Iran is not in compliance with the deal. Here it comes, all he wants to do is invade Iran. He says that Iran is a fanatical regime and a threat to the middle east and has spread death and chaos around the world for years. Cough* OIL OIL OIL.

Oh then he said that the 911 bombing was done by Osama Bin Laden's son. I thought it was Bin Laden himself.

Aww, such a phony. He wants to help the citizens of Iran so he must go in and save them. Then he had the nerve to say that he wants Muslims and Christians and Jews to live together in peace.

**Breaking** Trump threatens to abandon Puerto Rico recovery efforts

By the time the Republicans try to invoke Articles 25 it will be too late.

Whatever happened to Trumps visit to U.S. Virgin Island?

The GOPs Trump-induced Stockholm syndrome

By Aaron Blake October 10 at 11:07 AM

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/10/10/the-gops-trump-induced-stockholm-syndrome/?utm_term=.1886b6b9fbaa

In their must-read on the “pressure cooker” that is the Trump White House today, The Post's Robert Costa, Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker include this telling quote from Trump ally and Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy. In it, Ruddy is chewing over Trump's current feud with Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.):

“Donald Trump never truly severs relationships. There is always a dialogue. And with Corker, this isn’t a total endpoint. Trump sees relationships as negotiations, and that’s what they’re in.”

That's exactly right. It's also a complete indictment of how the Republican Party has handled Trump.

In fairness, Trump has always had the upper hand in this relationship. When he was sailing to the GOP nomination, Republican lawmakers were almost universally reluctant. But even those who said he wasn't qualified for the presidency eventually rallied to him in the name of getting a (nominal) Republican elected.

Now that he's president, Trump holds the keys to the GOP majorities in the House and Senate actually accomplishing something with their newfound power. Along that bumpy road, lawmakers including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have taken verbal abuse from Trump and, at times, seen him railroad their entire agenda. Their response has almost always been muted as they wait for the latest fury to blow over.

We've seen it with Trump aides, too. Trump has virtually tortured some of them, from Sean Spicer to Reince Priebus even to Stephen K. Bannon and now John Kelly. He's publicly derided and/or contradicted his secretary of state, his attorney general and his now-former health secretary. It's been reported that many of those around him are staying there simply to avert the kind of Trumpian chaos that Corker referenced. The Trump administration is truly where you pride goes to die.

That's a terrible arrangement for everyone involved. But it's only terrible as long as Republicans are unwilling to stand up to Trump publicly. As plenty of reporters have noted, the things Corker is now saying are what many aides and lawmakers say off the record or on-background. Corker (and, increasingly, a few others) are only attaching their names to the criticisms of Trump that have long been obscured by the veil of anonymity.

Politics is a business that rewards risk mitigation. Most lawmakers represent safe districts and states and only have to worry about tempting primary challengers. Thus, running afoul of Trump is an unnecessary risk. It's no coincidence that the most strident criticisms of Trump are now coming from a GOP senator who recently announced his retirement.

ut until Trump's comments about Corker are viewed is crossing a line in the sand — until lawmakers treat Trump's broadsides against them as a point of no return when it comes to having their support — he has little reason to stop it. If he thinks he can just bring you back into the fold with the temptation of tax reform, it's never going to stop. If he can attack you and your family and then break bread with you on legislation, he has no reason to stop.

If this is indeed a negotiation, it's taking place between a hostage-taker and his compliant hostage.

Parents in New York town could face jail, fine under new anti-bullying law

By ABC NEWS Oct 10, 2017, 9:55 AM ET

Parents in a New York town could end up in jail if their children are found to have bullied others, thanks to a new law.

Victoria Crago began advocating for the law in North Tonawanda, New York, after she said her eighth-grade son was attacked by a classmate right in front of her.

“This young man just sucker-punched him right in the face and hit him as hard as he could,” she told ABC News of the May incident. “What really alarmed me about the situation was the brazen act of violence in front of a parent.”

Crago said “It was really traumatic for both of us.”

The student accused of attacking Crago's son was charged with third-degree assault. His case was transferred to family court and he is now working with a probation officer, court records show.

The probation officer did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

Crago created a Facebook page to call out pervasive bullying in her town. The outrage made public by Crago's Facebook group prompted lawmakers to pass the anti-bullying law that puts pressure on parents.

Parents could be fined $250 and sentenced to 15 days in jail, according to North Tonawanda City Attorney Luke Brown. Parents could face punishment if their child violates the city's curfew or any city law, including bullying, twice over the course of 90 days.

"In reality, what we're looking for is to engage the parents in the process and try and work on a solution," Brown said.

The new law is modeled after a similar push in Wisconsin to hold parents accountable, according to Brown. The law went into effect in North Tonawanda Oct. 1.

“We hope to never need to use this law but it's there in extreme cases,” North Tonawanda City School District Superintendent Greg Woytila said. “But we need to do a better job and we are continually trying to do that.”

Nearly 30 percent of students from sixth- to 12th-grade say they have been bullied, according to StopBullying.gov, a bullying prevention and awareness website run by the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Justice.

Bullying is most common in middle school, the website reports.

The law has received some backlash from parents who claim it goes too far.

“You can’t make parents parent their kid,” one commenter wrote on Facebook.

Crago hopes the new law sends a clear message to parents that they will pay the price for their kids’ behavior.

“Watching your child harmed in front of you is a terrible thing,” she said. “I don’t wish it on anyone."

http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/parents-york-town-face-jail-fine-anti-bullying/story?id=50386384

I think I am in love with Jimmy Kimmel...

Donald Trump Jr.’s Attack On Jimmy Kimmel Backfires Spectacularly





http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-jr-jimmy-kimmel_us_59daf823e4b072637c4501d5

How about this...