CONYERS, SANFORD & COHEN Host Bipartisan Forum On Press Freedom

Forum on “The State of Press Freedom in 21^st Century America”

Washington, D.C. – On Monday, July 24, 2017 at 3:00 p.m., House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Mark Sanford (R-SC), hosted a bipartisan forum on freedom of the press entitled, “The State of Press Freedom in 21^st Century America.”

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides, among other things, that “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom . . . of the press . . . .”  A free press is a critical check on the power of government institutions and public officials, yet press freedom may be under threat from various sources. 

The forum will explore, among other topics, the following:

•         President Donald Trump’s repeated attempts to seemingly de-legitimize mainstream news outlets by calling them “fake news” and “the enemy of the American people;”

•         Threats by President Trump to change libel laws to make it easier to pursue lawsuits against the press;

•         Aggressive efforts by the Administrations of Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush to prosecute or pressure journalists;

•         The potential epidemic of misinformation being presented to the public as “news” that may threaten to undermine the credibility of legitimate journalism;

•         Restrictions on access to press briefings; and

•         Physical threats to journalists.

                    Members of Congress

•         Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-TN)

•         Representative Mark Sanford (R-SC)

•         House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI)

•         Additional Members of Congress

Panelists

•         Jeff Ballou, President, National Press Club

•         Jennifer Rubin, Writer of the “Right Turn” Blog, Washington Post

•         Kyle Pope, Editor-in-Chief, Columbia Journalism Review

•         Alicia Shepard, Media ethics expert and contributing writer for USA Today

•         Floyd Abrams, Senior Counsel, Cahill, Gordon & Reindel LLP

•         Rick Blum, Executive Director, News Media for Open Government

•         Marvin Kalb, Senior Adviser, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Harvard Professor Emeritus, and Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Bachmann: Black Kids Better Off During Slavery

And she wants to run for president of the Untied States.  Wow.

Bachmann: Black Kids Better Off During Slavery

Minneapolis, MN - Social-conservative GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann of Minnesota has again used a slavery analogy that has pundits scratching their heads. While signing a controversial conservative Christian group's pledge to oppose same-sex marriage and uphold its so-called "core values", the Minnesota representative agreed to the following.

"Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American President."

Critics chimed in immediately reminding the GOP candidate that slave families were often broken up as a matter of business. Marriage between men and women slaves was not recognized and was infact illegal. Family members were sold or traded off to other plantations and were viewed as nothing more than beasts of burden. Not to mention these children did not learn to read, write or calculate math while getting daily lessons in humiliation and cruel and unusual punishment.

Bachmann, who previously and erroneously referred to John Quincy Adams as a "founding father" who worked tirelessly to free slaves, was likely making a reference to a study note in the pledge. That note cited a 2005 research paper called "The Consequences of Marriage for African Americans".
According to the study, by 1880, 56.3 percent of Black households were what we now call “nuclear families.” (For Whites, that figure was 66.9 percent.) By 1950, nearly 80 percent of Black families were headed by married couples. By 1996, that figure had dropped to just 34 percent.
But one of the authors of the study, Dr. Lorraine Blackmon, told Forbes.com that Bachmann is "just wrong” and made "a serious error."

While the data regarding the dissolution of the black family over the centuries is considered stark, Bachmann while likely be defending her historical rendition on the Sunday talk show circuit.

A Peaceful Roll Call

I have the honor and enjoyment of participating in the Congressional Black Caucus Boot Camp.

It is a place I located right next door to the nation's capitol on the campus of the National Labor College.

As a wonderful opportunity for those who have been nominated by Congressional members, individuals across the nation, including the U.S. Territories come for intense training in political campaign strategies and campaign finance law.

But of course, in my own fashion, I must report on structural deficiencies, administrative gaps and archaic modes that just keeps stifling the desperate voices of youth to participate in progress of society.

Today, there was a group of participates who were chastised and humiliated by an individual who did not have the courtesy to introduce themselves, for being late to a "roll call" which was:

1. Not even on the schedule; 
2. With no location; and,
3. No idea if this phantom event was mandatory or voluntary.

The group was dictated to be silent for fear of expulsion having paid thousands of dollars and travel hundreds of miles, sacrificing personal duties to be a part of history only to be publicly ridiculed for violations that did not exist.

Actually, if there are approximately 50 persons participating in the program, and there were at least 10 members who were not in attendance for the so-called "roll call", then, logic would present itself to have a highly significant error rating of 0,20 for the structure and administration of the program, demonstrating a need for improvement in the transmission and maintenance of information.

The keeper of the record has rusty and crusty methods, lashing out to those who have embraced mobile technologies.

So wrong on so many levels.

I was moved.  I was taken back to that place I pray no human shall ever experience.  I was transported to the hell of being found guilty without the opportunity to speak or challenge.  For a brief moment in time, I relieved the hell of child welfare.  And just as fast as I experienced that flashback, I knew I had to stand up and speak out.  

Ergo, I shall be doing a daily debriefing of a status quo that has to go.  By this I mean that we, as a people must extinguish punishment and penalty without the pleasure of free speech and due process.  

The person who dispensed this verbal and psychological cruelty of denying this group of people their constitutional rights, proudly touted that the most important document that we must all read to be the United States Constitution.  The irony was only surpassed with by the arrogance of authority.

This nation, nay, this world shall only progressively evolve through the innovation of thought and public expression of peace and love.  My mode of choice is my blog and its vehicle shall be the 2012 elections.

The world wants peace and it is time to listen.  

Quixotic Kansas

Every so often, I come across an inspirational story that strengthens my dedication to ending fraud in child welfare.

I was not inspired by the story of Cecillia Arnold, her fortitude to take her fight to Kansas State Legislature to get her children back.

I was neither inspired by the Kansas Watchdog with its professional approach to reforming the child welfare system on accountability and transparency.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been inspired by the sheer and utter idiocy of the buffoons out of Sedwig County.  

A warrant was issued for her arrest after testifying at a public hearing in the Kansas State Capitol in front of the Legislature.

The grounds for the warrant, Sedwig claims, it was for a serendipitous encounter of seeing her children.

What this means now, I shall assume, is the Child Propaganda Machine is revving up:

Termination of Parental Rights Orders:  Stipulations that, if a parent crosses the path of his/her child, that parent shall immediately turn themselves in to local law enforcement authorities.  Any chance encounter of a parent with his/her children on the internet is grounds for 30 days in jail and/or $500 fine, for each occurrence.

Wait, I got a better one the Child Abuse Propaganda Machines will crank out:


A Proposed Bill:  Any parent, relative within fifth degree of consanguinity or affinity, who has had parental rights terminated, may not submit formal testimony to any elected official and may not vote for any candidate whose political platform addresses anything related to child welfare.  Any parent, relative within fifth degree of consanguinity or affinity found guilty of first offense in the state of Kansas shall be immediately tarred and feathered.  Any parent, relative within fifth degree of consanguinity or affinity found guilty of second offense in the state of Kansas shall be drawn and quartered by Secretary Don Jordan.


Warrant out for mom who testified at hearing about losing custody of children
- Kansas Watchdog - http://kansas.watchdog.org -
Posted By Earl Glynn On February 28, 2010 @ 6:10 pm

A warrant is out in Wichita for the arrest of a mom who testified about her case at a legislative hearing last year.  The charges?   That she saw one of her children accidentally for 30 minutes, and tried to see the child a second time.

Last year we reported stories from parents and grandparents who had problems with placement and removal of children by the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS).  Those parents travelled to Topeka to testify at a hearing of the Joint Committee on Children’s Issues.

 

Cecellia Arnold lost her parental rights. Wants her kids back.

One of  those testifying was an abused mom, Cecellia Arnold, who had her parental rights severed even though the state never found wrong doing.

Here is part of the exchange between Arnold and State Rep Bill Otto at that hearing:

State Rep Bill Otto (R-LeRoy): “Your rights are severed?”

Arnold: “My rights have been terminated … I have no rights to my children. I have not seen them since March. I filed an appeal that didn’t go anywhere. I’m here today because I want my children back.” …

Otto: “Where was your lawyer?” …

Arnold: “I had court-appointed attorneys … I feel I could have done a better job representing myself” ..

Otto: “This should not happen to anybody … I’m so sorry.” …

Arnold now lives in another state to avoid direct Kansas SRS authority over her.

In a telephone interview on Sunday Arnold said that the State of Kansas  garnishes her wages for child support even though her children are in foster care and she cannot visit them.  She does not mind the payments since she feels an obligation to her children, but really wants her children back.

Arnold said that after the Nov. 30, 2009 legislative hearing she spent a few days in Wichita with her family before returning home.

While visiting a school with a relative, Arnold had a chance encounter with one of her own children.  Before that, Arnold had no idea what school her children attended since they were in foster care and she lived in another state.

She said she was happy to see her child and took 30 minutes to be  a mom during that chance encounter.

Arnold said she tried intentionally the next day to see her child again but she was not allowed to.  She said it is her understanding there are now two warrants out because of the chance visit with her child.   The Sedgwick County Sheriff  issued an arrest warrant for her, Arnold said.

Police were looking to arrest her at a relative’s funeral earlier this month, Arnold said.  In a telephone interview, Arnold’s mom, Monica McGill, said she knows the police have been watching their house in case her daughter visits.

This week in Topeka child welfare issues will be part of House Federal and State Affairs Committee hearings.  Monica McGill said she and her husband will try to attend those hearings and speak on behalf of their daughter.

Arnold said that limited leave from work, and fear of being arrested on the warrant, would keep her from the hearings, but she would like to attend to explain her case.

Last week Arnold’s picture and case were one of the “Featured Felons for this month” of the Sedgwick County Sheriff:

Cecellia, if you are reading this, and I am quite sure you will be,
I would like to now inspire you.

Go and attend that Legislative hearing at the capitol but make
sure you have in place all the television, radio and print media,
including all the internet bloggers and community action groups.

Make sure you write out your testimony so it can be formally
entered into record and posted up all over the internet.

Send a formal invitation to the White House and
Department of Justice to witness you being arrested
for giving public testimony.

As the Sedwig County Sheriff lead you out of the
State Building, you will make it to international
levels of sensation.

I am quite sure you will be contacted by an attorney
who will immediately be filing your Civil Rights suit
against Sedwig County.

Homer Plessy did it, Ghandi did it, Martin Luther King, Jr. did it,
now it is your turn. 

What do you have to loose, most certainly not your children.

Go make history and get paid doing it.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise therof;
or abridging the freedom of speech,
or the press;
or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Bill of Rights: First Amendment

One final question.  If her parental rights were terminated, then why are they
garnishing for child support?

I thought the state was receiving federal funding...
oh wait, I forgot, double billing.

I smell Medicaid Fraud.