Homeowner Shoots At Would-Be-Robber During Home Invasion

A homeowner in Columbia, Missouri shot at a would-be-robber during a home invasion. Levi Strodman said he always carries his pistol with him while in his home, and it tipped the tables in his favor.

Police officers were called to Strodman’s home around 10 pm on Sunday. Strodman said his wife had heard a knock at the door. When he went to check it out, he grabbed his pistol, which he said he always carries in the home. “It’s kind of taboo but I encourage it, obviously now,” he said.

Strodman noticed something odd almost immediately, although he assumed the neighbor was just having some fun.  When he got to the door, the view through the peephole was obstructed.  That’s when he cracked open the door and an armed man attempted to push his way into Strodman’s home. “He rushed it and I put force back on him and was able to stop him immediately,” said Strodman. “He was still fighting to make his way through and was gaining ground. Then he presented a pistol.”

Strodman then fired his own pistol twice, scaring away the would-be-intruder before losing his footing and falling down the stairs. “In this case, I was able to literally save my life and my wife from someone who wished to do us harm,” he said.

Former prosecutor Bill Tackett said it’s a textbook case of Missouri’s castle doctrine and stand your ground in action. Under castle doctrine, a homeowner, or someone allowed to be in the home like a babysitter, has the legal right to defend themselves using deadly force when faced with a threatening trespasser. Stand your ground says people no longer have to retreat from danger before shooting in any place where they have a legal right to be.

This situation is also just one more example of a good guy with a gun protecting himself and others with a gun. “This is the extreme case where someone knocks on your door and points a gun at you and you have both available to you,” said Tackett. “If you want to shoot an intruder, this is your state.”

Tim Oliver, director of Learn to Carry, said a holstered gun is a danger to nobody.”If that homeowner had not had his firearm with him, it could have turned out a whole lot worse,” he said.

Strodman said he hopes his experience can help others get the tools and training they need to take responsibility for their immediate safety. “I just can’t recommend enough getting the tools and utilizing something that was given to us even at the foundation of our country,” he said. “The state of Missouri practically encourages us to protect ourselves.”

Strodman says he only saw one perpetrator running away from his home, while a witness claimed there were two assailants.  A K9 was brought in to try to track down the suspects and police are not sure if the suspects were hit by the gunfire. There was some damage inside the home from the shots being fired, but Strodman and his wife were not seriously hurt, according to police, and it was all because of the presence of a gun.

Blowback? - Mizzou Enrollment Tumbles To Lowest Since 2008

Amid ongoing fallout from the negative media attention and student (and faculty) protests that rocked campus in 2015, the University of Missouri recently welcomed its smallest student body since 2008.

As Campus Reform has repeatedly reported, the embattled university has taken hit after hit, starting with a $32 million budget shortfall and a five-percent budget cut, followed by a seven-percent drop in freshmen enrollment heading into last school year.

As some may remember Mizzou hit the headlines after Melissa Click, a journalism professor, won infamy nationwide for her behavior during race-related protests at MU in November 2015.

When a student journalist tried to cover the public protests, Click physically confronted him, saying he had no right to be there and needed to “get out.”

When the journalist resisted, Click called for “some muscle” to try forcing him back.

The student’s video of Click quickly went viral, and attracted the attention of Missouri lawmakers, more than 100 of whom signed a petition demanding Click’s termination. Click herself was eventually hit with misdemeanor assault charges, which were dropped after she agreed to perform community service. Initially, the school said Click’s fate would be decided during her tenure hearing in August, but in February the school’s board gave in to outside pressure and fired her.

And, as Campus Reform"s Anthony Gockowski reports, since then it has been downhill for the University...

More recently, Mizzou shuttered seven residence halls due to a drastic drop in enrollment, renting some of the vacant rooms out to sports fans to help make up for the school’s many financial woes, and cut 474 jobs.

Now, The Dothan Eagle reports that the university is facing the lowest levels of enrollment since 2008, with official numbers showing that enrollment is down 12.9 percent.

Additionally, the Eagle notes that, with the exception of the senior class, every incoming class is smaller than last year’s, and even international enrollment fell by 12.1 percent.

This year"s freshman class is the smallest since 2008, with enrollment down about 33% from its peak in 2015.

"Massive Protest" In St. Louis Over Ex-Cop's Acquittal Turns Violent, Tear Gas Deployed As 32 Arrested

Protesters in St. Louis Friday night blocked highways, damaged public and private property, broke windows, threw rocks at the mayor"s house and threw bricks at police officers who in turn responded by firing tear gas, after Jason Stockley, a white ex-cop was acquitted in the 2011 fatal shooting of a black man earlier on Friday. At least 32 people were arrested, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said. Ten officers were injured -  9 St. Louis Police Department officers and one Missouri Highway Patrol officer - two of whom were transported to a hospital with injuries sustained after being hit by a brick.

A total of 8 officers have sustained injuries throughout the day. #STLVerdict

— St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) September 16, 2017

Some officers were wearing protective gear due to items being thrown at them.

Rocks & water bottles have been thrown at our officers throughout the day. Officers used great restraint. #STLVerdict pic.twitter.com/LIl2OxKhcO

— St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) September 15, 2017

As reported on Friday, the protests were expected after St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson found 36-year-old Jason Stockley not guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. On Dec. 20, 2011, the then-police officer shot 24-year-old Lamar Smith five times after a high-speed chase and crash.

Protesters march in St. Louis, after a judge found a white former police officer,
Jason Stockley, not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a black man

Stockley and his partner at the time, Brian Bianchi, were trying to apprehend Smith for a suspected drug deal at a Church"s Chicken restaurant, according to court documents. Stockley was facing up to life in prison without parole had he been convicted of both charges.

Crowds of people gathered today near the courthouse in downtown St. Louis to protest the ruling. Police blocked streets nearby so demonstrators could march. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, anticipating protests in response to the controversial ruling, released a statement saying he understood the verdict is painful for many St. Louisans.

Police guard on-ramps to Interstate 64 as protesters gather, Sept. 15, 2017.

According to ABC St. Louis affiliate KDNL, "hundreds of people were part of the massive protest."

Just after 10 p.m. local time, police declared the gathering an "unlawful assembly," tweeting, "those refusing to leave are subject to arrest."

This is now an unlawful assembly at Lake and Waterman. Those refusing to leave are subject to arrest. #STLVerdict

— St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) September 16, 2017

Less than 20 minutes after tweeting that the protest was an unlawful assembly, police announced tear gas had been dispersed, tweeting, "Tear gas was deployed because agitators became violent towards officers and destroyed property at Kingshighway & Waterman #stlverdict."

Tear gas was deployed because agitators became violent towards officers and destroyed property at Kingshighway & Waterman #stlverdict

— St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) September 16, 2017

Police then took to Twitter documenting the violent aspects of the protest, including the blocking by protesters of highways and other thoroughfares and other acts of civil disobedience.

Police line up as protesters gather, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in St. Louis

"Agitators have converged on Mayor Krewson"s house," police tweeted at 9:47 p.m. "Throwing rocks and breaking windows, despite being instructed not to."

Agitators refuse to disperse causing property damage near Mayor"s home. Those who don"t comply w/police orders subject to arrest #stlverdict

— St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) September 16, 2017

A subsequent tweet read, "Agitators refuse to disperse causing property damage near Mayor"s home. Those who don"t comply w/police orders subject to arrest #stlverdict."

Agitators have converged on Mayor Krewson"s house. Throwing rocks and breaking windows, despite being instructed not to. #STLVerdict

— St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) September 16, 2017

According to ABCNews, the violence continued past 11 p.m., with police tweeting at 10:29 p.m., "Destruction of public and private property continues in the #CWE neighborhood. We are doing everything we can to keep you safe #stlverdict." Then at 11:30 p.m. police tweeted, "Agitators are being warned that this is no longer a lawful assembly. If they do not disperse, they will be subject to arrest. #stlverdict."

Earlier, officials also tweeted a video of protesters stomping on the hood of a police car.

Agitators damaging a police car. Those causing destruction distract from the mission of peaceful protesters. #STLVerdict pic.twitter.com/Rbtpo1gAxc

— St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) September 15, 2017

Video from the protests showed demonstrators marching while chanting phrases including “no justice, no peace” and "if you kill our kids, we’ll kill your economy."

Damone Smith, a 52-year-old electrician who was among the motorists re-routed away from the area, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he believed the verdict to be “disgusting.” “I’m proud of these people protesting,” Smith, who is black, told the Post-Dispatch. “If you look like me, then you feel like there is no other way to express yourself in this kind of verdict. Time and time again, African-American men are killed by police, and nobody is held accountable.”

Meanwhile, some demonstrators were seen openly carrying rifles on the streets, which is legal in Missouri, according to The Associated Press, but there have been no reports of weapons being fired.

This firearm was recovered from the Central West End during tonight"s demonstrations. #STLVerdict pic.twitter.com/io9HXP8TAr

— St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) September 16, 2017

Earlier in the evening, police said the protests have been "for the most part" nonviolent, adding "there have been some tense moments where agitators became destructive."

Protesters march down, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in downtown St. Louis

Several companies -- including Wells Fargo, Stifel and Nestle Purina Petcare -- sent thousands of employees home as protests grew Friday morning, the Post-Dispatch reported.

Stockley told the Post-Dispatch on Friday that he “can feel for” and “understand” what Smith’s family is going through. “I know everyone wants someone to blame, but I’m just not the guy,” Stockley told the local newspaper. Stockley"s acquittal also elicited outrage from several local officials, condemning the anxiously awaited bench verdict.

"This not-guilty verdict of a police officer who violently killed a citizen is another slap in the face to the black community in St. Louis,” Missouri state Rep. Michael Butler said in a statement. “And a shot in the heart to the family of the victim,” he said of Smith.

A protester runs from the police, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in St. Louis, as protesters
rally around the home of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson

“This system and all the politicians calling for peace are ignoring the pain this verdict causes our communities,” Butler added. “We will be nonviolent but we will not settle on peace. No justice. No peace.”

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson offered a more measured response, though equally emotional.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Anthony Lamar Smith, our police, judge, prosecutor, our citizens who find no comfort or justice, and everyone involved in this difficult case," she said in a statement. "I am appalled at what happened to Anthony Lamar Smith. I am sobered by this outcome. Frustration, anger, hurt, pain, hope and love all intermingle."

"We know this verdict causes pain for many people," Gov. Greitens said. "I"m committed to protecting everyone"s constitutional right to protest peacefully, while also protecting people"s lives, homes and communities. For anyone who protests, please do so peacefully."

Stockley"s defense attorneys argued that the then-officer acted "reasonably" in self-defense in killing a drug suspect he believed was reaching for a hidden gun. Prosecutors alleged that Stockley planted a .38-caliber revolver in Smith"s Buick after he shot him.

In his verdict, Wilson wrote that the court "is simply not firmly convinced of [Stockley"s] guilt." And because prosecutors "failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that [Stockley"s] use of deadly force was not justified in self-defense," Wilson wrote that he could not address lesser charges of homicide, including involuntary manslaughter.

St. Louis Braces For Violent Protests After Ex-Cop Was Acquitted Of Killing A Black Man

Setting up a potential repeat of the Ferguson unrest from the summer of 2015, St. Louis is bracing for another round of violent protests after an ex-cop was acquitted for the alleged murder of a black man.

As Reuters reports, on Friday, a Missouri judge found a white former St. Louis police officer not guilty of murder in the shooting death of a black man, "stirring feelings of anger and frustration in the black community." Ex-cop Jason Stockley, 36, was acquitted of first-degree murder for killing Anthony Lamar Smith, 24. Stockley, who was arrested in May 2016 and accused of planting a gun in Smith’s car, testified he acted in self-defense.

Judge Timothy Wilson’s highly anticipated ruling was announced Friday, more than five weeks after the bench trial ended. “This court, as a trier of fact, is simply not firmly convinced of defendant’s guilt,” the judge wrote in his ruling.

Wilson said prosecutors also asked the court to consider a lesser degree of homicide but they did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Stockley’s use of deadly force was not justified in self defense.

As a result, Missouri Governor Eric Greitens has placed the National Guard on standby with officials fearing the verdict could set off violent protests, as in similar incidents involving police and minorities around the United States in recent years. As Reuters adds, "St. Louis and state officials were braced for violent protests and racial tensions similar to those that followed the 2014 fatal shooting by police of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, near St. Louis."

This is how the shooting went down according to Reuters:

Smith tried to flee from Stockley on Dec. 20, 2011, following an alleged drug deal, authorities said. During the pursuit, Stockley could be heard saying on an internal police car video he was going to kill Smith, prosecutors said.

Stockley, riding in the passenger seat of a patrol vehicle with his personal AK-47 in one hand and department-issued weapon in the other, shot at Smith’s car, according to St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Susan Ryan and charging documents.

At Stockley’s direction, the driver of the police car slammed into Smith’s vehicle and they came to a stop, court documents said. Stockley then approached Smith’s car and shot him five times with his service weapon.

Stockley’s lawyers said he fired in self-defense because he believed Smith was reaching for a gun but prosecutors said the only gun recovered from the scene had only Stockley’s DNA on it.

Stockley waived his right to a jury trial, allowing the judge to decide. He left the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in 2013 and was arrested last year.

“I’m sad, I’m hurt, I’m mad,” the Reverend Clinton Stancil of the Wayman AME Church in St. Louis said by telephone. “But this was expected. We haven’t made any progress since Ferguson, that’s clear. Cops can still kill us with impunity.”

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson appealed for calm. ”Frustration, anger, hurt, pain, hope and love all intermingle,“ she said in a statement. I encourage St. Louisans to show each other compassion.”

Echoing the appeal for calm, Christina Wilson, Smith’s fiancée, pleaded at a news conference on Thursday evening for protesters to avoid violence if they demonstrate.

BRAVE Fiancé of Victim Asks BLM To Protest “In A Peaceful Way” After Accused St. Louis Cop Found NOT GUILTY In Death Of Man Fleeing From Co… pic.twitter.com/hlsjJqQ0Ap

— republocratist (@republocratist) September 15, 2017

The Stockley case is the latest in a series of recent grand jury decisions which have declined to charge officers involved in the deaths of black people: the most vivid recent examples include the shooting death of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson and the choking death of Eric Garner, 43, in New York. Baltimore police officers also were not convicted in the death of Freddie Gray, who died from a broken neck suffered in a police van in 2015.

* * *

After the verdict, Brown’s father, Michael Brown Sr., voiced his frustration with the outcome: “You all know this ain’t right and you all continue to do this to us,” he told a St. Louis Fox television station. “Like we don’t mean nothing, like we’re rats, trash, dogs in the streets. Right now, I‘m praying for my city because my people are tired of this.” Smith’s family in 2013 settled a lawsuit filed against the city for $900,000, the family’s lawyer, Albert Watkins, said.

Micheal Brown Sr. reacts to Stockley not guilty ruling https://t.co/DTGvA9g95L pic.twitter.com/q9BM0ERLSD

— FOX2now (@FOX2now) September 15, 2017

Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri, in a statement listed the names of several black people fatally shot by police in different cities and said little has changed. “It is past time for Missouri and the country to say in one voice: ‘This cannot continue,"” Mittman said.

Prosecutor Kimberly Gardner said in a statement she was disappointed with the verdict and believed she had presented proof that Stockley intended to kill Smith. “However, in this case it was the judge’s duty to evaluate the evidence and deliver his findings,” she said. “That’s how our system works.”

Meanwhile, the local protests are already starting to form:

BREAKING: protesters headed to Busch stadium downtown #stl. @kmoxnews @CBSNews @CBSNewsRadio #Stockley pic.twitter.com/W5GYxbUUEd

— Michael Calhoun (@michaelcalhoun) September 15, 2017

St. Louis-Demonstrators have shut down intersection in front of City Hall following Not Guilty Jason Stockley verdict pic.twitter.com/dYYB2sbkFO

— Ray Preston (@PrestonKMOV) September 15, 2017

#Stockley protest crowd has grown to about 75 in downtown St. Louis. Blocking intersection by courthouse after lap of downtown. pic.twitter.com/yZB4xRm7A7

— Ryan P. Delaney (@rpatrickdelaney) September 15, 2017

Missouri Senator Who Said "I Hope Trump Is Assassinated" Refuses To Resign

The Missouri State Senator who published a Facebook post calling for President Donald Trump’s assassination is refusing to resign despite finding herself in hot water with both the Secret Service and her fellow Democrats, according to the Kansas City Star.

In her response, State Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal struck what the newspaper described as a “defiant” tone, saying that she published the post out of “anger and frustration” after President Donald Trump said “both sides” were to blame for an attack in Charlottesville Va. last weekend that killed one counter-protester and injured more than 20 others. She explained that it would be hypocritical for her to be punished for her speech when Trump makes similarly offensive comments on a regular basis.

“Out of anger and frustration, I said something that could have been reframed,” she said. “And I refuse to shy away from the hypocrisy and chaos our country is enduring under Trump.”

Somewhat ironically, Chappelle-Nadal accused the White House of “traumatizing” people of color, saying in a tweet that “when (people of color) are respected by this (White House) & they are willing to do real work, I’ll sit down with them. People are traumatized!”

I am not resigning. When POC are respected by this WH & they are willing to do real work, I"ll sit down with them. People are traumatized! https://t.co/rmsL4pQSTg

— MariaChappelleNadal (@MariaChappelleN) August 18, 2017

Several of Missouri’s top Democrats, including Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Webber and US Senator Claire McCaskill, who is one of 10 Democratic senators from a state won by Trump, joined the growing chorus of local lawmakers insisting that Chappelle-Nadal should go, according to the Hill.

“The Missouri Democrat told CBS News that she thought Democratic state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal"s Facebook post, in which she said, "I hope Trump is assassinated," was "outrageous."

‘I condemn it. It"s outrageous," McCaskill said. "And she should resign.’”

Even House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty, the Missouri legislature’s highest-ranking black Democrat, joined calls for Chappelle-Nadal’s resignation, saying she had “foreited the right” to hold office.

“Also calling for her resignation was House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty, a Kansas City Democrat and the highest-ranking black lawmaker in Missouri.

‘Suggestions of violence have no place in our political discourse, and an elected official who expresses hope for someone’s murder has forfeited the right to hold office,’ McCann Beatty said. ‘Given state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal’s repugnant social media post suggesting the president should be assassinated, she must resign."

Meanwhile, the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus said it “does not condone” her comments, but stopped short of calling for Chappelle-Nadal to resign.  

“Although we hold both offices in very high respects, their inappropriate behavior and disturbing comments only act as catalyst for more violence and racial division in our country.”

If she doesn’t go willingly, Chappelle-Nadal’s colleagues in the senate could vote to expel her using a provision of the Missouri Constitution that requires a two-thirds vote. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has already endorsed her expulsion.

 “Lt. Gov. Mike Parson’s office said Friday that he would call for Chappelle-Nadal’s expulsion from office under Article III, Section 18 of the Missouri Constitution, which allows the Senate to expel a member with a two-thirds vote.

Gov. Eric Greitens endorsed her removal by Senate vote in a statement Friday: “Senator Chappelle-Nadal said she hopes the President is killed. Republicans and Democrats have called on her to resign. Her response: ‘Hell no.’ Last night, in an interview, she refused to apologize — twice.

‘If she will not resign, the Senate can vote to remove her. I believe they should.’”

The controversy started last week when Chappelle-Nadal posted, then deleted a comment on Facebook which read, "I hope Trump is assassinated!" Unfortunately, as Chappelle-Nadal should have learned by now, the internet never forgets, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch managed to get its hands on the post and published it.

The Secret Service, which tends to take threats on the life of the President seriously, has already confirmed they"re investigating the situation.

“The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a Facebook post from Missouri state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, in which she stated: "I hope Trump is assassinated!"

The U.S. Secret Service"s St. Louis field office "is looking into this," the office confirmed.

Kristina Schmidt, special agent in charge, told the Post-Dispatch that "hypothetically" in such investigations, agents try to "determine intent, to determine if there was a violation of federal law. If there is, then we refer it to the U.S. Attorney."

‘Our primary goal is to determine if there is intent and meaning behind it,’ Schmidt said.”

As the pressure to resign or be fired continues to intensify, we suspect Chappelle-Nadal will be updating her LinkedIn page in the very near future, despite the best efforts of the fledgling "I Stand With Maria" movement, which is probably just her immediate friends and family, anyway.
 

10 Very Strange Facts About The August 21 Solar Eclipse That Will Absolutely Blow Your Mind

In just a matter of days we are going to witness the most unusual solar eclipse in U.S. history. Could it be possible that all of the very strange “coincidences” surrounding this event have some sort of special significance?  The mainstream media has been buzzing about this upcoming solar eclipse for months, and it will easily be the most watched eclipse in all of U.S. history.  Last week, I published an article entitled “12 Critical Events That Are Going To Happen Over A 40 Day Period From August 21st To September 30th” that received an extraordinary amount of attention, and of course the first event on that list was “the Great American Eclipse” on the 21st.  As you will see below, so many numbers seem to indicate that this eclipse could have some sort of special significance, and it begins a period of exactly 40 days that many believe could be a turning point for America.

In the Scriptures, we are specifically told that one of the reasons why God created the sun and the moon was so that they could serve as “signs”.  The following is what Genesis 1:14 tells us…

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years“

And in Luke 21:25, the Lord Jesus specifically warned us to watch for signs “in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars” just prior to His return.

So we should be watching, and we should fully expect to see something happen up there before Christ comes back.

With that in mind, I would like to share some amazing facts about the solar eclipse on August 21st with you.  These were originally compiled by The Countdown Report, and when I first read them they definitely got my attention…

-First contact is in the state of Oregon, the 33rd state in the USA. The last contact is in South Carolina on the 33rd parallel. This eclipse happens on day 233 of the year. If the Revelation 12 sign is valid, then the eclipse is also 33 days before September 23, 2017. Jesus is thought to have been 33 when He died.

-Just for fun: It is 99 years (3 x 33) since the last eclipse to go coast-to-coast in the US, in 1918. From September 23, 2017 (Revelation 12 sign) to the end of the year, December 31, 2017 is 99 days (or 3 x 33). The number of days from the 1918 eclipse to the August 21 eclipse are 26,234 days. (2+6+2+3+4 = 17; 2017?). From August 12, 2017, the date of the Charlottesville Virginia “State of Emergency” declared to the August 21, 2017 Great Solar Eclipse is 9 days (3+3+3) and the dates are also mirrored – 12 and 21.

-First big city the eclipse hits in Oregon is Salem – Salem was named after Jerusalem. The eclipse also begins in Oregon exactly at sunset time in Jerusalem. So technically speaking, as the sun sets in America it will be setting in Jerusalem at the same time.

-The center line crosses through 12 primary states to receive total darkness. 12 disciples, 12 months in a year, the meaning of 12, which is considered a perfect number, is that it symbolizes God’s power and authority, as well as serving as a perfect governmental foundation.

-The eclipse path is exactly 70 miles wide. 70 has a sacred meaning in the Bible that has two perfect numbers, 7 that represents perfection and 10 that represents completeness and God’s law. 70 also symbolizes perfect spiritual order and a period of judgment. 70 is also specially connected with Jerusalem with so many references it would take a book to write.

-Another eclipse comes in 2024, 7 years after the August 21, 2017 and marks an X over the United States. The combined time of totality of these eclipses together will be 7 minutes. The day of the eclipse is August 21, 2017 – (7 + 7 + 7 = 21). The exact point where the two eclipses cross is right next to Cedar Lake in Illinois… specifically right next to SALEM Road. (Salem again!)

-The original form of the Hebrew letter Tav is like the English letter X or T – which is in the shape of a cross, or X– like the X that is made by the two solar eclipses on the cross paths over 7 years. The letter Tav means “a sign”.

-The path of the eclipse will be situated in such a way that every single state of the US will experience it, even Hawaii and Alaska.

-The totality will reach Oregon at 10:16 AM Pacific, and will end in South Carolina at 2:49 PM Eastern. That means it will take 1 hour and 33 minutes to cross the country. There is that 33 again.

-The eclipse is also exactly 40 days from Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur means “Day of Atonement” and is a time of repentance. While the eclipse day itself may come and go with everything remaining “normal” afterwards, we need to be focused on what could be coming soon after.

You can read the entire list of 33 facts that were compiled by The Countdown Report right here.  I just pulled out the ten that I considered to be the most remarkable.

According to Rachel Baxter, “40 is the number for waiting, preparation, testing or punishment. It is also the number to start a new chapter of the history of salvation”, and we see the number 40 pop up time after time in the Bible.

For instance, in Jonah 3:4 the prophet Jonah gave Ninevah a period of 40 days to repent before judgment would begin…

And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

Could this coming 40 day time period have some sort of special significance for us?

Like I said in my previous article, I don’t know if all of this means anything.

But Jesus did specifically instruct us to watch for signs in the sun and the moon, and the solar eclipse on August 21st involves both the sun and the moon.

On August 21st, I am going to be able to travel into the path of this eclipse.  Hopefully it will be a very clear day and I will be able to get some very clear pictures for my readers.

I don’t expect anything world shattering to take place on that particular day, but like millions of other Americans, I will definitely be looking up into the sky to see what happens…

Create your own review

Average rating:  

 0 reviews

The Most Unusual (And Significant?) Solar Eclipse In U.S. History Will Happen Next Month On August 21

August 21st is the date of “the Great American Eclipse”, and the hype around it is already starting to reach a fever pitch. It is being called “the Great American Eclipse” because this will be the first total solar eclipse ever that is only visible in the United States. In other words, since the United States became a nation there has never been a total eclipse that was only visible here and nowhere else. And this will be the first total solar eclipse to cross from the west coast to the east coast in 99 years. So for those that love astronomy, this is bigger than the Super Bowl.

Close to 200 million people live within a day’s drive of “the totality zone”, and many are projecting that this will be the most-viewed eclipse ever. In fact, many hotels and campsites along the path of the eclipse are already completely booked. So if you want to see it live, you better make your arrangements quickly.

Of course the “main event” will not last for very long. Depending on the location, the total eclipse will only last for about two or three minutes.

But if you count from the time that the moon will begin to cover the sun until the time when the sun is completely uncovered again, it will take approximately two and a half hours for the entire process to unfold. The following comes from Newsweek…

If you are in the band of totality, you will see (if you look through special ‘solar filters’ that darken the Sun by a factor of about 100,000) the Moon gradually covering the sun for about 75 min, then the beautiful totality, and then the uncovering for another 75 min.

Of course in the heavens things will be taking place at very high speed. For example, the moon’s shadow will actually be crossing the U.S. at a speed of close to 1,700 miles per hour.

And even if you are not in the “totality zone”, you will still notice what is happening on August 21st. That is because this eclipse will actually cast a “shadow” over the entire nation.

Could it be possible that has some sort of significance?

I don’t know, but without a doubt there will be a whole lot of speculation going on as we get closer to the date.

Many have pointed out that this solar total eclipse in 2017 will be followed by another total solar eclipse nearly seven years later on April 8th, 2024.

And when you plot the projected courses of these two solar eclipses on a map, they form a giant “X” over the center of the United States…

Could this be some sort of extremely bizarre coincidence?

And if it isn’t a coincidence, what could it mean?

I am afraid that I don’t have the answers to those questions right now, but I do find it to be extremely interesting that the heart of this “X” just happens to fall in the middle of the New Madrid fault zone.

Back in 1811 and 1812, the New Madrid Fault zone was hit by a series of absolutely massive earthquakes. At one point the shaking was so bad that it even caused church bells in Boston to start ringing. If similar earthquakes happened in our day and time, the damage would be absolutely unimaginable. The following comes from Smithsonian.com…

The Midwest was sparsely populated, and deaths were few. But 8-year-old Godfrey Lesieur saw the ground “rolling in waves.” Michael Braunm observed the river suddenly rise up “like a great loaf of bread to the height of many feet.” Sections of riverbed below the Mississippi rose so high that part of the river ran backward. Thousands of fissures ripped open fields, and geysers burst from the earth, spewing sand, water, mud and coal high into the air.

Could you imagine “thousands of fissures” suddenly opening up all over the middle of the country?

One insurance company tried to estimate what the economic toll would be if similar quakes happened today, and they came up with a figure of “about 300 billion dollars”…

A series of big shakes — of the sort last seen in 1811 and 1812 — would cause about $300 billion in damage, Swiss Re says. The cost would be double the damage from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005.

Houses — especially brick ones — would collapse. Buildings would sink sideways into liquefying earth. Bridges might tumble into the rivers. The route of the Mississippi River could change — as it did in the last big quake.

People would die, perhaps by the thousands. Being mainly a property reinsurer, Swiss Re didn’t estimate the human toll.

And we should also consider the fact that there are 15 nuclear reactors along the New Madrid fault zone. And so during a major catastrophe we could be looking at Fukushima times 15.

Let us hope that the next major New Madrid earthquake is put off for as long as possible. Nobody should ever want to see that kind of devastation.

But scientists tell us that the Earth’s crust is “mechanically weaker” under the New Madrid fault zone than it is in other areas of the country, and they assure us that given enough time there will be more massive quakes in the region someday.

It is entirely possible that it could just be a complete coincidence that these two eclipses form a giant “X” directly over the heart of the New Madrid fault zone, but I think that it would be a mistake to dismiss this phenomenon altogether without reflecting on what it might mean. Because as Pastor Mark Biltz has pointed out, it appears that God specifically used solar eclipses back in Biblical times…

“An archaeological find of cuneiform tablets was found in the 19th century describing events in Nineveh. A famous eclipse mentioned in the tablets was known as the Bur-Sagale eclipse, which is verified by NASA as occurring on June 15, 763 BC. The path of totality was right over Nineveh. God had declared the sun and the moon were for signs, and now the Ninevites saw the wrath of God coming even before Jonah arrived a couple months later. When Jonah arrived, they were ripe for repentance.”

Our world is a very strange place, and it is getting stranger with each passing day.

And one thing is absolutely certain – the entire nation will be looking up into the sky on August 21st, and what they will see will be truly historic.

The US Is Not "One Nation" - And It Never Was

Patrick Buchanan is an informative and interesting writer. On foreign policy, especially, he"s long been one of the most reasonable voices among high-level American pundits.

When it comes to cultural matters, however, Buchanan has long held to a peculiar and empirically questionable version of American history in which the United States was once a mono-culture in which everyone was once happily united by "a common religion," a "common language," and a "common culture."

Now, he"s at it again with his most recent column in which he correctly points out that the United States is culturally fractured, and speculates as to whether or not Thomas Jefferson"s call to "dissolve political bands" in the Declaration of Independence might be sound advice today.

Buchanan is correct in noting that the US is culturally divided today.

But, he appears to have a selective view of history when he contends there was a time when this was not so. If there ever was such a period, it"s unclear as to when exactly it was. 

Buchanan can"t be referring to the mid-19th century when Northern states and Southern states were becoming increasingly hostile toward each other. Many of these differences flared up over slavery, but larger cultural differences were there too, exemplified by a divide between agrarian and industrialized culture, and the hierarchical South versus the more populist North. The result was a civil war that killed more than 2 percent of the population. It was a literal bloodbath. 

Was that version of the United States culturally united?

Nor can Buchanan possibly be referring to the US of the so-called Gilded Age. After all, during this period, the US was flooded with immigrants from a wide variety of backgrounds, 

Historian Jon Grinspan notes:

American life transformed more radically during the 19th century than it ever had before. Between the 1830s and 1900, America"s population quintupled ... at least 18 million immigrants arrived from Europe, more people than had lived in all of America in 1830.

This hardly led to a period of religious or linguistic unity. 

Certainly Catholics of the 19th century in the United States — who were commonly denounced as being non-Christians by the majority Protestants — would be at a loss if asked to describe the way the United States was united by a common religion. 

This alleged unity would be news to the Catholics whose schools were being closed by government edict — as happened in Oregon where the state government deliberately outlawed private schools in the hope of eradicating the Catholic education system. This unity was certainly absent for the Catholics who were victims in the Know-Nothing riots in Philadelphia in 1844. 

The Mormons may have fared even worse, and fled to the wilds of Utah. Even there they couldn"t avoid the iron fist of the federal government. When disagreements flared over polygamy and territorial representation, James Buchanan sent 2,500 troops to Utah in 1857 as part of a shooting war with Mormons to force them into better compliance with federal law. 

Nor were the foreign languages of immigrants immediately stamped out as many imagine in their nostalgia. Well into the 20th century, German continued to be a widely-spoken language, with Americans of German descent demanding their own German-language schools and government documents printed in German. Many Germans actively sought to avoid cultural integration with others by demanding more taxpayer-funded German-language-only schools.

According to historian Willi Paul Adams:

[S]ome states mandated English as the exclusive language of instruction in the public schools, while Pennsylvania and Ohio in 1839 were first in allowing German as an official alternative, even requiring it on parental demand. Some public and many private parochial schools taught exclusively in German throughout many decades, mostly in rural areas.

Nor was the German lobby confined to these two states. The original Colorado constitution, for example, mandates that all new laws be distributed in German, Spanish, and English, so as to cater to speakers the three most common languages in the area. 

According to the census bureau, there were more than two-million German-speaking foreign-born United States residents in 1920, which means more than 2 percent of the population was speaking German. If the same proportions held up today, there"d be more than six million foreign-born German speakers in the US. Moreover, Germans weren"t even the largest foreign language group at the time. There were even more foreign-born speakers of "Slavic languages" including Russian, Czech, and Polish. Taken all together — out of a population of 100 million — there were more than ten million foreign-born Americans with a "mother tongue" other than English in 1920. It is likely that many of these people also knew and spoke English — some of the time. But the reality hardly paints a picture of linguistic and cultural unity as imagined by Buchanan. 

And then, of course, there is the Spanish-speaking population. As noted above, the State of Colorado was tri-lingual from the day it became a state. And then there is New Mexico where Spanish speakers prior to statehood comprised at least half the state"s population. Not surprisingly, the New Mexico constitution has always stipulated that the Spanish language enjoys special status, and that no citizen of the state may be denied any state services or rights based on being only able to speak Spanish. 

Much of this linguistic diversity was a legacy of the Mexican War in which the US annexed vast territories that included many Spanish speakers. Generally forgotten today is the fact that the Mexican border was once located a mere 100 miles south of Denver along the Arkansas River. The special status granted Spanish in the 19th century in these regions was not a result of an influx of new immigrants. It was the result of a linguistic reality imposed on the population of the American Southwest by an American war of conquest.

We might also mention ongoing ethnic tensions caused by the war, such as those caused by the notorious Land Act of 1851 which robbed the Californios of their property. And then there were decades of anti-Mexican policies in southern Texas that disenfranchised the Spanish-speaking minority there. In some cases, this led to outright violent rebellion as with Juan Cortina and his guerrilla fighters.  

So, is the cultural disunity in the United States something novel and unprecedented as Buchanan imagines? It"s unlikely. 

Any theory about unity in American history that just breezes over the American Civil War is questionable at best, and English is likely more widespread today than at any point in the last 150 years thanks to the dominance of American popular culture. 

Nevertheless, Buchanan has a point. 

There are very real divides in the US today, especially between the religious and the anti-religious, between the urban residents and suburbanites, and between leftists and conservatives. Recent data even suggests that communities are now segregating themselves along ideological lines.

So what is the answer? 

As is so often the case, the answer simply lies in decentralization. As Buchanan seems to suggest, now may be the time to "dissolve the political bands which have connected" Californians with Texans and Vermonters with Indianans. 

After all, as Buchanan notes, if unity were put up to a vote, would the confederation we call "the United States" even survive? 

Could the Constitution, as currently interpreted, win the approval of two-thirds of our citizens and three-fourth of our states, if it were not already the supreme law of the land? How would a national referendum on the Constitution turn out, when many Americans are already seeking a new constitutional convention?

The answers to these questions are not obviously "yes." 

Buchanan also correctly points out that the US does not qualify as "a nation" - at least not according to the romantic definition he uses. Buchanan quotes the Frenchman Ernest Renan who identifies at least two criteria for status as a nation: "One is the possession in common of a rich legacy of memories; the other is present consent, the desire to live together, the desire to continue to invest in the heritage that we have jointly received."

Buchanan suggests this description no longer applies to the US. He"s half right. It doesn"t apply to the US today. But unless we studiously ignore and gloss over the enduring religious, linguistic, cultural, and ideological differences that have always existed, we must admit it never really applied to the United States at all. 

Lawsuit Exposes State in Taking Kids from Parents and Heavily Drugging them with Psychotropics

Foster children in Missouri have been dangerously over-medicated with antipsychotic drugs — intended to treat conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia — to manage behavioral disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a new civil rights lawsuit, which instead effectively puts them in “a chemical straightjacket.”

“The sedative properties of the drugs are employed to sedate and control the difficult behaviors of children,” says attorney Bill Grimm of the National Center for Youth Law, which — together with the Saint Louis University School of Law Legal Clinic and the legal advocacy group Children’s Rights — brought the lawsuit June 12.

“Whenever a state takes a child into custody, there are certain obligation that arise to that child from the state,” such as the government’s duty to protect children’s health and safety, the attorney asserts.

Missouri’s Children’s Division, “has failed to meet its critical obligations and presently subjects [foster children represented] to physical and psychological harm and the unreasonable risk of such harm in violation of their federal constitutional and statutory rights,” the class-action suit contends.

Grimm laments the issue compounding due to flimsy recordkeeping, adding, according to Reason, “The caregivers don’t know in some instances what the medications are, what conditions they’re supposed to address for the child, what benefits they are supposed to provide to the child … They are operating in the dark.”

Over-medicating could induce children into being pliable and compliant, but the effects of providing youth with medicine intended to treat serious conditions — for behaviors not deemed as grave — can have deleterious effects on their health.

Foster children arriving in custodial care for the first time have been documented bringing prescriptions in paper bags or wrapped in tissue paper, according to the suit, minus crucial information on dosages and side effects — leaving foster parents in the dark about how to properly medicate children.

Reason elaborates, “One child was hospitalized for six days after she received the wrong dose of several psychotropic medications. Another was prescribed seven different psychotropic drugs at once, including three antipsychotics; as a result, the suit says, he developed tremors and required institutionalization.”

Missouri at least theoretically attempted to bring the problem of mis- and over-prescribing psychotropic medications to foster kids under control. Beginning in 2013, a “second opinion” program — in which a board-certified child psychologist commenced review of ten different children’s prescriptions to determine popular use — effectively ceased three years in, when “obtaining complete records from prescribers and health care providers was a difficult task and the review did not render sufficient or meaningful data.”

A study by the Government Accountability Office in 2012 found nearly one-fifth of foster children, 18 percent, were prescribed psychotropic medications — with those in group homes or residential treatment receiving those drugs at higher rates than their counterparts in individual homes or formal kin care situations — a figure which elucidated the urgency to determine efficacy.

Multiple states then enacted controls to stem the free flow of potentially dangerous medications to foster youth, Reason continues, “Washington established a requirement that any prescription of psychotropic drugs should receive a second opinion from a child psychiatrist. Florida requires informed consent from the kids’ legal guardians before the drugs can be administered. Texas has implemented a training program for child welfare workers and foster parents on alternatives to medication.”

Last year, according to the court filing, Missouri’s Department of Social Services acknowledged “many foster care children are prescribed multiple psychotropic medications without clear evidence of benefit and with inadequate safety data. The use of multiple medications (psychotropic or otherwise) creates the potential for serious drug interactions.”

Parties to the lawsuit allege foster children have been deprived of civil rights through the prescription of psychotropic drugs as a method of behavioral control — rather than for psychiatric and psychological needs.

Due to lack of oversight and mismanagement, foster children continue to face unnecessary and harmful effects of powerful medications — often meant for treating conditions for which many foster children have not been properly diagnosed.

Plaintiffs seek an overhaul of the current poorly-managed system, including improvements to oversight, sufficient maintenance and tracking of children’s medical records, revamped second opinion procedures, and — most imperatively for health and safety — a halt in prescriptions of heavy psychotropics for behavior control.

Medicating children into oblivion because Missouri or any other state finds a program unmanageable eviscerates their human rights and — considering protection of children comprises the fundamental purpose — makes a mockery of the foster program.

If the State remains unprepared to care for children taken from birth parents and placed in foster care, the premise of removal for safety is farcical at best.

However, prescribing weighty and unnecessary medications to foster kids for off-label use certainly accomplishes one goal — indefensibly astronomical profits flow unabated into the pharmaceutical industry’s apparently bottomless pockets.

Monsanto Troubles in St. Louis

(Organic Consumers Association) Is it any wonder Monsanto wants to hire a journalist to help improve its image (i.e. spread false facts)? The Biotech Bully is facing a raft of bad press—again. Here’s the latest.

1. OCA, Beyond Pesticides sue Monsanto. This week, we teamed up with Beyond Pesticides to sue St. Louis, Mo.-based Monsanto in Washington, D.C. for false and misleading labeling of the company’s flagship product, Roundup herbicide.

Here’s why. The label on Monsanto’s Roundup, sold in stores like Home Depot and Walmart and online by Amazon, clearly states that the herbicide targets an enzyme “found in plants but not in people or pets.”

Not true. Studies show that the enzyme targeted by glyphosate, the key active ingredient in Roundup, is found in people and pets. So when humans and pets ingest, absorb or inhale glyphosate, it negatively affects gut bacteria, which can ultimately lead to health problems.(See page 9 of the lawsuit for a more detailed explanation of the science).

Read the press release

Read the full complaint

2. Monsanto Tribunal press conference this week. On Tuesday, April 18, the five Monsanto Tribunal judges will announce their opinions, after having spent the past six months reviewing written testimony, and the oral testimony they heard during the two-day citizens’ tribunal held in October.

Will the judges decide that Monsanto has violated the right to food, health, a healthy environment and scientific freedom? Will they conclude that these violations represent a new crime—ecocide?

OCA will report on the judges’ opinions live from The Hague, Netherlands. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and twitter for live updates and interviews with the judges. You can also livestream the press conference, which will start at 6 a.m. PST, 9 a.m. EST (3 p.m. in the Netherlands).

Livestream the Monsanto Tribunal press conference on April 18

3. Call for Congressional investigation heats up. Last week we reported on how a visit to a town hall meeting led to a letter by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, to Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chair of the same committee, asking for an investigation into possible collusion between Monsanto and the EPA.

This week we urged all Oregonians to attend Walden’s town hall meetings, being held this week in six Oregon cities, to push him on Pallone’s request.

Pallone gave Walden until April 14 to respond “yes” or “no” to the investigation—so let’s keep up the pressure!

(Everyone) Call Rep. Greg Walden: (202) 225-6730 Tweet him @RepGregWalden

Is your Congress Member on the Energy and Commerce Committee? Find out, then call and tweet!

TAKE ACTION: Demand Congress investigate the collusion between Monsanto and the EPA to bury the truth about Roundup herbicide!

Monsanto Troubles in St. Louis

(Organic Consumers Association) Is it any wonder Monsanto wants to hire a journalist to help improve its image (i.e. spread false facts)? The Biotech Bully is facing a raft of bad press—again. Here’s the latest.

1. OCA, Beyond Pesticides sue Monsanto. This week, we teamed up with Beyond Pesticides to sue St. Louis, Mo.-based Monsanto in Washington, D.C. for false and misleading labeling of the company’s flagship product, Roundup herbicide.

Here’s why. The label on Monsanto’s Roundup, sold in stores like Home Depot and Walmart and online by Amazon, clearly states that the herbicide targets an enzyme “found in plants but not in people or pets.”

Not true. Studies show that the enzyme targeted by glyphosate, the key active ingredient in Roundup, is found in people and pets. So when humans and pets ingest, absorb or inhale glyphosate, it negatively affects gut bacteria, which can ultimately lead to health problems.(See page 9 of the lawsuit for a more detailed explanation of the science).

Read the press release

Read the full complaint

2. Monsanto Tribunal press conference this week. On Tuesday, April 18, the five Monsanto Tribunal judges will announce their opinions, after having spent the past six months reviewing written testimony, and the oral testimony they heard during the two-day citizens’ tribunal held in October.

Will the judges decide that Monsanto has violated the right to food, health, a healthy environment and scientific freedom? Will they conclude that these violations represent a new crime—ecocide?

OCA will report on the judges’ opinions live from The Hague, Netherlands. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and twitter for live updates and interviews with the judges. You can also livestream the press conference, which will start at 6 a.m. PST, 9 a.m. EST (3 p.m. in the Netherlands).

Livestream the Monsanto Tribunal press conference on April 18

3. Call for Congressional investigation heats up. Last week we reported on how a visit to a town hall meeting led to a letter by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, to Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chair of the same committee, asking for an investigation into possible collusion between Monsanto and the EPA.

This week we urged all Oregonians to attend Walden’s town hall meetings, being held this week in six Oregon cities, to push him on Pallone’s request.

Pallone gave Walden until April 14 to respond “yes” or “no” to the investigation—so let’s keep up the pressure!

(Everyone) Call Rep. Greg Walden: (202) 225-6730 Tweet him @RepGregWalden

Is your Congress Member on the Energy and Commerce Committee? Find out, then call and tweet!

TAKE ACTION: Demand Congress investigate the collusion between Monsanto and the EPA to bury the truth about Roundup herbicide!

North Korea TV Livestream Of "Day Of The Sun" Celebrations

With the world"s attention falling squarely on North Korea, which celebrates its "Day of the sun" on Saturday - the country"s most important holiday - during which many speculate it may conduct a nuclear test having previously said it is "up for war" following a warning from the US that such a test would most likely like to military strikes, below find a live video feed from the state-run Korean Central Television (KCTV) which is live streaming today"s event.

While few details about today"s schedule have been disclosed, a military parade is expected to take place later in the day.

Here Is The List Of Donald Trump's "Priority" Infrastructure Projects

With the topic of infrastructure investing dominating today"s newsflow after the NYT report that Democrats would support Trump if he endorsed their propsed list of some $1 trillion in infrastructure projects, which would create as many as 15 million jobs, the Kansas City Star and The News Tribune have compiled a presentation - based on internal White House documents - of about 50 infrastructure projects nationwide which comprise the "priority list" for US infrastructure projects in the coming years.

As McClatchy reports, the documents, circulated within the congressional and business communities, offer a first glimpse at which projects around the country might get funding if Trump follows through on his campaign promise to renew America’s crumbling highways, airports, dams and bridges.

Among the potential projects are a new terminal for the Kansas City airport, upgrades to Interstate 95 in North Carolina and the construction of a high-speed railway from Dallas to Houston. The document obtained by the Star proposes funding the projects as public-private partnerships, with half the money coming from private investment.

The priority list of “Emergency & National Security Projects" was put together by the Trump team, a senior congressional aide told Kansas City Star. It includes cost estimates and job impact numbers. According to the source, it is not clear whether that document is a draft or a final version.

The National Governors Association circulated a similar list as a spreadsheet among state officials in December, requesting further suggestions. All but two projects on both lists are the same. Some projects that governors suggested — in California and Washington state in particular — do not yet appear on either list. The governors’ association has received 43 responses from states and territories so far, said Elena Waskey, a spokeswoman for the association.

“The total number of projects is more than 300,” Waskey said. “We are working to convene information for as many states as possible that we will then forward to the administration.” The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Among the projects listed is a $10 billion proposal to replace the nation’s radar-based air traffic control system with one called NextGen, based on satellites. The document projects the project could create 2,300 direct jobs.

For those concerned about partisan bias among the proposed projects, here are some stats: in some states, such as Missouri, more than one project is listed, while others states appear to have come up empty. Neither document lists any projects in Kansas, for example. The National Governors Association asked governors’ offices last month for input on a preliminary list of infrastructure projects compiled by the Trump team, said Jaime Smith, a spokeswoman for Washington’s Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee.

“They seek examples of priority infrastructure projects that might be incorporated into a future infrastructure investment program,” said the letter from the governors’ association, dated Dec. 16. “Specifically, the transition team is looking for 3 to 5 project suggestions from each state that they would vet for inclusion in a new program.” The letter said the vetting would be done by a bipartisan infrastructure commission overseeing investments.

“The initial spend on these projects for 2017 is expected to be $150 billion, and the transition team hopes that this type of project will be continued over the next 2 years,” according to the letter. The letter also noted that any contributions governors made would not be binding, and that this was “just an initial information-gathering request.”

Once the Trump administration officially took office, the letter said, “there will be a more formal process for states to submit information. Projects will be chosen through a more formal process as well.” The projects have to meet specific criteria:

•  A national security or public safety “emergency.”


• “Shovel-ready,” with at least 30 percent of initial design and engineering work complete.


• Direct job creator.


• Project with the potential for increased U.S. manufacturing.

The governors’ association letter included a list of projects already being vetted, with the request that governors use it as a model for submissions.

The summary list of 50 proposed projects is below:

California"s Democratic governor Jerry Brown’s office sent nine examples of big shovel-ready projects in California, including the Sacramento River Bank Protection Project and Bay Area Commuter and Freight Projects. That preliminary list appears to be similar to the document obtained by McClatchy’s Star, with two differences: The preliminary list includes the Alaska Pipeline & LNG Project instead of the Texas Central Railway and it lists the Fort Mojave Solar Project instead of the Howard Street Tunnel.

Both the preliminary list and the more detailed document obtained by the Star include a new terminal for Kansas City International Airport. The detailed document says the project would cost $972 million and generate 1,000 jobs.  The Kansas City airport is one of three airport projects on the Trump team’s document. The others are expansions of the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

“The business case for a new terminal was bolstered after Southwest and the other airlines told the City Council on April 26 that they would finance the nearly $1 billion new terminal, to be built where Terminal A is now,” reads the document’s description for KCI, which lifts word-for-word a passage in a June 24 article in The Star. In North Carolina, the I-95 project would provide urgent improvements to one of the oldest sections of the busiest interstate in the nation, according to the document. The cost is listed at $1.5 billion, and the project would produce an estimated 5,400 jobs, the document says.

The 250-mile high-speed railway in Texas would enable commuters to travel between Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth in less than 90 minutes, according to the document. It is a $12 billion proposal that would create 40,000 direct jobs, the document says.

Other proposals include I-395 reconstruction in Florida and a Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project designed to conserve billions of gallons of renewable groundwater in California’s Mojave Desert.

The full presentation of 50 proposed projects is below (link)

Volunteers Transformed NICU Babies with Handmade Halloween Costumes

The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can be a place of great stress and worry for parents, but the NICU at St. Luke Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, has a bit more happy Halloween cheer, thanks to a kindhearted group of volunteers who created some itty-bitty costumes for the hospital’s tiniest patients. [1]

The gifted March of Dimes volunteers crafted the costumes from felt and glue in a controlled room in the hospital to ensure it was safe and sanitary for the premature newborns.

If you can’t imagine anything cuter than a tiny baby, well, imagine a pint-size Superman, Batman, ladybug, or butterfly. The delicate garb takes some of the attention away from the tubes and wires flowing in and out of the cradles and incubators.

Source: CNN

Hospital spokeswoman Michelle Manuel said:

“Families in our NICU may spend weeks or months here, and it can be an emotional time.

Providing an opportunity for them to celebrate Halloween with their little ones allows them a sense of normalcy, and to celebrate their baby’s first milestones, which is what every family wants to do.” [2]

Source: CNN

Three volunteer photographers were on-hand at St. Luke to capture the costumed babies in their full, adorable splendor, including Emmalee Schaumburg, who last year began photographing babies every other month. [1]

Schaumburg’s own daughter – who will soon celebrate her 3rd birthday – was born prematurely at 3 pounds and 6 ounces, so she understands what NICU parents go through. She said:

“Now that she’s 2 and a half, I am so glad I can go back and look at those pictures and see how far she’s come. It’s so important to remember how far these babies have come.” [2]

Thirty-five families currently have babies in the NICU at St. Luke, and not only do their tiny blessings get Halloween costumes, the families themselves also receive a “Trick or Treat, smell my feet” card with their baby’s footprints, and a hand-crocheted pumpkin filled with treats and a Halloween book. [1]

Source: CNN

The NICU staff is already dreaming up sweet ideas to make the rest of the holiday season a bit more fun for the families. [2]

Sources:

[1] USA Today

[2] CNN

Images Source:

CNN

---

---

About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.