Local News
Traffic & business
New Ohio law would doom ‘vicious’ dogs
June’s not too late to get into college
Festival will feature brews, BBQ
WHS grads ready for what’s nextTop Headlines Poll: Should the U.S. have negotiated with the Taliban to gain the release of an American soldier?
(For comparison’s sake, I’ve added a link to the The Anchor News to these posts.)
The excuse-making on behalf of President Obama has always found its most extreme form when it came time to explain why he failed to fulfill his oft-stated 2008 election promise to close Guantanamo. As I’ve documented many times, even the promise itself was misleading, as it became quickly apparent that Obama — even in the absence of congressional obstruction — did not intend to “close GITMO” at all but rather to re-locate it, maintaining its defining injustice of indefinite detention.
But the events of the last three days have obliterated the last remaining excuse. In order to secure the release of American POW Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the Obama administration agreed to release from Guantanamo five detainees allegedly affiliated with the Taliban. But as even stalwart Obama defenders such as Jeffery Toobin admit, Obama “clearly broke the law” by releasing those detainees without providing Congress the 30-day notice required by the 2014 defense authorization statute (law professor Jonathan Turley similarly observed that Obama’s lawbreaking here was clear and virtually undebatable).
The only conceivable legal argument to justify this release is if the Obama White House argues that the law does not and cannot bind them. As documented by MSNBC’s Adam Serwer – who acknowledges that “when it comes to the legality of the decision [critics] have a point” – Obama has suggested in the past when issuing signing statements that he does not recognize the validity of congressional restrictions on his power to release Guantanamo detainees because these are decisions assigned by the Constitution solely to the commander-in-chief (sound familiar?). Obama’s last signing statement concluded with this cryptic vow: “In the event that the restrictions on the transfer of Guantanamo detainees in sections 1034 and 1035 operate in a manner that violates constitutional separation of powers principles, my Administration will implement them in a manner that avoids the constitutional conflict.”
Glenn Greenwald writing in What Excuse Remains for Obama’s Failure to Close Gitmo? for The//Intercept.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio House committee is ready to debate a bill intended to limit the state impact of a newly announced federal plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants 30 percent by 2030.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the rule Monday, part of President Barack Obama’s goal of reducing pollution linked to global warming.
The federal action would give states years to submit plans to cut power plant pollution.
Ohio’s bill would require any such plan coming from the state to protect electric affordability and reliability and to minimize harm to industrial, commercial and residential consumers. A panel vote is set for Tuesday.
Some states that rely heavily on coal have objected to the federal effort. Ohio gets 70 percent of its electricity from coal.
From an Associated Press wire story.
Our statehouse is truly filled with worthless nuts.
HOUSTON (AP) — Companies, customers and others critical of Texas gun rights advocates who have brought military-style assault rifles into businesses as part of demonstrations supporting “open carry” gun rights now have a surprising ally: the National Rifle Association.
The advocates’ actions in restaurants and other public places — part of a push for less restrictive gun laws, including legalizing the open carry of handguns — have prompted public criticism.
The NRA has long been a zealous advocate for gun owners’ rights. But the group’s lobbying arm, the Institute for Legislative Action, has called the demonstrations counterproductive to promoting gun rights, scary and “downright weird.”
The NRA said the demonstrations have “crossed the line from enthusiasm to downright foolishness.”
“Using guns merely to draw attention to yourself in public not only defies common sense, it shows a lack of consideration and manners. That’s not the Texas way. And that’s certainly not the NRA way,” the NRA said in a statement posted on its website Friday.
The president and vice president of Open Carry Texas, one of the groups behind the recent demonstrations, did not return emails seeking comment late Monday.
But in a statement posted on its Facebook page, Open Carry Texas criticized the NRA, saying if the group doesn’t retract its comments, Open Carry will have to withdraw its full support for the NRA.
“It is unfortunate that an organization that claims to be dedicated to the preservation of gun rights would attack another organization fighting so hard for those rights in Texas,” Open Carry Texas said. “The more the NRA continues to divide its members by attacking some aspects of gun rights instead of supporting all gun rights, the more support it will lose.”
Texas has some of the least restrictive gun laws in the country, but openly carrying handguns remains illegal. Long guns like rifles can be carried openly but must be done so in a way that does not cause alarm. But gun holders can be charged with disorderly conduct if anyone around them feels threatened.
The activists’ demonstrations, while peaceful, have upset some witnesses.
The Chipotle restaurant chain asked customers last month not to bring firearms into its stores after members of Open Carry Texas brought military-style assault rifles into one of its restaurants in the Dallas area.
Juan A. Lozano writing in NRA calls ‘open carry’ rallies ‘downright weird’ for the Associated Press.
Local News
Pioneers’ statue
Weeding out invasive plants
Drug defendant prefers prison
Ohio bill will limit pollution rules
Here’s a mystery that rocksTop Headlines Poll: Which scares you more, a hurricane with a man’s name or a woman’s name?
(For comparison’s sake, I’ve added a link to the The Anchor News to these posts.)
Listen very carefully to Francis Marion’s words (as interpreted by Walt Disney) beginning at the 7:25 minute mark and imagine a Kihn, or Arab or Pashtun delivering the exact same speech, and ask yourself, “what are we doing there?”
[Update at 1630: Hmmmm. Still no Marietta Times front page on Newseum. This is what Newseum is showing for today: Manteca Bulletin, Manteca, Calif., check; Marietta Daily Journal, Marietta, Ga., check; Marin Independent Journal, San Rafael, Calif., check, wait, what? Conspiracy theories anyone? :) ]
[Update at 1649: The Marietta Times has even disappeared from the listing of Ohio papers by Newseum. I don’t know if the Parkersburg News and Sentinel ever appeared on Newseum, but it too is missing from both the listing and gallery pages. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see if this is glitch or not..]
Local News
Military toys on display in Harmar
The VA mess: Local views
MOVP wants new members, bigger audiences
Days Inn opens Caldwell hotel
Paying it forward: Volunteer’s energy, attitude rub offTop Headlines Poll: Do you think gas prices will top $4 a gallon this summer in Washington County?
(For comparison’s sake, I’ve added a link to the The Anchor News to these posts.)
The Obama administration will propose sweeping new environmental rules on Monday, cutting carbon pollution from existing power plants by 30% over 2005 levels by 2030, according to people briefed on the plan.
The new power plant rules – which will be formally announced by the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday morning – represent the most ambitious effort by Barack Obama or any other president to deal with climate change.
The regulations could lead to a sweeping transformation of America’s energy economy, if they survive an onslaught from business and conservative groups, and Republicans in Congress. [Emphasis mine, JH]
The rules could also break open negotiations for a global climate change deal, the United Nations climate chief, Christiana Figueres, said.
The 30% target, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, represents the first attempt by any president to regulate carbon pollution from power plants.
Obama had initially sought to deal with climate change through Congress. But after that effort collapse, and with Republicans in Congress uniformly opposed to cutting carbon emissions – or even denying climate change was occuring – Obama decided last year to use his executive authority to cut carbon pollution.
The White House and the EPA would not comment on the report.
Suzanne Goldenberg writing in US set to unveil rules to cut carbon pollution from power plants by 30% for The Guardian.
Since the Marietta Times does not publish a Sunday edition, what was your favorite story this week? What story did the Marietta Times not report or under-report this week?
(For comparison’s sake, I’ve added a link to the The Anchor News to these posts.)
A Cuyahoga County grand jury Friday indicted six Cleveland police officers for their roles in a 2012 police chase and shooting that left two people dead and carved deep schisms into the community.
The grand jury charged Patrolman Michael Brelo with two counts of voluntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony. The panel also accused five supervisors of dereliction of duty: sergeants Randolph Dailey, Patricia Coleman, Jason Edens, Michael Donegan and Lt. Paul Wilson, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty said.
John Caniglia writing in Cleveland police chase and shooting grand jury: Patrolman and 5 supervisors are indicted for the Plain Dealer.
The Series: America’s mental health: a crisis in care…
If you would have told me 25 years ago that my family and I would still be caring for my brother, I wouldn’t have believed you. He suffers from schizophrenia and has wreaked havoc on our family emotionally, physically and financially.
When we found him Section 8 housing in San Rafael 12 years ago, it was a miracle and only happened because we knew somebody who knew somebody.
This year, the Non Smoking Ordinance rendered him homeless. The man who drafted this legislation told me he ‘just didn’t think about’ how the law would impact the mentally and physically disabled people who simply are unable to quit.
The people who owned and managed the housing were so compassionate and tolerant toward him, and tried in vain to get him to stop smoking on the premises before he was kicked out. But he really didn’t belong there. He belongs in institutionalized housing and care.
Now, we are housing him in a warehouse, trying to care for him. Families should not have to provide psychiatric care for their loved ones. It just doesn’t work.
Ruth Spencer and Amanda Holpuch writing in On the front lines of mental health: ‘If you’re mentally ill in America, you are shit outta luck’ for The Guardian.
Local News
Barrel blues
Marietta man indicted on rape charge
Former Meigs deputy prompts pursuit
Arrest for incident involving 10-year-old
Rotary’s ‘Marietta’ landscaping will be moved during road workTop Headlines Poll: How big of a headache is the road construction around town for you/your family?
(For comparison’s sake, I’ve added a link to the The Anchor News to these posts.)
John Kerry was in my mind Wednesday morning, and not because he had called me a patriot on NBC News. I was reading the lead story in the New York Times – “US Troops to Leave Afghanistan by End of 2016” – with a photo of American soldiers looking for caves. I recalled not the Secretary of State but a 27-year-old Kerry, asking, as he testified to the Senate about the US troops who were still in Vietnam and were to remain for another two years: How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?
I wondered how a 70-year-old Kerry would relate to that question as he looked at that picture and that headline. And then there he was on MSNBC an hour later, thinking about me, too, during a round of interviews about Afghanistan that inevitably turned to Edward Snowden ahead of my fellow whistleblower’s own primetime interview that night:
There are many a patriot – you can go back to the Pentagon Papers with Dan Ellsberg and others who stood and went to the court system of America and made their case. Edward Snowden is a coward, he is a traitor, and he has betrayed his country. And if he wants to come home tomorrow to face the music, he can do so.
On the Today show and CBS, Kerry complimented me again – and said Snowden “should man up and come back to the United States” to face charges. But John Kerry is wrong, because that’s not the measure of patriotism when it comes to whistleblowing, for me or Snowden, who is facing the same criminal charges I did for exposing the Pentagon Papers.
As Snowden told Brian Williams on NBC later that night and Snowden’s lawyer told me the next morning, he would have no chance whatsoever to come home and make his case – in public or in court.
Snowden would come back home to a jail cell – and not just an ordinary cell-block but isolation in solitary confinement, not just for months like Chelsea Manning but for the rest of his sentence, and probably the rest of his life. His legal adviser, Ben Wizner, told me that he estimates Snowden’s chance of being allowed out on bail as zero. (I was out on bond, speaking against the Vietnam war, the whole 23 months I was under indictment).
More importantly, the current state of whistleblowing prosecutions under the Espionage Act makes a truly fair trial wholly unavailable to an American who has exposed classified wrongdoing.
Daniel Ellsberg writing in Snowden would not get a fair trial – and Kerry is wrong for The Guardian.
Ohio’s Green Party says it has achieved a first by qualifying a gubernatorial ticket for the general election through a write-in election.
Anita Rios (REE’-ohs) and Bob Fitrakis (fih-TRAY’-kuhs) announced Thursday that their primary results have been certified in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, placing them on November’s ballot.
The pair was gathering signatures during last year’s brutal winter at the time state lawmakers passed a bill containing new restrictions on minor party ballot access.
Rios and Fitrakis were unable to gather the 500 signatures needed, so supporters launched a last-minute write-in campaign.
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has disqualified another third-party candidate, Libertarian Charlie Earl, in a challenge that’s ongoing.
Incumbent Republican Gov. John Kasich (KAY’-sik) and Democrat Ed FitzGerald are the major party candidates.
From an Associated Press wire story.
The Series: America’s mental health: a crisis in care…
Our mental health system is a non-system – and a dysfunctional non-system at that.
The evidence is everywhere that things have been getting worse – more and more Americans with mental illness are stranded in emergency rooms, for example, and simply for want of hospital beds. And that is in no small part because nobody has tried, in more than 50 years, to design a comprehensive mental health system for all Americans.
It’s time to try again.
The last major rethinking of the system’s flaws began, in 1955, with an act of Congress that resulted in the appointment of something called the Joint Commission on Mental Illness and Health. The commission’s report, Action for Mental Health, offered a vision of community-based mental health treatment: a new clinic would be created for every 50,000 persons – for prevention and early intervention services. People who once had to wait for their symptoms to become bad enough to go to the hospital before anything could be done? They would receive prompt care in their own communities and return quickly to life as usual – back at work, living with their families, seeing their friends.
Paul S Appelbaum writing in How to rebuild America’s mental health system, in 5 big steps for The Guardian.
Local News
School’s out!
Back home
Thief who skipped court date sentenced
Another step for armory project
County reviews plans for $1.25MTop Headlines Poll: Where is your favorite place to swim?
(For comparison’s sake, I’ve added a link to the The Anchor News to these posts.)
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