Flip Key, Trip Adviser Slow Paying Clients

Horrible Customer Service, Slow Pay Of Rentals

Flip Key is an online property rental service for people who own vacation homes.  Owners can list their property through Flip Key.  People interested in leasing a resort property can then book.  What makes the entire process appealing is Flip Key's association with the large hotel booking company, Trip Adviser.

For some unknown reason, Flip Key is now slow paying homeowners even after taking full payment from the guest.  The homeowner is then left with a choice, evict the guest who has already paid, or sit tight and see if Flip Key will eventually remit the money.

Of course, you can't call Flip Key personally to bitch about their poor payment service.  Instead, users are forced to refer to a help page where the following question is posed by Flip Key, with the attached answer:

"I still haven't received my payment. When will I get paid?

Over the past month, FlipKey has been working on merging systems to take greater advantage of TripAdvisor's world-class vacation rental expertise. These changes have temporarily impacted the automatic disbursement of funds, and some payments are not arriving to you when you normally expect them. We are aware of this issue and are working to resolve it as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, in order to make sure that we are sending the correct amounts to the right people, we are taking some extra time to make sure that things go smoothly. We are working to get your money sent to you as close to its expected arrival date as possible. However, this short delay might continue for the next few weeks.

We appreciate your patience as we address the issue."



Really, it must be the owner's fault for choosing Flip Key in the first place.  If they had read everything there was to know about Flip Key, they would have found Flip Key's own notice about slow payment.

Usually. slow payment spells one thing: financial trouble.  We don't know if Flip Key and Trip Adviser are having financial rough times, but they sure act like it.

Use Flip Key at your own risk.

"The Interview" A Riot, But Was America Honeypotted?

Sony Pictures "The Interview" is an absolute, though perhaps, risque, riot.  The movie tells the story of a television talk show host who has an opportunity to boost his ratings by interviewing the reclusive leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un.

To every one's surprise, Kim Jon Un appears as an insecure but very personable human being unlike the god-like and unforgiving supreme being the talk show host and his producer have been led to believe they will meet.  Soon after arrival in North Korea, the audience is given the hope there might be a future left for humanity after all, if the two cultures could only understand one another.

The comedy team of Seth Rogen and James Franco pack in the laughs as they poke fun at more than just the "Supreme Leader" of an isolated nation with it's finger on the button which if pushed will result in mutual assured destruction through nuclear holocaust.  The comedy team takes square aim at gays, Jews, women, minorities, the CIA and human sexuality, all with equal abandon.

The film pens a term "honey potting" as a certain sucking up of the fairer sex to get what they want from an often naive male class.  The term is confused with "honey combing" and "honey dicking" for gay males who fall for the same basic tactic.

However, one must wonder, if perhaps it was the American public who got honey-potted.  The cyber attack against Sony Pictures brought defenders out of the woodwork including President Barack Obama and theater goers singing "God Bless America."  Even the F.B.I. got into the act, previewing the movie so they could learn how to manage cyber-criminals.  The movie has been a sellout everywhere it played and the home revenues are not yet tallied.  But no one has pinned the cyber attack which led Sony Pictures to initially cancel the airing of the film on North Korean hackers.  If it turns out the "cyber attack" on Sony Pictures was accomplished as an in-house event for publicity, it will go down as one of the most successful publicity stunts in the history of film.

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The film opened on Christmas day in over 300 theaters, with an in-home release via Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft Xbox Video, with a possible deal with Netflix in the works.

Just in case Kim Jon Un is as crazy as they say, this is a movie all patriotic Americans should see.  If North Korea retaliates against such a scandalous portrayal of their God-like leader, at least a lot of people will have had a laugh at a truly sad situation, a basic lack of understanding between people who poop and pee just like everyone everywhere.  Sometimes the best diplomacy is accomplished through laughter and seeing each other as stuck on one planet where no one is perfect.

Dick Cheney Does Not Care We Tortured Innocent People

Most people would have a problem the U.S. has been involved in torture.  Dick Cheney not only has no problem with torture, he is fine with torturing innocent people.

In Nazi Germany, they didn't care much about their methods because they were sure to win the war.  We know what happened at Nuremberg to many of those Nazi perpetrators after they lost the war.  They were hanged until dead.



Dick Cheney thinks Americans are safer by using tactics that violate human and civil rights.  War crimes are not war crimes when we have an undeclared war.  America is in the right to protect her "homeland", a name penned during the Bush administration which sounds a lot like the "fatherland" of dictatorial regimes of years gone by.

The people who committed the torture should be treated with impunity according to the pro-torture camp.  They don't see how the methods used outside of the country, and even within the country, considering a military base is considered "American territory" while it is under the control of the U.S. military, affect the way Americans will be treated when captured.  Cheney and his supporters have thrown the principles of the Geneva Convention out the window and placed our people at risk of retaliatory treatment.

The way we treat citizens of other nations affects the way America is viewed by other nations.  It is fine for the most powerful country in the world to violate notions of human decency and fair treatment, but countries of lesser power cannot do the same?  On what moral ground can we complain about torture perpetrated upon U.S. citizens when the most powerful people in America support torture?

We have been on a path in which America, as a world leader, sets the pace for how "detainees", prisoners of war, should be treated.  Our own soldiers will no doubt face similar abuses.  When they do, you can be sure Dick Cheney will be first in line to call foul.

Feliz Dia de Gracia

Border Communities Urge Obama Use Restraint With Border Patrol

From Resist the tyranny.com

In using the President's executive power to help immigrants, border communities ask the President to use restraint, in not linking immigrants with increased militarization of the border, says the Southern Border Communities Coalition, with member organizations in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

In a letter addressed to the President, the communities said, "CBP urgently needs a surge in accountability and oversight, not increased Border Patrol personnel or war equipment".

The border communities say it is unwise to add resources to the Border Patrol without adding accountability in the use of force.  The organization says the Border Patrol has experienced unprecedented growth, now being the largest law enforcement agency in America.  The growth was too fast, and some agents lack accountability and oversight.

"Irrational, unsupervised growth made CBP the nation’s largest police force without
building up its integrity and professionalism to match"

Sources say President will announce the administrative deferral of some immigrants who meet stringent conditions, including a minimum of 5 continuous years in the U.S., no criminal record and other high standards.  The process will come at a price, the money added to the U.S. treasury.

The President is also expected to announce tougher measures on the border.  It is this announcement, tied to the decision to grant administrative relief, that border communities object to.  

43 Students "Disappeared" In Mexico, How Can You Help?

VIGIL IN SOLIDARITY

Contact:

Homero Ocon 303-437-7805

Vigil in Solidarity with the 43 disappeared students in Ayotzinapa, Mexico

To Demand Consulate to take a position calling on the Mexican government find the students and investigate their disappearance.

November 14, 2014, Denver -- Citizens from diverse countries, including the US and Mexico, demand the Mexican consulate call for a full investigation into the students’ disappearance and the return of the students alive. Today marks eight weeks since 43 students from Ayotzinapa, Mexico went missing.

Homero Ocon explains “We act today to draw Colorado and the world’s attention to the human rights violations happening in Mexico and a burgeoning people’s movement that’s occurring in response. We invite the people of Colorado to join us in demanding the safe return of 43 students. 43 students whose families have no information, no news or communication from their own government about the whereabouts of their children. We need the international community to pressure the Mexican government to meet the demands of the families”.

The families of the students are demanding:

1. Justice for the students

2. A meeting with the President

3. Peace and justice in Mexico



WHAT: Signs, banners and candles in front of the Mexican Consulate

WHO: Community members and students from the Metro area

WHERE: Mexican Consulate, 5350 Leetsdale Dr, Denver, CO 80246

WHEN: Friday November 14 4:00pm-7:00pm

E-Verify Making Positive Gains, House Republicans Set Immigrants Back

Photo from fillyourplate.com

E-Verify, an electronic system to verify the legal status of an employee, is making positive gains with many employers, according to a survey.  E-Verify assists employers to determine the employee has legal status to work in the U.S.

The survey found:

E-Verify is easy to use and customers are overwhelmingly positive when describing their experience with the program. 

Almost all E-Verify employers believe that E-Verify is effective (92 percent) and perceive it to be highly accurate (89 percent).

Overall, 97 percent of E-Verify employers agree that the system is user friendly. 

Almost all E-Verify employers agree that the mandatory tutorial adequately prepared them to use E-Verify (93 percent). 

Almost all E-Verify employers (97 percent) reported using the program for all new hires.

E-Verify

E-Verify is not a program undocumented workers like much, because the program provides rapid verification of worker status.  Some employers also oppose the service because they want a source of cheap labor and they want to avoid federal employment taxes.  

Substantial work is done by undocumented people.  This includes on farms and ranches, in construction, landscaping and other low paying jobs.  Some work is done in the technical field to make computers and dot.com companies able to offer inexpensive Internet and technical services.  There is also a large demand for unskilled workers in the health care industry, which helps reduce the costs of citizen health care.

The United Farm Workers Union put out a national invitation on a national talk show in which undocumented immigrants offered to give up their jobs in the fields for any citizen who is willing to do the hard work.  Four people applied for the program, at least one being a celebrity trying to make hay out of the event.  The only serious candidate quit before the first day was over, because the working conditions were to harsh for him.

E-Verify is probably a good idea even for undocumented people.  With comprehensive immigration reform, undocumented workers could come onto the radar and employers would be forced to pay reasonable wages and collect and pay employment taxes.  Consumers benefit as well because some ranchers are unable to obtain necessary workers and their produce rots in the ground, driving up the costs of fruits and vegetables to the consumer.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform was passed in the United States Senate, thanks to effort on the part of Senator Bennet from Colorado.  Bennet forged a hard hitting immigration bill that would have helped roughly 60% of the immigrants in the country.  Bennet was able to enlist the cooperation of conservative Republicans and together they worked out a deal that secures the border and keeps families united.  The program left out people who need to be identified the most, people with criminal records.  

From both a liberal and conservative approach, giving immigrants with criminal records one last chance in exchange for registration protects the nation by registering all people within America's borders, and allows people who traditionally have limited access to legal protection one last chance to get it right.

However, in the U.S. House of Representatives, the House leadership, under John Boehnner, is saying no to all immigrants.  Republicans hope the lobby supporting immigration reform will rebel against Democratic leaders in the next election because reform has been stalled by Republicans in the House.  Republicans have not figured out that the primarily Latino voting base knows that Republicans are manipulating their family members for political gain.

The U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, USCIS, is doing it's part to help secure the nation and to insure employers are treating workers fairly, and employers pay taxes through the E-Verify program.  The U.S. House of Representatives under conservative leadership has failed to do it's part and is playing politics with America's food and labor supply, with no regard for people who break their backs to insure produce arrives at the tables of citizens.

Reclassifying Employees As Independent Contractors Is Risky IRS

WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not obtain the information it needs to ensure that employers are eligible for and comply with the Voluntary Classification Settlement Program (VCSP), according to a new report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

From startingyourbusinessovernight.com

The IRS estimates that employers misclassify millions of workers as independent contractors instead of employees. In September 2011, the IRS implemented the VCSP to allow employers to voluntarily reclassify workers as employees for Federal employment tax purposes. Employers that are accepted into the VCSP enter into a signed agreement with the IRS to treat workers as employees for future tax periods.

The overall objective of this review was to assess the IRS’s VCSP.

TIGTA found that the IRS does not require employers to provide information on the VCSP application that identifies the specific workers who are being reclassified, such as the workers’ names and Social Security Numbers. Without the specific worker identification information, the IRS cannot determine if the applicant met VCSP eligibility requirements.

In addition, the IRS is unable to verify the accuracy of the compensation amount reported on the application and, ultimately, the applicant’s computation of the VCSP payment amount owed. Without identifying information for the workers being reclassified, the IRS is also unable to establish an effective process to monitor VCSP agreements to ensure employer compliance.

Finally, the IRS’s processes to track and monitor program applications are ineffective and are not always accurate, and the follow-up review control logs do not always reflect accepted agreements.

TIGTA made five recommendations, including that the IRS: require employers applying for the VCSP to provide the names and Social Security Numbers for the workers being reclassified, revise internal procedures for processing VCSP applications to evaluate employer eligibility, and ensure that worker compensation and the VCSP payment is accurate; develop follow-up review processes to ensure compliance with the terms of agreements; develop reporting capabilities to allow for a single system for both tracking inventory and monitoring program performance; and revise processes to ensure that accepted agreements are successfully sent to and received by the IRS business units responsible for monitoring compliance.

“The classification of whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor has significant tax implications for the worker, the employer, and the IRS,” said J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. “The IRS must address this important issue.”

IRS management agreed with the recommendations. The IRS plans to revise the VCSP application to instruct employers to provide worker identification information and to revise internal procedures to use this information to evaluate eligibility for the program and compliance with VCSP agreements. The IRS also plans to implement reporting capabilities for the Reporting Compliance Case Management System to allow for a single inventory system for inventory tracking and monitoring program performance. Finally, the IRS indicated that it has developed and implemented internal procedures to ensure that inventory is accurately input and agreements are transferred to the appropriate business units for compliance monitoring.




Read the report.

###

September 24, 2014

TIGTA - 2014-22

Contact: David Barnes

(202) 622-3062

David.barnes@tigta.treas.gov

TIGTACommunications@tigta.treas.gov


TIGTA: Better Worker Identification Data Are Needed For the Voluntary Classification Settlement Program


Note: The difference between the date TIGTA issues an audit report to the Internal Revenue Service and the date TIGTA publicly releases the report is due to TIGTA's internal review process to ensure that public release is in compliance with Federal confidentiality laws.

Rhian Sugden, Balls, Sexy Panties and Cancer

The Male Cancer Awareness Campaign launched a controversial film short depicting a drop-dead female in  black sexy underwear who touches herself "down there" on camera and then pulls from her panties a set of hairy testicles.  She then pulls the testicles to eye view and shows men how to check themselves for the deadly testicular cancer.

The model is Rhian Sugden and the event photographer was Rankin.  JWT London created the ad.  The Executive Director was Russel Ramsey.  The Creative Director was Jason Berry.  The Art Director and copywriter were Kevin Masters and Miles Bingham.

Testicular cancer is a topic men, aged 18 and older, have difficulty talking about.  The Male Cancer Awareness Campaign says testicular, bowel and prostate cancers often can be beat with early detection.  Thousands die each year mostly because they don't know the signs.

Skip the skivvies in support of the fight against male cancer

The MCAC says, 

"Near Naked Man is the champion for MCAC’s campaign to combat the embarrassment that prevents men from discussing their bodily functions and getting tested for prostate cancer.

We want to reach a mass audience of men and those who care about them - whatever their age, culture, religion or sexuality. If we can get the message across to younger men then perhaps they’ll remember it when they’re older and recognize the early warning signs in their older friends and relatives."

Take The Hanging Lake Challenge, World Peace

Equusearch Founder Sues Convicted Murderer

League City, Texas, August 27th, 2014  The founder of a private search organization is suing an alleged murderer for civil damages.

Tim Miller, the founder of Texas Equusearch, (TES) suffered the loss all parents fear the most. Miller's daughter, Laura Miller, disappeared after being at a pay phone in League City, Texas on September 10th, 1984. Miller soon became frustrated with the efforts of local law enforcement and formed his own search effort. 

Laura Miller From Texas Equusearch

Laura was eventually found in a wooded field off of Calder Road in League City. Laura was not alone. The remains of three other girls were also found in the field. A fiend had kidnapped each child and tried to hide his horrible crime in what became known as a "killing field".

SEE THIS VIDEO

Normally, the authorities are responsible for filing criminal charges against a perpetrator.  However, private parties can sue for civil damages in addition to the state prosecuting for criminal charges.  A civil suit can also bring out additional evidence so that the authorities have a better criminal case.

"We filed this wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of our client Tim Miller today," said Dickinson Attorney Wilbur "Pete" Dunten. "(We) hope to give some semblance of justice in this horrible event. We know that nothing can ever give a parent justice in these circumstances, but at least it is a step in the right direction. Maybe it will move the justice system in the direction of a final resolution to the perpetrator of this horrendous crime," Dunten said.

In the process of finding his own daughter, Tim Miller soon found himself searching for other missing people. The original idea was to use horseback riders to cover more territory and assist law enforcement. With success came more volunteers, some of them grateful parents and relatives of those who were found. Soon, the use of high tech methods to search for people became a hallmark of TES. The organization helps law enforcement by marshaling volunteers, through the use of strategic planning and through the use of innovative search technology.

Clyde Hedrick from stephww.wordpress.com

Meanwhile, Clyde Hedrick came under suspicion for possibly being responsible for the murder of several girls, including little Laura Miller. The prosecutions are difficult because many years have passed and evidence techniques were not as advanced. 

Hedrick was eventually put on trial for the murder of Ellen Rae Beason. The prosecution claimed Hedrick brutally murdered the youth. Hedrick claimed the death was an accident which occurred while the pair were skinny dipping. Ellen's body was found under a discarded couch on the Galveston Causeway with the back of her head bashed in.

"I feel as though it was Clyde from the very beginning and now he has been convicted on Ellen's death. I have no doubt in my mind Clyde is responsible for Laura, Heidi, and Jane Doe's deaths. And I will continue to fight to get him indicted and convicted in their deaths. Maybe a $110 million lawsuit seems unreasonable to some, but at this time we will find any assets, properties, etc. Clyde owns and certainly do our best to seize any of his assets," Miller said. "And I am going to do everything I am capable of doing within the limits of the law to make sure Clyde does not profit from any books, movies or any memorabilia while he is incarcerated."

Hedrick, who lived on the same street as Miller at the time of Laura's disappearance, is currently incarcerated in a Texas prison serving a 20-year sentence for second degree murder in the death of Beason. The Beason trial was held in Galveston County in March 2014, 30 years after Ellen's disappearance.

For more information please contact Tim Miller at 281-960-6183.



Source: Texas EquuSearch

EquuSearch Website: www.TXEQ.org

Rally In Denver For Mike Brown #Ferguson

Witness Johnson Tells Story, Video

Possible 2nd Shooter Michael Brown In #Ferguson, Video May Exist

Denver, Colorado, August 19th, 2014.  An anonymous source who works for a major news organization said there is a video of the Michael Brown shooting, showing the youth with his hands in the air before being pumped with at least 6 bullets.  More, the source says, there is a likely possibility of a second shooter.  Both reports are unconfirmed.

The source, who is retired military and past law enforcement, says he was notified of the video which apparently was posted on You Tube shortly after the shooting.  The source said he did not see the video but his friend did see it, and had called him to take a look.  However, the video was taken down so quickly, the source was unable to see the video himself.  

The source indicated it would be highly unlikely for any officer to shoot a victim 6 times.  The source told radio show host, Tim Paynter, of the 1150 AM  radio program, Un Dia Sin Fronteras, it was quite possible to rail off six shots.  However, officers are trained to cease shooting long before the six shots could have been fired by a single officer.  By limiting the number of shots the citizen is incapacitated, but alive.  It was the fifth and sixth shot that killed Michael Brown, according to autopsy results.

Denver Rally For Michael Brown

A more plausible explanation for the gunshot wounds is the participation of a second shooter.  There was apparently a second officer on the scene, since the reported shooter, Darrel Wilson, was sitting in the right seat of the patrol car when he encountered Michael Brown.   When Brown and his friend, Dorian Johnson, didn't get out of the street, the driver of the patrol car backed the vehicle up so that officer Wilson could grab Michael Brown through the patrol car window or an opened door on the passenger's side, according to witnesses.  However, the source said the existence of a second shooter was only speculation from his experience as a police officer.

Famous New York Pathologist, Michael Baden, may have been hinting about the possibility of a second shooter after releasing the results of his preliminary examination of the victim.

Dr. Baden said, "In my capacity as the forensic examiner for the New York State Police, I would say, 'you're not supposed to shoot so many times."

No witness reports speak to a second officer involved in the shooting.  Instead, witnesses claim officer Wilson grabbed Michael Brown by the throat when he refused to get out of the street.  The officer was heard to have said, "I will shoot" when a gun went off in the patrol car.  Brown and and friend, Dorian Johnson, fled.  Officer Wilson then exited his patrol car, firing shots.  

Some witnesses claim the two youths stopped and turned toward the officer.  According to the authorities, Michael Brown lunged at the officer at which time the officer elected to use deadly force.  This account is a surprise to many people because the affirmative defense of justification came over a week after the shooting.  The department has released very few details about the events until today.  The official account appears to be an effort to construct a story which will provide Wilson adequate reasons to use deadly force on an unarmed 18 year old.  

The confidential source told Paynter it would help if the authorities explained the process of what happens with investigations and internal affairs after an officer involved shooting.  It is not unusual for an officer to remain free during this investigatory time.  

When an officer uses deadly force he does so under protection of governmental authority and immunity.  However, the officer must adhere to strict guidelines as well as follow procedures adopted from case law set out over years of litigation from various cases.  If the officer steps outside of the framework of those procedures, then the governmental immunity will likely not protect him.  In extreme cases, the officer may face criminal charges.  A citizen, who does not have this immunity, would have been arrested by now.

An officer is not under any obligation to retreat and may use deadly force to effect an arrest when he reasonably believes deadly force is immediately necessary to effect the arrest and reasonably believes the person to be arrested has committed a felony, is attempting to escape by use of a deadly weapon, or may otherwise endanger the life or inflict serious physical injury unless arrested without delay.

A mere charge of jaywalking is not enough to constitute a felony.  However, a struggle with a police officer normally would be.  Clouding the water is whether officer Wilson had a right to initiate physical contact with Brown over a jay walking violation.  The attempted arrest, if that is Wilson's defense, has to be lawful.  Brown's attempt to escape did not involve a deadly weapon and Brown was not threatening anyone or endangering any one's life.

If a video exists showing Michael Brown with his hands in the air, then the subsequent shooting of an unarmed man who is not an aggressor will likely be positive proof and lead to criminal charges being pressed against the officer, or officers, involved.  A grand jury is soon to be convened to review these specific facts.  Until then, independent points of view remain nothing more than speculation and conjecture.

Ferguson residents are suspicious of their government.  The #Ferguson police department released a video with a person they identified as Mike Brown in a "strong-arm" robbery (where no weapon is used, but physical force is used) of a convenience store minutes before the shooting.  The revelation was made at the same time the name of the police officer was revealed.  The tactic appeared to be a direct slur against the reputation of Michael Brown.  Officer Wilson likely did not know about the robbery when he ordered the 18 year old Brown to "get the fuck out of the street", hence it was not a factor to be considered.

St. Louis City Police killed a person with apparent mental problems today, only a few short miles from the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, according to Fox News.

St. Louis, Mo. police chief, Sam Dotson, said, “So if you`re the family of a police officer and someone approaches you within three feet with a knife, I think you have the right to defend yourself and protect yourself. So I think it certainly is reasonable that an officer has an expectation to go home at the end of the night," Fox News reported.

"Today @SLMPD officers received a call for a subject who appeared agitated & was armed with a knife. Suspect yelled kill me now & approached," Dotson tweeted.

Dotson failed to mention the other options police officers had, the taser, and simple retreat, pointed out some St. Louis residents.  The law may not have required the retreat, but the wisdom of the law is always in the application.  Just because law does not require police officers to retreat does not mean they can't, or shouldn't.  With a mentally ill person asking to be killed, restraint is usually called for.  That did not happen again today, slightly more than a week after Michael Brown was killed.

The Ferguson community argues structural racism makes life as a black man very dangerous in Missouri.  Now, the mentally ill can share that fear.  If you happen to be black and mentally ill then the deck is severely stacked against you.  The chant, #handsupdontshoot and #iftheygunnedmedown is becoming a reality for people living under police rule in Missouri and across America.

  

Dr. Baden said “In my capacity as the forensic examiner for the New York State Police, I would say, ‘You’re not supposed to shoot so many times.'" 

Racial Landscape Likely To Change After Ferguson and Michael Brown

From Mashable

As one comes to grips with the death of a child, it helps, maybe just a little, to know changes will occur as a result.  Nothing takes the pain away, nothing justifies the loss.  It is tragic it has taken this event to change the history of a nation.  Michael Brown and the town of Ferguson, will go down in history along with other greats like Martin Luther King.

It isn't that Michael was a perfect child.  He had his problems and he was learning some tough lessons.  But no person who is unarmed deserves to face the destruction vented upon this 18 year old youth.

To start with, words like "Get the FUCK out of the street" is something a gang person might say.  An official from the government has a higher duty.  From the very first phrase spoken by officer Daren Wilson, an entire story can be told about how the nearly all white police department was handling the black residents of Ferguson who make up the majority of the population.

From Russia TV

I am a white guy.  When I heard about this tragic event, two thoughts went through my head.  First, "surely, this kind of Jim Crow attitude went by the wayside years ago."  Obviously it did not.  It makes me very ashamed to see racism is vibrant and in-your-face in the show me state.

"It seemed like there was an army at my house". Arming America's Police http://t.co/LXQKq7WEJB #Ferguson
— Hyder Abbasi (@HyderAbbasi) August 19, 2014

Second, I thought, "Geez, if this is still going on, then it isn't the fault of the people who suffer this kind of treatment every day of their lives.  It is all of our faults, the one's who thought the treatment didn't exist."

It is the obligation of every white guy to support the Ferguson community and the parents who have lost so much.  It is the obligation of every American to support prompt and sure change of the power structure through the ballot box, through our voices, through donations, through our own efforts.  It is our duty to encourage peace and love in a community which has received hate and scorn for generations.

From Wall Street Journal

What I am getting, of course, is, "we don't need white help", a kind of reverse of the love I try to send.  You have to love those guys even more, because you know they are handing back what has been piled upon their shoulders since birth.

Trooper Ron Johnson pointed to his uniform and said to the people of Ferguson, "I am sorry."

I point to my white hide, and I turn to each of you, and I say, "I am sorry.  This should not have happened.  I will do what I can to help the Ferguson community in whatever direction they decide to go."

I am reminded of a famous poem, which I will write for you in two languages, the original, and the English translation:

Amo el canto del zenzontle,pájaro de cuatrocientas voces.Amo el color del jadey el enervante perfume de las flores,pero más amo a mi hermano: el hombre.

National Wildlife Federation Photo

LOVE, the song of the mockingbird,a bird of 400 voices;LOVE the color of Jadeand the lovely perfume of the flowers,but LOVE more, LOVE your brother, your fellow man.

Tune In

Un Dia Sin Fronteras

Each Monday at Noon

Mountain Standard Time

1150 AM radio

or by feed 

HERE

With

Tim Paynter 

and

Jeanette Vizguerra

Studio line:  303.337.1150

Marshal Law For Ferguson

Attempts at keeping the peace in Ferguson, MO., were dashed after large scale looting, shootings and a shattering of the peace through the night in the Saint Louis suburb troubled with yet another death of an unarmed black man.

The protesters were very peaceful for most of the night.  Then, the authorities began to advance their armored patrol carriers and firing tear gas.  Few people knew at the moment about the breaking news of the preliminary results of the autopsy of Michael Brown.  The Autopsy showed at least six shots to the unarmed youth.  The last two shots delivered fatal blows to Brown's head.  Brown was shot from the front, with his head bowed, consistent with a person whose arms were up in the universal stance of surrender.

Missouri Governor, Jay Nixon, signed the executive order allowing for national guard troops to be deployed to keep the peace.  Several persons reported being shot, Molotov cocktails had been launched at the police, journalists arrested (but later released), and looting was occurring.  The activities were carried out by a few persons.  The majority of the crowd remained peaceful.

Black America and people with conscience remain stunned over the most recent shooting of an unarmed black man by law enforcement.  The officer reportedly shot the youth multiple times after ordering Micheal Brown and a friend to get out of the street and stop jaywalking.

Ferguson Teen Shot Six Times, Twice In Head

An autopsy performed by renown pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, former New York City Chief Medical Examiner, shows Michael Brown was shot six times.  Two of those shots were made to the 18 year old's head, including one which appears to have entered the top of his head while his head was bowed, and was likely the last, and fatal shot, suffered by the youth.

The autopsy results, one of at least three to be performed, was completed at the request of the family.  Prior requests for county autopsy results from press, family and community leaders, has fallen on deaf ears.  A third autopsy will be made by federal officials under a federal investigation for a potential civil rights violation.

The youth who had recently graduated from high school and was destined for college, was spotted by a Ferguson police officer.  Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson, were jaywalking when the officer told them to "get the fuck out of the street".  From there, the accounts differ as to what occurred.  

Ferguson police chief Jon Belmar claims Brown struggled with police officer Darren Wilson.  According to the youth's friend, Wilson grabbed Brown by the neck through his patrol car door, after backing his patrol car up to where the youths were walking.  After hitting Brown with an open car door, the officer was heard to say "I am going to shoot you!"

A neighbor, Tiffany Mitchell, claimed the boys were running away when Brown was shot.  However, the independent autopsy shows Brown was shot from the front, not the back.

Dr. Baden said “In my capacity as the forensic examiner for the New York State Police, I would say, ‘You’re not supposed to shoot so many times.'"  The pathologist who examined the body of Dr. Martin Luther King, retired from the New York State Police in 2011. “Right now there is too little information to forensically reconstruct the shooting," the doctor said.  He did not have access to witness statements when he revealed the results of his examination.

Police used tear gas indiscriminately nearly at the moment the first press reports were released about the autopsy, Sunday evening, firing into the crowd.  At least one child was doused in tear gas and a female had here windshield shattered by exploding shells.  

Prior to setting off the teargas, an alert was put out calling for "every available vehicle" to be sent to the area. A swat unit used armored personnel carriers to advance upon a stunned crowd.  The crowd dispersed ahead of the imposed midnight curfew.  Prior to that, members of the press were arrested, but later released.

CNN reported gunshots fired at the police but then retracted, saying only gunshots were fired.

Information for this article was obtained from the New York Times.

U.S. Authorities Fight Cross Border Drug Cash

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN),  in close coordination with its Mexican counterpart, the Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (UIF), today announced a series of reporting initiatives designed to greatly improve the transparency of cross-border cash movements. To address U.S. and Mexican  law enforcement’s concerns about potential misuse of exemptions and incomplete or inaccurate reports filed by armored car services (ACS) and other common carriers of currency, FinCEN has issued a Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) that requires enhanced cash reporting by these businesses at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa Ports of Entry in California. FinCEN also issued updated guidance concerning detailed and proper filing of Currency and Monetary Instruments Reports (CMIRs), which are filed when $10,000 or more in currency is moved across the U.S. border.

“Drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises thrive when their cash govements are hidden from view,” said FinCEN Director Jennifer Shasky Calvery. “FinCEN is committed to working closely with our Mexican counterparts, law enforcement, and industry partners to bring greater transparency along our border and safeguarding the integrity of our financial systems.”

“The actions taken by FinCEN address an important issue that was identified jointly by U.S   and Mexican authorities and has our support,” said UIF Director Alberto Bazbaz Sacal.  Mexico and the United States will continue to further improve our fight against money laundering with this and other measures.”

“As part of HSI’s broader strategy to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and seize their illicit proceeds, we are actively targeting and identifying organizations that work to move money across the southwest border ports of entry,” said HSI Executive Associate Director Peter Edge. “We believe the Geographic Targeting Order is an invaluable tool toward achieving these goals. As such, we will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement and private industry to identify and shut down vulnerabilities susceptible to exploitation.” 

In 2010, Mexico enacted new anti-money laundering (AML) provisions to attack the flow of illicit cash from the United States to Mexico. These efforts made it much more difficult for criminals and narco-traffickers to place large amounts of cash in Mexican financial institutions and resulted in an increase in cash coming back to the United States from Mexico, via ACS or couriers, for attempted placement in U.S. financial institutions. Law enforcement information and BSA data analysis suggest that much of this cash movement is not properly reported on a CMIR and therefore not made available in the FinCEN database for the benefit of investigators and analysts following illicit money trails.

The Director of FinCEN is authorized to issue a GTO requiring any domestic financial institution, or certain other trade or business groups, in a geographic area to obtain and report desired information. In this case, the order requires more detailed information to be reported on cash movements. A GTO is a particularly powerful and appropriate tool to narrowly address risks in certain regions without more broadly affecting commerce or business routines. FinCEN has worked in close coordination with law enforcement on this GTO, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). 

Today’s announcement is directed in part to the Chief Executive Officers of ACS and other common carriers of currency to alert them to their obligations under the Order and to aid them in understanding and complying with it. If you believe your business may be affected by the Order, please contact the FinCEN Resource Center by calling 1-800-767-2825 or (703) 905-3591 or by emailing your inquiry to FRC@fincen.gov to obtain additional information. Inquiries from the press should be directed to Office of Public Affairs at (703) 905-3770

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FinCEN’s mission is to safeguard the financial system from illicit use and combat money

laundering and promote national security through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of

financial intelligence and strategic use of financial authorities.

Bennet, Udall, Gutierrez Meet For Reform

Denver, Colorado  Senator Michael Bennet and Senator Mark Udall of Colorado along with U.S. House of Representatives, Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, hosted a meeting in support of immigration reform for 2014.  Today marks the 1 year anniversary of the passage of a comprehensive bill with tough provisions that was passed by the U.S. Senate.  However, the Speaker of the House refuses to allow the law to even come to to the floor for a vote, where a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans are ready to support passage.

Senator Bennet has been at the forefront of immigration reform.  He is one of 8 senators who worked out the details of the version of the law that was passed in the Senate.  The senators, known as the "Gang of 8" come from both sides of the aisle and represent a mix of liberal and conservative senators from each party.  Substantial compromise was made on each side to eventually agree on a bill that will provide relief to at least 60% of the undocumented immigrants who are present in the U.S.

The final Senate version contains tough enforcement provisions and provides a difficult route to citizenship for those who qualify.  It is certainly not amnesty, but allows undocumented workers a clear path to citizenship so long as they remain in good standing with the law and follow certain other procedures.  The Obama Administration is currently deporting roughly 450,000 immigrants every year, many who would be helped by the version passed in the Senate.

Most American families are immigrants or descendants of immigrants.  The U.S. has benefited from immigrant ingenuity including the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell and in modern times, the founder of Yahoo and part of the group who founded Google were both immigrants.  One of the requirements under the Senate version of the law is for immigrants to pay a fine which will help reduce the national debt.  Also, the Senate version requires border security as a condition for immigration reform.

Opponents of the bill want to solve immigration on a piece-meal basis.  They want more effort spent on border security before considering a path to citizenship.  However, conservatives who are concerned about the nation's security encourage the passage of the law because it would help identify people who are in the country.

Although main-stream press have whistled immigration reform as a dead duck until President Obama leaves office, advocates continue to encourage a last minute change in positions.  Both Republicans and Democrats stand to gain from the passage of the bill, and each stands to lose if nothing is done.  Republicans signaled they were ready to work towards a solution after heavy losses during the last election.  Voters indicated they were tired of the gridlock and animosity between the parties and wanted law makers to work towards resolution of issues for the benefit of the country.  However, a few conservative law makers have pressured House leadership to refuse to allow the bill to come up for a vote.

Egyptian Court Spits On Free Press

Peter Greste Al Jazeera Photo

Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohammad from the Al Jazeera network received stiff prison sentences for doing what journalists the world over do, report the news. 

 While some experts say the journalists were biased, a claim that follows many news organizations, including those from the U.S., the basic concept of reporting the truth as the reporter sees it is over in Egypt. 

 Al Jazeera established an English division which maintained independent editorial positions from it's Arabic home division based in Qatar. The Arabic division of Al Jazeera has been generally friendly to the Muslim Brotherhood, to which past Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi was a member. It became illegal to belong to the Muslim Brotherhood after Morsi was ousted by Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

 The sentences are nothing short of a slap in the face to the U.S. after U.S. Sec. of State, John Kerry's, visit to Egypt ended Sunday. The Egyptian government assured the U.S. the trial would be fair as the U.S. handed out $570 million dollars in aid including 10 Apache attack helicopters. Some in congress are now calling into question whether the U.S. has it's priorities in the right place. 

Mohamed Fahmy Al Jazeera Photo

 The evidence against the journalists was hardly convincing. It included footage shot by Greste for the BBC as a former Australian journalist, along with B-roll and tourist shots. Defense attorneys had difficulty accessing the evidence and cross examination was hampered by frequent interruptions from the judge. 

Perhaps more troubling than a government which jails anyone who opines an unpopular point of view, is the response from various countries which value free speech, which mostly seemed to shrug their shoulders. Sec. of State Kerry issued a terse statement, but the aid promised appears to remain despite the clear rebuff. 

Baher Mohammad
Al Jazeera Photo

Apparently Sec. of State John Kerry's statement the verdict is "a deeply disturbing set-back to Egypt's transition" carries no more weight than Gen. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi's promise the trial would be fair.  The sentence stands, a miscarriage of justice and basic due process has occurred, yet everyone appears to be carrying on as if today's announcement underscores the kind of principles Apache helicopters were designed to enforce.



Journalists world wide now have a great deal to fear.  That includes student journalists since the four student journalists supporting the Al Jazeera team received equally harsh sentences for doing what student journalists are supposed to do.

Reports from the Daily Beast were relied upon in this piece.