Forbes | Who Really Controls Liberty Media Corporation? Forbes John Malone, the billionaire chairman of Liberty Media Corporation, is widely understood to be in control of the Nasdaq-listed company but its recent acquisition of Formula One auto racing has called this into question. Last month Liberty closed its ... FIA denies conflict of interest in F1 sale to Liberty Media |
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When Ian McCaw was hired by Liberty in November as its athletic director, he said, We want to build this program to compete at the highest level nationally and the goal of FBSfootball is very much at the forefront.McCaw got his wish Thursday, as Liberty announced that theNCAA had approved its request to move up to the Football Bowl Subdivision, the top college level of the sport.
Liberty, which has been competing at the Football Championship Subdivision level as a member of the Big South conference, will begin FBS play as an independent in 2018,and it will be bowl eligible starting in 2019. We look forward to continuing our upward trajectory of success and meeting the level of competition in FBS, McCaw said in a statement Thursday.
McCaw served as Baylors AD until stepping down last year amid an ongoing sexual-assault scandal. The Texas school, which maintains a strong link to the Baptist faith, as does Liberty, has been hit with several lawsuits, including one in January that allegedthat at least 31 football players at Baylor committed at least 52 acts of rape over four years.
[Ex-Baylor AD isnt sure why God led him to Liberty University. Neither are some students.]
More recently, a group of Baylor regents filed a lengthy court document, in responses to libel lawsuits brought by fired head coach Art Briles and another former football assistant, that depicted McCaw, as well as former school president Ken Starr, as having encouraged or actively helped Briles to try to cover up numerous offenses committed by players. The document cited examples collected by an outside law firm hired by Baylor to investigate its programs compliance with Title IX and other statutes, including one in which a player was arrested for assault and threatening to kill a nonathlete, [after which] a football operations staff official tried to talk the victim out of pressing criminal charges. Briles allegedly texted to McCaw that Waco police told the player that they were going to keep it quiet, to which the AD replied,That would be great if they kept it quiet!
In November, Baylor issued a statement claiming that in 2013, several senior members of its athletics department, including Briles and McCaw,were informed of a female student-athletes allegations of a gang rape committed by five football players, and none passed along that information to the proper authorities, as required by federal law.The victims coach went back to McCaw, who incorrectly told the coach it was up to the victim to take action, the regents said in the court filing. McCaw told the coach that if the student did not press charges there was nothing else they could do.
In response to that allegation, Liberty issued a statement in whichMcCaws attorney, Tom Brandt, said (via the Waco Tribune),Mr. McCaw was faced with a complex situation wherein he desired to honor the wishes of the alleged victim, who was unwilling to speak to the police according to her coach, and a request from her coach for guidance as to where he should go with information he had obtained in 2013 about this incident.
Mr. McCaw responsibly directed the head coach to the Office of Judicial Affairs, which handles student conduct matters, and was the appropriate venue to take such an allegation.
Liberty also released an email from an unnamed Baylor regent to Jerry Falwell Jr., the private Virginia schools president.[McCaw] is a trustworthy man who will do the right thing, the email stated. In my opinion, his circumstance was very different from the others who were affected by this tragedy. My personal view is that the Lord has moved Ian from Baylor to Liberty through this sad chapter in Baylors history.
Ians success really speaks for itself, Falwell said when McCaw was hired. You look at what Baylor was able to do during his tenure, it fits perfectly with where we see our sports programs going. This is an exciting time for us.
[Jenkins: If NCAA ignores Baylor rape scandal, it deserves the death penalty]
On Thursday, Falwell said in a statement,Today is truly historic for Liberty University. This university aspired to compete at the highest levels of NCAA competition and began working toward that dream and vision from the day of its founding in 1971. We are deeply grateful to NCAA leadership and staff for considering this request and for acknowledging Libertys readiness and the appropriateness of Liberty now moving to FBS football status as an independent. Congratulations to Athletics Director, Ian McCaw and Coach Turner Gill!
This is truly a blessed day from Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior for allowing the vision of our late founder Jerry Falwell, Sr., along with the hard work of President Jerry Falwell to come to fruition! Gill said. It gives our university great national exposure to build Champions for Christ!
This is a very exciting day for Liberty Athletics and our football program, McCaw said. We are grateful for President Falwells vision and leadership in spearheading Libertys move to FBS football.
Big South Commissioner Kyle Kallander said Thursday that his conference is aware of the NCAAs approval in granting Liberty University a waiver to move its football program to the Football Bowl Subdivision as an independent. He added that the Big South remains in great health with the addition of Campbell University in 2018 and the University of North Alabama in 2019.
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Ex-Baylor AD helps Liberty move up to FBS-level, big-time football - Washington Post
One bounce, then another, and the soccer ball found the feet of Clovis Easts Catalina Villegas, who knew what to do with it.
Villegas buried her shot into the top of the net for an overtime goal and the Timberwolves went on to beat Liberty 1-0 in a Central Section Division I quarterfinal game Thursday night.
Thats the sport we play; one single moment can decide everything, said Liberty coach Boog Powell, whose third-seeded team had twice narrowly missed the winning goal in the final minutes of regulation.
Clovis East, the No. 6 seed, moves onto next weeks semifinals against No. 7 Fresno-Bullard, which beat Clovis-Buchanan for its second consecutive overtime win.
Meanwhile, Liberty (15-5-3) is left to wonder what might have been, just one night after its fifth-seeded boys team lost in a shootout to No. 12 Clovis West.
One win or loss doesnt define us as a program, Powell said. We won our first league title in six years, and thats a testament to the players. And really, anybody who doesnt win the Valley is left with this feeling sooner or later. We just had to do it two games early.
Clovis East (12-6-1) controlled play for the first 15 minutes of the game, but Liberty sharply reversed that script, creating most of the chances for the rest of the first half. The second half was back-and-forth, with each team coming close to a goal in the opening minutes and then not again until Libertys close calls late.
In overtime, Villegas scored her team-leading 15th goal when the ball bounced around in the Liberty penalty box. She shielded a defender from the ball with her body and then beat goalkeeper Bri-Leigh Snow with a high shot.
We knew 25 (Villegas) was their best player, and they did a good job of pushing her up top, Hearron said. She used her size and finished. It was a good goal.
Elsewhere, Ridgeviews girls, seeded seventh in Division III, beat No. 2 Independence 4-3 in overtime.
The Falcons had gone unbeaten in South Yosemite League play, including two wins against the Wolf Pack.
In Division I, No. 4 Clovis North beat No. 5 Frontier 3-1, and in Division IV, Bakersfield Christian routed Fresno-McLane to advance to the semifinals.
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Clovis East girls edge Liberty 1-0 in OT - The Bakersfield Californian
Because On Liberty was published in 1859, it is obvious that the ideas of John Stuart Mill regarding the freedom of citizens was not available to those who wrote our Constitution. It is not certain how much On Liberty influenced thought since publication, but it is on record that the book had at least five reprints. However, if anyone is interested in the topics of liberty of thought, liberty of individuals or the limits of the authority of society, this book will be helpful.
Not much is revealed about the life of Mill, but what is shared might shed some light on his character. He is reported to have said that the exclusive cultivation of the habit of analysis destroyed in him all capacity for emotion. For six months, he continued in a near suicidal state of depression. Eight years later, Mill suffered another breakdown.
For a while, he had a great sense of loneliness that lasted until he met an incomparable friend who changed his life. She happened to be the wife of a prosperous merchant and the mother of two small children. Mill surely must have developed a sense of his own liberty under this circumstance. He was strong on liberty while ignoring social obligation.
In the perpetual struggle between liberty and authority, we must be alert that the tyranny of the majority must be taken into account. As Mill sees it, Protection, therefore, against the tyranny of the magistrate is not enough: there needs protection also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling; against the tendency of society to impose, by other means than civil penalties, its own ideas and practices as rules of conduct on those who dissent from them.
With regard to the limits of social control over the individual, Mill is blunt in asserting: The object of this essay is to assert one simple principle, as entitled to govern absolutely the dealings of society with the individual in the way of compulsion and control, whether the means used be physical force in the form of legal penalties or the moral coercion of public opinion.
That principle is that the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.
It is human to accept custom and go with what ideas and values are popular at the moment. There will be no clashes about liberty and what is accepted. But Mill declares that the way to make life rich is to develop habits and skills to maintain a worldview.
Mill declares: He who lets the world, or his portion of it, choose his plan of life for him has no need of any other society than the ape-like one of imitation. He who chooses his plan for himself employs all his faculties. He must use observation to see, reasoning and judgment to foresee, activity to gather materials for decision, discrimination to decide, and when he has decided, firmness and self-control to hold on to his deliberate decision. This is a lot to ask of whole communities.
Mill is well aware that people who live by the foregoing program will be regarded as odd. Mill suggested that this is the price you pay for being a complete citizen. One should be proud for being odd.
Mill closes his book with this warning: A state which dwarfs its men in order that they may be more docile instruments in its hands even for beneficial purposes will find that with small men no great thing can really be accomplished.
Mill deserves some respect for his thought and energy in bringing our attention to such an important issue.
We have lived in a period of history in which we have seen dictatorships that have started and been destroyed. Indeed, Mill lived in a country in which kings were losing their power and liberties to whole societies were expanding. We, too, must be active and alert in protecting our liberties if we have hopes of keeping them.
There are recurring attempts of some groups to take away the rights of others on the basis of religion, race or political reason. Liberties lost are very hard to recover. It took a world war to stop the advance of the idea that some races are superior to others and deserve special rights.
Allan Powell is a professor emeritus of philosophy at Hagerstown Community College.
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A crash along Route 28 inbound has been backing up rush-hour traffic this morning.
The crash was reported near the Ohio Street exit.
Another traffic restriction is coming Monday on the Liberty Bridge, adding to the restrictions already in place on the span and for the tunnel.
Single-lane restrictions are planned in both directions Monday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,on the northern end of the bridge in the area between the Boulevard of the Allies overpass and the ramps to and from the Boulevard of the Allies.Crews will conduct painting operations and material delivery.
READ MORE: Spring-like weather moving into Pittsburgh region this weekend
Also, survey work and platform installation continues through the end of the month with these restrictions:
Inbound (northbound) Liberty Tunnel as needed weeknights from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Single lanes closed on Liberty Bridge from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays in each direction.
On Second Avenue, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. weekdays in each direction between Municipal Court Drive and Ross Street.
Lane restrictions on the Liberty Bridge will be coordinated with events at the PPG Paints Arena.
Other traffic restrictions:
Washington Boulevard Northbound ramp to the Highland Park Bridge closed today from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. for road work. Detour will be posted.
Emsworth Bridge The bridge on Center Avenue in Emsworth is closed for rehabilitation thats expected to last until early early 2018. As part of the project, there will be intermittent delays of 5 to 10 minutes between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. today on Camp Horne Road so crews can place concrete barriers for the project.
Mosites Construction Co. has a $3.65 million contract to upgrade the bridge, which is owned by the Port Authority. The work will include replacing the concrete deck, repairing or replacing structural steel and painting.The bridge has had a 5-ton weight limit since 2010, limiting traffic to vehicles no heavier than an ambulance. Center Avenue parallels Route 65/Ohio River Boulevard as it passes through the borough and is a direct link to Ben Avon.
Freeport Road, Aspinwall/Sharpsburg Lane closures along Freeport Road/Main Street and ramps at the Highland Park Bridge interchange for drilling work. Single-lane and shoulder restrictions as needed on Freeport Road between Western Avenue and 23rd Street weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Feb. 24. Also, restrictions on various ramps at the Highland Park Bridge interchange.
Clifton Road, Bethel Park Gas line work will restrict the road to single-lane, alternating traffic between Kings School Road and Brush Run Road from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 15. Also single-lane alternating traffic on Irishtown Road/Braun Road during the same period.
Scenery Drive/Route 48, Elizabeth and Forward Single-lane alternating traffic between Round Hill Road and Weigles Hill Road weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Feb. 17. Crews will excavate utility test holes.
Gilkeson Road, Mt. Lebanon Gas line work causing single-lane restrictions between Route 19 and Old Gilkeson Road from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through April 28. One lane in each direction will be maintained at all times. Crews from M. OHerron Co. will conduct the work.
West Carson Street -Daytime lane closures and traffic shifts are in place on West Carson Street (Route 51) weekdays. The traffic changes will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Earl Street and the West End Circle so crews can adjust manholes. A single-lane in each direction will be maintained. Flaggers will assist motorists through the work zone.
West Deer Lane closure on Russellton-Dorseyville Road between Saxonburg Boulevard and East Union Road from today through March 1, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Crews from Carmen Paliotta Contracting are relocating utility poles and a gas line.
Glenwood Bridge interchange The next phase of the Glenwood Bridge interchange rehabilitation project is underway in the Hays/Homestead and Hazelwood areas of Pittsburgh. Detours are posted.
Southbound Route 837 traffic from Route 885 will be shifted into the northbound lanes. Single-lane traffic in each direction will be maintained in the northbound lanes.
The traffic signal at the temporary intersection of Route 837 and Route 885 will be eliminated.
The northbound Route 837 ramp to northbound Route 885 (Glenwood Bridge) will remain closed.
The ramp from northbound Route 885 to southbound Route 837 (Homestead) will remain closed.
Traffic from northbound Route 885 will be able to access southbound Route 837 at the temporary intersection. Traffic from southbound Route 885 to southbound Route 837 will return to the normal configuration.
Andy Warhol Bridge Closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic through November as part of $25.4 million rehabilitation project. The Rachel Carson Bridge (9th Street) will be used as a detour. The detour also will reroute about 350 Port Authority buses a day to Carson, according to the Port Authority. The detoured routes will be routes 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17 and the O5. The Carson Bridge is expected to be rehabbed in 2018 and the Clemente Bridge in 2020.
Wabash Tunnel The HOV temporary waiver has been extended to allow vehicles with fewer than two occupants to use the tunnel during peak hours, alleviating possible congestion on other roads caused by the Liberty Bridge rehabilitation project. The Wabash Tunnel, which opened as a commuter tunnel in December 2004, provides a shortcut for motorists from Route 51 to the South Side and Downtown Pittsburgh.
East Pennview Street, Shaler Closed for bridge replacement. Pine Creek Bridge No. 11, about a quarter mile west of the intersection of Pennview and Route 8, through the spring.
Liberty Bridge/Tunnel Single-lane restrictions in both directions Monday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,on the northern end of the bridge in the area between the Boulevard of the Allies overpass and the ramps to and from the Boulevard of the Allies.Crews will conduct painting operations and material delivery.
Also, survey work and platform installation continues through the end of the month with these restrictions:
Inbound (northbound) Liberty Tunnel as needed weeknights from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Single lanes closed on Liberty Bridge from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays in each direction.
On Second Avenue, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. weekdays in each direction between Municipal Court Drive and Ross Street.
Lane restrictions on the Liberty Bridge will be coordinated with events at the PPG Paints Arena.
Travel tools:
511PAConnect Provides information updates to motorists via automated phone or text message in the event of a long-term road closure due to accidents on the Pennsylvania Turnpike or other state roadways. Only activated during prolonged, emergency roadway stoppages that are expected to last four or more hours. Also gives emergency crews a clearer picture of who is in a trapped vehicle and where they are, so agencies can better plan use of resources.
Affected travelers will be instructed to visit 511PAConnect.com to register for closure updates by providing their phone number and other information such as the type of vehicle and number of occupants.
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Liberty University is moving up football subdivisions within the NCAAs Division I, from the FCS to the FBS, the school is announcing Thursday. The Flames will not be joining a conference, and will join as independent members.
The Big South announces Liberty has been granted an NCAA waiver to move to FBS as independent. Recently hired former Baylor AD Ian McCaw
Liberty will become FBS independent in 2019, after two seasons transitioning from FCS
The Flames represent a private, Christian university in Lynchburg, Va. and have won shares of seven Big South titles since 2007. Former Buffalo and Kansas head coach Turner Gill is 35-25 at Liberty. Big South conference rival Coastal Carolina just joined the FBSs Sun Belt for the 2017 season.
On paper, Libertys long appeared to be an interesting candidate for a mid-major FBS conference. The school is not without controversy, however.
Most recently, president Jerry Falwell Jr. announced the hire of Ian McCaw, formerly the athletic director at Baylor during its sexual assault scandal. Falwell said McCaw fits perfectly. Baylor opens its 2017 season against Liberty in Waco.
Falwell, speaking during a press conference on Thursday afternoon, said that Liberty applied for the FBS waiver after it appeared that conference realignment died down.
We recognized, I guess it was last year, that the realignment of a few years ago had pretty much stopped. Falwell said. And when the Big 12 decided not to add two additional teams, thats when we decided that the realignment was not going to occur again for the foreseeable future, so thats when we requested the waiver from the NCAA.
As far as other sports go, Falwell said that the intention is for the rest of the schools sports to remain in the Big South conference.
Falwell also said Libertys status as a private religious institution, much like BYU and Notre Dame, made the likelihood to get an invitation from a conference appear slim, further prompting the decision for the Flames to apply as an independent FBS program.
Liberty has been talking about making this move for some time, but its still a surprise. In 2011, Falwell unveiled the results of the programs "FBS Feasibility Study."
Since Coach (Danny) Rocco's departure, we have spoken with many potential head coach candidates before offering the position to Turner Gill, yesterday.
Liberty greatly values its membership in the Big South Conference, but given the unexpected turn of events, we believe the time is right to conduct this study. Due to the changes we have all seen in the college football landscape, we need to thoroughly evaluate the future of Liberty University football.
During our discussions with these head coaching candidates, it quickly became clear to us that the future of Liberty's football program was their primary concern. The candidates were particularly interested in whether Liberty had plans to move to the Football Bowl Subdivision level (FBS) at some point. In order to determine what course Liberty should pursue for its football program, including when Liberty should attempt to move to the FBS level, Liberty has commissioned an FBS Feasibility Study by Carr Sports Associates. The study should be completed in February or March.
Liberty footballs Williams Stadium has a capacity of 19,200, and it underwent major renovations in 2010.
Falwell added during the press conference Thursday that there are plans in place to add an additional 6,000 seats.
Libertys athletic department features 20 NCAA Division I athletic programs, including 20 teams that are fully funded with scholarships.
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Liberty University making surprise jump up to FBS football in 2019 - SB Nation
Photo of Liberty German and Abigail Williams
Photo of Liberty German and Abigail Williams
DELPHI, Ind. The homicide case involving two Delphi teenagers has left the Carroll County community on edge as police search for a killer.
The investigation into the disappearance of 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams began around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13, when family members reported them missing.
Heres a timeline of the case as it has developed so far:
Monday, Feb. 13, 2017
1 p.m. A family member drops off the girls at a trail near Monon High Bridge, an abandoned railroad bridge over Deer Creek.
5:30 p.m. The girls fail to show up at a predetermined location to be picked up by a family member. Theyre reported missing.
Monday night: A large search effort involving volunteers and multiple law enforcement agencies gets underway. They scour the area in an attempt to find Liberty and Abigail. The search is called off due to darkness.
12 a.m. Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby says in a news release that there is no reason to suspect foul play or to believe the girls are in immediate danger. The biggest concern is exposure to the elements.
Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017
Tuesday morning: The search resumes with teams of volunteers and police officers. The effort also includes K-9 units and dive teams.
Noon: Searchers find two bodies about a half-mile away from the bridge.
2 p.m. During a news conference, authorities announce the discovery of the bodies but give no indication of their identities. They say for the first time that foul play is suspected in connection with the case.
4 p.m. Delphi Community Schools Superintendent Gregory Briles releases a statement saying that the bodies found in the afternoon are those of two missing Delphi Community Middle School students despite no confirmation from police.
Briles says grief counselors will be made available to students and staff. Briles later says school security will be stepped up. All after school activities at Delphi Community Middle School are canceled for the remainder of the week.
7 p.m. The Delphi United Methodist Church opens for a vigil.
Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017
8 a.m. Autopsies are conducted in Terre Haute on the bodies discovered during Tuesdays search. Local authorities convene a meeting after the autopsies are complete.
10 a.m.Sgt. Kim Riley with Indiana State Police provides a brief update on the investigation. He says the autopsies are complete but declines to confirm the identities or discuss a suspect or person of interest in the case. He says police have received hundreds of tips from the community.
Riley advises parents to keep a close eye on their children and monitor their whereabouts.
3 p.m. Indiana State Police and the Carroll County Sheriffs Department hold a news conference confirming that the bodies found Tuesday are those of Liberty and Abigail. They say the case is being investigated as a double homicide.
They say they dont believe theres any immediate danger to the community.
7 p.m.Indiana State Police release a photo of a man reportedly walking on the trail around the time of the girls disappearance. Police say they want to talk to the individual but stop short of calling him a suspect.
40.587537 -86.675006
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TIMELINE | Disappearance and deaths of Liberty German and Abigail Williams in Delphi - Fox 59
Posted: 5:59 p.m. Wednesday, February 15, 2017
About a dozen bills seek to protect religious practice by people and businesses.
Opponents say the bills seek to enable discrimination.
Conservative Republican senators and representatives Wednesday unveiled a dozen bills designed to protect religious practice, including efforts to allow Christians to opt out of serving gay couples if same-sex marriage violates their beliefs.
Unlike the 2015 session, when efforts to approve broad constitutional amendments to protect religious practice fell far short, the bills filed thus far focus on specific issues and were the result of a concerted effort to make sure that religious liberty bills are at the forefront this session, said state Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth.
Religious liberties are the bedrock of what our state and our country were built on, and we want to make sure we are protecting those, preserving those and advancing those liberties as much as possible, Krause said during a Capitol news conference.
Many of the bills have already attracted spirited opposition from critics who say they would authorize state-sanctioned discrimination.
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Religious liberty protections allow us to worship freely and to be vocal about what our religious beliefs are, said Chuck Smith with Equality Texas. But religious liberty does not allow me to exempt myself from laws or allow me to use my religious beliefs against other people. Thats discrimination, thats not religious liberty.
Theres no discrimination here, Krause said. Were just trying to open it up to where people can continue to work and do what they love to do in the way that they want to do it.
One of the farthest reaching proposals, known as the First Amendment Defense Act, would not permit state or local governments to penalize people for acting on religious beliefs opposing gay marriage.
This will free up people to run their businesses in ways they believe, said Krause, author of House Bill 1923. An identical version was filed by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, as Senate Bill 893.
House Bill 1813 by state Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Canton, would allow county clerks, justices of the peace or judges to decline to issue marriage licenses based on religious beliefs, as long as another official can be found to perform the duties even if located in another county. If an applicant is sent out of county, documents can be sent electronically, the bill says.
Identical legislation was filed by state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, as Senate Bill 522.
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Angela Smith, the owner of a Hill Country bed and breakfast, told reporters that she does not advertise her property for weddings because her Christian faith would not allow her to book a same-sex ceremony. Her property is losing income, she said, adding that businesses and individuals need additional protection from government retribution for following their faith.
But Kathy Miller with the liberal group Texas Freedom Network said such notions violate the spirit of religious liberty.
They propose to radically redefine a fundamental principle in order to discriminate and cause harm and to disobey laws that apply to everyone simply because they disagree with them, she said.
Other bills discussed Wednesday included:
House Bill 1805 by state Rep. Scott Sanford, R-McKinney, would allow faith-based child-welfare and foster-care organizations to place children in homes that meet their religious standards, such as homes led by opposite-sex couples. Without the protection, Texas could lose organizations that provide much-needed help within the child-welfare system, Sanford said.
House Bill 522 by state Rep. Mike Schofield, R-Houston, would fix a law that unintentionally allowed homeowners associations to crack down on religious displays unless they were attached to the door or made of association-approved materials.
House Bill 421 by state Rep. Matt Rinaldi, R-Farmers Branch, would exempt volunteers who provide security at churches or synagogues from having to acquire occupational guard licenses.
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Texas conservatives launch next fight on religious liberty - MyStatesman.com
Published: Thu, February 16, 2017 @ 12:05 a.m.
Girard routs Liberty to win
EOWL, AAC Blue championships
By Brian Dzenis
LIBERTY
Liberty had the perfect stage. The lights were out with only a spotlight on the wrestling mat. A Liberty bell was on hand to ring in the victories and leading up to Wednesday night, the Leopards boasted a perfect league record.
But it was the Leopards who had their bell rung. Their bid for their first league title since 2012 was upended by a dominant Girard.
The Indians beat the Leopards, 52-18, to win both the Eastern Ohio Wrestling Division III championship and the All-American Conference Blue Tier title in one swoop to close out the regular season.
Its big. I like winning and the kids like winning and its something that you shoot for, but the main goal in wrestling is what you do in the postseason, Girard coach Jim Cardiero said. We want to get out of sectionals, get to districts and hopefully get to the state tournament.
All this stuff is just practice for that as far as Im concerned.
After the Indians dropped the first bout as Jordan McFadden (106) pinned Nick Dibble, Girard won the next three matches by pin to take control early.
In quick succession, Alex DelGarbino (113) downed Tyler Wilson, Dakota McCloskey (120) pinned Ben Sattler and Matt Belcik (126) put Hamad Alhmeed on his back.
We were prepared for that, McCloskey is a state qualifier and is state-ranked. DelGarbino is state-ranked, Liberty coach Hadi Hadi said. We know what they had with those two down low.
McCloskey is continuing to have a good February. He won an individual EWOL title on Feb. 3.
Its been a pretty exciting year, honestly, McCloskey said. Were all just trying to get to state. Its what were picturing in our mind.
Liberty was able to get the match within three points after back-to-back pins from Morgan Weinreber (138) and Mouad Elouaddi (145), but Girards Jamil Bannister (152) responded with a pin of his own.
At the beginning of the match, my coach was telling me how important this match was to us and how bad we needed to get a win, Bannister said. He told me, Its time to grow up and wrestle like a man, and I did exactly that. I was proud of how I played.
He handled James Zimbardi to the tune of a 12-6 heading into the third round. The sophomore started the final round in the down position, but as the whistle blew, he reversed the situation and pinned his senior opponent.
He wrestles like a young guy. Sometimes he makes mistakes or hes not 100-percent mentally into a match and he doesnt do as well as I think he should, Cardiero said. Hes really improved. Hes coming along. Its a good time of the year to get better.
Girards lead was pushed to nine points and Liberty never scored again.
We knew they were good no doubt about that but were just as good. This team you guys saw today is not us. It is what it is, Hadi said. We wrestled horribly and they were up for it and they knew what they were coming into. Its tough to wrestle us at home.
Michael Belcik (160) avenged a 6-3 loss to Zion Matlock with a 2-1 decision. Jack DelGarbino (220), the states No. 3 Division III wrestler, pinned Mohammad Yusuf in under a minute.
Liberty initially forfeited the 285-pound class, but then trotted out Simi Moananu. He lasted a round with Girards Connor Moore before getting pinned.
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Youngstown news, Girard routs Liberty to win EOWL, AAC Blue titles - Youngstown Vindicator
By Vanesa Brashier and Dana Guthrie
Photo: Liberty County Sheriff's Office
Liberty County Precinct 1 Constable Justin Johnson is in critical condition after he was hit by a car on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017.
Liberty County Precinct 1 Constable Justin Johnson is in critical condition after he was hit by a car on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017.
Justin Johnston was sworn in as Constable Pct. 1 and took time to say thank you to the voters of his precinct for trusting him to run his office.
Justin Johnston was sworn in as Constable Pct. 1 and took time to say thank you to the voters of his precinct for trusting him to run his office.
Liberty County constable hit by car undergoes surgery, listed in critical condition
A Liberty County constable who was hit by a car on Wednesday is in critical condition in an intensive care unit after a 3 a.m. surgery at Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Precinct 1 Constable Justin Johnston suffered a critical head injury while directing traffic at a park and ride lot on Highway 146 north of Mont Belvieu at about 5:15 p.m.
Investigators said the driver of a red pickup truck ignored a line of waiting vehicles and sped through a barricade, striking a sheriff's vehicle head-on.
FIERY CRASH: Bystander saves 3 men in Fifth Ward
The pickup then spun out sideways and hit Johnston, who was thrown into the air and struck his head on the ground. The rear wheel of the truck then ran over Johnston, Liberty County Sheriff's Capt. Ken DeFoor said in a release on Thursday, Feb. 16.
The driver of the pickup, 39-year-old Samuel Leyva, of Cleveland, and his 8-year-old daughter also were airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital for treatment.
According to Liberty County Sgt. Erik Burse, the child suffered minor injuries while Leyva's injuries are more extensive.
"A blood draw from Mr. Leyva was taken at the hospital. Charges are pending and the investigation is ongoing," Burse said.
SEX ON DUTY: Officers' alleged actions hampered 9-1-1 calls
Johnston is serving his first term as constable, having taken the oath of office in January 2017. He is the father of two children and a native of Liberty, Texas.
DeFoor said Liberty County deputies and constables have been assisting with traffic flow at this intersection for more than a year. The morning and evening traffic control is needed to allow construction workers to enter and leave the area safely.
He said there were six patrol cars in the area when this incident occurred, and all units had their emergency lights on.
Texas DPS is investigating, "and, hopefully, with time, can determine why someone would completely disregard all traffic control precautions and run over law enforcement personnel who were trying to control the traffic flow for the safety of others," DeFoor said.
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Liberty County constable hit by car undergoes surgery, listed in critical condition - Chron.com
Forbes | Will Trump Get Past The Easy Religious Liberty Questions To The Hard One? Forbes President Donald Trump recently announced in his own colorful way that he would destroy the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 amendment to the tax code that prohibits churches and other nonprofits from endorsing or opposing political candidates. Why Isn't Trump's Muslim Ban Front and Center at 'Religious Liberty' Hearing? |
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Will Trump Get Past The Easy Religious Liberty Questions To The Hard One? - Forbes
Forbes | The Deal That Threatens Liberty Media's $8 Billion F1 Buyout Forbes Europe's governing body, the European Parliament, today voted for an immediate investigation into the takeover of Formula One auto racing by Liberty Media last month due to allegations that it broke the law. The European Parliament publishes an ... |
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The Deal That Threatens Liberty Media's $8 Billion F1 Buyout - Forbes
Its pretty hilarious that in 2017, a drawing is making the world go nuts.
Thats what artist Edel Rodriguez says about his cover for Der Spiegel magazine that broke the internet last week.
But to be fair, its not just any drawing. Its a cartoon of President Donald Trump, standing in the pose of a jihadi warrior. In one hand, he holds the severed head of the Statue of Liberty, which is dripping blood onto the floor. In the other hand, he grasps a bloodstained knife.Der Spiegels online version even has an animated version of the image, with the blood dripping from Lady Libertys head.
The image sparked fierce debate online and in the press.Germanys Die Welt daily said the cover damages and devalues journalism. Another paper, the center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, wrote that equating Trump and terrorism is too simple.
The artist, Edel Rodriguez, disagrees: I dont think you can be subtle about whats happening right now, he said. I think we were subtle [] during the primary. And because of that, because the media treated it as sort of a show and wasnt very serious about it, we have the president that we have right now.
Rodriguez started doing Trump covers last year. When it looked like the Trump campaign was in a tailspin, Rodriguez drew covers for Time magazine that showed Trumps head melting into a puddle, like the Wicked Witch of the West.
After Trump won the election, he drew a cover for Der Spiegel featuring Trumps head as a fiery sun hurtling toward planet Earth.
Rodriguez is already brainstorming for his next cover:I can have Trump sitting on the Statue of Libertys head like [Auguste Rodin's] 'The Thinker.' And all thats in his mind is a Twitter bird!
Or in case the president does a 180 on his political views, Rodriguez says, maybe hes on the statue, and hes sewing the head back on and were all good again. Or if he gets impeached, I have an image for that.
But hes not giving spoilers on that one.
Rodriguez compares Trump to a schoolyard bully. And, he says, just like with any bully, peoplehave to fight back.
When I was a kid, I would go outside and get in trouble with someone," he says. "They might punch me, and Id come home crying, and my dad would say, just go out there and punch them harder next time. Thats how I grew up.
Rodriguez spent his childhood in Havana, Cuba. He came to the United States as a refugee when he was 9 years old, on the Mariel boatlift in1980.
Rodriguez says his experience as a political refugee informs his reaction to Trump: Growing up in Cuba, I saw firsthand how people behave in a dictatorship. How theyre afraid to talk. So when Ive been here [in the US], and Ive seen people do that, it jogs my mind.
Rodriguez says he started making political art to warn people, saying, Hey, this is very serious! This is very important! Pay attention, pay attention, please pay attention. Part of it is that Ive been there, and Ive seen what could happen.
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The artist who drew Trump beheading Lady Liberty is a Cuban refugee - PRI
NBC4i.com | Liberty basketball team inspired by team manager NBC4i.com COLUMBUS, Ohio Days before Olentangy Liberty started its basketball season, the players gathered in the gym to check out their new senior pictures hanging on the wall. Wesley Walters, the team manager, did not see a photo of himself on the wall. |
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Liberty basketball team inspired by team manager - NBC4i.com
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) Ryan Kemrite scored eight of his 21 points down the stretch, including a pair of 3-pointers as Liberty held on to defeat High Point 55-52 for its seventh win in a row on Tuesday night.
The win puts the Flames alone atop the Big South Conference, at least until the rest of the conference plays on Wednesday.
High Point (14-13, 8-7) made a 5-0 run to trail 44-43 with just under five minutes left, but then Kemrite scored on a pretty turnaround jumper in the paint, dropped in a trey from the top of the arc and the 52-44 lead was Libertys largest. Kemrite added a wide-open 3 from the corner with 12 seconds left and the Flames (18-10, 13-2) led 55-50.
A Ricky Madison tip-in pulled High Point to 55-52 and an Andre Fox 3 at the buzzer was short. Madison, Miles Bowman Jr. and Fox each scored 14.
Co-Big South leader UNC-Asheville (12-2) has reeled off seven straight wins since being upended by Winthrop Jan. 19. Liberty closes the regular season at UNC-Asheville on Feb. 25.
Hoops Dynasty Recruit, Game Plan & Compete For Prizes
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Kemrite does right as Liberty edges High Point 55-52 (Feb 14, 2017 ... - FOXSports.com
Published: Tue, February 14, 2017 @ 10:14 p.m.
Referencing the old adage When it rains, it pours, Liberty head coach Chris Kohl said his team was in a hurricane as Struthers blew open what was a close game early with long runs en route to a 69-52 win.
Trailing 18-16 after a first quarter that saw eight lead changes, the Wildcats (15-7, 8-4 AAC White) went on a 19-0 run in the second quarter. The only bright spot of the period was Kevin Hawns 3-pointer in the final minute or the Leopards (4-16, 3-8 AAC Blue) wouldve been shut out.
We couldnt drop one into the ocean, Kohl said. We played a great first quarter, the kids did everything we asked of them and then it just disappeared. It was a terrible shooting night.
Carson Ryan led Struthers with 14 points and Andrew Carbon had 13. A.J. Musolino and Jaret Jacubec each had 12 in the win.
Liberty was led by Dra Rushtons 12 points while Andrew Bowers finished with 11.
Return to Vindy.com and read Wednesday's Vindicator sports section for more on this story.
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Struthers uses 19-0 run to beat Liberty - Youngstown Vindicator
NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) There is the new nursing station for mothers at North Liberty Library.
It's a room designed for mothers who are looking for a private space to nurse.
North Liberty Library started talking about getting the space last Fall.
They say several mothers approached them, asking about a private space to nurse.
North Liberty Library approached Mercy Iowa City and the hospital agreed to donate a space in the library.
The hospital even added artwork around the lactation station.
After taking a look inside the nursing station, Lisa Augspurger, a North Liberty mom told KCRGTV-9 the new space will be perfect for mothers who are nursing.
First times moms especially who like to have the privacy to nurse and it's a really nice comfy space in here and it's well lit which is nice, but private so it's great, says Augspurger.
And North Liberty's Library Director Jennie Garner says this new nursing station will allow moms to be able to stay at their facility longer.
"Takes down that barrier of having a nursing mom being out and then all of a sudden they have to drop everything and leave because baby gets hungry or they need to use the breast pump so that will help them be able to stay longer, says Garner.
North Liberty Library is not the first in the area to get a lactation room.
Iowa City Library and Corallville libraries also offer a space to nurse.
The North Liberty Library unveiled their new space Tuesday morning and they hope it will help mothers in the area.
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North Liberty Library opens new room for breastfeeding moms - KCRG
A self-described "big proponent of economic liberty" is running the Federal Trade Commission and is a candidate to be President Trump's pick to become chairwoman of the agency.
Maureen Ohlhausen, the acting chairwoman of the FTC and a commissioner since 2012, told the Washington Examiner in a Tuesday interview that she hopes to be Trump's choice to head the commission and that she has "laid out an agenda that I think is very consistent with one the president has set out."
"We want to protect small business, average people, we want to be sure that people have competitive choices in the marketplace," Ohlhausen said.
To do that, she recommends that the commission prioritize cases in which there is actual harm to consumers, focus on antitrust cases with strong legal and economic grounds, especially ones that involve using government power to undercut competition, and exercising "regulatory humility."
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In addition, Ohlhausen said, she is preparing the commission to retake responsibilities currently exercised by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in case the new unified Republican government is successful in its efforts to reform or eliminate the new agency.
Ohlhausen's vision for the FTC and regulation generally is a major shift from that of the Obama administration and what might have been implemented had Democrat Hillary Clinton won the election. In the late Obama years, the administration made overtures to liberal advocates of more aggressive antitrust enforcement and advocated greater competition across industries.
Ohlhausen, however, has called the Obama administration's conclusion that monopoly power was increasing "empirically unsound."
The bar for antitrust cases is whether a company is doing something that "lifts a competitive constraint on the firm," either by taking out a competitor through a merger or through other exclusionary conduct that hurts competition.
Hospital mergers, Ohlhausen indicated, are an area in which the commission has done a good job with antitrust cases. But she wouldn't support antitrust cases in areas in which there wasn't clear evidence that antitrust laws were being violated, such as instances in which stakeholders were merely concerned about high prices. "We shouldn't be a price regulator," she said.
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He said Congress must move fast on its Russia investigation
02/15/17 8:38 AM
Last week, the commission sued a drug company, ViroPharma, for antitrust violations on the basis that it raised the price of a drug used to treat sometimes deadly infections and sought to prevent a generic replacement from being developed with a series of filings with the Food and Drug Administration and courts. Ohlhausen cited that case as an example of the kind of anti-competitive behavior that she wants to crack down on.
As for patent trolls, a major concern for the tech industry, Ohlhausen counseled a "very balanced" approach in protecting companies at risk of abusive suits while enforcing intellectual property rights. "We don't want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg," she said, referring to the need for property rights to drive investment.
Before the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law, many of its responsibilities monitoring fraud in financial products belonged to the FTC. The bureau, however, is now threatened by Republicans who have opposed it from the beginning.
Should the bureau see its powers limited, Ohlhausen said, the FTC should be prepared. Last week, she named lawyer and former FTC staffer Tom Pahl to be the acting director of the commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, a role that would oversee many of the relevant areas. The FTC would regulate through enforcement rather than writing major rules, as the CFPB does, but it has to be ready so that "that we can step in and take over," Ohlhausen said.
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"The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by 'intelligence' like candy."
02/15/17 8:29 AM
Top Story
Republicans are following President Trump's lead by demanding investigations into recent damaging leaks.
By Nicole Duran, Susan Ferrechio
02/15/17 12:01 AM
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Thats a motto the University of North Carolina made popular under legendary coach Dean Smith, who made sharing the basketball a top priority.
Heritage worked it to perfection Tuesday night.
On an evening when its shooting touch was flat in front of a sparse home crowd, the Pioneers made the extra pass in a 63-46 victory over Rustburg in the Conference 30 semifinals.
Jordan Hamlette, Caleb Snead and Keenan Austin combined for 17 assists, and Heritage advanced to Thursdays Conference 30 finals while also locking up a spot in next weeks Region 3A West tournament.
Heritage's Jordan Hamlette drives past Rustburg's Deonta' Jackson during the second half on Tuesday Feb. 14, 2017 in Lynchburg, Va. Photo by Lathan Goumas.
Shoot, I didnt really notice, but thats really good, said Snead, the 6-foot-4 senior forward who led Heritage (16-6) with 15 points. Sharing the ball like that, that means were playing together.
For fourth-seeded Rustburg (10-13), the season came to a close one night after defeating bottom seed Tunstall in the conference play-in game. Deonta Jackson led the way with 15 points on Tuesday. The junior guard knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:50 left in the second quarter to bring Rustburg within two points, 25-23.
But the Pioneers went on a run to close the half, highlighted by the only shot of the game by reserve Philip Bowles, who buried his own 3 just before the buzzer. Between the final minute of the second quarter and the opening minutes of the third, Heritage strung together a 13-0 run.
Rustburg's Kamron Hughes goes up for a shot during the first half on Tuesday Feb. 14, 2017 in Lynchburg, Va. Photo by Lathan Goumas.
Thats the difference, first-year Rustburg coach Charles Davis said. I always stress to them that the last two minutes of the second [quarter] and the first few minutes of the third, thats the difference-maker of the game at any level. Once that happened, youre constantly battling uphill.
Less than one week after scoring his 1,000th career point at HSS, Hamlette finished with 14 points. He also led the way with seven assists and hauled down a team-best 12 rebounds.
Keenan Austin (12 points) had 10 rebounds and five assists, while Snead rounded out the three notable performances with seven rebounds and five assists.
Heritage has won the Conference 30 championship in all three years of the conferences existence. That means Snead and Hamlette have celebrated with that title for their entire varsity careers.
Heritage's Jordan Hamlette drives past Rustburg's Deonta' Jackson during the second half on Tuesday Feb. 14, 2017 in Lynchburg, Va. Photo by Lathan Goumas.
But the last two years, weve lost in the first round of region, Snead said. So this year, we really want to get past that and go far.
Theres still work to be done, though.
We communicate sometimes and sometimes we dont, Hamlette said, referencing something the Pioneers will work on in the coming days.
Snead wasnt surprised by Tuesdays victory, given his teams success each year in the five-team tourney.
We run Conference 30, he said, and weve got to defend it.
Liberty 53, Brookville 44
Liberty clung to a one-point lead with 2:10 remaining when forward Ethan Payne caught an inbounds pass while standing near midcourt. Then Payne saw an opening.
He barreled into the lane, drove all the way to the basket and went up strong to ignite his squad. Liberty needed little motivation from there and pulled away from Brookville for a 53-44 victory.
Liberty (12-11) will play in the Conference 30 championship for the first time in school history and receives an automatic berth into the Region 3A West tourney. The Minutemen are also 10-3 in their last 13 games.
Payne providedTuesday's heads-up, decisive play. The rest of the game belonged to senior guard Raheem Anthony, who poured on a game-high 23 points.
Anthony didnt have to look far for inspiration, either: he simply wasnt ready for his high school career to come to a close. So he put up a performance for the ages, slicing into the lane over and over.
When he was a freshman, Anthony watched LHS suffer a season-ending loss to Brookville. The seniors, he said of that season, cried in the locker room after the loss.
We said, Were not losing to Brookville. Were not going out like those seniors did, Anthony said. So tonight was just all heart and emotion.
Anthony and Brookvilles Tyson Hancock, the Lynchburg areas leading scorer in the regular season, guarded each other throughout the night. Hancock led the Bees (8-16) with 16 points, while forward Sam Slade added 12.
Hes a great player, Anthony said of Hancock. Hes got heart, but I just wanted it more.
The game featured seven ties and a whopping 14 lead changes (eight in the third quarter). Liberty led 45-44 when Payne made that fateful move to the hole and banked in his shot. Payne finished with 15 points, and the Minutemen closed the game on a 9-0 run.
I just saw the lane, that it was open and I drove it in, Payne said.
Then the senior described the moment directly following his basket.
It was a lot of emotion, he said. People jumping up and down, screaming, and my heart was pumping fast, almost out of my chest.
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Heritage, Liberty win in Conference 30 semifinals | High School ... - Lynchburg News and Advance
Interviewer: Hanako Cho
Interviewer (I): Lord Actons words absolute power corrupts absolutely are very famous, but Japanese people dont know much about him. So would you please share with us your knowledge about him?
Mr Jayabalan: Sure. The full saying of what he said was: power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So not all power is corrupting, but its the absolute nature of power. Lord Acton was known for many witticisms. He had a very quick wit when it came to being able to put pithy statements together that expressed a truth a profound truth about politics, or religion, human liberty. He was an English historian 19th century a contemporary of Cardinal Newman (now Blessed Cardinal Newman) who was also a very famous figure at the time. So there were a lot of political religious elements being discussed and debated quite a bit.
As always in Europe, the French revolution was a key topic of his thought. And unlike more proponents of the French revolution, Lord Acton had thought that the history of liberty coincided with the history of Christianity, that Christianity and human liberty grew together. And, of course, this was opposed to what many of the more radical proponents of the revolution had said, that Christianity, and especially Catholicism, needed to be eliminated in order for human beings to be truly free.
Lord Acton was a Roman Catholic himself from an old English Catholic family which had roots in many other European countries. So he happened to be born in Naples, Italy, just south of Rome. He studied in Germany because at the time he would have studied at the universities in the United Kingdom, Catholics were not allowed. After the English reformation, lets call it, Catholics were looked at as not being loyal citizens of the Crown, and therefore somebody like Lord Acton studied in Bavaria. But, in a way this expanded his knowledge of European affairs quite a bit.
So Lord Acton was probably one of the most prolific, lets say, public intellectuals or writers of his day. He wrote book reviews lengthy book reviews of virtually every important book that came out during his lifetime. He had things to say, opinions to offer, on virtually every political happening. And, of course at this time in the late 19th century both Germany and Italy were unified into the nation states that they are today. And so nationalism was a big subject of his when he wrote. The nationalist movements that were taking place all through Europe. Everything happening after 1848. Liberalism, lets say modern liberalism or classical liberalism, depending on your viewpoint, were often the subject of his writings. But as I said before, especially the relationship between Christianity and liberalism and liberty and to what degree to they reinforce each other, to what degree to they improve each other, to what degree are they opposed to each other. These were the major topics of his writings.
(I): So what do you say about French Revolution and American Revolution?
Mr Jayabalan: Well, its hard to say any one thing about the French Revolution and the American Revolution. Theyre vast its probably revolutions plural when it comes to France. And America, for that matter. And in many ways the French revolution is still unfinished its still taking place.
(I): Its still staking place? In what sense?
Mr Jayabalan: Well, apparently a Chinese public intellectual has said this. I dont remember who the figure was, but when he was asked for his views of the French revolution, he said its too soon to tell. So, liberalism is an ongoing project, I would say. And especially in France. Weve had five republics since the French revolution and the French say that there will always be a sixth coming. So you never know what kind of crises are happening.
I think Acton, like many Englishmen, was more skeptical about the French revolution than other Europeans were. The English and the French have always had a bit of a rivalry politically and culturally, and so I think the English tried to moderate some aspects of the French revolution. Edmund Burke, you think of Bourkes writings, his reflections on the revolution in France, were so extreme from the continental point of view that he broke with the Whig Party. And, in many ways Acton was a Catholic Whig. He believed in progress, he believed in human liberty, but he also believed in enduring first principles. He believed that the Catholic Church was the true church, the true religion, and so how that reconciles with human liberty was always a question.
I think Lord Acton was a very admirable man in the sense that he was very positive about human liberty. He didnt try to deny human liberty he thought that human liberty was a risk worth taking and that civilization would improve as a result, so long as it was liberty combined with responsibility. Hes famous for saying: liberty is not just the power to do what one wishes, but the right to do what one ought.
Theres a moral element to freedom. And that there is a right and wrong way of using your freedom. And so I think Lord Acton this was true both for individuals and for societies. So in many ways he was trying to promote this idea of moral responsibility and human freedom being used for the common good, and that human freedom had not always been properly valued, lets say, by especially political authorities. That hasnt changed so much.
As a result, Lord Acton was a precursor for what many of us who work in the think-tank world in the United States and Europe would have liked to have done, both at his time when many of these events were taking shape. As I said, the unifications of Germany and Italy and the French Revolutions and all these things were happening at that time. So, he was a very important figure, especially for his time. Hes probably not as well known as he should be these days, partly because, he never finished his magnum opus, his great work; his great historical study on the history of liberty was never completely finished and therefore wasnt published during his lifetime. And so theres no one work we can go to and say this was Lord Actons greatest writing. People know his witticisms, as I said. So he was known much more for pithy remarks and his opinions on things, rather than one major work.
(I): So you are director of Acton Institute? What is the mission of Acton Institute?
Mr Jayabalan: Im the director of the Acton office in Rome. The Acton Institute is a think-tank based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which has been around since 1990 with the primary mission to help educate religious leaders in economic thought. To help people who guide religious organizations and religious congregations, or even have a religious, lets say, interpretation of life to try to understand how economics relates to how religious people look at the world, especially when it comes to Christianity.
Theres a widespread opinion that Christianity is opposed to wealth or to riches, partly because there are many things in Christianity in the New Testament especially that seem to be critical of riches: its harder for a rich man to enter Heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, for example, or the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. There are many instances in which Christianity certainly does make a virtue of poverty. It does try to hold the voluntary vow of poverty by religious people as a good thing that frees them for more spiritually devoted lives. But, as a result, people think, well, we should all be poor. Its the voluntary aspect of taking a vow of poverty that often gets lost.
So, we have a paradox. On the one hand we have this virtue of poverty when its individually taken or a religious order takes it on, but we also as Christians think that poverty is scandalous. So its both a virtue and a scandal. Theres a little bit of a dichotomy when it comes to how Christians look at poverty. As a result, many misinterpretations of Christianity have taken place. One, for example, was called Liberation Theology, which was a movement that flourished in the 1970s and 1980s. To put it very briefly, I would say it was an amalgamation a synthesis of Marxism and Christianity, Marxism especially as understood by Europeans, but exported to Latin America. It was a way of trying to correct the inequalities, social, economic and otherwise, that were often found, and are still found in Latin America, by trying to take the Christian message and politicize it make it very worldly.
Well, whats wrong with a worldly message, you might ask. Jesus, of course, as God and man was expected to be a king. And, indeed, he was a king. He is a king. But not in the way that, lets say, many Jews of his time, and I would say even people today, would understand. Christ is famous for saying his kingdom is not of this world. And so there is an aspect that Jesus did not rule as other kings have ruled. He did not accede to power the way a Caesar would, or the way a Napoleon would, or the way even a President in a modern republic would. He remained a very spiritual figure, away from politics.
So the question is how are Christians supposed to live politically? How are we supposed to live together? And that, I think, Christianity has always left up to the vagaries of history, circumstances, the way people interpret the needs of their day and age, and in many ways Christianity has said these things will happen as they happen, but the most important things are of an interior, spiritual nature. How we live in the world, rather than how we structure society in order to bring about the kingdom of heaven, which has always been looked at with some doubt that thats possible. And that God is ultimately in charge. That our politics are important, very vital to promoting the common good and social cohesion, but ultimate God is all powerful, all knowing, he exists outside of time and space so these things have already been decided in many ways, even though we have the free will to take that path. To decide whether we want to follow Gods ordained path for us or decide to go our own way. And this has always been the big question about human freedom. Is it a manifestation of human pride in the face of God and his authority, or is it a way of exercising the freedom that God has given us for greater purposes, in order to love and know God better. And so this has always been the debate, I think, about human freedom.
We try to apply that concept to economics. What can economics do to promote a healthy and virtuous society? What can economics do to help people live, not only materially better, but also spiritually. Are there things about economics that we understand from the study of economics that can improve society and make us all feel that were more fulfilled, living more in line with human dignity. What does economics have to teach us about these things is what we try to help religious leaders think about, not necessarily having answers to, but think about these things in a way that they probably wouldnt have if nobody had brought up the issue of economics with them.
(I): This is very interesting. I found an article, WSJ, Wall Street Journal, which talks about the Church of England very high returns because Church is company that would produce profit coincide when viewed from Gods perspective. Its really interesting. So, how can we make sure the market that could produce the products or profits viewed from God, because something that sells well doesnt necessarily have high added value viewed from God. So, how can we make sure of that?
Mr Jayabalan: Well, the way we make sure any of our activities are in line with Gods wills and purposes. We have to be very intentional in what we do. To think that our activities have some bearing on the world. And that we have some responsibility. That each of our activities in the market place, whether its producing, consuming, investing, whatever it may be, has some moral component to it.
There are times wheninvesting in company A or investing in company B, theres not so much of a moral element to it. Lets say they are two companies that are relatively equal and producing similar goods and services. Its a prudential decision on the investors part which to invest in. Its not necessarily a moral principle. But I would say overall we have to perceive what we do as contributing to the common good. And its that concept of the common good thats often lost.
Many market economies are liberal democratic societies in which individualism the individual is considered the authority. Nobody can tell an individual what to do, or so its claimed. So as a result, any kind of moral claims, anybody who says someone should or should not do something the ought question that I mentioned with Lord Acton is considered out of place. Who are you to judge? Who are you to tell me what to do? This idea that the individual is the best judge of his own affairs. And, of course, that is a little bit of a problem because anybody with a little bit of experience and common sense knows that people make mistakes all of the time.
The individual is rarely the best judge of his own affairs. Thats why we have mentors and teachers and spiritual directors, and thats why people look for guidance all the time. Anybody who goes to a bookstore, insofar as they still exist, if you go to Amazon and look at some of the best sellers its not surprising that in western individualistic societies individual self-help books are often very popular. And in a way I think thats a concession that freedom is not enough, freedom is not sufficient. Somebody could say, Im going to respect your freedom so much that Im going to leave you so alone that I dont need to care about whether youre living a virtuous life or not.
So as a result were kind of caught between wanting to be an authority unto ourselves as individuals, and knowing that were very weak and fallible and nothing particularly admirable when it comes to being individuals. Were lost sheep without a shepherd in many ways. So often were looking for shepherds. Christianity is often neglected, but that very language is from Christianity sheep without a shepherd is what Jesus says. And so people dont know where to go, and so theyre always looking for other ways of fulfilling theyre everyday activities, for giving their everyday activities some purpose in the overall sense of life and the order of things. And, as a result, people are always asking questions and looking for answers.
So [at Acton], on the flip-side we like to also help business people and these days in our advanced societies almost everybody is a business person of some sort. We all buy and sell things. We all go shopping. Were all investors insofar as were probably middle class and above. What does all this have to do with life? All the big questions, why we exist and what we are supposed to be doing here. So, again, we try to bring these aspects together the material and the spiritual without neglecting one or the other, or denigrating one or the other, because one without the other is somehow less human. Life would not be as rich, would not be as rewarding, if we neglected one aspect at the expense of the other.
Sothis is some of the things that we like to do. Its not always popular. I would say that, quoting our co-founder, Father Robert Sirico: many religious traditionalists think were crazy libertarians, and many libertarians think were hoary traditionalists. Were somewhere in between those two camps. I think the most important thing is to think about how human beings actually are. Human beings have both these sides to them. This desire to be independent and self-governing, as well as a realization that we actually dont know as much as we claim to. We dont know what is best for us. Its a very difficult, long process to educate oneself, and a life-long one, and one that certainly the western tradition has tried to maintain. If you look at eastern societies, the very traditional aspects of eastern cultures and eastern civilizations stress authority, the realization that individuals are not the best judges of their own affairs.
(I): In the presidential campaign Mrs Clinton claimed that Catholic Church needs to have Catholic spring. Have you ever heard of that?
Mr Jayabalan: I dont think it was Clinton; it came out in the emails that her Chief of Staff had been exchanging with some of her campaign workers. But it wasnt Clinton herself. Still, people around her were saying there needs to be a Catholic spring.
(I): Because of its backward views on pro-life? But being a religious organisation
Mr Jayabalan: I think on life, and on women, I think it has to do with women in general. So many of the criticisms of the Catholic Church are not so much about the Trinity or the resurrection of Jesus or the nature of Christ, but they often have to do with the church has to say about women, especially when it comes to sexual ethics. So, lets just narrow it down to what really seems to get people upset these days. Its a very narrow preoccupation. Because the Catholic Church doesnt go along with popular culture and modern culture as its currently constituted, people think its just simply reactionary. And anybody who becomes a Catholic, myself included, is looked at as being somebody whos a secret authoritarian, a closet authoritarian, who wants to tell people what to do. I think thats not exactly the case. We respect human freedom. We know that human beings are free to choose wrongly and make bad decisions. We know that. And that sometimes its better to let people make bad decisions and learn from them rather than trying to save them from themselves. We fully understand that.
The Clinton emails, well her campaign her staff emails that were released through Wikileaks reveal something that most of us in the United States have known for a long time, that the Democratic Party which was once the home of most Catholics in America has moved further and further away from the Church over the last 30, 40 years. And its very hard now to find Catholics who believe all that the church says and remain in the Democratic Party. And I think those emails just revealed that.
(I): Yes, as a religious organisation we are pro-life, not pro-choice, because the soul reside in mothers womb in the later period of pregnancy. So we believe that. So that is why we are so pleased that Hillary Clinton was not chosen by U.S. citizens this time.
Mr Jayabalan: Yeah, theres more to it than just abortion, but the abortion issue was what drives a lot of the religious vote towards the Republican Party. But this is actually a new phenomenon. The Republican Party before Ronald Reagan was a pro-abortion party and the Democrats were the pro-life party. This was one of the ironies of history, how the Democratic Party went from being the pro-life party to being the absolute pro-choice pro-abortion- party. And its very unusual to think about how this happened. I think if you thought about this 40 or 50 years ago theres no way you would have guessed that the Democrats would have become the pro-choice party. The Republicans, who were looked at as a very white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant party, who didnt particularly care about abortion issues and would have liked probably to have seen fewer babies being born in the name of, kind of, social manners and population control and health and all of these kind of things, they are now the pro-life party. And this was primarily due to Ronald Reagan himself, who as Governor of California had liberalized abortion laws, and came to change his mind, had a change of heart, and realized that abortion was indeed a great evil on society and that it needed to be fought. And so as a result the Republican Party has become the pro-life party.
(I): I see. So going back to the Lord Actons remarks. He said that absolutism and autocratic government will not continue forever because its very difficult to keep the absolute submission for a long time. So, viewed fro this standpoint, how do you see North Korea and China?
Mr Jayabalan: How do I see?
(I): How do you see
Mr Jayabalan: China?
(I): North Korea and China
Mr Jayabalan: Yeah. What was the first part? China and?
(I): North Korea and China. Because Lord Acton said its going to be really difficult to keep the autocratic government forever.
Mr Jayabalan: Yeah, once people get a taste for human freedom its very difficult to limit it. And this is, again, a problem of liberalism. So, you may have had, lets say, traditional mores in a society and then as people start to become more and more aware of their human freedom they start to question these things and sort of say, well, are we doing this just because we were told this is the right thing to do and therefore we need to question. And thats very much a double-edged sword. On one hand its a very good thing because it helps keep government authorities honest. It helps people realize that just because somebody is richer or stronger or has more power, that does not entitle them by itself to enforce their will upon others. And they have to respect individuals as free and equal human beings. But at the same time, as I was saying, with liberals, they have a hard time recognizing anybody has any kind of authority. So therefore, we have to rethink and come up with our own morality every single day. Theres no reliance on what we already know and what has already been decided.
So, as a result of this, a place like China, which has started to liberalize, will probably try to keep the lid on political control while maintaining some kind of economic freedom. But again thats a very strange thing to do, because if you think about state capitalism, to what degree are people really free in that kind of system? Material wellbeing by itself is not a manifestation, lets say a manifestation of freedom. If somebody wants to give you all your needs, provide all your needs for you, which is what communism wanted and socialism has always said that the government can do, youre not really free people dont really feel like theyre exercising their free will and their moral responsibility to live as they wish to live. And eventually those kinds of systems tend to break down. Partly because it doesnt respect human freedom, and party because it exaggerates the capability of authorities to manage a large modern economy.
Friedrich Hayek talks about this in The Problem of Knowledge in Society. There is no one human being in any kind of government or bureaucracy or central planning agency that knows all the factors of production, all the supply and demand aspects of an economy, even a small one. And therefore they cant set prices or decide where resources ought to be allocated and things. Its better to let individuals do those kinds of things. Now, you can let individuals be free economically within certain parameters, called the rule of law in a very general sense, that its wrong to steal, its wrong to take anothers property and then when we have contracts they ought to be enforced, and if we have disputes we can take them to an authority the court system. Theres always this mix between freedom and authority in any society. Theres never been a completely authority-less society in which people decide everything for themselves as they go along. So this is the problem. People dont know where to turn for [authority].
What happens in more authoritarian societies, which are often based on a different type of anthropology, a different understanding of human beings, that human beings are not free by nature, that they need to be treated, in a way, like cogs in a machine and organized in a different way. That is not a way of achieving human fulfillment and the flourishing of human nature. But, again, if it doesnt really reflect human nature its not going to work and I think both, theanarchist way of looking at things, as well as the authoritarian way of looking at society, neither of those fully reflects the drama of human life and what were here to do.
(I): Last January in 2015 in France there was incident called Charlie Hebdo, you remember?
Mr Jayabalan: Charlie Hebdo, yes
(I): Yeah, Charlie Hebdo
Mr Jayabalan: Yeah, the shooting at the offices of the magazine, yeah.
(I): Yes. And, at that time, people argued that the freedom of speech surpasses the right of freedom of faith. French people argued in that way. So, as a religious organisation, we are very much, we felt, very, a strange feeling. Is there superiority between the two rights? Is there any superiority between the two rights?
Mr Jayabalan: Well, its the same question about freedom and responsibility.
(I): Oh yes.
Mr Jayabalan: Free speech often has to do with political speech and religious speech. So, I think its ridiculous to say that Charlie Hebdo ought to be shut down, or Islamic terrorists can go in and shoot them because they dont like what they say about Islam. Thats not the way a free society operates, obviously.
At the same time, I know what you mean, and we dont like to see religious beliefs insulted, but thats part of free speech. If you dont like it you have to defend it yourself. And, in a way I tend toward the free speech side on this just because I dont know how you would control things in a way that respects human freedom. But in no way can you allow I mean Charlie Hebdo was not a fan of any religion they insulted Christianity, they insulted Judaism, as well as Islam.
So, freedom comes with a responsibility, again, and if you are going to attack peoples very deeply, seriously held religious beliefs you will pay a price for it. Now it might not, it shouldnt be with your life, but they should be free to be criticized. They should be free, but our society should be able to say what is beyond the pale. We do that with all kinds of speech. Free speech is not an absolute in any way. Youre not allowed to incite violence using free speech, youre not allowed to say false things about another human being we have laws against slander and libel and defamation. So, again the absolutists on free speech, I think, are wrong. They have exaggerated their case. But religious fanatics like these who attacked Charlie Hebdo were completely out of place. They clearly dont understand the rules of French society. They dont want to play by those rules, and I think that France is completely justified in telling people who live in their country, and especially if youre going to be a French citizen, that these are the rules you play by. You have to learn to respect opinions that you dont agree with, and if you dont you have no business being in France.
(I): I see. Id like to ask you about your take on Trump administrations trade policy.
Mr Jayabalan: Well, having followed the US election campaign, which seemed to go on forever and ever in the United States, I think there were some interesting things being said about free trade. For the first time in my adult lifetime both parties seemed to be against free trade agreements, lets call them.
Now, I guess the big question is, Is a free trade agreement the same thing as free trade itself? I think this is one of the cases that Donald Trump was making during the campaign was that the North America Free Trade Agreement which, of course, Bill Clinton had signed into being along with a Republican Congress. When Bill Clinton did that he was being a New Democrat. The Democratic Party, which has traditionally been supported by trade unions, was very skeptical of free trade agreements. Now with the environmentalists being a big part of the Democratic Party, they tend to be skeptical of free trade agreements.
The left had always been against free trade agreements because they didnt like to see the market economy being expanded, they wanted it to be controlled, especially when it came to labour and the environment. The right, the free market right, let me put it this way, had criticized some of these agreements because they tend to be forms of crony capitalism, of setting out legislation that protects some industries and doesnt protect other industries. Its not really a free trade agreement in that regard. And then there are some from the more, lets say, nationalist right that dont think that the government should favour the rights of foreign workers just because they happen to have lower costs than their own workers. There are a number of elements at play here and I think whats important is that we maintain the idea that free trade is good, not only for the United States, but for the rest of the world.
The United States since the end of the second world war has had quite a bit invested in maintaining a free trade regime while the United States also supplies security, both for trade and for nations to exist and to promote this type of global order in the world. The United States has put tons of money and equipment and effort into maintaining this and Donald Trump is now questioning that, whether this is whats necessary in the twenty-first century.
Theres been a backlash against what we call economic globalization, trade and immigration are not looked at as unqualified goods. Which of course theyre not as no good is completely unqualified. Again, we shouldnt be absolutist or dogmatist or religious about free trade arguments. We should look at them practically and look at whether they actually do promote what we would call the common good. Are they actually good for us as a society?
The Democratic Party to me was quite striking that Bill Clinton who signed NAFTA Hillary Clinton was all over the place when it came to the TPP. She never really had a principled argument to make about it, and I think this is probably the reason why she lost the election. Nobody really knew what she stood for. Where Donald Trump said very clearly, My responsibility is to the American people and especially those who have been forgotten. And that seemed to have won the argument, especially in those states which made the difference in the US election, which happens to be where I am from: Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, what we call the former rust belt, where the manufacturing base has been tremendously damaged, not only because of free trade but because of technology and advances we have made when it comes to producing manufactured goods. Not only do you have [inaudible] lower labour costs [abroad], but we have technology that makes many workers redundant. And, without retraining workers and providing new opportunities for those who are negatively affected by progress, globalization is going to be on very shaky ground politically speaking.
(I): So you say that its important to differentiate between the free trade agreement and free trade. It needs to have fair trade, as
Mr Jayabalan: Well, I dont like the term fair trade either, because that implies that we know what a fair outcome of an economic agreement is. Often times we dont, and thats why we allow for free trade for the parties involved to come to an agreement themselves. So, I mean, as far as I can tell, Trumps argument on TPP was that, were making deals with countries who are not playing by the same rules.
(I): Like China
Mr Jayabalan: Yes,for example, Chinas currency manipulation. They purposely hold down the value of their currency so that they can sell more goods to the United States and make American imports into their country more expensive. And then you have a big trade deficit. That to Donald Trump is the real problem. So I think we need to see what he does. He promises to have tougher negotiators, which may be a good thing. I tend to think that if you want to have a free trade agreement it should be fairly simple;were going to reduce our barriers to entry into our country, and thats it, quite simple. Reduce the tariffs. Make it easier to trade. And nothing more. No carve-outs for certain industries, no favours given. But again that might be a little bit unrealistic because all politics is like that. All countries will want to protect certain industries, partly for national defence and security reasons. And, so you cant allow everything to be decided by economics. The nationalists have a point there, as do the free traders.
(I): I see. So do you believe American economy will grow?
Mr Jayabalan: I think so. The left in America has had, certainly under President Obama, no idea of how to get an economy moving again. They tend to rely on the government to grow an economy, and we know that doesnt work. They say, of course, they want the government to assist the market, which would be fine so long as you dont crowd out private initiative and innovation and entrepreneurship, all of the things that have been missing in the American economy for at least the last decade or so. Trump understands business better. He understands the attraction of making good business deals and getting growth and building things, so hopefully hell understand that what America needs to do is reduce the burden of government on business. Cut corporate
(I): Deregulation
Mr Jayabalan: Cut corporate taxes, cut regulations, make it easier for market economies to operate. And let people try to create new opportunities and if they fail they fail, but keep trying. This is how a market works. The Democrats, with their nanny state way of thinking, they want to coddle everybody and make sure that everybody advances equally, and if somebody happens to advance more rapidly than another, we have to hold them down until everybody rises up and eventually nobody does. And I think thats the real problem with the way the left looks at economics these days.
(I): So thats why many American pundits criticize Donald Trump?
Mr Jayabalan: Well people criticize Trump for a number of reasons. Not just his policies, but his perceived character and temperament and things like that. But what I think you saw in the election is that the American people said they didnt care about those things as much anymore.
(I): As long as his economic policy
Mr Jayabalan: Well, as long as he proves to be a good President. If he does what he says in terms of making America great again, however thats defined, theres something to that. And I think he knows, he really does think America is the richest, most powerful, freest, best country to live in, and he says, Were on the wrong track.Something like seventy percent of Americans think that Americas on the wrong track.
(I): Seventy percent? Wow.
Mr Jayabalan: Seventy percent. So I think thats the reason why Donald Trump is the President of the United States.
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