Category Archives: Freedom

Heres a look at the Iraq War which was known as Operation Iraqi Freedom until September 2010, when it was renamed Operation New Dawn. In December 2011, the last US troops in Iraq crossed the border into Kuwait, marking the end of the almost-nine year war.

October 16, 2002 US President George W. Bush signs a congressional resolution authorizing him to go to war to disarm Iraq if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein refuses to give up weapons of mass destruction in compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

November 8, 2002 The UN Security Council adopts Resolution 1441, giving Iraq a final chance to comply with its disarmament obligations and outlining strict new weapons inspections with the goal of completing the disarmament process. The resolution threatens serious consequences as a result of Iraqs continued violations of its obligations.

February 5, 2003 US Secretary of State Colin Powell makes the case to the UN that Hussein poses an imminent threat.

February 14, 2003 UN Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix reports to the UN Security Council that his team has found no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

March 17, 2003 Bush issues an ultimatum to Hussein and his family leave Iraq within 48 hours or face military action.

March 19, 2003 Bush announces US and coalition forces have begun military action against Iraq.

March 20, 2003 Hussein speaks on Iraqi TV, calling the coalitions attacks shameful crimes against Iraq and humanity.

March 23, 2003 Pfc. Jessica Lynch and other members of the 507th Maintenance Company are ambushed and captured outside Nasiriyah, Iraq.

April 1, 2003 Lynch is rescued from a hospital by US forces.

April 9, 2003 Coalition forces take Baghdad. A large statue of Hussein is toppled in Firdos Square. The White House declares the regime is gone.

April 13, 2003 Seven US prisoners of war are rescued by US troops.

May 1, 2003 Speaking on the USS Abraham Lincoln, Bush declares major combat operations over, although some fighting continues.

May 22, 2003 The UN Security Council approves a resolution acknowledging the US and Great Britains right to occupy Iraq.

July 22, 2003 Husseins sons, Uday and Qusay, are killed by US forces.

December 13, 2003 Hussein is captured in a spider hole in Tikrit. This is not confirmed until December 14 by the US Defense Department.

June 28, 2004 The handover of sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government takes place two days before the June 30 deadline previously announced by the US-led coalition.

June 30, 2004 The coalition turns over legal control of Hussein and 11 other former top Iraqi officials to the interim Iraqi government. The United States retains physical custody of the men.

July 1, 2004 Hussein makes his first appearance in court. He is charged with a variety of crimes, including the invasion of Kuwait and the gassing of the Kurds.

September 6, 2004 The number of US troops killed in Iraq reaches 1,000.

November 2004 US and Iraqi forces battle insurgents in Falluja. About 2,000 insurgents are killed. On November 14, Falluja is declared to be liberated.

October 25, 2005 The number of US troops killed in Iraq reaches 2,000.

November 19, 2005 At least 24 Iraqi civilians, including women and children, are killed in Haditha. Eight US Marines faced charges in the deaths, but only one was convicted of a crime, that of negligent dereliction of duty.

November 5, 2006 The Iraqi High Tribunal reaches a verdict in the 1982 Dujail massacre case. Hussein is found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging, pending appeal.

December 30, 2006 Hussein is hanged.

December 30, 2006 The number of US troops killed in Iraq reaches 3,000.

January 10, 2007 A troop surge begins, eventually increasing US troop levels to more than 150,000.

September 3, 2007 Basra is turned over to local authorities after British troops withdraw from their last military base in Iraq to an airport outside the city.

March 22, 2008 The number of US troops killed in Iraq reaches 4,000.

July 10, 2008 Gen. David Petraeus is confirmed by the Senate as commander of US Central Command.

July 16, 2008 The surge officially ends, and troop levels are reduced.

December 4, 2008 The Iraqi Presidential Council approves a security agreement that paves the way for the United States to withdraw completely from Iraq by 2011.

January 1, 2009 The US military hands over control of Baghdads Green Zone to Iraqi authorities.

February 27, 2009 US President Barack Obama announces a date for the end of US combat operations in Iraq: August 31, 2010.

June 30, 2009 US troops pull back from Iraqi cities and towns and Iraqi troops take over the responsibility for security operations. However, US troops remain in the country to continue combat operations and patrols in rural areas.

August 19, 2010 The last US combat brigade leaves Iraq. A total of 52,000 US troops remain in the country.

September 1, 2010 Operation Iraqi Freedom is renamed Operation New Dawn to reflect the reduced role US troops will play in securing the country.

May 22, 2011 The last British military forces in Iraq, 81 Royal Navy sailors patrolling in the Persian Gulf, withdraw from the country. A total of 179 British troops died during the countrys eight-year mission in Iraq.

October 17, 2011 A senior US military official tells CNN that the United States and Iraq have been unable to come to an agreement regarding legal immunity for US troops who would remain in Iraq after the end of the year, effectively ending discussion of maintaining an American force presence after the end of 2011.

October 21, 2011 Obama announces that virtually all US troops will come home from Iraq by the end of the year. According to a US official, about 150 of the 39,000 troops currently in Iraq will remain to assist in arms sales. The rest will be out of Iraq by December 31.

December 15, 2011 American troops lower the flag of command that flies over Baghdad, officially ending the US military mission in Iraq.

December 18, 2011 The last US troops in Iraq cross the border into Kuwait.

Read more from the original source:

Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn Fast Facts - ABC17NEWS - ABC17News.com

There are two recent images of global India. The first is India as the worlds vaccine exporter, sending supplies of Covid vaccines to diverse countries from South America to South Asia. The other is the governments furious line against pro-farmers-protest tweets of music star Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg, cracking down on those who shared a toolkit, jailing Disha Ravi and continuing police deployment at farm protest sites.

The vaccine export drive aims to showcase atmanirbhar India as a manufacturing hub and vaccine supplier to the world. Towards this end, PM Modi has announced the focus on ease of doing business and declared that the role of the private sector is vital as wealth creators create jobs. FM Sitharaman has urged industry and private enterprise to show animal spirits, British economist John Maynard Keyness phrase, describing a human emotion that guides energetic financial behaviour in difficult times.

Freedom is indivisible. Freedom cannot be compartmentalised. The authoritarian economic miracle of China may be a role model for some, but in India, given the dizzying diversities of economic life, the evidence shows that economic growth is best achieved in times of civic and social freedom.

The attempt to spur free private enterprise when a vast state apparatus is severely constricting civil and democratic rights, when sedition charges are being slapped, when those holding any ideology opposed to the governing regime are imprisoned or muzzled, is bound to fail, particularly if fear is the dominant emotion. The first step to unleashing the animal spirits is surely to recognise that fear and control over thought and expression, are the biggest deterrent to those spirits.

Who, after all, is the common entrepreneur? He or she often a young genius behind a startup or a new business is above all a free thinker who is able to generate a bright new idea that may catch the imagination of people. Entrepreneurship is rooted in the freedom to think, to question prevailing paradigms, entertain inconvenient truths and come up with out-of-the-box ideas. But in a climate of fear, where the freedom to think is severely constricted by the fear of being dubbed anti-national, the robust energies of new entrepreneurs are in danger of being snuffed out.

In the past weeks, the internet has been shut down at various protest sites, and there are moves to bring social media platforms Twitter and Facebook under government diktat. The political leadership has decried the stranglehold of IAS babus, yet, in the recent takeover of the Delhi Gymkhana Club, we see ever-expanding government as a government ministry has taken charge of a recreational hub. In a clear attempt at thought policing and constricting academic freedoms, publicly funded universities now need government permission for international online conferences.

In Indias economic growth oriented phases during the tenures of PV Narasimha Rao, AB Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh governments delivered steady growth rates and had a lighter footprint on civic life. Vajpayee and Singh ran coalition governments and may have, on occasion, failed to provide decisive leadership, yet in their time Indias Big State was less intrusive.

Yes, Vajpayee cracked down on Tehelka.com and Outlook magazine for exposes on his government and during UPA, Binayak Sen, cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, anti-nuclear protesters in Kudankulam were charged with sedition. But generally there wasnt the kind of fierce ideological polarisation that today deems any dissent to be anti-national. Now, not just state agencies, but even private groups of vigilantes or non-state actors are taking it upon themselves to police weddings, art exhibitions, TV and comedy shows.

If every sector of society is yoked to the state apparatus or is vulnerable to non-state actors who act on behalf of the Big State, then citizens will constantly need political patronage and protection, in return for which they must surrender their freedoms. When the state is stifling freedoms across society, how can the entrepreneur dare to think freely or unleash his or her animal spirits?

In this situation, free-spirited entrepreneurs will flee rather than submit to government diktats. Businessmen will turn into cronies living off political patronage, rather than earn a just profit by satisfying paying customers. The controversy over the manner in which airport tenders were won by a single business house with no prior experience in the area, overruling objections by the Niti Aayog and the finance ministrys department of economic affairs, is a pointer to an ecosystem that breeds cronyism.

Liberals generally oppose controls and are, for example, in favour of farmers being able to gain access to markets and freedom from burdensome regulations. Yet markets mean voluntary rule-based negotiations, in which two parties strike a deal if convinced its a win-win for both. If theres a fear that the odds are heavily stacked against one side, that one side could suddenly become the target of massive and arbitrary state power, it will be prone to cry off. If internet shutdowns, closing of roads, a command and control mentality and draconian police action become the daily hallmarks of the states inclination, there will be a natural trust deficit on promises of reform.

If a thought police is attempting to control culture and social life, its unreasonable to assume that freedom is possible in economic life. India has been continuously backsliding in the Economist Intelligence Units Democracy Index of 167 countries, falling from 27th in 2014 to 53rd position last year. When democracys in recession, the economy too can be stalled by the headwinds of state power.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

END OF ARTICLE

Read more:

Freedom from fear: For the economy to grow, democracy cant be in recession - The Times of India Blog

The Recreational Vehicle (RV) market was estimated at US $51 billion in 2019, and projections are showing the US market to hit US $77 billion by 2026.1 The Company believes it is entering the market at an ideal time to meet consumer demand with an advanced product.

"Between the COVID 19 pandemic limiting international travel, and safe domestic travel, we are excited to bring one of the most advanced RV batteries to the market"said EV Battery Tech CEO, Bryson Goodwin.

"We believe that RV enthusiasts should have the choice of renewable energy and the option to travel with the ease, comfort, reliability and the green choice of eco-friendly battery technology" continued Mr. Goodwin.

The RV Series is not just for RV's, but was also designed for the following use cases:

The Company is also pleased to launch its new, redesigned renderings of its IoniX Pro Home SmartWall and TITAN Pro series, in stainless steel coverings, available to view on the IoniX Pro website.

"Keep an eye out, we anticipate additional product announcements, technology advancements and exciting joint ventures to look forward to in 2021"concluded Goodwin.

On behalf of the Company,

Bryson Goodwin, Chief Executive Officer

About EV Battery Tech

Extreme Vehicle Battery Technologies Corp. is a blockchain and battery technology company with revolutionary, patented Battery Management Systems (BMS) designed to meet the growing demand for scalable, smart solutions for the rapidly growing Electric Vehicle (EV) and Energy Storage Solution (ESS) markets. The company has committed to assisting global recycling solutions by offering recycling initiatives using their technology to analyze and fully refurbish used batteries.

Further information about the Company is available on its website (https://www.evbattery.tech).

Forward Looking Statements

The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "is expected", "potential", "suggests" or variations of such words or phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: the timeline of the Company's launch of the RV Series; expected growth in the RV market; the favourable timing of the Company's entry into the RV market; the development, performance, and reliability of the Company's products; the competitiveness of the Company's products; the proposed use cases for the RV Series; and additional product announcements, technology advancements, and joint ventures in 2021. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statement will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward looking statements or otherwise.

The CSE (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

SOURCE EV Battery Tech

For further information: Email: [emailprotected], Phone: 604-352-2223

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EV Battery Tech Announces the Launch of the IoniX Pro RV Freedom Battery - Canada NewsWire

Freedom camping has a long tradition in New Zealand. Using your own vehicle as accommodation and parking in public spaces is seen as something of a birth right.

But when international tourists cottoned on to this cheap and cheerful way to see the country, things began to change. Foreign freedom camper numbers grew from 10,000 in the early 2000s to an astonishing 123,000 by 2018.

This massive growth inevitably led to resentment in local communities. Crowding at car parks and beach fronts, road congestion, littering and campers using the natural environment as toilets became a major concern.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the latest tourism report this month from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment devotes one of its four main recommendations to better regulation of freedom camping in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The report, Not 100% - but four steps closer to sustainable tourism, argues for using the disruption caused by COVID-19 to reset the tourism industry as sustainable and internationally competitive in a climate-conscious world. As such, the old freedom camping model was arguably overdue for reform.

This is not the first time it has been a regulatory target. Perception of freedom campers as freeloaders came to head when New Zealand hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2011.

Read more: NZ tourism can use the disruption of COVID-19 to drive sustainable change and be more competitive

The Freedom Camping Act 2011 (FCA) set out clearer conditions and definitions. It referred to camping in a tent or vehicle in a public space 200m off a road, coastline or Great Walk hiking track.

Local governments are empowered to pass bylaws that regulate freedom camping more tightly. In 2019, the central government announced investments of NZ$8 million in public amenities and education as well technology, such as the Ambassador App (for Android and Apple) to help monitor freedom campers.

Based on the controversy around freedom camping, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment made the following recommendations:

vehicles to have a permanently plumbed toilet in order to be certified as self-contained, and vehicles should also have separate holding tanks for grey and black water

the government reintroduce national oversight of the certification process [] and a national register of self-contained vehicles

the government ensures freedom camping penalties represent a serious deterrent to undesirable camping behaviour.

Since the early stages of the pandemic, many voices have been asking to reset the tourism button in Aotearoa New Zealand and redevelop tourism guided by sustainability principles. We believe the current absence of international tourists offers the perfect opportunity.

Our research with participants from central and regional governments, regional tourism organisations, tourism businesses, community groups and individual citizens revealed mixed feelings about freedom camping, and how it should be regarded and managed.

Many were sceptical about putting the blame on international tourists for disrespectful behaviour, and argued many New Zealanders are stuck in the past. As one said:

My theory is, that most New Zealanders have had the pleasure, thanks to some friendly farmers, in the past to being able to camp wherever they like and they do believe that is a God-given right. Even though no longer they have a little car and a little tent, but they all have these larger motorhomes.

When it comes to the rubbish left behind in car parks, a story shared from South Island shows the misconceptions about (international) freedom campers:

Some locals got together and set up a camera and they watched it back and they noticed that pretty much every person that left some rubbish wasnt the freedom campers, it was local teenagers [] the freedom campers, by and large, picked up their rubbish and took it with them.

In terms of congestion, some participants noted that freedom campers clog up small roads in communities, and should be kept out of town centres (such as in Akaroa), and from beach fronts (such as in Napier).

A car park at the town entrance would be a good solution to alleviate such problems.

We agree with the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment that the self-contained certification of vehicles needs to be strengthened. Smaller vans with portable camping toilets would not qualify as self-contained.

Vehicles should have permanently fixed toilets and holding tanks for wastewater. Portable camping toilets are inconvenient and are far less likely to be used. Larger motorhomes are less likely to release wastewater and sewage into the environment.

Read more: The mysterious existence of a leafless kauri stump, kept alive by its forest neighbours

The majority of our participants, while often critical, did not see freedom camping as the problem it is often portrayed to be.

In particular, they noted that international freedom campers bear the brunt of the blame when Kiwis are equally problematic, leaving rubbish or parking in unsuitable spaces, due to a sense of entitlement.

So the commissioners recommendations have the most potential to lead to a sustainable future for freedom camping by both international and domestic tourists.

More here:

Freedom camping needs new regulations and foreign tourists arent the only villains - The Conversation AU

Hey there, Im getting an exercise back today, hot off the coincidental news that my office will remain closed (working remotely) until at least October. Combined with some unrelated family things, I may not see my office again for two years. Good times!

Reports: D.C. United interested in Levski Sofia forward Nigel Robertha (us): Hernan Losadas first signing may be a Young Designated Player in Bulgaria? Who had that on the bingo card?

D.C. United in talks with Belgium-based defender Brendan Hines-Ike (WaPo): And I guess the backline would be cinched up by this move, also on few predictions.

Las pruebas medicas: el gran reto que tiene que superar Andry Najar para fichar por el DC United de la MLS (Diez) Meanwhile Andy Najar is getting his medicals this week ahead of a deal.

Hey, since were doing likely soon-to-be D.C. players, a quick update on a couple of former ones:

Under the Radar: Chris Durkin - Tyler Adams Main Competition? (OneGoal): The homegrown is doing nicely recently.

SheBelieves recap: USA defeats Brazil 2-0, still looks rough (SSFC): The United States women continue their roll in Orlando. WaPo with more.

New investors, DC United partnership reveal Washington Spirits growing ambitions (Equalizer, $): Emily takes a deep dive into where the Spirit are.

Loudoun United sign 4 more to 2021 roster (us): Having seen a couple of Loudoun seasons thus far, I think this one could be the most intriguing, on paper at least.

Continuing with the intriguing, this:

Through Joshs Eyes: Jon Kempin (Sirkbook): Columbus Crew SC defender Josh Williams shares his thoughts on D.C.s third keeper, including a fun tidbit that hes backed up three different Goalkeepers of the Year and a separate finalist (Eloy Room) who won Save of the Year last year. Intriguing!

Meanwhile, along with the Pele movie on Netflix this week, ESPNs 30 for 30 covers the rise and fall of the Galacticos of Real Madrid a couple of days later. Lets all watch the trailer:

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D.C. United transfer rumors, SheBelieves action & more: Freedom Kicks for 2/22/21 - Black And Red United

Whats in a name? An international diplomatic scuffle, apparently.

In 2003, when the United States was readying to go to war with Iraq ostensibly vowing to destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and end Saddam Husseins regime France expressed its firm opposition to that action. In response, Republican U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. suggested to Rep. Bob Ney, who was House Administration Committee chairman and thus in charge of congressional cafeterias, that french fries be renamed freedom fries in the U.S. Capitol.

What was envisioned as a lighthearted gesture in a small ceremony by the representatives involved became a media sensation. At a Capitol Hill cafeteria, journalists watched as Ney and Jones, who did not eat fries himself, held up a plaque that read, ***Update*** Now Serving. In All House Office Buildings FREEDOM FRIES.

The renaming didnt stop there. A number of restaurants around the U.S. followed suit.

CNN reported the french fry story in 2003 and also pointed out that french toast would henceforth be known as freedom toast:

Jones said he was following the example of a local restaurant owner in his North Carolina district. I represent a district with multiple military bases that have deployed thousands of troops, Jones said in a statement. As Ive watched these men and women wave good-bye to their loved ones, I am reminded of the deep love they have for the freedom of this nation and their desire to fight for the freedom of those who are oppressed overseas. Watching Frances self-serving politics of passive aggression in this effort has discouraged me more than I can say.

The name change was criticized by one young man in a House cafeteria.

Thats completely ludicrous to me, he said.

In 2006, Congress quietly changed the name of the food product back to french fries, but anti-French sentiment had grown in the U.S. According to the Pew Research Center, around 60% of Americans held an unfavorable opinion of France in 2003, but a Gallup poll in the same year also found that majority of Americans thought replacing the adjective french with freedom was a silly idea.

Ironically, Jones later changed his stance on freedom fries because he regretted his support for the Iraq war, eventually becoming one of its loudest critics.

No matter how strange it may seem today, given that freedom fries were once actually a thing at least in the halls of Congress we rate this claim True.

Excerpt from:

Did Congress Rename Their French Fries to 'Freedom Fries' Before the Iraq War? - Snopes.com

Like a chocolate-covered cherry, theres more to the 56-foot seiner Freedom than meets the eye.

Theres actually a 48-foot Chignik seiner inside of that boat, says Bruce Marifern, of Petersburg. As the story goes, the Freedom began its life as the jig for a mold that eventually became a shallow-draft seiner synonymous with the salmon fishery at Chignik on the Alaska Peninsula. What transpired in the years since Marifern acquired it was a stretch job, which brought it to 53 feet.

We went back to Delta to look for a 53-footer, and we couldnt find one, he says. So we lengthened it.

But Marifern says the stretch job, which put the boat at 53' x 15' compromised its stability. Two years later, in 2013, they added sponsons, which widened the boat out to 20 feet.

It brought stability to our family, says Marifern.

Marifern adds that the family operation includes his wife, Barbara; their son, David; and daughter, Sam.

My two kids put themselves through college on that boat, he says. And lately a lot of neighbor kids have been doing the same.

More:

Boat of the Month: Freedom - National Fisherman

The eagle has landed.

Freedom, a bald eagle that made headlines in 2016 after he was daringly rescued on July 4th by a U.S. Army veteran, has a new home.

He took flight Thursday by airplane to New Jersey, where he will reside as an exhibition bird at the Turtle Back Zoo.

He may have moved to the Garden State, but Freedom's thrilling story will remain part of Minnesota lore.

It begins in Chisago County, July 4, 2016. A young eagle was found dangling from a 75-foot pine tree for 2 days. His foot had been caught in fishing wire and baling twine that had gotten lodged in the branches during one of the fledgling's first flights. No ladder was tall enough to reach the bird, who was presumed dead.

Jason Galvin, a sharpshooter who had done two tours in Afghanistan, thought otherwise. He sent 150 bullets toward the branches, chipping away at the branch and twine until the bird fell to safety.

Freedom, as the eagle was dubbed by his rescuer, became an instant celebrity.

He spent a year in recuperation at the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota. During that time, his talons fell off, which meant he wouldm't survive if he returned to the wild. Instead, he got a coveted job at the center, where birds with disabilities reside and educate visitors about their species.

Three and a half years later, he has landed a new gig.

"Freedom has been an amazing education ambassador bird here at the center," said Victoria Hall, executive director of the Raptor Center. "When people come in to the center, he's great to look at from his enclosure. But he hasn't adapted as well to coming out of his enclosure and doing programs on the glove. He gets more nervous than we like to see, indicating that he's not settled into that role."

Freedom might have been content to stay inside, but interaction is a key component in the life of an educational bird. "It gives them new sights and experiences," Hall said. "It's important for their welfare."

When the center realized Freedom might be happier to be purely on exhibit, officials sought a new home for him, one with more space for him to spread his wings.

They found a match in West Orange, N.J. The Turtle Back Zoo had just launched a free-flighted eagle exhibit and needed a bird.

"Freedom is going to join their brand-new exhibit, where he can fly and continue telling the stories of eagles to the public," Hall said.

To get there, Freedom took a commercial flight from MSP airport. A volunteer for th Raptor Center made a custom crate for him that would allow him to stretch his wings while in the plane's cargo hold. Because of the forecast of extreme cold temperatures in Minnesota, the trip had to be moved up so it would be safe for Freedom to travel.

Center officials dropped Freedom off at the airport Thursday morning, and he arrived in New Jersey to meet his new handlers in the afternoon.

The departure was bittersweet. Freedom was the center's biggest name bird, with a one-of-a-kind story of rescue and resilience.

"He has a great personality and he's a magnificent bird," Hall said. "He's going to live another 20 to 30 years, so we wanted to find the absolute best environment to make sure we give him the best quality of life.

"We're definitely going to miss Freedom," she added. "But we're so excited."

Sharyn Jackson 612-673-4853 @SharynJackson

Continued here:

A Minnesota sharpshooter rescued an eagle caught in tree. Now the raptor has found a forever home. - Minneapolis Star Tribune

I would like to bring some attention to the false claims that have been circulating through the town of Freedom regarding tax reductions and road repair the claims being they are entirely dependent upon the installation of wind turbines.

In fact, the certificate for the turbines to be built is in limbo as the New York State Siting Board and the developer, Invenergy, are in litigation in the 4th Appellate Court.

The Cattaraugus County town of Freedom is facing yet another critical election in 2021. Any claims by any candidate to have school or county taxes reduced or roads improved are false. At this time, town taxes would NOT be fully eliminated because of the wind project.

Per Exhibit 27 of the application revision Invenergy submitted to the state Department of Public Service in July 2019, Invenergy is only expected to give Pioneer Central School District $268,000 toward the districts $58.6 million budget (2020-2021). That is only 0.4% of Pioneers budget.

How likely is it that the Pioneer Board of Education going to reduce taxes and how many dimes do you think it would add up to?

Per Exhibit 27 of the application revision, Invenergy would only give Cattaraugus County $360,000 toward its $250 million budget (2020), only 0.1% of the countys budget. How is that pathetic percentage going to provide for a tax reduction for county residents?

Per the Host Community Agreement signed by Town Supervisor Randy Lester and voted for by Ron Ashworth and Ann Marie Dixon of the former Freedom Town Board, the town would receive $3,800 per megawatt generated, while Farmersville, Centerville, Rushford and Arcade all signed for $5,950 per megawatt.

This only allows for approximately $429,000 in host community payments to the town of Freedom. However, the 2021 Freedom tax levy is $522,000. There will still be town taxes to pay to have the largest turbines on land in the entire United States near our homes, which will ultimately reduce our property values and cause up to 107 hours of shadow flicker and noise above World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

It is possible for the town of Freedom to adopt another towns Host Community Agreement in its entirety to be able to obtain the same $5,950 per megawatt; however, Randy Lester and Dustin Bliss, who were notified on Jan. 27, 2020, that they were able to get more money for the town, failed to acknowledge the appropriate procedures to obtain that increase. Freedoms agreement remains at $3,800 per megawatt.

You may request copies of the Host Community Agreements at each of the town clerks offices to verify.

There have been false claims related to Freedom receiving new roads should the wind turbines be installed. What Bliss, Lester, Art Baker and other pro-wind candidates have failed to mention is that Invenergy would only repair the small section of town road they would use to haul to at least the condition that existed prior to the Commencement of Construction.

When will Invenergy consider the beginning of Commencement of Construction?

The uses of town roads by the following vehicles shall not trigger the Commencement of Construction: pickup trucks or similar light duty vehicles, drilling rigs used for geotechnical inspections, trucks delivering excavators or other earthmoving equipment.

If you have five potholes in your road and then Invenergy causes there to be 10 potholes after they truck in excavators and other earthmoving equipment, Invenergy can choose to leave 10 potholes in your road when they are done because the Road Use Agreement contract signed by Lester will only repair and reconstruct the Haul Roads ... to at least the condition that existed prior to the Commencement of Construction.

The only road repairs would be to about 14 miles of Freedom town roads out of the 49 centerline miles of Freedom town roads, per the state Department of Transportation. You may request a copy of the Road Use Agreement from the Freedom town clerks office to verify.

Anyone with further questions or concerns may contact me at freedomandjustice1776@gmail.com.

(Stephanie Milks lives in the town of Freedom.)

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RTW: Be skeptical of candidate claims in the town of Freedom - Olean Times Herald

Dion Diamond grew up in Petersburg, Va. a totally segregated town for the first 18 years of his life.

But he refused to be limited by that world view, and in 1959 took matters into his own hands, staging his own personal sit-in.

I would go into the local five and dime store, go to the white-only lunch counter, only to be told I couldnt be served, and I would sit, Diamond said at an event Thursday sponsored by Easton, Weston and Redding organizations to kick off their Black History Month programming.

And while hes seen progress with desegregation throughout the country, and noted that Black politicians and police chiefs now serve in places where he was once arrested for protesting and more integrated families are on television, he cautioned there remained work to do.

If you look at racial issues today, dont think that we have made it to the promised land, he said. Youve got to carry the torch again and take it down the road a wee bit more.

Diamond was one of three early civil rights activists known as Freedom Riders who spoke at Thursdays event. The other panelists were Charles Person, who was on the first Freedom Ride, and Joan Browning, who was expelled from her white womens college for attending a Black church and was on one of the last Freedom Rides.

The Freedom Riders were civil activists who rode interstate buses throughout the South during the spring and summer of 1961 to show that a 1960 Supreme Court ruling that made it illegal to segregate public buses, bus terminals and restaurants serving interstate buses wasnt being enforced.

The rides began in May 1961 and lasted seven months. The Interstate Commerce Commission ultimately issued new regulations with fines of up to $500 that eventually ended segregated bus facilities.

The Freedom Rides were important, Person said. It was one of the first major campaigns where, in the end when the edict was passed, it affected every state in the union. That was a good thing because you didnt have to replicate it in each state like we had to do in the sit-ins.

Person got involved while he was studying at Morehouse College, a historically Black college in Atlanta. Before the rides, he was involved in the sit-ins, marches and boycotts. He was arrested in February 1961 and spent 10 days in solitary confinement for singing too loud, he said.

Person said he was trained in nonviolence tactics and so readily applied for the Freedom Rides when the Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE, asked for student volunteers.

At that time, I would have volunteered to go anywhere, any time, to fight segregation, he said.

He was beaten during the first ride in Alabama; the damage included a lump the size of his fist at the base of his skull he carried until it was surgically removed in 1996.

He also said he soon learned the other bus on the ride had been stopped by white protesters and Ku Klux Klan members who smashed the windows, beat the riders and threw a firebomb into the bus.

Diamond was also among the first Freedom Riders. He continued fighting segregation while attending Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington, D.C., which itself wasnt segregated so the students focused on civil rights activities across the river in Virginia. After successful sit-ins and protests, Diamond said he signed up for the Freedom Rides.

On May 24th of 1961, I left school thinking I was going to be gone on a long weekend, he said. That long weekend lasted two years and three months. That was the bus that went into Jackson, Mississippi, from Montgomery.

He was arrested in Jackson.

Once he was released, he stayed to register voters in Mississippi and did sit-ins in Maryland. He was arrested again in Louisiana and charged with seven different crimes as he tried to recruit students to help with voter registration.

I was charged with criminal anarchy. They said that I was trying to overthrow the government of the state of Louisiana, Diamond said. In fact, now that I think about it, I was guilty of that. That state had laws that said segregation was legal and thats what I was trying to overthrow.

All three speakers said activism is built on the work of those who came before, both for them in the 1960s and with Black Lives Matter today.

We didnt come out of nowhere, Browning said. We came out of a long history of resistance.

They said it was important to know the history and build on that.

Dont forget where the history of our country is, Diamond said. Please keep trying to get equal rights for all of us.

They also offered advice for young people organizing Black Lives Matter events: marching designated routes that return to the starting point so participants can return home safely; not having events at night, and making sure there is a clear mission so people know what you stand for. They also cautioned against people trying to hijack the movement.

They said there was a strong sense of community among the Freedom Riders that was fostered from their training and time together which, they said, isnt apparent in some movements around the world today where people organize online.

I would have died for the other Freedom Riders and they would have died for me, Browning said.

Within Connecticut, they said its important for affluent communities to address disparities, especially in terms of schools where they can ensure students have access to the same quality of resources and technology.

Wiley Mullins, one of the events leaders, said the Freedom Riders visited Darien and Bridgeports high schools on their last visit to Connecticut in 2017.

Theres an absolute stark difference, yet all of those kids are asked to compete in the same room, Mullins said.

Browning said her answer for why she, as a white woman, decided to join the Freedom Rides, makes the same point.

Were all limited by not taking advantage of all the skills and all the resources and developing the children to the best they can be, she said. Its not doing something for the less advantageous, its doing something thats good for all of us.

kkoerting@newstimes.com

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Carry the torch: Freedom Riders reflect on civil rights and Black Lives Matter movements - Westport News