Category Archives: Freedom

The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add an useful plant to its culture. Thomas Jefferson, Memorandum of Services to My Country

I know what youre thinking. Another liberal hippiecalling for decriminalization and full legalization of marijuana because hes breaking the law right now by smoking it. Well, think again.

People probably think Im a hippie because I like wearing tie-dyed shirts or because I grew up in the 60s or because to this day one of my favorite bands is the Rolling Stones. When I was eighteen years old in 1969, I enlisted in the US Navy. I am a Vietnam veteran and hardly a hippie. I dont drink alcohol and Ive long since given up my vices of chewing tobacco and smoking cigars. Im not an alcoholic, and I have nothing against drinkers, but its a personal preference of mine not to drink. I choose not to drink, not to use tobacco, and guess what. It happens to be healthier for you in the long run if you dont do either of these activities. I also dont drink coffee or caffeinated beverages. Again, personal preference. More on that later.

So have I rolled a joint and smoked it before? Yes. Absolutely. And Ive always been up front about this.

Ive smoked pot beforenot while I was governorbut I have used it in the past in a recreational capacity. If I someday require it for medical reasons, I wouldnt be opposed to using it. In fact, I would prefer to use it, especially if it keeps me from relying on prescription pills with all those awful side effects. My friend Tommy Chong says there shouldnt be a distinction between medical and recreational marijuana because any way you look at it, its a medical plant. Instead of going to a doctor to get a prescription of Prozac or an antidepressant, those who are smoking it specifically for the euphoric feeling are doing it for mental health reasons.

I believe in marijuanas medicinal uses because Ive seen it significantly benefit people I know. A dear and very close member of my family, who has suffered from seizures, is now seizure-free due to medical marijuana. She takes a few drops of cannabis oil twice a day and now shes seizure-free and off of all her medication. Im so glad to see shes off all those pills that had to be constantly adjusted, each with a long list of side effects that sometimes seemed like a worse trade-off from the seizures. She no longer has to take those pills because she now lives a normal life with taking just drops of cannabis oil per day. I am fully convinced of the medicinal benefits of marijuana because Ive seen the positive effects it has had on her quality of life.

The fact is Big Pharma just cant duplicate what this plant is capable of doing. And the fact that our government continues to deny sick people access to this plant is truly a crime against humanity. Who knows when you might need medical marijuana? How do you know what the future has in store for you? You dont.

Every month and every year that goes by, we find out more positive things about marijuana. The list is getting longer and longer and longer to the point where I question why they kept all this information from us. Why was marijuana demonized all those years when obviously this plant has a great deal of positive attributesnot only medical. Its also a renewable resource! Thats the part that troubles me the most.

How did we go down this road to ruin about marijuana? Well, marijuana is a cash crop, and that means its bad for the pharmaceutical industry. Marijuana is also competition for the energy people because its an alternative source of energy. And now there are studies proving it can help our veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. So when are we going to take the blinders off and do whats right for humanity and legalize this stuff once and for all?

At this point, to get the DEA to declare the end of the war against marijuana means that they are going to decide to quit their jobs for the betterment of society. Yeah, that aint gonna happen. Marijuana will remain illegal because it creates more jobs and puts more and more people in prison (which in turn, creates more jobs). Our national anthem states American is the land of the free, yet we have more people locked up in prison than any other industrialized nation. So those who are benefiting off of the drug trade arent just drug lordsremember that. Our government wont do the right thing and legalize marijuana unless we the people demand it because there are many people within our own government on the payroll all thanks to the War on Drugs.

Yes, mybook calls for ending the War on Drugs. Mybook calls for ending the marijuana prohibition. Im not an anarchist. I believe in laws and regulations, but I also believe in common sense, and the government hasnt been doing a good job in that department when it comes to cannabis. Before she passed away, my mother often told me that the prohibition of alcohol is identical to the War on Drugs. And she should know because she lived through both. You can either read and study history or youll find youre destined to repeat it. Alcohol prohibition is what started all the trouble in Mexico. Mexican border towns like Tijuana became cesspools of crime, corruption, prostitution, and drugs all because of the prohibition of alcohol. Americans would go across the border to drink in towns like Tijuana, and then once the ban on alcohol was lifted, the criminals just strengthened their stronghold on the supply of marijuana until it became a major industry.

Ive said it a million times: just because something is illegal, that doesnt mean it goes away, it just means criminals now run it. Take the Mexican drug cartels. Theyre now more powerful than the government. Guns are illegal in Mexico, yet they have guns. They have the money and they have the power. Its not rocket science. If we end the War on Drugs, then the cartels no longer have the power. It just takes politicians with the courage to do the right thing. Remember, as I said before, its not just the drug lords who are getting richer off of the War on Drugs. Our politicians in Washington are making big money by keeping drugs illegal. As Deep Throat in All the Presidents Men said, Follow the money. Always follow the money. It will take you to the answer.

To all the parents out there who are worried about how marijuana legalization will impact their children, I say, parent. Its as simple as that. Ive been for the legalization of marijuana for years. Neither one of my adult children are drug addicts. Its that simple.

Think about it this way: what does marijuana actually do to you? You cant overdose on it. You might gain a couple of pounds, you know, from eating too much once the effects kick in and you get the munchies. You might have to work out a little bit harder the next day to compensate, but other than that, whats the downside? Oh yeah, it makes you high and it makes you feel good. Thats a negative? Ha! Give a guy a joint, some Jimi Hendrix music, and a pizza, and that guy will be entertained for hours. Give the same guy alcohol and he might drink and drive or get violent and hurt someone.

I say legalize marijuana because we have a chance to leave this world a better place for our children. Marijuana legalization is job creation, tax dollars, something to rejuvenate our pathetic economy. This is a multibillion-dollar industry. This is about jobs; this is about economics; this is about freedom. This is about taking our country back. This is about getting out of these useless wars and getting back to what matters most to Americans: taking care of our own economy and our own citizens.

Cannabis is a plant that grows abundantly, that has been around long before laws existed, before our country even existed, and has a multitude of modern-day usesaside from getting hippies high. If you read mybook, youll find out that this plant can literally cure cancer. This plant can literally end our dependence on foreign oil and fracking. This plant can literally rebuild our economywe can make everything from car parts to airplane parts to paper to clothing to nutritious meals cheaply from it, but only if the American people are smart enough to recognize the truth from the bullshit.

The truth is, none of those uses for cannabis that I just mentioned is new. They might seem groundbreaking, almost too good to be true, but there are other countries taking advantage of those uses right now, and the United States is falling behind again. Weve known about these and many other unique benefits of cannabis for generations, yet we continue to dig a hole deeper and deeper into the sand and stick our heads in it. Why? All because of a ridiculous movie called Reefer Madness? All because the DARE program says marijuana is a gateway drug? All because our government doesnt want us to believe there are more uses for this plant other than just hippies getting high?

The conspiracy against this plant is one that dates back hundreds of years. Our country was founded on this plant. I bet you didnt know that. I bet you didnt know that when the thirteen colonies paid their taxes to the British crown, the colonists had the option of paying for it in hemp because hemp was more valuable than money. Yet, our country has been successful in morphing a negative connotation of this plant for a select few peoples political gains and for a select few corporations profits. The select few in both cases just happen to be powerful enough to create a propaganda campaign that is still in existence today... primarily because those same forces from our history books have changed hands over the years, but they still carry the same agenda.

Mybook presents the facts and evidence from primary sources, such as scientific research documents and medical studies, to prove the greatest cover-up of all time: Weve been at war with a plant for generations.

And for what purpose? Youll soon find out.

My book will also show you the practical, everyday applications of this plant. From biodiesel fuel to cooking and baking recipes to nutrition facts, mybook will show you what this plant can do to change your every day life for the better.

And for all those religious people reading mybook, remember this: God supposedly created the earth and everything in it... including cannabis. So if God created everything on earth for us to use, how dare we try to eradicate a plant that He put here for countless uses? Think about it. Its here for a reason. Let me prove to you how valuable that reason is.

When I was governor, I tried to legalize hemp. I would have done anything to do it, but the legislature wouldnt even give the people of Minnesota the opportunity to vote on it. Well, I left office in 2003, and I find it ridiculous that today there is only limited medical marijuana legislation in my home state. Hemp makes the best biodiesel fuel on the planet. Medical marijuana helps people who are sick from chemotherapy eat. I challenge anyone in government: What right do you have to tell someone what they can or cannot use if they have cancer? Do you have a medical license? What right do you have to turn sick people into criminals so that they can eat?

There was a time when I was proud to be an American. There was a time when I looked at the United States and looked at the future of my country with hope. I dont necessarily have that feeling today. Most days I dont recognize my country or the American values that my parents fought so hard to uphold in World War II. I wrote abook with the hope that this might change in my lifetime. When it really comes down to it, youre reading a book written by a veteran, a former mayor, a former governor, and a former Harvard (yes, the Ivy League university) professor. I am pro-freedom, I am pro-marijuana, and Ive written this book to show you how we can take our country back.

See the article here:

If you're pro-freedom, you should be in favor of legalizing marijuana - Salon

It must have seemed very familiar to Caryl Jordan Baum when she received a vision about the next American hero who should be honored by her company, Saving Freedom.

Because her mother, Mary Jane Jordan, said she received her inspiration the same way, before painting of a ghostly scene resembling 9/11 10 years before it happened.

I woke up with a vision just like my mother, the Roseburg resident said.

It was clear to her that she should honor members of the Roseburg Police Department, and in a more substantial way than the usual award she has presented to diamonds in the rough for the past 16 years.

Last Thursday, Jordan Baum presented members of the Roseburg Police Department with a museum quality print of the painting a version of the watercolor created by her mother that also rests in the George W. Bush Presidential Archive.

Officers in attendance were very grateful for the gift by Jordan Baum, said Roseburg Police Sgt. Gary Klopfenstein.

It was a wonderful display of patriotism that she displayed, Klopfenstein said.

Jordan Baum created the company Saving Freedom in 2001 with her mother after the events of 9/11 to honor American heroes. The company tries to honors people each year, or as often as she can, on a fixed income.

Jordan Baum said the art print presented to the Roseburg Police Department was created by her mother, Mary Jane Jordan in 1991. The piece depicts several figures running from a man with a knife while carrying a flag on top of what looks like a skyscraper. Smoke and flames appear to be reflected from the skyscraper. The American flag appears smudged with red.

Jordan Baum believes it prophetically depicted the events of 9/11 a decade before they happened.

Around Veterans Day 2001, Jordan Baum sent a print of the painting to then-President George W. Bush. After her mother died at age 87 in 2002, Jordan Baum received a condolence letter from the president.

More than 14 years later, Jordan Baum continues to seek out examples of American heroes to honor a task that can be challenging with her limited income.

No matter what, Klopfenstein said the department is grateful for the display of support.

It doesnt happen very often, Klopfenstein said.`

Mike Henneke is a designer for The News-Review. He can be reached at 541-957-4208 or by email at mhenneke@nrtoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @ihenpecked.

Continue reading here:

'Saving Freedom' painting presented to Roseburg Police Department - NRToday.com

Frank Weaver Jr. TheSuburbanite.com correspondent

The Fourth of July may be history, but perhaps it wont hurt to extend that celebration by taking a look at what some of the founding fathers thought about our rebellion against England.

Starting with Samuel Adams (the patriot, not the beer), known as the "Father of the American Revolution,: he believed "a standing army, however necessary it may be at some times, is always dangerous to the liberties of the people." He said, "Such power should be watched with a jealous eye."

Sams cousin, John Adams, the first vice-president and second president who had one of the highest IQs of all our presidents, was so frustrated at the snails pace in which the Congress moved, said, "In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two are a law firm and three or more are called a congress."

The author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, who believed so fervently in freedom, he said, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

Jefferson believed "the only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed," he said. "The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure."

Not just the founding fathers, but over the years others have added their thoughts on freedom. "The whole freedom of man consists either in spiritual or civil liberty," said poet John Milton" And the famous Italian poet, Dante Alighieri wrote, "Mankind is at its best when it is most free."

The president who led us to victory in World War I, Woodrow Wilson, once said, "The history of liberty is the history of the limitation of government power, not the increase of it."

One of Americas greatest Associate Chief Justices, Louis Brandeis, reminded us that "experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the government's purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-minded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal; well-meaning but without understanding."

A later Associate Supreme Court Justice, Robert H. Jackson, said, "There is no such thing as an achieved liberty: like electricity, there can be no substantial storage and it must be generated as it is enjoyed, or the lights go out."

Referring to the Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1962, John F. Kennedy is quoted as saying, "To read it today is to hear a trumpet call. For that Declaration unleashed not merely a revolution against the British, but a revolution in human affairs."

Even more recently, our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, said, "Only when the human spirit is allowed to invent and create, only when individuals are given a personal stake in deciding economic policies and benefiting from their success, only then can societies remain economically alive, dynamic, prosperous, progressive and free."

"The true meaning of America, you ask? It's in a Texas rodeo," answered Audie Murphy, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and the most decorated soldier of World War II. "Its in a policeman's badge, in the sound of laughing children, in a political rally, in a newspaper. In all these things, and many more, you'll find America. In all these things, you'll find freedom. And freedom is what America means to the world. And to me."

But it John Adams son, the sixth president, John Quincy Adams, who is credited with a short quote, but nevertheless, one of my favorites, "Always stand on principle," he once said,"even if you have to stand alone."

Remember, unlike life, freedom is not a gift. Freedom is a responsibility.

Comments may be emailed to: Frankweaverjr@aol.com

Go here to see the original:

Founding fathers' freedom quotes - Suburbanite

BEIJING (Reuters) - Friends of China's Nobel Peace Prize-winning dissident Liu Xiaobo, who died of liver cancer in custody, said on Friday they are still unable to contact his widow, Liu Xia, and that ensuring her freedom is now a top priority.

Liu Xiaobo, 61, was jailed for 11 years in 2009 for "inciting subversion of state power" after he helped write a petition known as "Charter 08" calling for sweeping political reforms.

Liu Xia has been under effective house arrest since her husband won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 and was allowed to visit him in prison about once a month. She suffers from depression.

Liu Xiaobo died on Thursday after suffering multiple organ failure. He was recently moved from jail to a hospital in the northeastern city of Shenyang to be treated for late-stage liver cancer.

Rights groups and Western governments have mourned Liu Xiaobo's death and also called for Chinese authorities to allow his wife and the rest of his family to move around freely.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein also urged China to guarantee Liu Xia freedom of movement, and allow her to travel abroad should she want to.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop urged China to lift curbs on the movement of Liu Xia, in a statement sent to Reuters on Friday.

China responded by lodging "stern representations" with countries that made remarks about Liu Xiaobo, including the United States, expressing its firm opposition, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular briefing.

Geng said he had no information about Liu Xia, but added that the entry and exit of Chinese citizens would be handled in accordance with Chinese law.

"Let's not make any prejudgments here," he responded, when pressed on whether Liu Xia was allowed to leave the country. He did not elaborate.

In an interview, Hong Kong's chief executive, Carrie Lam, said she shared the compassion of people over Liu's death.

Hu Jia, a fellow dissident and family friend, said Liu Xia's freedom was now a top priority for Liu Xiaobo's supporters.

"Now, we are most concerned about Liu Xia, but there has been no information about her. She is at this moment the person who is suffering most," Hu said.

"All the willpower and force we put behind freeing Liu Xiaobo, we have turned to Liu Xia," he said, urging the United States and Germany to continue pressuring China to free Liu Xia.

Efforts should also focus on Liu Hui, the younger brother of Liu Xia, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2013 for fraud and to whom Liu Xia is very close, Hu said.

Several other family friends confirmed they were still unable to contact Liu Xia or confirm her whereabouts.

Taiwan-based Wu'er Kaixi, a leading figure in China's 1989 pro-democracy movement who knew Liu, made a plea to world leaders to suspend official interactions with China until Liu Xia was released.

"I want to urge the world, urge the world leaders, that you failed to save Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo," he said.

"You failed to help him to receive his last wish, which is freedom and medical treatment he deserved. Please, do not fail again to save Liu Xia."

A video clip of Liu Xiaobo's treatment was released by the Shenyang justice department on Friday, the latest in a series issued by authorities who say he was well cared for in hospital.

It emphasized that Liu Xiaobo's family had a history of liver cancer and that Liu Xia and his family were involved in the treatment process and kept abreast of developments.

Friends have also begun calling to be allowed to participate in Liu Xiaobo's funeral arrangements and support his wife and family.

More than 150 friends and supporters, including some of China's most prominent dissidents, rights lawyers and intellectuals, have also signed an open letter announcing plans for an "online memorial" to Liu.

Signatories have urged authorities to release Liu's body and allow an open funeral by his family and friends.

"We will pay close attention to how Liu Xiaobo's funeral will be arranged," said Shanghai-based writer Wen Kejian, another friend of the family.

"We, at the very least, hope to have the opportunity to go to Shenyang or Beijing to send him off."

Rights lawyer Chen Jinxue added, "Normally if someone has passed, the right to deal with the body lies with the family."

Liu's remains were taken to Shenyang's Xiheyuan funeral parlor, a source close to the family said, but surrounding roads had been blocked off when a Reuters reporter tried to visit on Friday.

Local authorities forced half-a-dozen supporters of Liu who went to Shenyang to pay their respects to leave, or detained them, said Beijing-based rights activist Li Yu, who is tracking the cases.

News of Liu's death prompted an outpouring of grief online, with many liberals, lawyers, dissidents and journalists sharing articles and posting on popular instant messaging app WeChat.

But censors were swift to act. Even an article titled, "Speaking of heroes, who is a hero?" from respected business publication Caixin was taken down after being shared by many of Liu Xiaobo's supporters, despite making no mention of him.

Searches and postings of images and emojis of candles, as well as the word itself, were also blocked on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter.

"Tonight we will let you have the floor," the state-backed Global Times tabloid said in a social media post that appeared to mock the mourners.

"The deceased has gone, the feigned sorrow is really preposterous. We will just eat watermelon and watch for the night."

Ye Du, a writer and friend of Liu's, said he hoped people would be able to commemorate Liu Xiaobo, despite harsh government restrictions.

"Liu Xia will surely be monitored and controlled," he added. "Grieving in reality will certainly also be strictly controlled, but there will definitely be lots of people who will use all sorts of ways to mourn."

Reporting by Christian Shepherd and Philip Wen in BEIJING, Joesph Campbell in SHENYANG and Fabian Hamacher and Damon Lin in TAIPEI; Editing by Paul Tait and Clarence Fernandez

See the rest here:

Attention turns to freedom of Liu Xiaobo's widow after Chinese dissident's death - Reuters

Salma, a 22-year-old French national living in Belgium who chooses to wear the niqab after converting to Islam, gives an interview to Reuters television outside the Belgian Parliament in Brussels in this April 26, 2010 file photo.

The European Court of Human Rights has struck another blow to womens autonomy, ruling in favor of bans on full-face veils enacted in 2011 in Belgium.

Echoing a 2014 ruling in S.A.S v. France, the court cited the vague idea of living together as justification for the bans. Nowhere does the European Convention on Human Rights state that living together can be adequate grounds for restricting rights. The court accepted the Belgian governments argument that wearing clothing that obstructs the face is incompatible, in Belgian society, with social communication and, more generally the establishment of human relations.

Perversely, this weeks ruling could hinder exactly this kind of social interaction, isolating women who elect to wear full-face veils. Two of the women who brought the case said the ban had severely curtailed their lives, forcing them to abandon the niqab or remain housebound.

There is no denying that the bans impact falls most heavily on women who wear the full-face veil even the court acknowledges that Muslim women are disproportionately affected. After all, what other face-covering garment is regularly worn in public? Despite the blatantly unequal burden on women, the court declined to rule the law discriminatory, finding it is not unreasonable or beyond justification, while dismissing concerns about the undue burden placed on women.

Just as women should not be forced to wear the niqab or other religious dress, they should not be denied the choice or punished for doing so. Nor should they or other citizens be subject to unreasonable or discriminatory limitations on their freedom of religion or right to express it. These rulings embolden other governments to dictate how women can dress, and send a dangerous message that it is acceptable to curtail womens freedom of expression and belief.

Fostering human relations is a laudable goal. But forcing women to choose between wearing what they want and being able to appear in public isnt the way to do it.

View original post here:

Restricting Women's Clothing and Freedom in Belgium - Human Rights Watch

The conservative firebrand credited with pressuring then-Speaker John BoehnerJohn BoehnerFreedom Caucus leader warns McConnell over Senate ad Trump's budget is good for America, so why is Congress ignoring it? Tea Party favorite to lead conservative think tank MORE (R-Ohio) to resign in 2015 issued a warning Thursday to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellMitch McConnellFreedom Caucus leader warns McConnell over Senate ad Religious protestors arrested outside Mitch McConnell's office Five takeaways from the GOP's healthcare reboot MORE (R-Ky.) and his establishment allies.

Anytime leadership goes after Freedom Caucus members, its not the prudent thing to do, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the far-right Freedom Caucus, told reporters in the Speakers lobby.

Meadows was referring to a television ad funded by the McConnell-linked Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), that attacked Freedom Caucus member Rep. Mo BrooksMo BrooksFreedom Caucus leader warns McConnell over Senate ad GOP super PAC targets Mo Brooks for past anti-Trump remarks GOP senator: Its a biblical miracle that Trump is president MORE (R-Ala.) as a career politician who has teamed up with liberals Nancy Pelosi and Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenFreedom Caucus leader warns McConnell over Senate ad Warren raises .5M in second quarter Tax credits bring much needed relief MORE in attacking President Trump.

The ad from the McConnell-aligned super PAC uses video clips of Brooks criticizing Trump during the 2016 presidential primary.

I dont think you can trust Donald TrumpDonald TrumpBlumenthal: Jared Kushner ought to resign Merkley: Trump Jr. meeting absolutely smoking gun Lewandowski on Russia probes: 'I have nothing to hide' MORE with anything he says, the congressman says in the ad, adding that those who vote for Trump will regret their decision.

Brooks, regarded as one of the most conservative House members, ischallenging new GOPSen. Luther Strange, the former Alabama attorney general who was appointedin Februaryto replaceJeff Sessionsafter he was confirmedas Trumps attorney general.

McConnell and his allies, including the SLF, are backing Strange in the Aug. 15 special Senate primary. And they believe Brookss past criticisms of Trump, whos enormously popular in Alabama, will severely harm his Senate ambitions.

But Meadows suggested the SLF is attacking Brooks so aggressively in ads and press releases because the congressman is rising in the polls.

Of course hes a viable candidate. I think he wins, Meadows predicted.

Two years ago this month, the North Carolina conservative stunned Washington by filing a motion to vacate resolution to try to oust BoehnerJohn BoehnerFreedom Caucus leader warns McConnell over Senate ad Trump's budget is good for America, so why is Congress ignoring it? Tea Party favorite to lead conservative think tank MORE from the Speakership. That move, on Meadowss birthday, came after Boehner had retaliated against several Freedom Caucus members, and its triggered a series of actions that led to Boehners resignation just two months later, in the middle of his third term as Speaker.

When reporters jokingly suggested he could present a "motion to vacate" in the Senate, Meadows replied that there is no procedural maneuver to remove a sitting Senate majority leader.

Its not fun to joke about those things in July, but I do know there is no vehicle over there, Meadows said.

See the original post here:

Freedom Caucus leader warns McConnell over Senate ad - The Hill

Prime Minister Theresa May's insistence that no Brexit deal is better than a bad one does not have public support, new research claims.

Rsearch by King's College London, Rand Europe and Cambridge University found that people place more value on trade deals with the EU and foreign countries than on curbing free movement of labour.

Organisers said the research method they used during interviews with 917 people is more rigorous than traditional polling.

The study found that people are more concerned with managing demand for public services than restricting freedom of movement, particularly those who voted Leave.

And voters value being able to retain access to the Single Market and cut foreign trade deals above the UK making its own laws, the research found.

A Brexit agreement that resembles Norway's relationship with the EU, allowing for free trade with other countries while remaining within the Single Market and accepting freedom of movement and some loss of sovereignty, is favoured, according to the research.

Professor Jonathan Grant, of King's College London, said: "It clearly shows that the British people do not wish to head over a cliff edge and leave the EU on World Trade Organisation rules - they want a proper deal.

"The British public are sophisticated enough to understand that they can't 'have their cake and eat it', and will need to make and accept compromises to reach a deal."

Tory ministers 'think Theresa May's red lines need loosening'

Charlene Rohr, of Rand Europe, said: "The referendum result was seen by many as providing a mandate to significantly reduce immigration.

"But while our findings do show a desire to control movement of people to some extent, we found that this seems to stem from a concern about managing demand for public services, particularly for those who voted to Leave the EU, rather than from wanting to limit freedom of movement per se."

Professor David Howarth, of Cambridge University, said: "The public's ranking of a Norway-style deal above remaining in the EU is not surprising in the light of the referendum result, but the public's ranking of remaining in the EU above crashing out with no deal into World Trade Organisation terms should worry those who claim that the referendum and the general election give a mandate for Brexit at any price."

Press Association

Visit link:

Brexit: Public support continued EU freedom of movement in exchange for access to Single Market, research finds - The Independent

Just days after the United States celebrated its independence on July 4, Forestville, Md.-based Bishop McNamara High Schools Sankofa production of Harriet and the Underground took audiences back in time, in order to understand the true meaning of freedom for Black Americans.

Through primarily dance, as well as music and acting, 92 students, in three hours on July 8, not only outlined the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman, but also the Black American journey, starting from Africa as kings and queens, to slaves, and ultimately to their search for freedom.

I believe very much in telling history through movement, Victor Bah, artistic director of Sankofa and the African Music and Dance program at Macnamara told the AFRO.

As a native of Ghana, Bah named the McNamara performance group Sankofa, which translates to, go back and fetch it. The word and symbol associated with it, a bird flying forward with its head turned backwards, teaches people to reclaim the past in order to understand their current state to move forward.

Forward movement has happened in regards to Tubman, as last year it was announced her face would replace the slave-holding, Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill in several years, and because of that, Bah felt it was important for audiences to truly look back and connect with this American heroine.

After all of this we thought that for the larger communityand African American communitywouldnt it be nice to learn a lot through movement and music about this womanwhich will make them more entertained and make them more connected to this woman? Bah said.

The show begins with slaves escaping to freedom, and when they are fearful of getting caught, Harriet, who is played simultaneously by both a dancer and a narrator, stops with her gun drawn, rallying her followers to continue the journey.

All your life youve been a slaveand you dont even know youre slaves, said Harriet, who was played by Jordyn Young.

Before audiences get to see if the slaves make it to freedom with Harriet, they must go back to Africa, prior to the middle passage. With live Djembe drummers, many fast-paced African dances, and moving projections, audiences were transported to places like Egypt, current day Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Africa, Senegal and Ghana.

Through movement, audiences received a glimpse of the horrors of the middle passage, staging the performers to lie tightly in small nooks side-by-side, with no space to move.

We are swallowed by a strange ship, and with it, our sense of dignity, said one of the narrators.

The production included slaves working, getting lashed and beaten, and even raped.

You grow up coming through the American school system and of course you hear about Harriet Tubman and its all sort of generalized in terms of her escapes through the Underground Railroad and all of the work that she did to make this possible. But Ill be honest with you, I had no idea frankly, how much of a badass Harriet Tubman was, John Baltimore, the producer of Harriet and the Underground, and a father to one of the performers, told the AFRO.

In 2017, we take freedom for granted so I never thought about how much of a struggle it was to get people to embrace their freedom and get people to want to take that leap of faith to follow her lead to freedom, Baltimore said.

With the fear of slave patrols, often called patterrollers, an organized group of White men responsible for disciplining slaves and, particularly, escapees, the stakes were very high for these people who had no idea what freedom looked like, felt or even meant.

In many instances, she had to overcome the psyche of a people who had been slaves their entire lives and knew of no other way of life. As a result, their fear, torment, concern for family members left behind, and sheer exhaustion from the journey, often led to them wanting to run and go back to their plantations; to which Ms. Tubmans response was always exact and unambiguous, as she pulled out her pistol and said, Youll be free or die, Baltimore said.

Read more:

Play Re-enacts Past to Understand Freedom - Afro American

Sessions' attendance at the closed-press "Summit on Religious Liberty" hosted by the Alliance Defending Freedom, was first disclosed Tuesday morning -- but the department has declined requests to release his full remarks.

In response to a CNN request, the group said that it would not provide a transcript of Sessions' remarks.

LGBTQ rights organizations blasted Sessions for attending the event.

"ADF is the most extreme anti-gay legal organization -- so extreme that it does not concede even that gay or transgender people should be permitted to exist as such," said Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. "They are a truly destructive force in our country, and it is appalling that the attorney general of the United States would lend them the imprimatur of his office."

Several other LGBTQ advocates said they were particularly troubled by the decision to keep Sessions' remarks private.

"The attorney general has every right to speak to a group like Alliance Defending Freedom," said David Stacy, Government Affairs Director of Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights group promoting LGBTQ equality. "What troubles us is that his remarks are being kept hidden from the public at the same time he has been tasked by the President with issuing religious discrimination policies that ADF has long promoted."

In May, President Donald Trump signed an executive order entitled, "Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty," which directed Sessions to "issue guidance interpreting religious liberty protections in federal law," but nothing has happened to date.

"Many times during the Obama administration, HRC hosted appearances by the president, vice president and Cabinet officials -- I cannot remember a single instance in which those remarks were not fully open to the media and the remarks and/or video made widely available to the public," Stacy added.

Sessions pledged his support late last month to "continue to enforce hate crime laws aggressively," and revealed for the first time his focus on crimes against those in the transgender community, despite previous opposition as a senator to the federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

The Justice Department's LGBTQ affinity group also celebrated Pride month in June, though it remains unclear what administration officials said at the event, because it too was closed to the press.

CNN's Ariane de Vogue contributed to this report.

See the original post here:

AG Sessions under fire for closed-door speech to Alliance Defending Freedom - CNN

If we dont have results, we shouldnt have a recess, Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows said during a news conference. | Getty

By Rachael Bade

07/12/2017 02:03 PM EDT

Updated 07/12/2017 02:22 PM EDT

The House Freedom Caucus is not backing off its demand that GOP leaders cancel the August recess, urging House leadership once again to forgo the break to work on Obamacare repeal, a budget deal and tax reform.

The group of hard-line conservatives, which often tangles with leaders, pushed back against Majority Leader Kevin McCarthys Wednesday announcement that the House would not stick around unless the Senate passes a health care bill.

Story Continued Below

While Senate leaders on Tuesday canceled the first two weeks of the annual summer break to finalize health care and move delayed nominations, McCarthy (R-Calif.) said it would be pointless for the House to hang back with little to do. He warned members, however, that if the Senate were to pass the repeal bill, he would likely call everyone back to Washington within 72 hours so the House could send the bill to President Donald Trumps desk for enactment.

Not good enough, Freedom Caucus leaders said Wednesday. The group wants to stay in town until three goals are met: an Obamacare repeal bill is signed by Trump, the Hill strikes some sort of budget agreement and lifts the debt ceiling, and GOP leaders release a much anticipated tax bill.

If we dont have results, we shouldnt have a recess, said Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) during a Freedom Caucus news conference at which conservatives vented their frustration.

This idea that were going to leave here and go home for five weeks makes absolutely no sense, fumed Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). "We should be here and we should get the work done."

The news conference couldn't have stood in starker contrast to those held by GOP leaders, where Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and McCarthy have continuously touted the current Congress as one of the most productive in decades. They did so just hours earlier.

But while the House has passed a raft of minor bills, including those aimed at helping veterans and creating jobs, most of Republicans' major campaign promises, from repealing Obamacare to cutting taxes, remain unaccomplished. And there's serious concern in Republican circles that the partys entire agenda could totally unravel if the repeal effort never passes, perhaps even costing it the congressional majorities.

A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox.

By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

However, leadership allies and even a few conservatives who agree with the Freedom Caucus' frustration have grumbled that the groups public display about canceling recess is an attempt to garner headlines.

Others have argued that the groups calls are not fair because the onus is currently on the Senate to finalize its own repeal bill before the House can do anything. House insiders also want the Senate to take the lead on debt ceiling and budget deals because chamber's rules require eight Senate Democrats for passage so the House is waiting to do anything on the matter.

But the Freedom Caucus wants to be part of the debt-ceiling negotiations and does not want to get jammed with a bipartisan Senate debt ceiling-budget bill.

The debt ceiling is coming; we know its coming. Theres absolutely no reason to push ourselves into a corner like a bunch of rats, said an angry Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), arguing his constituents are tired of inaction.

They must be reading the writing on the wall. Many GOP insiders think thats exactly what will happen because few in leadership believe conservatives will ever support a debt ceiling increase. Whats more, the Senate needs eight Senate Democrats to do anything, so the debt ceiling bill wont likely have the steep cuts or reforms conservatives would need to back a deal.

That means GOP leaders probably wont turn to the Freedom Caucus at all to pass a budget agreement or a debt ceiling increase. And in that regard, conservatives probably will get squeezed on their priorities.

On tax reform, Ryan has said for months that the tax plan wont be ready until later this year, but he is working behind the scenes with select White House and the Senate leaders to write the bill expected this fall.

The Freedom Caucus, however, also wants to be part of these plans and is threatening to hold up a House budget until they get more details from leaders on what that tax bill will look like. In particular, they want Ryan to commit to dropping a controversial new revenue stream, which would essentially increase taxes on imports but reduce them on exports, called border adjustment.

Their frustration likely stems from a feeling of getting left out in the original drafting of the House's Obamacare replacement bill, which they initially opposed.

Asked whether conservatives would go so far as to block a budget from the floor if they don't get tax details, Meadows suggested they would: There would not be enough votes to pass it because of conservative concerns.

A GOP source following the budget said thats unreasonable because those details cannot be provided in a budget resolution." House Budget Chairwoman Diane Black (R-Tenn.) has been trying for weeks to finalize her budget and move it forward, something she hopes to do before the recess in the next three weeks.

She made a huge push taking on other GOP chairmen and even GOP leaders for a time to add billions in mandatory cuts to programs like food stamps in the budget, hoping to win over conservatives.

If she can't get conservative support, however, her work may have been in vain.

Missing out on the latest scoops? Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning in your inbox.

Read the original:

Freedom Caucus increases pressure on GOP leaders to cancel recess - Politico