DeVos Gives More Rights to Sexual Assault Attackers

People who want to exert power and control over others are expected to be given more rights to do so by the Department of Education.

Betsy DeVos's The Department of Education is expected to finalize rules changing the process of how schools and universities handle sexual assault claims following the publication of the agency's initial proposal earlier this month.

A plan released earlier this month by the agency would allow accused students the right to cross-examine their accusers at a hearing and narrow what the agency described as “overly broad definitions” of sexual harassment.

The plan represents the Trump administration's replacement for the Obama administration's changes to sexual assault guidance for schools and universities, which DeVos rolled back in 2018.

Critics of the plan say that the changes give too much power to accused students and set up sexual assault victims for confrontations with their attackers at hearings.
 
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/472013-devos-expected-to-give-more-rights-to-those-accused-of-sexual-assault?fbclid=IwAR3yNGKn8fKSlDXm1xFqU85uVWzjn8vXYzmDvmj37ZB8aNKOD2tGoz-zoT0

Colin Kaepernick on Alcatraz Island for UnThanksgiving Day Event

Colin Kaepernick is on Alcatraz Island to join Native Americans protesting the “genocide” they say is represented by Thanksgiving Day.

Indeginous people and supporters occupied the island off the coast of San Francisco between 1969 and 1971. Since then, there has been an annual sunrise gathering to highlight the deadly, destructive impact on indigenous people of the arrival in America of European colonizers more than 400 years ago.

The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback was seen on video receiving two eagle feathers from a Native American elder before delivering a brief speech at the UnThanksgiving Day event.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kaepernick-unthanksgiving-day-alcatraz-native-american-celebrations-kneeling-nfl-player-a8074596.html?fbclid=IwAR0fBOfZYHxNtEBiJtr3xrzxkcn-0JjVd3Qn_HblfKX31sljrpdvqlkGpKE

American Don't Want Religion in Politics

Religion in this country is built around hierarchies, at least the ones who claim that they can determine what is right for other people, and claim their deity says so.

In hierarchical religions, "man" is not made in the image of God, but God is made in the image of a man on top of a hierarchy.

While Americans largely have a positive view of the role of religion in public life, they overwhelmingly want religious institutions to stay out of politics, a new survey from the Pew Research Center has found.

Sixty-three percent of U.S. adults believe churches and other houses of worship should "keep out" of political matters. When asked if religious institutions should endorse political candidates, 76 percent say no. And a plurality of adults—at 37 percent—believe that religious groups already have "too much" political influence.

https://www.newsweek.com/religion-democrats-republicans-politics-pew-poll-1472207?fbclid=IwAR3PiSLuejKyEVY-UrE6AM0A7ZLQaRmZ9ZCupc2uPoAX0WBLeriA4Gou05M

All-Woman Space Walk Breaks Another Glass Ceiling

NASA is setting another milestone today, with astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir conducting the first all-female spacewalk.

In what the space agency billed "HERstory," the four men aboard the International Space Station remained inside the orbital outpost, as Koch and Meir stepped outside to replace a broken battery charger.

Not quite ready for the historic day, and still depending on more typically male-sized suits, the historic spacewalk has been months in the making. It was originally supposed to happen in March, with astronaut Anne McClain joining Koch. But the station was short one functioning, medium-sized spacewalking suit, the right size for both women. Koch went instead with colleague Nick Hague.


https://www.npr.org/2019/10/18/771224479/2-american-women-astronauts-venture-out-for-first-all-female-spacewalk?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&fbclid=IwAR1uBvzcEobT-cKyUCOeM_lnL_9ixdaP64X5FE3hfiVL-Dd2sFFXq1GSBsU

"Our Republic Is Under Attack From the President"

Are leaders of our hierarchies finally being so blatant in their top-of-the-hierarchy actions that we are as a country going to hold them accountable?

Retired Adm. William McRaven argued in an op-ed Thursday that President Donald Trump  "destroying" the United States, warning that the future of the country is "in peril" if Trump is not removed from office.

In a op-ed for the New York Times, McRaven, former commander of U.S. Special Operations, wrote  "Our Republic Is Under Attack From the President." He argues that Trump is launching "assaults" on U.S. institutions: "on the intelligence and law enforcement community, the State Department and the press."

He speculates that the US military may have trouble finding recruits as young Americans do not trust Trump which may impact trust of future presidents. 

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/466369-former-special-ops-commander-our-republic-is-under-attack-from-the-president?fbclid=IwAR05uMrfwTdTAZ0Jx-3kcwHxExGAEnItBCffXdkJEMoFIYP-S8WQtiGeSbg

Hispanic Women: Future of American Economy

CNN Business reports that Hispanic women are the future of the American economy. An article by Lydia DePillis, states that the share of Latinas starting college right after high school has now surpassed that of the general population.

When Latinas do have children, they are more likely to be single mothers — which means they control all of their household spending, as opposed to just part of it when they're raising kids with a partner.

Hispanic people overall accounted for $1.5 trillion, or 10.4% of total US buying power in 2018, according to the Selig Center at the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business. That's a 212% jump from 2000. Over the same time period, the buying power of the broader US population grew at less than half that rate. By 2060 the Census Bureau projects that Hispanic people will make up 30% of the population under age 35. 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/02/economy/equal-pay-day-hispanic-female-wage-gap/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1ow_r6I9sljzRZtgNjAx6gSWgWfXFU-Jw52GM_cT-Y8ITTDKeGcbXcmLo

Republicans Believe the Top of Their HIerarchies Without Question

In a new study by Monmonth University, four in ten Republicans clearly will not accept the truth about Trump's dealings with Ukraine, and that only four of ten Republicans believe that Trump mentioned Biden in his call with Zelensky. Typical of people who will follow whatever the top of their hierarchy tells them to believe, whatever Trump says they believe.

The article goes on to say:

"How can so many Republicans say he didn't? Because Trump has conditioned them to not believe things that are, quite literally, right in front of their faces."

 

"Stick with us, Trump told a group of veterans last July. "Don't believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news. ... What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening."

 

When you consider that the American President actually told people that "what you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening," this poll finding doesn't seem so unbelievable. The primary work of Trump's candidacy -- and his presidency -- has been to erode the idea that objective truth exists. This is an administration that said the words "alternative facts" with a straight face. And a President who has misled or lied more than 12.000 times in his tenure in the White House. 

 

Trump and the Republicans have got the privilege of the top down pat.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/02/politics/donald-trump-ukraine-transcript/index.html