Secretary Hegseth's 'TedTalk'

Yesterday was a big day, there was news in the press that the Secretary of Defense War Pete Hegseth had called all US flag officers - Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, Generals & Admirals - to a meeting at Quantico which is a Marine Base in Virginia.

I'm sure his 45 minute speech to these Generals & Admirals was very jarring, but I wonder if it's appreciated that he's setting a new direction for the armed services. He's right about the military, they are in the business of life and death and anyone who's in the service needs to act accordingly. He definitely emphasize the importance of physical fitness of all servicemembers.

He also emphasizes the meritocracy and no more D.E.I. initiatives. Secretary of War Hegseth wants to insure that no one will get promoted based on their race and gender or some other characteristic. What matters most is how they perform in their roles.

If I wasn't already over the age limit I'd sign up right now just to see if I could make it with these new rigid standards.

Here's his speech. Reminds me of a TedTalk. [VIDEO]

A lot of people who analyzed Secretary Hegseth's speech sort of compared it to the opening scene of Patton with the flag in the background and Patton played by George C. Scott giving his own speech. That would be a very iconic scene that many evoked here.

Also note that Patton is one of the historic generals that the Secretary of War noted in his speech. Some military analysts have noted we no longer have that swashbuckling generals that get the job done these days. Patton was one, MacArthur, Grant, and there are others surely.

Anyone have any thoughts on this. Any currently service military personnel or even veterans have any thoughts on this?

 

Now we have a Dept. of War

 The President of the United States - one Donald J. Trump - had been talking about this at least since he became President last year. And just last week he made good on it with an executive order. However, to make this more official it still takes an act of Congress for him to officially change the official name of the Department of Defense.

I've screen-capped the Defense/War Department Website and Instragam just to let you know what I've found on those sites.

Ex-CPS principal found dead on day of sentencing

 This story caught my eye and is worth sharing.

Former Brennemann Elementary School Principal Sarah Jackson Abedelal was found dead after she failed to show up for her sentencing in an overtime kickback scheme, her lawyer told a judge Wednesday.

Abedelal, 61, had been scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday morning before U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who issued an arrest warrant after she failed to show up an rescheduled the hearing for Wednesday afternoon.

At those proceedings, Abedelal’s attorney, Jonathan Bedi, told the judge he was informed last night that his client had passed away. No further details of the circumstances of her death were discussed in court.

You might want to know what she did that caused Federal scrutiny

Abedelal was charged in July 2021 in a 10-count wire fraud indictment alleging a seven-year scheme to have employees file for overtime they didn’t work and kick back at least $200,000 to her, which she allegedly used for her own purposes including for her car and her student loans.

Abedelal was one of six defendants — including two of her underlings — ensnared in the case, which also involved an alleged scheme to falsify orders for school supplies to provide iPhones, iPads and prepaid gift cards to school officials for personal use.

Abedelal pleaded guilty to a single wire fraud count nearly three years ago. Prosecutors had been seeking a 38-month prison sentence, arguing she “diverted critical funds meant to further children’s education away from a school and school district that were already having financial difficulties in order to line her pockets.”

A statement from her lawyer emphasized that this chapter of her life and that she impacted the educational journey of "hundreds of students". And will be deeply missed by her many friends, family and colleagues.

Also this not to stay in the negative with regards to her:

Abedelal’s attorneys, meanwhile, had asked for six months behind bars. In a recent court filing, Abedelal’s lawyers said she has a history of mental issues including bipolar disorder and depression, and they asked she be placed in a treatment program if she was incarcerated.

 Now that she's no longer with us the charges against her will be formally dropped.

Mr. Beat: Why are there only 435 members in the U.S. House of Representatives?

 

[VIDEO] Let's start with this, the number of Representatives in the lower house of Congress is set by statute the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929. Check out this apportionment sheet from visitthecapitol.gov

In the beginning when the nation only had 13 states - 13 colonies, 13 states - the expectation was 1 Representative for every 30,000 citizen. Of course now America is about 300 million people since the constitution was enacted in 1789. 

America's population has grown and the point of this recent video by Mr. Beat is that the number of representatives doesn't represent the vast population of this nation and perhaps we need a lot more than 435 members of the U.S. House of Reps. 

Another part of this argument is that the bureaucracy has grown to the point that many executive agencies have taken on some duties that would normally be taken up by the US Congress - both houses. To increase the number of representatives would probably allow the Congress to function the way it was designed to.

Here's a website called No Cap Fund that advocates for increasing the number of Representives in Congress.

And just for the record the number of US Senators is 100. Two per state, regardless of population while the U.S. House the number of Representatives each state has is determined by population. Which is why some states lose Representatives while other states gain Representatives. If your state drops in population as Illinois had in 2020 that that extra representative gets sent to another state.

I would say states that grow in population which would I would say are such states such as Texas, Florida, Georgia to name a few off the top of my head. They would gain more representatives from those states which have lost population.

Having watch this video or even read up on this subject do you think there needs to be more Representatives in the US Congress?

Mr. Beat: Every impeachment in American history

 

[VIDEO] Mr. Beat - hopefully your favorite ed-u-tuber - takes on this civic/political topic of impeachment. The relevant part of this process you can find in the US Constitution.

As you will see three presidents have been impeached and all have been acquitted. Trump is the only president to have been impeached twice and in the second case he was impeached just as he was leaving office due to his alleged role in inciting the January 6, 2021 insurrection. And one driver of this was to make him ineligible for running again for president in 2024.

In addition to three presidents - Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump. The other federal officials who were impeached were a US Senator, cabinet officials, a US Supreme Court Justice, and federal judges. Some were removed from their office and in some cases were ineligible to hold any federal office.

They noted that usually for impeachment hearings the House would hold investigative committees and then they would have a vote for impeachment. Then a trial in the Senate which would determine whether or not to convict the impeached party. Basically the House is the grand jury and the Senate is the jury.

Now also note that the process is meant to be political, perhaps a mechanism to remove someone who at the very least isn't operating within the bounds of the Constitution. What helps this process is whether or not there were actual criminal charges against the official. In most cases noted in this video there were criminal charges that lead to impeachment.

Student loan payment pause extended thru June 2023

 

[VIDEO] Via CBS Miami. If you have federal student loans there is yet another pause in restarting payments through June 2023. Originally you would have to start making payments to federal student loans in January 2023.

This is one consequence of the student loan forgiveness which was blocked by a federal court ruling. $10K was to be forgiven up to $20K was forgiven if you held a pell grant.

Also of note the federal student loan repayment was paused during the coronavirus pandemic starting in 2020 and since Joe Biden had become President in 2021 the pause had been occasionally extended.

The Biden-Harris Administration's Student Debt Relief Plan Explained

 This is a link to a federal gov't about the latest effort by the "Biden-Harris" administration with regards to student loans. As you saw earlier you can have up to $20K of your student loans forgiven - $20K is if you have Federal Pell Grants, $10 for those who never held Pell Grants. This relief are for those borrowers who's income is less than $125K/year or couples who's income is less than $250K/year.

Anyway a lot more information to inform you of gov't action on this issue.

There has been a pause on Federal gov't student loans since 2020 which was the start of the pandemic scheduled to end in January 2023. So as far as whether or not you're eligible for this relief this is from the link to studentaid.gov:

What do I need to do in order to receive loan forgiveness?

• Nearly 8 million borrowers may be eligible to receive relief automatically because relevant income data is already available to the U.S. Department of Education.
• If the U.S. Department of Education doesn't have your income data - or if you don't know if the U.S. Department of Education has your income data, the Administration will launch a simple application in the coming weeks.
• The application will be available before the pause on federal student loan repayments ends on December 31st.
• If you would like to be notified by the U.S. Department of Education when the application is open, please sign up at the Department of Education subscription page.

Hopefully this will be needed relief if this affects you.

Mr. Beat: What the heck is up with the current Supreme Court?

 

[VIDEO] On Sunday, Mr. Beat did a two-hour livestream talking about the recent decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States - aka SCOTUS. He especially talks about the recent decision that overturns the very controversial decision of Roe Vs. Wade - the recent decision basically returns the abortion issue back to the states and many states have passed laws regarding abortion.

One thing I do know is that the Supreme Court as he discussed early in the stream has a very limited schedule. They operate largely in secret which is why the Roe Vs. Wade leak in May was so controversial. They might have lawyers argue cases in front of the SCOTUS and then of course they deliberate those cases. They may spend time to draft the decision of the court.

And yet SCOTUS is a very important branch of the US Federal Gov't. This is why there is great debate over who gets to become a Justice as we had with the first Black female Supreme Court Justice who was sworn in just last month. And you might have heard a callback to the confirmation process of Justice Clarence Thomas who has been on the court since the 1990s.

For those of you with the interest one non-biased source to follow the work of SCOTUS is the SCOTUSblog.com which should allow you to follow the work of the court. I wish I followed that site more and especially after that leak at the court.

Mr. Beat: I called every U.S. Senator in the country. Here were the responses I got.

 

[VIDEO] Mr. Beat in two livestreams contacted all 50 U.S. Senators and the President of the Senate who is also Vice President Kamala Harris. He never talked to a Senator got a video message from one, got more or less chain messages from at least a couple. Got one response lecturing him on instant runoff voting. However not even a quarter of all U.S. Senators responded to him.

Some staffers were uncomfortable with being recorded. Some have heard of Mr. Beat. Others seemed underwhelmed and not very interested in what Mr. Beat was calling about. A few stated that they're only recording comments for constituents from their respective states.

And as for that last statement I wonder how they do treat their own constituents. Mr. Beat could conclude that the U.S. Senate offices are probably more into the opinions of special interests and lobbyists than the voter. 

Has anyone out there contacted their elected representatives?

Mr. Beat: Top 10 U.S. Supreme Court justices in history

 

[VIDEO] I've yet to watch this video, however, I'm curious was his choices are for this video. You'r favorite social studies "edutuber" is back this morning.

Let's hear from Justice Thomas

[VIDEO] Before I go to bed tonight, here's a video of SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas who in 1998 spoke to the National Bar Association in Memphis, Tennessee. I found the whole text of his speech and this is what you will see in the video above:

I have come here today not in anger or to anger, though my mere presence has been sufficient, obviously, to anger some. Nor have I come to defend my views, but rather to assert my right to think for myself, to refuse to have my ideas assigned to me as though I was an intellectual slave because I’m black. I come to state that I’m a man, free to think for myself and do as I please. I’ve come to assert that I am a judge and I will not be consigned the unquestioned opinions of others.

I've learned of this speech through FOX News' Laura Ingraham on her program tonite. And this is the only video I have found of this provided by the AP. The video she had came from C-Span.

I you click the link within the brackets you will start at the point where Justice Thomas begins to speak and basically that paragraph quoted above. Before that we see the Justice shaking hands with attendees and we see one speaker an Illinois trial judge Shelvin Hall speak of denouncing anyone who "denigrates the aims of the civil rights movement".

I also see from the description to this AP video that Justice Thomas wasn't welcome. This organization didn't want him there. There was an expected walkout and none materialized. Of course Thomas has been over the years suffered attacks as a Black conservation on the nation's highest court.

I just felt as if it was necessary to share this with you. The message from his speech that is a big takeaway for me is always think for yourself. Don't force yourself to conform to the ideas of a group.

Incidentally I vaguely remember the intrigue - even if I didn't entirely understand what was going on back in 1991 - of Thomas' nomination process to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). I didn't understand what sexual harassment was and as it had been in one of our more recent SCOTUS nomination hearings namely Brett Kavanaugh this was an issue that came up again later.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this message from Justice Thomas.

CNBC: Why The Electoral College Exists

[VIDEO] The electoral college is in the U.S. Constitution. Each state has x amount of electoral votes based on the number of representatives to the US House of Representatives and the two senators to the US Senate. Illinois currently has 20 electoral votes and every 10 years per the US Census (it's that time now in 2020) the number of seats in the House of Representatives could change.

Due to population changes in Illinois it's possible our electoral vote count will go down to 19 or more. It's often in the news that the population of this state is declining and especially downstate is losing population. If people are moving to Chicagoland it may not offset the number of people who are leaving Illinois.

It must be noted that the electoral college is a controversial subject. In the 2016 election, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. He won the majority of electoral votes, however, his Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. Granted while President Trump is a public figure where there's hardly any in between as far as like or dislike this had been one controversy surrounding him.

The quirk of electing a President on Election Day in November is that while we make our choices for that office we're really electing a slate of electors. These electors are in state capitols throughout the nation to formally cast their votes for President. In most states and definitely Illinois if you win that state's popular votes you will win that state's electoral votes. Some states decides electoral votes according to a congressional district. Occasionally we do have what we call faithless electors who decide that they don't want to vote for their pledged presidential candidate.

Here's the funny thing about the electoral college, electors can actually vote for who they want to vote for. It's their job to elect the President, never mind the convention of pledging your vote as part of a slate to a particular candidate according to the wishes of the voters.

Needless to say the debate regarding the electoral college has led to calls for its abolition.

Impeachment over

[VIDEO] I'm sorry to have not followed this as consistently as I should've, however, the result of this wasn't exactly in doubt. No more than the confusion that occurred in Monday's Iowa Caucuses.

So this happened yesterday...

The Senate voted Wednesday to acquit President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, ending a historic Senate trial that was centered on his conduct toward Ukraine but that did not include live witnesses or new documents.

One Republican — Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah — crossed party lines to join Democrats in voting to convict Trump on the first charge, abuse of power.

Trump stonewalled the House impeachment probe, blocking witnesses and denying documents. He stands as the third president to be impeached.

The acquittal follows a State of the Union address Tuesday night in which Trump pointed to the strong economy as vindication as he sought to move on from impeachment. The speech ended with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tearing up a copy of Trump’s prepared remarks.

The crux of the case against Trump is the allegation that he withheld military aid and a White House meeting to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son. Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, while his father was vice president.

It's no surprise that there are many in Washington, DC who doesn't like President Donald Trump. He's unlike anyone else who became President in recently memory. I'm glad the impeachment vote resulted in acquittal and we can get on with the business of this country.

With that said, I know many were unhappy with the results of an election that took place just about four years ago. Remember that this year in 2020, we're going through an election season that started in Iowa. By the summer we'll know who will be the Democrat nominee for President.

Still, we do have an election this year. I would encourage you to pick a candidate and if you got people in other states encourage them to vote for the candidate of your choice. If you don't like our current President, we have the opportunity to fix that later this year! 

What's inside of the White House

[VIDEO] After many trips to Washington, DC over the years back in 2006 I was able to tour the White House. The tour I had back then never took me to the West Wing and the Oval Office which would've been cool.

This video above shows you the layout of the White House in addition to both the west and east wings of the complex. I wouldn't mind going on a tour of the White House again in the future. Perhaps this could be another "field trip" for this blog...

Sun-Times:CPS’ handling of sexual abuse cases ‘tragic and inexcusable,’ feds say in ordering major overhaul

Something I've been keeping an eye on since last year. Of all the issues facing CPS, this is the most troubling one that needs to be addressed.

Chicago Public Schools has agreed to a “substantial overhaul” of how it handles sexual violence cases after a federal investigation found “glaring and heartbreaking” problems.

Federal officials at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights called its investigation of CPS the largest of its kind in department history.

The situation “is one of the worst that we have seen in the elementary, secondary school context,” Kenneth Marcus, the department’s Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. “The findings were deeply disturbing. The incidents that formed the basis of OCR’s investigation are tragic and inexcusable, so too was CPS’ response to the incidents.”

“These were tragic incidents in which some students did not receive the comprehensive support they deserved,” CPS CEO Janice Jackson acknowledged Thursday morning in an email to parents, vowing to correct the district’s mistakes. “As a district, we have been working to ensure no student ever goes through that again.”

The legally binding agreement between the Department of Education and CPS includes federal monitoring of the district’s changes for three years, and possible withholding of federal funding if the district doesn’t adequately follow through with the plan.

“We’re not talking about minor tweaks to policy,” Marcus said in a conference call with reporters. “We’re talking about a substantial overhaul.”

This is one of those posts that's too important to wait until the afternoon! 

What are the feds looking for in #Ward34?

While this is old news from last week south side alderman Carrie Austin of Ward 34 has her ward offices raided by federal authorities on a search warrant. Reports seem to suggest that this might be related to the indictment of Ald. Ed Burke (Ward 11) or even a colleague wearing a wire for the feds former Ald. Danny Solis (Ward 25). Of course is it possible that the feds have been looking at Ald. Austin in the first place.

This is a topic of discussion on last weeks Chicago Tonight with Paris Shutz and Carol Marin

This is something that I did a post or two over at The Sixth Ward. However I wanted to add this from last week from Rich Millers CapFax

Could this be part of what the feds are looking at? https://t.co/EGJHZOb9eG

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) June 21, 2019

 

I also found this through CapFax's tweets. Another link as far as what the feds are looking for in Ward 34.

Family members. Her longtime chief of staff. Campaign contributions. Even food stamps.

The federal grand jury probe is looking for all sorts of stuff on Ald. Carrie Austin - and it's been going on since 2017.https://t.co/mVQDUhNZKg

— Dan Mihalopoulos (@dmihalopoulos) June 23, 2019

FOX News: Chicago Democrat asks for President Trump's help

[VIDEO] This is not something we see everyday. Chicago is supposed to be a "Trump-free" zone and we are home to a piece of Trump owned real-estate that people seem to love making a statement in front of. Let's not forget Mayor Rahm Emanuel has little issue going at it in the press with the President.

Then we see state representative LaShawn Ford discussing why he would like President Donald Trump to send federal help to Chicago with regards to the gun violence. He is one local Democrat who isn't accepting Chicago as a "Trump-free" zone. He appeared on FOX & Friends on Monday morning something you might have seen on Capitol Fax yesterday.

You know I can't blame him one bit. Don't just get federal assistance, get state assistance as well. Over the years there were plans to send in the Illinois State Police at least and it seems city hall - or perhaps Mayor Emanuel himself - has rebuffed this assistance. I think it went beyond whatever animosity between Emanuel and Gov. Bruce Rauner, Emanuel didn't get along well with our former governor Pat Quinn who is seeking to install mayoral term limits on the November ballot.

BTW, I posted this to The Sixth Ward last night with regards to the city council's Black Caucus making their own statement to the violence of this past weekend.

Capitol Fax: The Black Caucus response to the city’s mass shootings https://t.co/XQcqQfz0q5

— The Sixth Ward (@TheSixthWard) August 8, 2018

It obvious this violence is giving our city some negative attention, it's time to start working to make Chicago safe again!

Tribune: Politics, funding impede Pullman restoration as monument approaches 3rd anniversary

Via The Chicago Neighborhoods

This Tribune article updates us on the progress of that Pullman National Monument announced by then President Barack Obama in 2015:

Since 2015, Pullman National Monument has moved sluggishly toward these goals. The state-owned grounds are in the midst of an extensive cleanup from decades of industrial waste. The National Park Service’s visitors center, planned for the clock tower building, has been pushed back at least a year. Plans mapping out the monument’s long-term future were supposed to be completed within three years but are only now beginning. State and federal money has been minimal, and progress on some projects has been slowed because of several federal government shutdowns and an unprecedented two-year state budget standoff.

The one project that could move forward, an apartment building for artists, is on hold after federal officials told the developers to seek additional input from the public.

“My wife and I have been here for 50 years, and we’ve seen different cycles and levels of interest from people working in Pullman,” said resident Mike Shymanski. Progress “takes time and takes patience, but once the restoration is done it’ll be around a long time.”

Pullman was expected to draw 300,000 visitors per year by 2025, however, with its current annual attendance at only 50,000, those estimates seem ambitious.

Now, the park is contending with a president who is less supportive of conservation. The Trump administration recently shrunk two Utah national monuments, bringing about at least two legal challenges and legislation to counter the move.

Here's something from Tribune Graphics showing a map of the Pullman area under the national parks.

Low attendance, lack of funding and an unsupportive president impede Pullman monument progress https://t.co/NA3Pbnn0EP via @_TonyBriscoe pic.twitter.com/Ta7btw8yLf

— Tribune Graphics (@ChiTribGraphics) February 19, 2018

While it's not looking that good there are some positive developments:

The first floor of the state-owned Hotel Florence could open even sooner, possibly over the summer after contractors finish building an accessibility ramp and restoring and furnishing the elaborate interior.

The park service also plans to work outside the monument to generate buzz through a grant from the McCormick Foundation to develop curriculum in area classrooms on nationally significant themes: transformation of passenger rail travel, urban planning, Pullman’s role in the American labor movement and the porters’ civil rights movement.

What are the plans for the Hotel Florence? I'm very keen on finding out!

Trump and county sending help for violence in Chicago

President Trump

Lost in all the tweets of personal attacks on cable network media personalities and a video which portrays the President at a past WWF Wrestlemania attacking someone who represents CNN (whose logo you see in place of their face - probably WWF owner Vince McMahon) was a mention of federal help being sent to Chicago.

Crime and killings in Chicago have reached such epidemic proportions that I am sending in Federal help. 1714 shootings in Chicago this year!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 30, 2017

Bear in mind earlier this year he wrote this tweet

If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible "carnage" going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017

It appears the President of the United States is actually fulfilling that initial promise:

Twenty federal gun agents have been assigned to Chicago to join a newly formed task force aimed at cutting the flow of illegal guns into the city and cracking down on people repeatedly arrested on gun charges.

Hours after the Chicago police department sent out a news release about the task force, President Donald Trump claimed credit for sending in the agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
...
The roughly 40-person strike force, which consists of Chicago police officers, ATF agents and Illinois State Police, will be working on unsolved shootings and gun-related homicides and combating illegal gun trafficking, officials said Friday.

In addition to the federal angle help from the Cook County Sheriff is coming to the south side also announced late last month:

The sheriff's office announced Wednesday that 55 to 60 sheriff's police and staff members would "supplement" the work already done by Chicago police in the Calumet and Gresham police districts.

Sheriff's officers and staff will help with patrol units, special operations, crime suppression tactical teams, evictions and other services.

Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) asked the sheriff's police to help "to create a safer, healthier environment," according to a news release.

Will additional law enforcement help from the federal government or the sheriff be enough to curb violent crime in the many low-income neighborhoods of Chicago?

BTW, yes the WWF is actually WWE now, however, as a wrestling fan old habits die hard. WWE will always be WWF or World Wrestling Federation to me. The usage of WWF was intentional.

Marathon Pundit visits Pullman

Crossposted from The Sixth Ward

Hotel Florence by John Ruberry

John Ruberry of Marathon Pundit takes a look at the Pullman neighborhood and any progress made on the national monument here. Ruberry doesn't have much faith that the federal government will make far more progress here than the state government had. The state actually owns the Hotel Florence that you see above which is waiting for a new use.

He goes through the history of this neighborhood and any governmental role in the future of this neighborhood. Including the purchase of select property such as the Pullman factory, adminstrative buildings and the clock tower. Those in addition to the Hotel Florence.

He also noted the Bernie Sanders signs throughout the neighborhood. Sanders back in March lost the Illinois Democratic presidential primary to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton but we see one strong enclave of Sanders supporters. I even noted a sign on our ig page.

Ruberry has some strong opinions on what's going on here. Anyone want to agree or disagree with the Marathon Pundit?