#Schneider Amendment

[schneiderenjoyer]

I couldn't focus all day. So, instead of working, I just doodled r1999 hahah

[johnschneiderblog]

Sign of the times

As a lifelong journalist, the First Amendment always has been my default position, my guiding light, my shining star.

Buy when I see something like this on a public highway... I mean, really, is the best this flag-maker could do ...? Is this the extent of their sloganeering ablility ...?

This flag flies just down the road from our lake house, meaning that we have to drive past it every time we go into town ... and every time we return.

Does it offend me as a Democrat ...? No, it offends me as a person who knows that vulgarity is no substitute for wit.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

In 2007, Reginald Lane shot and killed Jwonda Thurston, his pregnant girlfriend. For the murder, he was sentenced to life in prison, following state statute for someone who is found guilty of killing “more than one victim.”

On Thursday, the Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments in Lane’s case, specifically around whether Lane was given the appropriate sentence. Lane’s appeal hinges, in part, on whether Thurston’s unborn child can be considered a “victim” of the murder and, more broadly, whether it can be considered an “individual” under the law.

“As it stands now, the unified code of corrections defines a victim as any natural person who suffered direct harm,” Talon Nouri, an attorney representing Lane, told the Justices. “And again, the statute on statutes notes that whenever the word ‘person’ or ‘individual’ is used, that person must have first been born alive.”

Nouri also cited the state’s Reproductive Health Act, a 2019 law that, among other things, stipulates fetuses do not have independent rights in the state of Illinois.

In addition to the question of what constitutes a “victim” under state law, Nouri also argued Lane’s sentence was inappropriately applied because the lower courts had sentenced Lane in alignment with the sentence for a double murder.

Lane was convicted of both first-degree murder and killing an unborn child – also called feticide – which are two distinct crimes.

“While the penalty section of the ‘intentional homicide of an unborn child’ statute states that the sentence shall be the same as for first degree murder, the relevant statutes and definitions unambiguously exclude intentional homicide of an unborn child from this double murder sentencing statute,” Nouri told the court.

Assistant Attorney General Josh Schneider, who argued the case on behalf of the state, relied on the statute’s language identifying the sentence for feticide as being the same as murder.

“When a person is convicted of intentional homicide of an unborn child, the sentence they receive for that offense is the same sentence they would receive if they had been convicted of first-degree murder under those same circumstances,” Schneider said.

Several Justices interrogated that line of reasoning.

“So we really don’t even need to go to these definitions in the other statutes because the legislature has directed us to apply the same sentence as in murder?” Justice Lisa Holder White asked of Schneider.

“That’s exactly right,” Schneider replied.

The Justices took the matter under consideration with a ruling to come at a later, unspecified date.

STOP AND FRISK

The justices on Thursday also considered the case of Francisco Lozano.

In 2018, Lozano was the subject of a “Terry stop,” sometimes also known as a “stop and frisk” or “field interview” in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood.

From their unmarked police car, two officers noticed Lozano running on a rainy afternoon with his hands in his pockets. After turning their car around, officers saw him run up the stairs of an abandoned apartment building before stopping him and finding that he had a car radio, two screwdrivers and a wallet.

As a result of this stop, Lozano was eventually found guilty of burglary to a vehicle and possession of burglary tools.

Lozano’s lawyer, Pamela Rubeo, argued the police violated Lozano’s 4th Amendment right against unlawful search and seizure by stopping him for “running in the rain.”

“The parties agree the officers needed reasonable suspicion of criminal activity at the inception of this stop,” Rubeo told the court. “Here, no such reasonable suspicion existed.”

Assistant Attorney General Jalan Jaskot, who argued on behalf of the state, told the Justices that police had reasonable suspicion by the time they stopped Lozano, citing the behavior that police observed as they approached Lozano for the stop.

This received some pushback from Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis, who referenced the lower court’s opinion on the case.

“According to the officer’s own testimony, the reason why he stopped him was to conduct a field interview and ask him why he was running,” Theis noted during oral arguments. “Why shouldn’t we just accept that was the basis of the stop – as the officer himself described – and evaluate whether that was an appropriate Terry stop?”

Jaskot responded that the officers saw Lozano “flee” to the abandoned building when they turned their car around and that while they were approaching, they saw a “bulge” in Lozano’s front sweatshirt pocket, giving them reasonable suspicion for a Terry stop.

“If the facts of this case were simply that the defendant was running in the rain, officers would not have the reasonable suspicion to conduct that Terry stop,” Jaskot said after further questioning on the subject from the Justices. “However that is not all that we have. Very importantly, we also have the defendant’s evasive behavior where he did change that direction and run towards this building that appeared abandoned.”

Rubeo also argued that some evidence in Lozano’s trial was inappropriately introduced, as it was taken from statements Lozano gave during his arrest, without being given a “Miranda warning,” a set of notifications police are required to give people they arrest. These notifications include the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney and the warning that anything a defendant says can be used against them in court, among other things.

In their court filing, the attorney general’s office argued that Lozano forfeited the chance to suppress the statements he made before being given a Miranda warning because his lawyers failed to bring it up in his trial.

The case will also be considered by the Justices, although there is not a set timeline for how long they will take to deliver a final opinion.

‘RIDING THE CIRCUIT’

The Justices did not hear arguments for these cases at their typical venue at the Supreme Court’s building in Springfield. Rather, the court was “riding the circuit” and heard arguments on the campus of Chicago State University on Chicago’s South Side.

The court uses a version of the historical practice of judges traveling to district courts to “raise public awareness and confidence in the judicial branch,” according to Theis.

It’s a practice that had been temporarily stalled in recent years amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The court held a virtual “riding the circuit” program in 2021 in conjunction with schools from the state’s Second Judicial District in northern Illinois. The court’s previous in-person road trip took place in Sept. 2019 when arguments were heard at Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey.

“It is the first time in our history of this court and our state that we have come to the First District here in Chicago,” Theis told attendees of the arguments on Thursday.

Around 300 students from schools around the region attended the event. Following the oral arguments, students participated in a question-and-answer session with representatives of the Cook County Bar Association.

[19rooster82]

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A post shared by Rob Schneider (@iamrobschneider)

[jjmcquade-misc]

Some clever points by Rob Schneider As we have seen this week, ONCE AGAIN the Democratic Party is NOT running on any ideas to make American’s lives better, they are once again running on the hatred of one individual, Donald J Trump.

And they are hoping that YOU will HATE him so much that you will forget about the Democrat’s FOREVER WARS that are pushing the world closer to World War III, they are hoping that you forget about your grocery bills being 26% higher since Biden/Harris took office.

The Democrats are hoping that you FORGET all the CENSORSHIP that the Biden/Harris regime did, working with TECH companies to silence Scientists, Doctors and Academics and ANYONE who dared question their Tyrannical COVID POLICIES, VIOLATING THE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS OF ALL AMERICANS, FIRING FEDERAL WORKERS, DOCTORS AND NURSES who refused to get an experimental vaccine, FORCING TWO YEAR OLD BABIES TO WEAR MASKS, CLOSING SCHOOLS AND SMALL BUSINESSES, while allowing BIG BUSINESSES to MAKE BILLIONS in profits, putting GIRLS AND WOMEN AT RISK BY ALLOWING NARCISSISTIC MEN TO INVADE THEIR SAFE SPACES AND SPORTS, putting PORNOGRAPHY BOOKS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, pushing the GENDER MADNESS OF CHILD MUTILATION SURGERIES and CHILD STERILIZATION CASTRATION DRUGS (PUBERTY BLOCKERS), REMOVING AMERICA’S ENERGY INDEPENDENCE and once again making our Nation captive to FOREIGN OIL, OPENING OUR BORDER allowing 11 MILLION ILLEGAL NON-CITIZENS INTO OUR COUNTRY, CAUSING MISERY, DEATH AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING, FLOODING OUR CITIES WITH MIGRANTS AND DEATH CAUSING FENTANYL, ILLEGALS FLOWN TO DIFFERENT STATES all being PAID BY U.S. TAXPAYERS.

The Democrats CALLED TRUMP ‘HITLER’ and half the CITIZENS of our country “MAGATS” and DEPLORABLES, INCITING HATRED AND THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF A FORMER PRESIDENT.

The Democrats cry of ‘SAVING DEMOCRACY’ as they DISCARD the 14 MILLION DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED FOR BIDEN IN THE PRIMARY, effecting a COUP, pushing OUT A DULY ELECTED PRESIDENT and much like the SOVIET POLITBURO, INSTALLING THEIR NEW PUPPET LEADER who had the LOWEST APPROVAL RATING OF ANY FORMER VICE PRESIDENT and who has still REFUSED to take ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE PRESS.

YES, the Democrats are hoping that you HATE TRUMP more than YOU LOVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR FREE SPEECH, YOUR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION AND SAFETY AND YOUR FREEDOMS.

Robert Kennedy Jr. supporting President Trump is plainly this: A REJECTION OF THE AUTHORITARIAN AND SERIAL UNDEMOCRATIC ACTIONS OF THE DEMOCRAT MACHINE.

As a fellow American Citizen and Robert Kennedy Jr. supporter, I hope that you will OPPOSE TYRANNY and join us and VOTE FOR DONALD J. TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! Sincerely,

Rob Schneider.

[acesw]

The Grecos, Schneider, and her Religious Trauma

One of the characters I really find interesting is Schneider. There are strong signs that she has religious trauma, which ties really well with the neglect she's experienced growing up and the way this trauma reflects her behaviors and words.

The Grecos are known to be really religious, and they're quite devout to Christianity as a means of life. It does not mean that they wouldn't do things to ensure that they're able to at least eat. Living in Chicago of all places is already one struggle enough, making sure they get by despite having bad relationships with gangs adds so much.

Prior to moving, they were more devoted to God as coming from a community in Sicily. They moved because of how bad the poverty situation had been (the major Italian emigration in the 1900-1910s), hoping to seek a better life in America. Of all places though, they moved to Chicago, where there were crimes and gangs all about. This resulted to the Grecos having to pull strings to keep their head up the water, and they still practice Christianity as a means to maintain morale.

We then have Schneider. The youngest and most neglected child of the Grecos. She was barely fed and paid attention to among her 11 older sisters. The Narrator also notes that she was even neglected from the start, as she turned a year old before her father realized she wasn't baptized.

Now, there are two main instances that showcase Schneider's religious trauma peeking through are the traces "From One Castle to Another" and "Long Night Trip". Both of which are very much talking about Schneider's past. There are parts of the dialogue that stick out to me.

-From One Castle to Another

"It's impossible to keep every child well-fed. Schneider could not even get a piece of bread in the Eucharist. But a good daughter would not let anyone worry about her. She sat on the bench outside the church and hummed. She found a way out for herself."

"The Grecos are among them. They're covered by the dark cloud of long-handed umbrellas. [...] But you can't find Schneider. [...] It rains heavier. The priest opens his arms to embrace the sky, 'The Lord be with you.' " " 'And also with you.' Schneider responds in a voice that could hardly be heard. She puts her hand on her heart. This is the first time she responds to the Lord. And it will be the last."

-Long Night Trip

The Narrator talks about Schneider's slow descent into losing her faith in these conversations. She used to pray and hope that God would fix things and give an answer for her and her family's suffering. And all that happened was that it got worse.

It only ever makes Schneider question and doubt, and eventually she stops believing in God. But everyone around her, her family in particular, still maintains their strong belief that he'd guide them out of struggle. Meanwhile, she take things into her own hands for that matter.

And again, everyone would resort to praying, praying, and praying. Yet Schneider wouldn't dare try. Because if he listened to her this one time then they heard all the other times and never cared to help. That rubs salt in the wound.

So with this, we see how Schneider creates her newfound identity. She starts frequenting underground markets and doing certain odd jobs. She is able to make amends with other gang leaders and grow her own strong faction in Chicago.

All so she makes enough money for the rest of her family to eat and thrive. It showcases her sense of selflessness, her full care for her family despite how they treated her. She cares for them more than anything, because even with barely receiving love, they're the ones that raised her. Schneider actively does it all to prove that she can give.

Even in the main story there are those hints of that trauma seeping through. Throughout the game she refers to her bosses as "My Lord", a name that's usually reserved for God.

In the 'Green Oranges' segment of chapter 2, we see that Schneider's younger self describes America as a new world. A place of wonders, where blessings will be given and all sins will be forgiven. There, "God loves the world". Because back in Sicily, she believes that God does not love her and her family here. This ties back to the major Italian emigration in the 1900-1910s, where again, the poverty situation had been so bad. Not to mention the overpopulation and the natural disasters that came with it.

Meanwhile, her adult self is heavily injured from the gunshot wounds and Vertin stops shooting her. She expresses her frustration of being unable to die fast, which then turns to this: "Or did God finally forgive me...He allowed me...to stay alive!!"

"God would never make or guide one to that first action," Schneider thinks, because only she alone did it. She decided to step in, with no guidance of the God she once loved. The God that never forgave her.

The entirety of chapter 1 and 2 shows that her trauma runs really deep. The youngest and most neglected child turns into the most diligent and faithless Greco. She expresses her clear disdain for God, and does everything in her own power to do what "he never did for her and her family."

[dustedmagazine]

Aoife O’Donovan — All My Friends (Yep Roc)

The title track of folk songwriter Aoife O’Donovan’s fifth solo album, All My Friends, arrives loaded with prominent guests: the Knights, the Westerlies, and the San Francisco Girls Chorus. These classical artists, some of whom are also involved in the folk movement on other outings, remain as collaborators on several of the subsequent songs. The blend of O’Donovan’s songs and the varied palette provided for the arrangements creates an expansive and well-crafted ambience. It is the first time O’Donovan has produced her own work, and, with help from co-producers Darren Schneider and Eric Jacobsen, she successfully keeps a lot of balls in the air.

The lyrics are pertinent for today, exploring the trajectory of the women’s rights movement and the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution, granting women suffrage. A native of Newton, Massachusetts, O’Donovan grew up a stone’s throw from many places — parks, churches, coffeehouses, and out in the streets — where for decades the rights of women were advocated for strongly. In the wake of Roe being overturned, this is a practice continuing today.

O’Donovan accentuates coming together instead of airing grievances. “All My Friends” includes the verse, “Marching on, the Tennessee dawn is lifting o’er the fields. Steady on, America, you know it’s time to heal, If you open your arms you’ll feel us, warm and ready for the change, all my friends.”

She spent the summers of her childhood studying Celtic music and dancing in Ireland. The lilting tone of her voice reflects this. On “Someone to Follow,” O’Donovan sings to a baby about the challenges that await her, knowing that her daughter will face them down and make it. Combining gritty resolve and a lullaby, with a memorable hook in the chorus and an accordion solo providing an Irish inflection to the arrangement, “Someone to Follow” is a standout.

“The Right Time” has a stripped down arrangement of acoustic guitar, bass, and drums, but when it gets to the chorus, double-tracked vocals provide soaring harmonies.

“Over the Finish Line” is a duet with Anais Mitchell, referencing the travails of democracy, going so far as “America’s bleeding,” in one of the verses.

Accompanied by piano, vocal harmonies in the chorus once again urge coming together: “If I could change a mind, whose mind? If I could make something to get us o’er the finish line, We’re living in hard times, feeling hard times, living in hard times.”

There is one cover, Bob Dylan’s “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll,” describing the beating death of an African American woman by a white tobacco farmer in 1963, the year the song was written. The assailant got six months in jail. The Knights join O’Donovan in a rich arrangement that combines “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” with Dylan’s song, underscoring the inclusion of Black Lives Matter in O’Donovan’s meditations on America’s current challenges. It is a rousing conclusion to All My Friends, a relevant and compelling recording.

Christian Carey

[news4dzhozhar]

22 Democrats vote to censure Tlaib over Israel criticism

Twenty-two Democrats on Tuesday voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (R-Mich.) for her criticism of Israel following Hamas’s deadly attack last month.

The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), accused Tlaib of “promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.” It also references her use over the weekend of the controversial phrase “from the river to the sea,” which is considered by many to be antisemitic.

Democratic leadership earlier in the day urged members to vote for a motion to kill the censure resolution and the party largely stuck together, with only one Democrat voting to advance it.

Many defended Tlaib’s right to make the controversial comments, citing the First Amendment, despite disagreeing with her words.

But on the final vote, 22 of Tlaib’s colleagues opted to reprimand her.

“We are at an exceedingly perilous moment, when emotions and intentions are on a razor’s edge. I believe that Members of Congress should be free to express their opinions, no matter how distasteful they may be. I also believe they have a duty to express the values and priorities of their districts,” Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) said of his vote to censure Tlaib. 

He added, “I recognize this censure resolution is not a perfect resolution in its language or form, but unfortunately it is the only vehicle available to formally rebuke the dangerous disinformation and aspersions that Rep. Tlaib continues to use and defend. I feel that I have no other recourse but to vote to censure her.”

Here are the Democrats who voted in favor of the censure resolution:

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.)

Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.)

Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.)

Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.)

Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.)

Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine)

Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.)

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.)

Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio)

Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.)

Rep. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.)

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.)

Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.)

Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.)

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.)

Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.)

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.)

Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.)

Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.)

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.)

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.)

Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.)

In addition to the Democrats who bucked their party, four Republicans voted against the censure: Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), John Duarte (R-Calif.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Tom McClintock (R-Calif.).

[msclaritea]

Jamie Lee Curtis Sparks Uproar Over Framed Photo of Naked Child in Box | PetaPixel

Hollywood actress Jamie Lee Curtis has deleted an Instagram post after facing backlash for her choice of photography wall art.

Curtis posted a picture from inside her house last week showing “beautiful Pollack chairs” from her latest movie Everything Everywhere All at Once in her office.

Reactions in the post’s comments and on social media were largely focused on the strange framed photo on the wall behind the desk and chairs, as it appeared to show a naked child inside a plastic tub.

Critics questioned the actress’s taste in art, calling the photo “creepy” and “sick.” Others on social media drew connections between the art and everything from Jeffrey Epstein to the recently Balenciaga BDSM scandal.

Curtis quickly responded by deleting the Instagram post, but social media continued to swirl. Today, Curtis took to her social media channels to address the matter.

“Last week I posted a picture of some chairs that included a photograph on the wall by an artist that was gifted to me 20 years ago,” she writes.

“I understand it has disturbed some people. As I have said, I am a truth teller so here’s the truth. It’s a picture of a child, taken by her mother, of her playing in their backyard in a tub of water. Nothing more, nothing less. I took down the post because I didn’t want to keep something up that upset anyone.”

The Photographer Behind the Photo

The controversial wall art is a print of a photo by American photographer Betsy Schneider. It’s from her series Sweet is the Swamp, a collection of candid photos taken mainly of the photographer’s children. The picture that Curtis owns is called The Tub and was taken in 2003. The image shows Schneider’s daughter in a small plastic box filled with water.

Schneider was one of around 175 individuals around the world that was awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2011.

Past Controversies

Photographer Betsy Schneider documents transformations of individuals and families over time and place, according to her website.

Her work has been exhibited in art galleries and Schnieder has released a book entitled To Be Thirteen.

Schnieder’s work has caused controversy in the past. In 2004, police in London were called to her exhibition at the Spitz gallery after concerns were raised over photos of the artist’s naked daughter. A visitor to the exhibition considered the images to be pornographic and the exhibition was shut down by the gallery.

She told The Guardian that she did not consider the work to be obscene when seen as a whole.

“The aim of these pictures is not to provoke or to shock. The idea is to show time, change and growth,” she said at the time.

Update 1/20: This article has been amended after the photographer reached out to PetaPixel claiming that she never said her photos might be considered pornographic. This was misquoted at the time and PetaPixel has removed the quote.

A24 was founded on August 20, 2012, by film veterans Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges. Katz formerly led the film finance group at Guggenheim Partners, Fenkel was the president, co-founder and partner at Oscilloscope, and Hodges served as Head of Production and Development at Big Beach. The name "A24" was inspired by the Italian A24 motorway Katz was driving on when he decided to found the company; coincidentally, the motorway is also renowned in Italian film history as the setting of many small Abruzzan towns and rural landscapes employed in the films of neorealist and surrealist masters....Guggenheim Partners provided the seed money for A24. The company was started to share "movies from a distinctive point of view"...In January 2016, Sasha Lloyd joined the company to handle all film, television distribution and business development in the international marketplace. The company, with cooperation from Bank of America, J.P. Morgan & Co. and SunTrust Banks, also raised its line of credit from $50 million to $125 million a month later to build upon its operations..."

I know there's lots of competition between movies these days, but it was always very weird that Jamie Lee Curtis so pointedly and repeatedly kept targeting the Benedict Cumberbatch-led film, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness. To date, I'd never seen any so-called professional actor/actress behave that way.

There was, indeed ZERO reason to do this, UNLESS...!

[morgan5451]

Kamala Harris says, “We’re not going back!” And She and the Democrats don’t want to “go back.” But Americans WANT TO GO BACK; Americans want to “go back to our country and our cities that are NOT BEING OVERRUN with 20  million undocumented immigrants, flooding our country with fentanyl that KILLS 65,000 Americans each year, our country wants to “go back” to where girls don’t have to share the sports field and girl’s locker room with narcissistic failed male athletes, we want to”go back” to where 14 year old children are NOT allowed to have their bodies surgically mutilated or take repurposed castration drugs (falsely named puberty blockers) through this gender madness, to go “back to” a government that doesn’t violate American’s First Amendment Rights of Free Speech like the Biden/Harris Regime did working with Tech companies to censor and silence Americans, where FEDERAL workers and SOLDIERS are not FIRED for refusing to take an experimental gene therapy. Yes, Americans want to “go back” to NOT HAVING FOREVER WARS and giving 100’s of billions of U.S. dollars to Ukraine, to “go back” to NOT pushing the World to a Nuclear War with Russia, to “go back” to FREE SPEECH BEING OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT not what Kamala Harris describes as “a privilege.” YES, Americans want to “go back” where inflation is NOT 26 percent, where they can afford groceries and gas and one day be able to afford a home again. Americans want to go back to a Government that doesn’t tell them what kind of car they can drive or what kind of stove they can use, a country where their leaders don’t call them “deplorables” or “systemically racist” because of the color of their skin. YES, Kamala, Americans want to “go back” to a society that isn’t another MARXIST FAILURE, to a country that THEY LOVE MORE THAN THE DEMOCRATS HATE DONALD J TRUMP, TO “GO BACK TO” A FREE AMERICA founded “UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!” That’s why I am VOTING FOR THE TICKET THAT HAS DONALD J TRUMP, JD VANCE, ROBERT KENNEDY AND TULSI GABBARD ON IT! LET’S GO BACK TO THE GREATEST EXPERIMENT IN FREEDOM THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! GOD BLESS AMERICA! Love, Rob Schneider

[channeledhistory]

Anlass zur Hoffnung für Verfechter von Freiheitsrechten bot jüngst eine Abstimmung des Repräsentantenhauses: Der „Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act“ passierte die republikanisch dominierte Kammer des Kongresses.

Im Demokratie-Ranking des Magazins The Economist firmieren die USA seit Jahren als flawed democracy. Die Gründe für diese Degradierung zur mangelbehafteten Demokratie, die das wirtschaftsliberale Blatt anführt, mögen fragwürdig sein, an der Diagnose an sich lässt sich kaum rütteln: Ein Überwachungsstaat kann nach demokratischen Maßstäben schwerlich als makellos durchgehen. Doch am 17. April dieses Jahres passierte wider Erwarten und gegen den Widerstand der Biden-Regierung der Gesetzesentwurf zum Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act das Repräsentantenhaus.

Eine schon 2021 gestartete Initiative zur Verteidigung des vierten Zusatzartikels zur Verfassung der Vereinigten Staaten hatte damit einen Etappensieg erzielt. Besagter Verfassungszusatz verbrieft den Schutz vor willkürlicher Durchsuchung, Beschlagnahme und Verhaftung – solche Maßnahmen dürfen nur aufgrund von Gerichts- oder Magistratsverfügungen erfolgen, die auf stichhaltigen Gründen basieren.

Schön wär’s. 2013 machte Edward Snowden die wohl größte und erfolgreichste Public-private-Partnership überhaupt publik, eine Maschinerie der Massenüberwachung, in der das Räderwerk von Geheimdiensten und IT-Konzernen höchst wirkungsvoll verzahnt ist. Die Akteure auf der privatwirtschaftlichen Seite waren allerdings nicht allesamt mit Enthusiasmus bei der Sache, von Yahoo – damals noch ein Konzern von einiger Bedeutung – ist sogar heftiger Widerstand gegen das Ansinnen belegt, die eigene Kundschaft systematisch zu bespitzeln.

Solche Betriebsstörungen dürften in den zurückliegenden Jahren nicht ins Gewicht gefallen sein, denn seit Snowdens Enthüllungen ist vieles besser geworden – für die Überwacher, nicht für die Bürger der Vereinigten Staaten. Längst ist man in den USA dazu übergegangen, Datenbestände en gros von Data Brokers zu kaufen, statt sie Unternehmen mit geheimen Anordnungen abzupressen. Und wieder einmal beweist der Markt seine Überlegenheit, in diesem Fall eben beim Umgehen des vierten Verfassungszusatzes.

Standortdaten, Kreditkarteninformationen, Gesundheitsdaten, Hinweise auf politische Ansichten und mehr wurden zuhauf von staatlichen Stellen erworben; Polizeibehörden, die Bundessteuerverwaltung IRS, diverse Organisationen des Militärs, das FBI, die NSA gehörten zu denen, die zugriffen. Mit dem Outsourcing der Überwachung sei man aus dem Schneider, so das Kalkül, schließlich verbiete der vierte Zusatzartikel der Verfassung nur willkürliche Ausforschung der Bürger durch den Staat, nicht die durch privatwirtschaftliche Unternehmen, die dann als Lieferanten für den Staat fungieren.

Dieser Praxis, die demokratischem Verständnis offen Hohn spricht, soll mit dem Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act nun ein Riegel vorgeschoben werden. Konkret läuft das auf folgende Einschränkungen hinaus:

– Staatliche Stellen sollen nur auf Gerichtsbeschluss an Datenbestände von Datengroßhändlern (Data Brokers) gelangen, so wie es einschlägige Gesetzgebung schon fordert, wenn es um Telefongesellschaften oder Internet-Service-Anbieter geht.

– Polizeibehörden und Geheimdiensten wird der Erwerb der Daten von Personen in den USA und US-Bürgern im Ausland untersagt, wenn diese Daten aus einem Nutzer-Account oder von einem persönlichen Gerät stammen oder mittels Täuschung, Hacks, Vertragsverletzungen, Verstoß gegen Datenschutzhinweise oder Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen gewonnen wurden.

– Ausdrücklich ausgeschlossen als Datenlieferant für staatliche Stellen wird Clearview AI, ein Unternehmen, das Milliarden von Porträtfotos per Screen Scraping aus dem Web bezogen hat und aktuell mit zahlreichen Ermittlungsbehörden in den USA (und nicht nur dort) für Gesichtserkennung im Geschäft ist.

– Bestehende Gesetze zum Schutz der Privatsphäre sollen auf Unternehmen erweitert werden, die über Kabelnetze und Mobilfunkinfrastruktur verfügen.

– Gesetzeslücken werden geschlossen, die es Geheimdiensten erlauben, Metadaten von grenzüberschreitender Kommunikation amerikanischer Bürger zu kaufen oder anderweitig zu beschaffen. Gleiches gilt für Daten, die beim Besuch ausländischer Websites anfallen.

Diensteanbieter und andere Dritte verlieren ihre bisher durch das Justizministerium garantierte Immunität bei Beihilfe zu Überwachung, die nicht gesetzlich gefordert oder erlaubt ist. Insgesamt ergibt sich so ein recht pralles Paket von Schutzmaßnahmen der Privatsphäre, geschnürt von Politikern der Demokratischen Partei als auch von Republikanern. Unter letzteren ist der libertäre Senator für Kentucky Rand Paul die wohl prominenteste Figur, bei den demokratischen Initiatoren ist Ron Wyden, Senator für Oregon und langjähriger Kämpfer gegen staatliche Überwachung, besonders hervorzuheben.

Seit 2021 stießen sie und andere Unterstützer des Gesetzesentwurfs auf hartnäckigen Widerstand aus Politik, von Ermittlungsbehörden und Geheimdiensten. Das Justizministerium ließ wissen, dass der Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act den Ankauf von personenbezogenen Standortdaten unterbinden würde und damit die Möglichkeiten einschränke, vermisste Kinder aufzufinden, flüchtige Strafgefangene zu jagen oder gegen organisiertes Verbrechen zu ermitteln. Die National Sheriffs Association verbuchte die Vorlage kurzer Hand unter „Machtzuwachs für die Drogenkartelle“.

Und natürlich durfte in Zeiten geopolitischer Frontbildung auch der Hinweis nicht unterbleiben, dass es ein himmelschreiendes Unrecht sei, wenn dem amerikanischen Staat der Zugang zum heimischen Datenhandel unterbunden werde, für Russland und China aber weiterhin die Möglichkeit bestünde, sich gegen Bezahlung bei Data Brokers einzudecken. Doch offensichtlich ließ sich die Mehrheit Im Repräsentantenhaus selbst von diesem Einwand nicht schrecken: Am 17. April stimmten 219 von ihnen für den Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, 199 dagegen. Damit ist allerdings nur die Voraussetzung dafür geschaffen, dass nun im Senat über den Gesetzesentwurf entschieden wird.

Es steht eine Zitterpartie bevor. In dieser Kammer des Kongresses verfügen die Demokraten über eine knappe Mehrheit, was allerdings alles andere als eine Gewähr für demokratische Umtriebe ist: So billigte der Senat am 20. April 2024 eine zweijährige Verlängerung des Abschnitts 702 des Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), der einen Stützpfeiler der US-Massenüberwachung darstellt.

Um es mal positiv zu formulieren: Dem ausstehenden Entscheid über den Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act darf mit Spannung entgegengesehen werden.

[brookstonalmanac]

Beer Events 3.16

Events

West Point established (1802)

”His Favorite Pastime” premiered (1914)

Absinthe made illegal in France (1915)

Emil Horst patented a Hop Separator (1915)

US Senate approved a bill to legalize 3.05% beer, which was later amended to 3.2% to match the Cullen Bill passed by the House (1933) 

Edward Pawson patented a Beer Barrel Faucet Attachment (1965)

Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) founded (1971)

Adolph Schneider patented a Bottle-Filling Machine (1977)

Red Bell Brewing announced a contract with Pittsburgh Brewing to produce bottled product for them (Pennsylvania; 1999)

Breweries Opened

Eddie McStiff's Brewpub (Utah; 1991)

Mark's Brewing (Colorado; 1995)

Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania; 2009)

[kenresearch1]

US Dry type transformers Market expected to grow with CAGR of ~2% by 2028

Buy Now

Dry type transformers are the trending transformers, which are hyping in the market, as they do not require cooling since their windings are enclosed in epoxy resin, rendering them useful for indoor as well as outdoor applications.

STORY OUTLINE

According to Ken research, the US Dry type transformers market at a CAGR of ~2% during the forecast period (2023-2028).

Factors driving the US Dry type transformers market are demand for Dry type transformers of smaller size and increased performance.

Trends in US Dry type transformers market which are exaggerating the market by various key players.

Competitive landscape of the US Dry type transformers market, which are making it, grow higher.

1.Growth of US Dry type transformers market is getting higher with ~2% CAGR.

Click to know more about US Dry type transformers market

US Dry type transformers market is on a constant rise during the forecast years. They show a CAGR of ~2% during the forecast years 2022-2028 and will continue to grow exponentially. The basic reason for this growth is the compliance-driven need for the revamping of the already installed electrical systems.

 For the functioning of electrical infrastructure, Transformers have been and will continue to remain fundamental need and unlike the oil type transformers, they do not require cooling since their windings are enclosed in epoxy resin, rendering them useful for indoor as well as outdoor applications.

2.Which are the driving factors for the growth of US dry type transformer market?

Click here to Download a Sample Report

The driving factors of the market is the need compliance-driven need for the revamping of the already installed electrical systems and the need for reduction of greenhouse gas emission. The other factors are that they are cost-efficient and often come in a compact size which are ideal parameters for deployment of dry type transformers.

The driving factors are hyping the market to grow in positive direction. The market is extremely fragmented and locally variable with many players. Siemens AG, Schneider Electric SE, Hammond Power Solutions Inc., ABB Ltd. and Hyundai Electric & Energy Systems Co., Ltd. are the major companies operating in the Dry-Type Transformer Market.

Environmental degradation is not an issue with the dry type transformer technology. It also has much factors like possessing better impulse and short circuit strengths. Therefore, it provides a vast array of applications like mostly in residential buildings to small commercial complexes.

3.Trends which are hyping the growth of US Dry type transformers market

Click here to Request a Custom Report

The government has been promoting the utilization of dry type transformers with higher energy efficiency to minimize carbon emissions. The implementation of the US Department of Energy (DOE) energy efficiency standards can lead to a reduction of around 264.7 million MT of carbon emissions that are equivalent to the yearly greenhouse gas emissions of nearly 51.75% million automobiles.

The US amendment also predicts that from 2016, adherence to the rule can effectuate total cost reduction of about $12.9 billion to both residential and commercial consumers, triggering the North America dry type transformer market share over the upcoming years.

Many players are doing launches, acquisitions and ventures in the market resulting in its growth. Siemens Energy launched an innovative dry-type single-phase transformer for pole applications. Designed for the technological requirements of the American grid, the new cast-resin distribution transformer provides a reliable and sustainable alternative to oil-filled transformers. Hitachi Energy launched a plug-and-play dry-type traction transformer with an integrated cooling system which is designed to reduce CO2 emissions and total operating costs while increasing energy efficiency.

4.Outlook of US Dry type transformers market is expected to grow higher

Click to know about outlook of US Dry type transformers market

The driving factors are publicizing the market to grow in positive direction. The market is extremely fragmented and locally variable with many players. Siemens AG, Schneider Electric SE, Hammond Power Solutions Inc., ABB Ltd. and Hyundai Electric & Energy Systems Co., Ltd. are the major companies operating in the Dry-Type Transformer Market.

Distribution transformers are designed to offer maximum efficiency at lower loads. Moreover, the transformers' voltage regulation is kept to a minimum to improve efficiency. As a result, distribution transformers are designed to have a small leakage reactance.

These reasons are making sure that the market of Dry type transformers will grow in recent years in United States with a CAGR of ~2%.

[recentlyheardcom]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The legal fights between Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis ratcheted up this week.The Florida governor asked that the company's First Amendment lawsuit against him be tossed from federal court, and Disney demanded emails, texts and other communications from the governor's office in a separate state court lawsuit originally brought by DeSantis appointees of Walt Disney World's governing district.The legal filings marked an escalation in the battle between the entertainment giant and DeSantis, a candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. The confrontation started last year when Disney publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, and DeSantis retaliated by taking over the governing district that provides municipal services for the 25,000-acre (10,117-hectare) Disney World theme park resort in Florida.Disney has sued DeSantis in federal court, claiming the governor violated its free speech rights by punishing it for expressing opposition to the law.On Thursday, DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, the governing district made up of DeSantis appointees, asked a federal judge to throw out Disney’s First Amendment lawsuit, calling it meritless and “a last-ditch effort to reinstate its corporate kingdom.”“Although Disney has grabbed headlines by suing the Governor, Disney — like many litigants before it who have challenged Florida’s laws — has no basis for doing so,” DeSantis' motion said.Meanwhile, the governing district now controlled by DeSantis appointees has sued Disney in state court. The suit is an attempt to void prior agreements, made before the DeSantis appointees took over, that shifted control over design and construction to Disney from the district and prohibited the district from using the likeness of Disney characters or other intellectual property without Disney's permission. Disney filed counterclaims that include asking a state court to declare the agreements valid and enforceable. The company amended those counterclaims on Thursday, saying the DeSantis-controlled district was in violation of the U.S. Constitution stipulations on contracts and due process.Disney also sent a notice to DeSantis' office demanding internal communications, including text messages and emails, and documents regarding the district's comprehensive plan, the development agreements and the legislation that shifted control of the district to DeSantis. The notice said a subpoena would be issued requiring the governor's office to turn over the materials to Disney's attorneys by Oct. 27.The Disney attorneys also sent notices of subpoenas to others, including similar special districts in Florida. Disney wants to show that the manner in which it gave public notice about the agreements which stripped the DeSantis allies of design and construction powers was consistent with what other districts do. The DeSantis allies are arguing that one of the reasons the agreements should be invalidated is they weren't properly publicized.In response to the demand for communications and documents, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said that some of Disney's requests were “overbroad, unduly oppressive, and an improper fishing expedition.”___Follow Mike Schneider on X, formerly known as Twitter: @MikeSchneiderAP.

[christinamac1]

Judy Schneider Submission - keep Australia's nuclear bans, use renewables, including tidal energy.

Environment and Other Legislation Amendment (Removing Nuclear Energy Prohibitions) Bill 2022Submission 70 I wish to make a submission re lifting the ban on creating energy from nuclear sources.Fortunately, we have not had a long history of nuclear production or disasters.The ban on nuclear energy production was a great step forward in making Australia safe from impacts of another disaster.Sure,…

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

The House has approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to compel government officials to prepare a report on combating white supremacists and neo-Nazi activity in the police and military, despite every Republican voting against the measure.

The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Brad Schneider, was passed in a 218-208 party-line vote on Wednesday. All 208 votes against the amendment came from House Republicans, one of whom described it as "Orwellian".

The "Schneider Amendment" called for the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of Defense to publish a report that sets out ways to combat white supremacist and neo-Nazi activity in the uniformed services and law enforcement agencies "not later than 180 days after enactment and every 6 months thereafter."

The amendment called for the total number of people who were discharged from the military or police because of their links to or support for far-right extremism to be published.

The amendment also states that the report the government is being asked to write should detail how agency leaders responded to "planned or effectuated incidents connected to white supremacist or neo-Nazi activity," according to a report in The Hill.

"We just voted to combat neo nazis in our military and every single republican voted no," tweeted New Jersey Democratic Congressman Bill Pascrell after the amendment was passed.

Speaking on the House floor, Schneider noted how the U.S. has seen a surge in domestic extremist incidents, such as the deadly 2017 neo-Nazi "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.

He also highlighted a report published in May from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency entitled The Insider Threat and Extremist Activity Within the DoD, which detailed examples of military personnel being found to have held extremist views.

"Such behavior, such extremism is a threat to us in all segments of society. There is no reason to believe that our military is any different," Schneider said during debate on the House floor.

"These are exceptions, they are rare, but we must do everything we can to identify them and to thwart them before risks become a reality."

Arizona GOP Congressman Andy Biggs was one of those who spoke out against the amendment, describing it as "Orwellian in nature."

"This amendment attempts to create a problem where none exists by requesting investigations into law enforcement and the armed services for alleged rampant white supremacists or white national sympathies," Biggs said.

The House is now expected to pass the full NDAA. It will then be passed over to the Senate, where it could be stripped down.

NEW GUIDELINES

In December 2021, the Pentagon issued new guidelines on activities that qualify as extremism amid concerns that service members took part in the January 6 attack at the Capitol.

The update included supporting the overthrowing of the government and "liking" or sharing extremist views on social media.

Last February, the Pentagon released another report warning of the prominence of white supremacist ideology inside the military.

The report, first obtained by RollColl, detailed one case in which a Florida National Guard member who was part of a neo-Nazi group, bragged in an online forum with other white supremacists that he was "100% open about everything" regarding his far-right support to his colleagues during his training.

"They know about it all. They love me too cause I'm a funny guy," he wrote.