Muslims attending Catholic Mass in France and Italy

A few years ago, I made a risky prediction about how the evil actions of Islamic terrorists particularly ISIS (the Islamic State), might accomplish what the failed midievil Crusades were unable to accomplish. 

Indeed, I predicted (without any qualifications) just with my gut feelings, that the evil perpetraated by the ISIS would turn Muslims against Islamic extremists. Mind you, I'm certainly not predicting mass religious conversions. That's highly unlikely. Rather, I'm predicting an openess by Muslims to learning about Christianity. Maybe my prediction is gaining some credibility.

Muslims pray with Catholics over French priest's murder.

Muslims attend mass around France in solidarity after brutal killing of Father Jacques Hamel in the evil ISIL-linked attack.

The New York Times reports: EUROPE

Muslims Go to Catholic Mass
in France, Italy for Solidarity
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

July 31, 2016  Rouen, France: 

Muslims in France and Italy flocked to Catholic Mass on Sunday.  

ROUEN, France — Muslims in France and Italy flocked to Catholic Mass on Sunday in France and Italy Sunday, a gesture of interfaith solidarity following a drumbeat of jihadi attacks that threatens to deepen religious divisions across Europe.

From the towering Gothic cathedral in Rouen, only a few miles 

from where 85-year-old Rev. Jacques Hamel was killed Tuesday
by two Muslim fanatics, to Paris' iconic Notre Dame, where the rector of the Mosque of Paris invoked a papal benediction in Latin, many churchgoers were cheered by the Muslims in their midst.

Interviewed outside the cathedral in Rouen, Jacqueline Prevot called it "a magnificent gesture."

"Look at this whole Muslim community that attended Mass," she said. "I find this very heartwarming."

French television broadcast scenes of interfaith solidarity from all around France, with Muslim women in headscarves and Jewish men in kippot crowding the front rows of Catholic cathedrals in Lille, Calais or the Basilica of St. Denis, the traditional resting place of French royalty.

There were similar scenes in Italy, where the head of Italy's Union of Islamic communities — Izzedin Elzir — called on his colleagues to "take this historic moment to transform tragedy into a moment of dialogue."

The secretary general of the country's Islamic Confederation, Abdullah Cozzolino spoke at the Treasure of St. Gennaro chapel; three imams also attended Mass at the St. Maria Church in Rome's Trastevere neighborhood, donning their traditional dress as they entered the sanctuary and sat down in the front row.

Ahmed El Balazi, the imam of the Vobarno mosque in Italy's Lombard province of Brescia, said he did not fear repercussions for speaking out.
"These people are tainting our religion and it is terrible to know that many people consider all Muslim terrorists. That is not the case," El Balazi said. "Religion is one thing. Another is the behavior of Muslims who don't represent us."
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni thanked Italian Muslims for their participation, saying they "are showing their communities the way of courage against fundamentalism."
Among the parishioners in Rouen was a nun who survived Tuesday's siege in nearby Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray , which began when two 19-year-old attackers stormed a stone church and killed Hamel as he celebrated morning Mass. She joined her fellow Catholics in turning to shake hands or embrace the Muslim churchgoers after the service.

At Notre Dame cathedral in the French capital, Dalil Boubakeur, the rector of the Mosque of Paris, said repeatedly that Muslims want to live in peace. Boubakeur, in a fraternal nod to the Catholic Church, said he was addressing "Urbi et Orbi" — a Latin blessing long identified with the pope and meaning "to the city and the world."

France and Italy are both increasing their supervision of mosques after the spate of jihadi attacks, including Tuesday's attack in Franceand the July 14 atrocity in Nice in which a Muslim truck driver plowed through a crowd of revelers, killing 84 people. Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS)group.
Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told the Senate this week that authorities were scrutinizing mosque financing and working with the Islamic community to ensure that imams study in Italy, preach in Italian and are aware of Italy's legal structuring.

The Paris prosecutor's office, meanwhile, said a cousin of one of the two 19-year-olds who killed the priest faces preliminary charges of participating in "a terrorist association with the aim of harming others."
The 30-year-old Frenchman, identified as Farid K., "knew very well, if not of the exact place or time, of his cousin's impending plans for violence," the office said in a statement.
In a related development, the prosecutor's office said a man identified as Jean-Philippe Steven J. faces preliminary charges connected to an attempt to reach Syria last month with one of the two French priest's killers.

Notes:
Satter reported from Paris. Colleen Barry contributed from Milan.An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of the imam of the Vobarno mosque. It is Ahmed El Balazi, not Balzai.

Muslims attending Catholic Mass in France and Italy

A few years ago, I made a risky prediction about how the evil actions of Islamic terrorists particularly ISIS (the Islamic State), might accomplish what the failed midievil Crusades were unable to accomplish. 

Indeed, I predicted (without any qualifications) just with my gut feelings, that the evil perpetraated by the ISIS would turn Muslims against Islamic extremists. Mind you, I'm certainly not predicting mass religious conversions. That's highly unlikely. Rather, I'm predicting an openess by Muslims to learning about Christianity. Maybe my prediction is gaining some credibility.

Muslims pray with Catholics over French priest's murder.

Muslims attend mass around France in solidarity after brutal killing of Father Jacques Hamel in the evil ISIL-linked attack.

The New York Times reports: EUROPE

Muslims Go to Catholic Mass
in France, Italy for Solidarity
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
July 31, 2016  Rouen, France: Muslims in France and Italy flocked to Catholic Mass on Sunday.  

ROUEN, France — Muslims in France and Italy flocked to Catholic Mass on Sunday, 

a gesture of interfaith solidarity following a drumbeat of 

jihadi attacks that threatens to deepen religious divisions across Europe.

From the towering Gothic cathedral in Rouen, only a few miles 

from where 85-year-old Rev. Jacques Hamel was killed Tuesday 

by two Muslim fanatics, to Paris' iconic Notre Dame, where the rector of the Mosque of Paris invoked a papal benediction in Latin, many churchgoers were cheered by the Muslims in their midst.

Interviewed outside the cathedral in Rouen, Jacqueline Prevot called it "a magnificent gesture."

"Look at this whole Muslim community that attended Mass," she said. "I find this very heartwarming."

French television broadcast scenes of interfaith solidarity from all around France, with Muslim women in headscarves and Jewish men in kippot crowding the front rows of Catholic cathedrals in Lille, Calais or the Basilica of St. Denis, the traditional resting place of French royalty.

There were similar scenes in Italy, where the head of Italy's Union of Islamic communities — Izzedin Elzir — called on his colleagues to "take this historic moment to transform tragedy into a moment of dialogue." 

The secretary general of the country's Islamic Confederation, Abdullah Cozzolino spoke at the Treasure of St. Gennaro chapel; three imams also attended Mass at the St. Maria Church in Rome's Trastevere neighborhood, donning their traditional dress as they entered the sanctuary and sat down in the front row.

Ahmed El Balazi, the imam of the Vobarno mosque in Italy's Lombard province of Brescia, said he did not fear repercussions for speaking out.

"These people are tainting our religion and it is terrible to know that many people consider all Muslim terrorists. That is not the case," El Balazi said. "Religion is one thing. Another is the behavior of Muslims who don't represent us."

Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni thanked Italian Muslims for their participation, saying they "are showing their communities the way of courage against fundamentalism."

Among the parishioners in Rouen was a nun who survived Tuesday's siege in nearby Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray , which began when two 19-year-old attackers stormed a stone church and killed Hamel as he celebrated morning Mass. She joined her fellow Catholics in turning to shake hands or embrace the Muslim churchgoers after the service.

At Notre Dame cathedral in the French capital, Dalil Boubakeur, the rector of the Mosque of Paris, said repeatedly that Muslims want to live in peace. Boubakeur, in a fraternal nod to the Catholic Church, said he was addressing "Urbi et Orbi" — a Latin blessing long identified with the pope and meaning "to the city and the world."

France and Italy are both increasing their supervision of mosques after the spate of jihadi attacks, including Tuesday's attack in Franceand the July 14 atrocity in Nice in which a Muslim truck driver plowed through a crowd of revelers, killing 84 people. Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS)group.

Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told the Senate this week that authorities were scrutinizing mosque financing and working with the Islamic community to ensure that imams study in Italy, preach in Italian and are aware of Italy's legal structuring.

The Paris prosecutor's office, meanwhile, said a cousin of one of the two 19-year-olds who killed the priest faces preliminary charges of participating in "a terrorist association with the aim of harming others."

The 30-year-old Frenchman, identified as Farid K., "knew very well, if not of the exact place or time, of his cousin's impending plans for violence," the office said in a statement.

In a related development, the prosecutor's office said a man identified as Jean-Philippe Steven J. faces preliminary charges connected to an attempt to reach Syria last month with one of the two French priest's killers.

Notes:

Satter reported from Paris. Colleen Barry contributed from Milan.An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of the imam of the Vobarno mosque. It is Ahmed El Balazi, not Balzai.

Keep the momentum going- Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine

A preliminary post Democratic Convention poll shows some encouraging election news for the Clinton-Kaine presidential team. Apparently, initial polling shows a post convention spike.

Here are the reasons I believe the Hillary Clinton and Senator Tim Kaine Convention in Philadelphia worked:

I love this Hillary 2016 Philadelphia Convention photograph

1.  Communiations were expertly coordinated. It was a beautiful convention.

2.  Michelle Obama's "First Lady Speech" on Tuesday night set a unifying tone for the convention. I'm not sure if her exquisite speech had a title, or not, but in my mind it was her "Proof of Greatness" speech.

3.  Although not reported so much, those compelling presentations from the public, the messages from individuals who spoke about being immigrants, were exceptional and, in the aggragate, they had a positive impact.

4.  Rather than base the Democratic convention on a  focused "anti_Trump" theme, the messaging demonstrated a bright alternative.

5.  A politically star studded line up of Democrats, Republicans and the Independent Michael Bloomberg drew attention. Regardless of a person's political (or non-political) persuasion, the Philadelphia Convention provided something to hear, for everyone.

6.  Hillary Clinton's family - President Clinton '42 and her daughter Chelsea Clinton, were believable. They are familiar to Americans and they lived up to our expectations about them. Contrast their believability with the glitzy Trump family, the Clinton's have human qualities, flaws and all, rather than "made for TV".

7.  Democrats took political risks.  For example:

• Michelle Obama raised the word "slaves"; 
• Mr. and Mrs. Khizr Kahn proudly represented their Muslim and Islam heritages; 
• Mayor Michael Bloomberg raised the concept of Donald Trump's mental stability, by calling for support of a "sane" presidential candidate
• Democrats reached out with an invitation to Republicans to join in the 2016 support for Hillary Clinton
• Mothers of the Movement took on the National Rifle Association
• Invoking iconic Republicans: President Barack Obama invoked the name of President Ronald Reagan and Admiral Hutson praised Senator John McCain- opening the "big tent" political concept to embrace American Republican icons.

8.  Debbie Wassereman Schultz stepped aside as the DNC chair, to minimize obvious and distracting internal power stuggles.

9.  There were absolutely no controversial negative speeches!

10.  Although the "friendly fire" Democratic protestors were vocal, there were no overt clashes to silence them, thereby eliminating the visuals reminiscent of the 1968 fiasco, still a brutal memory in political history.

Congratulations to everyone who worked very hard to create a magnificent 2016, Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Now, on to  a Hillary/Kaine victory in November!

Thank you Democrats! We're looking for a "huge" victory.

Roger Ailes and the Cleveland disaster RNC

In yet another political soap opera, segues for "As the Trump Turns", it seems incredulous to believe that the Fox News recent "has been", Roger Ailes, could have had anything to do with producing the disasterous Republican National Convention (RNC), in Cleveland.  The serial of misteps didn't carry his imprimateur. Proabably, Ailes was too busy trying to find a lawyer he could afford to defend him against sexual harassment charges by female FoxNews reporters.  Nevertheless, even without Ailes micro-managing the script, the Trump convention produced an unexpected bump in the political popularity polls, although I notice none of the reports gave the surveys' margins of error.  

Therefore, I suspect the polls were newsworthy, but hardly trustworthy. How could such an immature production possibly put Turmpty-Dumpty together again?  Yikes! Well, not so fast. It's possible, as Ailes goes, so goes Trump.

David Remnick, writing for the August 1st, The New Yorker, writes a brutal analysis about the Chaos in Cleveland:

The Donald Trump and Roger Ailes Nexus- by David Remnick

Roger Ailes- Donald Trump axis - from The New Yorker

ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL

In fact (I agree), "The G.O.P.’s Convention was like a 4-day Fox News fest, full of fearmongering, demagoguery, xenophobia, pandering, and raw anger", writes Remnick.

Roger Ailes, the impresario of reactionary populism and in many ways the ideological godfather of the current Republican nominee for President, grew up in the industrial town of Warren, Ohio, and began his career first as a cue-card holder and then as a producer for “The Mike Douglas Show.” 

Fascinated by the persuasive properties of television, Ailes studied not only American programming but also the films of Leni Riefenstahl. In January, 1968, when Richard Nixon appeared on the show, with hopes of reviving his national political career, Ailes saw his own path to power. Even then a person of gargantuan self-regard, Ailes informed Nixon that he was in need of a “media adviser.”

“What’s a media adviser?” Nixon asked.

“I am,” Ailes replied.

According to Gabriel Sherman’s deeply reported book “The Loudest Voice in the Room,” Ailes determined that politicians could not risk losing voters in thickets of complication and prescription; they had to speak the language of “kickers”—evocative descriptive phrases—and constantly repeat them. He eventually became Nixon’s consigliere for television.

In August of 1968, Ailes made his way to Miami Beach to watch Nixon complete his return from political Elba and accept the Republican Party’s Presidential nomination. 

Nixon delivered a speech intended to heighten the fears of the delegates in the arena and of the “forgotten” majority of Americans at home—“the non-shouters, the non-demonstrators,” the “decent people,” who worked and saved and paid their taxes. His speech, pitched largely to white working-class voters anxious about law and order, was meant to make them even more anxious, more resentful, more tribal; his images and phrases presaged not only the rhetoric of Roger Ailes but also the unlikely rise of Donald J. Trump. “We see cities enveloped in smoke and flame,” Nixon said.

We hear sirens in the night. We see Americans dying on distant battlefields abroad. We see Americans hating each other; fighting each other; killing each other at home. And as we see and hear these things, millions of Americans cry out in anguish: Did we come all this way for this? Did American boys die in Normandy, and Korea, and in Valley Forge for this?

Ailes went on to advise Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Rudolph Giuliani. Even more important, for the past twenty years Ailes has been the chief of the most influential institution for American conservatism: Fox News. The network, with the financial backing of Rupert Murdoch, was never merely a right-inflected “alternative.” It was from the start a reflection of Ailes—his swaggering personality, his resentments and furies, his misogyny and ethnic prejudices, his quest for personal power. At each stage of his career, he has helped amplify the reactionary memes of the moment: Willie Horton, Whitewater, Travelgate, Monica Lewinsky, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Benghazi, “the war on Christmas.” Ailes also helped weaponize the language of casual racism in the Obama era. When one of his hosts, Glenn Beck, declared on the air that the President had a “deep-seated hatred for white people,” Ailes hardly reprimanded him. “I think he’s right,” Ailes said.

The Ailes-Trump relationship has been turbulent, roiled by the differences of large narcissisms—two immense egos competing for the same ideological berth. Last year, Trump moodily boycotted Ailes’s network, complaining that Megyn Kelly, as a debate moderator, had unreasonably quoted back to him some of his most memorable descriptions of half of humanity: “fat pigs,” “slobs,” “disgusting animals.” Nevertheless, Trump, who admits that he reads almost nothing and gets his information from “the shows,” adopted Fox rhetoric, Fox fury, and Fox standards of truth and falsehood, all with a dollop of Trumpian nativist flair. The Republican Convention in Cleveland last week was like a four-day-long Fox-fest, full of fearmongering, demagoguery, xenophobia, third-rate show biz, pandering, and raw anger. By comparison, Nixon in ’68 was Adlai Stevenson murmuring sonnets at a library luncheon.

For the unconverted, the Convention was a disaster that will not likely broaden Trump’s appeal. Every night seemed to bring a new serving of fresh hell: Melania Trump’s Michelle Obama imitation, Rudy Giuliani’s Father Coughlin imitation, Ted Cruz’s sententious revenge, the chants of “Lock Her Up!,” the buttons reading “Life’s a Bitch, Don’t Vote for One.” The antic quality of those sessions brought to mind less the savvy maneuverings perfected by Ailes than the stateroom scene in “A Night at the Opera,” but without the hard-boiled eggs.

Still, Ailes could take paternal pride in Trump’s acceptance speech. The nominee began with a phrase about “generosity and warmth” (barked, it’s true, as if some kind of threat), but—untethered to statistics or facts, and with his inner volume dialled past eleven—Trump went on to portray a country facing a Clinton legacy of “death, destruction, and weakness,” a nation of lawless immigrants roaming cities and towns, “chaos” in the streets, radical Islamic terrorists opposed by nothing but a pusillanimous government and its popgun military.

Because Trump was reading a script, there were no astonishments—no Mexican “rapists” or blood “coming out of her wherever.” Instead, we learned of an America blanketed in smoke and flame, a vision of fear meted out in countless kickers. 

And, just as Ailes may have counselled, there was no attempt at building a nuanced case or offering realistic solutions. There was only the assurance that Trump was the panacea. Give him power and everything will change magically and “fast.”

What heightened the drama was that, just hours before, Ailes’s long career had come to an ignominious end, amid multiple accusations of sexual harassment. Rupert Murdoch had long resisted the anti-Ailes protests of his sons, Lachlan and James, who have been embarrassed by Fox News. They believed that they could modify the network’s tone, but their father remained in the thrall of Ailes and of the bounteous profits he seemed to guarantee. Gretchen Carlson’s brave decision to sue Ailes and testify to his lurid, exploitative behavior—and the testimony from other women which followed—made it impossible for Murdoch to keep him around.

The reckoning was long overdue. Ailes’s most ominous political spawn, however, has so far evaded accountability. Ivanka Trump introduced her father by reminding the Convention of the tremendous “sacrifice” he had made to take a leave from his business to run for office. Now, having conquered “the party of Lincoln,” the most dangerous candidate for the White House in generations is hoping to win on a platform of paranoia. We hear sirens in the night. ♦



David Remnick has been editor of The New Yorker since 1998 and a staff writer since 1992.  This article appears in other versions of the August 1, 2016, issue, with the headline “Sirens in the Night.”

Patriotic Muslims woke up Americans and Republicans

Donald Trump, you have sacrificed nothing!- Khizr Khan

It's generally something unexpected that will throw a political campaign, one way or another. At the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia, that surprise occasion was the speech by a grieving Muslim immigrant father and mother who challenged Donald Trump's patriotism.  It's being called the moment that stunned America, because it was so unexpected.

Capt. Humayun Khan, 27, died in 2004 after a vehicle packed with an improvised explosive device drove into the gate of his compound while he was inspecting soldiers on guard duty. New York Daily News
It's the Seven Minutes everyone is talking about.  

He walked onto the convention stage Thursday night with his wife beside him, the Constitution to guide him and the pride of a father who knows he has a story to tell.  “Tonight,” said Khizr M. Khan, “we are honored to stand here as the parents of Capt. Humayun Khan, and as patriotic American Muslims with undivided loyalty to our country.”

That was the beginning of a 7-minute speech that became an instant sensation—eloquent, emotional and notably original, coming as it did at the end of four days of highly processed political cliche. Khan, a 66-year-old immigration lawyer from Charlottesville, told the story of his son’s death in combat in Iraq, but he turned that elegy into a viral rebuke of Donald Trump: “You have sacrificed nothing!”

And Khan delivered his broadside without using the teleprompter. There was nothing to put on it, because he had written nothing down.

His speech, delivered in prime-time just before Chelsea Clinton, was practiced “in my head and in my mind” and “spoken from the heart,” Khan told POLITICO.

The story of how Khan, who is not even a registered Democrat, came to be standing on a stage where Hillary Clinton would moments later accept the nomination for president, began on June 8, 2004, the day his son was killed by a car bomber in Baqubah.
In 2005, Khan talked about his late son to the Washington Post. 

He recounted the family’s journey from Pakistan to the United Arab Emirates, and from there to Boston, where Khan completed his L.L.M at Harvard University. The family moved to Maryland in time for Humayun to go to high school. Even back then, Khan told the Post, Humayun “was the middle one, the comforter, the one the cousins would run to when they were being picked on. He gave swimming lessons to disabled children in high school.”

This sense of responsibility for others showed up again when Humayun joined the Army after graduating from high school. Humayun finished his four years of service and was preparing for law school at the University of Virginia when the Army called on him to serve in Iraq. He died there, four months after his arrival, while protecting his unit from a car that was speeding toward his men. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his courage.

Khan didn’t given another interview about his son for a decade, until Donald Trump, who had risen to the top of the pack of GOP candidates, called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States. Muslim families like the Khans.

A reporter from Vocativ called Khan and asked him to retell his son’s story in light of the Republican frontrunner’s comments. “Muslims are American, Muslims are citizens…we are proud American citizens. It’s the values [of this country] that brought us here, not our religion. Trump’s position on these issues do not represent those values,” Khan said.

A few days after the article was published, Khan received a call from a member of the Hillary Clinton campaign. The staffer asked him if Hillary Clinton could use his remarks, exactly as written in the interview he had given Vocativ, in a tribute to his son.

“I said ‘Yes, of course.’”

In Minneapolis in December 2015, Hillary Clinton gave a moving tribute to Humayun Khan, who was one of 14 American Muslims who died serving the United States in the 10 years after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Clinton narrated the soldier’s story through his father’s words: “’We still wonder what made him take those 10 steps,’ Khan’s father said…. ‘Maybe that’s the point where all the values, all the service to country, all the things he learned in this country kicked in. It was those values that made him take those 10 steps. Those 10 steps told us we did not make [a] mistake in moving to this country,’ his father finished.”

Later, the Clinton campaign contacted Mr. Khan again and asked if he would be willing to let them use the same tribute during the Democratic convention. Once again, he answered "Yes, of course."

Then they called again: Would you and your wife, Ghazala, be willing to appear on stage after the tribute? The campaign thought it would send a strong message of support for the candidate. He didn’t hesitate.

The fourth time they called they asked: “Would you like to say something at the convention?”

Khan knew this was unusual honor. In an interview he gave the San Francisco Chronicle two days before his speech, he said, “Nowhere but in the United States is it possible that an immigrant who came to the country empty-handed only a few years ago gets to stand in front of patriots and in front of a major political party. ... It is my small share to show the world, by standing there, the goodness of America.”

The Clinton campaign offered to put him in contact with a speechwriter. He declined. He knew what he wanted to say. He practiced at home with his family, leaning on 40 years of experience as an attorney that taught him “how to control my thoughts, my emotions and my message.”

On the day of the speech, he grabbed his worn copy of the Constitution and slipped it in his jacket pocket. He carries it regularly, especially when he travels. “It’s my favorite document. I wanted to use it because I wanted to highlight the protections that immigrants have in this country.”

Walking on stage he knew the pocket-sized book was going to come out of his pocket before the evening was done.

“The main purpose of my speech was to bring awareness about the constitutional protections that each citizen of the United States enjoys and to try to prevent the scare that immigrant communities are feeling about the misinformation that one candidate had been pandering. So the effort was to put these worried minds at ease by asking that question: ‘Have you read the constitution?’ ”

In the minute after he finished at 9:18 p.m., observers noted a spike in people searching Google for "register to vote." Andrew Sullivan of New York magazine called the speech “the fulcrum of this election.” Friday morning, as the Khans made their way home to Virginia, people stood in line in the Acela Club waiting room in Philadelphia to shake Khan's hand.

He sounded tired as he spoke to POLITICO by phone. “I’m a little overwhelmed by all the well-wishers.”

Asked if he thought he had accomplished what he had hoped with the speech, Khan responded, “I will continue to work on it, one step at a time.”

Wouldn't it be just amazing if the Muslims, the people that the crazy Donald Trump has obsessed about marginalizing and deporting, would be the very group that turned the election to the Democrats? I think Mr. and Mrs. Khan did just that. Thank you both and praise for your martyred military heroic son, who gave all he had for our nation.

Improved backgound checks are essential prior to gun ownership

They do background checks for employment, don't they?

A successfully growing movement is finally going to the ballot initiative "referendum" status as Maine builds momentum to require stronger background checks prior to the purchase of guns.

Mothers of the Movement to stop gun violence, at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia PA

As evidenced by the emotionally moving mothers' presentations at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia, this worthy effort should not be necessary, but it appears to be the only way for private citizens to overcome Republican ownership by the National Rifle Association.

Democrats paid tribute to the victims of the June gun attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, and to the 2012 shootings of children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

Effort to require background checks for Maine private gun sales gets big donation

A Seattle-based entrepreneur contributes $125,000 to supporters of the referendum effort, reports The Portland Press Herald.

AUGUSTA, Maine — The group backing a statewide ballot effort to require background checks for private gun sales received a large donation from an out-of-state donor, according to the latest campaign finance reports released this week.

The $125,000 donation from Seattle-based entrepreneur Nicolas Hanauer to the Mainers for Responsible Gun Ownership brought the campaign’s total contributions to more than $2.3 million. The group also received $25,000 from Maine author Stephen King, according to the report from the period ending July 19.

As of Tuesday, opponents of the background checks raised just over $40,000, most of it donated by the National Rifle Association.

Of the five referendum questions going to Maine voters in November, the gun control question has, by far, attracted the most contributions, finance reports show.

The pro-background checks group had $432,886 on hand at the end of the reporting period, having already spent heavily on TV advertising to run this fall, as well as consultants, polling and staff. The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action was reporting $335 cash on hand.

The Seattle-based donor, Hanauer, is a businessman and venture capitalist who was one of the first investors in Web retail giant Amazon. Hanauer was also among a trio of billionaires, including Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, who helped bankroll a similar ballot question in Washington state that was approved in 2014. 

In the Washington campaign, background check supporters raised more than $10 million compared to the NRA-backed opponent campaign’s $600,000.

Hanauer also backs raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Other significant donors listed in previous campaign finance reports include a group backed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, which donated $1.7 million in May.

The campaign also has collected small donations of $100 to $500 from Maine residents. Among them is former Lewiston Mayor Larry Gilbert Sr., who donated $100, retired U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine Paula Silsby, who gave $500, and outgoing state Senate Minority Leader Justin Alfond, D-Portland, who gave $250.

The latest finance report was filed this week with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices.

The background check question – “Do you want to change Maine law to require background checks prior to the transfer of firearms between individuals, with some exceptions for certain circumstances?” – will appear third of the five on the state ballot in November. (I don't know why there must be a caveat in this question, but I suppose it was necessary to help mitigate opposition.)

It certainly seems evident to me that improved background checks are a small but essential step to pushing back on the horrible loss of life related to preventable gun violence in America. It's too bad this effort must be decided in referenda, rather than by the elected public officials (Congress!) who we Americans pay to protect the public.

Why do people believe Donald Trump?

I have no idea how right wing voters, especially women, can support Donald Trump when he's a demonstrated incompetent political wannabee. I can only surmise that these misguided people must have a genetic deficit that prevents them from understanding when a lie is a lie. Nevertheless, they vote.

They believe Donald Trump.

As Governor Jennifer Granholm says, "Donald Trump, I bet you think this song is about you...." But her tongue in cheek comment was to ridicule Trump's consistent obsession with himself.

"Most people, when they run for president, they don’t just say ‘believe me'"- Senator Tim Kaine. Trump is a pathological liar.

"...does anybody in this massive auditorium believe that Donald Trump has been paying his fair share of taxes?"-SenatorTim Kaine of Virginia.  (Donald Trump alert! "Virginia" ! 100 x's on the chaulk board.)


Just heard a "man on the street" sound bite on NBC Nightly News, where a Republican "Joe Six Pack" stereotype voter (a real person) said his "take away" from President Obama's rousing Democratic National Committee (DNC) speech was to scare Republicans, so they wouldn't vote for Donald Trump.  

In other words, the person who was interviewed said, in spite of a loving endorsement, that he didn't believe President Obama, who made a magnificent case for electing Hillary Clinton to succeed him in the White House.

Nevertheless, the "man on the street" didn't seem convinced to change his opinion, in spite of the inspiring endorsement.

Will "Joe Six Pack" voters put Donald "Trumpy-Dumpty" (builder of the hateful wall) in the White House? 

Unbelievably, for unexplained reasons, these vulnerable, nearly all white, voters believe "Putin-hugger" Trump, rather than Secretary Clinton, without regard for the preponderance of the evidence in support of a litany of Trumping lies. They are not creating their opinion based on facts but, rather, on latent emotions of unknown origins. In other words, Trumponians quickly believe lies because they obviously don't care about truth. 

In my opinion, "Joe six pack" voters believe Donald Trump because they fall victim to the psychological phenomenon known as "The Big Lie". In other words, like the Nazi Hermann Göringfigured out, people will believe a lie, even when they know it's not true, because they hear it too often.

Clearly, Trumpy-Dumpty voters have made unwarranted assumptions about Secretary Clinton, because Republicans continue to tell Big Lies about her.

In my opinion, Senaror Tim Kaine, who is Secretary Clinton's bi-lingual Vice Presidential running mate, gave an accurate immitation, providing a preponderance evidence, describing how Donald Trump is a pathological liar.

Tim Kaine made his solo national debut as Hillary Clinton’s running mate at the Democratic national convention Wednesday, sharing his life story and sharpening his attacks on Donald Trump.

The Virginia Senator argued that Trump has not spelled out his plans, unlike Clinton, who has detailed proposals on her campaign website.

“Here’s the thing. Most people, when they run for president, they don’t just say ‘believe me,’” Kaine said, mimicking Trump. “They respect you enough to tell you how they will get things done.”

“Not Donald Trump,” he added. “He never tells you how he’s going to do any of the things he says he’s going to do. He just says, ‘believe me.’ So here’s the question. Do you really believe him? Donald Trump’s whole career says you better not.”

Read More: How Tim Kaine’s Record On Guns Helps With Women Voters

Read his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Thank you everybody. Hello, Philadelphia!

Hello Democratic families.

I want to start off by thanking my beautiful wife and my three wonderful children, Nat, Woody, and Annella. They are sitting right up there.

You Know my son, Nat, deployed with his Marine battalion just two days ago.

KAINE: He deployed overseas to protect and defend the very NATO allies that Donald Trump says he now wants to abandon.

Semper fi, Nat! Semper fi!

My parents and my in-laws are here. Our siblings and their spouses. Our nieces and nephews, and hundreds of friends from Virginia and beyond.

I love seeing you front and center. Including my friend of 37 years, senior Senator Mark Warner. My great Governor Terry McAuliffe.

And my great friend and Congressman Bobby Scott.

We love you all.

Today, for my wife Anne and every strong woman in this country, for Nat, Woody, and Annella, and every young person starting out in life to make their own dreams real, for every man and woman serving our country in the military at home or abroad, for every working family working hard to get ahead and stay ahead, for my parents and in-laws and every senior citizen who hopes for a dignified retirement with health care and research to end diseases like Alzheimer’s.

KAINE: For every American who wants our country to be a beloved community where people are not demeaned because of who they are but rather respected for their contributions to this nation, and for all of us who know that the brightest future for our country is the one that we build together, and for my friend, Hillary Clinton, I humbly accept my party’s nomination to be vice president of the United States.

Thank you.

Can I be honest with you about something? Can I be honest with you about something? I never expected to be here. But let me tell you how it happened, I was born in Minnesota and grew up in Kansas City.

My folks were not much into politics. My dad ran a union iron- working shop in the stockyards.

And my mom was his best salesman. My two brothers and I pitched in to work during summers and weekends. And, you know, that is how small family businesses do it.

My parents, Al and Kathy, here tonight and going strong, they taught me about hard work and about kindness and most especially, about faith. I went to a Jesuit boys high school, Rockhurst High School.

Wow, that’s a big line for the Jesuits.

Now we had a motto in my school, “men for others.” And it was there that my faith became something vital. My north star for orienting my life. And when I left high school, I knew that I wanted to battle for social justice.

Like so many of you. Like so many of you.

That is why I took a year off from law school to volunteer with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras. I taught kids how to be welders and carpenters. (SPEAKING SPANISH), faith, family, and work. Faith, family, and work. (SPEAKING SPANISH).

And let me tell you what really struck me there, I got a firsthand look at a different system. A dictatorship. A dictatorship where a few people at the top had all the power and everybody else got left out.

Now that convinced me that we have got to advance opportunity for everybody, no matter where you come from, how much money you have, what you look like, how you worship or who you love.

Back in 1970, in Virginia, a Republican governor named Linwood Holton believed exactly the same thing. He integrated Virginia’s public schools so that black and white kids could finally learn together. And then the family enrolled their own kids, including his daughter, Anne, in those integrated inner city schools.

Many years later Anne went off to college and she brought those lessons from that pivotal time with her. And then one day, in a study group, she met this goofy guy who had been off teaching kids in Honduras.

Well, Anne and I have now been married almost 32 years and I am the luckiest husband in the world.

You know, let me tell you something, Anne’s parents, Lin and Jinks, are here today, 90-plus and going strong.

Ninety-plus and going strong. Linwood Holton, he is still a Republican but he is voting for an awful lot of Democrats these days. An awful lot of Democrats.

And here is why, he is voting for Democrats because any party that would nominate Donald Trump for president has moved too far away from his party of Lincoln.

And I’ll tell you, if any of you are looking for that party of Lincoln, we have got a home for you right here in the Democratic Party.

Linwood’s example helped inspire me as a civil rights lawyer. Over 17 years I took on banks, landlords, real estate firms, local governments, anybody who treated anybody unfairly.

I had a six-year case against an insurance company that was discriminating against minority neighborhoods all across the United States in issuing homeowner’s insurance.

Folks, Democratic friends, these are the battles that I have fought my entire life.

And that is the story — and that is the story of how I decided to run for office. My city of Richmond was divided and discouraged in the early 1990s. We had an epidemic of gun violence that was overwhelming our low-income neighborhoods.

People were pointing fingers and casting blame instead of finding answers. And I couldn’t stand it. So I ran for city council and I won that first race more than 20 years ago by a landslide margin of 94 votes.

And I’ve said ever since, if I’m good at anything in politics, it’s because I started at the local level listening to people, learning about their lives, and trying to get results. I see a mayor here who knows what I’m talking about.

Later I became mayor of Richmond, lieutenant governor, and then the 70th governor of Virginia.

Now, I was a hard times governor. I had to steer my state through the deepest recession since the 1930s. But hey, tough times don’t last and tough people do. And can I tell you that Virginians are tough people? We are tough people.

And we are smart, too . We achieved national recognition for our work, best-managed state, best state for business, best state for a child to be raised, low unemployment, high median income.

We shed tears along the way. We shed tears especially together in the days after that horrible mass shooting at Virginia Tech that killed 32 people from beautiful 19-year-old students to 70-plus-year- old Romanian-born Holocaust survivors, and we shed tears and held each other up, but afterwards we rolled up our sleeves and we fixed the loophole in the background record check system so that we could make our commonwealth safer. And we got have to do that in the nation.

We invested in our people expanding pre-K and higher ed., because we all know in this room that education is the key to all we want to be, all we want to be.

And now I have the honor of representing my commonwealth in the U.S. Senate. I work on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees to keep us safe at home and strong in the world.

I work on the Budget Committee with our great Democratic leader of that committee, a spectacular senator who used to be a mayor, Vermont’s Bernie Sanders.

KAINE: And, everybody, we all should feel the Bern and we all should not want to get burned by the other guy.

On that Budget Committee under Bernie’s leadership, we fight for investments in education, health care, research, transportation. And I also serve on the Aging Committee to make sure that seniors like my folks have a secure retirement and don’t get targeted by rip-off artists who will scam them out of their savings or overcharge them for prescription drugs.

Can I tell you a funny thing about the Senate? Can I tell you a funny thing about the Senate?

That sounds like a yes. I spend a lot of time with Republican senators who, once they have made sure that nobody is listening, will tell you how fantastic a senator that Hillary Clinton was.

Now, look, this journey that I’ve told you about has convinced me, has convinced me over and over again that God has created in our country a beautiful and rich tapestry, an incredible cultural diversity that succeeds when we embrace everybody in love and battle back against the forces, the dark forces of division.

KAINE: We are all neighbors. And we must love neighbors as ourselves.

Now Hillary Clinton and I are companeros de alma.

And we share this basic belief, it’s simple. Do all the good you can and serve one another. Pretty simple. Pretty simple.

That is what I’m about. That is what you are about. That is what Bernie Sanders is about. That is what Joe and Jill Biden are about. That is what Barack and Michelle Obama are about. And that is what Hillary Clinton is about.

AUDIENCE: Si se puede!

KAINE: Si se puede, si se puede, si se puede.

AUDIENCE: Si se puede! Si se puede! Si se puede!

KAINE: Yes we can. Yes we can. Yes we can.

Hey, last week, last week in Cleveland we heard a lot about trust. So let’s talk about trust. Let’s talk about trust. I want to tell you why I trust Hillary Clinton.

First, she’s consistent. She has battled to put kids and families first since she was a teenager. In good times and bad. In victory and defeat. In and out of office.

Through hell or high water, fighting for underprivileged kids working at the Children’s Defense Fund. Fighting to get health insurance for 8 million low-income children when she was first lady. Fighting for the well-being of women and children around the world. Hey, can offer you a little tip? When you want to know something about the character of somebody in public life, look to see if they have a passion that began long before they were in office, and that they have consistently held it throughout their career.

Do they have a passion? Did it start before they were in office? Have they held on to it consistently? Folks, Hillary has a passion for kids and families.

Donald Trump has a passion too, it’s himself.

And with Hillary, it is not just words, it’s accomplishments. She delivers. As senator, after 9/11 I got my New Yorkers right here and my Virginians right here. She battled — she battled congressional Republicans to care for the first responders who went in to the Towers, who went in to the Pentagon and saved the victims of those terrorist attacks.

As secretary of state, she implemented tough sanctions against Iran to pave the way for a diplomatic breakthrough to curtail a nuclear weapons program. And she wasn’t afraid, she wasn’t afraid. She was not afraid to stand up against thugs and dictators, and as a key part of the Obama national security team, they decided to go to the ends of the earth to wipe out Osama bin Laden.

Hey, do you all remember Carla (ph), the little girl that we heard from on Monday night, who was worried that her parents would be deported? Carla said she trusts Hillary to keep them together.

And do you remember the Mothers of the Movement last night?

They said they trust Hillary to keep other mothers’ sons and daughters safe.

And on a personal level, as he is serving our nation abroad, I trust Hillary Clinton with our son’s life.

Now you know who I don’t trust? Hmm, I wonder. Donald Trump. Donald Trump. Trump is a guy who promises a lot but, you may have noticed, he has got a way of saying the same two words every time he makes his biggest, hugest promises.

“Believe me.” It’s going to be great, believe me. We are going to build a wall and make Mexico pay for, believe me.

We are going to destroy ISIS so fast, believe me.

There is nothing suspicious and my tax returns, believe me.

By the way, does anybody in this massive auditorium believe that Donald Trump has been paying his fair share of taxes?

AUDIENCE: No!

KAINE: Does anybody here believe that Trump ought to release his tax returns just like every other presidential candidate in modern history?

(APPLAUSE)

Of course he should. Hey, Donald, what are you hiding? And yet, Donald still says, believe me. Believe me.

Believe me? Believe me? I mean, here’s the thing, most people when they run for president, they don’t just say, believe me, they respect you enough to tell you how they will get things done.

(APPLAUSE)

I mean, that is what most people who run for president do. In fact, you can go on hillaryclinton.com right now and find out exactly how she will make the biggest investment in new jobs in a generation.

How she will defend and build on Wall Street reform. How she will reform our immigration system to create a path to citizenship. How she will make it possible to graduate from college debt-free.

You can see how she will protect Roe V. Wade, guarantee equal pay for women, and make paid family leave a reality.

(APPLAUSE)

KAINE: All it takes is one click. All it takes is one click. And we can see how she will do it, how she will pay for it, and how we will benefit by it.

Not Donald Trump. Not Donald Trump. He never tells you how he is going to do any of the things he says he will do. He just says, believe me.

So here’s the question, here’s the question, do you really believe him?

AUDIENCE: No!

KAINE: I mean, Donald Trump’s whole career says you had better not. Small contractors, companies just like my dad’s believed him, believed him when he said that he would pay them to build a casino in Atlantic City.

They do the work. They hung the drywall. They poured the concrete. But a year after opening, Trump filed for bankruptcy, he walked away with millions, and they got pennies on the dollar.

Some of them went out of business. All because they believed Donald Trump.

(BOOING)

Retirees and families in Florida, they believed Donald Trump when he said that he would build up some condos. Thousands of them. They paid their deposits but the condos, they were never built. He just pocketed their money and walked away.

They lost tens of thousands of dollars all because they believed Donald Trump. Charity after charity believed Donald Trump when he said they would contribute to them. And thousands of Trump University students believed Donald Trump when he said he would help them succeed.

They got stiffed.

He says, believe me. Well, his creditors, his contractors, his laid-off employees, and his ripped-off students did just that and they all got hurt.

Folks, you cannot believe one word that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth.

Not one word. Not one word. Not one word.

AUDIENCE: Not one word! Not one word! Not one word!

KAINE: And I will tell you, and I will tell you, to me, it just seems like our nation, it is just too great to put in the hands of a slick-talking, empty-promising, self-promoting one-man wrecking crew.

But don’t take it from me, don’t take it from me. Take it from former first lady Barbara Bush. Barbara Bush said she doesn’t know how any woman could vote for him after his offensive comments about women.

Any woman. Any woman. Or John McCain’s chief economic adviser during the ’08 race, who estimates that Donald Trump’s promises would cause America to lose 3.5 million jobs.

Or the independent analysts who found that Trump’s tax plan given to the wealthy and the biggest corporations would rack up $30 trillion in debt.

Or how about this? How about this? John Kasich, the Republican governor who had the honor of hosting the Republican Convention in Cleveland, but he wouldn’t even attend it because he thinks Donald Trump is such a moral disaster.

Or take it from the guy who co-wrote Donald Trump’s autobiography, here is what he said about Trump, quote, “lying is second nature to him.” So do you believe him?

AUDIENCE: No!

KAINE: I don’t know, how about on this side, do you guys believe him?

AUDIENCE: No!

KAINE: I mean, do you guys believe him?

AUDIENCE: No!

KAINE: Is there anyone in this building who believes him?

AUDIENCE: No!

KAINE: The next president will face many challenges, we had better elect a candidate who has proven she can be trusted with the job.

The candidate who has proven that she is ready for the job. And when I say ready, I use ready for a specific reason. When I lived in Honduras, I learned something. The best compliment that you could pay to somebody was to say that they were listo. Ready. Not inteligente, smart. Not amable, friendly. Not rico, rich. But listo, listo.

Because what listo means in Spanish is this, it means prepared, it means battle-tested, it means rock solid, up for anything, never backing down. And, friends, Hillary Clinton, she is listo!

Hillary Clinton is listo.

She is ready. She is ready, she is ready because of her faith. She is because of her heart. She is ready because of her experience. And she is ready because she knows that in America, we are stronger when we are together.

My fellow Democrats, this week we start the next chapter in our great and proud story. Thomas disclaimed all men were equal and Abigail remembered the women. Woodrow brokered the peace and Eleanor broke down the barriers. Jack told us what to ask and Lyndon answered the call.

Martin had a dream and Cesar y Dolores said si se puede. And Harvey gave his life. Bill, Bill built a bridge into the 21st Century and Barack gave us hope. And now Hillary is ready! She is ready to fight! She is ready to win! And she is ready to lead!

God bless all of you, onto victory. And thank you, Philadelphia!

Admiral John Hutson gave patriotic speech in Philadelphia

"I know... about law and order", Admiral John Hutson

Admiral John Hutson- On the 3rd night of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, retired Rear Adm. John Hutson joined a series of speakers who sought to attack Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on his foreign-policy bona fides. John Dudley Hutson is a former USNavy officer, attorney, and former Judge Advocate General of the Navy. He's the outgoing dean and president of University of New Hampshire School of Law in Concord, New Hampshire, having served since 2000.

Philadelphia was showcased to the world during the Democratic National Convention. I was particularly impressed by unexpected speeches. Short narratives, given by real people who spoke from their hearts, provided inspiring information. A speech by Admiral John Hutson is worth repeating. In fact, I must thank the rude liberal hecklers who distracted during his speech, because, in fact, unless they drew attention to Admiral Hutson, I might have missed his important message.

"Donald, you're not fit to polish John McCain's boots!"- Admiral John Hutson 

Rear Admiral John Hutson (Ret.) – 2016 DNC Speech
Good evening. 

My name is John Hutson, and unlike Donald Trump, there are two things I know an awful lot about: law and order. For 11 years, I was a law school dean. And for 30 years, I served proudly in the United States Navy, including as Judge Advocate General.

Donald Trump calls himself the “law-and-order candidate,” but he’ll violate international law. In his words, he endorses torture “at a minimum.” He’ll order our troops to commit war crimes like killing civilians. And he actually said, “You have to take out their families.” And what did he say when he was told that’s illegal? He said our troops “won’t refuse, believe me.” This morning, he personally invited Russia to hack us! That’s not law and order. That’s criminal intent!

Donald Trump would abandon our allies and let more countries get nuclear weapons. He lies about donating to our veterans and called the military I served in a “disaster.” It’s embarrassing enough that he’s the face of one of our political parties. The real disaster is what would happen if we let Donald Trump become the face of the country we love.

More than 120 Republican national-security leaders recently warned that Donald Trump would, in their words, “make America less safe.” He even mocks our POWs, like John McCain. I served in the same Navy as John McCain. I used to vote in the same party as John McCain. Donald, you’re not fit to polish John McCain’s boots!

But America, we have a better choice. Hillary Clinton is the only candidate who knows how to work with our allies and who has a specific plan to defeat ISIS. She is smart and steady. She has the experience, temperament, and spine to be a superb Commander-in-Chief. She knows what makes us the envy of the world. It’s not our abundant natural resources, our resilient economy, or even that we have the strongest military on earth. Our strength comes from who we are, our humanity. If we lose our humanity, we lose the battle and the war.

ISIS and other radical Islamic groups have no humanity. That is their weakness. Our enemy can’t defeat us militarily. Victory won’t be found on the battlefield. For them, victory is to make us more like them: people who torture, who destabilize the international order, who target innocents because they don’t look like them or don’t pray like them. Donald Trump is a walking, talking recruiting poster for terrorists. That’s not hyperbole. ISIS literally used Trump in a commercial.

You know, you can tell a lot about a person by whom they admire. Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela, Dorothy Rodham – these are Hillary Clinton’s heroes. Donald Trump admires Donald Trump and Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong-un. And of Vladimir Putin, he said, and I quote, “in terms of leadership he’s getting an ‘A.’”

I taught national security law. Praising dictators is an automatic “F” in my class. In the 2008 election, as the dean of the University of New Hampshire School of Law School, I invited each presidential candidate to talk about terrorism with me and other retired admirals and generals. Of all the candidates we met with, Hillary Clinton was by far the best prepared and most knowledgeable. She listened carefully and tested our arguments. We had more than 500 years of collective experience, and we learned from her. This was before she served as our Secretary of State. Before she brokered a cease-fire in Gaza, rallied the world to sanction Iran, advised President Obama to take out bin Laden, and restored our reputation in the world.

Anyone who’s served with the young men and women of our armed forces knows how serious it is to send them into harm’s way. When you’re a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine, you don’t get to choose your commanders. But when you’re a citizen – you have the responsibility to choose the Commander-in-Chief who will keep us safe, strong, and secure. Choose Hillary.

Thank you Admiral Hutson.

Donald Trump mental health assessment - he needs a medical evaluation

"...marked another bizarre moment..." TheWashington Post

"These signs and symptoms may be observed by others..." 

Donald Trump instablity quotes at this link.

As a registered nurse, I'm qualified to report on paients' symptoms. In my opinion, Donald Trump exhibits many symptoms indicating an unstable personality. As a Registered Nurse, I'm ethically bound to refer Donald Trump to a psychiatrist, a medical professional, to follow through with a mental health competency exam.

Narcissistic personality disorder

It makes no sense for right wing Republicans to vote for a political leader who wears an American flag in his lapel but who calls for our nation's adversary, President Vladimir Putin, to hack a US citizens email.  Donald Trump made this personal request today because, like a child who can't get his own way, decides to embarass his parents in public. This is certainly immature behavior and another symptom of Donald Trump's emotional and behavioral instability.

Donald Trump was unpatrioitic and perhaps seditious when he called upon Russia to hack an American citizen's email!

DORAL, Fla. — Donald J. Trump said on Wednesday that he hoped Russian intelligence services had successfully hacked Hillary Clinton’s email, and encouraged them to publish whatever they may have stolen, essentially urging a foreign adversary to conduct cyberespionage against a former secretary of state.

“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Mr. Trump said during a news conference here in an apparent reference to Mrs. Clinton’s deleted emails. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”

Mr. Trump’s call marked another bizarre moment in the mystery of whether Vladimir V. Putin’s government has been seeking to influence the United States’ presidential race.

Here are a few more symptoms:

1.  Immature behavior - making fun of a jounralist who has a disability.  This is bully behavior used by weak people who use the vulnerabilities of others to build the illusion of having power.

2.  Using multiple personalities- there is an illness now called http://www.healthyplace.com/abuse/dissociative-identity-disorder/dissociative-identity-disorder-did-dsm-5-criteria/

Dissociative Identity  Disorder (aka "DID") formerly known as multiple personality disorder. Two or more distinct identities or personality states are present, each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to and thinking about the environment and self.

According to the DSM-5, personality states may be seen as an "experience of possession." These states "involve(s) marked discontinuity in sense of self and sense of agency, accompanied by related alterations in affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and/or sensory-motor functioning. These signs and symptoms may be observed by others or reported by the individual." 

3.  Narcissism - Donald Trump refers to himself everytime he speaks. Narcissistic Personality Disorder 

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. 

But behind this mask of ultraconfidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism.

A narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, work, school or financial affairs. You may be generally unhappy and disappointed when you're not given the special favors or admiration you believe you deserve. Others may not enjoy being around you, and you may find your relationships unfulfilling.

Narcissistic personality disorder treatment is centered around talk therapy (psychotherapy).

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has called attention to Donald Trump's mental instability because of his observations made about the erratic behaviors.

Today at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Mayor Michael Bloomberg finally called for somebody to pay attention to Donald Trump's instable mental health.  As a registered nurse, I recommend a mental health evaluation for Donald Trump. Americans deserve to know if you are sane or not.

Evil ISIS found an innocent victim in a peaceful Normandy French priest

"It was a horror", in France, God Bless Father Jacques Hamel, may he rest in peace with the Lord.
This senseless murder of an innocent elderly French priest in Normandy by evil ISIS is the ultimate act of cowardice.  In fact, evil ISIS has lifted the soul of Father Jacques Hamel to heaven and he is now a saintly martyr. Nevertheless, the evil perpetrated by this useless murder of a holy man has continued to strengthen the resolve of innocent people who must stand against terrorism.

I prayfor the soul of Father Jacques Hamel.

The Guardian reports:
France was plunged into profound horror and shock for the second time in 12 days when two men slit the throat of a priest as he was celebrating mass in a Normandy church on Tuesday morning.

A nun who witnessed the murder described how the men forced Father Jacques Hamel to his knees before killing him and filmed themselves preaching in Arabic by the altar. They also tried to cut the throat of a parishioner, leaving him for dead.

Father Jacques Hamel: 'A good priest … who did his job to the very end'

The gruesome attack took place less than two weeks after a Tunisian man drove at high speed into a Bastille day crowd in the Riviera city of Nice, killing 84 people and injuring hundreds more.

Tuesday’s attack was described by the French president, François Hollande, as an act of terrorism carried out by two followers of Islamic State. The two men were shot dead by police as they came out of the church.

Sister Danielle was in the church at Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen, at 9.43am local time during morning mass, when the men entered and took five hostages: the priest, two nuns and two parishioners.

She fled as they killed Hamel, 85. “Everyone was shouting ‘stop, stop you don’t know what you’re doing’. They forced him to his knees; he wanted to defend himself and that’s when the drama began,” she said.

Sister Danielle said she had run out of the church while the men cut the priest’s throat. Investigators said the assailants also tried to slit the throat of the other victim, who was described as being seriously injured and between life and death.

She told BFMTV, a TV news channel, that the two men filmed their attack. “They didn’t see me leave. They were busy occupied with their knives … and they were filming it. They filmed themselves preaching in Arabic in front of the altar. It was a horror. Jacques was an extraordinary priest. He was a great man, Father Jacques.”

French police and rapid intervention forces were quickly at the scene. One person has been detained in the investigation into the attack, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.

On Tuesday evening, Paris prosecutor, François Molins, said one of the attackers had been identified as Adel Kermiche, 19, who had tried several times to travel to Syria using the passports of family members. Relatives had reported his disappearance to the authorities.

Kermiche disappeared the first time in March 2015, but was picked up by the German authorities and accused of trying to get to Syria using his brother’s passport. He was returned to France, but was given conditional parole awaiting trial. He disappeared two months later trying to enter Syria from Turkey using his cousin’s identity papers. Sent back again to France he was put under official investigation in May 2015, but released on 18 March 2016 on certain conditions including being fitted with an electronic tag allowing authorities to monitor his movements, to live at his parents’ home and to only go out between 8.30am and 12.30pm.

Molins said the two men had cried Allahu Akhbar (God is Great) as they left the church with three of the hostages. One man had a fake suicide belt made of aluminium and three knives, the other was carrying a backpack made to look like a bomb and a kitchen timer.

Molins said police had tried to negotiate with the two men through a “small window opening on to the sacristie”. The prosecutor adde that police had tried to enter the church and end the siege, but the two men had placed three of their hostages as a human shield.

Hollande, speaking after he arrived in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, described the incident as “a vile terrorist attack” by two supporters of Isis. The group, which claimed responsibility via its affiliated Amaq news agency, “has declared war on us,” Hollande said, adding that it was a war France would have to fight by remaining united.

On Tuesday afternoon, police carried out raids on a house near the church where one of the attackers was reported to live with his parents.

Pierre Henry Brandet, an interior ministry spokesman, said the church was rapidly surrounded by France’s anti-gang police (Brigade de Recherche et d’Intervention, or BRI) who shot the attackers as they came out.

Hollande met members of the brigade, who wore black balaclavas to mask their identities, and praised them for the speed of their intervention, which he said “prevented a much higher toll and saved the lives of hostages … I have met with the family of the priest and I have spoken to the people kept hostage who expressed their pain and sadness as well as a wish to comprehend what has happened.”

The prime minister, Manuel Valls, said the “barbaric” attack was a blow to the Catholic community and the whole of France.

The murdered priest had worked in the parish for more than 10 years. He should have retired at 75 but wanted to continue serving the church and community, local residents said. Federico Lombardi, spokesman for the Vatican, said Pope Francis “shares the pain and horror of this absurd violence” adding that the attack created “immense pain and worry”.

Francis issued “the most severe condemnation of all forms of hatred” and said he was appalled “because this horrific violence took place in a church, a sacred place” and involved the “barbaric” killing of a priest.

A woman who worshipped at the church described Hamel as “a man who fulfilled his role to the end. He was elderly but was always available for whoever. He was a good priest … He has been here for a long time and many parishioners knew him well. He lived in the rectory at Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray.”

Father Philippe Maheut, vicar general of the Rouen diocese, said everyone was shocked that the priest had been killed while celebrating mass. “We ask ourselves how we have arrived at this point,” he told BFMTV.

“My message would be that we have to continue to meet, to know each other, understand each other, support each other. Perhaps the death of this poor man will produce an electroshock, will be such a strong symbol that people will say we have to do something, but we have said that before.

Hervé Morin, president of the region, said: “This man was a good man, he always had a kind word for everyone. He served at this church for 30 years. Everyone is shocked. This was not just the killing of a man, it was the cutting of the throat of a priest … an act sufficiently thought out to further destabilise French society … and that’s the risk. French society is in danger.”

France remains on high alert nearly two weeks after a man ploughed a truck into a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice.

The incident was the third major attack on France in 18 months and was claimed by Isis. Two attacks in Germany claimed by Isis since then have heightened the tension in Europe.

Hollande told reporters near the scene of Tuesday’s killings: “The people of France should know that they are under threat but they are not the only country, there is Germany and others, and that their strength lies in their solidarity.”

Analysts said while the threat was everywhere, the attack marked a new stage in Isis action, demonstrating that even in a small town of 27,000 inhabitants, “even in church” the French were not safe.

After the attack in Nice, France extended a state of emergency for a further six months. The measure gives police extra powers to carry out searches and place suspects under house arrest. It was the fourth time the security measures have been extended since Isis followers staged a mass attack in Paris in November,killing 130 people in the Bataclan concert hall, the national stadium and city centre bars and restaurants.

Michelle Obama rocks at the Philadelphia DNC "I'm with her"

It's possible this DNC speech by First Lady Michelle Obama may have had the power of conviction, needed to turn the 2016 election around for Secretary - former First Lady - Hillary Rodham Clinton.

God Bless Michelle! "When they go low, we go high."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/25/politics/michelle-obama-dnc-speech/
What I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure".  Michelle Obama at DNC in Philadelphia.

Michelle Obama’s Emotional Speech at the DNC Convention

Mrs. Obama has raised the political rhetoric to an inspiring level, a grand slam.

First Lady (beautiful) Michelle Obama gave an emotional speech at the Democratic national convention Monday night, arguing for the importance of black and female role models in the White House.

“That is the story of this country, the story that has brought me to this stage tonight, the story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves,” she said. “And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women playing with their dogs on the White House lawn. And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.”

Philadelphia- Michelle Obama

Thank you all. Thank you so much. You know, it’s hard to believe that it has been eight years since I first came to this convention to talk with you about why I thought my husband should be president.

Remember how I told you about his character and convictions, his decency and his grace, the traits that we’ve seen every day that he’s served our country in the White House?

I also told you about our daughters, how they are the heart of our hearts, the center of our world. And during our time in the White House, we’ve had the joy of watching them grow from bubbly little girls into poised young women, a journey that started soon after we arrived in Washington.

OBAMA: When they set off for their first day at their new school, I will never forget that winter morning as I watched our girls, just 7 and 10 years old, pile into those black SUVs with all those big men with guns.

And I saw their little faces pressed up against the window, and the only thing I could think was, what have we done?

See, because at that moment I realized that our time in the White House would form the foundation for who they would become and how well we managed this experience could truly make or break them. That is what Barack and I think about every day as we try to guide and protect our girls through the challenges of this unusual life in the spotlight, how we urge them to ignore those who question their father’s citizenship or faith.

How we insist that the hateful language they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country.

How we explain that when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level. No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high.

With every word we utter, with every action we take, we know our kids are watching us. We as parents are their most important role models. And let me tell you, Barack and I take that same approach to our jobs as president and first lady because we know that our words and actions matter, not just to our girls, but the children across this country, kids who tell us I saw you on TV, I wrote a report on you for school.

Kids like the little black boy who looked up at my husband, his eyes wide with hope and he wondered, is my hair like yours?

And make no mistake about it, this November when we go to the polls that is what we’re deciding, not Democrat or Republican, not left or right. No, in this election and every election is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives.

And I am here tonight because in this election there is only one person who I trust with that responsibility, only one person who I believe is truly qualified to be president of the United States, and that is our friend Hillary Clinton.

That’s right.

See, I trust Hillary to lead this country because I’ve seen her lifelong devotion to our nation’s children, not just her own daughter, who she has raised to perfection…

…but every child who needs a champion, kids who take the long way to school to avoid the gangs, kids who wonder how they’ll ever afford college, kids whose parents don’t speak a word of English, but dream of a better life, kids who look to us to determine who and what they can be.

You see, Hillary has spent decades doing the relentless, thankless work to actually make a difference in their lives…

…advocating for kids with disabilities as a young lawyer, fighting for children’s health care as first lady, and for quality child care in the Senate.

And when she didn’t win the nomination eight years ago, she didn’t get angry or disillusioned.

Hillary did not pack up and go home, because as a true public servant Hillary knows that this is so much bigger than her own desires and disappointments.

So she proudly stepped up to serve our country once again as secretary of state, traveling the globe to keep our kids safe.

And look, there were plenty of moments when Hillary could have decided that this work was too hard, that the price of public service was too high, that she was tired of being picked apart for how she looks or how she talks or even how she laughs. But here’s the thing. What I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure. She never takes the easy way out. And Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life.

And when I think about the kind of president that I want for my girls and all our children, that’s what I want.

OBAMA: I want someone with the proven strength to persevere, someone who knows this job and takes it seriously, someone who understands that the issues a president faces are not black and white and cannot be boiled down to 140 characters.

Because when you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and the military in your command, you can’t make snap decisions. You can’t have a thin skin or a tendency to lash out. You need to be steady and measured and well-informed.

I want a president with a record of public service, someone whose life’s work shows our children that we don’t chase form and fortune for ourselves, we fight to give everyone a chance to succeed.

And we give back even when we’re struggling ourselves because we know that there is always someone worse off. And there but for the grace of God go I.

I want a president who will teach our children that everyone in this country matters, a president who truly believes in the vision that our Founders put forth all those years ago that we are all created equal, each a beloved part of the great American story.

And when crisis hits, we don’t turn against each other. No, we listen to each other, we lean on each other, because we are always stronger together.

And I am here tonight because I know that that is the kind of president that Hillary Clinton will be. And that’s why in this election I’m with her.

You see, Hillary understands that the president is about one thing and one thing only, it’s about leaving something better for our kids. That’s how we’ve always moved this country forward, by all of us coming together on behalf of our children, folks who volunteer to coach that team, to teach that Sunday school class, because they know it takes a village.

Heroes of every color and creed who wear the uniform and risk their lives to keep passing down those blessings of liberty, police officers and the protesters in Dallas who all desperately want to keep our children safe.

People who lined up in Orlando to donate blood because it could have been their son, their daughter in that club.

Leaders like Tim Kaine…

…who show our kids what decency and devotion look like.

Leaders like Hillary Clinton who has the guts and the grace to keep coming back and putting those cracks in that highest and hardest glass ceiling until she finally breaks through, lifting all of us along with her.

That is the story of this country, the story that has brought me to this stage tonight, the story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves.

And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women playing with their dogs on the White House lawn.

And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.

So, look, so don’t let anyone ever tell you that this country isn’t great, that somehow we need to make it great again. Because this right now is the greatest country on earth!

(CHEERS, APPLAUSE) And as my daughters prepare to set out into the world, I want a leader who is worthy of that truth, a leader who is worthy of my girls’ promise and all our kids’ promise, a leader who will be guided every day by the love and hope and impossibly big dreams that we all have for our children.

So in this election, we cannot sit back and hope that everything works out for the best. We cannot afford to be tired or frustrated or cynical. No, hear me. Between now and November, we need to do what we did eight years ago and four years ago.

We need to knock on every door, we need to get out every vote, we need to pour every last ounce of our passion and our strength and our love for this country into electing Hillary Clinton as president of the United States of America!

So let’s get to work. Thank you all and God bless.

(CHEERS, APPLAUSE)