Southern Poverty Law Center Fires Founder Morris Dees, Suggests Misconduct

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), one of the country’s most well-funded “anti-hate” organizations, announced Thursday that it has fired its founder Morris Dees, suggesting in a statement that misconduct played a role in the decision.

“Effective yesterday, Morris Dees’ employment at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) was terminated. As a civil rights organization, the SPLC is committed to ensuring that the conduct of our staff reflects the mission of the organization and the values we hope to instill in the world,” SPLC president Richard Cohen said in a statement. When one of our own fails to meet those standards, no matter his or her role in the organization, we take it seriously and must take appropriate action.”

“Today we announced a number of immediate, concrete next steps we’re taking, including bringing in an outside organization to conduct a comprehensive assessment of our internal climate and workplace practices, to ensure that our talented staff is working in the environment that they deserve – one in which all voices are heard and all staff members are respected,” he added.

According to the Montgomery Advertiser, Dees’ biography no longer appears on the Montgomery-based organization’s website. In a statement to the Associated Press, Dees said his dismissal involved a personnel issue and called the SPLC a “wonderful” organization. He said he wishes the organization luck.

Dees, a Montgomery-based lawyer, co-founded the SPLC in 1971. Tax records show in 2017 that the organization had $450 million in assets.

The development comes as observers say the organization’s credibility has eroded, in part, due to its overzealous adding of conservatives groups to its “hate list.” A recent Washington Post opinion-editorial criticized the SPLC for a series of recent “blunders,” which included its failed attempt to label House and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and author Maajid Nawaz as “extremists.”

For decades, the hate list was a golden seal of disapproval, considered nonpartisan enough to be heeded by government agencies, police departments, corporations and journalists. But in recent years, as the list has swept up an increasing number of conservative activists — mostly in the anti-LGBT, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim categories — those conservatives have been fighting back. Boykin, of the FRC, recently sent a letter to about 100 media outlets (including The Washington Post) and corporate donors on behalf of four dozen groups and individuals “who have been targeted, defamed, or otherwise harmed” by the SPLC, warning that the hate list is no longer to be trusted. Mathew Staver, chairman of the Christian legal advocacy group Liberty Counsel, told me 60 organizations are interested in suing the SPLC.

…

Along the way, the SPLC undermined its own credibility with a couple of blunders. In 2015, it apologized for listing Ben Carson as an extremist (though not on the hate list), saying the characterization was inaccurate. Then, this past June, the group paid $3.4 million to Muslim activist Maajid Nawaz and his Quilliam organization to settle a threatened lawsuit.

In addition to Nawaz, conservative pundit and Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes sued the SPLC in February, accusing the organization of “defaming” him by publishing “false, damaging and defamatory” information in an attempt to “deplatform” him.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/03/14/southern-poverty-law-center-fires-founder-morris-dees-suggests-misconduct/

Google’s Work in China Benefiting China’s Military, Top US General Says

WASHINGTON—The United States’ top general said on March 14 that the Chinese military was benefiting from the work Alphabet Inc’s Google was doing in China, where the technology giant has long sought to have a bigger presence.

“The work that Google is doing in China is indirectly benefiting the Chinese military,” Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

“We watch with great concern when industry partners work in China knowing that there is that indirect benefit,” he said. “Frankly, ‘indirect’ may be not a full characterization of the way it really is, it is more of a direct benefit to the Chinese military.”

Last year Google said it was no longer vying for a $10 billion cloud computing contract with the U.S. Defense Department, in part because the company’s new ethical guidelines do not align with the project.

In June, Google said it would not renew a contract to help the U.S. military analyze aerial drone imagery when it expires, as the company sought to defuse an internal uproar over the deal.

At the same time, Google said it has “no plans” to relaunch a search engine in China, though it is continuing to study the idea.

During the hearing, Republican Senator Josh Hawley sharply criticized the tech company, referring to it as “a supposedly American company.”

Technology companies have recently been a target of many members of the U.S. Congress, who have criticized them over a wide range of issues such as privacy, work in China and allowing foreign meddling in U.S. elections.

Lawmakers and Google employees have raised concerns that the company would comply with China’s internet censorship and surveillance policies if it re-enters the Asian nation’s search engine market.

Asked about Dunford’s comments, Google referred to previous statements.

Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai has previously said the company has invested in China for years and plans to continue to do so, but that the company also was continuing to work with the U.S. government on projects in healthcare, cybersecurity and other fields.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/googles-work-in-china-benefiting-chinas-military-top-us-general-says_2837972.html

Nearly 5000 U.S. Stores Closing Already in 2019! MASS Debt and Bankruptcy

The list continues to grow and we’re only in March. As I explained in the video, it’s not just retail. Other companies like GM closing up plants, are a factor as well. We know that while eCommerce is an issue, at only 10% of total retail sales, it’s not the bulk of what’s going on. What do you think is happening? Is this a worsening economy?

Take a look at the situation with retail in the U.S. It looks really bad, no doubt. But the car manufactures are doing the same. If a corporation can’t be profitable, it first attempts to cut costs. Fire some people, run sales, close some poor performing locations. Then if things get desperate, they file for bankruptcy. But today, it doesn’t seem to be an issue with a particular retailer. It’s a widespread issue. All over the United States, stores are closing up shop. They just can’t become profitable. Some of these stores had been in business or decades and now things have really changed.

Take Sears as an example. This company had been pervasive at every mall, even beyond the U.S. But their massive real estate budget, rising costs, and dwindling profit ate away at their bottom line. They might be safe for now, but ultimately, they will fail. A company can no longer compete in the new world, using old world strategies.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/nearly-5000-u-s-stores-closing-already-in-2019-mass-debt-and-bankruptcy/

These retailers have announced store closures in 2019

www.cnbc.com/2019/03/08/these-retailers-have-announced-store-closures-in-2019.html

General Motors Closing Ohio Plant | National News | US News

www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2019-03-06/general-motors-closing-ohio-plant

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• Global retail e-commerce market size 2014-2021 | Statista

www.statista.com/statistics/379046/worldwide-retail-e-commerce-sales/

Honda to shut UK car plant in 2022 with the loss of 3,500 jobs | Reuters

www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-honda-jobs/honda-to-shut-uk-car-plant-in-2022-with-the-loss-of-3500-jobs-idUSKCN1Q71BI

Robo-advisor | Wealthsimple

www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/investing-101/roboadvisor

Fast food restaurants are using ROBOT chefs because they can’t find enough workers

www.thesun.co.uk/tech/6625773/burger-robot-fast-food-job-automation/

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www.massmoments.org/files/assets/moments/10-29-1929/10_29_1929.jpg

>>5684297

Grade A shitbags!

Gantz threatens to kill Hamas leaders, resume targeted killings

“They [New Right] do not even need to bring Kahanists to the Knesset because they themselves are like that.”

Blue and White leader Benny Gantz warned the leaders of Hamas on Wednesday that if they attack Israel while he is prime minister the policy of "targeted killings" of Hamas leaders would return.

Speaking on a tour of the Gaza periphery together with fellow Blue and White leaders, Yair Lapid, Moshe Ya'alon, Gabi Ashkenazi, Gantz promised that there would be "zero tolerance," for firing on the Israeli south.

Gantz declared Operation Protective Edge that he commanded in Gaza success, and said it brought quiet to the south. But that after he left his post, kites and other projectiles were fired.

He also said he would insist of the return of the bodies of soldiers held by Hamas.

Gantz accused New Right co-chairman Naftali Bennett of "incitement," for statements he made.

Previously on Wednesday, Gantz and Bennett exchanged heated words regarding the government’s attitude toward Hamas.

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Gantz-Naftali-Bennett-exchange-fire-over-Hamas-583292

Graham blocks resolution calling for Mueller report to be made public

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Thursday blocked a resolution calling for special counsel Robert Mueller's report to be made public after it passed the House unanimously.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) asked for unanimous consent for the nonbinding resolution, which cleared the House 420-0, to be passed by the Senate before they leave town for a weeklong recess.

"There is no good reason, no good reason that the special counsel's report should not be made public. The American people are overwhelmingly for the report being made public. They have a right to see it. No one should stand in the way of that," Schumer said from the Senate floor.

But Graham, a close ally of Trump's who chairs the Judiciary Committee, objected after Schumer refused to amend the House-passed resolution to include a provision calling on the Justice Department (DOJ) to appoint a special counsel to investigate DOJ misconduct in the handling of the investigation into 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's email use and the Carter Page Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act applications.

Graham stressed that he supported Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and predicted that it would wrap up shortly. But he added that he had been "trying to find balance" by also supporting an investigation into Clinton-related scandals.

"Was there two systems of justice in 2016? One for the Democratic candidate and one for the Republican candidate?" Graham asked.

Under Senate rules, any one senator can try to pass or set up a vote on a bill, resolution or nomination. But, in turn, any one senator can block their request.

Schumer fired back that Graham appeared to be using a "pretext" for trying to block the Mueller resolution.

"I have absolutely no idea why a member of this body would object to this basic level of transparency whatever their concern or other issues," he said.

The House-passed resolution argues there is “overwhelming public interest” in the government releasing the contents of the high-profile report. The resolution calls on the DOJ to fully release the report to Congress and to release it to the public “except to the extent the public disclosure of any portion thereof is expressly prohibited by law.”

Attorney General William Barr was asked about releasing Mueller's report during his confirmation hearings.

Barr said he would release as much of Mueller’s findings as possible, but was careful not to commit to releasing the report in full — something that rankled Democrats who argue that the high public interest surrounding the investigation demands its release.

Under current regulations, Mueller is required to submit a final, confidential report explaining his prosecutorial decisions to the DOJ. It will be up to Barr whether to release part or any of Mueller’s findings.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/434124-graham-blocks-resolution-calling-for-mueller-report-to-be-made-public

>>5684530

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THIS

I'm not alone!

The truth is out about Israel’s lethal actions in Gaza. Will the world listen?

A UN investigation into the 2018 Gaza protests has concluded that Israeli officers and their leaders may have committed war crimes or crimes against humanity. The human rights council’s commission of inquiry found that soldiers intentionally used live ammunition against civilians, who included children, women, journalists, health workers and people with disabilities.

The figures are telling: more than 6,000 people injured by Israeli bullets, with 183 killed. Renowned human rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem and Al-Haq had already denounced this policy, with B’Tselem calling on Israeli soldiers not to follow orders to shoot civilians. The people of Palestine still wonder whether such findings will be used by the international community to implement policy aimed at ending the Israeli occupation, or whether it will be business as usual.

The killing of Palestinian civilians during 2018 is part of a long list of ongoing Israeli crimes and violations. Israel, the occupying power, often denounces any reporting on its treatment of the people of Palestine – going as far as pushing for the expulsion of the representative of Human Rights Watch and refusing UN commissions of inquiry or special rapporteurs access to the occupied territories.

Israel has long been targeting Palestinian civil society organisations and human rights activists for exposing its ongoing policies of colonisation that deny the right of the Palestinian people to be free. Sadly, if members of the international community don’t act, the results of this commission of inquiry will eventually be added to other investigations – including the recently released EU report on Israeli settlement construction – and Israel will continue to violate international law and UN resolutions through the complicity of a number of UN member states.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/51268.htm