Independence News Network

10/18/2017

Independence News Network endorses Ed Gillespie for Governor of Virginia

Independence News Network has been monitoring the words of the candidates for the Governor of Virginia. One thing became very clear in this election. The democratic challenger for Governor, Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam has used extremely negative attack ads and emotional touchstones.
An example of this is an ad where Northam uses a statement by Gillespie stating that he'd like to see abortion banned. Abortion is an extremely sensitive topic but saying you'd like to see it banned is nothing more than free speech about personal ideology and it is an ideology that cannot be converted into action due to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruling in 1973. There have been many challenges to this ruling and a number of ways to try to "get around" the ruling. Those attempts have all failed and will continue to do so. This ad is all emotion with no substance.

Another ad of Northam's has him speaking directly stating "when I was doctor, no one asked if I was a democrat or republican." He then goes on to say he would work with President of the United States Donald J. Trump (POTUS) if it benefited Virginians. There are a couple of issues with this ad. First, the Lieutenant Governor has not been a practicing doctor for some time. It is his political life that people are interested in for the position of Governor. He has been a politician for a decade and his actions and political stances during that time are what is relevant. Mr. Northam has promised to carry on failed policies of current Governor Terry McAuliffe. These policies have been rejected by the elected representative of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. His comment about working with the POTUS is a smoke screen to entice the POTUS supporters to his side. Mr. Northam has publicly stated that he thinks the POTUS is a "narcissistic maniac." The Washington Post used this as political fodder against the POTUS and used Mr. Northam's medical degree as validation. Mr. Northam is not a psychologist or a psychiatrist and is not qualified to make such a determination. He was a pediatric neurologist. Mr. Northam has used his experience as a factor in a previous ad when he stated he helped service members wounded in battle. The ad implied that he was "in country" when he was actually in Germany. It is also confusing as why the United States Army would send a pediatric neurologist to treat combat wounded military members. It is very much akin to Frank Burns of the movie and TV Show M.A.S.H.

Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam has proven to be an effective patsy of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) falling inline with nearly 100% of their policies. Virginians would not be getting a true leader to represent the Commonwealth that produced leaders such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Virginia deserves more than a puppet of the DNC. Ed Gillespie has focused more on issues and has had very few attack ads. Gillespie is focusing on the job of Governor and not what the political machine will do for him after serving the citizens of Virginia and that is why the Independence News Network is endorsing Ed Gillespie for Governor of Virginia.

09/25/2017

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-military-participation-nfl-functions

The NFL, its teams, and the players have decided to protest the National Anthem played during the presentation of the colors prior to the start of a game. Often, the colors are carried by uniformed members of the military. In addition, the military provides fly overs, man power to unfurl large flags...

09/25/2017

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-military-participation-nfl-functions

This page is for the business of Independence News Network...a news organization that is designed to produce factual information without bias.

07/05/2017

The Paris Climate Accord has an ulterior motive other than controlling global climate change. The Introduction, Article 2-Paragraph 1, Article 4-Paragraph 1, and Article 6-Paragraph 8 of the Paris Climate Accord talks about eradicating poverty as a goal of the agreement. This agreement is less about reduction of greenhouse gasses and more about the redistribution of wealth, the true aim of the agreement. While President of the United States, Donald Trump, pulled the United States out of the agreement based on the economic harm it will do to the US economy and industries, it very well could have been to prevent this redistribution of wealth. All news sources have omitted this information from their coverage of the agreement. Below are the text from the official document on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change page.

Introduction
"Emphasizing the intrinsic relationship that climate change actions, responses and impacts have with equitable access to sustainable development and eradication of poverty,"

Article 2
"1. This Agreement, in enhancing the implementation of the Convention, including its objective, aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, including by:"

Article 4
"1. In order to achieve the long-term temperature goal set out in Article 2, Parties aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, recognizing that peaking will take longer for developing country Parties, and to undertake rapid reductions thereafter in accordance with best available science, so as to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century, on the basis of equity, and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty."

Article 6
"8. Parties recognize the importance of integrated, holistic and balanced non-market approaches being available to Parties to assist in the implementation of their nationally determined contributions, in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, in a coordinated and effective manner, including through, inter alia, mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology transfer and capacity building, as appropriate. These approaches shall aim to:"

Source:http://unfccc.int/files/essential_background/convention/application/pdf/english_paris_agreement.pdf

01/19/2017

The Independence News Network invites you to take their Media Trust Survey at https://poll.fbapp.io/media-trust-survey

The media has become the story in the United States with accusations of bias, failling to report the truth, and engaging in spin tactics. This poll is designed to measure the amount of trust that the American public has in the media.

01/07/2017

Ft. Lauderdale Shooting

The Fort Lauderdale shooting highlights law enforcement and legal system failings yet again. The issues are not the weapon and ammunition being transported via checked luggage or the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Independence News Network (IndNewsNet) believes the issues are law enforcement follow through and mental health care in the United States and especially for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Fox News, Mr. Esteban Santiago went into the Anchorage FBI office just two months prior to the shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport. They handed him off to local law enforcement who took him to a local hospital for a welfare check. Per the Fox article, the FBI says that Mr. Santiago appeared agitated and incoherent. Add that to the assault charges, domestic violence, recent loss of employment, and an eviction from his home and you have all the hallmarks of a person undergoing extreme stress. The combination of the information, the total situational picture, should have led authorities to revoke, at least temporarily, Mr. Santiago’s concealed carry permit and removal of fi****ms from his possession. This is in accordance with the Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968. The FBI did investigate and local law enforcement did do the welfare check for mental health. Was there a breakdown on what to do next to ensure Mr. Santiago did not possess fi****ms? Was there a clear understanding of the threat Mr. Santiago presented? The GCA of 1968 does not require the removal for admittance for observation which may have been the case with local law enforcement. This gray area of a committal versus observation is why a temporary restraining order (TRO) should be recognized with automatic restoration if cleared by court review. A TRO would allow law enforcement flexibility without overly burdening the rights of citizens. IndNewsNet is firm supporter of the Second Amendment and the entirety of the Constitution. A TRO is a valid legal tool for mental health cases in the observation stage, domestic violence cases, and other cases where the threat is elevated. A TRO can end automatically or require court review. The weapons though are not the most significant issue in this case.

The most significant issue in this case is the mental health industry in the United States. There are too few beds and too few doctors/doctorates available. Socially there is a stigma for people seeking mental health treatment. Insurance tends to cover a limited number of visits. In Virginia, this came to a head in the Creigh Deeds incident where the facility released the son of Deeds due to a lack of space. The next day, Creigh Deeds was stabbed by his son. The son then committed su***de. The Washington Navy Yard shooter had multiple mental health red flags but fear, apathy, and lack of knowledge prevented anyone from putting all the pieces together before the shooting occurred. Charles Whitman knew something was not right with his brain in 1966 but couldn’t stop himself. An autopsy revealed a tumor in his brain. People often seek help and know something is not right. Mr. Santiago sought help at the FBI’s office in Anchorage. Law enforcement took him to a hospital. The questions to ask concerns the hospital. Was the hospital adequately able to diagnose the mental state of Mr. Santiago? Did they have psychiatrists and psychologists on call? Did they rely on only one opinion? How long was the interview with Mr. Santiago? Was only one interview conducted or multiple? The way a mental health case is approached is important. As we have seen, it could mean life or death. Finally, the mental health of veterans has been lacking for decades. It is not unique to the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Vietnam veterans were affected, Korean War veterans, World War II, World War I, Civil War, etc. have been affected. Basically, war affects the mental health of some veterans. The problem is that the mental health is not recognized in a lot of cases. Veterans are reluctant to come forward as they see it as a weakness. While in active duty, the service men and women have access to mental health providers but when they get out of the service, depending upon if they retired, left due to End of Active Service (EAS), or were discharged for some other reason, their access to mental health professionals is spotty. There is no civilian equivalent to a war environment. Veterans have to transition to society but it is not an easy process. Those with mental health issues feel the transition pains even more. The government has focused on getting jobs for veterans as well as education. They do have a limited transition process. Currently, a su***de prevention campaign has arisen within the Department of Defense. None of these efforts adequately address the special needs of a veteran suffering mental stress. The stigma of seeking help needs to be removed. Society needs to address the mental health needs of veterans.

The IndNewsNet advocates for more funding, much more funding, of mental health facilities throughout the United States and its territories. There needs to be an aggressive research approach to mental health with adequate funding. This can be government or private sector or preferable both. Mental health welfare checks should be conducted by licensed psychiatrists and psychologists. That is at least one of each for every case conducts a minimum of three interviews over several days. Academia needs to develop and include a specialty for crisis recognition for the mental health professionals. Society needs to stop stigmatizing people who seek help. Finally, the United States Congress needs to amend the Gun Control Act of 1968 to allow for a temporary restraining order for people under observation as well as the initial action before removal of the Second Amendment rights.

Resources

Ft. Lauderdale shooting suspect made confused visit to FBI, said US intelligence forced him to watch ISIS videos
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/01/06/ft-lauderdale-shooting-suspect-made-confused-visit-to-fbi-said-us-intelligence-forced-him-to-watch-isis-videos.html

Federal Law on Mental Health
http://smartgunlaws.org/gun-laws/federal-law/sales-transfers/mental-health-reporting/

Police: Son likely stabbed Va. state Sen. Creigh Deeds, shot himself
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/virginia-state-senator-injured-in-home-another-person-found-dead-inside/2013/11/19/3e419ac4-512c-11e3-9fe0-fd2ca728e67c_story.html?utm_term=.86f90ce873f7

1966:An ex-Marine goes on a killing spree at the University of Texas
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/an-ex-marine-goes-on-a-killing-spree-at-the-university-of-texas

Veterans & Active Duty
http://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Veterans-and-Active-Duty

12/27/2016

Why everyone should be concerned about the bricking by and , , , and .

As you may have heard in the news, Samsung and various mobile carriers are sending out an update to effectively disable the phone and make it not work as a mobile device. This is akin to the corporations breaking and entering and stealing the phones. This can set a precedent if it is not stopped immediately.

If and the carriers are able to get away with this, it will encourage other companies to do the same as more and more devices in our homes are connected .

Imagine if a Samsung refrigerator model has a motor that may cause a fire, Samsung can send a command to turn off the refrigerator to prevent a possible fire to the home ruining a family's food and if diabetic, their insulin.

A car that has a potential brake service can be bricked until it is taken to a service station to repair the issue. A medical device that may short, turned off.

The recall was clearly an overreaction. The incident rate is 0.0042 percent (150 out of 2,500,000) or read another way 99.999958 confidence that it is reliable. There are more 's out in the wild than there are LG's newest model. There hasn't been another reported fire since September or October.

There needs to be an official to intervene on behalf of the owners against against , , , , and other mobile carriers to prevent this shutdown/theft of the devices and then file a lawsuit to restore the devices to full capacity.

American citizens and citizens of the world should not let this intrusion into our homes stand!

12/03/2016

One of the most lasting legacies of the Obama administration will be its more than doubling of the National debt. The chart is from data provided by the U.S. Treasury's Bureau of Public Debt, National Debt to the Penny for the period of 1/20/2008 to 12/2/2016.

11/09/2016

Another story the main stream media buried during the election cycle: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/nov/2/donald-trump-holds-high-flag-gay-equality/

While it has been mostly unreported, Mr. Trump has embraced the LGBT community like no other GOP nominee in history.

11/09/2016

Democrat supporters apparently are throwing a tantrum: http://www.infowars.com/hillary-supporters-burn-american-flag-riot-threaten-to-kill-trump-after-losing-election/

Death threats against president-elect explode on social media.

11/09/2016

Political outsider Donald Trump beats Hillary Clinton to win US presidency - AP

11/08/2016

Please report any suspected cases of voter fraud, vote tampering, voter intimidation, or other suspect activity to your state election commission and state police.

Feel free to comment about the suspected activity on this post.