Inslee opposes Trump’s latest assault on food assistance

Press release issued 4. 1. 19
Gov. Jay Inslee sent a letter today to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue opposing the Administration's plan to take away food assistance from 755,000 Americans who are struggling to find work.

USDA has proposed taking away state flexibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which currently provides basic food to more than 920,000 Washingtonians. The program is also a key economic driver in local communities, supporting food producers, farmers’ markets and retailers.

“This misguided and harmful policy would severely restrict access to food assistance for those who need it most, exacerbating hunger and making it even more difficult for people in poverty to find work. It removes state flexibility, rips away food assistance from 755,000 vulnerable Americans, worsens our homelessness crisis and fails to achieve the Administration’s stated goal of improving self-sufficiency,” Inslee wrote. “It is a cruel and mean-spirited policy that damages people and businesses alike.”

If implemented, the rule would eliminate flexibility in 26 counties in Washington state and put food assistance at risk for over 91,000 Washingtonians who currently participate in SNAP, according to the State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). 



Our congressional delegation response:
Murray, Cantwell, Bipartisan Group of Senators Urge Trump Administration to Withdraw Proposed SNAP Rule.
“The proposed changes would take food assistance away from Americans struggling to find stable employment while doing nothing to help them to actually become permanently employed,” the senators wrote. “This is contrary to Congressional intent, evidenced by the passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which rejected similar harmful changes to SNAP and passed Congress by a historic vote of 87-13 in the Senate and by 369-47 in the House of Representatives.”

USDA, EPA, and FDA Recognize April as Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month.

Press release issued 4. 2. 19
WASHINGTON, April 2, 2019 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) kick off Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month by calling for greater collaboration with public, private, and nonprofit partners as well as state and local officials to educate and engage consumers and stakeholders throughout the supply chain on the need to reduce food loss and waste.

In the U.S., more than one-third of all available food goes uneaten through loss or waste. Food is the single largest type of waste in our daily trash. In recent years, great strides have been made to highlight and mitigate food loss and waste, but the work has just begun. When food is tossed aside, so too are opportunities for economic growth, healthier communities, and environmental prosperity – but that can change through partnership, leadership, and action. Further elevating the importance of this issue, today’s announcement follows a Presidential Message from President Trump acknowledging the month of April as Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month and encouraging public action and participation from all sectors.

“USDA alone cannot end food waste, it will require partners from across the supply chain working together on innovative solutions and consumer education. We need to feed our hungry world and by reducing food waste, we can more wisely use the resources we have. I am pleased President Trump identified this issue as one of importance, and I look forward to USDA’s continued work with our agency partners at EPA and FDA to change behavior in the long term on food waste,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

“Reducing food waste and redirecting excess food to people, animals, or energy production provide immediate benefits to public health and the environment. I am proud to join President Trump and my federal partners in recognizing April as Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “We are working closely with our federal partners and stakeholders across the nation to reduce the amount of food going to landfills and maximize the value of our food resources.”

“With 1 in 6 people getting a foodborne illness every year in the U.S. and up to 40 percent of food left uneaten, it’s understandable why food safety and food waste are major societal concerns,” said FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas. “The FDA is working to strengthen its collaboration and coordination with the EPA and USDA to strategically align our federal efforts between the two issues to better educate Americans on how to reduce food waste and how it can be done safely.”

As part of the month’s observances, on April 9, EPA will host a livestreamed event with USDA and FDA. Additional joint agency actions will be announced at the event regarding the Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative. At the event, a panel of food waste stakeholders will share how state and local communities can join the federal government in reducing food waste and loss.

USDA, EPA, and FDA invite public and private partners to participate in Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month through the following:

Join the conversation: Share your efforts with the #NoWastedFood hashtag in your social media posts throughout the month.
Educate your community: Learn about USDA, EPA, and FDA programs and resources to reduce food loss and waste.
Be a U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champion: Join other corporate and business leaders who have made a public commitment to reducing food loss and waste in their U.S. operations by 50 percent by the year 2030.
The Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative is a collaborative effort (PDF, 579 KB) among USDA, EPA, and FDA to reduce food loss and waste through combined and agency-specific action. Individually and collectively, these agencies contribute to the initiative, encourage long-term reductions, and work toward the goal of reducing food loss and waste in the United States. These actions include research, community investments, education and outreach, voluntary programs, public-private partnerships, tool development, technical assistance, event participation, and policy discussion.

WA receives federal grant funds to address opioid addiction, homelessness and paths to re-employment in five counties.

Press release issued 4. 2. 19
As Washington continues to battle an epidemic of opioid addiction, federal officials awarded the state roughly $887,000 in new federal funds to focus on homeless Washingtonians affected by opioid use disorder.

This latest National Health Emergency (NHE) Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant funding supports efforts to serve up to 80 at-risk homeless individuals in the Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Area (PacMtn), which covers Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Grays Harbor and Pacific counties.

“Washington’s opioid crisis has played a significant role in increasing the number of our homeless families in our state,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “This latest infusion of federal funds is a recognition of the work already underway throughout our state, and a vote of confidence for our work moving forward. This work is possible because of the strong partnership among the Employment Security Department, PacMtn and local leaders across the region.”

The funds supplement a nearly $5 million NHE Opioid Dislocated Worker Demonstration grant announced in July 2018 to support work in the same five-county region as well as Snohomish county—and allow regional partners to zero in on a particularly acute reason for homelessness across the region.

“This initiative goes well beyond the grant we received earlier this year as it allows community partners to focus on a group of individuals and families hit disproportionately hard by the opioid epidemic -- the homeless population in Thurston County and beyond,” said Employment Security Department Commissioner Suzi LeVine.

“These dollars give us ability to serve those hardest hit by the devastation of opioid use disorder,” said PacMtn Chief Executive Officer Cheryl Fambles. “These are our friends, neighbors and families...many on the verge of homelessness.  They need to get back to work. When they can work families and our local economy get stronger."

The Employment Security Department, the Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council (PacMtn), WorkSource Thurston and other partners will use the funds to:

Hire four peer recovery counselors who will serve homeless at-risk individuals;
Identify and refer up to 80 homeless at-risk individuals to designated peer counselors in the region for assistance;
Provide individualized career, training and supportive services—including connection to rapid re-housing and other resources; and
Train staff on trauma-informed care, harm reduction and emergency medical interventions.
Effective treatment is available for those affected by opioid use disorder. Call the 24-hour Washington Recovery Help Line at 866-789-1511 or visit WARecoveryHelpline.org.

WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:

(From the UN News Center & other sources)

UN PRESS RELEASE:
New Approach Crucial for Eliminating Atomic Bombs, Speakers Tell Security Council, Warning Dangerous Rhetoric about Nuclear Weapons Use Is Eroding Disarmament Gains.
Press release issued 4. 2. 19
With the erosion of the disarmament and arms control framework that reaped significant post-cold-war-era gains, all States must work collectively towards a new twenty-first‑century approach to rid the world of atomic bombs, the Security Council heard today as it considered the existing regime ahead of the 2020 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

While the 50-year-old Non-Proliferation Treaty has played the greatest role in preventing the catastrophic consequences of an atomic war, Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said the instrument’s durability should not be taken for granted at a time when the acquisition of arms is prioritized over the pursuit of diplomacy.

“The disarmament success of the post-cold war era has come to a halt,” she cautioned, with the security landscape being replaced with dangerous rhetoric about the utility of nuclear weapons and an increased reliance on these weapons in security doctrines.  “The prospect of the use of nuclear weapons is higher than it has been in generations.”

Whatever new arms control and disarmament approaches in the twenty-first century might look like, one thing is clear:  the Non-Proliferation Treaty will still be at the centre of our collective security mechanism and it will have to stay “fit for purpose” across its three pillars — disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.  The 2020 Review Conference is a “golden opportunity” to make headway on all of these goals, and to make sure this linchpin of international security remains fit for purpose through the next 25 or even 50 years.

Presenting a snapshot of achievements, Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said safeguards are being implemented in 182 countries, including 179 which are States parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.  However, key challenges include a steady increase in the amount of nuclear material and the number of nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, coupled with continuing pressure on the Agency’s regular budget.  Topping its agenda are the nuclear programmes of Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.  Iran continues to fully implement its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and it must continue to do so.  Meanwhile, the Agency continues to monitor the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear programme and evaluate all safeguards-relevant information available to it, he said, noting that, subject to the approval of IAEA’s Board of Governors, it could respond within weeks to any request to send inspectors back to Pyongyang.

In a broader sense, the Agency helps to improve the health and prosperity of millions of people by making nuclear science and technology available across many sectors, he continued.  Nuclear power can also help address the twin challenges of ensuring reliable energy supplies and curbing greenhouse‑gas emissions.  “Helping countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, using relevant nuclear technology, is an important part of our work,” he said, noting that the Agency helps countries to use nuclear science and technology to meet 9 of the 17 Goals and a special initiative has helped to raise more than €140 million for approximately 300 projects benefitting more than 150 countries.

In the ensuing discussion, some Council members, including those from Côte d’Ivoire and the Dominican Republic, reported benefits reaped from nuclear technologies.  Some highlighted concerns, from terrorists acquiring atomic bombs to the disarmament machinery’s languishing impasse that continues to hobble negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty and delay the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.

Some members spotlighted a crumbling security landscape exacerbated by concerns such as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear programme and the suspension of disarmament agreements.  Summing up a common theme, Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs said that, “for all the successes we have achieved in recent decades, we mustn’t fool ourselves”.  He pointed out that dismantling nuclear arsenals has come to a standstill and prospects of actual nuclear “re-armament” have been raised by the impending loss of the Intermediate‑Range Nuclear Forces Treaty — known as the Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles.

While many members commended the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s contribution to international peace and security, some urged States to extend every effort to achieve disarmament progress ahead of the 2020 Review Conference and to avoid a repeat of the failure of the 2015 review to agree on an outcome.

The Russian Federation’s representative said the 2020 Review Conference should not be used to settle political scores, adding that attempts are being made to undermine universally recognized norms which have worsened an already complicated situation.  While the Russian Federation has reduced its nuclear arsenal by more than 85 per cent, his Government remains greatly concerned about global security, given the unfettered deployment of United States anti-missile systems, its placement of military weapons in outer space and its attempts to decrease the defence capabilities of other countries through unilateral sanctions.  This hardly creates an environment favourable to reducing the nuclear weapons stockpile, he said.

The representative of the United States said reaching a consensus at the 2020 Review Conference is possible if parties avoid using divisions to hold the review process hostage.  “We cannot overlook the fact that the actions of those who are expanding their nuclear stockpiles have contributed to a deterioration of the global security environment,” she said, adding that the United States will seek a positive outcome from the 2020 review process.

China’s delegate said unilateralism and double standards in non‑proliferation continue to exist.  As such, the international community must uphold the concept of a shared future, strengthen unity and cooperation, and steer the 2020 review process towards a unified outcome.

Many members agreed that of the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s three pillars, disarmament has produced the least results, with Poland’s Foreign Affairs Minister saying efforts remain a “work in progress, at best”.  To change that, delegates from non-nuclear-weapon States said the instrument is complemented by the legally binding Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.  The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia said that treaty’s entry into force will help to advance the aim of completely eliminating atomic bombs, as enshrined in article 6 of the Non‑Proliferation Treaty.  “The human species’ survival is dependent on our collective courage to eliminate nuclear weapons once and for all,” she said.

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France said that, given tensions and growing energy needs worldwide, preserving the Non-Proliferation Treaty is more central than ever before.  To do so, Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister said, multilateralism and the principles of the United Nations Charter remain essential tools.
Also delivering statements were representatives of South Africa, Belgium, United Kingdom, Peru and Equatorial Guinea.

In other world news headlines:

UN chief commends Algerians for ‘mature and calm’ demonstrations for change, leading up to presidential resignation
In the wake of the resignation in Algeria of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the UN Secretary-General on Wednesday saluted “the mature and calm nature” of protests involving hundreds of thousands of citizens who took to the streets peacefully in recent weeks, to express “their desire for change.”
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/04/1035981

Lack of basic water facilities risks millions of lives globally: UN health agency
More than two billion people face grave health risks because basic water facilities are not available in one in four medical centres globally, the UN has said, in an appeal to countries to do more to prevent the transmission of treatable infections that can turn deadly if not washed or flushed, away.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/04/1035971

‘Counter and reject’ leaders who seek to ‘exploit differences’ between us, urges Guterres at historic mosque in Cairo
Speaking in Cairo’s historic al-Azhar mosque on Tuesday, UN chief António Guterres issued a call for societies, faiths and cultures everywhere to “focus on what unites us”, urging everyone to work together towards realizing the 2030 Agenda “for the collective benefit of all”.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/04/1035881

Acute food insecurity ‘far too high’ UN agency warns, as 113 million go hungry
Approximately 113 million people in 53 countries experienced high levels of food insecurity last year, according to a new joint UN and European Union (EU) report released on Tuesday, which warns that these crises are primarily driven by conflict and climate-related disasters.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/04/1035921

Help prevent children ‘from becoming victims in the first place’, implores Guterres at campaign launch
From killing and maiming, to recruitment, sexual abuse and abduction, “violence against children in armed conflict can take many forms”, said Secretary-General António Guterres, in a special message delivered at the launch of a new UN advocacy campaign on Tuesday - Act to Protect Children Affected by Conflict.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/04/1035961

****Front Page Commentary****

I support the following petition from We the People:
Stop Socialism Now!
We the People, urge this administration to continue to take a strong stance against the growing threat of socialism in America. 

Socialist operatives, such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocassio-Cortez are a growing threat to both our free-market system and our democracy. Additionally, socialist programs being peddled by the left, such as Universal Basic Income, aka “welfare for all”, is an attempt to make US citizens dependent upon the government and justify more taxation.

The people signing this petition urge your continued support in the fight against the dangers of socialism in America. In addition, we would like to recognize the hard work of the National Organization Against Socialism, an organization working tirelessly to fight socialism in America. (petition link)
 Editorial note: If this nation falls to socialism, and dictatorship we will toss out forever perhaps a republic that lasted 243 years, and all those who died in the wars that defended our liberty under God will be in vain.

Related News Story: America’s Past Shows Why Socialism Won’t Work
Socialism is trending in America. Politicians once ran from the term; now more embrace it. And polls show younger people are favoring it.---The Daily Signal

📃IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION

PAGE 2

Senator Murray to student survivors: “I stand with you and I’m going to keep fighting to stop what happened to you from happening to other students”


PAGE 3
President Donald J. Trump Is Committed to Building on the Successes of the First Step Act.


PAGE 4
HUD ISSUES PROPOSED RULE TO MAKE SECTION 3 MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE

PAGE 5
Department of Commerce Bureau Leaders Offer to Testify at House Appropriations Hearing on FY 2020 Budget



PAGE 6
Rep. Kilmer Statement in Support of H.R. 1585, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019


PAGE 7
AG FERGUSON: MOTEL 6 WILL PAY $12M FOR VIOLATING PRIVACY OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF WASHINGTONIANS.


NIGHT OWL COMICS PRESENTS!
Capt. Froghorn: Political Pirates

( A High Seas adventure by Peter Ripley, just in time for  your springtime reading.)

NO GREEN NEW DEAL & NO COLLUSION!

 ***Front Page Commentary***

This week I'll be sharing, and commenting on two stories...
The first is the failure of the New Green Deal presented  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in which I believe is just a smokescreen for her overall objective, to turn this nation into a socialist state. Now remember the democrats were all in favor for the New Green Deal at least those serving in the House of Representatives, but not those serving in the Senate. The next big issue I'm sure the democrats will attack next will be the electoral college. The Democrats already tried to ban the electoral college, in January, apparently failed but it doesn't mean they my try again. If they ban the electoral college it would end the republic as we know it.


Related news story from REUTERS: Republicans defeat Green New Deal in U.S. Senate vote Democrats call a stunt.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans on Tuesday defeated the “Green New Deal” resolution that called for tackling climate change by moving the United States off fossil fuels, while Democrats said the vote was a political stunt on an issue that will not die.

Related stories:

2020 Dems Vote 'Present' on Green New Deal--PJ Media
Every Democratic senator running for president — Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — voted "present," refusing to take a stance on the legislation most of them have endorsed in public.
https://pjmedia.com/trending/2020-dems-vote-present-on-green-new-deal/

What's With Democrats and Capitalism?
The party of socialism is having a harder time discussing our actual economic system.---The Patriot Post
https://patriotpost.us/articles/61976-whats-with-democrats-and-capitalism

Senate kills proposal to take up Green New Deal
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday defeated a proposal to take up the Green New Deal as both parties shunned an opportunity to debate a comprehensive climate change plan offered by Democrats.
Majority Republicans forced the vote as they seek to turn the Green New Deal into a wedge issue in the 2020 elections. Democrats called the GOP’s move a ‘‘sham’’ and said it carries its own political risk by mocking an issue that a growing number of Americans care deeply about.---Boston Globe
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2019/03/26/senate-kills-proposal-take-green-new-deal/BpKA28HX7zLm9b360OkVfN/story.html

The Energy 202: 'A political game.' 2020 Democrats explain why they didn't vote for Green New Deal.
All six senators vying against each other for the Democratic nomination for president can at least agree on one thing: The political message for why they would note vote for the Green New Deal resolution. ---Washington Post

Democrats claim victory even after Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal loses big in Senate
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal withered in the heat of the Senate on Tuesday as Republicans delivered a decisive spanking to liberal activists’ plan to reshape American society.---Washington Times
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/mar/26/alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-green-new-deal-loses-big/

Dem introduces bills to eliminate Electoral College, stop presidents from pardoning themselves.
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), a vocal critic of President Trump, on Thursday introduced two bills to eliminate the Electoral College and prevent presidents from pardoning themselves or their family members.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/423810-dem-introduces-bills-to-eliminate-electoral-college-stop-presidents-from

Sean Hannity: Radical, Socialist 2020 Dems want to centralize power and control our lives.
Democrats don't share the values of our framers. They want power for themselves, and they want it all cost. That is why every major proposal they are now pushing begins and ends with their power and a centralized federal government that they control.---Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/sean-hannity-radical-socialist-2020-dems-wants-to-centralize-power-and-control-our-lives

 Our Congressional Delegation on New Green Deal
Sen. Patty Murray: “We believe in science”: Senator Murray, Senate Democrats Urge Senate Republicans to Stop Playing Games, Start Taking Action to Tackle Immediate Threat of Climate Change.
Press released on 3. 26. 19

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) urged her Republican colleagues to listen to the science regarding the worsening impact of climate change, and called on them to stop playing political games and work with Democrats to tackle the immediate threat it poses for the planet. In a speech on the Senate floor, Senator Murray emphasized the impact of the climate change crisis on Washington state families and communities—highlighting the increasing severity, destruction, and costs of dangerous wildfires in Washington state as one example—and cited the threat climate change poses to the environment, economy, and public health as reasons Republicans should begin treating climate change like the serious issue it is and working with Democrats to address the climate change crisis urgently and aggressively.
“M. President, I rise today to join my Democratic colleagues—in lifting up the voices of the countless people in my home state of Washington—and around the nation who are calling out for Congress to truly address the climate change crisis.

“Now, while I’m glad Republicans have decided to take at least a short break from their hurried, ideological campaign to pack our nation’s federal courts with as many conservative judges as possible, it’s inexcusable that they are choosing to play silly political games— instead of working with us to make progress on the many challenges our constituents are facing right now.

“Let me be clear, M. President—Democrats welcome a robust, fact-based discussion here on the Senate floor about what we as a nation must do to combat climate change.
“But that’s not what today’s vote is, nor what it was meant to be.
“From the beginning, this vote was scheduled by Republicans to throw red meat to their right wing base—and an extra bone to Big Oil and Gas.
“But M. President—if anything—what today’s vote makes painfully obvious is that while Democrats are at the table—ready to get to work to tackle one of the most urgent issues of our time.
“Republicans don’t have a vision—much less any solutions—for how we’re going to reverse the course of climate change and prevent future damage to our planet.

“On the contrary, many Republicans won’t even admit that this is a problem—even after the Trump Administration released its own report detailing how climate change has damaged our planet… and will continue to do so if unaddressed!

“See, Democrats are all on the same page—we believe in the science, we believe climate change is one of our planet’s most urgent crises, and we all believe now is the time we must take action—before our planet suffers even more irreparable harm.


“Democrats have long recognized that climate change is a threat—not just to our environment, but to—our economy, our communities, our health, and even our way of life.
“…and as a voice for Washington state—whose residents are threatened summer after summer with ever-worsening wildfires that destroy more property and cost more money to contain and prevent every year—and as a grandmother—this is personal to me.
“But M. President, it’s not just me, or Senate Democrats—our families back in our states understand the risk of climate change too and are eager for their government to take action against the immediate threat it poses.

“I was back home last week, meeting with leaders in our state capitol of Olympia, where they’re working on a suite of aggressive policies aimed at tackling climate change…
“And every day, I hear from young people all across Washington state about how they want to inherit a clean, healthy planet, and that the only way we can ensure that happens is by listening to the science and working to do something now while we still can make a difference.

“M. President, I’m inspired by my constituents—especially the students—and I understand why they’re so passionate—they get it.
“They know how serious climate change is—for today and tomorrow—and they get that we don’t have any time to waste.


“But M. President, they can’t do it alone—and neither can Washington state.
“It’s going to take a national commitment—a federal effort—to give this issue the attention it deserves—and Congress should play a major role in ensuring it is treated like the emergency it is.

“Unfortunately, M. President, when I turn to my Republican friends in moments like this, when we could be having a real conversation about what we should be doing today to tackle climate change, I am reminded that this isn’t a debate made in good faith.

“Because if Republicans were truly interested in addressing climate change, they would have stood against President Trump’s reckless efforts to roll back clean air standards—or even better, stopped him from pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement and weakening our leadership in the global fight against climate change—just to name a couple of examples.

“Now, we’ve seen Democrats and Republicans come together to protect our environment; the recent bipartisan passage of the public lands package is a good example.
“But when it comes to the issue of climate change—and having a discussion about what it would take to really address it with the seriousness and urgency it deserves—Republicans apparently only have time for partisan political games, which is unfortunate, because it is long past time for them to recognize that climate change is an urgent, serious issue, and that it’s going to take all of us—working together—to prevent future generations from suffering the worst of its impacts.
“So in closing M. President, Democrats are ready and willing to debate Republicans on the facts about the risks of not tackling climate change as aggressively as possible…
“…and I can only urge Republicans to drop their games—listen to their constituents, listen to facts, do the right thing, and work with us to address this critical issue before it is truly too late.“Thank you, M. President—I yield the floor.”

Editorial Comment: Though she may have voted against the New Green Deal, she ignores it implications that it was nothing but a smoke screen to push AOC's socialist agenda.




The second story NO COLLUSION, BUT THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR DEMS!
This was all about the Democrats lust for power, and didn't like the outcome of the 2016 elections. The Democrats aren't going to accept the finding they intend to continue their witch hunt.
Related story:
Trump: U.S. Special Counsel Mueller acted honorably.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller acted honorably, President Donald Trump said on Monday, days after the fellow Republican wrapped up his Russia probe with no evidence of criminal collusion between Trump’s campaign and Moscow.

Other related headlines: 
50+ Journalists, Politicians, Celebrities, and Grifters Who Peddled the Russia Collusion Hoax.
In 2016, corrupt Democrat partisans both in and out of government, along with their allies in the media, were desperate to stop the Trump juggernaut and used every tool at their disposal to do it. The effort started with opposition research funded by the DNC and the Clinton campaign. ---PJ Media
https://pjmedia.com/trending/50-journalists-politicians-celebrities-and-grifters-who-peddled-the-russia-collusion-hoax/

Pelosi, Dems look for upside to Mueller report
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday delivered a clear message to her troops: Don’t let the report from special counsel Robert Mueller get you down.
She urged Democrats to instead focus on bread-and-butter policy issues, such as health care, jobs and a better government, which won them the House a few months ago.---THE HILL
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/435961-post-mueller-speaker-puts-focus-on-agenda

Liberals’ Reaction to Mueller Report Shows They Prioritize Politics Over Truth
So now special counsel Robert Mueller has issued his report, and it turns out after two years of investigation, at an estimated cost of $40 million, that “Russiagate” was fake news.----The Daily Signal
https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/03/27/liberals-reaction-to-mueller-report-shows-they-prioritize-politics-over-truth/

Mueller’s Investigation Erases a Line Drawn After Watergate.
WASHINGTON — After Watergate, it was unthinkable that a president would fire an F.B.I. director who was investigating him or his associates. Or force out an attorney general for failing to protect him from an investigation. Or dangle pardons before potential witnesses against him.---NYT
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/us/politics/mueller-investigation-watergate.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

Schiff doubles down on Trump despite Russia report: ‘Undoubtedly there is collusion’
President Trump, emboldened after the special counsel said he did not find evidence of a criminal conspiracy to sway the 2016 election, has an early target as he seeks recompense from his critics: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), who maintains that he’s seen evidence that Trump colluded with Russia.---LA Times
https://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-pol-russia-investigation-schiff-trump-20190327-story.html


Sen. Patty Murray take on the Muller Findings:

Senator Murray Statement on Attorney General Barr’s Summary of the Special Counsel Investigation Report.
Press release issued 3. 25 19
Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the statement below in response to Attorney General William Barr’s summary report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 election.

“While Republicans are celebrating the fact that Special Counsel Mueller neither indicted nor exonerated the President as to obstruction of justice after five of his close associates and campaign advisors pleaded guilty to serious crimes—there is still an enormous amount of information that we don’t have and that people across the country deserve. As I and so many others have said from the outset of this investigation, people deserve full transparency regarding Russia’s confirmed efforts to interfere in the election as well as any attempts to cover that up or obstruct any investigations into it. President Trump and his Department of Justice must deliver the full Mueller report to Congress and must make as much of it available to the public as possible. And even though Special Counsel Mueller may have completed his portion of the investigation, Congress must be able to continue its oversight and investigations without obstruction or hindrance by President Trump or his Administration.”
Editorial Comment: Pathic is the word I use for Murray's statement. Undoubtly, she is just one of many democrats who seek to again power and keep it.

****WORLD NEWS HEADLINES****

(from the UN News Center & Other sources)

Asia-Pacific showing ‘decisive leadership’ on road to 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, deputy UN chief tells key forum.
Nations across Asia and the Pacific need to take bold action to ensure empowerment, inclusiveness and equality if the region is to realize the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a major UN conference has heard.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035551

UN’s Bachelet rejects Sri Lankan official’s ‘spin’ on Human Rights Council encounter, urges reforms
The UN’s top rights official on Wednesday rejected claims by Sri Lankan officials that she distanced herself from a report on the country and instructed her staff to be more “cautious” in future, before stressing her commitment to justice for victims of grave abuses during the civil war.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035541

‘Provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric’ destabilizing Middle East, warns top UN official
Against a backdrop of rising tensions in Israel and Palestine, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East, painted a bleak picture once again in the Security Council on Tuesday, cataloguing further terrorist acts, attacks against civilians, reprisals against demonstrators, unlawful demolitions and settlement expansions, and a funding crisis which could have dramatic consequences for the stability of an already volatile region.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035461

Mali’s ‘self-defence’ groups must face justice, after deadly intercommunal attacks.
Mali’s authorities have been urged by the UN to provide justice for the victims and survivors of attacks by so-called self-defence groups, responsible for horrific intercommunal violence in central Mali, after a weekend assault that claimed the lives of more than 150 people, including some 50 children.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035481

10 million Yemenis ‘one step away from famine’, UN food relief agency calls for ‘unhindered access’ to frontline regions.
With Yemen now in its fifth year of conflict between pro-Government forces and Houthi rebels, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for “unhindered access” to the most desperate areas in the frontline regions “to prevent the food security situation deteriorating”.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035501

📃IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION:

PAGE 2
Senator Murray Sounds Alarm as Trump Administration Doubles Down on Ending Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions, Taking Away Families’ Coverage.


PAGE 3

Kilmer, Herrera Beutler, Bonamici, Young Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Fight Ocean Acidification.



PAGE 4

Secretary DeVos Corrects the Record on Trump Administration Support for Students with Disabilities.




PAGE 5

USDA Announces Investments in Water and Wastewater Infrastructure in 23 States that will Benefit 171,000 Rural Residents.


PAGE 6
U.S. Department of Commerce Allocates $20 Million in Fishery Disaster Funding.




PAGE 7

Database shows buildings that could pose safety risk during earthquakes.





NIGHT OWL COMICS PRESENTS
🚧 Still being updated thanks for your penients.

HATE FOR HATE DOESN'T SOLVE ANYTHING

 Acts of love and compassion starts solving problems

Editorial Comment:
News stories, and facebook chatter was all about the senseless murder of Muslims worshiping in the two Mosques in New Zealand last Friday. Since then I saw on facebook was messages of hate from by both Muslims, and non-Muslims. The hate speech mostly comes from news stories from two Muslim Congress Members directing hate not only towards Trump, but all "white" people, in essence playing the race card, and playing the victim.
And from politicians  saying inappropriate statements during a time of criminal hateful act by four racist thugs killing for the sake of their hate.

News Article spotlight: Christchurch Shooting Live Updates: 49 Are Dead After 2 Mosques Are Hit.
Forty-nine people were killed in shootings at two mosques in central Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday, in a terrorist attack that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described as “an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence.”---New York Times posted on March 15th.

Other related stories:
Fraser Anning, egged after mosque attacks, may be Australia’s most reviled politician
Australian Sen. Fraser Anning, a far-right figure known for his extreme views on immigration, stood behind a bank of microphones at a Saturday news conference in Melbourne, Australia, the day after he issued a statement suggesting New Zealand’s decision to admit Muslim migrants was to blame for the devastating attack on two mosques that left at least 50 dead. ---Washington Post

As World Mourns Mosque Killings, Christian Genocide Continues
Hundreds of Christians have been murdered for their faith just in the last few weeks.---Patriot Post
In Nigeria, from February to mid-March, 280 Christians were murdered in violent attacks by Fulani militants. The Fulani are nomadic Muslim herdsmen, herding cattle across vast swaths of central Africa. As they drive their cattle, they have driven out the Christian minority, setting their homes on fire and leaving large groups of women, children, and the elderly to suffer.

New Zealanders turning over firearms after mass shooting
Authorities in New Zealand said citizens have been turning their firearms over to police in the days after a terror attack that targeted two mosques in Christchurch left at least 50 people dead, The Guardian reports.---THE HILL

Media Mum as Christians Die: Genocide in Nigeria
Over the past week, Senior Colson Fellow Glenn Sunshine has taken to Facebook to do something that much of the mainstream media—to its discredit—has neglected to do: alerting people to what is happening to Christians in places like Nigeria.---CNSNEWS

Christchurch attack: Turkey's Erdogan sparks diplomatic row by invoking Gallipoli
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sparked a diplomatic row by linking the Australian gunman in the Christchurch mosque massacres to a battle involving Australian and New Zealand troops in his own country more than a century ago.---CNN

Editor's note: Those were just a few of the headlines covering not only the tragic events in New Zealand, but also the less news coverage story about the murders of Christians in Nigeria that should have gotten equal coverage from the media.

With that I want to share this following story called: The Works of the Flesh: Murder - Real and Imagined.

Quote: " Murder is suggested in the actions of the works of the flesh as "enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying" (Galatians 5:20,21) drive men to kill one another. Jesus said, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders" (Matthew 15:19). The challenge of the deeds listed in Galatians 5 is not only the sin itself but what the sin leads to. The taking of human life has always been condemned by Jehovah when the actions are unrighteous. David murdered Uriah for his lust of Bathsheba (II Samuel 11); Naboth was falsely accused and murdered by Jezebel for a vineyard (I Kings 21; II Kings 9:26); Jesus accused the Jews of murdering the prophets (Matthew 23:31,35); and even Jesus was killed by unrighteous men (I Thessalonians 2:15).

When God spoke to Noah in Genesis 9, He established forever the condemnation of those who take the lives of other men. The Ten Commandments clearly forbade the killing of men for unjust cause (Exodus 20:13). Penalties were swift and severe for murder in the Law of Moses (Exodus 21:14; Leviticus 24:21). The Lord will punish the murderer (I Timothy 1:9; Revelation 21:8). It would seem obvious that murder (the taking of life) is repulsive and forbidden - yet while we would never suggest our part in such deeds, we find another aspect of this hatred.

"Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him" (I John 3:15). Jesus taught the same principle in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-26). We cannot worship God with this kind of heart. When hatred and malice dwell in the heart of a person there can be no hope of eternal life."
 Murder is imagined in this sense that while no physical life is taken, the feelings of hate reign in the heart. This will defile a man (Matthew 15:19,20). We like to say that we are to "love one another but not like one another." This represents an attitude of disrespect for others and for God. Prejudice, jealousy and envy will lead to murderous thoughts in the heart. "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things" (I John 3:20). Albert Barnes wrote, "The private malice, the secret grudge, the envy which is cherished in the heart, is murderous in its tendency."
Those who allow the spirit of Satan to fill their hearts will not inherit the kingdom of God! That is not a maybe; that is a reality! We should heed the warning of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 7.---by Kent Heaton


Editorial Note: Those who hate because of race, religion or creed are not true followers of Christ.



Inslee and Ferguson statement on possible diversion of state military projects to pay for border wall.
Press release issued on 3. 19. 19
Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson statement on the possible diversion of state military projects to pay for the president's proposed border wall.
“We remain adamant that Washington state will not help subsidize President Trump’s unlawful and unconstitutional ‘emergency’ declaration to build his wall. We are closely monitoring developments. If a final decision is made to redirect funds from Washington projects to fund the president’s border wall, we will file a lawsuit. Our complaint is drafted and ready to file.”

AG FERGUSON COMMITS $750,000 TO TEST SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS.

Press release issued 3. 19. 19
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today committed $750,000 in grant funds to test unsubmitted sexual assault kits as part of his Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI).

“Every sexual assault kit is a story that needs to be told,” Ferguson said. “Testing the kits not only honors to the courage of survivors, but also identifies serial offenders who might otherwise go free.”

Because the Washington State Patrol is responsible for all law enforcement DNA testing in Washington State, the State Patrol will send kits to an outside lab for testing, then seek reimbursement from the Attorney General’s Office grant funds The Attorney General’s Office estimates that approximately 1,150 kits will be tested with this $750,000.

Testing has already started using legislative funding. Once that funding is exhausted, the State Patrol can begin seeking reimbursement from the federal grant funds. Federal law prohibits replacing state funds with federal funds.

If the testing results in DNA matches, the Attorney General’s Office will track those cases.

The Attorney General’s Office does not have a direct role in collecting or testing sexual assault kits. Recognizing the need to end the backlog, Ferguson applied for a Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Grant from the Department of Justice in April 2017.

The Department of Justice awarded the Attorney General’s Office $750,000 in October 2017, and the office received the funds in April 2018. The first round of funding has been partially used to create the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Team, which consists of an Assistant Attorney General and two investigators, and to conduct a statewide inventory of unsubmitted sexual assault kits.

To date, Ferguson’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Team has:

Completed a comprehensive statewide inventory of unsubmitted sexual assault kits in Washington, finding 6,725 kits that, at that time, had not yet been submitted for lab testing by local law enforcement agencies;
Completed a comprehensive statewide inventory of unreported sexual assault kits, finding 632 kits where survivors have not made a report to law enforcement;
Created a Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Multidisciplinary Team involving Attorney General’s Office staff and agencies throughout the state to consult on best practices and enhance communication between agencies involved in investigations; and
Conducted a two-day sexual assault investigations workshop for professionals working in the field of sexual assault response, including law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates and sexual assault nurse examiners, in order to improve law enforcement’s response to survivors of sexual assault. The Attorney General’s Office will offer the training again in April.
This brings the total funds received by the office to $1.5 million. The Attorney General’s Office obtained this second round of funding after Department of Justice certified that Ferguson’s Sexual Assault Kit team successfully completed inventories of the state’s unsubmitted and unreported kits.

The office will seek another $1.5 million after the completion of the final inventory phase, which will log partially tested kits. These are kits that have been tested under an outdated methodology that cannot be submitted to the federal database, or have only undergone an initial screening, rather than full DNA testing.



Project overview

A sexual assault kit is a collection of evidence gathered from a survivor by a medical professional, usually a specially trained sexual assault nurse examiner. A crime lab then tests the evidence for DNA that could help law enforcement find a perpetrator.

There are two types of sexual assault kit backlogs in Washington state and across the country. The first is the “unsubmitted” sexual assault kit backlog, which consists of kits that sit in a law enforcement evidence storage facility because a DNA analysis was never requested. The funds announced today will be devoted to Washington’s unsubmitted kit backlog.

The second type of backlog occurs in crime lab facilities, and consists of “backlogged” sexual assault kits that have been submitted, but have not yet been tested.

The State of Washington has made progress on processing its backlog of sexual assault kits over the past several years, but additional work remains. In 2015, led by Representative Tina Orwall (D-Burien), the Legislature gave funds to the Crime Lab to reduce the backlog.

According to the Washington State Patrol, since 2015, more than 4,300 backlogged kits have been submitted to the Crime Lab using this legislative funding. Of those kits, about 2,300 have been tested and about 2,000 are currently in the testing process.

Testing backlogged kits has already provided new information for cold cases. In one case, a suspect was charged with child rape more than 10 years after the crime, thanks to the results of a backlogged rape kit.

In Washington state, the State Patrol Crime Lab oversees the testing of all of the state’s DNA evidence. The Crime Lab is outsourcing the sexual assault kits to a private lab to complete the DNA testing. The Crime Lab must conduct a peer review of all evidence tested by outside labs and is the only agency permitted to upload DNA profiles into the national forensic DNA database, known as CODIS.

Once the kits are tested, local law enforcement can use DNA to reopen cold cases. The AGO will offer investigative assistance to local law enforcement agencies, that, under state law, have the authority to investigate and charge criminal cases. In Washington state, the Attorney General only has authority to initiate criminal investigations after receiving a referral from a county prosecuting attorney or the Governor. Consequently, the AGO has no jurisdiction over potential cold cases unless assistance is requested by a local law enforcement agency.

Testing these kits will identify serial rapists, link cases across the country, provide critical links that could solve homicide cases and provide answers to victims and their families. Throughout the project, the AGO will host victim-centered trauma training around the state for law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and victim advocates.

In January, the AGO conducted a two-day sexual assault investigations workshop for professionals working in the field of sexual assault response, including law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates and sexual assault nurse examiners. The office will offer the training again in April.

More information on the ongoing project is available on the Attorney General's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative webpage.

WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

From the UN News Center & other sources

Global South cooperation ‘vital’ to climate change fight and sustainable development UN chief tells historic summit in Buenos Aires.
South-South cooperation is key to the world’s sustainable development and the fight against global warming said the United Nations Secretary-General on Wednesday, as the opening session of the Second UN Conference on South-South Cooperation got underway in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035011

Cyclone Idai: UN allocates $20 million in emergency funding, as full extent of disaster continues to emerge.
As the full scale of the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai in South-West Africa continues to be assessed, the UN and humanitarian partners are ramping up the provision of emergency food, shelter, water and health care supplies to hundreds-of-thousands who have been affected across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035021

UN launches ‘South-South Galaxy’ knowledge-sharing platform in Buenos Aires
When countries of the Global South forged an historic technical cooperation deal among themselves 40 years ago, digital technology was a thing of the future, but developing nations have come a long way since then.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035001

Safe drinking water, sanitation, are ‘basic human rights’: new UN Water Development report
Safe water and access to proper sanitation are essential to eradicate poverty, build peaceful societies and ensure that no one is left behind on the path towards sustainable development, according to the 2019 UN World Water Development Report, launched on Tuesday in Geneva.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1034981

Encouraging progress made in 2018, in ‘zero tolerance’ effort to end sexual exploitation and abuse across UN.
The United Nations recorded a total of 259 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) during 2018, according to the latest report by Secretary-General António Guterres presented to the General Assembly. Although the figures rose compared with the previous two years, the report shows increased awareness among UN and UN-related staff, and improved and harmonized reporting tools across the Organization.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1034901

📃IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION

PAGE 2
Reflections on public lands investment


PAGE 3
Foley Institute panel to discuss boosting voter turnout Friday




PAGE 4
Justice Department Reaches Agreement With Hawaii Department of Public Safety to Ensure Equal Access to Its Programs for Inmates With Disabilities.


PAGE 5

Treasury Sanctions Venezuela’s State Gold Mining Company and its President for Propping Up Illegitimate Maduro Regime.



PAGE 6
Rep. Kilmer Statement on Potential Diversion of Funds from Local Military Construction Programs to Build a Wall at the Southern Border.

PAGE 7

State headlines & local meeting agendas
(continued from pg 6)

🚧 Currently updating our Comic page please be patient.

PORT SNUBS THE WAYNE FAMILY

****NEWS ARTICLE COMMENTARY***

They pave the way for sale of JWM by moving issuing an RFI

Related story from the PDN: Port of Port Angeles to issue marina RFI despite Wayne family request.
Quote: " Sequim-area port Commission Colleen McAleer at first argued to delay the issuance of the RFI, saying it “would not harm our position of going forward, nor does it put any respondent in a negative position, but it certainly allows one of the stakeholders to be able to provide input for our review.”
Commission President Connie Beauvais didn’t agree.
“I’m not in favor of waiting until we hear something from them,” Beauvais said, adding that the Heartland study can be made public once it’s available and still add to the information the commissioners will have for making a decision.
Commissioner Steven Burke said there was no guarantee that the Heartland study would be made public.
Burke said it’s also important that the port not appear to show preference for one stakeholder over another.
McAleer said by the end of the discussion that she had not considered arguments offered by Goschen and Burke for moving forward with the RFI and went along with issuing the RFI.

Editorial Note: I think this is an underhanded way to thank what was given years ago toward a marina in Sequim, to turn around and sell it years later. If it weren't for the controversy a couple of weeks ago over a interview that Wayne granted back in 1971 in Playboy. This might have gone unnoticed. Not saying that this is relevant to what the Port plan to sell JWM to an private developer, but it does makes one wonder don't it?  Try this scenario: If the do sell to a private investor that would pave the way for a name change of JWM won't it? 




Kilmer Campaign Finance & Election Reform Bills Included in Final H.R. 1 Legislation.
Press release issued on 3. 8. 19 (link source)

For the People Act Passes House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.— Today, the House passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2019, a sweeping package of reform bills aimed at strengthening the voice of the American people in their democracy by making it easier to vote, ending the dominance of big money in the political process, and ensuring public officials work for the public interest. This comprehensive reform package includes two bipartisan bills led by Representative Kilmer, The Honest Ads Act and the Resorting Integrity to America’s Election Act, which aim to increase transparency in our campaign finance and election laws. 

“For a long time, folks have been justifiably frustrated with the performance of the government. There’s been too much money, too many special interests, and too little accountability. Today, Congress finally took a step forward in hopes of ensuring that government works better for the American people,” said Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA). “Reducing the role of big money in politics, strengthening ethics rules so elected officials are working for the public interest, and protecting voting rights for every American, are things everyone should agree on. I’m also proud this bill includes two bipartisan proposals I wrote – provisions that increase transparency in elections and crack down on politicians that cheat.”

 Included in H.R. 1 is The Honest Ads Act, which would shine a light on the murky world of online political advertising by requiring the hosts of online ads to disclose who paid for them. These requirements are the same as what is already required on television and radio. The bill had bipartisan support in both the House and Senate when it was introduced in the 115th Congress. Kilmer wrote about the need for the bill’s passage in an op-ed in The Seattle Times.

 H.R. 1 also includes the Restoring Integrity to America’s Elections Act, bipartisan legislation which reforms the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the government entity responsible for policing the nation’s election laws. The legislation would enable the FEC to more effectively carry out its mission to oversee and enforce campaign finance laws. Among other things, the bill will reduce the number of FEC commissioners from 6 to 5, so there are no longer split decisions among commissioners.

 Additional highlights of H.R. 1 include:

Enables same day voter registration – requires states to permit eligible citizens to register to vote and cast ballots on the day of a federal election, including during early voting periods.
Reaffirms commitment to restoring Voting Rights Act – declares that Congress finds the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County vs. Holder ushered in a new era of voter suppression and that, per the ruling, Congress should restore the protections of the Voting Rights Act by updating the formula for determining which jurisdictions are subject to federal preclearance.
Promotes voter access – makes colleges and universities voter registration agencies, requires absentee ballots be posted free of charge, and creates a voter information hotline.
Ends partisan gerrymandering – requires states to adopt independent redistricting commissions for the purposes of drawing Congressional districts instead of allowing politicians to pick their voters.
Unmasks dark money – requires super PACs, 501(c)4 groups and other organizations spending money in elections to disclose donors who contribute more than $10,000 and forbids organizations to transfer money to keep the identity of the contributor secret.
Supports ending Citizens United – affirms that the Constitution should be amended to clarify Congress and the States have the authority to regulate campaign contributions and expenditures, nullifying the Citizens United decision.
Prevents Presidential conflicts of interest – requires the President and Vice President to file a new financial disclosure statement within 30 days of being sworn into office and prohibits both the President and Vice President from contracting with the U.S. government.  Also, requires sitting Presidents and Vice Presidents, as well as candidates for President and Vice President, to make their tax returns public.
Limiting congressional conflicts of interest – forbids Members of Congress from serving on for-profit, corporate boards and codifies rules prohibiting Members, their family and staff from using their official position to benefit their own financial interests.



Senator Murray says latest Trump proposal is “an absolute non-starter” 
Press release issued on 3. 11. 19 (link source) 

Washington, D.C. —Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the statement below following the release of President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request.

“President Trump can keep trying to pretend that he is helping workers and the middle class, but the numbers in this latest budget request don’t lie and they tell a very different story. If you are a student, a worker, a woman, a senior, or anyone who cares about an economy that works for all families, and not just the wealthiest few—this budget request is another direct attack by President Trump on your opportunities, your livelihoods, and your futures.


“This latest budget from President Trump continues his massive tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations, and proposes that middle class families pay the price with massive cuts to education, health care, worker security, environmental protections, and infrastructure. This budget, once again, proposes to jam Trumpcare through Congress, ripping protections away from hundreds of millions of people with pre-existing conditions. I appreciate that this budget pays lip service to child care, but the one-time proposal it includes wouldn’t truly address the long-term child care crisis facing families in America—and policies in this budget would actually make this crisis worse.

“I plan to stand with the Democrats and Republicans who have rejected President Trump’s budgets each time he has sent them to us and let him know that once again his budget is dead on arrival. And I hope that Republicans in Congress are once again willing to work with Democrats on budget and spending bills that invest in students, workers, families, and middle class priorities—and that President Trump has the sense this time to stand aside and not shut down the government when he doesn’t get his way.

“Unfortunately, his latest budget would move us in the wrong direction, matching unrealistic and devastating cuts to domestic priorities with a shameless gimmick that is the absolute wrong way to fund defense, all while repeating the same mistake that led to his recent, disastrous shutdown of the government. Despite hearing clearly from Congress and people across the country that we reject wasteful spending on the border wall, President Trump clearly didn’t learn any lesson from his failure earlier this year and is once again trying to force American taxpayers to foot the bill that he promised Mexico would pay. This is an absolute non-starter and, though today’s dead-on-arrival proposal was not a good sign, I hope President Trump realizes that before he tries to shut our government down again and hurts more families and communities.”

WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

(From the UN NEWS CENTER & OTHER SOURCES)

Syrians still living on ‘razor edge’ as UN launches $8.8 billion dollar appeal
An $8.8 billion funding appeal has been issued by the UN to help millions of Syrians who live a “razor-edge existence” inside and outside the war-torn country, along with the communities struggling to host them.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1034561

DR Congo: ‘New waves of violence’ likely, UN warns, unless State acts to prevent intercommunal reprisals
"New waves of violence” could erupt "at any time" in western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN rights office warned on Tuesday, unless the Government acts to ease “tensions and resentment” between the two communities involved.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1034511

In South Sudan, mothers teaching daughters ‘safer’ ways to survive rape
Sexual attacks in South Sudan are so common that mothers now teach their daughters how to survive the ordeal of being raped, in such a way as to minimize the violence. That’s according to Yasmin Sooka, chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights, who was speaking on Tuesday in front of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, during its latest session.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1034541

UN rights expert calls for end to ‘purgatory’ of ‘international inaction’ facing Myanmar’s remaining Rohingya.
A humanitarian crisis fuelled by the suppression of basic human rights is continuing across Myanmar’s Rakhine state, a UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert said on Monday, in an appeal for alleged atrocities there to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1034461

Despite progress towards peace, Afghanistan facing ‘daunting challenges’ ahead of presidential vote
The UN Special Representative in Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, hailed on-going efforts made towards peace and the engagement of women and youth across the country, but warned the Security Council on Monday that “daunting challenges” remain.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1034421

( more world news headlines on pg 2)



IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION:

PAGE 2
Cantwell’s Bipartisan Public Lands Package Signed into Law



PAGE 3
President Donald J. Trump is Promoting a Fiscally Responsible and Pro-American 2020 Budget.



PAGE 4

Senator Murray’s Statement on U.S. Grounding of Boeing Aircrafts



PAGE 5
FTC Submits Annual Budget Request, Performance Plan and Performance Report to Congress.


PAGE 6
Rep. Kilmer Recognized for Bipartisan Accomplishments by National Think Tank.



PAGE 7
Ecology proposes updates to wastewater treatment plant operator certification program




The NIGHT OWL COMICS are currently being updated with a new story, stay tune!

INSLEE COULDN'T SELL WASHINGTON STATE ON CARBON TAX..

Perhaps he can sell a carbon tax on a national level!
Inslee: Running for president -- Climate is USA's 'No. 1 priority'
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday launched his longshot Democratic campaign for President, on a sunny day with the chosen setting a solar panel installer.
Inslee, 68, was launching an issue as well, describing his White House bid as "a new national mission to fight climate change." He spoke as Vice President Mike Pence, at conservative activists' CPAC conference, was ridiculing environmentalism and the proposed Green New Deal.---Seattle PI



IT'S OFFICIAL NOW, A STATEWIDE BAN ON PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS!
" clever way to raise taxes, don't you feel all fuzzy inside?"

Related story: Plastic bag ban passes Washington Senate
" Sen. Mona Das, D-Covington, said the bill is a response to the buildup of plastic bags in the environment, which she called frightening. "Some plastic materials are recyclable, but we have no infrastructure for recycling thin plastic bags," Das said.
Some Republicans expressed skepticism over the measure, saying it would diminish consumer choice.
"This is a socialist method," Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale. "Little things like this is the indicator that we are trying to micromanage the economy."
Passage by the Senate marks a high-water mark for the idea of statewide regulations aimed at limiting bags. Lawmakers proposed a ban as early as 2013 and a tax on single-use bags the same year, but neither were even put up for votes in legislative committees controlled at the time by Republicans."----Seattle PI

Editorial Comment: Like the New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who uses protecting the environment as a Trojan horse to change our form of government to a Socialist state like Cuba, Russia, and China. Banning plastic shopping bags would be a small way in doing just that, like State Sen. Doug Ericksen implied in the Seattle PI article, by micromanaging the economy."

At Senate health hearing, Senator Murray speaks about importance of addressing vaccine hesitancy and getting people the facts they need to keep their families and communities safe & healthy 

Press release issued 3. 5. 19 (link source)
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate health committee, sounded the alarm on the importance of vaccines to averting preventable disease outbreaks. During a recent committee hearing, Senator Murray focused on the importance of addressing vaccine hesitancy, building vaccine confidence, and making sure people across the country trying to keep their families and communities safe have the facts about how vaccines are safe, effective, and life-saving. Senator Murray pointed to the current measles outbreak in Washington state, which has infected over 70 people so far in Clark and King counties, as an example of the urgency of this issue, and also called for strong investments in public health efforts to not only address but prevent public health crises.

Among the witnesses was Washington State Secretary of Health Dr. John Wiesman, who spoke about his experience working to address the ongoing measles outbreak in Washington state—one of several across the country—and the importance of supporting strong public health systems at home and abroad.
Key excerpts from Senator Murray’s opening remarks:

“As Washington state, and several others, grapple with measles outbreaks, this issue couldn’t be more timely. I remember in 2000 when measles was officially eliminated from the United States—and what welcome news that was for families across the country. And I remember the years of effort that led to that victory. Before the vaccine was available, measles outbreaks used to spread through communities like wildfire. If you were old enough to drive, odds were you’d already had measles. But today, vaccines that protect against measles have been in use for over 50 years. Like other vaccines, we know the vaccine is safe. We know it is effective. We know it saves lives.”

“Parents across the country want to do what is best for their families to keep them safe—which is why they need to be armed with knowledge about the importance of vaccination. And why we need research into vaccine communication tools and strategies to help us better educate people to address vaccine hesitancy, and build vaccine confidence. We also need to understand the roles social media and online misinformation play in spreading dangerous rumors and falsehoods. And we need to better prepare the full spectrum of health care providers—who are often the professionals people trust most—to counter vaccine hesitancy and promote vaccination.”

“They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure—that’s certainly the case here. A dose of MMR vaccine, covering measles, mumps, and rubella, is about twenty dollars—meanwhile Washington state has spent over a million dollars addressing the current measles outbreak. Investing in prevention isn’t just more effective at keeping our families and communities healthy—it’s more affordable too.”

Related DOH press release: Measles outbreak in Washington State
Measles in Washington has spread and health officials urge immunization. The Washington State Department of Health reminds people to take precautions to help stop the spread of measles.

The MMR vaccine provides long-lasting protection against measles, mumps, and rubella.

Cantwell, Newhouse Lead Washington Congressional Delegation to Call on Trump Administration to Remove Barriers, Open Japanese Markets for Washington Apples.

Press release issued 3. 5. 19 (link source)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the entire Washington state congressional delegation joined together to ask United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer to work with Japan to resolve technical issues and remove barriers to allow Washington state apples access to Japanese markets.

The letter, led by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA-4), specifically calls out Japan’s overly restrictive policies that have effectively blocked Washington apple growers from shipping apples to Japan for decades.

“As you work with Japan to improve the trade relationship between our two countries, we respectfully request that you address the technical barriers to trade for U.S. apple growers seeking to export their top-quality fruits to this important market,” the members of Congress wrote to USTR Lighthizer. “Our growers have long sought meaningful access to the Japanese market. Unfortunately, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) policies imposed by Japan have drastically inhibited their ability to ship apples to this high priority market for decades.”

Washington state grows roughly 67 percent of all United States apples and is responsible for nearly 90 percent of total U.S. apple exports. Washington state apple growers have long sought meaningful access to Japanese markets, but restrictive import requirements have prevented them from gaining a foothold. Since 2003, the United States has won two World Trade Organization disputes against these restrictive policies, but significant technical trade barriers on apples remain in place.

“We fully support the rights of countries to enact science-based measures to protect against the importation of pests and diseases that can be harmful to their domestic agricultural industries. However, pest and disease concerns, not supported by science, are often used as an excuse to impose overly-restrictive requirements on imports that are intended to serve as market barriers and protect domestic industries against foreign competition,” the members continued.

In an effort to ease some of the restrictions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) has submitted a proposal to Japan that would protect against the importation of pests of concern, while also allowing market access for Washington apples. Japan has yet to respond.

“As the United States continues its negotiations with Japan to improve the trade relationship between the two countries, we respectfully request that the U.S. convey to Japan the importance of increasing U.S. apple access, including responding to USDA-APHIS’s April 2017 systems approach protocol and timely consideration of any proposed changes to the current apple work plan,” the members concluded.
In addition to Cantwell and Newhouse, the letter was signed by U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Rep. A

WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

(From the UN News Center & other sources)

Nearly four million North Koreans in urgent need, as food production slumps by almost 10 per cent.
The UN is calling for some $120 million to provide life-saving humanitarian aid, desperately needed by 3.8 million North Koreans, as it releases its 2019 Needs and Priorities Plan for the country.

Editorial note: A product of Socialism! Keeping the poor, poor while the government builds its nukes!

Ramped-up emergency preparedness, part of ‘changing the DNA’ of the UN’s health agency
Better preparing itself to respond to emergency situations is just one of a sweeping range of changes the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday to further improve its role as the world’s leading authority on public health.

Without tackling ‘gross inequalities’ major issues will go unsolved, warns UN rights chief Bachelet
Inequality continues to drive rights violations everywhere, but some countries have made significant progress in tackling the problem, not least in women’s rights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday.

Education remains an impossible a dream for many refugees and migrants.
The older refugee and migrant children get, the less likely it is that they will get a quality education: less than a quarter of the world’s refugees make it to secondary school, and just one per cent progress to higher education. Even for migrants who settle in wealthy, developed host countries, accessing university is an uphill struggle.

Drastic deterioration in security across Burkina Faso as 70,000 flee their homes in past two months, UN warns.
The landlocked West African country of Burkina Faso is facing “unprecedented” displacement, triggered by armed groups and intercommunal clashes, and exacerbated by long-term food insecurity, UN aid officials said on Tuesday.
(continued on pg 2)



IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION:

PAGE 2
Senator Murray, and 24 cosponsors, reintroduce legislation following recent incident where a pregnant woman detained by ICE went into labor prematurely, ending in a stillbirth 


PAGE 3
Our Country is Facing a Growing Emergency at the Border

PAGE 4
HUD APPROVES AGREEMENT RESOLVING ALLEGATIONS OF HOUSING DISCRIMINATION INVOLVING LOS ANGELES COUNTY HOUSING PROVIDERS.



PAGE 5
Identity theft remains on IRS’ "Dirty Dozen" list despite progress



PAGE 6
Cantwell, Bicameral Democratic Leaders Unveil #SaveTheInternet Act to Restore Net Neutrality, Protect Free and Open Internet.


PAGE 7
Panel discusses climate change impacts to national security.

WILL JOHN WAYNE MARINA SUFFER THE SAME FATE OF NAME CHANGE?

****FRONT PAGE COMMENTARY******

By Peter Ripley
Last week on facebook, and newspapers the uproar over an interview that John Wayne in the Playboy magazine back in 1971. It seems once again the PC police ( AKA liberal media), went on a smear campaign of another dead person, this time the actor John Wayne.
 As the result of a whole week of stories and smearing a dead person. The LA Times ran this story: It’s time to take John Wayne’s name off the Orange County airport

Quotes: "Most people familiar with the life story of John Wayne are aware that the late movie star was a dyed-in-the-wool right-winger — after all, he was still making a movie glorifying America’s conduct of the Vietnam War (“The Green Berets,” 1968) well after the country had begun to get sick of the conflict.
But the resurrection of a 1971 interview Wayne gave to Playboy magazine has underscored the sheer crudeness of the actor’s feelings about gay people, black people, Native Americans, young people and liberals.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s impossible or immoral to enjoy Westerns and war movies starring John Wayne; that’s a personal choice. But it certainly undermines any justification for his name and image to adorn a civic facility."

Excerpts from the 1971 Playboy Interview:
Gay people:
Wayne: Movies were once made for the whole family. Now, with the kind of junk the studios are cranking out. … I'm quite sure that within two or three years, Americans will be completely fed up with these perverted films.
PLAYBOY: What kind of films do you consider perverted?
WAYNE: Oh, Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy — that kind of thing. Wouldn't you say that the wonderful love of those two men in Midnight Cowboy, a story about two fags, qualifies?

Black people:
WAYNE: With a lot of blacks, there's quite a bit of resentment along with their dissent, and possibly rightfully so. But we can't all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the blacks. I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don't believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.

Native Americans:
PLAYBOY: For years American Indians have played an important — if subordinate — role in your Westerns. Do you feel any empathy with them?
WAYNE: I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them, if that's what you're asking. Our so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival. There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves. …

Editorial note you can read the entire interview on the LA Times article which was posted on 2/ 21/ 19.
I'm not going to try to offer excuses what Wayne said some forty years ago in a smut magazine like Playboy. The man is dead he can't defend himself.
This smear campaign had a agenda, to paint all conservative, and Christian people as bigots, and also attack Trump. That what all those article last week were really about. So, because of that they plan to rename the John Wayne airport in Orange County CA. The same kind of thing that the liberal media, and their minions done with Laura Ingalls Wilder with changing an book award with her name because Wilder wasn't politically correct enough for our standards, remember that?  The same thing is happening now, liberal media cowards smearing dead people, all no make a political judgement on Trump!

Now that makes me wonder if there's going to be an effort to change the John Wayne Marina in Sequim Washington on the same grounds that Orange County in California is doing with the John Wayne Airport, renaming it because of bad publicity that the Wayne family had this week.
Now the charges of Wayne being a racist, or homophobic doesn't quite add up. For example why would someone who was a racist marry three latino women? And from what I read he didn't condone the act of homosexuality not like the polictions and movie makers are doing today.
I grew up watching John Wayne movies, does the release of an interview in a porn magazine some 40 years ago is going to make me throw out my collection of John Wayne movies! NO! Nor should airports or marinas should be changing names to suit the PC police.

Related stories:
THE BLADE: Critics want John Wayne's name removed from airport after old interview goes viral.

Washington Examiner: Leave John Wayne and his airport alone — for now

THE WESTERN JOURNAL: PC Police Now Want John Wayne’s Name Removed from Airport.

PJ MEDIA: John Wayne: Public Enemy
So now the Social Justice Warrior Left has dug up an old Playboy interview with John Wayne and discovered -- surprise! -- that the Duke was not  politically correct by the standards of 2019.


WE THE PEOPLE:
Violations of Oath of Office: WA State Attorney General, Bob Ferguson
Created by A.K. on February 12, 2019
Washington State Attorney General, Bob Ferguson, continually refuses to uphold the WA State and US Constitution in violation of his oath of office.

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the state of Washington, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of [Attorney General] to the best of my ability.”

Among many other violations, AG Ferguson has repeatedly violated the US and WA State Constitution by infringing on, and impairing, the rights of WA residents to bear arms.

The WA State Constitution declares: “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired...”

AG Ferguson refuses to protect this right for Washingtonians. (petition link)
Editorial note: The second amendment should be upheld, not ignored. That is why I support the petition. However, it doesn't say what the petitioner who created the petition wants the president to do about Ferguson not protecting the second Amendment. Secondly, only those of us who actually lives in Washington state can demand a recall. So, it doesn't make any sense signing it unless you just want to vent your frustrations out.

Kilmer Applauds Passage of Bipartisan Public Lands Package

Press release issued 2. 26. 19 (link source)

Bipartisan package includes permanent reauthorization of Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Kilmer-Heck Maritime Washington National Heritage Area Act, and the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area Act, among other Washington Priorities
Washington, D.C.— Today, the House voted to pass S. 47, the Natural Resources Management Act, a public lands package of more than one hundred public lands, natural resources, and water bills.

 “Growing up on the Olympic Peninsula, I’ve seen firsthand how our public lands have captivated both visitors and residents alike and served as key economic drivers for our local communities,” said Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA). “This bill delivers on our region’s long-standing priorities to protect our environment and support continued access to our public lands for generations to come. From the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, to the creation of Washington’s first two National Heritage Areas, this bill represents a huge win for Washington state. I applaud the leadership of Senator Cantwell who fought tirelessly to ensure that our priorities were included.”

 The bill will permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to ensure that the program can continue supporting conservation and recreation in communities across the country. Since its creation, LWCF has supported more than 600 projects for parks, trails and other outdoor spaces in Washington, including popular sites like Olympic National Park, Lake Chelan, Gas Works Park, and Riverside State Park. In that time, the LWCF has invested $675 million in Washington’s economy.

 The package also includes a bill led by Representatives Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Denny Heck (D-WA) to establish a National Maritime Heritage Area in Washington state. The Kilmer-Heck Maritime Washington National Heritage Area Act (H.R. 975), which was championed in the Senate by Senators Cantwell (D-WA) and Murray (D-WA), would designate a majority of Western Washington’s shoreline as a National Heritage Area to help promote maritime-related tourism, economic development and maritime history as told through Washington state’s museums, historic ships, fishing culture and other activities. Congress has designated 49 National Heritage Areas nationwide to promote local economic growth and tourism and support sites and landmarks with cultural and historical significance.

 Additionally, the package includes the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Act, which designates 1.5 million acres of land stretching along the Interstate 90 corridor from Ellensburg to Seattle as an additional National Heritage Area in the Pacific Northwest.

WORLD NEWS🌏 HEADLINES

From the UN News Center & other sources

Yemen: ‘A great first step’ UN declares as aid team accesses grain silo which can feed millions.
The first assessment of a major UN aid storage facility in war-torn Yemen has been carried out since it was cut off by fighting last September, the Organization reported on Wednesday, hailing it as “a great first step”.

‘Protracted crisis’ in Venezuela leads to ‘alarming escalation of tensions': UN political chief.
The “protracted crisis” in Venezuela has led to an “alarming escalation of tensions”, Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN’s political and peacebuilding chief, told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

Syria still suffering ‘staggering levels’ of humanitarian need, Security Council hears.
“Staggering levels” of humanitarian need persist throughout Syria, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told Security Council members on Tuesday.

With 10 million Yemenis ‘one step away from famine’, donors pledge $2.6 billion.
Donors have pledged $2.6 billion to provide urgently needed support to millions of Yemeni civilians facing an “overwhelming humanitarian calamity” after nearly four years of brutal war, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday.

Youth, indigenous peoples, migrants and refugees boost hope for human rights: Guterres.
People’s rights are under fire “in many parts of the globe,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Human Rights Council on Monday, before insisting that he was not “losing hope”, thanks to the progress made by powerful grassroots movements for social justice.

📃IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION:

PAGE 2
Senator Murray Reintroduces Comprehensive Child Care and Early Learning Bill to Ensure #ChildCare4All, Builds on Momentum from Washington State Stories.



PAGE 3
Senator Murray Statement on Strong Opposition to President Trump’s Nominee for Environmental Protection Agency Chief.



PAGE 4
Florida Home Health Services Company Owner and Co-Conspirator Sentenced to Prison for Role in $8.6 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme.



PAGE 5
IRS waives estimated tax penalty for farmers, fishermen who file returns and pay tax by April 15.


PAGE 6
Senator Murray, Senate Democrats Urge Increased Action to Strengthen Support for Veteran Caregivers.

PAGE 7

Inslee travels to D.C. to discuss education, climate change and clean energy.\






NIGHT OWL COMICS PRESENTS
The seasonal conclusion of  The Night Owl, and,  Androminda Calling.

THE INSANITY CONTINUES OVER PLASTIC BAGS!

*****FRONT PAGE NEWS STORY COMMENTARY******

This story appeared in the local paper, The Peninsula Daily News entitled: State Legislature about to warm up after snow; Local lawmakers discuss plastic bags, jobs, death penalty.

Quoting from the article: " The three Peninsula lawmakers said they would support a bill that would prohibit many stores from providing non-compostable, single-use plastic bags.
Under House and Senate bills that have moved past initial hearings, stores would be required to collect a 10-cent charge for each recycled paper bag provided at checkout.
The cities of Port Angeles and Port Townsend have enacted similar laws — the Port Angeles City Council passed its ordinance by 4-3 vote last April — that require stores to charge 5 cents for a paper bag.
Van De Wege said the law would need to be consistent across the state.
“I favor it at this point,” Van De Wege said.
“First of all, it’s low-hanging fruit to help our environment. I like that. And it also brings value to timber.”
Chapman said it would be “really good for our mills to have more paper bags being used.”
“I’m not a big fan of the fee,” Chapman said of the mandatory 10-cent charge for a paper bag.
“I view that as ‘So, your going to take a dime out of shoppers’ pockets and give it to the large corporations?’ It’s like a reverse tax. I’m going to try to mitigate the fee.”

Editorial Comment: Yet again, we are doing the bidding of environmental extremist who are bent on controlling what shoppers use for bringing home the groceries. Now if you happen to not bring your cloth shopping bag, you'll be zinged by the state 10 cents for each paper bag. The article didn't say that would be on top of the 5 cent fee that local stores already charge, or not. So were left wondering about that. Now, this is a state wide feel good measure, which doesn't consider those cloth bags, that they all talk so highly about ware out, and end up being thrown out, cause just as much pollution in the landfills, as the store bought garbage bags! So what good does banning plastic shopping bags do, other than making the environmentalist feel good?

NO CHILD SHOULD ENDURE ABUSE IN SCHOOL, OR AT HOME!

WE THE PEOPLE
Please ban corporal (physical) punishment in all public schools by federal law; it's still legal in 19 states.
Please ban corporal punishment (spanking, paddling, and any form of physical punishment) in all U.S. public schools by federal law. It is still legal in 19 states. Over 100,000 students are subjected to corporal punishment in these states each school year which research shows has negative effects on children. Together, we can help make all public schools safe places to learn without fear of physical punishment. ( petition link)

Editorial Note: I support this ban because back when I was in the 5th grade, going to school was a nightmare. This was back when I lived in Vermont, and was living in a group home for the disabled, at the time. They had a teacher come in and taught school. He turned out to be an abusive brute, particularly towards me. Whenever I got a math lesson wrong, or some other lesson he was teaching wrong he would hit me with a yard stick on my hands or head! That's probably didn't do so well in school from then on, the fear of being beaten if I got a problem incorrect. That is why I support this petition. No kid deserves being beaten for any reason, in school or at home.

Kilmer and Brooks, Co-Chairs of Bipartisan Working Group, Introduce Fixes to Ongoing VA Healthcare Challenges

Press release issued  2/ 19/ 19 (link source)

WASHINGTON, DC—Representatives Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Susan W. Brooks (R-IN), co-chairs of the Bipartisan Working Group (BPWG) have re-introduced a bipartisan package of fixes to ongoing challenges faced by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in delivering quality care to veterans. The solutions stem from a series of Government Accountability Office (GAO) studies that uncovered problems at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

 Last Congress, members of the BPWG met with the GAO to learn more about their oversight of VA healthcare programs and the VA’s ongoing efforts to adopt best practices. So far, the VA has failed to fully implement hundreds of GAO recommendations for improving access to care and management of VHA facilities.

“We owe it to those who have served our nation to not let partisanship or gridlock get in the way of providing veterans the care they have earned,” said Kilmer. “The Bipartisan Working Group is committed to finding consensus and solving problems, like those that have been plaguing the VA. I’m proud to have worked with my colleagues from both parties on this legislation.”

“Supporting our nation’s both male and female veterans and working to ensure they receive better access to the services and care they’ve earned is a priority on both sides of the aisle. The Accountability for Quality VA Healthcare Act works to improve the VA’s broken system so that we can better serve our veterans. I’m proud the Bipartisan Working Group is dedicated to solving problems together and providing our veterans with the care they deserve,” said Brooks.

The Accountability for Quality VA Healthcare Act (HR 1125) would require the VA to implement some of the highest-priority recommendations identified by the GAO, including:

Physical Security at VA Medical Facilities: This provision creates a pilot project that would bolster security at VHA facilities.
Align VA facilities with the Needs of Veterans: This initiative requires a report from the VA Secretary within 90 days of enactment that evaluates facilities across the department and whether they need to be changed to better help veterans.
CBOC Leasing Handbook: This directs the creation of an updated handbook on best practices to ensure that the process for opening new outpatient clinics runs smoothly.
Improve Access to Care for Our Female Veterans Act: This section ensures the VHA conducts thorough inspections of medical facilities to make sure they have necessary medical supplies and equipment for women, who represent nearly 15 percent of the Armed Forces currently serving.
Veterans Wait Times: This initiative revamps the VHA’s scheduling department. It would require a routine assessment for scheduling needs and a clear strategy on how to retain employees in this space and make sure technology is up to date.
VA Nursing Recruitment and Retention Improvement: This section establishes an annual report that would provide information on whether the VHA is hiring and keeping enough qualified nurses.
Founded in 2011, the Bipartisan Working Group is an informal member organization that seeks to address policy problems in a respectful and open-minded fashion. Meeting once a week, representatives from both political parties build relationships across the aisle by supporting member initiatives, discussing each other’s perspectives on pending legislation, and developing solutions to mutually identified issues. 

WORLD NEWS🌏 HEADLINES

( From the UN News Center & other sources)

Moving from a promise made in Sweden towards hope for peace in Yemen.
“Significant progress” is being made in implementing the deal reached in Stockholm last December between Government and Houthi leaders in Yemen, according to United Nations Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.

UN agriculture agency chief calls on world’s mayors to make ‘global commitments local realities’
At a time of rapid urbanization, cities face challenges that are global in nature but require “the full engagement of local authorities” for multilateral solutions, the head of the United Nations agriculture agency told a special gathering of mayors on Tuesday.

Not enough resettlement solutions for refugees worldwide, says UN.
Despite record numbers of people forcibly displaced across borders, with 1.2 million in need of a new permanent place to call home last year, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) released new data on Tuesday showing that only 55,700 of them – 4.7 per cent – were able to be resettled in 2018.

UN rights chief ‘alarmed’ by upsurge in attacks against civilians in Syria’s Idlib.
Civilians in Syria's north-western city of idlib continue to be used “as pawns”, caught in the crossfire of bombardments by the Government and its allies, and attacks by non-State armed groups, the United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, warned on Tuesday.

Myanmar and UN agriculture agency agree framework to improve nutrition and food security.
The Myanmar Government and the UN’s agriculture agency signed on Tuesday a multi-year agreement that will create conditions to help improve nutrition and food security in the south-east Asian country, while safeguarding and sustainably managing the use of natural resources.

🌍IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION🌎

PAGE 2
WH: Text of Space Policy Directive-4: Establishment of the United States Space Force.



PAGE 3

Remarks by President Trump on the National Security and Humanitarian Crisis on our Southern Border.



PAGE 4

Miami Medical Clinic Owner Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud Scheme


PAGE 5

Mississippi Woman Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering and Tax Evasion Charges for Role in $200 Million Compounding Pharmacy Scheme.



PAGE 6
Members of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Announced



PAGE 7

Inslee responds to loss of dairy cows in Yakima County with emergency funding.


NIGHT  OWL COMICS PRESENTS