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Readers in support of the fuel protests

@Peter Hicks:

I sympathise with the protesters. There does need to be a mass Tea Party-style uprising over the excessive tax this Government levies on the people. We are being oppressed and robbed, its that simple.

"Fuel duty is outrageously excessive and one of many totally unnecessary taxes. Britain will need a low-tax, hard-border revolution to save itself from its spiral of ruin and decay. Not to mention getting rid of 50 per cent or more of the civil service. The biggest cost to economic activity is the Government.

@Richard Lee:

I fully support this. Fuel prices are down to a greedy Government. 20 years ago the protests were about fuel hitting 1 a litre when a barrel of oil was $147. Now, fuel is 2 a litre and a barrel of oil is around $109, all due to tax.

The Government is in control of the price and is wilfully ruining people's lives, and for what? A badly thought-through useless green agenda. This is about the impoverishment and control of the masses.

@Stephen Rees:

My attitude to these protesters is entirely different to that of Insulate Britain protesters. They are protesting against ridiculous fuel prices that are wrecking their livelihoods, in many cases, and causing genuine hardship.

"More to the point, the Government can easily combat this by reducing fuel tax, removing green levies and scrapping VAT on fuel. Some of these may be reinstated when oil prices eventually settle down - but relief of the pain now will help the economy, reduce inflation and win brownie points from the electorate rather than further alienating them.

@Neil Owen:

Whilst I do not condone the action, it is beyond belief that any politician should be surprised by actions such as these by 'ordinary people'. We have had high crude prices before, but the price of everyday fuel has never rocketed like this. A lack of real action by the Government just comes across as them being duplicitous in these events. People will remember this come the election.

@Ricardo Montalban:

Good. The Government could help by reducing the point-of-sale tax taken to that before Russia invaded Ukraine, but it has not done that. Likewise for tax on energy companies, but tax needs to go out to businesses and individuals, not to the Treasury.

Care workers, for example - how are they supposed to make ends meet driving to clients? It is the Government's job to ease disruptions due to economic shocks, not to add to the woe.

@Simon Cox:

They protest at high fuel prices, but cause thousands of motorists to use more fuel in traffic jams across the UK, when the political elite do not suffer at all, so it has no impact on those few individuals who could change things. Other than the newspaper headlines, it's a waste of time, and other people's fuel.

@Dondon JJ:

I'm a little surprised to see so much support for this action, which seems to excuse it purely on the grounds of these people being members of the motorists tribe rather than anything else, and paints a rather sorry picture of modern political allegiances.

@John Vaccaro:

I agree wholeheartedly with the protesters sentiments. However, blocking the motorway network may be counterproductive to the cause of lowering prices. I'd prefer they take the protest directly to Johnson and those in power, whose policies account for around half of the cost of a litre of fuel.

@Gillian Burton:

As much as Ive grown to despise this Government, that I voted for, and all its hot air non-policies, I highly disagree with deliberately bringing the countrys main artery road routes to a standstill as a way to protest. This makes the grinning gentleman in the van and his accomplices no better than Extinction Rebellion.

@Peter Miles:

What do these people actually want? They blame the Government, but it's not the Government which sets the price of fuel. That price is set by the retailers who, in turn, have to reflect wholesale prices which are rising due to Putin starting a war among other reasons.

I suppose some would say that the Chancellor should reduce or remove the duty on fuel, but then what? Protests at the rise in income tax needed to make that loss up, or maybe reduce expenditure on the NHS or benefits?

In reality, the protesters are just a tiny minority moaning they want something done without suggesting what, while making life difficult for everyone else.

Link:
'We need a Tea Party-style uprising': Fuel protests divide opinion among Telegraph readers - The Telegraph

In February 2009, a young man posting on a website dubbed The Urban Prankster Network (Headquarters for Global Agents of Stealth Comedy!) suggested a novel way to cool off the city of Austin, Texas, when the inevitable hell of a Texas summer bakes streets and fries brains: a citywide water gun and water balloon war waged by a flash mob.

It could happen. American flash mobs often involve goofy stunts the digital social network and cellphone with text-message age equivalent of 1950s-era collegians cramming sophomores into a phone booth (when phone booths still existed).

A flash mob organizer might send four accomplices a message like this: Paint yourself blue and show up at Sixth and Congress in two hours. In concept, the ability to communicate quickly and virally (think exponents each friend contacts four more friends, and those friends four more) quickly multiplies the number of blue-painted crazies unexpectedly crowding a downtown sidewalk.

A couple of years ago, I overheard two mothers discussing a high school party that included a flash mob-like activity. A text message provided the insta-mob location. Alas, one of the moms had to drive her son to and from the mob scene. Thats an old lesson reinforced: Even improvised anarchy may require parental logistical support.

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San Francisco, however, is fed up with flash mobs that leave litter. The San Francisco Chronicle assured its readers that the citys looming crackdown was not political, ideological or cultural, but a Valentines Day flash mob pillow fight left heaps of icky, sticky feathers for sanitation workers in other words, clean-up costs. The pillow brawl was billed as the fourth annual, which indicates less flash and more coordination. Unless event organizers take responsibility for the trash, the city may shut the next one down. Heres the bumper sticker: Leave Trash? No Flash.

One hundred seventy-four years after the publication of his Democracy in America, French aristocrat and author Alexis de Tocqueville remains the most insightful analyst of American political mores. Tocqueville didnt anticipate flash mob technology, but he understood them in Americas context. He noted in volume two of his masterpiece that Americans formed public associations for many reasons, including entertainment. Freedom of association flows from the First Amendments guarantee of freedom of peaceable assembly.

Tocqueville also noted that this freedom is dangerous. In Europe, crowds signaled revolt. American democracy had produced a paradox, one that had a subtle but profound national security dimension. Tocqueville concluded the liberty of association had become a necessary guarantee against the tyranny of the majority. Civil associations presumably even pillow fights facilitated political association, and free political association kept American democracy vibrant. Association was the dangerous means for thwarting the majoritys omnipotence.

Tocquevilles observations and San Franciscos impending trash-bred quash of flash mobs led me to the internet. I typed in flash mob and tea party. The Google search produced an article on anti-stimulus protests occurring throughout the United States. Scores of demonstrations against congressional pork spending, congressional earmark spending, lack of oversight in bailout spending and congressional corruption have sprung up around the United States.

In some cases, several hundred people have gathered organized using flash mob communications techniques. The tea party protesters connect their contemporary gripes with the same anti-tax and anti-autocrat sentiment that spawned the Boston Tea Party of 1773. The internet and cellphones are simply swifter couriers for delivering messages from bloggers and protest organizers, the rough contemporary equivalents of the committees of correspondence that linked American revolutionaries in the 18th century.

Yes, hyper-left San Francisco insists it has no ideological issues with flash mobs ... but tyrants do. In 2006, Zimbabwes military cracked down on cellphone companies because they provide independent connections (i.e., communications) inside and outside the country. This threatened national security. The military wanted to limit the outflow of information on Zimbabwes terrible internal conditions and deny demonstrators a tool for organizing.

Tocqueville wrote: It cannot be denied that the unrestrained liberty of association for political purposes is the privilege which a people is longest in learning how to exercise.

Americans, he concluded, had learned. The privilege, and its enabling knack, remains revolutionary.

Austin Bay is an author, syndicated columnist, professor, developmental aid advocate, radio commentator, retired reserve soldier, war game designer.

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Bay: On point: Flash mobs, tea parties and Tocqueville - Times-News

Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

In 2017, David Fahrenthold, who was working for The Washington Post at the time, won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the Donald J. Trump Foundations misappropriation of charitable funds. (Two years later, President Trump had to pay $2 million to a group of charities as part of a settlement.) Exploring and scrutinizing, when appropriate the world of charities made Mr. Fahrenthold interested in diving even deeper, and in January, he joined The New York Times to investigate nonprofit organizations. He reported in May that a little-known United Nations agency had doled out millions of dollars in questionable grants and loans. His latest article, which he worked on with the Times journalists Julie Tate and Troy Closson, is about one man who was accused by prosecutors of operating a long-running charity fraud and getting dozens of fake charities approved by the Internal Revenue Service.

In a phone interview from his home in Washington, Mr. Fahrenthold explained how he had shaped his beat and become an investigative reporter. The conversation below has been edited for clarity and brevity.

How did you end up investigating nonprofits?

It goes back to 2016 when I was covering politics for The Post and stumbled onto this story about Donald Trumps charity. The more we learned about it, the more we learned that it had been breaking charity laws for a long time without getting caught. It used charity money to make a donation to a political campaign and used charity money to buy things that decorated Trumps hotels. I was amazed at the lack of enforcement there was for a charity like this.

I covered Trumps business for a few years. When Trump left office, I thought back to that time. I thought, there is so much information out there about charities and they occupy such an important business and moral role in society, but there doesnt seem to be a lot of enforcement there. So maybe there are great stories to tell. Thats what got me interested in taking on the beat.

What tools do you rely on for your reporting?

I think Google alerts are one of the best tools for keeping track of a sector like this. I have Google Alerts set for nonprofit, nonprofit arrested, nonprofit charged and a few other things. Youre always grateful as a reporter when somebody with subpoena power is looking at the same question you are and is able to get beyond some of the roadblocks you have.

Im a big spreadsheet person. I start with a spreadsheet, try to take all the data thats out there and put it in one place so that I can remember the connections between things. I can trap all the information and put it in boxes where I know where to find it.

How did you and the other two reporters who worked on the latest article divide the work?

I tried to understand, who is this guy, and who are these other people he listed as his directors? Julie was the one who knew how to look them all up, how to get the phone numbers, how to find the people. If you have a mystery, she adopts it as her own mystery.

Troy covers courts in Brooklyn, so he went to the court hearings. He talked to the district attorneys folks. He was the one who did the law enforcement side of it.

How did you become an investigative reporter?

The most recent experience that started me on this was around 2013 and 2014 at The Post. Before that, I had covered a bunch of different beats: the cops in D.C., the environment, Congress. But in 2013 and 2014 that was the era of the Tea Party there was all this effort to cut budgets. I got to spend a couple of years writing about things the government spends money on. Those stories were the first time I got to try to find bureaucratic dysfunction or a big thing happening in the government that people ought to know about.

You also try to find a person you can tell that story through. How can I tell the story in a way that youre going to want to read it, but youre also going to learn something? Youre trying to understand completely the problem youre describing, but its also storytelling. I love doing that.

Read the rest here:
A Moral Role in Society and Little Enforcement? You Have This Reporters Attention. - The New York Times

If its hot as a firecracker, it must be almost Fourth of July. Actually, it would be almost Fourth of July regardless of the weather, so its time for all good patriots to step up for Spin Controls annual Independence Day trivia quiz.

Some people consider 13 an unlucky number, but we do one question for each original colony. So take the test without looking at the answers, lest you be banished from the backyard barbecue.

1. Which of the following was NOT one of the original 13 colonies?

A. North Carolina

B. Georgia

C. Delaware

D. Maine

2. After the Boston Tea Party, the British Parliament passed a series of laws to punish the colonists that included placing Massachusetts under military rule and requiring colonists to house troops in their homes. What did the colonists call those laws?

A. The Intolerable Acts

B. The Tyrannical Acts

C. The Objectionable Acts

D. The Unacceptable Acts

3. Where were the British headed when Paul Revere made his famous ride?

A. Boston

B. Concord

C. New York

D. Salem

4. The British were planning to capture two leaders of the rebellion who would later sign the Declaration of Independence. Who were they?

A. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson

B. John Adams and Paul Revere

C. Sam Adams and John Hancock

D. John Jay and Elbridge Gerry

5. Which of the following lines is NOT in the Declaration of Independence?

A. We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union

B. Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed

C. The separate and equal station to which the laws of Nature and Natures God entitle them

D. We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor

6. How many future presidents signed the Declaration of Independence?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 3

D. 4

7. Who said Give me liberty or give me death?

A. Thomas Jefferson

B. Thomas Paine

C. Patrick Henry

D. Nathan Hale

8. For a brief period after the United States became independent, there was an area of what is now North Carolina and eastern Tennessee that residents claimed was a state named after one of the Founding Fathers. Which one?

A. Thomas Jefferson

B. Benjamin Franklin

C. John Adams

D. George Washington

9. The American Revolution officially ended with the Treaty of Paris. What future president helped negotiate that treaty?

A. Thomas Jefferson

B. James Madison

C. John Adams

D. George Washington

10. The American Revolution ended in 1783, but the United States didnt adopt the Constitution until 1788. What document defined government powers until then?

A. The Magna Carta

B. The Mayflower Compact

C. The Alliance of States

D. The Articles of Confederation

11. How many of the 13 new states had to ratify the Constitution for it to take effect?

A. 9

B. 10

C. 12

D. 13

12. According to the old saying, what crop is supposed to be knee-high by the Fourth of July?

A. Barley

B. Corn

C. Hay

D. Wheat

13. George III was king of Great Britain during the American Revolution. Who was king during the War of 1812?

A. George III

B. George IV

C. William IV

D. Edward VI

1. D. Maine was part of Massachusetts and didnt become a state until 1820.

2. A. The British called them the Coercive Acts but the colonists called them the Intolerable Acts.

3. B. They were headed to Concord where the colonial militia kept an arsenal.

4. C. The British traveling to Concord were also hoping to capture Sam Adams and John Hancock, two leaders of the rebels.

5. A. Thats the opening line from the Constitution.

6. B. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

7. C. Patrick Henry said it, although not when voting for the Declaration of Independence at the Continental Congress but a year earlier at the Second Virginia Convention.

8. B. The state of Franklin was originally part of North Carolina which had been sold to land speculators. They wanted to secede and become a state, but the Congress under the Articles of Confederation didnt approve it. It later became part of Tennessee.

9. C. Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay negotiated the treaty.

10. D. The Articles of Confederation, which proved inadequate for the new nation. Instead of revising them, a whole new Constitution was drafted and passed.

11. A. The agreement required nine states to ratify. All 13 eventually did.

12. B. According to the Farmers Almanac, a good crop of corn should be knee high by the Fourth of July, although according to the song in Oklahoma it should be as high as an elephants eye.

13. B. George III has the distinction of losing two wars to the Americans, although his son was governing as regent and the second war ended in a bit of a draw with several major issues unsettled and one of the Americans biggest victories, the Battle of New Orleans, coming after the treaty was signed.

Scoring

0-3 Union Jack

4-6 Yankee Doodle

7-10 Minute Person

11-13 Founding Father or Mother

Continue reading here:
Go forth for July 4th with the annual trivia quiz - The Spokesman Review

A controversial appearance by a confederate soldier and a Confederate battle flag in last years Redmond Fourth of July Parade did not repeat this year. Thats because parade organizers forbid any flags or symbols other than American flags and those of the United States Armed Forces.

An estimated 5,000 people lined 6th Street in downtown Redmond to watch the Fourth of July Parade.

They were treated to the sights and sounds of 80 entries ranging from the Veterans of Foreign Wars to local politicians, organizations and businesses bedecked in patriotic colors, many throwing candy to children in the crowd.

We used to have the veterans carry the flag. I carried the flag for a number of years down the street and lead the parade, but you got guys with pacemakers and bad knees and bad backs, 70-75 years old, said Dennis Guthrie ofVFW Post 4108.

Flag bearing duties are now the responsibility of Marine Corps JROTC members from Redmond.

RELATED: Only American flags, US military symbols in Redmond 4th of July parade

From 2021: Confederate flag in Redmond parade sparks both anger and support

Even Uncle Sam put in an appearance.

Uncle Sam represents United States, said SOT Joe Kosanovic in his 20th year of performing as Uncle Sam. It started back when the butcher, Sam Wilson, started a tradition of delivering meat to the revolutionary soldiers. When he would stamp those barrels U.S., everybody would say, whered you get that grub? Thats from Uncle Sam.

The Redmond Chamber of Commerce partnered with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Kiwanis and Rotary clubs to form a Fourth of July Parade Committee to help oversee and implement this years parade.

A ban on symbols, banners, flags or statements that be viewed as hateful, offensive or political were among the new rules for this year parade.

Several people walked and checked each float, myself included, said Eric Sande, Redmond Chamber of Commerce. We looked at each one and made sure everything complied with our rules. We think everything was there and in compliance and we had a great parade.

Peoples Rights Oregon displayed a Dont Tread on Me, flag that was first flown on an American warship in 1775 as a battle cry for American independence from British rule.

In recent years, the symbol has been adopted by conservative and libertarian groups, including the Tea Party in 2009 in their platform for small government and lower taxes.

Freedom isnt free. We get to say thank you to veterans and first responders whove worked really hard for the freedom we enjoy, said Kim Meeder, Crystal Springs Youth Ranch. This is a very small way of saying thank you.

By chance, I interviewed members of Jeep Girls Connect local chapter, who ended up winning first place in the parade.

I think it brings women together and our community. We support each other. Were like a family, said Carina Casabon.

There was talk of taking the Jeeps out for a spin somewhere in the dirt, after the parade.

Laughter, appreciation and excitement were the themes of this years Redmond Fourth of July Parade.

See our story below from last week about the flag restriction placed on this years parade.

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No controversies in this year's Redmond Fourth of July Parade - Central Oregon Daily