nittany ram wrote:

Vincent Bonsignore @DailyNewsVinny
Hearing there could be an update on Aaron Donald and #Rams contract situation today

Zooey wrote:

zn wrote:

But I don’t think those things ARE synonymous. It’s not like it’s The Empire in Star Wars. I see a complicated tangle of things. Always remember I am personally going to approach stuff like this as an historian, and historians see contradictory movements and patches of differences, not simple blocs of power.

Power structures replicate themselves at the top. There is a certain Type of personality and character that will prosper in any given hierarchy. I mean, let’s face it. None of us would even get hired by one of those branches of the government. We wouldn’t get through the screening. There are certain beliefs and attitudes that are prerequisites.

Sure, there are variations, and individuals morph in some ways, and so on, but I think I’m closer to WV on this, at least the way I’m reading it.

But it’s not a hierarchy. If it WERE a hierarchy this would be feudalism. It doesn’t work that way…it works in ways different from that.

And it’s not just individual variations.

Broad brushes can only paint broad strokes.

For example, when we looked into the intel on the run-up to the Iraq War, there were whole domains of the state dept/intel world that were actively resisting the Bush narrative. They circulated things. It was not hard to find.

If it weren’t for that, there would have been a TON we did not know. Their resistance to the POTUS narrative was crucial to our knowledge.

And not all the people attracted to state service are even remotely into the kinds of things we attribute to them. Often they take pride in just simply advancing the causes of reason, knowledge, and info. Many of them are in a better position to undestand and see through the effects of Citizens UNited than even we are. The thing is much more divided than the Cartoon Evil representation would have us think.

Besides. Remember, Stalinists are the ones who like to label the “impure” and then in the end eliminate them. THEY thought in terms of broad stroke messages. I just will never do that. Slogans aren’t worth the price you pay for them.

Mike Pence Is Toast: Anonymous Letter To WaPo Shows The Role Of Eric Prince In Trump-Russia

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/5/26/1666425/-Mike-Pence-Is-Toast-Anonymous-Letter-To-WaPo-Shows-The-Role-Of-Eric-Prince-In-Trump-Russia

Mike Pence lost all plausible deniability about his alleged ignorance of all things Russian today, if the Washington Post is correct that Pence benefactor and mentor Erik Prince is the “representative of Trump” named in an anonymous letter received by the Post in December; and moreover that Prince was a member of the Trump transition team all along.

The letter said among other things that Jared Kushner had talked to Sergei Kislyak about setting up a secret and secure communications channel between the Trump administration and the Kremlin. The letter also made reference to a “Trump representative” meeting with a Russian contact to set up the communications channel and the Trump representative is Erik Prince. If The Washington Post is correct, and it certainly appears that way, there is absolutely no way that Pence can maintain he didn’t know everything about Flynn and Trump-Russia, and that he learned it first hand from Mike Flynn, Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, and Erik Prince. This could be more than a leak, this could be a deluge, where Mike Pence and his credibility are concerned. The Washington Post said this:

In addition to their discussion about setting up the communications channel, Kushner, Flynn and Kislyak also talked about arranging a meeting between a representative of Trump and a “Russian contact” in a third country whose name was not identified, according to the anonymous letter.

The Post reported in April that Erik Prince, the former founder of the private security firm Blackwater and an informal adviser to the Trump transition team, met on Jan. 11 — nine days before Trump’s inauguration — in the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean with a representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Could Erik Prince be the representative of Trump that is referred to? It certainly seems that way. And take a look at what else the Post reported on April 3:

The Post reports that the United Arab Emirates arranged a secret meeting in January between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and an un-named Russian close to Vladimir Putin, with the alleged goal of establishing a back-channel line of communication between Moscow and and the Trump transition team, headed by Mike Pence, according to U.S, European and Arab officials.

Though Prince had no formal role with the Trump campaign or transition team, he presented himself as an unofficial envoy for Trump to high-ranking Emiratis involved in setting up his meeting with the Putin confidant, according to the officials, who did not identify the Russian.

Prince was an avid supporter of Trump. After the Republican convention, he contributed $250,000 to Trump’s campaign, the national party and a pro-Trump super PAC led by GOP mega-donor Rebekah Mercer, records show. He has ties to people in Trump’s circle, including Stephen K. Bannon, now serving as the president’s chief strategist and senior counselor. Prince’s sister Betsy DeVos serves as education secretary in the Trump administration. And Prince was seen in the Trump transition offices in New York in December.

Prince and his family were major GOP donors in 2016. The Center for Responsive Politics reported that the family gave more than $10 million to GOP candidates and super PACs, including about $2.7 million from his sister, DeVos, and her husband.

Erik Prince has had lucrative contracts with the UAE government, which at one point paid his firm a reported $529 million to help bring in foreign fighters to help assemble an internal paramilitary force capable of carrying out secret operations and protecting Emirati installations from terrorist attacks.

The Washington Post goes on to point out that Erik Prince would have been perceived as way too controversial to serve in an official capacity on the transition team. But unquestionably Prince was a terrific go between because of his experience as an ex CIA agent and former Navy Seal, experience which arguably qualifies him for yet more clandestine endeavors, coupled with his relationship with the royal leaders of the Emirates, where he moved to in 2010 amid mounting legal problems with his American business.

Before the Seychelles meeting and for weeks afterward, the UAE believed that Prince had the blessing of the new administration to act as its unofficial representative. The “Russian participant” was a person whom the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Zayed knew was close to Putin from his interactions with both men, officials said. And less than a week before the Seychelles meeting, U.S. intelligence agencies released a report accusing Russia of intervening clandestinely during the 2016 election to help Trump win the White House.

Erik Prince is an interesting character. Erik Prince portrays himself as a mix between Indiana Jones, Rambo, Captain America, and Pope Benedict, according to The Intercept article, “Mike Pence Will Be The Most Powerful Christian Supremacist In U.S. History.” Mike Pence and Erik Prince go back a long ways. Erik Prince is Mike Pence’s benefactor. Mike Pence is Neo to Erik Prince’s Morpheus. Bankrolling Mike Pence so that he can become POTUS and implement dominionist rule in Washington is Erik Prince and Mike Pence’s dream. The Intercept said this:

…his close relationship to Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater. In December 2007, three months after Blackwater operatives gunned down 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad’s Nisour Square; Pence and his Republican Study Committee, which served “the purpose of advancing a conservative social and economic agenda in the House of Representatives,” organized a gathering to welcome Prince to Washington. But their relationship is not just forged in wars. Prince and his mother, Elsa, have been among the top funders of scores of anti-gay-marriage ballot initiatives across the country and have played a key role in financing efforts to criminalize abortion.

Prince has long given money to Pence’s political campaigns, and toward the end of the presidential election, he contributed $100,000 to the pro-Trump/Pence Super PAC Make America Number 1. Prince’s mother kicked in another $50,000. […] Erik Prince…portrays himself as a mix between Indiana Jones, Rambo, Captain America, and Pope Benedict…

Bear in mind that the $150,000 from mother and son to Mike Pence was a routine gesture; not a one-time contribution. Also bear in mind the number of anti-gay bills and anti-gay legislators and do the arithmetic on what kind of money it takes to be “among the top funders for scores” of those fund raising drives and campaigns across the country. A bit more background on Prince and his family, also from The Intercept article:

The Prince family’s support for Pence, and the Christian supremacist movement he represents, has deep roots. Erik Prince’s father, Edgar, built up a very successful manufacturing business in Holland, Michigan, and became one of the premier bankrollers of what came to be known as the radical religious right. They gave Gary Bauer the seed money to start the Family Research Council and poured money into James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. “Ed Prince was not an empire builder. He was a Kingdom builder,” Bauer recalled soon after the elder Prince’s death. “For him, personal success took a back seat to spreading the Gospel and fighting for the moral restoration of our society.” Erik Prince’s sister Betsy married Dick DeVos, whose father, Richard, founded the multilevel marketing firm Amway and went on to own the Orlando Magic basketball team. The two families merged together like the monarchies of old Europe and swiftly emerged as platinum-level contributors to far-right Christian causes and political figures.

The Prince and DeVos families gave the seed money for what came to be known as the Republican Revolution when Newt Gingrich became House speaker in 1994 on a far-right platform known as the Contract with America. The Prince and DeVos clans also invested heavily in a scheme developed by Dobson to engage in back-door lobbying activities by forming “prayer warrior” networks of people who would call politicians to advocate for Dobson’s religious and political agenda. The Princes consistently poured money into criminalizing abortion, privatizing education, blocking gay rights, and other right-wing causes centered around their interpretation of Christianity.

So much for Mike Pence and Erik Prince’s history together. To get current with the present day, the FBI was already investigating communications between Flynn and Kislyak, and the Post wrote about that on January 12th. The Seychelles meeting took place on or about January 12th as well. Then came the firing of Flynn ostensibly for misleading Mike Pence. Less than one week later, per the Post, U.S. Intelligence agencies accused Russia of intervening clandestinely in the 2016 election in order to help Trump get elected.

The Post makes it clear that although Erik Prince may not have had any official title or played any direct role on the Trump transition team his name “surfaced so frequently in internal discussions that he seemed to function as an outside adviser whose opinions were valued on a range of issues.” Additionally, the Post reports, and isn’t this interesting, “He appears to have particularly close ties to Steve Bannon, appearing multiple times on the Breitbart satellite radio program and website that Bannon ran before joining the Trump campaign.”

So here we have all the ducks in a row, Jared Kushner, Mike Pence, Erik Prince, and Steve Bannon. Erik Prince lives in a world where a jeep arrives on a tarmac, shadowy figures pile out and go up the ramp of a private jet, and the jet disappears into the setting sun. Erik Prince is clandestine personified. So naturally Erik Prince denied everything about the Seychelle’s meeting or about his role as an unofficial but nonetheless very real member of the transition team, right alongside Mike Pence.

“We are not aware of any meetings, and Erik Prince had no role in the transition,” said Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary.

A Prince spokesman said in a statement: “Erik had no role on the transition team. This is a complete fabrication. The meeting had nothing to do with President Trump. Why is the so-called under-resourced intelligence community messing around with surveillance of American citizens when they should be hunting terrorists?”

Mike Pence has been playing games pretending that he is a Washington outsider, which defies the imagination let alone common sense. He has lost all plausible deniability after today. It will be interesting to see him squirm out of this one. Pence and Prince were side by side on the transition team and the Washington Post has it down in black and white and considerable detail. After today’s bombshell about Jared Kushner requesting a communications back channel a lot more dots are getting connected in the Trump Russia investigation. Yeah, Mike, as the Hoosier good ole boys say, “Last time there was a leak like this, Noah done got hisself a boat.”

Plenty of time for the Los Angeles Rams and Aaron Donald to reach an agreement

By Gary Klein

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-aaron-donald-20170529-story.html%5B/quote%5D

An oversized yellow dump truck served as a backdrop for photographers, dwarfing Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

It was November, and the Rams were celebrating the groundbreaking for their planned $2.6-billion stadium in Inglewood. Donald was there to stick a ceremonial shovel in the ground for a complex that was not scheduled to open until 2019.

A reporter asked Donald, on his way to earning Pro Bowl recognition for the third time in three NFL seasons, if he would be playing for the Rams under a new contract when the stadium opened.

“We going to see,” Donald said. “Right now, we’re worried about 2016 and 2017, and we’ve got some games to win now in the Coliseum.”

At that point, the Rams had won one game at the Coliseum. They did not win another.

But in a 4-12 season with few bright spots, Donald remained a beacon, one of the most disruptive defensive players in the NFL.

Now, with quarterback Jared Goff coming off a shaky rookie season and running back Todd Gurley trying to rebound from a sophomore slump, Donald is the team’s lone verifiable star.

And Donald, his representatives and the Rams know it.

General manager Les Snead went on record in March, saying that Donald was “sitting pretty right now,” that he deserved a raise and that an extension was coming.

“Whether he gets a raise or not,” Snead said, “he’s going to show up, do the things he does.”

Maybe he will this summer — if the Rams make Donald one of the NFL’s highest-paid defensive players.

Donald attended voluntary offseason workouts and an April minicamp but was absent from the first week of voluntary organized team activities last week. Snead acknowledged that it was because of the contract situation. The second week of workouts begins Tuesday.

Donald, the 13th pick in the 2014 draft, is due to earn a paltry-by-standards-of-performance $1.8 million in salary and $1.4 million in bonuses this season. The Rams in April exercised their fifth-year option, putting Donald, 26, in line to earn about $6.9 million in 2018. But that move was regarded as a formality to give the two sides time to negotiate an extension.

The Rams are not required to do so. They could put the franchise tag on Donald after the 2018, 2019 and, conceivably, 2020 seasons. But that is an expensive and probably impractical way for a franchise to treat its star player.

So, at this point there is no reason for Rams fans to fret about Donald’s absence. Training camp is about nine weeks away.

And while some veterans might feign an injury to avoid OTA workouts, this is no vacation scheme for Donald. He is a player who loathes missing workouts and loves preparing with teammates.

New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is installing a 3-4 defensive scheme, but he was not expected to tinker much with a tackle that has produced 28 sacks, eight last season. Phillips has worked with several hall of fame players. He will let Donald do what Donald does best, whenever he returns.

Linebacker Von Miller of the Denver Broncos and linemen Ndamukong Suh of the Miami Dolphins and Fletcher Cox of the Philadelphia Eagles established new salary standards for defensive players in the last two years.

But Donald’s contract impasse, in terms of service time, most closely resembles that of Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt.

In 2014, on the eve of his fourth NFL season, Watt signed a six-year, $100-million extension, $51.8 million guaranteed.

The next year, after Suh’s fifth NFL season with the Detroit Lions, the Dolphins gave the free agent a six-year, $114.3-million deal with $60 million guaranteed.

Last June, before his fifth season, the Eagles gave Cox a six-year, $102.6-million extension, $63.3 million of it guaranteed.

A month later, Miller raised the bar. Coming off a Super Bowl MVP performance in his fifth pro season, he earned a six-year, $114.5-million contract with $70 million guaranteed.

Donald and Cox both are represented by agent Todd France of CAA. So Donald’s scenario might mirror that of Cox, who sat out OTAs last year but reported for a mandatory minicamp — avoiding a fine of more than $70,000 — before reaching his deal about 10 days later.

The Rams are scheduled to hold a mandatory minicamp June 13-15 before taking a six-week break.

Will Donald be there?

The Rams are becoming accustomed to changing timelines. The completion date for their new stadium has been pushed back to 2020.

That also could coincide with an organizational rebranding, including new uniforms.

Expect a much wealthier Donald to be wearing one.

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/05/29/nfl-memorial-day-notes-peter-king-richard-sherman-seahawks

Peter King

• The Seth Wickersham/Seahawks story. The respected Wickersham reported from a slew of sources, basically, that Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman cannot get over the game-losing interception from the Super Bowl 27 months ago, and his frustration continues to point mostly at coach Pete Carroll for enabling the play-call at the New England one-yard line, and at quarterback Russell Wilson for throwing the interception.

I’m going to re-live the key play in a moment, but I’ll just say this: Those who live in the past are condemned to repeat it. I have not spoken to Wickersham’s sources, but I do not doubt the veracity of his story.

And if Sherman continues—as he did last year, when he verbally harangued offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell on the sidelines of a game—to bring up that losing play, Seattle should trade him after the season. (I’d say now, but without significant reinforcements at the position on a contending team, losing Sherman would be a major blow to going far in the playoffs this year.)

One other point: This is, in part, Carroll’s doing. He has created a don’t-worry-be-happy atmosphere in which it’s almost okay to be insolent because it’s part of his freedom environment. It’s fine when you’re winning, not so fine when you’re not dominating. Now, I don’t think the Seahawks will trade Sherman or let him go this year, because they’re a cornerback-needy team, and premier cornerbacks like Sherman are rare.

My guess: Sherman will be on his best behavior this season (at least as it relates to this incident, and further disruptive sideline incidents) because he knows all media and team eyes will be on him because of this story. But 2018? Nothing is guaranteed.

• The Seahawks play in question. So I went back over the weekend and watched the play in question a few times on NFL Game Rewind. Actually I watched four plays from New England’s Super Bowl win over Seattle. Seattle ran four snaps on third-and-one or third-and-two in that Super Bowl. On three of those, Marshawn Lynch ran the ball—for zero, three and zero yards. (Wilson threw an incompletion on the fourth third-and-short play.)

On those three Lynch runs, New England didn’t have its full package of run-stoppers in the game. On each, 335-pound Vince Wilfork and 325-pound Sealver Siliga were on the defensive front with lighter defensive linemen—and, in fact, Lynch was stopped for no gain on the first of those plays, when New England had only two down linemen (Wilfork and Siliga) on the field.

Now to the ultimate play. Second and goal from the New England four-foot line, with 26 seconds to play and Seattle with one timeout left. When Wilson came to the line, he saw this across from him, from his left to right: Wilfork, 335, on the left tackle … Siliga, 325, on the left guard … Alan Branch, 324, on the right guard … Chris Jones, 309, on the right tackle.

On the three previous short-yardage runs in the game, Seattle faced New England alignments with two defensive tackles in the game; now there were four. If Bevell wanted to call Lynch’s number here, once, no one would have faulted him.

That’s his money back, on the money play of the season. But would he have gotten in? We’ll never know, but based on the mediocrity of the offensive line and New England’s approach, I’d say it’s highly unlikely Lynch would have scored.

So let’s say he doesn’t score. Now it’s third-and-goal, with either one or two plays left. (Seattle would likely have called time after the second-down failure, and thrown on third down. An incompletion would have given Wilson a fourth-down try.) In the end, Seattle chose the element of surprise, throwing on second down, and Wilson’s throw for Ricardo Lockette was a millisecond late and Malcolm Butler made the play of his life to collide with Lockette at the same time he picked off the ball at the goal line.

The conclusion: No one can bitch if Bevell calls the running play on second down. But I feel strongly that Seattle would have had to throw it or get a fluky Wilson scramble to get the ball in the end zone to win—regardless of down.

Teen on Portland train: ‘They lost their lives because of me and my friend’

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/29/us/portland-train-teenager-stabbing/

(CNN)As tears streamed down her cheeks, Destinee Mangum, 16, thanked the three strangers who intervened on a Portland light-rail train after a man hurled anti-Muslim slurs at her and her friend who was wearing a hijab.

Two of the men were killed. One is in the hospital after the suspect, identified as Jeremy Joseph Christian, 35, stabbed the three victims, according to police.
“I just want to say thank you to the people who put their life on the line for me,” Mangum told CNN affiliate KPTV, her voice cracking. “Because they didn’t even know me and they lost their lives because of me and my friend and the way we look.”
The incident on Friday struck a nerve across the United States. Outrage over the deadly assault, messages of support for the victims and expressions of antipathy for the attacker have dominated social media and news coverage.
Online funding pages have emerged for the families of the two slain men, the injured man and the girls who survived the attack.
On Monday, President Trump weighed in, lauding the victims and deploring the act of violence.
“The violent attacks in Portland on Friday are unacceptable. The victims were standing up to hate and intolerance. Our prayers are w/ them,” the President tweeted from his @POTUS account.

President Trump ✔ @POTUS
The violent attacks in Portland on Friday are unacceptable. The victims were standing up to hate and intolerance. Our prayers are w/ them.

The attack

Mangum and her friend were riding the MAX light rail Friday afternoon when the suspect allegedly targeted them. He yelled at Mangum, who is not Muslim, and her friend, using what police described as “hate speech toward a variety of ethnicities and religions.”

“He told us to go back to Saudi Arabia and he told us we shouldn’t be here, to get out of his country,” Mangum told KPTV. “He was just telling us that we basically weren’t anything and that we should just kill ourselves.”
Frightened by his outburst, the pair moved away to the back of the train.
Then a stranger intervened, telling the man that he “can’t disrespect these young ladies like that.”
“Then they just all started arguing,” Mangum said.
By the time the light rail pulled into the next station, Mangum and her friends were ready to leave.
“Me and my friend were going to get off the MAX and then we turned around while they were fighting and he just started stabbing people,” she said.
“It was just blood everywhere and we just started running for our lives.”
Several passengers chased after the suspect and called 911, directing officers to his whereabouts, according to local media.
Mangum, wearing pigtails, held tightly to her mother’s hand as she spoke to a KPTV reporter.
“It’s haunting me,” she said.

Ricky John Best, 53, of Happy Valley, died at the scene. The military veteran worked as a technician for the city of Portland and had gravitated towards public service.
Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, 23, of Portland, died at the hospital. He had graduated from Portland’s Reed College with a degree in economics last year and had just begun his career working at an environmental consulting agency.
The third victim, Micah Fletcher, 21, is being treated at a hospital with serious injuries. A GoFundMe account to pay for his medical bills showed a picture of him on a hospital bed with a visible neck wound.
Mangum’s mother, Dyjuana Hudson, said she owes everything to the three men and their grieving families.
“I want to say thank you so much,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine what you’re going through right now as far as losing someone.”

The suspect

Christian was charged with two counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted murder, all felonies. The aggravated murder charge has the death penalty as a possible sentence.
He also was charged with misdemeanors: two counts of second-degree intimidation and a count of being a felon in possession of a restricted weapon, police said.
Christian was being held at the county jail without bail, he will be arraigned on Tuesday in Multnomah County Court.
Police said detectives are looking at Christian’s background, “including the information publicly available about the suspect’s extremist ideology.”
Videos have surfaced showing Christian at various events shouting at people, at one point saying the N-word, as police officers separated him from others.

The FBI has joined the Portland police-led investigation to gather evidence.
Authorities are trying to determine whether Christian will be charged with federal hate crimes.
Teen’s family asks for privacy
After granting interviews to a few local media outlets, Hudson and her daughter posted a video on Facebook saying they were thankful to the victims and the community support. They also asked for privacy.
“The best thing you guys can help us out with is just giving me and my family time to process everything and for me to cope with what happened and to actually heal from this and get over this somehow,” Mangum said.
“When the time comes, we will come forward,” her mother said. “But right now it’s all just too much to keep rehashing it over and over again.”
The other woman on the train hasn’t spoken out publicly.

PFF: RAMS SECOND-YEAR RECEIVERS BATTLING FOR ROSTER SPOT

The Rams WR corps boast depth, but ultimately some will have to fight for a spot on the roster.

MIKE CAHILL

https://www.profootballfocus.com/pro-rams-second-year-receivers-battling-for-roster-spot/

The Los Angeles Rams have spent two draft picks in each of the past two NFL drafts on wide receivers.
Of their draft picks and undrafted college free agents they have signed from the 2016 NFL draft class, in 2014, WR Pharoh Cooper finished second in the nation in catch rate on passes that traveled 20 or more yards past the line of scrimmage at 64.0 percent. He caught 16-of-17 catchable passes on 25 targets.
In 2015, WR Nelson Spruce had a drop rate of 4.3, which ranked 14th in the nation among 97 receivers.
In 2015, WR Mike Thomas had the fourth highest catch rate on 20 or more yard passes, by catching 14-of-16 catchable passes for a 46.7 percent rate.

After ‘Heroic Intervention,’ Funds Being Raised for Portland Victims
Taliesin Myrddin and Ricky Best died after confrontation with alleged racist; Micah Fletcher survived despite extensive injuries to his neck

Lauren McCauley

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/05/28/after-heroic-intervention-funds-being-raised-portland-victims

In a cruel twist to a devastating story about bravery in the face of hate, friends of Micah Fletcher, the sole survivor of the Oregon transit stabbing on Friday, are now trying to raise funds to pay for his life-saving medical treatment.

“Our friend was stabbed and critically injured while being a good Samaritan and heroically intervening during the racist terrorist incident that left two men dead,” reads the Go Fund Me page. “He bravely did what anyone should do when confronted with terrorism and stepped in to stop the harassment of Muslim women by a known White Supremacist.”

Fletcher was one of three people who approached suspect Jeremy Christian on the Portland MAX train on Friday after Christian was seen “yelling anti-Muslim hate speech at the two women, one of whom was wearing a hijab,” KATU reports.

The other two, 23-year-old Taliesin Taliesin Myrddin and 53-year-old Ricky Best, died in the attack. There is a separate fundraiser for the families of the victims.

The Oregonian reports:

The 21-year-old was taking the train to his job at a pizza shop from classes at Portland State University. The suspect hit Fletcher once on the left side with the knife. It punctured his neck and was millimeters away from his jugular, Helm said doctors told her and the family.

He required surgery, which lasted about two hours, she said. Surgeons who operated on him had to remove bone fragments from his throat, she said.

Fletcher is a poet who frequently writes about social justice issues and anti-Muslim prejudice. “Last Memorial Day weekend, Fletcher and other poets part of Spit/WRITE, a youth poetry group, were reading poems about social justice on a MAX train,” The Oregonian noted. “The purpose was to give them the space to call attention to social justice issues, one of his poetry mentors, Renee Mitchell, said.”

According to reporting, Christian, who has been arrested and charged on multiple counts, “had been a prominent and vocal participant in recent ‘alt-right’ rallies in Portland,” and had a history of expressing racist ideas on social media.

Early Saturday he was booked in the Multnomah County jail and has been charged with two counts each of aggravated murder and intimidation in the second degree, a hate crime offense. He was additionally charged with attempted murder and felon in possession of a restricted weapon. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.

The attack captured international attention, as it comes amid a documented increase in hate crimes and speech against Muslims, immigrants, and other minorities, which has coincided with the election of President Donald Trump and the enactment of several policies also targeting those groups.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called the stabbing victims “heroes,” and said their actions “should serve as an example and inspiration to us all.”

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who also extolled their heroism, issued a statement saying: “When White supremacy and neo-Naxism are allowed to flourish, often with the tacit approval of a White House and Republican party more interested in targeting immigrants and people of color than domestic terrorists, this is the inevitable result.”

“We have to address the extremism in our midst. We owe it to our friends and neighbors and families. We owe it to Taliesin and Ricky,” Ellison said. Let us strive to be as brave and as compassionate as them.”

Later, drawing attention to the fundraiser for Fletcher, Ellison wrote online:

Our healthcare system is so cruel, one of the heroes of the Portland stabbing has to crowdfund his lifesaving medical care. https://t.co/sZSMHgsJGH

— Rep. Keith Ellison (@keithellison) May 28, 2017

nittany ram wrote:

Phhht…Aragorn says there’s “always hope” but he fails to back it up with references or studies supporting his claim. He can’t even cite a single example of a situation in which there was a general consensus of “no hope” that was later determined to be false due to the discovery of a reason for hope.

Let’s just say I remain dubious of Aragorn and his unsupported ‘hope’ claims.

At Helm’s Deep, he knew to look to the east for Gandolf’s return at first light on the fifth day.

There’s even a formula for that. GR=FL,D5.

And yet, you scoff.

You are wrong to despair.

Zooey wrote:

We are in a very bad place.

The billionaires dominate the media conversation, and have won the propaganda war. Even if the Dems could flip the House, there is no getting control of the media message. A huge minority of Americans are brainwashed beyond repair, it seems to me, and the problems are not going away even if they can be rolled back slightly.

Suspect in Portland double murder posted white supremacist material online
Jeremy Joseph Christian, 35, reportedly slit the throats of two passengers who intervened to stop him hurling anti-Muslim slurs at two young women

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/27/portland-double-murder-white-supremacist-muslim-hate-speech

Police in Portland, Oregon, have charged a white supremacist with a double murder and hate crimes, after he allegedly cut the throats of two passengers and stabbed another on a commuter train late on Friday afternoon.

According to police, while riding the MAX train in suburban north-east Portland, Jeremy Joseph Christian, 35, began “yelling various remarks that would best be characterized as hate speech toward a variety of ethnicities and religions.”

When fellow passengers attempted to intervene, Christian stabbed three of them. One man, 53-year-old Ricky John Best of Happy Valley, Oregon, died at the scene. Another, 23-year-old Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche of south-east Portland, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. A third, 21 year old Micah Fletcher, was treated for injuries that police said “are not expected to be life-threatening”.

The targets of Christian’s reported abuse included two young women who left the scene. Police believe they may have been Muslim, and that one may have been wearing a hijab. Police have appealed for these women to come forward.

After the attack, Christian reportedly fled on foot from the Hollywood transit station to a nearby medical center, but was soon apprehended by police. An amateur video published by the Oregonian appeared to show Christian taunting police before his arrest.

Early on Saturday morning, Christian was booked into Multnomah County jail and charged with two counts each of aggravated murder and intimidation in the second degree, a hate crime offence. He was also charged with attempted murder and felon in possession of a restricted weapon. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday in Multnomah County court.

Christian had been a prominent and vocal participant in recent “alt-right” rallies in Portland. At a “free speech rally” in Montavilla City Park on 29 April he was captured on video wrapped in an American flag, giving Nazi salutes. Earlier that day, police reportedly confiscated a baseball bat from him. Local reporters captured him yelling racial slurs and threatening to shoot “anyone who tries to disarm me”.

Cat Davila, who was among counter-protesters at the free speech rally, said Christian “showed up part way through the event and came striding straight toward the counter-demonstrator crowd very purposefully waving a baseball bat by his side and staring us down.”

As he drew closer, Davila said, police “blocked him and took his bat and from then on he just yelled a lot.”

Christian’s Facebook page revealed obsessive concern with various far right themes. In recent weeks he posted memes and other material attacking “anti-fascist” protesters who have clashed with various “alt-right” rallies around the country. In the lead-up to the April free speech rally, he posted: “Looking for a couple guys or gals down to unmask anyone wear[ing] a mask at the upcoming Free Speech March”, referring to the antifascist practice of disguising protesters’ identities.

Christian also posted openly antisemitic and neo-Nazi material. On 9 May, he claimed to have challenged Nuremberg prosecutor Ben Ferencz to a debate, in which “I will defend the Nazis”. The same day, he posted “Hail Vinland!!! Hail Victory!!!”, combining a familiar catchphrase that was used at a post-election rally by the activist Richard Spencer with the far-right concept of “Vinland”.

Portland-based anti-fascist researcher Shane Burley, author of the forthcoming book Fascism Today, told the Guardian that “Vinland” refers to the area of eastern Canada that Leif Erikson supposedly settled from Iceland. On the far right, he said, it is used as a way of asserting that white nationalists “are Vikings in a new land continuing the ancient battle for the preservation of their people.”

Christian wrote several recent posts opposing male circumcision, writing “I want a job in Norway cutting off the heads of people that circumcize babies” and posting articles about recent attempts in Norway to ban on the practice. Circumcision, Burley said, “is a common men’s rights activist talking point to signify a culture-wide persecution of men.”

Christian also posted material from media outlets depicting his participation in the April free speech rally, referring to his use of an American flag as a cape as his “Lizard King Regalia”.

Christian’s engagement with far right politics may be relatively new. A person who knew him in Portland’s heavy metal scene, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that when he first encountered him eight years ago he was apolitical.

“Jeremy has always been an extremely damaged person since I’ve known him,” the person said. “He practically grew up in prison and his childhood was horrific but I’ve always known him to have a kind heart.”

Christian had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the person said, and “has an extremely obsessive personality. He gets fixed on a thing or an idea and flies off the edge of the world with it.”

According to records, Christian has a history of violence. In 2002, wearing a ski mask, he handcuffed a North Portland shopkeeper to the counter while stealing cash and cigarettes. Following the robbery, Christian was shot in the face by a Portland police officer.

Searches indicated 2002 convictions for kidnapping in the second degree, carrying and using a dangerous weapon, and robbery in the first degree. Records also indicated that Christian had been charged, but not convicted, with offenses ranging from felon in possession of a firearm to supplying contraband.

The attack on Friday came just a week before another “free speech rally” in downtown Portland, planned for 4 June. The event is being organized by Patriot Prayer, the group that organized the rally in April. The rally will feature a number of national “alt-right” celebrities. Anti-fascists are organizing a counter-protest.

One of the main antifascist groups organizing that counterprotest, Rose City Antifa, issued a rare press release late on Saturday. They said that Christian was “merely one of many white supremacists who attended a number of recent rallies organized by Vancouver, Washington video blogger Joey Gibson”. Gibson leads the Patriot Prayer group who has organised recent rallies, including the one that Christian attended.

Rose City Antifa recommitted to opposing the “free speech” rally next Saturday, saying that “on June 4th, the Portland community will say “No!” to fascism, as a warning to white supremacists that their organizing will not be tolerated in our communities”.

Broader reaction in Portland has ranged from shock to defiance. In a media conference on Saturday afternoon, city mayor Ted Wheeler called the attack “a horrific act of racist violence”. Wheeler also pointed to the current political climate as a factor in the crime, adding that “violent words lead to violent acts”.

Others on hand to speak included Oregon governor, Kate Brown, and Portland district attorney Rod Underhill. Underhill urged Portlanders to “stand up, not stand down” to racism, and reminded the gathered media that aggravated murder – one of the crimes that Christian has been charged with – is “a capital offense in Oregon”.

FBI special agent in charge, Loren Cannon, said that it was “too early to say” whether the attacks constituted domestic terrorism under federal law.

Another speaker, Wadji Said from the Interfaith Council of Portland, compared the attacks to the 1988 murder of Ethiopian immigrant Mulugeta Seraw by racist skinheads in Portland.

Later, at a candlelight vigil held on the lawn outside the Hollywood Transit Center where the attack happened, a number of impromptu speakers praised the heroism of the men who had died in defence of fellow citizens.

At least 2000 attendees joined the speakers, many carrying flowers to add to the impromptu memorial on the corner outside the Transit Center.

Two Muslim Portlanders attending the vigil, Keenan Davis and Amer Salam, said that the attacks had cast a pall over the beginning of Ramadan.

“The night before Ramadan, after prayer, usually it’s a hang out, especially for the dudes. You might talk about the Cavaliers and Celtics, or how hungry you are gonna be for the upcoming days. Just chilling.

“Last night there was extra security around prayers, and there’s fear. How many people would like to be told they can’t hang out after church on Sunday?”
He was saddened but not surprised by the attack. In recent months, he said, those with anti-Islamic prejudices had become “more confident” in their desire to “impose themselves on the rest of us”.

Spruce ready to bounce back

http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2017-05-26/Sports/Spruce_ready_to_bounce_back.html

Nelson Spruce had never suffered an injury playing football in high school or college.
That changed once he suited up for the Los Angeles Rams.
Spruce, an undrafted free agent wide receiver out of Westlake High, posted six receptions for 51 yards and one touchdown in a memorable preseason debut against the Dallas Cowboys last year. He got hurt during the game, however.
The setback came at an inopportune moment for Spruce, a rookie at the time.
“It was a big blow,” he said.
Preseason games provide the best opportunities for unproven players—especially undrafted free agents—to showcase their talents.
Despite the untimely injury, the Rams saw enough to keep the receiver on board. Spruce missed the remaining three preseason games last year, but he made the final 53-man roster.
The injury bug, however, reared its ugly head again. While recovering from a sprained knee, he suffered a calf injury. The Rams shut him down for the rest of the season, placing him on injured reserve in November.

“It was tough, mentally, just staying into it,” Spruce said. “The other guys on IR, we formed a close group, and that helped us get through our different injuries.”
The 2016 season was not kind to Spruce, but last year is in the rearview mirror.
He feels better than ever.
“Everything feels fine. I feel 100 percent, no issues,” Spruce said. “I haven’t felt like that in a year almost.”
Spruce stood out on a field of professional athletes during Rams’ organized team activities on May 22 at Cal Lutheran.
He was flying all over the field, running crisp routes and snaring every spiral tossed in his direction.
Spruce is no stranger to having the ball nestled securely in his hands.
During his time at the University of Colorado Boulder, Spruce set a record for most career receptions in the Pac-12 Conference with 294 catches.
Cooper Kupp, a Rams’ rookie wide receiver out of Eastern Washington, spoke highly of Spruce.
“He’s a great guy, a great competitor,” Kupp said. “I’m really excited to be on the same team as him.”
Getting to practice is never an issue for Spruce.
“It’s almost surreal just because it feels like I’m back in high school again,” Spruce said. “I’m still living at my parents’ place. I’ll wake up and drive over here to the facilities. It’s kind of like a high school routine almost. It’s a unique experience.”
Spruce enjoys playing close to home, but he wants to earn the fans’ respect. After battling his way back from injuries, he’s motivated to play well in the fall.
“It’s been humbling for me,” Spruce said. “The past few years at high school or in Colorado, I’m used to coming off a big season production-wise and actually playing. This is the first season that I didn’t really touch the field because of an injury.
“At first it was tough, but it lit a fire in me a little bit.”
Spruce is hoping Rams’ quarterback Jared Goff can help keep the flame burning.
Goff, who played at California, met Spruce when both toiled in the Pac-12. They had a quality relationship before becoming teammates with the Rams.
“We are friends,” Spruce said. “Off the field we do a lot of stuff together.”
The Rams will hope the friendship off the field will translate into success on the field.
Goff, a second-year pro, is now the unquestioned starter.
The QB is constantly evaluating his game while trying to find ways to improve.
“I’m growing as a person, as a player and as a leader,” Goff said. “Everything is always evolving.”
For Spruce, the new season presents a new opportunity. He will have to prove himself all over again with a new coaching staff and greater expectations.
He’s not afraid of the challenge.