The Administrative state demands too much deterrence!

Who used special DMV office? Attorney General blocking access to records

Thursday, August 30th 2018, 4:43 pm PDTThursday, August 30th 2018, 5:01 pm PDT

By Nick Ochsner, Reporter

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Who used special DMV office? Attorney General blocking access to records

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DMV Commissioner Torre Jessup told employees Wednesday the secret driver’s license facility would no longer be used after WBTV exposed the office on Tuesday.

RALEIGH, NC (WBTV) -

The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office is refusing to allow the Division of Motor Vehicles to produce records detailing who scheduled appointments at the secret driver’s license office operated out of the DMV headquarters building in Raleigh.

The office was operated one week each month from January to August.

DMV Commissioner Torre Jessup told employees Wednesday the secret driver’s license facility would no longer be used after WBTV exposed the office on Tuesday.

The week before WBTV’s investigation, a DMV spokesman initially denied the office existed when asked directly by a reporter from the station.

Ultimately, the spokesman acknowledged the office’s existence and defended the agency’s use of the office, which was available by appointment only to certain state employees.

WBTV obtained the list of appointments for the week the office was operated in August.

The DMV used the online tool SignUpGenius to schedule appointments and anyone with the link to the page can view the list of employees who scheduled appointments.

But a lawyer with the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office has refused to produce the sign-up sheets for additional months, which had been made private by DMV following the event, in response to a public records request submitted by the station.

Previous: NCDMV operated secret driver’s license office as residents waited in long lines

In a letter to an attorney for WBTV, the lawyer from the Attorney General’s Office said the names of those who signed up for an appointment at the secret driver’s license office is protected by federal law.

“Under the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), DMV is prohibited from disclosing such personal information to your client under the facts and circumstances presented here,” attorney Christopher Brooks wrote.

But, in a response letter, an attorney for WBTV disputed the assertion that federal law protects the sign-up list.

“The Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994 ("DPPA"), 18 U.S.C. §§ 2721 et seq., and North Carolina's state analog, N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-43.1, prohibit state departments of motor vehicles from disclosing ‘personal information . . . about any individual obtained by the department in connection with a motor vehicle record,’ unless otherwise permitted by law.  18 U.S.C. § 2721(a)(1); see also N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-43.1(a) (explaining that ‘[t]he Division shall disclose personal information contained in motor vehicle records in accordance with the [DPPA]’),” a lawyer for WBTV, Brandon Johnson, said in his response. “The term ‘motor vehicle record’ is defined in the DPPA as ‘any record that pertains to a motor vehicle operator’s permit, motor vehicle title, motor vehicle registration, or identification card issued by a department of motor vehicles.’  18 U.S.C. § 2725(1).”

“The sign-up lists sought by Mr. Ochsner do not on their face qualify as ‘motor vehicle records,’ as the lists do not pertain to any particular driver's permit, vehicle title or registration, or identification card,” Johnson continued.

Attorney Jonathan Jones, who leads the North Carolina Sunshine Center, agrees that the lists of those who used the secret DMV office should be public under the law.

“I don’t think that would apply,” Jones said of the assertion from the Attorney General’s Office that the information is protected by the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act.

Previous: NCDMV discontinues secret driver’s license office at HQ

“What it protects is the information that is contained in the license itself,” Jones said.

Despite that, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s Office said her agency would continue to advise the DMV to refuse to release the record.

But the spokeswoman had no explanation for why the August sign-up list, which it contends is federally protected information, is still publicly available online.

“The DMV can answer any questions about the Sign Up Genius,” spokeswoman Laura Brewer said.

A spokesman for the DMV did not respond to an email from WBTV asking for an explanation as to why the information the agency’s lawyers contend is required by federal law to be kept secret was posted online.

Similarly, a DMV spokesman told WBTV on Thursday that the agency’s commissioner, Torre Jessup, would not be made available for an interview with the station, as he had to other stations this week and as had been promised.

In explanation the refusal to schedule an interview, the spokesman said WBTV had refused to include statements from the agency in its reporting.

But the spokesman did not respond to a follow-up question from a WBTV reporter pointing out the statement provided by the agency was demonstrably false.

Copyright 2018 WBTV. All rights reserved.

Muslims killing Christians in Nigeria and the West ignores.

UNDER FIRE FOR THE FAITH IN NIGERIA

Jihad’s genocide against Christians ensues unabated. 

August 29, 2018 

 

Recently, via social media, I’ve become friends with a Catholic priest in Nigeria.  Because of the brutal persecution to which Christians in his country are routinely subjected by Muslims, I will not disclose his name.  Just a couple of days ago, he posted on his Facebook page a link to a story regarding a fellow Nigerian priest, a man of God who was doing some shopping at the local market for the poor when Muslim gunmen shot him dead.

Knowing that I’ve made it a mission of sorts to draw what attention I can to the plight of persecuted Christians throughout the world, particularly throughout the Middle East and Africa, my new friend private messaged me, thanking me for my “love.” He also underscored the unadulterated evil of Islamic-on-Christian oppression in his country, adding: “The Muslims want our lives!”

On August 18, Father Michael Akawu, “the first indigenous priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, was gunned down in cold blood while shopping at a “supermarket” in Gwagwalada, a suburb of Akawu.   

Father Michael was ordained as recently as February of last year.

But just hours later, according to Samson Ayokunle, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), “hoodlums suspected to be Fulani terrorists” besieged a Baptist church.  They murdered Reverend Hosea Akuchi and abducted his wife.  Ayokunle verifies that the latter’s “whereabouts remain unknown” and her captors are demanding a ransom for her safe return.

Earlier in the winter, two Catholic priests, Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, along with 15 of their parishioners were murdered by Islamic herdsmen who besieged their community and raided their church.

In March, Nigerian Christians protested against the persecution that they suffer, persecution that is not only systemic, but which they insist has at least the implicit backing of the Islamic government. Bishop Olukayode Odetoyinbo called for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari on the grounds that the latter has taken no action to stop the slaughter of Christians.

“We asked the president to resign because he’s the father of the nation [and] when the father cannot protect home, what’s the responsibility of a father then?” The bishop asserted that the president has a “duty…to protect Nigerians” who “entrust” their “lives” to him. “But if a father cannot do that,” cannot honor that trust and protect those under his jurisdiction, he must resign.

Bishop Odetoyinbo assures us that he and his fellow Catholics will “continue praying” with the knowledge that “with the help of God and ourselves, there will be peace in Nigeria.” Catholics and other Nigerian Christians will continue calling on “the president and everyone to protect lives, respect lives and ward away from any factor or any reasons that can take another person’s life.”

Another Catholic bishop, Oyeleke Abegunrin, remarked that “no word of sympathy or condolence has been addressed to the Catholic community in Nigeria” has been extended by the Nigerian president for the losses that Catholics have suffered.  “If the president cannot keep our country safe by taking very drastic and urgent steps to reverse this ugly tragedy that threatens the foundation of our collective existence and unity as a nation, it is time for him to choose the path of honour and consider stepping aside to save the nation from total collapse.”

Bulus Lakar, a representative of another Catholic diocese, addressed one of the nation-wide protests with powerful words.  He referenced “the wave of political assassinations, killings for ritual purposes, [and the] frequent gruesome and mass murders of harmless, innocent and defenceless citizens [.]”  “Very often,” Lakar noted, [it is] “our young people, the very symbols of life and vigour, [who] are the victims and agents of this wastage of human life.” 

He concluded: “In recognition of our divine mandate, we must all be reminded of the sacredness and inviolability of human life.”

Lakar called on Muslims to join Christians in “say[ing] no to these senseless killings.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Christian demonstrators carried placards with such poignant phrases as: “No weapon fashioned against Christians shall prosper,” “Say no to terrorism in places of worship,” “Christians’ lives matter,” “Live and let Live,” “human lives are sacred,” “Change is not about killing of innocent Nigerians,” and “Peaceful and prayerful march for life: Stop the Killings.”

Bishop John Ayah assured the media that Catholics had no plans on assuming arms against their persecutors. “We do not have arms,” he said.  Rather, “our arms are our prayers and our rosaries.” It is for this reason that he and his fellow Catholics will continue imploring “governments to wake up to their responsibilities of providing adequate security to the citizens.”

Nigerian Christians living in the middle and northern regions—i.e. the Islamic-dominated regions—of their country are systematically targeted by Muslim predators because of their faith. Meanwhile, the Islamic government turns a blind eye to the abuses.

But don’t expect to hear much about this in the Western media.

Twitter Blocks Some Conservatives Including VP Mike Pence from ‘Moments’ Feature

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

30 Aug 2018730

Twitter has begun blocking certain conservative accounts from being featured in the platform’s “Twitter Moments” section. Accounts affected include Candace Owens, Parkland survivor Kyle Kashuv, and the official account of Vice President Mike Pence.

A recent video from Sarah Eaglesfield, a British political activist and commentator, appears to show that Twitter will not allow certain accounts — primarily conservatives and free speech proponents — to be added to a new Twitter Moment.  The video from Eaglesfield tests a number of accounts including Candace Owens, Kyle Kashuv, and Scottish YouTuber Markus Meechan, known better as Count Dankula.

Twitter Moments is a feature on the platform that allows users to create lists of tweets on a related topic to share with other users. According to Twitter, “Moments are curated stories showcasing the very best of what’s happening on Twitter. Our Moments guide is customized to show you current topics that are popular or relevant, so you can discover what is unfolding on Twitter in an instant.”

The video demonstrates that when certain twitter accounts are searched for to be included in a new Twitter Moment, instead of displaying a list of tweets to select from — the normal functionality — the platform instead displays an error message which reads, “Hmm, Tweets aren’t loading right now, try again.” The message persists despite multiple attempts to find tweets.

Breitbart News performed the same test on multiple computers including different browsers and operating systems, confirming that the accounts shown in Eaglesfield’s video do not show up in Twitter Moments. They all display the same error message despite multiple attempts. Other randomly selected accounts function normally, with none of Breitbart News’ tests resulting in the same error message. Further tests also show that the problem is not limited to the accounts Eaglesfield uncovered.

The same error message is received when searching for tweets by Breitbart News reporter Josh Caplan:

Even the Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, is facing similar issues with adding  tweets from his account to a Twitter Moment:

This issue does appear to be only occurring when attempting to add tweets to Twitter Moments on a desktop computer. On the mobile app, the same error message does not occur on these accounts.

Breitbart News reached out to Twitter for comment on this issue but has yet to receive a reply at the time of the writing of this article.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan_ or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com

Remember Nancy Pelosi says we must stop this...

Jobless Claims Lower than Expected, Four Week Average Hits Lowest Level Since 1969

The Associated Press

30 Aug 2018

The number of Americans filing new applications for state unemployment benefits rose by less than expected last week, suggesting that the labor market is still very vigorous.

New claims rose by just 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 213,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. After three consecutive weeks of declines, economists had forecast a rise to 214,000, according to Bloomberg.

Jo0bless claims are an indication of layoffs and have been closely watched this year for signs that trade disputes might weigh on the U.S. labor market. So far, there are no signs that tariffs have cost the U.S. economy any jobs.

The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out weekly volatility and is considered by many economists to be a more reliable gauge of conditions, fell by 1,500 to 212,250. That is the lowest level since December 1969, according to the Labor Department.

Obama's lawless legacy continues...we don't need no stinking' rule of law. Will he send them to the Gulag?

DEMOCRATS

 

20 hours ago

Dem rep warns immigration officers following 'illegal' Trump orders: 'You will not be safe' 

By Alex Pappas | Fox News

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“If you are a US government official and you are deporting Americans be warned,” Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego tweeted Thursday. “When the worm turns you will not be safe because you were just following orders.”  (Official portrait )

A Democratic lawmaker issued a startling warning to government officials involved in “illegal” deportations that they “will not be safe” from future punishment when Donald Trump is no longer president.

“If you are a US government official and you are deporting Americans be warned,” Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego tweeted early Thursday. “When the worm turns you will not be safe because you were just following orders. You do not have to take part in illegal acts ordered by this President's administration.”

Gallego’s comments go beyond those of other Democrats, even those who've called for confronting Trump administration officials in public over immigration policies. 

Chris Crane, the president of the National ICE Council, which represents thousands of ICE employees, accused Gallego of inciting violence against them as they “enforce the nation’s laws and keep our communities safe.”

“It should be frightening to every American that a sitting member of Congress would threaten the safety of any person and their family, and incite the public to take acts of violence against them, let alone the lives of those whose job it is to protect us and keep us safe,” Crane said in a statement.

Gallego, in a statement to Fox News, attempted to clarify his remarks.

“Government officials who violate the law or the constitution will not be immune to legal consequences,” Gallego said Thursday. “They will eventually be held accountable for their actions, even if the Trump administration is refusing to do so.”

A spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not return a request for comment. There have been growing calls from Democrats in recent months to abolish the agency.

STATE DEPT. PUSHES BACK ON REPORT ABOUT HISPANICS BEING DENIED PASSPORTS

Gallego's warning was prompted by a story in The Washington Post on Wednesday that examined how the U.S. government has denied passports to Hispanics who have U.S. citizenship but are suspected of possibly having fraudulent birth certificates.

In a statement to Fox News on Thursday, a State Department spokesman blasted the Washington Post report, saying passport denials in these cases have actually declined under this administration. Both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations reportedly denied passports to people delivered by midwives in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, though the practice was hindered by a court challenge years ago. 

“The facts don’t back up the Washington Post’s reporting. This is an irresponsible attempt to create division and stoke fear among American citizens while attempting to inflame tensions over immigration,” said Heather Nauert, a State Department spokeswoman. “Under the Trump Administration, domestic passport denials for so called ‘midwife cases’ are at a 6-year low. The reporting is a political cheap shot.”

But Democrats expressed outrage over the story, accusing the Trump administration of attacking minorities.

“US citizens including #Veterans & law enforcement being jailed on suspicion of being Mexican, denied US passports,” Illinois Rep. Luis Gutiérrez said. “Trump escalating attacks on US Latinos & people of color.”

“Americans are being held, targeted, and denied their rights because of the color of their skin,” tweeted Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez. “This is a disgrace to our democracy and a vicious assault on our community. We must make our voices heard. These families are counting on us.”

“This administration’s anti-immigrant, nationalistic rhetoric and policies are now targeting U.S. citizens, in an attempt to deny them of the rights that our Constitution guarantees,” the Congressional Hispanic Caucus tweeted. “This is wrong, shameless and betrays our most sacred American ideals.”

The State Department told The Washington Post they sometimes ask people suspected of having fraudulent papers to provide additional proof of birth. Those flagged are applicants who have birth certificates filed by a “midwife or other birth attendant suspected of having engaged in fraudulent activities” or those with both a U.S. and foreign birth certificate.

“Individuals who are unable to demonstrate that they were born in the United States are denied issuance of a passport,” the State Department told the paper.

In its story, the Post cited several examples, including a 40-year-old named Juan who reportedly says he was born in the United States, was delivered by a midwife in southern Texas and served in the Army, the Border Patrol and the state prison system.

“I served my country. I fought for my country,” the man said.

Alex Pappas is a politics reporter at FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlexPappas.