Sunday, September 30, 2018

Seaton's Ferries

Samuel F. Taschereau and J. Kemble

In 1889 Thomas Brownfield Seaton brought his family to Spokane on an immigrant train from Cass County, Missouri, bought a covered wagon, and continued Wilbur, where the family stayed with relatives (including nephew Robert Van Sickle) while Tom located a homestead at Hesseltine in the Broadaxe Creek area a few miles north. Tom developed a small farm but also a general store that included a post office where he became postmaster. For a while Tom, his wife, three sons, and two daughters lived and the children went to school here. Among other homesteaders in the area was Samuel C. Rinker, whose son Washington "Wash" Rinker married Tom's eldest daughter, Cora, in 1895. Cora's mother, Minerva Aldridge, had died two months after Cora's birth, and a year later, Tom married Mary Ellen Longacre,

Mary Ellen Longacre, Tom's 2nd wife, and mother of
Bailis, Bessie, Sam, Elmer, and 2 boys who died
before their 5th birthday.
Thomas Brownfield Seaton
and eldest daughter Cora





















Sam and Elmer are indicated in the 2nd row on the right.

Samuel Jones Seaton, Wesley Rinker, John Elmer Seaton
While in Hesseltine, Tom heard about the government opening mineral mining claims on the Colville Reservation on the other side of the Columbia River. He took up a logging claim and in 1898 or 99 with the help of his sons Bailis, Sam, and Elmer, a team of strong work horses, a plow, shovel and pick created a road that ran down over the hill and to the Mighty Columbia River to about where Spring Canyon is located. Here with the help of his boys he built a cable ferry. A very simple barge type boat by today's standards, it was held and propelled across the river on a cable strung from the Lincoln County side to Swawilla Basin on the Colville Reservation side. The plan was then to follow an old native trail into Nespelem. The ferry was one of the first on that part of the Columbia, and ferried people, livestock, mining equipment and supplies. The ferry and roads were a great success. Before long a small community sprang up around Seaton's Landing that included a small general store, post office and eventually a restaurant that also served as a four room halfway house. Back in the late 1800's early 1900's it wasn't uncommon to see a steamboat making its way up the river moving some sort of cargo. The men of the cargo boats often stopped and stayed at the halfway house to get a rest. Bailis, who had taken over the original homestead near Hesseltine after the building of the road, died in 1905 at the age of 25.

Elmer Seaton's Ferry near Spring Canyon

Chief  Moses and wife
Chief Joseph



















The store became almost like a trading post just across the river from the Colville Reservation, home of the well known Chief Moses. Both the Chief and his people frequented the store and were friends with all the Seatons. It is reported that Chief Moses once told Tom that since half the ferry was on the tribe's side they should ride for free. To this Tom jokingly responded that the tribes could ride for free but would have to get out and walk at the halfway mark. Some say it was the only time Chief Moses had ever been recorded laughing, at Tom or with Tom is hard to say, but in the end a deal was struck that the tribes could cross at half fare.

As the children aged middle son Sam Seaton married and moved upriver around Plum to start his own ferry about 1912. His younger brother Elmer eventually took over the operations of the Tom Seaton Ferry from Charlie Dumas and his wife; Elmer's sister Bessie. Elmer ran it for many years alongside his wife until it became better known as the Elmer Seaton Ferry. Meanwhile upriver, Sam was doing well with his ambitions. He had ferries in two locations on the Columbia, one just up a few miles from his brother's ferry named the Sam Seaton Ferry, and a motorized ferry at Plum just outside of Sherman. Plum is now under the water of Lake Roosevelt, most of the places mentioned here are.

The Seaton home at the future site of the big dam. Pictured are Sam, with his wife Mary and youngest daughter, Patricia.

It is said that upriver around Fort Spokane a bridge was torn down and the lumber allowed to float down stream where Sam Seaton easily caught the discarded wood, selling some off, he made his house out of the rest. Finally in 1920 the day came when Grant County made a automobile road into the coulee that lead to where the future dam would be. At the river the Grant County Commission placed a refurbished ferry to get the cars across and named it the Grant County Ferry. Sam got the contract to run this ferry so he carefully disassembled the house he made from the salvaged bridge lumber, created a raft, loaded all his belongings and told his children to stay towards the center as they traveled down the Columbia to Elmer Seaton's where they stayed until a new house was built from the raft. Sam built his house directly where the Grand Coulee Dam sits today, an oversight that caused much dismay later. Eventually Sam reluctantly moved off his land in Coulee Dam to some property a few miles dowriver which became known as Seaton's Grove. Elmer City is named after his brother Elmer Seaton, who owned a ranch in that area.

Sam Seaton's ferry in 1933




Them Dam Writers Online Index





Beginning with the July 31, 2019 issue, The Star, a weekly newspaper in Grand Coulee, Washington, began featuring a history column from "Them Dam Writers," with which this blog participates. In addition to the history column, other articles appearing in The Star which are of particular interest will be featured in this blog, including articles from the past.






Them Dam Writers online  WEBSITE







by Edith Lael

by Bert Smith

by Dan Bolyard

by Samuel F. Tashereau and J. Kemble

by Samuel F. Taschereau

Issue 00 was inspired by this article written by Jacob Wagner which was posted on their website on July 2, 2019 and appeared on page 5 of the July 3, 2019 issue of The Star (Grand Coulee, Washington)









May 2019: Volume 1, Issue 13


April 2019: Volume 1, Issue 12


March 2019: Volume 1, Issue 11


February 2019: Volume 1, Issue 10

Images 61 through 75 of the first of three scrapbook

Images 76 through 90 of the first of three scrapbook


January 2019: Volume 1, Issue 9


This post contains images 31 through 45 of the first of three scrapbooks which my mother put together beginning in 1933.

This post contains images 46 through 60 of the first of three scrapbooks which my mother put together beginning in 1933.



December 2018: Volume 1, Issue 8

This post contains the first 15 images of the first of three scrapbooks which my mother put together beginning in 1933.

This post contains the second 15 images of the first of three scrapbooks which my mother put together beginning in 1933.



November 2018: Volume 1, Issue 7

A large construction project needs to start somewhere, and that is where David H. Ryan comes into play. A construction man from San Diego, he was able to bid on the first contract to excavate overburden at the dam site. For his efforts, he was to be rewarded with his bid of $534,500. The project commenced on January 1, 1934 and was completed that summer.
During this time a second contract came up for bid, the construction of a railroad to facilitate the bringing in of construction supplies for the dam. The thinking at the time was there was going to be such a great amount of material needed, that the only way to bring it all in efficiently was via a railroad.



October 2018: Volume 1, Issue 6

Samuel F. Taschereau and J. Kemble




September 2018: Volume 1, Issue 5



August 2018: Volume 1, Issue 4



July 2018: Volume 1, Issue 3



June 2018: Volume 1, Issue 2




Saturday, September 29, 2018

In the news, Friday, September 21, 2018


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SEP 20      INDEX      SEP 22
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from Asia Times Online
News & Media Website

China Development Bank stakes US$50 bn on African projects
As many as 500 projects in 43 African countries have been supported, including special loans to small and medium-sized businesses.

Pakistan invites Saudi Arabia to join China-led project
After Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit this week to Saudi Arabia, his government announced on Thursday that the Gulf state had been invited to be the third investor in a key segment of the China-led Belt and Road Initiative. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry made the announcement but did not detail whether Saudi Arabia had agreed to lend money to the Pakistani government, which is struggling to cope with an accumulating debt burden. Also on Thursday, the deputy secretary general of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said on Twitter that “Pakistan and Saudi Arabia struck an agreement worth US$10 billion.”

US stocks hit new records as investors shrug off trade war concerns
Wall Street’s three main equities benchmarks all gained around 1% on Thursday, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average both hitting fresh record highs.

Pakistani army chief’s diplomatic mission in China
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Pakistani army’s chief of staff, made a three-day official visit to China earlier this week, meeting with his counterpart and President Xi Jinping. Just a few days before his trip to China, which concluded on September 19, he met the Chinese ambassador in Islamabad, Yao Jing, and discussed matters of mutual interests. He assured him of his support for the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and briefed him on security arrangements for Chinese nationals in Pakistan. The ambassador was impressed and praised his efforts to protect Chinese citizens in Pakistan. Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi made a state visit to Pakistan on September 7.

Rule of law is deteriorating across Southeast Asia
With the arrest of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak on money laundering and abuse of power charges, Southeast Asia’s handling of the rule of law is once again in the spotlight. In the region, adherence to the rule of law has been on the retreat at an accelerating pace, with the UN naming countries such as Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines on a list of 38 “shameful” countries that commit or tolerate human rights abuses. From arresting lawyers, persecuting the opposition and bending the judiciary to the will of the regime, Southeast Asia is changing for the worse. Seeing how the triple promises of reform, democracy and due process have been broken in many countries in the region, there’s little hope for change any time soon.

Non-Japan Asia ETF has better risk-reward than China
The Non-Japan Asia Equity ETF (AAXJ) trades closely with the MSCI China ETF (MCHI). Over the past three years, the two ETF’s have returned 39% and 38%, respectively, and tracked with a 93% r-squared from 2018 to date. There is considerable speculation that Chinese manufacturers will respond to American tariffs by shifting production to Southeast Asia, to the benefit of those economies.


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from CBS News (& affiliates)

Walmart warning it'll raise prices as Trump's China tariffs kick in
Walmart, the biggest U.S. retailer, warned the Trump administration the newest round of tariffs on imported Chinese goods could prompt it to raise prices on products from shampoo to bicycles to food. "This round of tariffs could impact a significant number of common consumer items that are not easily replaceable,"  Sarah F. Thorn, a senior director for global government affairs at Walmart, wrote in a Sept. 6 letter to the U.S. Trade Representative. "The immediate impact will be to raise prices on consumers and tax American business and manufacturers. "

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from Conservative Intelligence Briefing

Kavanaugh Accuser May Testify Next Week
Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct decades ago, may testify next week. Ford would appear in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. President Trump has continued to stand behind Kavanaugh, taking to Twitter Friday to question why Ford never went to the police, and is only coming forward now, on the eve of his confirmation.

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from Crosscut (Seattle)

Foster kids trapped as WA system collapses
Abused and neglected kids in Washington’s overwhelmed foster care system were housed in hotels and state offices at a higher rate than ever over the last year, newly released figures show — a practice that costs taxpayers millions and that experts say further traumatizes some of society’s most vulnerable young people. State officials say they had no choice: The foster system currently has a severe shortage of homes and group treatment facilities willing to take children who have been removed from their parents. Meanwhile, for the first time, the practice of using hotels to house foster youth spread over the last year from the Puget Sound area to Eastern Washington. And, in another sign that the foster care system is floundering, the state increasingly ships foster children with serious mental health and behavioral problems to group homes in other states, where they are far away from relatives, lawyers and others who can monitor their well-being. About 100 foster children are now living outside Washington, more than double the number in past decades.

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from Episcopal News Service

According to news reports and a fundraising page, the Rev. Boase, who is not a U.S. citizen, applied for a driver's license in 2005, and was asked if he also wanted to register to vote. Boase said he was surprised but signed the voter form and voted once, in the 2006 election.

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization

How the Myth of the 'Robber Barons' Began—and Why It Persists
The widely-accepted "history" of America's Gilded Age was grossly inaccurate, but it told a compelling story that many fell for hook, line, and sinker.

Most Socialists Can't Even Define Their Own Ideology
Claims that "socialism is freedom" sound bizarre. Because they are.

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from Independent Sentinel
RIGHT BIAS

Schumer Demanded FBI Probe Kavanaugh, Was Mum On Wife’s Role in NYC Deadly Crash
Democrat minority leader, Chuck Schumer has deemed Brett Kavanaugh accuser’s claims against the judge as “extremely credible”. Yes, the pathologically partisan senator has proclaimed that;  6 different FBI background checks, days of grueling testimony and an endless number of character witnesses to the contrary, Christine Blasey Ford’s 36-year-old allegation, unsupported by specific critical details such as year, time, and place, is plenty good enough for him!

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from LifeZette (& PoliZette)
Media/News Company in Washington, D. C.

CNN Chaos: Kavanaugh’s Accuser Gets the Benefit of the Doubt from Far Too Many People
A ridiculous exchange on the mainstream media network shows the difficulty of proving a negative. In the absence of corroboration, a sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh has become something of a Rorschach test. People who are already opposed to Kavanaugh’s nomination to the highest court in the land have rushed to express their belief in the accusation made by California clinical psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford — while the nominee’s supporters find it lacking. Kavanaugh’s critics have employed circular logic: They say Ford’s accusation is credible because women deserve to be believed. That shifts the burden of proof from the accuser to the accused. It puts Kavanaugh (pictured above left) in the position of having to prove a negative from 36 years ago.

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from New York Magazine

America, Land of Brutal Binaries
It was entirely a coincidence that I found myself reading Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff’s The Coddling of the American Mind in the same week that Brett Kavanaugh was credibly accused of sexual assault in his teens, and Ian Buruma lost his job as editor of The New York Review of Books, after publishing an essay by a man credibly accused of 23 separate instances of sexual abuse, but cleared of all criminal charges. And the book does not, of course, address the specifics of either case. But it’s a sharp analysis of the toxic atmosphere in which our current debates take place, a reminder that it is close to impossible, in this polarized climate, to deal with the specifics and complexities of each scandal from a non-tribal perspective. And so it seems that Kavanaugh is either a perfect exemplar of judicial expertise and impeccable moral conduct, or he is a lying rapist determined to destroy and control the lives of all women.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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In the news, Thursday, September 20, 2018


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SEP 19      INDEX      SEP 21
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from American Military News
Media/News Company in New York, NY

The U.S. Department of State on Thursday put 33 Russian officials – including alleged spies, military and intelligence officials – on a sanctions blacklist, as well as sanctioned a Chinese entity for purchasing Russian military equipment.

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from Asia Times Online
News & Media Website

Russian plane was shot down by Syrian air-defense unit
Shooting down of Russian warplane on Monday was caused by bad equipment and incompetent operators of a Syrian air-defense system; claims that high-speed Israeli jets were 'hiding' behind the lumbering surveillance plane are nonsense.

Nepal’s shift from India to China: Will it work?
Nepal was one of the first countries to welcome the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It expressed its desire to be a part of the project hoping to benefit from the investments in infrastructure. This was perceived as an attempt by Nepal to reduce its dependence on its southern neighbor India. In the past two decades, there has been an increasing effort within the Nepalese leadership to find ways to get out of the Indian sphere of influence. The most logical alternative, then, is China.

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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS

Free-Market Groups Urge Congress to Eliminate, Not Expand, Electric Vehicle Tax Credits
In a joint letter released this week, thirty free-market groups urged House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) to oppose “any effort to expand the current electric vehicle tax credit in any way.”

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from Faith & Freedom
blog.faithandfreedom.us

Supreme Chaos---Will She, or Won't She?
Christine Blasey Ford, the accuser of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, is having a difficult time deciding whether to show up to testify on Monday---or not. The hearing that has been called to give her an opportunity to tell her story, is scheduled for Monday. The Republicans say they will hold the hearing regardless, and they plan to vote by the following week on Kavanaugh's nomination.

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization

George Washington's Warning on Disunity
Sept. 19 is the 222nd anniversary of the publication of President George Washington’s Farewell Address. Appearing in newspapers nationwide, it announced Washington’s intention to retire from public life after his second term. For most of American history, the Farewell Address was required reading in grade schools across the nation and was continually invoked in the public discourse.
Yet, in recent decades, the address has faded into obscurity. That’s a shame, as it is a treasure trove of wisdom from the man who did the most to create our country—who knew, as well as anyone else, what it took to create a modern, large-scale republic.

Why a $0.25 Federal Gas Hike Is a Terrible Idea
The federal government imposes a gasoline tax of 18.4 cents per gallon. Lobby groups are pressing for an increase, and President Trump has suggested he may support one. But a federal gas tax increase makes no sense. Also consider that gas taxes used to be a more pure user charge for highways, but these days gas tax money is diverted to inefficient nonhighway uses such as transit. Politicians say, “We need a gas tax increase to fix our crumbling highways,” and then they spend the money on other things. It is a bait-and-switch.

Why It's so Easy for My Fellow Students to Criticize “Greedy Profiteers” during Disasters
As Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas, hundreds of thousands of people evacuated the coastline. The storm uprooted both trees and families as a scramble for plane tickets, gasoline, and necessities ensued. Meanwhile, my friends and I at Duke University prepared to spend hours confined to the comforts of our dorm rooms, our electricity—and our Wi-Fi—supplied by a world-class electric grid powering one of the premiere medical centers in the country. As part of a generously endowed university, the administration and employees were among the first to stock up on additional supplies. My peers and I could walk into a fully stocked lobby shop and have our selection of snacks just hours before the storm. Outside of our bubble, however, shelves were empty and gas pumps were dry. Because North Carolina has instituted anti-gouging laws for the simple aim of protecting consumers, we have chosen to restrain the powers of prices and unleash the damages of storms.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's $3,500 Suit Fits a Longstanding Socialist Tradition
Few observers missed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ interview and photoshoot last week in which the rising, avowedly-socialist N.Y. congressional candidate wore a $3500 suit and shoes while hobnobbing with construction workers. Her opponents lambasted her as just another in a long line of collectivist hypocrites, while Ocasio-Cortez’s supporters dismissed the criticism as petty. She noted herself that the outfit she wore was not, in fact, hers and had to be returned after the shoot. Practically speaking, the process of proselytizing and mobilizing a population, consolidating power, and converting an economy to central planning—to say nothing of running it—starts and ends with a small, elite corps of ruling intellectuals. That over time they accord to themselves the trappings of the moneyed class they simultaneously assail is neither surprising or hypocritical. Collectivism of every stripe— democratic socialism, national socialism, communism, syndicalism— cultivates a new, political aristocracy.

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from HumanProgress.org  Education Website

Global Income Inequality Is Declining
Barack Obama once referred to income inequality as “the defining challenge of our time.” And, to be fair to the former U.S. President, income inequality within countries has been increasing in recent decades. Some reasons for that increase, such as corrupt dealings between politicians and crony capitalists, are deplorable and should be stopped. Others are, probably, unavoidable. Increasingly, for example, men and women find their life partners in college or grad school. Their households tend to be richer and their children more fortunate. That leads to greater income and social stratification that, being voluntarily entered into, should not be interfered with by the state. Income inequality on a national level, in other words, is unlikely to go away. International or global inequality, in contrast, is declining.

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from Psephizo  Blog

Why don’t men come to church?
I am feeling very nervous about posting on this particular gender-related issue. I know I will get lots of flak from all corners for making gross generalisations and such. But here’s the thing: a religious movement, started by a man, with a predominance of male leaders from the beginning, and in which some groups are struggling very hard to let go of male hegemony, has, for at least 600 years (in the West at least) been dominated as a movement by the presence of women. I’m not suggesting that this is a Bad Thing, but, by any measure, it is a Big Thing. For a start, it is a real paradox. For another, it is just very odd in the context of thinking about religious movements. I don’t think any other global religious movement exhibits the same phenomenon. Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Islam are all controlled by men and appeal to men. Not so with Christian faith. So anyone interested or involved in Christian ministry, in whatever form, needs to consider it.

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from Rorate Caeli
International Traditional Catholic Web Log

When questioned on the plane from Dublin what he had to say on the declaration of Abp. Viganò, the Bishop of Rome Francis said the following: "I read it and sincerely I must tell you, and all those who are interested: read it yourselves carefully and make your own judgment. I will not say a single word on this." And yet, since his return, if there is one thing he has not been is silent.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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from The Telegraph (UK)

Gavin Williamson commits extra British troops in Ukraine to stop Russia 'reversing Cold War outcome'
Britain will increase military support to its ally by sending Royal Marines later this year and increase the presence of Royal Navy patrols in the Black Sea in 2019.  Odessa, Ukraine’s biggest port, located in the west of the country, is expected to come under pressure from the Russian Navy over the coming months as they try to effect an economic blockade. Tension with Russia after Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution in 2014 led to separatists, backed by regular Russian military units, seizing Crimea and a large swathe of Ukrainian territory along the border. More than 10,000 lives have been lost in the conflict.

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In the news, Wednesday, September 19, 2018


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SEP 18      INDEX      SEP 20
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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.

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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS

U.S. Should Stop Funding the International Agency for Research on Cancer

Numerous scientific bodies around the world, both public and private, attempt to assess the cancer-causing potential of various industrial chemicals. Ideally, those research programs should inform everyone, from policy makers to manufacturers to consumers, enabling people to make better decisions to minimize risks. However, too often classification programs rely on outdated and faulty methodologies and are influenced by political considerations that lead to inappropriate cancer classifications. Their faulty conclusions can create serious problems, including bans on useful products, market deselection of such products, and public confusion about cancer risks. Unfortunately, such problems are becoming commonplace.

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization

California's Bill Restricting Speech Is Authoritarian
California’s politicians seem to believe only some ideas are welcome—if those ideas have been “fact-checked” by the heavy hand of government-sponsored boards.

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from The Heritage Foundation
RIGHT BIAS, MIXED, think tank in Washington, D.C

How George Washington Warned Us About Tribalism and Disunity
Sept. 19 is the 222nd anniversary of the publication of President George Washington’s Farewell Address. Appearing in newspapers nationwide, it announced Washington’s intention to retire from public life after his second term. For most of American history, the Farewell Address was required reading in grade schools across the nation and was continually invoked in the public discourse. Yet in recent decades, the address has faded into obscurity. That’s a shame, as it is a treasure trove of wisdom from the man who did the most to create our country—who knew, as well as anyone else, what it took to create a modern, large-scale republic.

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from Hoover Institution
Nonprofit Organization in Stanford, California

Fort Trump—A Permanent U.S. Military Base in Poland?
Following a meeting in the Oval office on September 18, President Donald Trump said he is considering a request from Polish President Andrzej Duda to permanently station American troops in his country. Duda even offered to name the military facility “Fort Trump” and to provide more than $2 billion to help finance it. Poland desires the protection and stability that a permanent U.S. presence on its soil offers. One can sympathize with the Polish desire for a superpower security umbrella.

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from Miami Herald

Here, then, is where we stand: After supporting senatorial candidate Roy Moore (a credibly accused child molester) Donald Trump (a confessed perpetrator of sexual assault) has nominated to the Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh (a credibly accused attempted rapist) who would, if confirmed, serve alongside Clarence Thomas (a credibly accused sexual harasser).

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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In the news, Tuesday, September 18, 2018


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SEP 17      INDEX      SEP 19
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from CNN
LEFT BIAS

Stormy Daniels shares XXX-rated details of her alleged affair with Trump in new book
Stormy Daniels wants readers to know her life is "a lot more interesting than an encounter with Donald Trump," but her new tell-all book reveals graphic details about the President's anatomy, in addition to narratives about her childhood and life. The new details of her alleged meeting with Trump at Lake Tahoe in 2006, revealed for the first time in Daniels' book, "Full Disclosure," include a salacious description of his genitalia.

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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS

VIDEO: Self-Driving Cars Will Make Traveling Safer and More Efficient
This morning, the Competitive Enterprise Institute is releasing a new video on automated vehicles (a/k/a self-driving cars) and how they could make our roads dramatically safer. They could, that is, as long as government regulators don't throw up unnecessary roadblocks to their deployment.

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from Conservative Intelligence Briefing

President Trump Defends Kavanaugh Over Shady Sexual Misconduct Allegations
President Trump defended his Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, in the midst of suspicions sexual misconduct allegations Tuesday afternoon. The claim, raised by a liberal professor after nearly 40 years, is not backed by any evidence.

Breaking: Secret Russia Documents Decalssified By President Trump May Be Released Friday
Documents related to the Russian investigation currently classified will be released to the public as soon as Friday after President Trump ordered their release yesterday, reports say. Trump ordered the release without redaction, a move that left his liberal detractors stunned and furious.

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from The Federalist Papers

The Wall Street Journal NAILS IT on the Kavanaugh Ambush
The Wall Street Journal editorial board just nailed the issues surrounding the Kavanaugh ambush and summed them up brilliantly: "[Ford’s] is simply too distant and uncorroborated a story to warrant a new hearing or to delay a vote. We’ve heard from all three principals, and there are no other witnesses to call. The only purpose of another public hearing would be a political spectacle in which Democrats could wax indignant for the cameras while Mr. Kavanaugh repeated his denials."

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization

The minimum wage is the Jason Vorhees of economics. It just won’t die. No matter how many jobs the minimum wage destroys, no matter how many times you debunk it, it always comes back to wreak more havoc. We’ve covered the issues at length at FEE, and quite effectively, if I do say so myself. But I have to admit that one of the greatest takedowns of the minimum wage you’ll ever find comes from an unlikely place: The New York Times. There are many reasons people and politicians find the minimum wage attractive, of course. But the Times, in an editorial entitled “The Right Minimum Wage: 0.00,” skillfully rebuts each of these reasons in turn.

Addiction and Dependence: Are Media Aware They're Not the Same Condition?
Addiction is not the same as dependence. Yet politicians and many in the media use the two words interchangeably. Some also confuse tolerance with addiction. Similar to dependency, tolerance is another example of physical adaptation. Before people see more of their rights infringed or are otherwise harmed by unintended consequences, it would do us all a great deal of good to be more accurate and precise in our terminology. It would also help if lawmakers learned more about the matters on which they create policy.

Stop Blaming the State for Your Problems; Criticize by Creating
The state is, without a doubt, a destructive and formidable beast that exists at the expense of the individuals it claims to serve. It can be easy for liberty lovers to get caught up in anger and resentment for an unstoppable foe. But, if we are not careful, our loathing will consume us to a point where personal responsibility is lost in a sea of perpetual blame. And when this happens, we become no better than our opponents. The state does awful things, yes, but blaming it for everything that's wrong in your life does no one any favors, least of all you.

How Policies Designed to Punish the Rich End Up Hurting the Poor
A new report from the Census Bureau shows that all income quintiles tend to rise and fall together, contradicting the popular belief that policies that help the rich necessarily hurt the poor. If you want policies that help the poor, they must be policies that also help the middle class and the rich.

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from HumanProgress.org  Education Website

How the Market Helped to Make Workplaces Safer
The free market, some people allege, is incompatible with workplace safety. Competition drives down profits, the German philosopher Karl Marx asserted, which forces business owners to cut corners and expose their workers to growing risks. Yet, by historical standards, work-related fatalities are at an all-time low. Labor activism and government regulations deserve part of the credit for that happy state of affairs. But, a general improvement in living standards and, consequently, higher expectations on the part of the laborers, also played a part in improving workplace safety. Plainly put, a safer workforce is a more contented workforce. It is in the interest of the employers not to expose their workers to unnecessary risks.

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from National Review
RIGHT BIAS

A New Kind of Trade Agreement
America’s old trade alliances are breaking down. NAFTA is being renegotiated, and might even exclude Canada. The successful Korea–U.S. deal has also been redone. We withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership before its terms took effect. The attempt to create a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership ended with the Obama presidency, and a trade war with Europe has been averted only by a vague truce with promises of more talks. Yet President Trump openly embraces the idea of zero tariffs and trade barriers. How can we get there from here? The answer may be right in front of us; when Britain leaves the European Union at the end of March next year, we will have a once in a generation opportunity to construct a new form of trade deal. That is why CEI and a group of American and British free-market think tanks have partnered with Daniel Hannan’s Initiative for Free Trade in its project to produce a draft “ideal” U.S.–U.K. free-trade agreement. The text of the draft document is being released at simultaneous events today in Washington and London.

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from New York Post
Newspaper in New York

Venezuela president dines on ‘Salt Bae’ steaks while his nation starves
Socialism on full display, yet U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders still advocates this from his three homes.
With his country facing starvation, Venezuela’s leftist dictator caused a wave of disgust this week when he was seen chowing down on a pricey meal personally served to him by the celebrity chef “Salt Bae.” Nicolás Maduro smiled and guffawed as he tucked into a $275 cut of lamb at the posh Nusr-Et steakhouse in Istanbul, Turkey, which is run by Nusret “Salt Bae” Gökçe, famous for viral videos of him seductively sprinkling salt.

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from Orthodox Christianity
Organization in Moscow, Russia

VISA WARS: CONSTANTINOPLE OPENS A NEW FRONT AGAINST RUSSIAN PRIESTS
Recently, there has appeared in the media as well as in social networks information that the Greek consulate in Moscow is refusing to issue visas to Russian priests or is offering not three-year visas, as they do to tourists, but visas for only one month or even only for a few days.

ORTHODOXY HAS BECOME SECOND BIGGEST RELIGION IN AUSTRIA
Orthodoxy has become the second biggest religion in majority-Catholic Austria, reports the site of the Romanian Orthodox Church, with reference to Der Standard. While intense debate is underway in Austria on the growing Muslim population, Orthodoxy has quietly and discreetly grown into the second largest religious community in the country.

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from Psephizo  Blog

Should we stop referring to God as ‘he’?
Last week the polling company YouGov published the results of a survey asking Christians what they thought about God’s gender. Their ‘shocking’ discovery is that very few agree with Ariana Grande’s claim in her latest single: "With Ariana Grande’s recent single being entitled “God is a Woman” a new YouGov survey reveals that British Christians aren’t so sure about that: in fact, just 1% believe that God is female."

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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from Sputnik
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED, Broadcasting & Media Production Company out of Moscow, Russia

German Population Unhappy with Policy of Letting Migrants in 2015 - Professor
Angela Merkel is dealing with crisis, with reports that she is to sack the head of domestic intelligence after the conflict over the last month’s anti-immigrant protests. Sputnik spoke to Professor of political science at the George-August University of Gottingen Peter Schulze, to find out if Merkel would manage to weather this storm.

Russia-Turkey Agreement Helped Prevent War in Syrian Idlib, Iranian FM Says
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday that thanks to the meetings and negotiations held in recent weeks, including the meeting of the Russian and Turkish leaders in Sochi, the war in the Syrian province of Idlib was prevented.

Estonian Defense Ministry Says Lacks Evidence of 'Kremlin Agents'
Estonian Defense Minister Juri Luik responded on Monday to a parliamentary request to study statements of Estonian Director of Foreign Intelligence Mikk Marran about Russia's "agents of influence" in the country's government, parliament and media, saying that Marran meant not Estonia but Western Europe.

State Dep't Says Encouraged by Russia's, Turkey's Steps to Avoid Idlib Violence
The United States is encouraged by Russia's and Turkey's efforts to avoid violence in the Syrian province of Idlib, US State Department spokesperson told Sputnik on Monday.

US Air Force Secretary Offers Critiques on Costly $13 Billion Space Force
In a September 14 memo obtained this week by US military news site Defense One, Heather Wilson, the United States secretary of the Air Force, pushed back on several proposals for the Trump administration's Space Force, which is estimated to cost some $13 billion in its first five years.

US Cuts Refugee Admission Caps by 33 Percent to 30,000
US authorities slashed maximum refugee admission for the upcoming fiscal year from 45,000 to 30,000, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday.

Ukraine to Build Naval Base Along Turbulent Azov Sea
The Ukrainian government announced on Sunday plans for a naval base along the Sea of Azov, a body of water situated between Crimea, Ukraine and Russia. The announcement comes days after US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker, said America is considering delivering even more lethal weapons to Ukraine to fight Russian sympathizers in the country.

Astronomers Find Slowest Spinning Pulsar Ever
Astronomers using a new type of radio telescope have found the slowest spinning pulsar yet, a notoriously difficult type of stellar object to detect. Pulsars are a type of neutron star, the cores of exploded stars collapsed in on themselves to form some of the densest objects known to exist. Only the size of a city, a neutron star contains roughly the same mass as our sun. Only a black hole — the other possible outcome of a supernova apart from a neutron star — is denser.

‘True Absurdity’: US Dems Flog Russiagate, Ignore Climate in Midterm Attacks
The Democrats are - like their conservative counterparts - gearing up for the midterm elections with ad buys and message crafting. However, as the party begins its bid for a ‘blue wave’ across the US, it is alienating parts of its progressive base. That's according to Richard Becker, author of "Palestine, Israel and the US Empire." Becker joined Radio Sputnik's By Any Means Necessary to discuss a Democratic Super PAC's upcoming xenophobic political advertisements aimed at a "reactionary" member of the House of Representatives.


A British caver attacked by Elon Musk on Twitter following the rescue of a Thai soccer team from the Tham Luang cave system earlier this year has sued the industrialist for defamation in a California court. Vernon Unsworth, a 63-year-old British cave diver who lives in Thailand, filed a suit with the Central District Court of California on Monday seeking $75,000 in damages from Musk, alleging he made "unlawful, unsupportable and reprehensible accusations" against Unsworth.

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from The Times of Israel

How the haunting Kol Nidre melody harnessed the power to convert
The ancient Ashkenazi musical setting of Aramaic vow renunciation has shocked and transformed thinkers from Heine, Herzl and Rosenzweig to non-Jewish artists and intellectuals

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