Presumptuous Politics : Sep 12, 2016

Monday, September 12, 2016

Miami Dolphins Cartoons

Dolphins players kneel during National Anthem, Seahawks lock arms

Jelani Jenkins, left, Arian Foster, Michael Thomas and Kenny Stills kneel during the National Anthem.

Opening day in the NFL saw Kansas City cornerback Marcus Peters raise a black-gloved fist during the national anthem, a protest amplified later Sunday when four Miami Dolphins kneeled on the sideline with hands on their hearts as "The Star Spangled Banner" played in Seattle.
The protests were inspired by San Francisco backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick , the first NFL player who chose to sit and take a knee during the anthem in preseason games to call attention to what he termed the oppression of blacks and other minorities.
"I chose to get involved to see if I could create change, raise awareness. And I want to make it clear that there is no disrespect to the military or to police officers —I'm not about that. I love everyone," said Miami's Jelani Jenkins, one of the Dolphins to kneel. "I would like to keep moving forward in the right direction with everybody: equal rights, equal opportunity. From my position, it doesn't seem that it's happening. That's why I took a stand."
Peters' gesture was the only one visible throughout the early games Sunday, as the anthems took on more significance because of the 15th anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks.
"I come from a majority black community from Oakland, California ... so the struggle, I seen it," Peters said after the Chiefs beat San Diego 33-27 in overtime. "I still have some family in the struggle. All I'm saying is we want to educate those, the youth that's coming up."
The four Miami players — Arian Foster, Michael Thomas, Jenkins and Kenny Stills — registered their protest shortly before kickoff. The four players stood while President Obama's message played regarding the 15th anniversary of 9/11 before taking a knee. All four stood at the conclusion of the anthem.
"If it's about the knee that people are upset about, every Sunday people of faith take a knee to give thanks to their lord and savior, whatever faith or religion that they are," Foster said. "It's not about a knee, it's not about the (symbolism), it's about the message. They say it's not the time to do this, but when is the time?"
Several teams, including the Chiefs and Seahawks, saw their players link arms during the anthem. Peters, the 2015 defensive rookie of the year, was the last person in the Chiefs line and had his arm free to raise it.
"He spoke up about something he felt he needed to speak up about," Peters said last week. "I salute him for that."
Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall , a teammate of Kaepernick's in college at Nevada, took a knee during the anthem on Thursday night.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell weighed in on Kaepernick's protest last week as well, saying, "I don't necessarily agree with what he's doing."
Seattle's locker room was engaged in a lengthy discussion over the past few weeks about what type of message to send. The players enlisted coach Pete Carroll in the discussions almost from the start, and brought Dr. Harry Edwards to help direct the conversations.
"Gestures mean nothing without follow through. That's what Harry Edwards said and that's what I agree with," Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said. "People get confused that you have to go out there and put on a show and make this gesture and make people aware of it, and we're more about action."
Wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who became a default spokesman for Seattle's actions, said the players are working to schedule a meeting with the mayor of Seattle and local law enforcement.
"We know that there has to be change and progress," Baldwin said. "Change is inevitable. Change will always happen. But you got to apply direction to change, and that's when it's progress. And so right now what we're doing as a team, we have a follow through."
Taped messages from Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush were played at each stadium. Bush attended the Giants-Cowboys match in Arlington, Texas, while Vice President Joe Biden was in Philadelphia for Browns-Eagles.
Peters' gesture was also a tribute of sorts to U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who won the gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the 200-meter race at the 1968 Olympics. Both then appeared on the medal stands with raised, black-gloved fists throughout the U.S. national anthem in what they called a "human rights salute."
And in the night game, New England's Martellus Bennett and Devin McCourty both held up their right arms. Teammate Danny Amendola was seen clutching the American flag unfurled on the field in Arizona.
The International Olympic Committee ordered Smith and Carlos expelled from the games because of the protest.

Rubio demands documents from Obama proving Iran money was not 'ransom'

Rubio: State Department should bar Clinton clearances

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio is accusing the Obama administration of trying to "deceive" Congress and the American people about roughly $1.7 billion in payments to Iran -- suggesting at least some of the money was a "ransom" for American hostages and demanding official documents for the related transactions.
“Each day brings new revelations about your administration’s efforts to deceive Congress and the American people regarding payments of billions of dollars to the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism,” Rubio wrote Saturday in a letter to President Obama. “The America people do not believe the story that your administration did not provide Iran an illicit and potentially illegal ransom payment.”
The administration in January announced an agreement between the U.S. and Iran to settle a failed, decades-old arms deal that included Washington returning to Tehran $400 million and an additional $1.3 billion in interest.
However, reports in early August revealed the initial $400 million was delivered on Jan. 17 -- the same day Tehran agreed to release four American prisoners. And Republicans are calling it a ransom.
At least some of the money was in foreign currency, and a video originating on Iranian TV purports to show bundles of the cash on pallets.
The letter from Rubio -- a failed 2016 presidential candidate now in a tough race for a second Senate term -- came two days after administration officials told House Republicans that Iran wanted "immediate access" to the $1.7 billion paid by the United States in cash.
Rubio submitted a list of nine demands in the letter, including a request for a copy of a waiver allowing the use of cash, instead of complying with a U.S. code that states “all federal payments made by an agency shall be made by electronic transfer.”
Rubio also wants to know why the administration didn’t issue a check, which he says is the required method when a transfer is inappropriate, according to another U.S. code.
“Iran has pocketed this money and continued to hold and take more American hostages,” Rubio also wrote. “It has likely used this foreign currency to fund its military including its ballistic missile programs and to support Iran's terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East.”
Though the administration has claimed the payment and the prisoner release were separate incidents, it recently acknowledged the cash was used as leverage until the Americans were allowed to leave Iran.
State and Justice officials at the hearing Thursday defended the payment and its cash delivery.
Christopher Backemeyer, a deputy assistant secretary of state, said Iran wanted immediate access to the money, but he said he wasn't aware whether Iran had asked for cash. He said it was his understanding that the money was going to "critical economic needs" in Iran.

Clinton health 'episode' could revive calls to release medical records

Are Clinton's health issues a legitimate campaign issue?

Hillary Clinton’s abrupt departure Sunday from a 9/11 ceremony in New York City due to what one source described as a “medical episode” could revive calls for the Democratic presidential nominee to release detailed health records.
The candidate, after resting at her daughter Chelsea’s apartment, told reporters late Sunday morning she was “feeling great.” Her campaign said that she left the 9/11 commemoration ceremony after 90 minutes due to feeling “overheated.”
According to the campaign, she is “feeling much better.”
"She is fine," a senior campaign aide said.
But the campaign for weeks has been dealing with – and working to quell – speculation about the candidate’s health, including a 2012 concussion, and Sunday’s incident is sure to fuel that fire. One video appeared to show the candidate stumbling as she was helped into a van. A law enforcement source who witnessed the episode said she appeared to faint.
The campaign last year already released a summary of Clinton’s medical records and conditions.
In the July 28, 2015, letter, Dr. Lisa Bardack, an internist in Mount Kisco, N.Y., described Clinton as “a healthy 67-year-old female whose current medical conditions include hypothyroidism and seasonal pollen allergies.” The letter noted her elbow fracture in 2009 and concussion in 2012. Bardack detailed how Clinton, now 68, had to undergo “anticoagulation therapy” to dissolve a clot, and experienced “double vision for a period of time,” after the concussion.
Bardack concluded that Clinton was in “excellent physical condition and fit to serve.”
But the summary has not satisfied some skeptics, who have pointed not only to the concussion but her occasional coughing bouts on the campaign trail.
The letter falls short of steps taken by 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who invited reporters to review the full 1,173 pages of his medical records.
Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has made glancing references to his opponent’s health and “stamina,” on Aug. 28 tweeted that both candidates “should release detailed medical records.”
Clinton’s chief strategist Joel Benenson recently said the campaign has no plans to release more detailed records.
A campaign spokeswoman also blamed the health controversy on Roger Stone, a longtime conservative political operative who had a formal role as a Trump adviser until he left a year ago.
“Donald Trump is simply parroting lies based on fabricated documents promoted by Roger Stone and his right-wing allies," said campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri. "Hillary Clinton has released a detailed medical record showing her to be in excellent health plus her personal tax returns since 1977, while Trump has failed to provide the public with the most basic financial information disclosed by every major candidate in the last 40 years.”
“I think the questions being raised are legitimate given that it impacts who leads our nation," Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, said last month. "As a physician, you cannot help but to ask questions. But given that our information is limited, it would be wrong for any physician to diagnose someone without seeing them themselves.”
Orient said she has received both positive and negative responses to her column on the Association’s blog which asked whether Clinton is “medically unfit” to serve as president.


Dr. Lisa Bardack, an internist in Mount Kisco, N.Y.

Clinton cancels West Coast visit to rest after health episode

Doctor: Clinton receiving treatment for pneumonia

Hillary Clinton canceled plans to visit California on Monday and Tuesday and instead will rest at her home in Chappaqua, N.Y. following a medical episode that caused her to stagger and faint Sunday at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony, her campaign said.
The Democratic presidential nominee fell on her way into her van and had to be helped by her security, according to witnesses and video of her leaving. A law enforcement source told Fox News that she “clearly (was) having some type of medical episode.” Clinton’s doctor revealed later that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday.
Clinton had planned two days of fundraising and made plans to appear on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show.
Clinton’s campaign released a statement more than an hour after the incident saying the former Secretary of State “felt overheated,” and later Sunday issued another release blaming the episode on pneumonia and dehydration.
"Secretary Clinton has been experiencing a cough related to allergies," Dr. Lisa R. Bardack said in the statement. "On Friday, during follow up evaluation of her prolonged cough, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. She was put on antibiotics, and advised to rest and modify her schedule. While at this morning's event, she became overheated and dehydrated. I have just examined her and she is now re-hydrated and recovering nicely."
But a witness told Fox News that Clinton stumbled off the curb, her "knees buckled" and she lost a shoe as she was helped into a van during her "unexpected early departure." The NYPD was sent to retrieve Clinton's shoe, according to NBC.
The New Jersey resident who took the video, Zdenek Gazda, told Foxnews.com he had been a fireman in the Czech Republic and came to the 9/11 ceremony to pay his respects.
"Everything was fine, everything was good before," said Gazda, who snapped several shots of Clinton before taking the video. "I take a lot of pictures of her. She looked very nice and everything, and I don’t know what happened to her."
After Clinton left the ceremony, the reporters following her on the campaign trail were prevented from leaving the media area for a period of time.
Clinton emerged from Chelsea Clinton's apartment just before noon and said she was "feeling great."
"It's a beautiful day in New York," Clinton yelled to press waiting across the street.
She bent down to take a photo with a young girl and said "thanks everybody" to a nearby crowd cheering her. Asked again about her health, Clinton said she was "great, feeling great" and then got into her van. A spokesperson said she was headed to her house in Chappaqua, where former President Bill Clinton, who did not attend the 9/11 ceremony, was waiting. She was examined by her doctor after arriving in Chappaqua.
"I am glad to learn that Secretary Clinton is already feeling better and I wish her a speedy recovery," said DNC Interim Chair Donna Brazile in a statement. "I look forward to seeing her back out on the campaign trail and continuing on the path to victory."
Asked about Clinton's early exit, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he didn't know anything about it. But Rep. Peter King told The Washington Post that during the ceremony it was Trump who informed King of Clinton's health issue.
“It was actually Trump who told me what was going on," King told a Washington Post reporter. "He leaned over and told me that 'Hillary wasn’t feeling well.' I said, 'Really?'"
Clinton was in New York for Sunday’s ceremony commemorating 15 years since the 9/11 terror attacks.
Clinton and Trump earlier greeted supporters as they entered the downtown Manhattan 9/11 memorial. Both had promised to suspend campaign activities to mark the 15th anniversary of the attacks.
Questions surrounding Clinton's health have emerged in recent weeks, and calls for the candidate to release her full medical records may intensify after Sunday's incident.
Clinton previously sustained a concussion in December 2012 after fainting, an episode her doctor attributed to a stomach virus and dehydration.
Clinton's doctor reported she is fully recovered from the concussion, which led to temporary double vision and discovery of a blood clot in a vein in the space between her brain and skull. Clinton also has experienced deep vein thrombosis, a clot usually in the leg, and takes the blood thinner Coumadin to prevent new clots.