Category: Businesses / Corporations / Industry

Today is International Conscientious Objector Day, and More in Peace & Justice History for 5/15

May 15, 1870

Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe, suffragist, abolitionist and author of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” proposed Mother’s Day as a peace holiday.
She had seen firsthand some of the worst effects of war during the American Civil War—the death and disease which killed and maimed, and the widows and orphans left behind on both sides and realized that the effects of the war go beyond the killing of soldiers in battle. Mother’s Day did not become a national holiday until declared by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914.
“… Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.”

Read about her Mother’s Day Proclamation 
May 15, 1935
The National Labor Relations Act was passed, recognizing workers’ rights to organize unions and bargain collectively with their employers. 
Read more  
May 15, 1957
Britain tested its first hydrogen bomb over Christmas Island in the South Pacific, after just two years of development. 

Mushroom cloud over Christmas Island
May 15, 1965
A National teach-in to oppose the Vietnam War was held in Washington, D.C.
May 15, 1966
The American Friends Service Committee, SANE (The Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy), and Women March for Peace, along with four other organizations, sponsored a 10,000+ person anti-war picket at the White House and a 60,000+ rally at the Washington Monument to oppose the Vietnam War.
. . . elsewhere the same day . . .
Buddhist altars were placed in streets to impede troops arresting dissidents in South Vietnam.
May 15, 1969
Governor Ronald Reagan sent in the National Guard to reclaim People’s Park from 6,000 protesters in Berkeley, California, who had occupied the space
and created the park.
Police gunfire killed a bystander, James Rector, blinded another, and injured dozens.

People’s Park March, Friday May 30, 1969, at the intersection of Haste Street and Telegraph Avenue, in Berkeley
May 15, 1970
In response to the U.S. invasion of Cambodia (an expansion of the Vietnam War) and the killings at Kent State and Jackson State Universities, several million U.S. students held campus strikes to oppose the Vietnam War.
May 15, 1970
The Native American Rights Fund filed suit on behalf of the Hopi tribe to prevent strip-mining on sacred Black Mesa in Arizona.
May 15 (since the 1980’s)
International Conscientious Objectors Day, established to honor those who leave or refuse to enter their country’s armed forces for reasons of principle.
Conscientious Objector Day history

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistorymay.htm#may15

Record-breaking rainbow flag to take center stage during Philly Pride Weekend

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainment/the-scene/philadelphia-pride-weekend-march-festival-2025-rainbow-flag/4183934/

Record-breaking rainbow flag to take center stage during Philly Pride Weekend

The massive flag — now stretching to 600 feet — will debut on Friday, May 30

From The Morning Memo:

Quote Of The Day

“This is a once-in-a-century brain gain opportunity.”–Australian Strategic Policy Institute, urging its government to woo U.S.-based scientists and researchers caught in the Trump II attack on research and development

https://morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com/i/163554935/quote-of-the-day

DOJ Says Susman Godfrey Is National Security Threat… For Giving Money To GLAD

https://abovethelaw.com/2025/05/doj-says-susman-godfrey-is-national-security-threat-for-giving-money-to-glad/

Their goal is to copy Russia.  The goal is to wipe the LGBTQ+ community from society, from the public view.  They want to make us illegal like in the most hateful countries or again to be like Russia under Putin.  I used to think these people wanted to return to the 1950s but now I think I was wrong.   They want to return to the early 1930s when the Nazi party was very active and strong in the US.  I kept telling the people who wanted the LGB to let the t go to protect the rest that it was a divide and conquer strategy and that they would come for the rest of us next.  And they are doing that.  Just being gay or fighting the haters trying to deny gay people rights is a security risk to nation according to them.     Hugs

Stupid, but also disturbing.

By Joe Patrice on May 12, 2025 4:55 pm

There’s a new “Axis of Evil” in the Trump administration cosmology and it’s not al Qaeda or North Korea. Instead, the preeminent threat to national security, according to the hapless folks at Donald Trump’s personal law firm, is anyone who ever donated money to LGBTQ civil rights organization GLAD. At least that’s the government’s new working theory as it tries to justify its retaliatory executive order against Susman Godfrey.

Had Susman, for example, taken on that GLAD challenge pro bono, the allegation would still be risible, but when the whole argument hinges on the firm generally donating to a prominent non-profit it crosses into professionally embarrassing.

Not quite, “making up fake Supreme Court quotes” embarrassing, but still.

Aside from trying to tag Susman for its charitable contributions, it’s also deeply troubling to suggest that filing a federal lawsuit is a “dangerous effort to undermine the effectiveness of the United States military.” In a rule of law society (I know, I know, but humor me on this idea for the moment), “going to court” isn’t sedition, but the system working as intended. Checks and balances and all that stuff. To call a federal lawsuit an effort to undermine the government, requires adopting the premise that it’s a threat to make sure the government isn’t doing anything illegal. Courts can get the law wrong, but the point is that we encourage people to take grievances to court and not storm federal buildings… you know, the behavior that we traditionally considered a “dangerous effort to undermine” the government. Not so much these days.

There’s no bright line between the GLAD challenge and any other discrimination case brought against the DOD. If the government chooses to contest a suit for any reason, under this standard, it’s an effort to undermine the effectiveness of the military. Frankly, there’s not much keeping the DOJ from expanding this rationale to any other case brought against the government. That would put us a little beyond warnings about a slippery slope and into “that point where Wile E. Coyote hasn’t noticed he’s off the cliff yet.”

Not that GLAD’s challenge would’ve dangerously undermined effectiveness. General Mark Milley, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated unequivocally that there is no problem with transgender troops if they meet standards. But as a career soldier, Milley cared more about merit and the ability to do the job. A civilian talk show host more interested in texting war plans to his buddies might have… different priorities.

Though all of this remains far afield of the instant issue: Susman Godfrey, giving money to an organization that has in the past filed a civil rights challenge, is not even in the same universe as a threat to national security.

But you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take, I guess.

HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

 

Here’s A Useful Tool

from the Center for American Progress (remember them?) This gives us the info by congressional district, including the congresscritter’s names so we know just who to call about our concerns. There are options for pagination or a table.

DOGE Cuts by City, State, and Congressional District

Oops!

AI-Powered Coca-Cola Ad Celebrating Authors Gets Basic Facts Wrong

Emanuel Maiberg ·May 12, 2025 at 9:00 AM

Snippet:

In April, Coca-Cola proudly launched a new ad campaign it called “Classic,” celebrating famous authors and the sugary drink’s omnipresence in culture by highlighting classic literary works that mention the brand. The firm that produced the ad campaign said it used AI to scan books for mentions of Coca-Cola, and then put viewers in the point of view of the author, typing that portion of the text on a typewriter. The only issue is that the AI got some very basic facts about the authors and their work entirely wrong. 

One of the ads highlights the work of J.G. Ballard, the British author perhaps best known for his controversial masterpiece, Crash, and David Cronenberg’s film adaptation of the novel. In the ad, we get a first person perspective of someone typing a sentence from “Extreme Metaphors by J.G Ballard,” which according to the ad was written in 1967.  When the sentence gets to the mention of “Coca-Cola,” the typeface changes from the generic typewriter font to Coca-Cola’s iconic red logo. 

(snip-MORE)

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka arrested at ICE detention facility in NJ

https://pix11.com/news/local-news/newark-mayor-ras-baraka-taken-into-custody-by-ice-in-new-jersey/

This is selective persecution which is illegal.  So if this ever goes to court he will have the charges dismissed.  In the meantime the hate party cult of tRump just made him a front runner for the mayoral election.  Hugs.

 

by: , , 

Posted: 

Updated: 

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested for allegedly trespassing at an ICE facility in New Jersey on Friday afternoon, authorities said.

“The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon,” Alina Habba, the Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, posted on X.

Baraka was taken to an ICE field office at 620 Frelinghuysen Ave. in Newark, according to his office. The charges have not been announced.

“We are actively monitoring and will provide more details as they become available,” his representatives said.

Witnesses said the arrest came after Baraka attempted to join a scheduled tour of the facility with three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

When federal officials blocked his entry, a heated argument broke out, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. It continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates.

In video of the altercation shared with The Associated Press, a federal official in a jacket with the logo of the Homeland Security Investigations can be heard telling Baraka he could not join a tour of the facility because “you are not a congress member.”

Baraka then left the secure area, rejoining protesters on the public side of the gate. Video showed him speaking through the gate to a man in a suit, who said: “They’re talking about coming back to arrest you.”

“I’m not on their property. They can’t come out on the street and arrest me,” Baraka replied.

Minutes later several ICE agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others on the public side. As protesters cried out, “Shame,” Baraka was dragged back through the security gate in handcuffs.

“The ICE personnel came out aggressively to arrest him and grab him,” said Julie Moreno, a New Jersey state captain of American Families United. “It didn’t make any sense why they chose that moment to grab him while he was outside the gates.”

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that as a bus of detainees was entering the detention center, “a group of protestors, including two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility.”

Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin was quoted in the statement as calling it “beyond a bizarre political stunt” and saying it put agents’ and detainees’ safety at risk.

“Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility,” McLaughlin said.

The department said the facility has the proper permits and inspections have been cleared.

The Newark mayor was visiting Delaney Hall to conduct oversight after the building was turned into an ICE facility.

Delany Hall was leased for $63 million annually from a private prison group known as The GEO Group. The city of Newark is suing for more inspections, claiming ICE has not indicated how many detainees it has in the building – which can only house 1,000 people.

Baraka said on Monday that the issues at Delany Hall go beyond the lack of safety inspections and proper permits.

This is a developing story please check back for updates.

Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here.

–Associated press material was used in this report.

Trump administration poised to accept ‘palace in the sky’ as a gift for Trump from Qatar: Sources

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-administration-poised-accept-palace-sky-gift-trump/story?id=121680511

The luxury jumbo jet is to be used as Air Force One, sources told ABC News.

ByJonathan Karl and Katherine Faulders
May 11, 2025, 7:02 AM

In what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government, the Trump administration is preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar — a gift that is to be available for use by President Donald Trump as the new Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement told ABC News.

The gift is expected to be announced next week, when Trump visits Qatar on the first foreign trip of his second term, according to sources familiar with the plans.

Trump toured the plane, which is so opulently configured it is known as “a flying palace,” while it was parked at the West Palm Beach International Airport in February.

PHOTO: A 13-year-old private Boeing aircraft that President Donald Trump toured to check out new hardware and technology features and highlight the aircraft maker's delay in delivering updated versions of the Air Force One presidential aircraft.
A 13-year-old private Boeing aircraft that President Donald Trump toured on Saturday to check out new hardware and technology features and highlight the aircraft maker’s delay in delivering updated versions of the Air Force One presidential aircraft, takes off from Palm Beach International Airport, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (A…Show more
Ben Curtis/AP

The highly unusual — unprecedented — arrangement is sure to raise questions about whether it is legal for the Trump administration, and ultimately, the Trump presidential library foundation, to accept such a valuable gift from a foreign power.

Anticipating those questions, sources told ABC News that lawyers for the White House counsel’s office and the Department of Justice drafted an analysis for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth concluding that is legal for the Department of Defense to accept the aircraft as a gift and later turn it over to the Trump library, and that it does not violate laws against bribery or the Constitution’s prohibition (the emoluments clause) of any U.S. government official accepting gifts “from any King, Prince or foreign State.”

Sources told ABC News that Attorney General Pam Bondi and Trump’s top White House lawyer David Warrington concluded it would be “legally permissible” for the donation of the aircraft to be conditioned on transferring its ownership to Trump’s presidential library before the end of his term, according to sources familiar with their determination.

The sources said Bondi provided a legal memorandum addressed to the White House counsel’s office last week after Warrington asked her for advice on the legality of the Pentagon accepting such a donation.

The White House and DOJ didn’t immediately respond to request for comment. A spokesperson for the Qatari embassy did not respond to ABC’s inquiries.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters after disembarking Marine One upon arrival on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Sunday, May 4, 2025.
Rod Lamkey/AP

The plane will initially be transferred to the United States Air Force, which will modify the 13-year-old aircraft to meet the U.S. military specifications required for any aircraft used to transport the president of the United States, multiple sources familiar with the proposed arrangement said.

The plane will then be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation no later than Jan. 1, 2029, and any costs relating to its transfer will be paid for by the U.S. Air Force, the sources told ABC News.

According to aviation industry experts, the estimated value of the aircraft Trump will inherit is about $400 million, and that’s without the additional communications security equipment the Air Force will need to add to properly secure and outfit the plane in order to safely transport the commander in chief.

As the Wall Street Journal first reported, the aviation company L3Harris has already been commissioned to overhaul the plane to meet the requirements of a presidential jet.

President Donald Trump walks to board Marine One to depart for Alabama, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 1, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters

Both the White House and DOJ concluded that because the gift is not conditioned on any official act, it does not constitute bribery, the sources said. Bondi’s legal analysis also says it does not run afoul of the Constitution’s prohibition on foreign gifts because the plane is not being given to an individual, but rather to the United States Air Force and, eventually, to the presidential library foundation, the sources said.

The primary aircraft used in the current Air Force One fleet includes two aging Boeing 747-200 jumbo jets that have been operational since 1990. The Air Force contract with Boeing to replace those aircraft has been riddled with delays and cost overruns.

The original contract was signed in 2018, but as of last year, Boeing anticipated the aircraft would not be ready until 2029, after Trump leaves office.

The president has expressed deep frustration with the delays, tasking Elon Musk to work with Boeing and the Air Force to speed up the process. Those efforts have been modestly successful. Boeing’s most recent estimated delivery date is now 2027, but Trump has made it clear he wants a new plane this year.

They’re doing it again, they are so messed up and hurtful. They are destroying everything they touch Part 2

House Panel Approves Sale Of UT And NV Public Land
OK Resolution Asks SCOTUS To Overturn Obergefell
Trump Admin Uses Tariffs To Extort Starlink Contracts
Anti-Vax “Wellness Influencer” Named Surgeon General
US Demands That Stockholm End Diversity Policies

They’re doing it again, they are so messed up and hurtful. They are destroying everything they touch Part1

Trump Suggests He Can Defy The US Constitution

WELKER: Your secretary of state says everyone who's here, citizens and non-citizens, deserve due process. Do you agree?TRUMP: I don't know. I'm not a lawyer. I don't know.WELKER: Don't you need to uphold the Constitution?TRUMP: I don't know

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-05-04T13:58:54.479Z

DOJ Unit To Focus On “Voter Fraud” Not Voting Rights

In November, Dhillon appeared on Tucker Carlson’s podcast to recount “all the crimes committed by Kamala Harris.”

Trump Admin Rehires Prominent “Plandemic” Covidiot
Trump Defends Cost Of Birthday Parade: “It’s Peanuts”

Other estimates have placed the cost of the parade at twice the $45 million cited by NBC.

Trump On US Invading Canada: “It Could Happen”
WH Gives Trump Evil Sith Lightsaber In Star Wars Day Message To “Radical Left Lunatics” Who Love MS-13
Ford Motor: Tariffs Will Cost Us $1.5 Billion This Year
FAA Orders Ground Delay For Newark Airport Amid Reports That Controllers Lost Contact With Aircraft
House GOP Battles Over Major Cuts To Food Stamps
Supreme Court Allows Trans Military Ban To Take Effect

BREAKING: The Supreme Court halts a district court injunction that had blocked Trump's ban on transgender military service. SCOTUS is clearing the way for Trump to enforce his purge of transgender troops. All three liberals dissent. http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25…

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjsdc.bsky.social) 2025-05-06T18:02:54.696Z
GOP House Reps Blast MTG’s “Gulf Of America” Bill
Top Pentagon Nominee To Senators: Sorry About All Those Times I Called Obama “Muslim Terrorist Leader”
GOP Rep: First Person Sent To Alcatraz Should Be Fauci
Second $67 Million US Fighter Jet Falls Into Ocean
DeSantis Signs Fluoride Ban, Attacks Fauci And Vax
GOP Rep Thinks San Diego Borders Gulf Of Mexico
WSJ: US Intel Agencies Ordered To Spy On Greenland
ICE Raids Restaurant Owned By CBS Anchor’s Husband
ICE Agents Raid Posh Washington DC Restaurants
US Will Now Refer To Persian Gulf As “Gulf Of Arabia”
764,000 Have Lost Money On Trump’s Grift Coin Scam