How Citizens Stopped Racism, Crime and Gun Violence! By Stephanie L. Mann

Who can bring Americans together to heal the wounds of racism, crime and gun violence?
Will it be Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump or some other politician? Politicians have big ideas but they have limitations. Bringing Americans together can be accomplished by, "We the People!"

In 1970, a suburban community of 17,500 residents lacked a local police department and they had a CRIME PROBLEM. A committee of ten volunteers struggled to get residents to attend community meetings to discuss how to stop neighborhood crime. As a pilot program, volunteers developed a plan to help neighbors work together because most of their burglaries were committed by local teens. Although the local newspaper supported the project, only a few people attended.

Community meetings were overflowing after a teenager discovered his mother murdered in her kitchen. Citizens were fearful and turned out to demand more police protection. The county supervisor and sheriff told residents they lacked the funds for more police. The pilot program began with the cooperation from the county sheriff. An officer would attend every neighborhood meeting to help educate residents about local crime and encourage neighbors to be on the alert for suspicious activities. Concerned citizens got involved in the "Neighborhood Responsibility Program." Within two and a half years, crime was reduced 48%. (a) At the same time, crime was on the increase in other communities.

Several committee members spoke on TV and radio while others went on to became trainers and coordinators for the California State Office of Criminal Justice Planning.

Much to the surprise of experienced volunteers, county police departments resisted citizen leaders stating, they would become vigilantes. The volunteers were also told that citizen involvement wouldn't work in cities.

The naysayers were proven wrong when an organized group of citizens received a grant from the California Office of Criminal Justice Planning and formed the Citizen's Crime Prevention Committee of Contra Costa County, CA. Without police leadership, six crime prevention coordinators organized and trained 27 volunteer committees throughout the county. The county committee worked independently of police and had their own office and staff support. Coordinators worked in their assigned cities and met weekly with each other to problem solve. They held monthly meetings with volunteers and published a county newsletter with accomplishments and projects to help people learn from each other. Citizen involvement helped stop the spread of crime, drugs, gangs and juvenile violence throughout the county.

The job of police is to react to crime while citizen involvement can prevent crime. Over the years, many police departments worked with citizens. However, in the field of crime prevention, citizens without police leaders are uncommon. There are many benefits for training citizen coordinators. In areas where residents are too scared to share information with police, they will talk to trusted citizen coordinators. Trained citizens have the ability to educate and change attitudes within their neighborhoods where they speak the language and care about families and youth.

Today, cities like Baltimore, Ferguson, Chicago and Detroit need citizen leaders to assume more responsibility for city safety by helping create a healthy balance between citizens and police. City leaders need to support trained coordinators to prevent crime and corruption.

Encouraging and developing citizen leaders to help bring people together should be top priority in every city if we are going to stop hostility toward police, racism, crime and gun violence.
 

Stephanie L. Mann, Crime and Violence Prevention Consultant, 39 years
Author - 5 crime prevention books
Founder, National Safe Kids Now Network

(a) Alternative to Fear: Guidelines for safer neighborhoods can be found on website.
Empower your child, go to "Books" on website and find "Street Safe Kids"
Make your neighborhood safe, check out the "Adopt-A-Block" Guidebook on Welcome page
"Safe Neighborhoods Program for City Leaders" for city leaders (See: "Programs")

Website: http://www.safekidsnow.com
 

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Illegal Immigration Solved! By Dutch Jones

The other day I was driving along and for some unknown reason I thought about what my platform would be if I were to run for the office of President of the United States. I think it came from a high level of frustration over our current stewardship. Forgetting about all the rest of the nonsense for a moment I decided my platform would consist of four primary subjects, all in desperate need of reform.

1 - Security / Safety of America
2 - Education
3 - The Economy / Jobs
4 - Immigration

I asked myself what would I do, how would I do it, and how I would pay for it. Today I want to tell you about my (realistic) idea on reforming Illegal Immigration permanently, once and for all.

Wouldn't that be nice? It's not that hard actually, but your going to have to hear me out.

How to deal with illegals that already live in the US. The subject of much debate and ideas with little or no real solution. The basic argument boils down to 'Shale I stay or Shale I go?" One side wants to make all the illegals that are already here citizens or put them on a path toward citizenship. The other side wants to arrest all of them and ship um home. Opposite ends of the spectrum. Let me say they are both right and both wrong. Here's what we need to do.

Illegal Immigration WILL NEVER be fixed until we can stop the flow of illegals into the US, all illegals.

How do we do that?

A wall... of course, we have to have a wall. Is it really that tough to figure this out. I know, your thinking 'they' will still find a way over or under, oh and how would we pay for such a massively expensive endeavor? There are so many ways to build an impermeable wall, seriously it's not that tough. The Chinese did it a really long time ago and it worked pretty well. In addition to the wall, we have technology, yippie. Yes it will be expensive, yes it will take some time, but once done, we have our country back, one-hundred percent.

How to pay for it? That's part two.

We will give illegal aliens that are already in the United States three (3) years to come forward and apply for a special green card / visa / live and work permit, whatever you want to call it. Once approved they will get a temporary Social Security number that will have a special number or designation, this way they will start paying their fair share of taxes right away. They will also be able to apply for a drivers license which would bare the same number. Anyone under the age of 16 will get the Special Alien Card and a Social Security number; anyone possessing these will have the same rights as any other 'Green Card' or Visa visitor. When one of these individuals is asked for identification by anyone for any reason that person will know they are working with a "legal illegal", (my words). Think about the new tax revenue this new group would create, how much of the wall would that pay for?

Then once applied, approved, and holding their shiny new legal illegal card all they have to do is keep their nose clean for ten years. That's not too much to ask right? If they fail in any way, commit a crime, not pay taxes, etc, they lose. Sorry, no longer welcome to the US. Can they reapply? Nope, sorry. After the ten year 'Probationary' period they can be automatically converted to a full US Citizen status, no more paperwork; they would simply get their new Social Security card and drivers license in the mail and the 'Legal Illegal' card will be void. TaDa! Only after the 10 years and they are full fledged Americans can they vote, provided they are over 18.

What if someone does not come forward or apply? Or they are not approved for whatever reason? The bus will be right out the door, see ya. If someone is stopped lets say within the three year grace period they will be given a special ticket, of sorts, giving them 30 days to apply. It they don't show up we pick them up. What happens when the 3 year grace period is over? If an illegal alien has not submitted their application and been approved within the 3 years if they are stopped or picked up for any reason, we send them home, no exceptions.

The wall, if planned out correctly, and not left up tot he government to plan or hire contractors should be close to being done with in the three years. I know that sounds fast, but rethink it without the government involvement, see! Any way, if not within the 3 years it should be very close. Remember for every foot of the new wall that goes up the flow of illegals will slow down. Essentially we are clogging the pipeline.

So imagine, all of the current illegals living in the US would have to be accountable. Any illegal trying to get into the US will be stopped or at least slowed down until the wall is done. Tax revenue will go up, crime will go down, people who need help will get help, (especially education), and people who can help will now be able to, even if that just means contributing to the economy.

Humm...

I vote Yes, how do you vote? Am I missing anything? Do you have a different opinion? Lemme know!

Dutch~

For more, go to http://www.dutchjones.com

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Obama Oozes Back To Iraq, By Larry M. Elkin

In early 2007, with events in Iraq spinning out of control, then-President George W. Bush ordered a surge of U.S. forces into the country, over the opposition of many in Congress, including then-Sen. Barack Obama.

The surge worked. By the time Obama succeeded Bush at the start of 2009, Iraq was stable under an elected government. The biggest question remaining was the conditions under which America might remain in the country as a long-term stabilizing force.

But Obama campaigned as the anti-Bush and committed to getting American troops out of Iraq, rather than keeping them there. His administration's tepid efforts to negotiate a continuing presence ultimately went nowhere and, three years ago, Obama spun this failure as a success when the last American troops pulled out.

No we're back. Iraq is again out of control, in a manner different from but comparable to 2006, in what is essentially a sectarian battle. This time, the struggle is highlighted by the savagery that calls itself the Islamic State.

But Obama is not a surging sort of president. He's an oozer. He recently portrayed the Islamic State as a long-term threat, rather than an immediate one, despite the recent beheadings of two American journalists. While calling the organization "unique in [its] brutality," (1) he was quick to make clear that engagement would be limited and deliberate. And while he halfheartedly committed the nation to the militant group's eventual destruction, he also all but pledged we would fight only through proxies, rather than pulling the triggers ourselves.

"American power can make a decisive difference," Obama said, "but we cannot do for Iraqis what they must do for themselves, nor can we take the place of Arab partners in securing their region." (1) Thus Obama imposed an upper ceiling on the amount of effort we are willing to expend to combat this allegedly mortal threat. The Iraqi government, which Secretary of State John Kerry described as the "cornerstone" of U.S. strategy, was approved by the country's lawmakers only this week. (2)
In the 2007 surge, Bush sent 30,000 additional troops into Iraq. Obama is sending 475 military advisers with no combat mission.

The president also outlined three other components of his strategy, including an extension of the existing airstrike campaign, counterterrorism measures and humanitarian assistance. He was careful to contrast his actions to those of his predecessor, comparing them instead to American involvement in Yemen and Somalia.

What was absent, as many who reacted to his speech noted, was a timetable or any clear outline of what conditions would indicate the strategy has succeeded. Obama's decision to keep such matters vague or omit them entirely, while worrisome, cannot be a surprise to anyone who has paid attention to his presidency as a whole. The president hates to take any sort of decisive action before the political coast is clear, whether on the domestic or international stages.

Nearly six years into office, this president has not learned that when you want to act like a superpower, or even a major player, you pick a side that you want to win and then make sure that it does. Vladimir Putin has amply demonstrated that he has absorbed this lesson; witness his conduct in Ukraine. Obama, meanwhile, has again chosen the oozing into sanctions approach. China is not seeking multinational collaboration as it aggressively tries to impose its will across the western Pacific. Iran does not care about the world's approval, or lack thereof, for its nuclear program; it seeks outside support only to the extent of trying to get around Western sanctions.

But our own president is still blinded by his own rhetoric and imprisoned by his misbegotten Nobel Peace Prize. He's an oozer, not a fighter. His approach does not bode well for America's goals in the Middle East.

Sources:
1) Vox, "Read Obama's speech outlining his strategy against ISIS"
2) Los Angeles Times, "Is Iraq's new government the ally Obama is looking for?"

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Could ObamaCare Destroy Our Republic - Yes, That Is Possible, By Lance Winslow

Many don't see the Affordable Healthcare Act as serious as I believe it to be. You see, it changes the way we live, how we see government, and it modifies how our system of society and our civilization operates. It also affects our economy and the health care sector. Okay so, let's talk.

There was an interesting article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on November 14, 2013 titled; "Georgia Affordable Care Act enrollment - 1,390," by Carla Caldwell. Now then, what happens if very few people sign up onto and enroll in ObamaCare, only those who get lots of subsidies, and what happens if all this PR by the administration (paid for by the taxpayer) drives huge numbers onto state health care programs? Well, let's take Georgia as a case study and then extrapolate how this ObamaCare law could theoretically gut our Republic.

Well, let's consider what I've just stated above in GA. This means most all of the people that live in GA who went to the ObamaCare website to sign up, chose the State Programs, meaning the states now have more costs. If this continues, it will bankrupt every state or put them into terrible budget crisis.

Is it the handlers of the Obama Administration's intentions to destroy our states so everyone is beholden to the Federal Government? Surely not right? Well? If it were their plan, it is a brilliant strategy to destroy our entire government structure and take it over, reshape it into some other type of government structure.

Now then, why I am worried about this is because we are supposed to have strong states and a weak Federal Government, not supreme centralized control. If the states collapse and everyone relies on the Federal Government, what happens when the Federal Government Collapses? Do we end up with Global Government, or will it revert back to a distributive type government, stronger local control, as was originally intended. No need to answer, just looking down the road at the implications of what's going on here.

This is not a leap or a stretch by any reality, it's just the culmination of this trend and if it continues we could be headed for real trouble. I fear we are headed for trouble, and I can't for the life of me figure out why we'd ever want to go there, knowing what we know about human history. This whole ObamaCare is a mistake, and it takes a man to admit when he's made a mistake, but if we have no real men running this Administration or government - it's time to remove and replace them - yes all of them, and that goes for both genders in our leadership. Please consider all this and think on it.
 

Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow. Lance also writes eBooks on all sorts of topics including this one, check out the selection.
 

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I See No One Is Responsible for ObamaCare - Remind Me Again Why I Am Required to Participate, By Lance Winslow

Every complaint I hear from nations with Universal Health Care, all the complaints the Democrats and their followers claim not to exist, I now see suddenly appearing under ObamaCare, and just think - it hasn't even started yet. People in other nations say the health care system is terrible, that you have to wait to see a doctor or specialist, and if it is something serious, by the time you do, it could be too late. And if you are too far gone by then, well, it doesn't seem cost effective to fix the problem, after all, there are others with needs too, so you shouldn't expect the system to neglect everyone else on your behalf.

Ah socialism and the death (literally) of the individual - please, someone remind me why socialism is such a great way to run a nation. With ObamaCare we already see shortages, high prices, reduced services, and doctors quitting (early retirement). Do you remember that famous song "Cold As Ice" by Foreigner which says:

"You're as cold as ice, You're willing to sacrifice our love. You never take advice, Someday you'll pay the price I know, I've seen it before, It happens all the time, You're closing the door, You leave the world behind."

This song flashed through my mind as I watched Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius explain to the Congressional Investigation why the ObamaCare website didn't work - turns out as she told the nation - that it's really no one's fault. I see, so no one is responsible, and yet they've already spent something like $293 Million on the contract, with more to follow (total somewhere about $600 Million) plus the hiring of the "technology surge" of the "best and brightest to come fix it all and that it will be up and running right after Black Friday, which will leave retailers in the red if consumers find out how much ObamaCare is going to steal from their monthly spendable income.

If no one is responsible for this mess, why should I be responsible in signing up for it under threat of the IRS? That's a fear tactic and I thought that making someone by "protection insurance" was considered extortion and against the law, I mean didn't we throw the Gambino Family in prison for that? The funny thing is when Americans get the bill for their health care insurance, they are liable to have a heart attack, which I guess is okay because all these problems are occurring before ObamaCare, not pre-existing. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow. Lance also writes eBooks on all sorts of topics including this one, check out the selection.
 

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Has The Insanity Of Race Baiting Professionals Finally Gone Too Far? By Paul Pajaken

I really don't know where to begin with Obama's life learning curve being raised by communist parents and a whole community of Islamic teachings. His being taught in Islamic schools with a step parent in Indonesia. He claims he was never a practicing Muslim student but to have been given his middle name " Hussein " you have to be a Muslim under Islamic law. He speaks the language perfectly and can quote the Koran line and verse and in the language of the Koran.so that he gives himself away in speaking engagements. Eric Holder under this President has refused to indict black criminals like the black panthers at the polling places and many others because they were black and not because they did not have cause to prosecute. This administration and all appointees under Obama seem to have the idea that they can do whatever they want and get away with it. It is the arrogance and blatant disregard for the law that is starting to infuriate the American public. I believe American will soon get angry enough to call these groups and people to account before the courts and congress in ways that might cause a real backlash that Obama and his administration will not be able to handle. The attitude that seems to permeate this whole administration is that they can do whatever it is they want to do without regard to the laws we all have to live by. It seems to happen with every top heavy democratic administration who has a majority in either house they control. This President has had four years of almost complete control of both houses and they have rammed through whatever bills and programs they wanted, even against the public's speaking against these programs and bills. It is the arrogance and insulting manner by which these things were done against all public demands for review and consultation by congress. Obama care has been an unmitigated disaster for the American public and now they want to delay the enforcement of its provisions until after the next election cycle for fear of losing even more seats in the senate. Obama care is not sustainable financially. and will collapse by it own weight under rules and regulations spewing forth from government offices trying to control costs and people.

It is so hard to know what Obama believes in because he changes it every time he speaks to an audience with differing interests than he spoke to in his last speech. His appointees are all in opposition to the posts they were appointed to. His most glaring misfit is Eric Holder to administer the justice department. He runs it like his own private police force with orders to not indict people of color without his personal O K and will let obvious criminals walk, like those Black Panthers who stood outside polling places brandishing batons like the Gestapo they resembled. It is very hard to understand the mentality of people like Obama, Holder, Hillary, Van Jones, Jessie Jackson, Soros, and the long list of radical appointees way down a long list of people they surround themselves with who think America is at fault for all the ills that plague the world. Blame America first seems to fill some kind of need within the liberal press and all through the Washington liberal establishment that lives within the bubble they all inhabit. They talk amongst themselves and agree with each other and never talk to the real American people throughout the country who see the real truth that comes to them over the internet and Fox news, that at least claims to give both sides equal coverage. MSNBC might as well be a campaign office for the democratic party and even they are speaking about Obama care being unmanageable in its present form.

Now we have to get the American people informed enough to make themselves vocal enough around the whole country to stop Obama care with whatever tools are available to us. My hope is that the congress will get enough feedback from their constituents to give them enough backbone to defund the whole program and cut it off at the base by withholding funding and kill it altogether. Once it isimplemented in October and Obama can, with the help of the media that loves him so much, hold off real opposition until after next years elections, it will be too late. He has exempted almost all his supporters and backers like the unions and big businesses that give him money and support. He is dumping on the middle class again and especially young people who will be hit the hardest to fund an impossible program that would drag down every small business in the country. He has strangled the oil and gas industries that could make us energy independent and keep the oil money we are sending to middle east countries who hate and despise us, here to build our infrastructure back up and create jobs by the thousands. It is very hard to know where to start with cutting back government spending when every congressman and woman and senator has his or her special project for their district waiting to be attached to one bill or another. We could start with closing one military base in each state where we have dozens of useless bases feeding at the budget trough for the military and use that money to care for our wounded veterans who need our help desperately.

Once a government program is started it will never end until the American people demand it. Unfortunately the American public is extremely uninformed about national budget issues unless it affects them directly. There are so many issues that need attention and it is only possible to do so if you can reach large numbers of people and engage them on specific problems. In the meantime please keep what I say in mind and discuss these problems with friends and family and maybe we can get some things done one at a time. It will have to start with each one of us, one at a time.
 

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It's Time for a Balanced Budget Amendment, by Lee Eldridge

I've long made a joke that credit cards are evil. But that's not true. When a person who is responsible with their money uses a credit card responsibly, credit cards are not evil at all. Try renting a car or making a hotel reservation without a credit card. Credit cards also offer a level of protection when you make purchases. For instance, if you buy something online, and you're unhappy with it, or it's never delivered to you, you have the option of disputing the charges on your credit card. It can protect you from many of the possible dangers of purchasing something from an unknown company.

The problem is that many of us do not use credit cards responsibly. When my wife went back to school to finish her degree, we were making very little money. We were basically living off student loans and credit cards. By the time she got out of school, we had racked up thousands in credit card debt. We were buried with it and finding it difficult to dig our way out. We considered bankruptcy.

We went to a credit counseling service, chopped up our cards, and made monthly payments until we were out of debt. It's a liberating feeling to make that final payment on your credit cards. We haven't looked back. We no longer use credit cards. If we can't afford it, we don't buy it. We have learned the hard way that we're better off without credit cards. It doesn't make them evil. It just means that we're not responsible enough to use them responsibly. Because of our access to "money" on our credit cards, we were spending more money than we were making. We were running a budget deficit every year.

Does this remind you of our federal government at all?

Since the early 1960s, our federal government has run budget deficits every year except 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. They spend more money every year than they receive in tax revenues.

Many have brought up the idea of a balanced budget amendment. This would force the federal government to balance their budget every year, and eliminate budget deficits.

In theory, I disagree with this approach. But in reality, it needs to be considered.

Why? It's kind of like credit cards. In theory, credit cards are useful and offer purchasing protections for consumers. But in reality, many consumers use them to buy products they cannot afford.

In theory I oppose a balance budget amendment. In times like these when our country is in a recession, or is coming out of a recession, tax revenues to the federal government are down. A balanced budget amendment would force the federal government to reduce services during a time we need them the most.

But reality shows us a different picture. If the federal government ran budget surpluses during the good times, we could trust them to make good decisions and allow them to run budget deficits during the bad times. The problem is that our government does NOT run budget surpluses, even during the good times. They just continue to increase spending in good times and bad.

They are not responsible with our money, and they need to chop up their credit cards. It's time for a balanced budget amendment. It would be good for our country, and ultimately, good for our economy.

About The Author Lee Eldridge is a writer, musician and marketing consultant with more than 20 years experience in customized promotional items (http://www.customizablepromotionalitems.com/ ). Lee writes for several blogs, and has launched a new site focusing on Promotional Coasters ( http://www.promotionalbeercoasters.com/ ). The author invites you to visit: http://www.promotionalbeercoasters.com

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