media

Friday July 28, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 28, 2017

White House reveals Trump only decided on transgender ban yesterday

President Donald Trump sent out a series of tweets Wednesday morning saying that transgender people wouldn’t be allowed to serve in the U.S. military ‘in any capacity’ with no plan in place for active duty transgender personnel.  

February 3, 2017

‘This was a decision based on what was the best for the military and military cohesion and on the counsel of his national security team,’ said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was bombarded with questions about the ban at a televised press briefing.

With no details available, she offered no immediate assurance that a transgender service member wouldn’t have to get sent home from a deployment in a place like Afghanistan.

‘That’s something that the Department of Defense and the White House will have to work together as implementation takes place and is done so lawfully,’ Huckabee Sanders said. 

‘The implementation of the policy is going to be something that the White House and the Department of Defense have to work together to lawfully determine.’

Her comment came after a flat-footed Pentagon spokesman told reporters asking for details about the new policy announced on Twitter to ‘call the White House.’

Huckabee Sanders said Trump reached the decision ‘based on consultation that he’s had with his national security team’ to reach the conclusion.

She repeatedly cited ‘unit cohesion’ as the reason, and batted back inquiries about Trump’s campaign statements to be there to protect gay, lesbian, and transgender Americans.  

‘When the president made the decision yesterday, the secretary of defense was immediately informed, of as were the rest of the national security team that had been part of this ongoing conversation,’ said Huckabee Sanders.

‘Sometimes you have to make decisions and once he made a decision, he didn’t feel it was necessary to hold that decision and they’re going to work together with the Department of Defense to lawfully implement it,’ she said.(Source: Daily Mail)  

 

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Wednesday July 19, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday July 19, 2017

Justin Trudeau offers strongest defence yet of Omar Khadr settlement

Justin Trudeau offered his strongest defence yet of his government’s $10.5-million settlement with Omar Khadr on Saturday, saying he hopes it serves as an example to future governments.

July 6, 2017

“When governments violate Canadians’ fundamental rights, there have to be consequences and we hope that the message going forward to all future governments is: you can not ignore or be complicit in the violation of Canadians fundamental rights, regardless of what they did,” said Trudeau.

The prime minister spoke at the Indian Village on the Calgary Stampede grounds, initially reiterating what he’s been saying for the past few days: he understands why people are frustrated but he thinks the government would have lost the case to Khadr if they had fought in court, and it would have cost between $30-40 million in the process. Trudeau then went on to offer the more strident human rights defence.

October 2, 2012

Trudeau spent the day in Calgary, attending two pancake breakfasts in the morning before visiting the Indian Village in the afternoon and rounding off the day at the rodeo.

He’s faced widespread criticism over the past few days over the Khadr payment. Khadr fought against coalition forces in Afghanistan as a 15 year old, before being sent to Guantanamo Bay where he was repeatedly tortured. (Source: Calgary Herald) 

 

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Saturday May 20, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday May 20, 2017

Americans are camping in record numbers, but they still want Wi-Fi

According to a report released by Kampgrounds of America (KOA), a group of privately held campgrounds, more and more Americans are now spending their leisure time camping.

July 2, 2008

Since 2014, the percentage of campers of who say that they take three or more camping trips a year has increased by more than 36 percent. Infrequent campers (those who go just once a year) have simultaneously dropped by 10 percent. In 2017 half of all campers surveyed said that they’re planning to spend even more time camping this year.

More than half of millennials surveyed (51 percent) said that they planned to go camping more often in 2017. Millennials also mark the age range to most enjoy the activity in large groups–10 or more travelers.

But neither millennials – nor campers in general – are completely cutting the cord. According to the study, 95 percent of people who go camping bring some sort of technology with them while 37 percent of campers said that some sort of tech was actually required for their trip in order to spend more time outdoors. About half of survey respondents indicated that least free Wi-Fi was a big factor when deciding where to stay.

And when it comes to sleeping, conventional tents were the most popular, according to the study. But the number of campers electing to use RVs or cabins is also increasing. (Source: Fox News) http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2017/03/21/americans-are-camping-in-record-numbers-but-still-want-wi-fi.html

long weekend, holiday, camping, family, campground, gadgets, devices, social media, Internet, technology, tradition, vacation, media, laptops, addiction (Source: Fox News)

The Western Star, Corner Brook, Nfld., May 23, 2017

Tuesday January 24, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday January 24, 2017

Welcome to the White House website, home of ‘alternative facts’

In just one weekend, the website has posted false statistics about rising crime, when crime has actually gone down over the last eight years and has ripped down sections about climate change, civil and LGBT rights

If the reader needs evidence that the White House is shifting towards a dictatorial, opaque administration, look no further than its own website

US Presidential Wall Chart by Graeme MacKay

Peruse the site at your own leisure; no need to access this evidence via the “dishonest” media.In just one weekend, the website has posted false statistics about rising crime, when crime has actually gone down over the last eight years. It has ripped down sections about climate change, civil rights and LGBT rights. It has also failed to update its website in a timely fashion, including the executive order section, despite the President having already signed several, including “easing the burden of Obamacare” which threatens millions of Americans with no health care coverage.

The President, his press secretary, senior adviser and chief of staff have all attacked the media in the last three days, saying they have been “deliberately dishonest”.

Press secretary Sean Spicer walked out of his first press conference on Saturday after an angry speech about how the media reported the crowd size at Donald Trump’s inauguration. He did not take a single question. The press briefing part of the website has not been updated.

Senior adviser and former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway defended her colleague, saying he provided the media with “alternative facts”.

The gaffes continue. On the White House’s official page of First Lady Melania Trump, staff added the name of her jewellery brand and then swiftly deleted it after they were accused of promoting her commercial venture.

The same page also reads that Melania Trump “paused her studies” at university to pursue modelling, whereas the campaign’s previous website said she had completed a degree in Slovenia.

Selective curation to advance a right-wing agenda is also being carried out on the website of the US government’s supposedly independent House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In the “news section” there is an article by right-wing outlet the Washington Examiner, which accuses the director of the Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, for making negative comments about Trump’s alleged conflicts of interest but failing to report alleged conflicts of interest under Obama. (Source: The Independent) 

 

Friday January 20, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday January 20, 2017

President Trump’s Twitter plans: Tweet as usual

President-elect Donald Trump is well on his way to be an entirely new kind of “Tweeter in Chief,” with no plans to cut back on his frequent use of Twitter despite the disapproval of the majority of Americans and a range of security risks.

January 20, 1997 second inauguration of U.S. President Bill Clinton. Graphite sketch (Prisma filtered)

He’s tweeting despite the fact that this week a new NBC/WSJ poll reported that 69 percent of Americans believe Trump’s Twitter habits are a “bad thing” and want him to cut back. Just 26 percent of respondents said Trump’s use of Twitter is good, agreeing with the statement that “it allows a president to directly communicate to people immediately.” It’s no surprise that Democrats overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump’s tweets — just 8 percent say it’s good. And Republicans are divided, with 47 percent calling his tweets a bad idea.

January 20, 2001

Though Trump will inherit the @POTUS handle President Barack Obama established in May 2015, along with its 13.2 million followers, Trump won’t give up his personal account, which has 20.3 million followers, and plans to keep tweeting from it. The Obama administration’s “digital transition” team will wipe the timelines clean of @POTUS accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and will archive all that content. (Source: CNBC)