Weird - Wacky - Funny News

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Asian Pilots Names from KTVU News Plane Crash - "Captain Sum Ting Wong"

Asian Pilots Names from KTVU News Plane Crash - "Captain Sum Ting Wong"

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[Green Squall]

Troopers collar Huskies roaming around Tobin Bridge

The Tobin Bridge is always a crowded crossing at rush hour, but these guys were certainly not supposed to be part of the traffic jam.

State troopers rushed to Route 1 around 3:30 p.m. Thursday after receiving multiple reports of several dogs loose on the highway near the Boston/Chelsea line.

When troopers arrived at the scene, they found two Huskies at the Tobin Bridge, where two concerned drivers pulled over and were holding them in place, keeping them from being struck by passing cars.

Chelsea police said the dogs ran up the Everett Avenue ramp to the bridge.

One of the troopers secured the dogs in the back of his cruisers watching traffic slowly crawl by before Chelsea Animal Control arrived to care for the animals.

The dogs, who appeared to be in good health, were transported to the North Shore Animal Shelter in Saugus.

Police said the owners had not been located as of Thursday night.

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I can't even imagine seeing dogs on the Tobin Bridge. They're lucky to be alive! to the people who pulled over and secured them. And I don't say this often, but thank you to the MA State Police.

https://www.wcvb.com/article/troopers-collar-huskies-roaming-around-tobin-bridge/29731253

 

[St. Phatty]

BEST Canned Corn EVER.

Walmart canned corn is using baby corn, all tiny kernels, in one batch.

I use this as food for people and pets. First time I've seen the baby corn.

I wonder if it's related to the American corn crops getting hammered this year.

Maybe it's showing up in other canned corn like Del Monte.

Anybody noticing any differences in canned corn ?


It's almost as good as M.A.Y.O.N.N.A.I.S.E. !!!

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

So much for the #Resistance!

So much for the #Resistance!

So much for the #Resistance! While all eyes were on impeachment hearing, House re-authorized PATRIOT Act

House Democrats have slipped an unqualified renewal of the draconian PATRIOT Act into an emergency funding bill – voting near-unanimously for sweeping surveillance carte blanche that was the basis for the notorious NSA program.
A three-month reauthorization of the notorious PATRIOT Act was shoehorned into a last-minute continuing resolution (CR) funding the US government, bundling measures needed to avert yet another government shutdown with a continuation of the wildly-intrusive surveillance powers passed after the 9/11 terror attacks. Democrats voted almost unanimously for it, granting the far-reaching surveillance capabilities to the very same president they’re trying to impeach.

A roll-call vote on the bill was split exactly along party lines, with all 230 Democrats standing up for unconstitutional mass surveillance – including progressives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), who spoke out against it earlier. Two other Democrats opted not to vote, but not a single representative dared oppose party group think.

Not only did Democrats unanimously stand for the bill, they backed the waiver of a rule that would have at least allowed members of Congress to read it.

Aside from renewing the PATRIOT Act for another three months and keeping Washington’s lights on, the bill hikes military pay and tosses extra funding to the Commerce Department and state highways. Republicans had hoped to pass a “clean” funding bill without add-ons of any kind, so their opposition to the measure did not necessarily hinge on its inclusion of the surveillance provision.

Still, the PATRIOT Act was born from a Republican administration and its rejection by the same party, 18 years later, suggests a dramatic shift in the US political landscape.

It’s not just domestic surveillance that has driven Democrats and Republicans together. Despite the contrarian stance of the “Squad” and other outspoken #Resisters against President Donald Trump, House Democrats have largely gone along with Republicans in giving the president all the money he wants to wage war. Just 16 Democrats voted against the near-record ‘defense’ budget in July, a bloated $1.48 trillion over two years that dwarfs US defense spending at the height of the wars in Korea and Vietnam and gives the Pentagon more money than the rest of government combined.

Nor is Tuesday’s vote the first time Democrats have voted with, or to the right of, their colleagues across the aisle to back domestic surveillance programs, despite casually comparing Trump to Adolf Hitler and other fascist bogeymen.

Even the creators of the PATRIOT Act didn’t expect the post-9/11 police state to last forever, and included a ‘sunset provision’ that would have allowed the bill to expire – to die a natural death, legislatively-speaking – when it has outlived its usefulness. Yet Congress has kept the program on life support for years, with bipartisan support.

With impeachment in full swing, mainstream media carefully avoided using the phrase “PATRIOT Act” in their coverage of the vote, aware that the measure that allowed the government to treat its citizens like terrorists doesn’t have many fans.


Source: https://www.rt.com/usa/473842-patriot-act-betrayal-democrats-house/



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[Rocky Mtn Squid]

#ManateeMetoo

#ManateeMetoo

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[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Only In Florida

Only In Florida

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[Rocky Mtn Squid]

‘Orbs’ Swarming Around SpaceX Ship, Leaving ISS, Excites Conspiracy Theorists

‘Orbs’ Swarming Around SpaceX Ship, Leaving ISS, Excites Conspiracy Theorists

Elon Musk’s cargo rocket boosting Starlink satellites into orbit have already tickled the nerves of YouTube alien hunters after one of them spotted something strange passing by on the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch livestream. According to him, a winged object resembling a dragon was lurking below the rocket.

Multiple “UFO-like objects” around SpaceX’s Dragon cargo craft, which departed from the International Space Station has prompted some online commenters, searching for the “truth out there”, to imply some kind of alien surveillance.

One YouTube channel dedicated to conspiracy theories has shared a clip cut from NASA’s livestreamed video of the ship leaving the ISS with numerous orbs and other shapes, lurking behind. A user with the handle Disclose Screen “The Grimreefar”, who shared the footage with his 27,000 subscribers, defined them as “literally hundreds of UFO orbs seen around Space X Dragon departure”.

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(Orbs start to appear @ 3:20 mark of video)

“That was insane. Those orbs are everywhere”, one delighted commenter posted, while another suggested that we will not be able to find out the truth for a long time: “The truth will be kept hidden as long as the USA dominates space”.
The user with the handle Tina Tankersley also shared their opinion: “They are working very hard up there”.

Some conspiracy-minded commentators wandered away from the alien version but offered another take on the mystery behind this clip: “All those ‘space’ shots are filmed underwater and you’re seeing air bubbles”.

Many had a more down-to-earth point of view, noting, for example: “Definitely ice-particle-shaped unintelligently controlled swamp gas”.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 launch livestream, dating back to November, already raised the suspicions of this conspiracy theorist last year. According to the blogger, who has dedicated his channel to UFO sightings, a winged object resembling a certain mythological fire-breathing creature appears in the video lurking below the rocket as it reached the upper atmosphere.

"The only thing I can explain that it is, and I'm not saying it is, but it looks like a flying dragon object", the conspiracy-theorist said.


Source: https://sputniknews.com/viral/202001101078000508-orbs-swarming-spacex-iss-conspiracy/


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[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Meanwhile.....Back In Florida

Meanwhile.....Back In Florida

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[Rocky Mtn Squid]

It's Been 8 Days and No Sign Of The SUV That Drove Off The Cliff in Cali...

It's Been 8 Days and No Sign Of The SUV That Drove Off The Cliff in Cali...

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It’s been more than a week since an SUV drove off a cliff along Highway 1 near Gray Whale Cove State Beach in San Mateo County, plunging into the choppy water below.
But despite the efforts of Sheriff’s deputies, divers and even a Navy SEAL sonar system, no confirmed traces of the car or whoever was inside have shown up — save a few car parts found in the water and an old shoe strewn on the beach.

“Nothing’s changed,” said Officer Bert Diaz with California Highway Patrol on Tuesday. “We have been getting leads from the public, and we’re looking at them and exploring them, but as of now I don’t have an update on a person or a vehicle.”

Around 11 a.m. Dec. 30, a dark-green SUV was captured in a dash-cam video traveling along the shoulder of Highway 1, a winding, historic road that fronts the coast all the way from San Francisco to Southern California.

Rather than turning — or even slowing down — the SUV appears to drive off the cliff and directly into the water, briefly catching air before vanishing from the frame.

Source: https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/01/07/8-days-after-car-plunged-off-cliff-nothings-changed-in-search/


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[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Kentucky police arrest GM engineers street racing C8 Chevy Corvettes

Kentucky police arrest GM engineers street racing C8 Chevy Corvettes

It is one of the purposes of youth to do things that can only be justified with the phrase, "We were young, what can I say?" Two GM engineers have allegedly given themselves an excellent opening to use that plea decades hence, after a Kentucky state trooper reportedly caught them street racing pre-production 2020 Chevrolet Corvettes down a city street in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

WNKY reports that the incident occurred last Wednesday, January 8, the charges rung up including racing a motor vehicle on a public highway, reckless driving, and speeding 26 miles per hour or more over the speed limit. That last charge means a mandatory court hearing and a potential loss of license. The details laid out on the citation lead us to believe the two engineers could have more to worry about than a fine or needing to bum rides for a few months.

GM employee Alexander Thim, 27, does computer-aided engineering on induction and exhaust systems according to his LinkedIn page, while the same site lists Mark Derkatz, 30, as an electrical engineer. Both men are are temporarily in Bowling Green, home of the Corvette assembly plant, preparing America's sports car for its retail launch.

Going by the description on the ticket, sometime after after leaving the Cue Time Cocktails and Billiards bar in Bowling Green in a trio of Corvettes — Thim in a red one, Derkatz in a white one, an unnamed third GM engineer in a blue one — two of the three decided to hit a back road called Lovers Lane to enjoy the fruits of their labors. On a street with a 45-mph speed limit, Thim allegedly hopped in the left lane and got clocked by radar doing 120 mph, Derkatz took the right lane and got clocked at 100 mph. The third engineer, heeding his good sense or a guardian angel, reportedly didn't participate in the race and was not cited.

It appears that police either knew something was up, or were merely intrigued by the sight of three of the country's most important and forbidden-fruit vehicles in patriotic color scheme tooling around on a school night.

The report details troopers noticing the three Corvettes at 11:20 pm, then following them for at least a mile as the engineers made their way from the main road to Lovers Lane. Measured from the turn onto Lovers Lane, the police who made the stop were 1.5 miles down the road.

The worst bit is this line from the citation: "The odor of an alcoholic beverage was present on the breath of the operator. PBT detected presence of alcohol." The trooper didn't include names, but none of the three engineers were reportedly charged with driving under the influence.

Thim and Derkat were booked and released on $1,000 bail, and will need to deal with a pretrial conference on February 18. The cars were confiscated, towing services hauling them to an impound lot where a representative retrieved them the following day.

When Automobile asked GM for comment, the automaker responded, "We are aware of an incident involving our test vehicles and are currently investigating. Safety remains our overriding priority at General Motors. We have no further comment at this time."

As an aside, seems one of the troopers did have time to comment. A Corvette Forum thread has popped up to run a full CSI routine on the incident, with member DebRedZR1 tracking down a snapchat photo of Thim's stop. The caption: "GM ain't gonna be happy with these engineers tomorrow." Which was probably true.

Source: https://www.autoblog.com/2020/01/12/c8-chevy-corvette-engineers-caught-speeding-kentucky/


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[shithawk420]

Awe man.they just lost their dream jobs.stupid kids showing off thos Vettes at a bar.those cars weren't even available yet.stupid kids

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Meanwhile.....Back In Florida Again.....

Meanwhile.....Back In Florida Again.....

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[Rocky Mtn Squid]

World's First 'Living Machine' Created Using Frog Cells and Artificial Intelligence

World's First 'Living Machine' Created Using Frog Cells and Artificial Intelligence

Scientists used computer algorithms to "evolve" an organism that's made of 100% frog DNA — but it isn't a frog.

A manufactured quadruped measuring 650 to 750 microns in diameter — just a little smaller than the head of a pin — was built from amphibian stem cells


What happens when you take cells from frog embryos and grow them into new organisms that were "evolved" by algorithms? You get something that researchers are calling the world's first "living machine."

Though the original stem cells came from frogs — the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis — these so-called xenobots don't resemble any known amphibians. The tiny blobs measure only 0.04 inches (1 millimeter) wide and are made of living tissue that biologists assembled into bodies designed by computer models, according to a new study.

These mobile organisms can move independently and collectively, can self-heal wounds and survive for weeks at a time, and could potentially be used to transport medicines inside a patient's body, scientists recently reported.

"They're neither a traditional robot nor a known species of animal," study co-author Joshua Bongard, a computer scientist and robotics expert at the University of Vermont, said in a statement. "It's a new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism."

Algorithms shaped the evolution of the xenobots. They grew from skin and heart stem cells into tissue clumps of several hundred cells that moved in pulses generated by heart muscle tissue, said lead study author Sam Kriegman, a doctoral candidate studying evolutionary robotics in the University of Vermont's Department of Computer Science, in Burlington.

"There's no external control from a remote control or bioelectricity. This is an autonomous agent — it's almost like a wind-up toy," Kriegman told Live Science.

Biologists fed a computer constraints for the autonomous xenobots, such as the maximum muscle power of their tissues, and how they might move through a watery environment. Then, the algorithm produced generations of the tiny organisms. The best-performing bots would "reproduce" inside the algorithm. And just as evolution works in the natural world, the least successful forms would be deleted by the computer program.

"Eventually, it was able to give us designs that actually were transferable to real cells. That was a breakthrough," Kriegman said.

The study authors then brought these designs to life, piecing stem cells together to form self-powered 3D shapes designed by the evolution algorithm. Skin cells held the xenobots together, and the beating of heart tissue in specific parts of their "bodies" propelled the 'bots through water in a petri dish for days, and even weeks at a stretch, without needing additional nutrients, according to the study. The 'bots were even able to repair significant damage, said Kriegman.

"We cut the living robot almost in half, and its cells automatically zippered its body back up," he said.

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"We can imagine many useful applications of these living robots that other machines can't do," said study co-author Michael Levin, director of the Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology at Tufts University in Massachusetts. These might include targeting toxic spills or radioactive contamination, collecting marine microplastics or even excavating plaque from human arteries, Levin said in a statement.

Creations that blur the line between robots and living organisms are popular subjects in science fiction; think of the killer machines in the "Terminator" movies or the replicants from the world of "Blade Runner." The prospect of so-called living robots — and using technology to create living organisms — understandably raises concerns for some, said Levin.

"That fear is not unreasonable," Levin said. "When we start to mess around with complex systems that we don't understand, we're going to get unintended consequences."

Nevertheless, building on simple organic forms like the xenobots could also lead to beneficial discoveries, he added.

"If humanity is going to survive into the future, we need to better understand how complex properties, somehow, emerge from simple rules," Levin said.


Source: https://www.livescience.com/frogbots-living-robots.html


IMHO, this is a bad idea, and I don't like the repercussions of it all


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[1G12]

From the AP (I didn't make this up)

From the AP (I didn't make this up)

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Marijuana sales in Oregon along the Idaho state line are 420% the statewide average, according to a state report.

Idaho residents are purchasing recreational marijuana in Oregon because it is illegal in Idaho, the report released Friday by the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis said.

The report also showed stronger marijuana sales for Washington state along its border with Idaho in 2019 than along its borders with Oregon or Canada.

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Talk About A Shitty Experience.......

Talk About A Shitty Experience.......

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[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Two Ohio police officers fired over Stormy Daniels arrest

Two Ohio police officers fired over Stormy Daniels arrest

The Columbus Police Department in Ohio fired two officers Thursday over their controversial arrest of porn star Stormy Daniels, 40, at a strip club in 2018.

Columbus’ Director of Public Safety Ned Pettus Jr. officially canned Steven Rosser and Whitney Lancaster after agreeing with a recommendation from Police Chief Thomas Quinlan — who hit the cops with departmental charges last year.

The disgraced cops have 10 days to appeal the decision.

Rosser and Lancaster were two of the four cops who conducted the arrest at Sirens Gentlemen’s Club and accused Daniels of letting patrons touch her, a violation of state law, Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti said at the time.

The charges were quickly dropped by prosecutors.

Daniels — who was paid $130,000 in hush money by Michael Cohen over her alleged 2006 affair with Donald Trump — has sued the cops, claiming they orchestrated the arrest to protect the president.

Documents viewed by WSYZ show that Rosser lied when he said in an interview he wanted to search for an underage stripper named “Pearl” in a human trafficking investigation — but never actually conducted the search.

The other two officers, Sgt. Scott Soha and Lt. Ronald Kemmerling, were suspended, WSYZ reported.

In September, Daniels received a $450,000 payout after the city settled another lawsuit she had filed for the improper arrest.

Avenatti, who is no longer representing Daniels, pleaded not guilty last May to stealing $300,000 from his client. He was recently arrested for bail violation — after allegedly trying to extort Nike.


Source: https://nypost.com/2020/01/23/two-ohio-police-officers-fired-over-stormy-daniels-arrest/





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[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Paula White to head Trump's faith office

Paula White to head Trump's faith office

WASHINGTON — Paula White, a Pentecostal preacher and longtime adviser to President Donald Trump, has been tapped to head the White House's Faith and Opportunity Initiative, a successor to previous administrations' faith-based office that coordinates outreach to religious communities.

"Paula White is the Advisor to the (White House) Faith & Opportunity Initiative," read a statement from the White House sent to Religion News Service. A White House spokesperson later said, "She is heading up that initiative."

The news of White's new role was first reported by The New York Times.

The appointment of the popular author and former pastor of a Florida megachurch, sometimes called "the Trump whisperer" for her closeness to the president, has been long anticipated. Two individuals who regularly engage with the federal government told RNS earlier this year that a federal official explained to them that the Florida pastor was expected to head the agency. The individuals did not want their identities revealed out of concern of reprisal.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State was quick to denounce White's appointment on Nov. 1, 2019.

"Televangelist Paula White is unfit to serve in the position of advisor to the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative," read a statement from Americans United President Rachel Laser. "She has no experience in government or public service and no history of undertaking the kind of interfaith outreach necessary for this role. Instead, she has operated in the shadows to influence public policies that discriminate against women, LGBTQ people and religious minorities, and the nomination of partisan judges who will support those harmful policies."

She added: "This appointment is yet another example of President Trump pandering to his evangelical Christian supporters as he scrambles to secure his base amidst an impeachment investigation."

White prayed at a rally in June of this year when Trump announced his reelection bid, saying, "let every demonic network who has aligned itself against the purpose, against the calling of President Trump, let it be broken, let it be torn down in the name of Jesus!"

White was at Trump's side in May 2018 when he signed an executive order creating the Faith and Opportunity Initiative in a Rose Garden ceremony on the National Day of Prayer. At that ceremony, Trump called White "my good friend Paula White, who's done such an incredible job" and asked her to stand from her seat in the audience.

In August 2018, during a meeting of what the White House called "inner city pastors," White specifically mentioned an initiative when her turn came to introduce herself, saying to the president, "It's an honor to serve you with our faith initiative and opportunity," according to the White House transcript.

White has also been a member of Trump's informal evangelical advisory board, a group of evangelical pastors who gather frequently at the White House — as recently as this week — to support the president and offer him advice.

The Faith and Opportunity Initiative is similar to the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships that was created under President George W. Bush and continued under President Obama under a slightly different name.

Melissa Rogers, who headed up that office under Obama, urged White and her new office to embrace three priorities.

"Form partnerships with faith-based and humanitarian organizations to serve people in need," Rogers said. "Do so by partnering with organizations that reflect diverse faiths and beliefs. And do this work in a way that is consistent with the Constitution."

She also stressed the need to maintain a "very strong bipartisan tradition of using these partnerships to serve people in need, and to do so with a wide variety of faith-based and neighborhood organizations."

Under Trump, federal agencies and departments that do not currently have a center on faith-based issues are ordered to designate a liaison to the new office and coordinate with the adviser.

Trump's executive order also called for all administration agencies to report to the attorney general concerns raised by religious and community groups about "any failures of the executive branch to comply with protections of Federal law for religious liberty."

In the past, the director of the faith-based initiative has been involved with supporting national and cabinet-level efforts to partner with religious and community groups to address social needs, from fighting the Ebola virus to feeding hungry schoolchildren.

White stumped for Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign and has defended him throughout his presidency. In August 2017, she declared on the Jim Bakker show that Trump had been elevated to the presidency by God and that resisting him is akin to resisting "the hand of God." She later said she regretted making those comments, but insisted Trump "is not a racist."

In May 2018 she was one of several evangelical pastors to attend the dedication of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

White has already been fulfilling many of the duties of her new role on a volunteer basis since the beginning of Trump's term. Her website gives her credit for coordinating a July 2018 meeting of millennial evangelicals with top administration officials in conjunction with the White House Office of Public Liaison, saying, "Over the past 18 months Pastor Paula and OPL have brought in over 2,000 pastors and ministry leaders to the White House to have the voice of the faith community heard."

Her formal appointment, however, may give White more power to organize an office that has been leaderless since it was created.

Stanley Carlson-Thies, a staffer for the initiative during the George W. Bush administration, said earlier this year that the operations of the faith-based initiative have been in a state of flux since Trump's election.

"There seems to be more confusion," said Carlson-Thies, founder of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance, late last year. "There's more of a spaghetti bowl than an organizational chart."

White will have the support of many conservative evangelical leaders as she begins her formal role. "She would be the perfect fit," the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, said in an email when her name was mentioned for the office in February.

But White comes to her new position having survived repeated controversy. Her ministry was among six religious broadcasters investigated over three years by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, for allegations of lavish spending. When the probe concluded in 2011, Grassley's report said several former staffers of her Tampa megachurch wanted to speak to Grassley staff but "were afraid of being sued by the church."

White has even proven controversial among her fellow conservative Christians. Often called a purveyor of the " prosperity gospel " — a theology that champions money as evidence of God's blessings — she has drawn fire from conservative Christians such as Russell Moore and R. Albert Mohler Jr., who consider the theology heretical or a "false gospel."

Last month, several Southern Baptist pastors, including Trump supporters Robert Jeffress and Franklin Graham, touted White's latest book, "Something Greater: Finding Triumph Over Tragedy," on Twitter, to the displeasure of some of their fellow Baptists. Graham eventually withdrew his tweet.

From 2012 until this spring, the charismatic minister — who like Trump is thrice-married — led New Destiny Christian Center, a predominantly black church in Apopka, Florida. She left, she said, in May to carry out an ambitious plan to found 3,000 churches. In 1991, she established Without Walls International Church with her then husband Randy White. The church, which at one time boasted 20,000 members, filed for bankruptcy in 2012.

White, who did not attend seminary, will lead an office normally filled by experts with significant expertise in church-state, legal and political arenas.

In the Bush administration, John DiIulio, who has taught politics and religion at Princeton and University of Pennsylvania, was the office's first director, followed by Jim Towey, a former lawyer for Mother Teresa, and Jay Hein, a think-tank president.

Joshua DuBois, a Pentecostal minister who worked for President Obama when he was a senator, served in the role before leaving it to Rogers, a laywoman known for her role in developing prominent religious freedom statutes.


Source: https://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/paula-white-head-trumps-faith-office


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[BlackBart]

Another scam artist !

 

[Sunshineinabag]

View Image




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I knew theyd catch the mad shitter eventually

 

[shithawk420]

I knew theyd catch the mad shitter eventually

We called them poop barons in school.she was probably a homeless person who thought she found a place to shit.kinda sad really