Latest news with #JimJones
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
America has pulled up its welcome mat to the world's endangered masses
Unfortunately, our current federal government has decided to turn the page by pulling up the welcome mat and relinquishing its role as moral leader of the planet, writes guest columnist Jim Jones. (Getty Images) Ever since the Statue of Liberty raised her torch in New York Harbor, America has welcomed the 'homeless, tempest-tossed' masses from foreign shores. Those seeking safety and opportunity in the United States have played a central role in making this country the leading world power it has been and the moral beacon it was. Unfortunately, our current government has decided to turn the page by pulling up the welcome mat and relinquishing its role as moral leader of the planet. Just after being sworn in, Trump signed an executive order suspending refugee resettlement in the United States, which threw refugees waiting at foreign airports into limbo. He also suspended America's asylum system, causing chaos amongst asylum seekers who faced danger in their home countries. Both programs were highly regarded around the world, reflecting great credit upon America. Now, both suspensions are being challenged in court actions. They had tickets. A flight number. An arrival time. Then Trump's executive order changed everything. In just over a hundred days in office, Donald Trump has empowered a substantial army of federal agents to track down and speedily deport any foreign-looking U.S. residents. Most Americans support the removal of dangerous foreigners, so long as they receive a fair hearing. But most of us believe it is counterproductive to toss out farm, construction and home care workers who are long-time residents that abide by the law and contribute to society. Trump announced in February that Temporary Protected Status would soon be revoked for about 530,000 Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and Haitians. That means they would no longer be able to legally work in the U.S. and could be deported. Foreigners can be legally admitted with Temporary Protected Status when their home country suffers natural disaster or political upheaval. Trump has never been too keen on Haitians. During his first term he famously questioned why we should allow people from Haiti and African 'sh_hole countries' to come to America. Presumably, his revocation of Temporary Protected Status would include the Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, who he falsely accused of eating the town's cats and dogs. The Haitians were merely doing tough jobs that locals refused to do. Thankfully, a federal judge temporarily blocked the revocation order on April 14. Inexplicably, Trump announced the cancellation of Temporary Protected Statys for about 11,700 Afghans in the country, effective July 12. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made the ludicrous claim that, 'Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country.' However, a military veteran who heads an organization dedicated to saving the lives of Afghans who put their necks on the line to help and protect American troops, gave the Military Times an informed assessment: 'Afghanistan remains under the control of the Taliban. There is no functioning asylum system. There are still assassinations, arbitrary arrests, and ongoing human rights abuses, especially against women and ethnic minorities.' We owe those folks big time, and the administration should be ashamed for trying to send them back to almost certain death. Rather than throwing our Afghan partners to the wolves, America should be using its best efforts to bring many more of those good friends to safety in the United States. We could take a page from the book of Idaho's former Gov. and Sen. Dirk Kempthorne. He teamed up with two Army officers and a young Afghan American, Nawid Mousa, to raise $1 million to rescue 395 Afghan helpers and their families from Taliban clutches in 2021. Special treatment for some: Most refugee families in Idaho wait years to reunite with loved ones What kind of nation could live with the infamy of abandoning its allies to the savage retribution of an enemy? Of all people, Trump should be helping these beleaguered Afghans, because his so-called peacemaking effort contributed greatly to the Taliban victory. By excluding the Afghan government from the negotiations and giving a definite U.S. withdrawal date, while obtaining no enforceable commitments from the Taliban, Trump created the problem that caused these helpers to have to flee their country. Despite all of Trump's efforts to prevent refugees, asylees and other immigrants from reaching America's protective shores, Trump has bypassed all of the time-tested vetting procedures to grant unfettered entry to nearly 60 white South Africans. The decision was apparently made without the many months of vetting that previous refugees have had to undergo. Trump claimed these folks were fleeing genocide in their country but there is absolutely no credible evidence to support that claim. Regardless of Trump's reasons for greenlighting the South African 'refugees,' Idaho's nationally-recognized refugee settlement program will give those coming to Idaho a warm reception, as should we all. Two families with a total of 9 members are settling in Twin Falls. I wish them a warm welcome to the Gem State. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump blinks on tariffs in face of GOP resistance — but he hasn't given up on his cult leader dreams
History's most famous cults are known primarily for their final suicidal acts: the mass poisoning at Jonestown, the self-immolation of the Branch Davidians, the self-asphyxiations of Heaven's Gate. We know these things happen, but it's still a mystery to most of us how cult members get to this point. Why didn't they hit the eject button sooner, as their leader descended further into his incoherent megalomania? Why did they stick by him, even as it became increasingly clear he was putting the whole community on a pathway to self-destruction? Why didn't more people voice doubts or even confront the cult leader before things got this bad? We're getting a compelling illustration on the national stage of how a cult leader can induce his followers to stick by him, even as he loses his mind and his behavior becomes too erratic and dangerous to defend. Almost every Republican on Capitol Hill knows that Donald Trump's tariff plan is political suicide, but few are willing to admit that Dear Leader fully intends to see this idiocy to the very end. Instead, most resemble the residents of Jonestown, many who hoped Jim Jones was testing their faith with all this poison-Kool-Aid talk, which allowed them to play along until it was too late to save themselves. But while the Republican party acts very much like Trump's cult, there are still some obstacles between Trump and his Jim Jones fantasies. He doesn't have congressional Republicans geographically isolated, which is key to maintaining control over the flock. Their connections to the outside world, especially to constituents frantic about rising prices and lost savings, are pulling them away. Many Republican politicians aren't true believers, either, but cynical operators whose "loyalty" to Trump only lasts as far as their perceived self-interest. As a result, a small but growing number of Republicans in both the House and the Senate started to back bills to roll back Trump's tariff powers. For now, the pressure is working. On Wednesday, Trump agreed to a 90-day "pause" on most tariffs, while escalating the trade war with this victory is small and short-lived. At the risk of sounding like a grubby leftist that Republicans want to ignore, but the GOP has what you might call a collective action problem. Trump has a messiah complex, which has only grown since that missed assassin's bullet from July was hyped by his followers into "proof" that he's the Chosen One. Even as he blinks momentarily on his tariff mania, his behavior is getting even more erratic in a way that's got "last days of Waco" vibes from a president who has already unsubtly compared himself to David Koresh. His Truth Social meltdown when announcing the "pause" indicates a decline in Trump's already-fragile mental state. There have been various failed efforts, both from the White House spinsters and pundits, to sane-wash Trump's choice to torch the U.S. economy as some kind of "strategy." In a Tuesday speech before the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), Trump made it clear that he's just a malignant narcissist whose only goals are self-worship and imposing increasingly baroque loyalty tests on his cult followers, i.e. the entire Republican party. "I see some rebel Republican, some guy who wants to grandstand, say, 'I think that Congress should take over negotiations.' Let me tell you, you don't negotiate like I negotiate," he groused as the crowd nervously laughed to please Dear Leader. He pretended foreign leaders are "calling us up, kissing my a—." 'They are dying to make a deal. 'Please, please sir, make a deal. I'll do anything sir,'' he claimed, in a moment quite reminiscent of how late-stage cult leaders experience a total collapse between reality and their grandiose fantasies. "BE COOL!" he barked on Truth Social Wednesday, promising, "Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be bigger and better than ever before!" Then there's this confusing and chaotic "pause." It all feels like the final stage of a cult, when the leader's frantic efforts to retain control result in escalating dictates and prophecies that become increasingly hard for followers to make sense of. "There is no grand plan or strategic vision, no matter what his advisers claim — only the impulsive actions of a mad king," explained Jamelle Bouie in the New York Times on Wednesday. "Trump's tariffs are not a policy as we traditionally understand it," he continued, but an expression of Trump's inability to "conceive of any relationship between individuals, peoples or states as anything other than a status game, a competition for dominance." Republican behavior helps illustrate the in-group dynamics of a cult that make it so hard for members to buck the leader when he puts them on the path to suicide, either literal or metaphorical (which is so far all that Republicans are contemplating). Few are willing to be the one seen questioning the infinite wisdom of Dear Leader, lest they draw his ire and be singled out for punishment. Instead, they resort to passive language, in hopes they can convey their concerns without daring to question whether the MAGA prophet is not the wisest man who ever lived. "What's happening is not good. Now will it continue?" Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said in a typical comment. "I think it is a mistake to assume that we will have high tariffs in perpetuity," said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex. One would think they're talking about the weather, rather than a deliberate choice by Trump. Billionaire Elon Musk is trying a slightly different tactic of blaming Trump advisor Peter Navarro, rather than Trump himself. What ties all this together is a fear of criticizing Trump directly, and instead hoping that all this gentle hand-holding and blame-shifting will give their leader the space he needs to stop the madness. Republicans would be foolish to treat this 90-day pause as a victory big enough to justify scurrying back to their holes, to hide from the wrath of Dear Leader. He is spiraling and sees these tariffs as the final proving ground of his total conquest of the GOP. He will keep going back to that well — which means economic tumult, more stock market crashes, and more panicked constituents — unless this tariff nonsense is put to bed entirely. Republicans need to realize, not to return to the commie talk, that this is a "hang together or hang separately" moment. If enough of them join with Democrats to pass a veto-proof bill stripping Trump of his power to pass tariffs, there isn't anything he can do but stand down. The irony is that they'd be saving Trump from himself. But that might be a price worth paying to save the rest of us — including their own party — in the process.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Vietnam War Veterans Day reminds us of what it means to serve our country
This is an aerial view of the Thien Ngon Special Forces camp 71 miles northwest of Saigon in Vietnam. (Courtesy of Jim Jones) March 29 is Vietnam War Veterans Day, the day set aside to remember and honor those who served in that ill-fated war. A phone call earlier this month brought to mind a perfect example of what dedicated service-to-country looks like. My friend, James Peterson, called to say that he would be undergoing surgery for a dangerous cancer, likely the result of his substantial exposure to Agent Orange during two tours of service with the Special Forces in Vietnam. It hit me hard because here was a man who had dedicated his life to standing up for his country and now was faced with a hefty price. I met James in August 2006 at the 40th reunion of the Twin Falls High School's Class of 1966 (my wife, Kelly, is a member of the class). We were at the City Park, refurbishing the memorial dedicated on Memorial Day in 1967 to those from Twin Falls County who died in the war. Seventeen names, starting with Major James H. Allred in 1963 and ending with PFC Fred S. Smart in 1970, were eventually placed on the memorial plaque. James spent many hours over the years, helping to keep up the memorial. In that initial conversation, we established that we'd both been stationed in Tay Ninh Province in 1968 – he at the Thien Ngon Special Forces camp 71 miles northwest of Saigon and me with a heavy artillery unit near Tay Ninh City. The strangest thing happened when I mentioned that, as an aerial artillery spotter, I'd destroyed a river bridge south of Thien Ngon that enemy fighters used to transport weapons and supplies. James went to his car, opened the trunk, and brought back a picture of that very bridge. We bonded immediately. It was not until years later we pieced together the fact that we had likely met at the Thien Ngon Special Forces camp on Sept. 30, 1968. He was the communications specialist at the camp; the Special Forcecs commander for the Province was flying me around to introduce me to the artillery customers I would be serving. The Thien Ngon camp was in extremely hostile territory. Two days previously, it had been ferociously attacked by an estimated two battalions of North Vietnamese soldiers. The scars of the battle were still evident. As Stars and Stripes described the battle, the Communists fired about 1,000 rockets, mortar rounds and grenades into the relatively small camp, then suffered 130 dead in trying but failing to overrun it. The six companies of Vietnamese defenders suffered four dead. Thirteen were wounded, including four Special Forces advisers. James was not one of them. James described the event as just business as usual those many years later. James' service to the country did not stop there. Although I never asked him how he used his remarkable communication skills during the next several decades and he never explained, I have the abiding feeling he kept serving the country in a clandestine capacity. He commented in one reunion booklet that he'd had the 'opportunity to work in communications and other fields and live in so many different countries both friendly and unfriendly.' James lived in The Bahamas for 19 years on his catamaran 'Bifrost' until it was destroyed in a hurricane in 2019. James made frequent visits to the Boise VA Medical Center for a variety of conditions related to his service. Having been a gung-ho parachute jumper in his Army days (and perhaps in his later endeavors), his lower extremities needed frequent medical care. For a while, he parked a camp trailer on one of the two camper lots at the facility. He was and is a big fan of the VA Medical Center. We spoke after his recent surgery and he reported doing well. He has three daughters and one son, 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. He should have plenty of time and opportunity with them in this final chapter of his life to make up for his numerous years of dedicated service to his country. In everything James has done, he has shunned publicity and recognition by way of medals, decorations and the like. He would be rather unhappy to know that I'm paying this tribute to his life of service. However, I can't think of a better person to remember on Vietnam War Veterans Day than James Peterson, who came from tough beginnings to be a true patriot and fine example. Thanks, Brother. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Express Tribune
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
50 Cent trolls Jim Jones and Floyd Mayweather with an AI 'Rocky III' edit
50 Cent is at it again with his signature trolling, this time involving Jim Jones and Floyd Mayweather. The rapper-turned-filmmaker posted and later deleted an AI-created video on Instagram, which humorously reimagines a scene from Rocky III with Jones, Cam'ron, and Mayweather. In the video, Jim Jones portrays Clubber Lang, challenging Cam'ron's Rocky. Meanwhile, Mayweather, as Cam's trainer Mickey, advises him not to take the fight and stay retired. This playful clip is just the latest salvo in the ongoing back-and-forth between 50 Cent and his rivals. The feud traces back to 50's appearance on Cam'ron's Talk With Flee show, where the two rappers reminisced about their past diss tracks. The conversation stirred up old tensions, including 50's history with The Diplomats and his comments about their former label. Jim Jones, who got involved after 50 and Cam discussed his past performances with The Diplomats, recently challenged Cam to a $10 million boxing match on The Breakfast Club, saying, 'You with Mayweather and 'em… I'll meet you in any boxing ring. Now go make some jokes about that on your next show. I'll box your head off.' 50 Cent, never one to shy away from stirring the pot, added fuel to the fire by turning the situation into a comedic moment. Meanwhile, Jones' roasting of Mase over his weight, and the back-and-forth about Gervonta Davis' recent draw, only added to the drama. The hilarious video edits from Instagram page HolliHoodNews have gone viral, further fueling the ongoing social media spectacle.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Musk, RFK Jr. drive off FDA inspectors, preserving my right to eat tainted meat
For far too long, we Americans have allowed the so-called government to trample our God-given right to eat food that might kill us. So you can imagine how overjoyed I was to learn that Jim Jones, head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's food division, stepped down this week to protest the patriotic mass layoffs happening under President Donald Trump's bold, anti-safety administration. Bloomberg reported that Jones' resignation letter cited the 'indiscriminate' layoffs and 'disdain' for qualified workers in his department. He added that it would be 'fruitless for me to continue in this role.' Who needs food inspectors? Americans should be free to eat and die. The letter noted the layoffs included people who review the safety of food ingredients and workers with 'highly technical expertise in nutrition, infant formula, food safety response.' HAH! Take that, people with highly technical expertise in food safety! Co-President Elon Musk has been taking the ax to the federal workforce, and I and others in my 'Free to Consume Red Dye No. 3!' Facebook group have been celebrating every bit of the evisceration. With RFK Jr. in charge of health and food safety, what could go wrong? Now that a brilliant non-doctor like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is in charge of America's health and oversees the FDA, true lovers of liberty like myself will be free to eat whatever we want, happy in the knowledge it hasn't been 'inspected' by any 'health expert' to make sure it's 'safe.' If I want to eat tainted meat to demonstrate my love of liberty, by God I will eat that tainted meat and come back for seconds, assuming I have not already died from a parasitic roundworm infection. Opinion: Do you think Elon Musk has too much power in our government? Tell us. Out with food inspections, in with ivermectin and raw milk! Back in October, Kennedy posted on social media that the " FDA's war on public health ' is going to end: 'This includes its aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything else that advances human health and can't be patented by Pharma.' That's what I'm talking about! If I want to swig bacteria-laden raw milk while pounding horse dewormer and tripping on hallucinogenic mushrooms in my hyperbaric chamber, no so-called federal agency should stand in the way of me and all-but-certain physical catastrophe. That's LITERALLY in the Constitution. FDA notorious for intrusive actions that deny us E. coli exposure Consider this recent act of FDA tyranny. In January, CBS News reported that FDA inspectors found 'dozens of violations' at a company that supplied McDonald's restaurants with slivered onions. Why was the FDA sticking its nose into the onion issue? Because the onions were linked to a deadly E. coli outbreak that spanned 14 states. Listen, as an American, I have every right to walk into a McDonald's, order something and then take my darn chances. I don't need some food-safety bureaucrat with a savior complex trying to rescue me from unnecessary death or illness. That's between me and my Quarter Pounder, thank you very much. I'm sure RFK Jr. will let us eat all the food dyes we want, right? With RFK Jr. running the show, I feel more confident than ever that I'll be able to eat any chemicals or yuck-meat I want without the threat of government interference. As Kennedy said in October about the possibility of heading up the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: 'The first thing I'd do isn't going to cost you anything because I'm just gonna tell the cereal companies ‒ Take all the dyes out of their food.' Wait … what now? I thought we were stopping the FDA's war on public health by doing away with all the regulating and inspecting and stuff. Man, the guys in my 'Free to Consume Red Dye No. 3!' Facebook group aren't gonna be at all happy about this.
