Chad’s Morning Brief: Ted Cruz Calls for John Kerry to Resign, DOJ to Collect and Study Data for Racial Bias, and Other Top Stories
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of April 29, 2014. Give me your feedback below and tune in to The Chad Hasty Show for these and many more topics from 8:30 to 11am. Remember, you can listen online at KFYO.com or on your iPhone/Android with the radioPup App.
Important Election Dates:
Early Voting for City and School Board Election: April 28 – May 6
Election Day for City and School Board: May 10
Early Voting for GOP and Dem. Primary Runoff: May 19 – May 23
Election Day for GOP and Dem. Primary Runoff: May 27
Cruz Calls for Kerry to Resign
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has called on Secretary of State John Kerry to resign. Cruz called for Kerry's resignation after Kerry claimed Israel risks becoming "an apartheid state" if it fails to reach peace with the Palestinians. Here is what Senator Cruz had to say via a press release:
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today spoke on the Senate floor to call for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s resignation following the secretary’s comments at the Trilateral Commission that Israel could become an “apartheid state” if his proposed two-state solution to the peace Israeli-Palestinian peace-process fails.
“There is no place for this word in the context of the State of Israel. The term ‘apartheid’ means ‘apart’—different, isolated—the state of the victims of apartheid with which the Jews are all too familiar. The notion that Israel would go down that path, and so face the same condemnation that met South Africa, is unconscionable. The United States should be aggressively asserting that Israel can never be made an apartheid nation while America exists, because America will be with Israel regardless of the status of any diplomatic process.
“The fact that Secretary Kerry sees nothing wrong with making such a statement on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day demonstrates a shocking lack of sensitivity to the incendiary and damaging nature of his rhetoric. It is my belief that Secretary Kerry has thus proven himself unsuitable for his position and that before any further harm is done to our alliance with Israel, he should offer President Obama his resignation and the President should accept it.”
Sen. Cruz was one of three U.S. Senators to vote against Secretary Kerry’s nomination, citing his belief that as Secretary of State, John Kerry would place what he considered to be the wishes of the international community above the national security interests of the United States.
You can watch Senator Cruz's remarks below
Every member of this body has expressed our commitment for the United States to stand resolutely with our friend and ally the Nation of Israel. Doing so is right, and it is overwhelmingly in the national security interests of the United States.
It was therefore with great sadness that I read this morning about the comments of Secretary of State John Kerry, who reportedly suggested at the Trilateral Commission that Israel could become an “apartheid state” if his proposed two-state solution to the peace Israeli-Palestinian peace-process fails.
Secretary Kerry has long experience in foreign policy, and he should understand that words matter. “Apartheid” is inextricably associated with one of the worst examples of state-sponsored discrimination in recent memory—the apartheid system in South Africa that was ultimately brought down by the heroic resistance of Nelson Mandela inside the country, supported by a concerted campaign of diplomatic and economic sanctions by the international community.
There is no place for this word in the context of the State of Israel. The term “apartheid” means “apart”—different, isolated—the state of the victims of apartheid with which the Jews are all too familiar. The notion that Israel would go down that path, and so face the same condemnation that met South Africa, is unconscionable. The United States should be aggressively asserting that Israel can never be made an apartheid nation while America exists, because America will be with Israel regardless of the status of any diplomatic process.
Fifteen months ago—almost to the day—John Kerry was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 94-3. Despite my preference for giving the President the cabinet members of his choice, I found I could not join the vast majority of my colleagues and support his nomination because I was convinced that as Secretary of State, John Kerry would place what he considered to be the wishes of the international community above the national security interests of the United States. I fear with these most-recent ill-chosen remarks, Secretary Kerry has proven those concerns well founded. Rather than focusing on our clear national security interest—which is continuing to guarantee Israel’s security through our unquestionable commitment to it—Secretary Kerry has repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to countenance a world where Israel is made a pariah because it will not sacrifice its security to his diplomatic initiatives. It is no wonder that Israel’s Defense Minister remarked in January that “The only thing that can save us is for John Kerry to win a Nobel Prize and leave us in peace.”
The fact that Secretary Kerry sees nothing wrong with making such a statement on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day demonstrates a shocking lack of sensitivity to the incendiary and damaging nature of his rhetoric. Mr. President, it is my belief that Secretary Kerry has thus proven himself unsuitable for his position and that before any further harm is done to our alliance with Israel, he should offer President Obama his resignation and the President should accept it.
Racial Bias
Eric Holder and the U.S. Department of Justice said on Monday that it would collect data on stops, searches, and arrests in five cities. According to Reuters the move comes in order to "weed out" possible racial biases.
The U.S. Justice Department on Monday said it will begin collecting data on stops, searches and arrests made in five U.S. cities to weed out possible racial biases within the criminal justice system.
Later this year, a $4.75 million federal grant will be awarded to recipients who compete for the funds to work with their local law enforcement to analyze arrest data and find ways to reduce any biases they find, particularly toward young minority men.
Black men were six times more likely, and Latino men were 2.5 times more likely, to be imprisoned than white men in 2012, according to Justice Department data.
Attorney General Eric Holder said the data collection effort is in response to President Barack Obama's call for better relations between law enforcement and young men of color following the "not guilty" verdict in the shooting death of black Florida teen Trayvon Martin.
"Racial disparities contribute to tension in our nation generally and within communities of color specifically, and tend to breed resentment towards law enforcement that is counterproductive to the goal of reducing crime," Holder said in a video address released Monday.
The grants for data collection align with the goals of the Obama administration's "My Brother's Keeper" initiative that supports efforts by nonprofits and businesses to address the high murder rate and low educational performance among young minority men.
So instead of studying why young black and Hispanic males commit, at least that is what data shows, the DOJ will just blame police departments for racism.
Thoughts?
Other Top Stories:
These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.
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