Politics

By Sports Reporter

That’s how many reacted to news that state Rep. Joe Deshotel (D-Beaumont) would not be seeking reelection when his term expires in 2022.

After 23 years in state office, which follows nearly eight years as a Beaumont City Councilman, Deshotel is leaving the 22nd Legislative District.

Deshotel, in his 12th term in office, said he needs more time for himself and those he loves.

“I have met a most wonderful woman with whom I am engaged and love with all my heart,” a statement from Deshotel said. “By the time the next legislative session begins we will be newlyweds starting our life together. I will also have my first grandson by then. I have quite of a bit of life changing blessings to look forward to and on which to focus my energy.”

County Commissioner Michael Sinegal of Jefferson County Precinct 3 said he was happy for Deshotel, who he described as a great servant to Southeast Texas and the entire state.

“My initial thought was shock, but I understand once he said why,” Sinegal said. “I don’t begrudge him. I know it will throw everything into a tailspin with today’s politics.”

According to Sinegal, Deshotel’s best weapon was his approach as a statesman willing to compromise while always standing strong for Democratic values of diversity, inclusion and respect of others.

Sinegal said today’s politics led by radical voices from out of state has divided the people.

“(Deshotel) would compromise when he thought it was the best thing for the state of Texas,” Sinegal said. “He earned that through longevity. Plus, he had the backing of local citizens, Republicans and Democrats.”

NAFCU hosted a Large Credit Union Compliance Roundtable Tuesday, which brought several credit union leaders to talk about the most important issues affecting their institutions and industry. Of note, attendees of the event reviewed NCUA and CFPB exam expectations and challenges, as well as several top compliance issues.
The association has previously hosted several Large Credit Union Summits and will continue to engage with the NCUA and CFPB. Earlier this year, the association launched a new member-only online community – the NAFCU ONES + CFPB Supervision Network – designed to bring credit union leaders together to discuss the CFPB and NCUA examination processes for larger institutions. Through the network, NAFCU staff regularly shares insights into updates related to NCUA and CFPB supervision.
Regarding CFPB supervision, the association also released an issue brief earlier this year to break down the regulatory landscape and enforcement expectations under the bureau’s unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP) provision. The CFPB in March rescinded its policy statement related to the “abusive” prong of UDAAP.
The statement was initially issued in January 2020 following calls by NAFCU to clarify the prong and efforts by the bureau to gather feedback on the issue. NAFCU has consistently highlighted UDAAP as an area where the CFPB could further clarify its expectations for credit unions and the specific factual basis for violations.
 

Fast-rising messaging service Signal is rumored to be experimenting with a privacy crypto token.
Privacy-focused messaging app Signal is reportedly devoting res towards the development of a cryptocurrency payments service for its users.
According to a report by Casey Newton, the founder of the technology newsletter service Platformer, Signal is mulling crypto payment integration on the app.
The report revealed that Signal reportedly ran pilot tests for such a token on the Binance-backed, Stellar-based privacy cryptocurrency platform MobileCoin. Moxie Marlinspike, CEO of Signal, serves as an adviser on the MobileCoin project heightening speculation that the test could be a trial run for subsequent deployment on the messaging app.
The Platformer report also noted that Marlinspike has downplayed these speculations, describing the tests as “design explorations,” adding, “If we did decide we wanted to put payments into Signal, we would try to think really carefully about how we did that. It’s hard to be totally hypothetical.”
However, according to Newton, former Signal employees say the company is actively pursuing the necessary protocols for integrating MobileCoin on the messaging platform. Earlier in January, MobileCoin attempted to clarify its relationship with Signal:

To be clear MobileCoin is very much not Signal. We’re fans of their work but we are not them. Moxie advises us but Signal is a fiercely independent non-profit. We would love for them to use the tech we made but the choice is theirs and theirs alone.
— MobileCoin (@mobilecoin) January 16, 2021

Officials at the Department of Defense have floated a proposal in recent days that could sever the dual-hatted relationship between the National Security Agency and Cyber Command, according to a U.S. official.

••• Xavier Arnau Serrat/Photodisc/Getty Images
When you own a home or a business in Florida, there is a great deal to learn about maintaining the exterior. This includes learning about the roof of your home or other type of building. Roofs are long-term investments, but unfortunately, they do not last forever. In Florida, which annually experiences hurricanes and serious storms, it is common for homeowners and business owners to experience roof damage. Also, normal wear and tear over time requires that roofs be replaced. Whether you have small areas of damage or if your entire roof is old, you need to learn about Florida roofing laws.
Basics of Florida Roofing Regulations
Florida has more roofing regulations than you may realize. There are laws regarding who can work on roofs, how roofs must be installed or repaired, when roofs may be reroofed and much more. Most of these laws are found in the sixth edition of the Florida Building Code, which went into effect on Dec. 31, 2017. Other roofing rules are found in Title XXXII of the Florida Statutes, Chapter 489 on contracting. It is not essential for you to know all of these laws. Instead, when it comes to dealing with your roof, it is best to find a licensed and experienced roofing contractor who knows the Florida roofing rules for roof replacement and repairs.
Can a General Contractor Do Roofing in Florida?

“We know our lands have now become more valuable. The white people think we do not know their value, but we know that the land is everlasting, and the few goods we receive for it are soon worn out and gone.” 
— Canassatego ( c. 1684–1750), a leader of the Onondaga nation and spokesman of the Iroquois Confederacy

This is the Pennsylvania Republican Party, in which I proudly and very comfortably grew up. Label these great public servants however you choose — center-right, pragmatic, common sense conservative, moderate or centrist — it really doesn’t matter. What these men represented, most assuredly, was the governing wing of the Republican Party. They were all thoughtful, measured and steady leaders who came from the tradition of former Pennsylvania Gov. William Scranton, Sr., who unsuccessfully challenged Barry Goldwater for the 1964 Republican Presidential nomination.
All of them, like myself, would have no doubt called themselves Abraham Lincoln Republicans. From that noble heritage came Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and the Bushes, all of whom we hailed as decent, honorable and impactful leaders. The same would be said of GOP Presidential candidates Bob Dole, John McCain and Mitt Romney.
So here we are, with President Donald Trump, who has never been part of this great tradition. In fact, he speaks disparagingly and disrespectfully of his predecessors. What’s worse, he has spent the better part of his presidency undermining the international order — methodically and carefully built, defended and repurposed on a bipartisan basis after World War II and again after the Cold War.

Former Trump supporter now rival Kanye West will hold a rally in South Carolina on Sunday for his presidential campaign, Politico reported Saturday night:

Kanye West is heading South for his first political event.
The rapper and former avowed supporter of President Donald Trump will hold the first presidential campaign event of his own Sunday in South Carolina, according to a campaign document obtained by POLITICO.
West will host the afternoon stop at the Exquis Event Center in North Charleston for registered guests only. All attendees will be required to wear masks, observe social distancing and sign a Covid-19 liability release form…

West filed with the FEC this week listing “BDY”, Birthday Party as his party affiliation and filed for the Oklahoma ballot, according to Politico.
West tweeted requests this week for help getting on the ballot in South Carolina, “Hi guys please sign up to put me on the ballot in South Carolina at any of these locations You can also sign up at the website”. West needs to submit 10,000 signatures by noon Monday to qualify.

If you're a voter in South Carolina, please sign this petition to place me on the ballot Sponsored by Ye 2020 https://t.co/ZURvTEW9ee pic.twitter.com/Z9tdq0eG9c
— ye (@kanyewest) July 18, 2020

Hi guys please sign up to put me on the ballot in South Carolina at any of these locations You can also sign up at the websitehttps://t.co/ZURvTEW9ee pic.twitter.com/3rV5ujExPm
— ye (@kanyewest) July 18, 2020

by Kathleen Marquardt
When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law. —Frederic Bastiat
Agenda 21/2050/Green New Deal is/are all about the three Es: Environment, Economy, and social Equity. And, just in case that isn’t enough there is the Endangered Species Act, although the species that is endangered, human beings, is the only one not protected.
Many people have become aware of the great threat to our way of life, in fact, to our very lives. But, unless you have dug very deep or have been one who has been fighting this for years and years, you do not know how it was brought into our lives and the very fiber of our governments. What does it matter? It’s like knowing how babies are made, not just realizing you are about to be a parent. As Sun Tzu advises, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” So, know your enemy.
Environment