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HOLLYWOOD STAR GEORGE Clooney and his human rights lawyer wife Amal have pledged $500,000 to help fund a student march on Washington, giving a huge boost to what is considered an unprecedented youth mobilisation against gun violence.
The March for Our Lives is scheduled to take place on 24 March, with sister rallies planned across the country demanding that US Congress come up with effective legislation to address the epidemic of gun violence in the United States.
The couple have been joined by other stars such as Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, who have announced they will match the Clooneys’ donation.
Spielberg said: “The young students in Florida and now across the country are already demonstrating their leadership with a confidence and maturity that belies their ages. Kate [Kapshaw] and I applaud their efforts to take a stand for the benefit of this and future generations.
They are an inspiration to us all, and we are joining in this movement with a donation of $500,000.
It comes after a 19-year-old armed with a semi-automatic rifle killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida last week, and is being organized by surviving students.
The teenagers, who have grown up with mass shootings at US schools, have vowed to make the tragedy a turning point in America’s deadlocked debate on gun control.
“Amal and I are so inspired by the courage and eloquence of these young men and women from Stoneman Douglas High School,” Clooney said in a statement.
“Our family will be there on March 24 to stand side by side with this incredible generation of young people from all over the country,” he added.
In the name of our children Ella and Alexander, we’re donating $500,000 to help pay for this groundbreaking event. Our children’s lives depend on it.
‘Overwhelmed’
The pledge from the Clooneys, one of the biggest A-list couples on the planet, who announced the birth of their twins in London last June, comes after other celebrities have called for greater gun controls since the Florida shooting.
“We want to express extreme gratitude for the amazing donation that George Clooney and his family have made,” tweeted the Never Again account representing survivors of the Florida shooting.
“We are overwhelmed with the support, and we can’t wait to march.”
US Congress is deadlocked on the gun debate, accomplishing nothing even after last October’s killing of 58 people by a gunman in Las Vegas who had amassed 47 firearms to commit the worst mass shooting in recent US history.
The White House says President Donald Trump is supportive of efforts to improve background checks for gun purchases, but many want far more deep-seated reforms.
The students organizing the 24 March rally say they are fed up “waiting for someone else” to take action to stop the US epidemic of mass school shootings, and are demanding a “comprehensive and effective bill” in Congress to address gun violence.
“Politicians are telling us that now is not the time to talk about guns,” their mission statement said. “Every kid in this country now goes to school wondering if this day might be their last. We live in fear.
Change is coming. And it starts now, inspired by and led by the kids who are our hope for the future. Their young voices will be heard.
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Ol granny used say…..’ what’s good for the goose is good for the gander’
@Frank Mc Carthy: Make America Gander Again.
@Frank Mc Carthy: Did this fictitious personage not say ‘What’s *sauce* for the goose …’?
@Setanta O’Toole: Make American Trans Gander Again..
@If you’re: so back the natives because the natives have a very trans way of living
@Frank Mc Carthy:
So everyone in America should be let out of jail…
Everyone should just quote the Hunter Pardon and be let out jail…
Note: Hunter has been investigated by a special prosectuor team for 6 years for crimes that are not jailable offences for a normal US Citizen. Hunter has cooperated with the investigation and even got a deal with a Trump appointed prosecutor.
Trump on the other hand interfered with witnesses and refused to acknowledge his guilt. By Trump not admitting guilt, he saying he would break the law again..
Hunter clearly showed he subject to US Law and trump has shown that he believes he is above the law.
@Jack Dermody: Trump is not in jail so whatever you were trying to say is pointless
The choice of photo of Trump shows opinion.
@thomas molloy: Nothing gets past you.
@Louis Jacob: Well, we never seen an equivalent photo of Kamala Harris in Irish media. Has something changed in the world of supposedly fair journalism. ?
@thomas molloy: Have you not seen the video of Kamalla released this week. All the progressive sites showed it. It’s hardly flattering.
@thomas molloy: is there such a thing as a decent picture of trump? He is an elderly and obese perma fake tanned man with a Bet Lynch-esque sweep on his barnet.
@thomas molloy: It’s Trump looking mega-smug: a trademark look that his supporters normally love.
Old Joe must have seen this coming, having left the door wide open for Trump to flaunt.
@Toyo Ke: When first heard of the pardon, I thought it a bad move, but when review the convictions, jail time is not a normal outcome after pay the IRS back what owed with interest, and the same for applying for a gun while a felon. Unless actually committed a further offence, jail is abnormal.
We’ve been hearing about all the so-called evidence on Hunter’s laptop for years now without seeing any proof.
So yeah, I think it was Biden simply exercising some of his remaining power to save his son from dying in jail for things that wouldn’t ordinarily get sent to.jail for.
The door was already open. Trump would have been trying to do this sort of stuff regardless. He’d already stated his intentions.
All this changes is the narrative for what was already going to happen.
@ben wu: Arwa Mahdawi in the Guardian:
‘Look, I can certainly understand why Biden wants to protect his child. We all want to protect our children. But one thing Biden’s presidency, and his enabling of what many experts have termed a genocide in Gaza, has made clear is that the law doesn’t protect all children equally. As I write this, the former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant – who has an active warrant for his arrest from the international criminal court (ICC) – is in New York before meeting with members of the Biden administration. His invitation to the US is essentially a middle finger to international law and the ICC from Biden, who has continuously shielded Israel from facing any sort of accountability. That’s a far bigger deal to me than Biden pardoning Hunter but it’s part of the same problem: a two-tiered justice system that routinely shields the powerful and punishes the powerless. Some people are born Hunters, others prey.’
@Toyo Ke: trump pardoned all sorts of cret–inous creatures or have you forgotten that. Even made one of them an ambassador after that.
@Brendan O’Brien: That’s a fair point as a wider discussion, but not really salient to this topic of pardons.
USA is not a signatory country to the ICC, neither is Israel.
@ben wu: Agreed. The article is worth reading, though, as most of it is salient. I think it was a bad move by Biden.
@Brendan O’Brien: It’s not chess. It’s his son’s life. It was the right thing to do. His family have suffered too much for his political ambitions. Any father would do the same.
@Louis Jacob: I think the law should be allowed to take its course. Interference like this will only increase people’s disrespect for the law, regardless of the circumstances of this case.
@Brendan O’Brien: At that point, it would suggest that presidential pardons in general aren’t a great idea.
Biden hasn’t done the usual swathe of them yet, so it shows there’s a particular need for this one to happen now.
@Dave G Doe: persecution complex for sure.
@Louis Jacob: then why not go through the official channels of pardons office Louis? Why has it been back dated to January 2014? It’s a bad move, as if Joe Biden is ever taken to court Hunter will have to give evidence and will not be able to use the 5th to get out of it. Biden thought he was covering his own back, but this could back fire on him big time
@Louis Jacob: How have they suffered for his political ambitions?
@ben wu: cause they’re authoritarian countries that cosplay as democracies. They’ll trumpet the ICC when it suits them .
@Paul Hayes: Well, USA was a big player in forming the ICC, but then didn’t want their people subject to the sort of crimes it rules on, so didn’t sign up to it.
Getting back to topic at hand, it’s worth noting that Trump pardoned 4 Blackwater operatives that were fully responsible for the Nisour Square.17 unarmed civilians killed and another 20 wounded.
That his Education Secretary was the sister of the CEO of that company, I’m sure had nothing to do with it.
@Ted Daly: No, I hadn’t forgotten how Trump pardoned plenty of critters days before leaving the office last time, still, the card played right into Trumps hand
First thing Trump should do is Pardon the George Floyd cops.
@Dan Murphy: The murder charges are state charges and cannot be pardoned by the POTUS. Typical grasp of law for a Trumper you have.
Trump pardoned a dozen drug traffickers, bypassed and ignored the DoJ’s input, pardoned dozens of republican elected officials, business cronies, lawyers, friends, donors and campaign officials. He promised to pardon January 6th criminals who beat cops. I don’t care about Biden pardoning his last remaining son.
@Jack Hayes: he pardoned himself by pardoning his son. All those dodgy deals and shakedowns with big businesses in Asia and Ukraine that Hunter fronted. He always referred to the big guy, like ” the big guy said he’ll do it, ” or ” I spoke to the big guy and he signed off on going ahead with the transaction”. Biden and his son are as bent and crooked as an S hook. That’s why Biden back dated the pardon.
It’s nothing compared to what trump is going to do when he gets back to the office, but that’s what the American people voted for.
@Philip Slevin: Yes, soon to be known as Adolf Trump.
So many people cleaned up on Trump, all my bets came up plus i laid the corpse & Harris. Happy days. A fella in France had 28 million on Trump, wise man.
@Robert Bell: what a clown comment. Imagine being happy a multiple sexual assaulter of women, convincted felon, bankruptee, failed former president, carpet bagged, draft dodger, serial liar and golfer of over 25% of his last shambles back in the oval office. Maybe he can ask questions like can we nuke the next hurricane again or perhaps finally learn what a tariff is. Appalling stuff.
@Robert Bell: All your bets came up in a 2 horse race? You’re a regular genius.
Plus, why would you lay bets in a two horse race in an unlimited market, when you would have to offer higher odds? Seems abit dopey unless you’re a licensed bookie.
You had a good little fib going there, but you just took it too far.
@Louis Jacob: Unless you mean you had sex with a corpse.
@Ted Daly: You OK Hun.
@Robert Bell: so you’ve got a gambling problem.
Thanks for letting us all know.
Sad.
@Fergus O’Donnell: He sure does. He doesn’t seem to know how it works.
@Louis Jacob: I guess you do not know how Betfair works!! You can bet & lay on same horse, match, whatever. I backed Trump at 7-1 nothing dopey about that! plus laid the corpse @ 6-4 & harris just under evens.
@Fergus O’Donnell: your opinion is different to reality.
@Robert Bell: Betfair is accused in the UK of recently driving one young man to suicide… With their behaviour I mean obviously some personal responsibility comes in but it sounds quite shady
Pardon my French but f… Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
@Anthony Curran: Now you said it. Two slieveens is all they are. But what the boys on here spend their morning getting all butthurt about them.
@Louis Jacob: *watch
“No one’s above the law”… sure, for us lowly saps.
Shocker.
@Setanta O’Toole: trump pardoned some serious traitors. Behave.
@Ted Daly: Good man Ted.
Biden has now given Trump complete free reign for Trump to pardon Don Jr for all the pints he pretended to pay for for the locals in Doonbeg a few years ago.
These pardons are ridiculous regardless of who issues themselves. Pardoning one’s self is an act of a guilty man.
As if Trump wasn’t gonna push for himself to be excused while Jailing Hunter for as long as possible anyways.
Trump is a horrible excuse for a human being
Putin’s B Achoo.
Anyone know what’s going on with this? The Journal seems to be ” oblivious”.
@Fidgenti: I could do without reading the same identical information that has already been reported elsewhere.
@Jack Hayes: That doesn’t really answer the question I asked.
@Fidgenti: Not much of a story until there’s a name.
@Brendan O’Brien: The withholding of the name seems a bit suspicious.Maybe someone is afraid releasing the name might be injurious to the establishment of a new government.
Absolute lunatic this fella
@Derek O Gorman: have you been writing homophobic comments again or u taking a break
How many of the same cowards who ‘elected’ Michael Lowry would back a Trump? Let’s face it. Inverted commas because I’m sorry but if people believe that Lowry was always democratically elected… Hah !
Pardon Ross Ulbricht.
As much as I dislike him, he for once has a point. Did not see the rationale in Biden “pardoning” his son.
have your say