Snowden Tells NBC He was a Trained Spy

Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden insisted he was "a trained spy" in an interview with NBC News.

"I was trained as a spy, in the sort of the traditional sense of the word in that I lived and worked undercover, overseas pretending to work in a job that I'm not and even being assigned a name that was not mine," Snowden told NBC during an interview recorded last week in Russia.

"I'm a technical expert. I don't work with people, I don't recruit agents, what I do is I put systems to work for the United States. And I've done that at all levels from the bottom on the ground all the way to the top."

Snowden said his job as a computer network administrator to remove tens of thousands of secret documents from an NSA facility in Hawaii which he then leaked to the media.

He has been charged with espionage and other offences in the US and could face 30 years in prison if convicted.

GOP Education Hopefuls Debate Common Core

South Carolina's eight candidates for superintendent of education squared off in a televised debate Tuesday on ETV over what should replace Common Core and how to simplify the funding formula for schools.

While all the candidates agreed on rewriting state standards to reflect South Carolina values, state Association of School Administrators director Molly Spearman and University of South Carolina math professor Don Jordan were alone in speaking out for keeping Common Core's emphasis of critical thinking in order to prepare students for employment.

Spearman said, "One of the important pieces of Common Core that we need to be sure that will be in our new South Carolina standards is that our students do not just spit out facts but that they do know how to problem-solve and they do know how to work together."

Another important issue was funding formulas for school districts.

Special needs teacher Sally Atwater said she opposes raising taxes and supports Gov. Nikki Haley's education reform package for a fairer education formula.

"We need more accountability at the local schools level and at the state Department of Education so we can get more money back down to the classroom," Atwater said.

Spearman said the current Education Finance Act is outdated and has been funded piecemeal for 50 years.

"It would be nice to have more dollars in school districts but the reality is that tax revenue is not just there," said Spearman. "I would love to lead the conversation in working in that new funding formula that is simpler, that people can understand, that would direct and target dollars to programs that work."

Tuesday night's debate was broadcast by ETV. Also participating were Anderson County School Board member Gary Burgess, former deputy superintendent of education Meka Childs, attorney Amy Cofield, activist Sheri Few and Charleston School Board member Elizabeth Moffly.

They also touched on several other subjects:

VOUCHERS:

. Childs spoke in favor of state funding for vouchers to send children to private schools, home schooling and charter schools. She said the freedom for parents to choose would help improve the overall education system.

. Few likewise expressed support for vouchers and said the free market offers a solution that would instill competition in the education system.

TEACHING INTELLIGENT DESIGN AND EVOLUTION:

. Most of the candidates affirmed the need to teach the state science standards in the classroom despite personal faith that may or may not conflict with them.

. Childs said the issue raises the importance of allowing parents to choose whether to send their child to a public or private school.

. Few said intelligent design and evolution should be taught side by side in science class. She said, "Children could receive an objective education and also for Christian children could point to their God through the theory of intelligent design."

TEACHER EVALUATIONS:

. The candidates all favor a fairer teacher evaluation system and rejected tying teacher evaluation to student performance.

The primary is June 10. 

Oldest Member of Congress, Still Running at 91

At the age of 91, Rep. Ralph Hall insists he still has a lot to offer in Congress.

The Texas Republican talks about wanting to fix Obamacare and fight the regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency that are killing jobs. But his vision for the future isn't what is at issue in Tuesday's runoff as Hall seeks renomination to the House seat he first won in 1980.

The main topic is Hall himself and whether the oldest man serving in Congress should be elected to an 18th term.

"I'm the hardest worker in politics you ever saw," Hall said. "I still run two miles every morning. I vote 99% of the time. I do anything that those other guys do."

John Ratcliffe, the Republican trying to unseat Hall, asserts his issue is not with Hall's age but his tenure. A former U.S. attorney and small-town mayor, Ratcliffe said he is trying to make a point about citizen legislators and the need for change in Washington.

Full Story Here

Don't Forget

Marine Rides Coast-to-Coast on Horseback to Help Vets

By M. J. Goodwin

How long could you ride a horse in one day?  How many consecutive 8 to 10 hour days could you ride a horse?  How many nights could you sleep outdoors, regardless of the weather?  The answer for most people is not very long.  The answer is different for U. S. Marine Matt Littrell, who with his BLM Mustang, named Crow, and lifelong friend, Raymond C. Avery, as well as two other horses, is travelling across the United States to draw attention to the plight of veterans, particularly returning combat veterans.

On “The Long Trail Home”, Littrell and Avery will ride as long as it takes and hope to raise $7 million dollars for the Semper Fi Fund.  The group left from the North Carolina Coast on May 1 and will travel on horseback to the Pacific Ocean.  In the end, Crow will dip his hooves into both oceans.  

On May 23, 24 and 25, they passed through Anderson County.

You can follow Matt Littrell at The Long Trail Home on Facebook.  He travels about 15-20 miles per day.  He doesn’t know where he will camp more than a night or two ahead of time.  He doesn’t know what obstacles he will face.  Most people have welcomed him and gone out of their way to help him.  Nobody has said this ride is a bad idea or that the mission is not worth doing.  The journey will take about eight months.  It is an awe inspiring, difficult, fantastic adventure.  

Living outside and riding regardless of weather and relying on their own ingenuity and the kindness of strangers, Littrell and Avery are patriots, and mavericks.   But this difficult ride, this Long Trail Home, is nothing compared to the challenges of combat and the challenges faced after returning home from combat.  Did you know that 22 veterans commit suicide each day?  Did you know that we have lost more veterans to suicide than to the military conflict itself?  These are the facts that drove Matt Littrell to action.

Matt’s nightly posts on Facebook are gut wrenchingly honest.  After two tours in Iraq, Matt Littrell found himself the piece of the puzzle who no longer fit into society.  He contemplated ending his life.  Thankfully, he didn’t pull that trigger, but instead focused on a goal, to help other veterans in similar circumstances.  He hopes the attention he is garnering will keep other veterans alive and fighting.  

Some quotes in the media are darker, and more pointed toward his goal:  "Some guy is sitting there with a pistol on the table one night and maybe he's going to see this and he's going to say if that son of a gun can ride across the country then I can see what tomorrow looks like," Littrell said. "That's the main goal...for them to know we're still fighting for them."

Other quotes are more uplifting:  “I'm lying in my bed (tarp) beside a dying campfire under a blanket of stars 20 feet away from my horses. I cannot remember being this much at peace in a long time. The philosopher Augustus McCrae once said "it's not about where you die, it's about where you live". I believe that we are truly living! I believe again in the goodness of people and I wholeheartedly believe in the mission and that we will succeed. The only things we have are carried by Roy but we feel like the richest men on the face of the earth due to all of you. Goodnight.”

My family and I were fortunate enough to share our farm with Matt and Raymond and the horses, Crow, Tequila Sheila and Roy.  I can tell you that we are changed for having met them.  

On Memorial Day, the group will cross into Georgia.  I hope that the folks in Hartwell and surrounding areas will hear of their mission, give them a hand if they can, and donate to the Semper Fi Fund.  Matt Littrell and Raymond Avery are changing and saving lives on their Long Trail Home.

You can donate here:  http://fundraising.semperfifund.org/fundraise?fcid=249300

With 22 years of Family Court experience, M. J. Goodwin is the founding attorney of Goodwin & Pruette, Attorneys at Law, LLC, with offices in Anderson, South Carolina.  Goodwin & Pruette practice trial law in Upstate South Carolina, with an emphasis on Family Court matters.

Tea Party Shrinking Among S.C. GOP

Only about one in eight S.C. Republicans consider themselves members of the Tea Party today, down from about one in three in 2010, according to the Winthrop Poll. A majority of S.C. Republicans still say they agree with the Tea Party’s principles, but support for those principles is down too.

A West Columbia real estate agent says he wants God in government. A Columbia Army veteran says she always votes for a strong military. And an African-American businessman says he likes the GOP’s ideas for improving education.

A Ridgeway Tea Party activist says he wants a senator who will vote his convictions, not make deals. Meanwhile, a young Republican from Anderson – pro-life and pro-gun rights – says she is glad her college peers are willing to question U.S. military conflicts and whether the government should dictate who gets to marry.

Those five Republicans are among the diverse voices who will pick the U.S. Senate candidate that they think best reflects their values in the June 10 primary for the seat now held by two-term incumbent Lindsey Graham.

Graham, of Seneca, faces six Republican challengers in his bid to win a third term: Columbia pastor Det Bowers, state Sen. Lee Bright of Spartanburg, Easley businessman Richard Cash, Orangeburg attorney Bill Connor, Columbia attorney Benjamin Dunn, and Charleston public relations executive Nancy Mace.

The contest mirrors a national narrative about a war being waged for control of the GOP between deep-pocketed incumbents, derisively referred to as the “establishment” by their opponents, and Tea Party challengers, who tout their “true conservative” credentials.

In South Carolina, that battle pits those who have been shaping the state’s dominant party for years against those who could shape its future.

Mainstream Republicans are more “center right,” according to one longtime GOP leader. The divisive challenge to Graham comes from a “vocal minority” within the GOP, intent on pushing the party further right and, potentially, “off the deep end,” he adds.

But, even if Graham wins his party’s nomination next month, the GOP’s Tea Party wing – with its “Taxed Enough Already” philosophy – has succeeded in one way, said Scott Buchanan, a Citadel political science professor.

“The Tea Party has forced Republicans and, to some degree, Lindsey Graham to take issue positions that are more to the right.”

Tacking ‘center-right’

Full Story Here

Independent-Mail Reports Preston Seeking Appeal Dismissal

By Niki Mayo, Anderson Independent-Mail

Attorneys for Joey Preston filed a motion Friday seeking to dismiss an appeal in the severance-pay lawsuit between Anderson County and its former administrator.

Preston, who served as the county’s administrator for more than a decade, was awarded a $1.1 million severance package in November 2008. The package included a large cash payout, a GMC Yukon that he drove on the job and state retirement credits that, when combined with his years of earned service, allow him to get more than $7,000 a month from the South Carolina Retirement System.

Some of the council members who approved that package had lost their bids for re-election and were on their way out of office. Since 2009, the majority of Anderson County Council members have been trying to get that severance package declared invalid. Though a couple of faces on the council have changed since the lawsuit was filed, the pursuit of the money has not.

The county filed a lawsuit accusing Preston of fraud and ethics violations. The county’s lawyers also attempted to get the severance package declared void by arguing that some of the council members who voted on it stood to benefit by favoring Preston.

The county has spent about $3 million, most on investigating Preston and suing him and the balance on related lawsuits. In May 2013, Judge Roger Couch of Spartanburg ruled in Preston’s favor, and last November, the council voted 4-3 to appeal that decision.

In the motion filed Friday, Preston’s lawyers argue the county’s appeal should be dismissed because two of the council members who voted to pursue it, Cindy Wilson and Eddie Moore, should have been disqualified from voting. Instead, the two improperly cast “tainted votes,” Preston’s lawyers said in the latest motion. Preston’s lawyers, Lane Davis and Candy Kern-Fuller, argue in the filing that without the votes of Wilson or Moore, the motion to pursue the appeal would have failed.

Preston’s attorneys said they had no comment on their motion. One of the county’s attorneys, Ted Gentry, did not respond to the Independent Mail’s request for comment. Neither did Wilson or Moore.

Full Story Here

Irish Company to Bring 250 Jobs to Anderson County

Ireland-based E&I Engineering, the United Kingdom's leading provider of switchgear and power distribution solutions, announced Friday plans to bring 250 jobs to Anderson as they build their company's first facility the United States.

The company will occupy the 50,000 sq. ft. Supreme building on Harris Bridge Road near Interstate 85 in Anderson, and will serve the North American Market. The move will bring a $17 million investment and 250 jobs to the county over the next five years. The jobs will iinclude, among others, electrical engineering and CAD designers. 

E&I which will build an additional 100,000 sq. ft. expansion of the facility over the next five years, will manufacture switchgear and busducts.

"E & I Engineering is creating 250 jobs and bringing a unique mix to our business community," said Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn. "E & I's wonderful announcement adds to an exciting couple of weeks in our county. We are fortunate to have a motivated, top quality team made up of our local and state officials, economic development agencies and our own economic development staff. This announcement is evidence of their success in working together to bring industry to our community. Attracting quality companies such as E & I ensures our economic sustainability for future generations."

James Murphy, who will manage the plant, said Anderson was chosen due to its location and visibility on I-85, and the local technical education opportunites which offer continued traning and potential employees.

"We also believe the people of Anderson County will be hard working and dedicated for the years to come," Murphy said.

"We are so proud E&I chose Anderson," Anderson County Councilman Tom Allen, who represents District 4, the site of the new business. "We are looking forward to a great future."

E&I Engineering, Ltd., based in Burnfoot, North Donegal, is a manufacturer of bespoke electrical switchgear and distribution products. The company currently exports over 95% of its products. E&I have a manufacturing facility in the UAE, as a branch of the PowerBar Limited trading name, to service the Middle East. The company currently employs 450 in Ireland and a further 200 in the facility in UAE. The company has an existing turnover in excess of $150 million and is currently focused on building out their sales organization to service the European market. E&I and PowerBar are also reviewing opportunities in the USA and future entry strategies.

County Finance Committee to Meet Tuesday

The Anderson County Council Finance Committee will meet Tuesday at 10 in the council chambers of the historic courthouse downtown.

The public is invited.

Slow Hurricane Season Forecast for Atlantic Coast

The coming hurricane season in the US will be slower than usual, with just three to six expected, the national weather agency said in its annual forecast on Thursday.

But officials warned repeatedly it takes just one storm to make landfall to cause a major disaster.

The annual forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted eight to 13 named tropical storms, and three to six hurricanes.

One or two of those hurricanes could develop into major hurricanes of category 3 or higher, which carry wind speeds above 111mph.

The forecast, which covers the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, was lower than in typical years, largely because a developing El Niño. The system tends to damp down hurricane activity in the Atlantic.

But Noaa's administrator, Kathryn Sullivan, cautioned against complacency even in an El Niño year. “Today is not about percentages and ranges,” she told reporters on a briefing call. “It only takes one destructive storm to make for a very bad season on the ground.”

Bill to Curb NSA Spying Clears House

The first legislation aimed specifically at curbing US surveillance abuses revealed by Edward Snowden passed the House of Representatives on Thursday, with a majority of both Republicans and Democrats.

But last-minute efforts by intelligence community loyalists to weaken key language in the USA Freedom Act led to a larger-than-expected rebellion by members of Congress, with the measure passing by 303 votes to 121.

The bill's authors concede it was watered down significantly in recent days, but insist it will still outlaw the practice of bulk collection of US telephone metadata by the NSA first revealed by Snowden.

Some members of Congress were worried that the bill will fail to prevent the National Security Agency from continuing to collect large amounts of data on ordinary US citizens. 

“Perfect is rarely possible in politics, and this bill is no exception,” said Republican Jim Sensenbrenner, who has led efforts on the House judiciary committee to rein in the NSA.

“In order to preserve core operations of the intelligence and law enforcement agencies, the administration insisted on broadening certain authorities and lessening certain restrictions. Some of the changes raise justifiable concerns. I don’t blame people for losing trust in their government, because the government violated their trust.”

Despite the changes, Sensenbrenner and other influential reformers such as ranking committee Democrat John Conyers backed passage of the final bill saying it was an “opportunity to make a powerful statement: Congress does not support bulk collection.”

Full Story Here

S.C. Cracks Down on Food Stamp Fraud

South Carolina is trying new ways to fight food stamp fraud, which last year cost taxpayers more than $2 million. Thursday, local, state, and federal law enforcement met in Columbia for a one-day training session on preventing, detecting, and prosecuting benefit fraud.

The 700 food stamp fraud cases last year in the state are still just a small fraction of the 855,000 people who rely on the benefits for food.

State Department of Social Services Benefit Integrity Coordinator Dana Outlaw says, "By networking, we can find out things from the different groups that could be helpful to each other in knowing what's going on and how things are reported to different groups, because some things get reported to law enforcement that we might not be aware of."

One of the most common forms of fraud is for people who get food stamps, which are debit cards now instead of actual stamps, to sell the cards for cash, often getting 50 cents on the dollar. The merchant buying the card has doubled his money, and the person selling it now has cash instead of a card that can be used only for certain foods.

People advertise on Twitter, Facebook and on Craigslist that they're willing to buy or sell food stamps, so DSS now has dummy accounts on social media sites from which it gets leads on possible fraud.

In addition to the training conference, South Carolina is one of seven states partnering with the US Department of Agriculture in a new food stamp fraud prevention plan. The pilot project will use technology-based consultation services to spot possible fraud. The project is expected to be completed by September 2015.

S.C. Revenue Projections Up $86 Million

South Carolina's economic advisers have increased their revenue projections by nearly $86 million.

The Board of Economic Advisers voted unanimously Thursday to recognize that state coffers are collecting more money than it projected earlier. The approved adjustments include an additional $46 million in taxes and $11 million in lottery profits being collected this fiscal year. That can be used for one-time expenses.

For the fiscal year starting July 1, the board increased projections by $21.6 million in taxes and $8 million in lottery profits.

The adjustments come before the House and Senate begin hashing out differences in their $7 billion spending plans for 2014-15.

They could smooth debate over the major differences, which include whether to expand full-day 4-year-old kindergarten and how much aid to give local governments.