http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21993302/
Sarkozy warns China of carbon tariffs
By Tony Barber and Mure Dickie in Beijing
updated 7:41 p.m. CT, Tues., Nov. 27, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, on Tuesday warned China that the European Union could penalise cheap imports from high carbon-emitting countries in order to defend EU companies obliged to meet strict environmental standards.
In a speech to students at Beijing's Tsinghua University, Mr Sarkozy urged China to shoulder its environmental responsibilities as a global economic power that energy experts predict will soon emerge as the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide.
He delivered his speech a week before negotiators from 191 countries meet in Bali for talks on a successor to the Kyoto treaty on climate change. China is expected to play a leading role in the negotiations.
Mr Sarkozy, alluding to the EU's informal goal of halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, said such targets were essential in order to avert a planetary catastrophe.
"We cannot have one response from Europe and one from Asia, one from the north and one from the south," he said. "China can and must play its full part."
But he said the EU, which regards itself as the world's pace-setter in fighting climate change, would not indefinitely let its companies bear the brunt of this campaign if countries that mass-produced cheaper goods delayed adopting similar standards.
"I will defend the principle of a carbon compensation mechanism at the EU's borders with regard to countries that don't put in place rules for reducing greenhouse gas emissions," Mr Sarkozy said.
His idea already has supporters in the European Commission, particularly among officials charged with defending the interests of industry.
However, there seems no prospect of immediate action on Mr Sarkozy's proposal as there is deep disagreement within the Union on the idea, with the EU leaning towards voluntary global and industry-wide agreements or giving concessions to domestic heavy emitters.
Beijing is opposed to the inclusion of binding targets for greenhouse gas emissions in a post-Kyoto pact and has long insisted that rich nations must take the lead in combating global warming.
This message was driven home on Tuesday by an article in a Communist party newspaper that said 95 per cent of CO2 emissions from the era of the Industrial Revolution through to the 1950s came from today's developed countries.
Rich nations' per capita emissions of greenhouse gases were also far above those in the developing world, the overseas edition of the People's Daily newspaper said.
"When it comes to the problem of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it goes without saying who bears the heavier responsibility," the newspaper said.
In its latest report, the International Energy Agency, the west's watchdog, said China was likely to overtake the US as the world's largest energy consumer soon after 2010. Chinese primary energy demand is forecast to more than double from 1,742m tonnes of oil equivalent to 3,819m tonnes by 2030.
China was "by far the biggest contributor" to an expected 57 per cent increase in global energy-related CO2 emissions between 2005 and 2030, the IEA said.
Copyright The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved.
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
When the rich people in the government start taking the bus, selling their massive homes, travel on a commerical airliner, eat out of dumpsters and stop having children.... THEN, AND ONLY THEN should they preach to the middle-class or poor on how they should live.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
UN: Poor Need $86 Billion in Climate Aid
http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/U/UN_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-11-27-07-03-41
UN: Poor Need $86 Billion in Climate Aid
By JOHN HEILPRIN
Associated Press Writer
Documents
IPCC Report on Climate Change - Adaptation and Vulnerability (PDF)
IPCC Report on Climate Change - Physical Impact (PDF)
Population Density in Eastern U.S. (PDF)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Helping the world's poor adapt to more floods, droughts and other changes from a warming planet will cost the richest nations at least $86 billion a year by 2015, an expert panel warned Tuesday.
"They must have help from the rich world," said Claes Johnasson, a co-author of the report commissioned by the U.N. Development Program. "Climate is forcing people into human development traps."
Half the cost, $44 billion, would go for "climate-proofing" developing nations' infrastructure while $40 billion would help the poor adapt how the live to cope with climate-related risks, says the panel's report. The other $2 billion would go to strengthening responses to natural disasters.
The report recommends the biggest share be paid by the United States and other rich nations, based on aid targets and financing calculations by the World Bank and Group of Eight major industrialized nations.
The Bush administration said in a statement that one of its top priorities is "to alleviate poverty and spur economic growth in the developing world by modernizing energy services."
The Human Development Report each year compares nations by life expectancy, literacy and other data. This year, it focuses on climate change, coming just a week before the world's nations convene in Indonesia to negotiate a new climate treaty.
It adds a dire economic perspective to previous U.N. scientific findings that carbon and other heat-trapping "greenhouse gas" emissions must stabilize by 2015 and then decline. Without the money, the panel found, a warmer world "could stall and then reverse human development" in the countries where 2.6 billion people live on $2 a day or less.
Scientists have reported that temperatures rose an average 1.3 degrees in the past 100 years, bringing the prospect of a century of extreme weather, rising seas, widening drought and disease and harm to fisheries, forests and farmland.
According to development officials, the consequences include women and young girls having to walk farther to collect water in the Horn of Africa, and people erecting bamboo flood shelters on stilts in the Ganges River delta.
"These impacts ... go unnoticed in financial markets and in the measurement of world gross domestic product (GDP)," the report said. "But increased exposure to drought, to more intense storms, to floods and environmental stress is holding back the efforts of the world's poor to build a better life for themselves and their children."
Olav Kjorven, head of the U.N. Development Program's bureau for development policy, called the financial aid a sort of "climate-proofing" for the poor that is only natural "when we know that the frequency of droughts and floods is going up."
Because of global warming, he said, 600 million more people in sub-Saharan Africa will go hungry from collapsing agriculture, an extra 400 million people will be exposed to malaria and other diseases, and an added 200 million will be flooded out of their homes.
The development panel says the greatest financial responsibility lies with the U.S. and other rich nations most responsible for the accumulating carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, mainly from man's burning of coal, oil and other fossil fuels.
"We're suggesting 1.6 percent of (global) GDP - still very affordable," Kjorven said. "The countries of the world that are the principal culprits, if you wish, for creating this problem in the first place need to act strongly to safeguard the future of those that have done nothing to cause this problem but are the most vulnerable."
Developed countries, meanwhile, are failing to meet their targets under the current climate treaty, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, for cutting greenhouse gases by 2012, the report said. France, Germany, Japan and Britain have reduced their emissions somewhat, it said, but the European Union is falling short of its goal of a 20 percent cut by 2020.
"To say that the industrialized countries aren't meeting their Kyoto targets - that remains to be seen," said Annie Petsonk, a lawyer for the advocacy group Environmental Defense. "The targets only take effect for the years 2008 to 2012. The countries are getting ready for them."
Petsonk said developing nations' carbon-trading markets have the potential to generate large flows of private capital that could help provide much of the development money the U.N. recommends to help the poor adapt to global warming.
-------------------
MY COMMENTS:
The U.N. should be abolished. I can't think of one good thing they've done in the last 50 years.
UN: Poor Need $86 Billion in Climate Aid
By JOHN HEILPRIN
Associated Press Writer
Documents
IPCC Report on Climate Change - Adaptation and Vulnerability (PDF)
IPCC Report on Climate Change - Physical Impact (PDF)
Population Density in Eastern U.S. (PDF)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Helping the world's poor adapt to more floods, droughts and other changes from a warming planet will cost the richest nations at least $86 billion a year by 2015, an expert panel warned Tuesday.
"They must have help from the rich world," said Claes Johnasson, a co-author of the report commissioned by the U.N. Development Program. "Climate is forcing people into human development traps."
Half the cost, $44 billion, would go for "climate-proofing" developing nations' infrastructure while $40 billion would help the poor adapt how the live to cope with climate-related risks, says the panel's report. The other $2 billion would go to strengthening responses to natural disasters.
The report recommends the biggest share be paid by the United States and other rich nations, based on aid targets and financing calculations by the World Bank and Group of Eight major industrialized nations.
The Bush administration said in a statement that one of its top priorities is "to alleviate poverty and spur economic growth in the developing world by modernizing energy services."
The Human Development Report each year compares nations by life expectancy, literacy and other data. This year, it focuses on climate change, coming just a week before the world's nations convene in Indonesia to negotiate a new climate treaty.
It adds a dire economic perspective to previous U.N. scientific findings that carbon and other heat-trapping "greenhouse gas" emissions must stabilize by 2015 and then decline. Without the money, the panel found, a warmer world "could stall and then reverse human development" in the countries where 2.6 billion people live on $2 a day or less.
Scientists have reported that temperatures rose an average 1.3 degrees in the past 100 years, bringing the prospect of a century of extreme weather, rising seas, widening drought and disease and harm to fisheries, forests and farmland.
According to development officials, the consequences include women and young girls having to walk farther to collect water in the Horn of Africa, and people erecting bamboo flood shelters on stilts in the Ganges River delta.
"These impacts ... go unnoticed in financial markets and in the measurement of world gross domestic product (GDP)," the report said. "But increased exposure to drought, to more intense storms, to floods and environmental stress is holding back the efforts of the world's poor to build a better life for themselves and their children."
Olav Kjorven, head of the U.N. Development Program's bureau for development policy, called the financial aid a sort of "climate-proofing" for the poor that is only natural "when we know that the frequency of droughts and floods is going up."
Because of global warming, he said, 600 million more people in sub-Saharan Africa will go hungry from collapsing agriculture, an extra 400 million people will be exposed to malaria and other diseases, and an added 200 million will be flooded out of their homes.
The development panel says the greatest financial responsibility lies with the U.S. and other rich nations most responsible for the accumulating carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, mainly from man's burning of coal, oil and other fossil fuels.
"We're suggesting 1.6 percent of (global) GDP - still very affordable," Kjorven said. "The countries of the world that are the principal culprits, if you wish, for creating this problem in the first place need to act strongly to safeguard the future of those that have done nothing to cause this problem but are the most vulnerable."
Developed countries, meanwhile, are failing to meet their targets under the current climate treaty, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, for cutting greenhouse gases by 2012, the report said. France, Germany, Japan and Britain have reduced their emissions somewhat, it said, but the European Union is falling short of its goal of a 20 percent cut by 2020.
"To say that the industrialized countries aren't meeting their Kyoto targets - that remains to be seen," said Annie Petsonk, a lawyer for the advocacy group Environmental Defense. "The targets only take effect for the years 2008 to 2012. The countries are getting ready for them."
Petsonk said developing nations' carbon-trading markets have the potential to generate large flows of private capital that could help provide much of the development money the U.N. recommends to help the poor adapt to global warming.
-------------------
MY COMMENTS:
The U.N. should be abolished. I can't think of one good thing they've done in the last 50 years.
Teddy bear teacher appears in court as Islamic fanatics demand execution
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23423342-details/Teddy+bear+teacher+appears+in+court+as+Islamic+fanatics+demand+execution/article.do
Teddy bear teacher appears in court as Islamic fanatics demand execution
28.11.07
A major security operation was under way today as a British teacher charged with inciting hatred and insulting religion was brought before a court in Sudan.
Trucks protected by armed police transported Gillian Gibbons from her cell at the CID headquarters in Khartoum where she had been kept in custody following her arrest on Sunday for allowing pupils to name a school teddy bear Mohammed.
Security was also tight at the city's court building as fears that extremists might stage a kidnap attempt ran high.
Mrs Gibbons, looking tired and distressed and wearing a dark blue jacket and blue dress, was not handcuffed.
Reports have suggested she could learn her fate by 5pm today.
Before the hearing began the public and press were cleared from the court room but only moments later the case was adjourned for two hours.
The prosecutor-general said Mrs Gibbons, whose case has drawn international condemnation, can expect a swift and fair trial under Sudanese law.
Mrs Gibbons faces 40 lashes and a year in jail after after being charged with insulting Islam. Reports today suggested the complaint against her had been made by a secretary at the school.
She was charged after behind-the-scenes political moves to avoid a court case collapsed amid growing Islamic anger in the east African country.
A Sudanese official said it was "unlikely" that Mrs Gibbons would be convicted.
A powerful Sudanese newspaper urged authorities to call a hardline Islamist leader linked to Osama bin Laden to give evidence at her trial, to stress how offensive the case was to Muslims.
Extreme Islamic groups said Mrs Gibbons "must die" and urged Muslims to hold street protests after prayers tomorrow.
The Muslim Council of Britain said it was "appalled" at the decision by Sudan.
Legal sources in Khartoum said it is possible the case could be dealt with in a single hearing.
The Sudanese ambassador, Omer Mohamed Ahmed Siddig, leaves the Foreign Office in London today after meeting with David Miliband
One lawyer said that if Mrs Gibbons pleads guilty and makes profuse apologies, she could emerge with a "relatively minor penalty", such as a hefty fine or a jail term equivalent to the four days she has already spent in custody.
But he warned that rising anger in Sudan, as news of the case spread, might affect the court's decision.
Yesterday, Mrs Gibbons met British consular officials in the jailhouse where she is being held. She looked tired and pale as she was escorted across the dusty courtyard with a blanket around her shoulders.
Mrs Gibbons, a former deputy head in Liverpool, moved to Khartoum in August to fulfil her dream of teaching abroad after her marriage broke down last year.
The mother of two grown-up children was arrested on Sunday after parents were said to have complained she had insulted Islam's prophet by naming a teddy bear Mohammed as part of a class project.
However, a boy of seven came forward on Tuesday to say it was "all his fault", as he and his classmates at the Unity High School had voted to call the bear Mohammed after his own name.
He insisted his teacher had not intended to insult Islam.
Mrs Gibbons technically faces three charges - insulting Islam, inciting religious hatred and contempt for religious beliefs - each of which carries a maximum penalty of 40 lashes and a year in jail. But it is believed she will stand trial on only one.
Abdul Daem Zumrawi, the Justice Ministry's undersecretary, said: "What will be applied is at the discretionary power of the judge."
Mrs Gibbons's former husband, Peter Gibbons, 54, said last night that he and their children Jessica, 27, and John, 25, had been horrified at the news that she had been charged.
"The children are not coping very well, they are upset," he said. "We are praying and relying on the Foreign Office and the embassy out there.
"My son is waiting on advice from the embassy to see if it's possible to go over there.
"Gillian is an innocent in all this, she would not want to cause offence to anybody."
One of Khartoum's biggest papers, the pro-government Akhir Lahza - Last Moment - said Hassan Al Turabi, once seen as the Islamic ideologue behind the government, should be called as an expert witness in the case to stress how offensive the teacher's action had been.
The religious and Islamist political leader is thought to have been instrumental in institutionalising Sharia law in the north of the country.
He personally invited Osama bin Laden to Sudan and the Al Qaeda leader based his operations there from around 1990 to 1996.
The newspaper's editor-in-chief also called for politicians to avoid meddling in religious affairs and not to argue that Sudanese foreign relations would be affected.
At the same time, Sudanese legal scholars warned that an increase in rhetoric would make it difficult for a deal to be done quietly behind the scenes.
Professor Eltyeb Hag Ateya, director of Khartoum University's peace research institute, said Sudanese president Umar al-Bashir would not want to be seen to back down in the face of Western pressure.
"One of main criticisms of the government is that they are giving too much away to foreigners," he said.
"If imams at Friday prayers turn this into a much bigger thing, then no one will listen to the facts."
Sudan's legal system is based on laws introduced during British colonial rule, but aspects of Sharia law were incorporated in 1991.
Sudanese reaction to the case had been muted until yesterday, when demonstrations took place at one of Khartoum's student campuses.
Speakers took turns to denounce Mrs Gibbons, brandishing a newspaper bearing her photograph. A stateinment circulated by members of the Muslim Brotherhood - a multinational Sunni Islamist movement and the world's most influential political Islamist group - also condemned her actions.
"We want to express our boiling anger and deep sorrow about this case caused by this British teacher," it said.
"We want to tell you that the majority of Sudanese are Muslims so we love our Prophet Mohammed so much and we decry this careless way of dealing with our beloved Prophet."
One of its authors, 27-year- old Elsheikh El Nour, added: "If she made an innocent mistake and did not mean Mohammed the Prophet (when naming the bear) there is no problem.
"But if she did mean Mohammed the Prophet, she must die."
Leaflets distributed outside Khartoum's Great Mosque urged Muslims to march tomorrow in protest at Mrs Gibbons' actions.
They condemned what they described as "flagrant aggression" against the Prophet Mohammed and asked imams to address the subject Friday prayers.
The leaflets added: "What has been done by this infidel lady is considered a matter of contempt and an insult to Muslims' feelings and also the pollution of children's mentality as an attempt to wipe their identity."
The Muslim Council of Britain was furious at the decision to charge Mrs Gibbons.
"This is disgraceful and defies common sense," said Secretary-General Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari. "There was clearly no intention on the part of the teacher to deliberately insult the Islamic faith.
"The children in Mrs Gibbons's class and their parents have all testified as to her innocence in this matter. We call upon the Sudanese President, Umar al-Bashir, to intervene in this case without delay to ensure that Mrs Gibbons is freed from this quite shameful ordeal."
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
NUFF Said about these peaceful Muslims.
Teddy bear teacher appears in court as Islamic fanatics demand execution
28.11.07
A major security operation was under way today as a British teacher charged with inciting hatred and insulting religion was brought before a court in Sudan.
Trucks protected by armed police transported Gillian Gibbons from her cell at the CID headquarters in Khartoum where she had been kept in custody following her arrest on Sunday for allowing pupils to name a school teddy bear Mohammed.
Security was also tight at the city's court building as fears that extremists might stage a kidnap attempt ran high.
Mrs Gibbons, looking tired and distressed and wearing a dark blue jacket and blue dress, was not handcuffed.
Reports have suggested she could learn her fate by 5pm today.
Before the hearing began the public and press were cleared from the court room but only moments later the case was adjourned for two hours.
The prosecutor-general said Mrs Gibbons, whose case has drawn international condemnation, can expect a swift and fair trial under Sudanese law.
Mrs Gibbons faces 40 lashes and a year in jail after after being charged with insulting Islam. Reports today suggested the complaint against her had been made by a secretary at the school.
She was charged after behind-the-scenes political moves to avoid a court case collapsed amid growing Islamic anger in the east African country.
A Sudanese official said it was "unlikely" that Mrs Gibbons would be convicted.
A powerful Sudanese newspaper urged authorities to call a hardline Islamist leader linked to Osama bin Laden to give evidence at her trial, to stress how offensive the case was to Muslims.
Extreme Islamic groups said Mrs Gibbons "must die" and urged Muslims to hold street protests after prayers tomorrow.
The Muslim Council of Britain said it was "appalled" at the decision by Sudan.
Legal sources in Khartoum said it is possible the case could be dealt with in a single hearing.
The Sudanese ambassador, Omer Mohamed Ahmed Siddig, leaves the Foreign Office in London today after meeting with David Miliband
One lawyer said that if Mrs Gibbons pleads guilty and makes profuse apologies, she could emerge with a "relatively minor penalty", such as a hefty fine or a jail term equivalent to the four days she has already spent in custody.
But he warned that rising anger in Sudan, as news of the case spread, might affect the court's decision.
Yesterday, Mrs Gibbons met British consular officials in the jailhouse where she is being held. She looked tired and pale as she was escorted across the dusty courtyard with a blanket around her shoulders.
Mrs Gibbons, a former deputy head in Liverpool, moved to Khartoum in August to fulfil her dream of teaching abroad after her marriage broke down last year.
The mother of two grown-up children was arrested on Sunday after parents were said to have complained she had insulted Islam's prophet by naming a teddy bear Mohammed as part of a class project.
However, a boy of seven came forward on Tuesday to say it was "all his fault", as he and his classmates at the Unity High School had voted to call the bear Mohammed after his own name.
He insisted his teacher had not intended to insult Islam.
Mrs Gibbons technically faces three charges - insulting Islam, inciting religious hatred and contempt for religious beliefs - each of which carries a maximum penalty of 40 lashes and a year in jail. But it is believed she will stand trial on only one.
Abdul Daem Zumrawi, the Justice Ministry's undersecretary, said: "What will be applied is at the discretionary power of the judge."
Mrs Gibbons's former husband, Peter Gibbons, 54, said last night that he and their children Jessica, 27, and John, 25, had been horrified at the news that she had been charged.
"The children are not coping very well, they are upset," he said. "We are praying and relying on the Foreign Office and the embassy out there.
"My son is waiting on advice from the embassy to see if it's possible to go over there.
"Gillian is an innocent in all this, she would not want to cause offence to anybody."
One of Khartoum's biggest papers, the pro-government Akhir Lahza - Last Moment - said Hassan Al Turabi, once seen as the Islamic ideologue behind the government, should be called as an expert witness in the case to stress how offensive the teacher's action had been.
The religious and Islamist political leader is thought to have been instrumental in institutionalising Sharia law in the north of the country.
He personally invited Osama bin Laden to Sudan and the Al Qaeda leader based his operations there from around 1990 to 1996.
The newspaper's editor-in-chief also called for politicians to avoid meddling in religious affairs and not to argue that Sudanese foreign relations would be affected.
At the same time, Sudanese legal scholars warned that an increase in rhetoric would make it difficult for a deal to be done quietly behind the scenes.
Professor Eltyeb Hag Ateya, director of Khartoum University's peace research institute, said Sudanese president Umar al-Bashir would not want to be seen to back down in the face of Western pressure.
"One of main criticisms of the government is that they are giving too much away to foreigners," he said.
"If imams at Friday prayers turn this into a much bigger thing, then no one will listen to the facts."
Sudan's legal system is based on laws introduced during British colonial rule, but aspects of Sharia law were incorporated in 1991.
Sudanese reaction to the case had been muted until yesterday, when demonstrations took place at one of Khartoum's student campuses.
Speakers took turns to denounce Mrs Gibbons, brandishing a newspaper bearing her photograph. A stateinment circulated by members of the Muslim Brotherhood - a multinational Sunni Islamist movement and the world's most influential political Islamist group - also condemned her actions.
"We want to express our boiling anger and deep sorrow about this case caused by this British teacher," it said.
"We want to tell you that the majority of Sudanese are Muslims so we love our Prophet Mohammed so much and we decry this careless way of dealing with our beloved Prophet."
One of its authors, 27-year- old Elsheikh El Nour, added: "If she made an innocent mistake and did not mean Mohammed the Prophet (when naming the bear) there is no problem.
"But if she did mean Mohammed the Prophet, she must die."
Leaflets distributed outside Khartoum's Great Mosque urged Muslims to march tomorrow in protest at Mrs Gibbons' actions.
They condemned what they described as "flagrant aggression" against the Prophet Mohammed and asked imams to address the subject Friday prayers.
The leaflets added: "What has been done by this infidel lady is considered a matter of contempt and an insult to Muslims' feelings and also the pollution of children's mentality as an attempt to wipe their identity."
The Muslim Council of Britain was furious at the decision to charge Mrs Gibbons.
"This is disgraceful and defies common sense," said Secretary-General Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari. "There was clearly no intention on the part of the teacher to deliberately insult the Islamic faith.
"The children in Mrs Gibbons's class and their parents have all testified as to her innocence in this matter. We call upon the Sudanese President, Umar al-Bashir, to intervene in this case without delay to ensure that Mrs Gibbons is freed from this quite shameful ordeal."
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
NUFF Said about these peaceful Muslims.
Study finds U.S. immigration at record level
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/29/america/immig.php?WT.mc_id=rssfrontpage#end_main
Study finds U.S. immigration at record level
By Julia Preston Published: November 29, 2007
Immigration over the past seven years was the highest for any seven-year period in U.S. history, bringing 10.3 million new immigrants, more than half of them without legal status, according to an analysis of census data released by the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington.
One in eight people living in the United States is an immigrant, the survey found, for a total of 37.9 million people, the highest level since the 1920s.
The survey released Wednesday was conducted by Steven Camarota, director of research at the center, which advocates reduced immigration.
Camarota has been active in the national immigration debate.
Independent demographers disputed some of the survey's conclusions, but not Camarota's methods of data analysis.
A large proportion of recent immigrants, both legal and illegal, are low-skilled workers and about one-third of those have not completed high school, giving them significantly less education than Americans born in the United States, according to the study, which is based on census data as recent as March of this year.
The survey focuses on public costs associated with the new generation of immigrant workers. It does not, however, analyze contributions they make by paying taxes and taking undesirable, low-income jobs, an omission criticized by some immigration scholars.
Still, the survey provides a panorama of the effects of immigration since 2000.
About 30 percent of all immigrants and their children lack health insurance, Camarota reports, compared with 13 percent of native-born Americans. One of every three uninsured people in the country is an immigrant or a young U.S.-born child with at least one immigrant parent, he found. Immigrant families account for almost three-quarters of the increase in the uninsured in the past 15 years, he concludes.
Immigrants are employed at higher rates than Americans, according to the survey. But because of their low educational levels, many work in low-paying, entry-level jobs that do not provide health insurance or other benefits.
"Immigrants have had an enormous impact on the lack of health insurance," Camarota said. "If we are going to have a debate about health insurance, we should recognize that most of the growth in the uninsured comes from recently arrived immigrants and their American-born kids."
Camarota was criticized by some immigration scholars for failing to examine the progress immigrant families make the longer they remain and work in the United States.
"This is a one-eyed portrait," said Dowell Myers, a demographer at the University of Southern California who has studied immigrants' use of public services. "It is a profile of immigrants' dependency without any profile of their contributions."
Myers said his research shows that within a decade, new immigrants in California moved up quickly to steadier jobs with more benefits, and the rates of uninsured immigrants dropped sharply.
Camarota's analysis suggests why illegal immigration has become a source of contention in many states. The majority of immigrants arriving in recent years are from Mexico and Central America, and more than half of them are illegal.
The states that have received the largest numbers of the new immigrants are also states where immigration has been hotly debated.
After five states that have been high on the immigration list for decades - California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas - those receiving the most new immigrants included Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The analysis confirms earlier estimates of about 11.3 million illegal immigrants in the United States.
About 31 percent of immigrants over 25 years old, both legal and illegal, have not completed high school, according to Camarota, compared with 8.4 percent of U.S. citizens. Among adult Hispanic immigrants, nearly 51 percent do not have high school diplomas, he reported.
Camarota found that about one-third of immigrant families receive some kind of public assistance. The services were mainly food stamps and Medicaid associated with care for their American children, he found. The majority of children in immigrant families, whether the parents are legal or illegal, were born in the United States and therefore are U.S. citizens.
"The welfare system is designed to help low-income workers with children," Camarota said. "The study shows that it is very difficult not to have these public costs if you have low-skilled immigrants in large numbers."
Camarota did not present evidence of large-scale use of public benefits by illegal immigrants themselves.
Wayne Cornelius, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego, who has studied Mexican immigration for decades, called Camarota's conclusions about immigrants' use of public services "misleading."
The census data, Cornelius said, does not allow concise estimates of use of public services by illegal immigrants.
Cornelius said his field research in San Diego County had shown that illegal immigrants under-used the health care system, given their health needs.
"They are less likely to have health insurance, but they are also less likely to seek medical attention," Cornelius said.
He added that research in California has shown that illegal immigrants from Latin America are far less likely than American Hispanics to use emergency room services or seek public primary care.
Cornelius also faulted Camarota for focusing only on first-generation immigrants. The study "obscures the very significant progress that immigrants' children and their grandchildren typically make," Cornelius argued.
Camarota reported that both legal and illegal immigration have continued to grow. A study in 2005 by another demographer, Jeffrey Passel of the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, found that the rate of growth of immigration peaked in 2000 and declined somewhat in the next five years.
Study finds U.S. immigration at record level
By Julia Preston Published: November 29, 2007
Immigration over the past seven years was the highest for any seven-year period in U.S. history, bringing 10.3 million new immigrants, more than half of them without legal status, according to an analysis of census data released by the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington.
One in eight people living in the United States is an immigrant, the survey found, for a total of 37.9 million people, the highest level since the 1920s.
The survey released Wednesday was conducted by Steven Camarota, director of research at the center, which advocates reduced immigration.
Camarota has been active in the national immigration debate.
Independent demographers disputed some of the survey's conclusions, but not Camarota's methods of data analysis.
A large proportion of recent immigrants, both legal and illegal, are low-skilled workers and about one-third of those have not completed high school, giving them significantly less education than Americans born in the United States, according to the study, which is based on census data as recent as March of this year.
The survey focuses on public costs associated with the new generation of immigrant workers. It does not, however, analyze contributions they make by paying taxes and taking undesirable, low-income jobs, an omission criticized by some immigration scholars.
Still, the survey provides a panorama of the effects of immigration since 2000.
About 30 percent of all immigrants and their children lack health insurance, Camarota reports, compared with 13 percent of native-born Americans. One of every three uninsured people in the country is an immigrant or a young U.S.-born child with at least one immigrant parent, he found. Immigrant families account for almost three-quarters of the increase in the uninsured in the past 15 years, he concludes.
Immigrants are employed at higher rates than Americans, according to the survey. But because of their low educational levels, many work in low-paying, entry-level jobs that do not provide health insurance or other benefits.
"Immigrants have had an enormous impact on the lack of health insurance," Camarota said. "If we are going to have a debate about health insurance, we should recognize that most of the growth in the uninsured comes from recently arrived immigrants and their American-born kids."
Camarota was criticized by some immigration scholars for failing to examine the progress immigrant families make the longer they remain and work in the United States.
"This is a one-eyed portrait," said Dowell Myers, a demographer at the University of Southern California who has studied immigrants' use of public services. "It is a profile of immigrants' dependency without any profile of their contributions."
Myers said his research shows that within a decade, new immigrants in California moved up quickly to steadier jobs with more benefits, and the rates of uninsured immigrants dropped sharply.
Camarota's analysis suggests why illegal immigration has become a source of contention in many states. The majority of immigrants arriving in recent years are from Mexico and Central America, and more than half of them are illegal.
The states that have received the largest numbers of the new immigrants are also states where immigration has been hotly debated.
After five states that have been high on the immigration list for decades - California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas - those receiving the most new immigrants included Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The analysis confirms earlier estimates of about 11.3 million illegal immigrants in the United States.
About 31 percent of immigrants over 25 years old, both legal and illegal, have not completed high school, according to Camarota, compared with 8.4 percent of U.S. citizens. Among adult Hispanic immigrants, nearly 51 percent do not have high school diplomas, he reported.
Camarota found that about one-third of immigrant families receive some kind of public assistance. The services were mainly food stamps and Medicaid associated with care for their American children, he found. The majority of children in immigrant families, whether the parents are legal or illegal, were born in the United States and therefore are U.S. citizens.
"The welfare system is designed to help low-income workers with children," Camarota said. "The study shows that it is very difficult not to have these public costs if you have low-skilled immigrants in large numbers."
Camarota did not present evidence of large-scale use of public benefits by illegal immigrants themselves.
Wayne Cornelius, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego, who has studied Mexican immigration for decades, called Camarota's conclusions about immigrants' use of public services "misleading."
The census data, Cornelius said, does not allow concise estimates of use of public services by illegal immigrants.
Cornelius said his field research in San Diego County had shown that illegal immigrants under-used the health care system, given their health needs.
"They are less likely to have health insurance, but they are also less likely to seek medical attention," Cornelius said.
He added that research in California has shown that illegal immigrants from Latin America are far less likely than American Hispanics to use emergency room services or seek public primary care.
Cornelius also faulted Camarota for focusing only on first-generation immigrants. The study "obscures the very significant progress that immigrants' children and their grandchildren typically make," Cornelius argued.
Camarota reported that both legal and illegal immigration have continued to grow. A study in 2005 by another demographer, Jeffrey Passel of the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, found that the rate of growth of immigration peaked in 2000 and declined somewhat in the next five years.
30% of Florida's immigrants are illegal, report finds
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173353663878&path=!nationworld&s=1037645509161
30% of Florida's immigrants are illegal, report finds
Winston-Salem Journal
WASHINGTON - About 30 percent of the nearly 3.5 million immigrants living in Florida are in the country illegally, the Center for Immigration Studies said in a report released today.
Based on “the latest data collected by the Census Bureau,” the report said that the state has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations. It said that 29 percent of the state’s foreign-born population - slightly more than 1 million people - are illegal immigrants.
The influx of immigrants into Florida reflects the national trend, the report showed. The nation’s immigrant population - legal and illegal - reached a record 37.9 million in 2007.
30% of Florida's immigrants are illegal, report finds
Winston-Salem Journal
WASHINGTON - About 30 percent of the nearly 3.5 million immigrants living in Florida are in the country illegally, the Center for Immigration Studies said in a report released today.
Based on “the latest data collected by the Census Bureau,” the report said that the state has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations. It said that 29 percent of the state’s foreign-born population - slightly more than 1 million people - are illegal immigrants.
The influx of immigrants into Florida reflects the national trend, the report showed. The nation’s immigrant population - legal and illegal - reached a record 37.9 million in 2007.
Half of immigrants in Texas are there illegally, study says
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/11/29/1129immig.html
Half of immigrants in Texas are there illegally, study says
State has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations.
By Bob Dart
WASHINGTON BUREAU
Thursday, November 29, 2007
WASHINGTON — Half of the nearly 3.5 million immigrants living in Texas are in the country illegally, the Center for Immigration Studies says in a report being released today.
Based on the latest Census Bureau data, the report said Texas has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations of any state. It said that 50 percent of the state's foreign-born population — slightly more than 1.7 million people — are illegal immigrants. Only Arizona at 65 percent, North Carolina at 58 percent and Georgia at 53 percent had a higher proportion of illegal immigrants in their immigrant populations.
Many people within the undocumented population are unskilled workers and tend to go to states where they can find those types of jobs, explained Flavia Jimenez, a senior policy analyst with the National Council of La Raza, a nonpartisan advocacy group for Hispanic Americans. And many go where there are already family members.
The influx of immigrants into Texas reflects the national trend, the report showed. The nation's immigrant population — legal and illegal — reached a record of 37.9 million in 2007.
Nearly one in three of these newcomers is here illegally. Half of the immigrants from Mexico and Central America are in the country illegally, and one-third of those from South America are illegal immigrants.
The report documents this surge of new arrivals and describes its impact.
"The last seven years have been the highest period of immigration in American history," the report said. "Immigrants and their young children (under 18) now account for one-fifth of the school-age population, one-fourth of those in poverty and nearly one-third of those without health insurance."
Immigration accounts for nearly all of the national increase in public school enrollment over the past two decades, the report said. In 2007, there were 10.8 million school-age children from immigrant families in the United States — about one in five of the nation's school-age kids.
In Texas, 26.7 percent of the school-age (5-17) population had immigrant fathers. About half of these immigrant children — 13 percent of the state's total school age population — were illegal immigrants or the offspring of illegal immigrants.
About one-third of all families nationally headed by an immigrant use at least one welfare program — compared to less than one-fifth for native households, the report said.
The percentage in Texas exceeds the national average, with 39.2 percent of immigrant households using at least one welfare program, compared with 21.1 percent of native households.
The report is called "Immigrants in the United States, 2007: A Profile of America's Foreign-Born Population." It was written by Seven Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonpartisan think tank that advocates reductions in immigration. The data came from the March 2007 Current Population Survey collected by the Census Bureau.
"There is nothing surprising in the report. These are the same kind of findings we have seen with other research," Jimenez said. "This is further proof that, in our opinion, this country needs to fix its immigration system."
The report said immigrants and their U.S.-born children under the age of 18 now make up 21 percent of Texas' population. Children born in the U.S. are citizens even if their parents are illegal immigrants.
The number of immigrants in Texas has risen rapidly in a little more than a decade — growing from 2.2 million in 1995 to 2.6 million in 2000 to nearly 3.5 million in 2007. Since 2000, the state's immigrant population has increased 32.7 percent.
---------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
We need to ENFORCE OUR LAWS. DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS (Including their children), DENY ANY BENEFITS (which will force them to go home), PENALIZE EMPLOYERS OF ILLEGALS, AND STOP THE ANCHOR BABY SYSTEM NOW!!!!!
Half of immigrants in Texas are there illegally, study says
State has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations.
By Bob Dart
WASHINGTON BUREAU
Thursday, November 29, 2007
WASHINGTON — Half of the nearly 3.5 million immigrants living in Texas are in the country illegally, the Center for Immigration Studies says in a report being released today.
Based on the latest Census Bureau data, the report said Texas has one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations of any state. It said that 50 percent of the state's foreign-born population — slightly more than 1.7 million people — are illegal immigrants. Only Arizona at 65 percent, North Carolina at 58 percent and Georgia at 53 percent had a higher proportion of illegal immigrants in their immigrant populations.
Many people within the undocumented population are unskilled workers and tend to go to states where they can find those types of jobs, explained Flavia Jimenez, a senior policy analyst with the National Council of La Raza, a nonpartisan advocacy group for Hispanic Americans. And many go where there are already family members.
The influx of immigrants into Texas reflects the national trend, the report showed. The nation's immigrant population — legal and illegal — reached a record of 37.9 million in 2007.
Nearly one in three of these newcomers is here illegally. Half of the immigrants from Mexico and Central America are in the country illegally, and one-third of those from South America are illegal immigrants.
The report documents this surge of new arrivals and describes its impact.
"The last seven years have been the highest period of immigration in American history," the report said. "Immigrants and their young children (under 18) now account for one-fifth of the school-age population, one-fourth of those in poverty and nearly one-third of those without health insurance."
Immigration accounts for nearly all of the national increase in public school enrollment over the past two decades, the report said. In 2007, there were 10.8 million school-age children from immigrant families in the United States — about one in five of the nation's school-age kids.
In Texas, 26.7 percent of the school-age (5-17) population had immigrant fathers. About half of these immigrant children — 13 percent of the state's total school age population — were illegal immigrants or the offspring of illegal immigrants.
About one-third of all families nationally headed by an immigrant use at least one welfare program — compared to less than one-fifth for native households, the report said.
The percentage in Texas exceeds the national average, with 39.2 percent of immigrant households using at least one welfare program, compared with 21.1 percent of native households.
The report is called "Immigrants in the United States, 2007: A Profile of America's Foreign-Born Population." It was written by Seven Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonpartisan think tank that advocates reductions in immigration. The data came from the March 2007 Current Population Survey collected by the Census Bureau.
"There is nothing surprising in the report. These are the same kind of findings we have seen with other research," Jimenez said. "This is further proof that, in our opinion, this country needs to fix its immigration system."
The report said immigrants and their U.S.-born children under the age of 18 now make up 21 percent of Texas' population. Children born in the U.S. are citizens even if their parents are illegal immigrants.
The number of immigrants in Texas has risen rapidly in a little more than a decade — growing from 2.2 million in 1995 to 2.6 million in 2000 to nearly 3.5 million in 2007. Since 2000, the state's immigrant population has increased 32.7 percent.
---------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
We need to ENFORCE OUR LAWS. DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS (Including their children), DENY ANY BENEFITS (which will force them to go home), PENALIZE EMPLOYERS OF ILLEGALS, AND STOP THE ANCHOR BABY SYSTEM NOW!!!!!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
BIG PHARAMA NOT INTERESTED IN CURE FOR CANCER
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d82_1184404842
Possible Cure For Cancer
BUT you can't have it!
Researchers at the University of Alberta believe DCA is the cure for cancer.
But big pharmaceutical companies aren't interested because DCA is not patentable,
meaning there is no money to be made, so they will not spend millions for clinical trials.
------------------------
MY COMMENT:
Any possible cure should be explored. Me... I'm very fascinated by the Radio Wave cure.
Possible Cure For Cancer
BUT you can't have it!
Researchers at the University of Alberta believe DCA is the cure for cancer.
But big pharmaceutical companies aren't interested because DCA is not patentable,
meaning there is no money to be made, so they will not spend millions for clinical trials.
------------------------
MY COMMENT:
Any possible cure should be explored. Me... I'm very fascinated by the Radio Wave cure.
Waving Away Cancer
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2cd_1189121402
Waving Away Cancer
Some old dude, who's not even a doctor, can cure cancer with a microwave oven.. meanwhile the pharmaceutical companies spend billions on cancer research each year and come up with nothing except medicines that will just keep you alive.. while they extract every last penny from you and your insurance policy.. Sickening. I bet that crap is easy to cure..
-----------------------
I hope this will be successful.
Waving Away Cancer
Some old dude, who's not even a doctor, can cure cancer with a microwave oven.. meanwhile the pharmaceutical companies spend billions on cancer research each year and come up with nothing except medicines that will just keep you alive.. while they extract every last penny from you and your insurance policy.. Sickening. I bet that crap is easy to cure..
-----------------------
I hope this will be successful.
Hillary Care
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fc7_1196223855
Hillary Care
Marked as: Mature
Why the hell would you want to pay for the junkie on the corners 8th stint in rehab? Or why would you want your neighbor to pay for your broken leg, or your kids sniffles? Get off your ass and PAY YOUR OWN BILLS LIKE THE REST OF US!
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Don't believe socialized healthcare doesn't work... Look at these stories....
Canadians' Satisfaction With Health Care Declining
Access to specialists and diagnostic tests given failing grades
Canadians reported a decline in the quality of health care they're receiving, finds a Canadian Medical Association survey released Monday, though regional pockets of satisfaction do exist.
According to the CMA's seventh annual national report card on health care, which surveyed 1,001 Canadian adults on their views about Canada's health-care system, 62 per cent of Canadians grade the overall quality of health-care services available to them and their families as an A (21 per cent) or B (41 per cent), a decrease from 67 per cent in 2006.
Access to health care for children was rated well by survey respondents: 22 per cent gave it an A.
(CBC)
The most-satisfied respondents were in the Atlantic provinces, where 35 per cent graded the overall quality of health-care services as an A.
Quebec residents were the least happy of those surveyed, with only 14 per cent giving their health-care services an A.
Access to health care was an area that showed wide disparities in response: 29 per cent of respondents assigned an A grade for access to family doctors in their community, and 26 per cent gave an A for access to walk-in clinics.
However, the report highlights that access to family doctors and emergency rooms has been falling consistently since 2003.
"The chief evolving concern is a lack of access to family doctors," CMA president Colin McMillan, told CBC News.
Access to health care by children and seniors was also seen as good, with 22 per cent of respondents assigning an A to access for children and 17 per cent granting an A to access for seniors.
"There is a lot of concern about access to care," said McMillan. "We need more doctors, we need more nurses, and we need more health-care providers.
"Wait times are really a symptom of lack of capacity and the chief lack of capacity that we have is human and professional."
Specialists and tests hard to come by:
Access to specialists and diagnostic tests were two categories that generated poor scores. Twenty-one per cent of Canadians surveyed gave access to medical specialists an F, and 19 per cent gave the same grade for access to modern diagnostic equipment, such as MRI or CT scans.
Twenty-one per cent awarded an F for access to health-care services on evenings and weekends and 16 per cent awarded an F for access to mental health-care services.
'Wait times are really a symptom of lack of capacity and the chief lack of capacity that we have is human and professional.'
—Colin McMillan
The percentage of Canadians who are happy with the federal government's action on health care has also declined, with 33 per cent giving it an A (29 per cent) or B (42 per cent), down from 39 per cent in 2006.
And provincial governments weren't seen as dealing very well with health care, with only 35 per cent of respondents grading them an A or B, a significantly lower percentage from 43 per cent in 2006.
Overall, the prognosis isn't very positive, the report finds. The proportion of Canadians surveyed who believe health-care services will either get much or somewhat better in the next two to three years has declined to 49 per cent — a sharp drop from 56 per cent in 2006.
Hillary Care
Marked as: Mature
Why the hell would you want to pay for the junkie on the corners 8th stint in rehab? Or why would you want your neighbor to pay for your broken leg, or your kids sniffles? Get off your ass and PAY YOUR OWN BILLS LIKE THE REST OF US!
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Don't believe socialized healthcare doesn't work... Look at these stories....
Canadians' Satisfaction With Health Care Declining
Access to specialists and diagnostic tests given failing grades
Canadians reported a decline in the quality of health care they're receiving, finds a Canadian Medical Association survey released Monday, though regional pockets of satisfaction do exist.
According to the CMA's seventh annual national report card on health care, which surveyed 1,001 Canadian adults on their views about Canada's health-care system, 62 per cent of Canadians grade the overall quality of health-care services available to them and their families as an A (21 per cent) or B (41 per cent), a decrease from 67 per cent in 2006.
Access to health care for children was rated well by survey respondents: 22 per cent gave it an A.
(CBC)
The most-satisfied respondents were in the Atlantic provinces, where 35 per cent graded the overall quality of health-care services as an A.
Quebec residents were the least happy of those surveyed, with only 14 per cent giving their health-care services an A.
Access to health care was an area that showed wide disparities in response: 29 per cent of respondents assigned an A grade for access to family doctors in their community, and 26 per cent gave an A for access to walk-in clinics.
However, the report highlights that access to family doctors and emergency rooms has been falling consistently since 2003.
"The chief evolving concern is a lack of access to family doctors," CMA president Colin McMillan, told CBC News.
Access to health care by children and seniors was also seen as good, with 22 per cent of respondents assigning an A to access for children and 17 per cent granting an A to access for seniors.
"There is a lot of concern about access to care," said McMillan. "We need more doctors, we need more nurses, and we need more health-care providers.
"Wait times are really a symptom of lack of capacity and the chief lack of capacity that we have is human and professional."
Specialists and tests hard to come by:
Access to specialists and diagnostic tests were two categories that generated poor scores. Twenty-one per cent of Canadians surveyed gave access to medical specialists an F, and 19 per cent gave the same grade for access to modern diagnostic equipment, such as MRI or CT scans.
Twenty-one per cent awarded an F for access to health-care services on evenings and weekends and 16 per cent awarded an F for access to mental health-care services.
'Wait times are really a symptom of lack of capacity and the chief lack of capacity that we have is human and professional.'
—Colin McMillan
The percentage of Canadians who are happy with the federal government's action on health care has also declined, with 33 per cent giving it an A (29 per cent) or B (42 per cent), down from 39 per cent in 2006.
And provincial governments weren't seen as dealing very well with health care, with only 35 per cent of respondents grading them an A or B, a significantly lower percentage from 43 per cent in 2006.
Overall, the prognosis isn't very positive, the report finds. The proportion of Canadians surveyed who believe health-care services will either get much or somewhat better in the next two to three years has declined to 49 per cent — a sharp drop from 56 per cent in 2006.
Captured Mexican Military Smuggler
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8e9_1176268119
Captured Mexican Military Smuggler
Marked as: Mature
This kid was caught at the border fence by big bird, and when he bolted back into mexico he left his gig bag. The Mexican military showed up the next day demanding the back pack. We said screw you we sent it to the DEA and FBI.
Captured Mexican Military Smuggler
Marked as: Mature
This kid was caught at the border fence by big bird, and when he bolted back into mexico he left his gig bag. The Mexican military showed up the next day demanding the back pack. We said screw you we sent it to the DEA and FBI.
Is a 'North American Union' in the future?
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=584_1193709061
Is a 'North American Union' in the future?
What Is The North American Union?
The phrase "North American Union" conjures the image of the European Union, truly the prototype for what our elites have planned. One of the first orders of business will be a borderless North America. According to "Building a North American Community" (a Council on Foreign Relations task force report available on CFR.org), the playbook for the construction of the North American Union, "Canada and the United States should consider eliminating restrictions on labor mobility altogether and work toward solutions that, in the long run, could enable the extension of full labor mobility to Mexico as well." Full labor mobility throughout North America would mean no borders between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, spelling the end of our nation's independence.
AND YET:
Military To Crackdown On North American Union Protesters
The US army is to enforce a huge security perimeter around the upcoming North American Union meeting in Canada this August as well as cracking down on expected protests, having already shut down a public forum due to take place close to the event.
The Security and Prosperity Partnership meeting in Montebello, Quebec on August 20 and 21 is to be policed by American forces, who along with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) have already refused to allow the Municipality of Papineauville, which is about six kilometres from Montebello, to rent a community centre
to the Council of Canadians action group who were planning to hold a public forum the night before the confab to express their concerns about the meeting and the issues being discussed.
“It is deplorable that we are being prevented from bringing together a panel of writers, academics and parliamentarians to share their concerns about the Security and Prosperity Partnership with Canadians,” said Brent Patterson, director of organizing with the Council of Canadians. “Meanwhile, six kilometres away, corporate leaders from the United States, Mexico and Canada will have unimpeded access to our political leaders.”
The Council of Canadians has also been told that in addition to the 25km perimeter in Montebello, there will be checkpoints in nearby areas, and vehicles carrying more than five people will be turned back.
A whole host of other Canadian activist groups are scheduling protests despite the military cordon. According to journalist and NAU researcher Jerome R. Corsi, the protesters believe that as many as 10,000 people could assemble in Quebec to demonstrate.
One particular activist group, Canadian Action Party , has taken issue with US troops coordinating operations for the confab on Canadian soil while denying access to Canadian citizens.
CAP's leader said,”Bad enough that our RCMP and the Quebec provincial police force would apply offensive Canadian law to prevent a legitimate meeting of dissenting citizens. Totally untenable that a foreign army assumes jurisdiction on our land. But this we knew from the Binational Planning Agreement begun in 2002 that saw Canada crawl on its belly and permit the USA military to enter our land whenever it deems necessary. “
“Does anyone still believe that our federal leaders have not thrown away our sovereignty ? That from Chretien (Liberal) to Martin (Liberal) to Harper (Conservative), the Prime Ministers of our land have not been committing treason behind closed doors? How otherwise would it be possible that a proud, sovereign, and free nation would see a foreign army on its soil interfering with the right of Canadians to assemble and to speak?”
Elite lobbying group the Council on Foreign Relations seeded the plan for a "North American Advisory Council" which eventually became the SPP.
It comes as no surprise to NAU researchers that the latest SPP meeting will be a highly secretive and guarded affair given that CFR documents have revealed that the group wants to "establish private bodies that would meet regularly or annually to buttress North American relationships, along the lines of the Bilderberg conferences."
Internal SPP documents released under the FOIA have also shown that a wide range of US administrative law is being re-written in stealth under this program to "integrate" and "harmonize" with administrative law in Mexico and Canada, in a similar fashion to moves that have become commonplace within the EU.
The documents contain references to upwards of 13 working groups within an entire organized infrastructure that has drawn from officials within most areas of administrative government including U.S. departments of State, Homeland Security, Commerce, Treasury, Agriculture, Transportation, Energy, Health and Human Services, and the office of the US Trade Representative.
During the upcoming SPP meeting an advisory Council created last year known as the North American Competitiveness Council will meet on issues including border regulation and competitiveness in the automotive, transportation, manufacturing and services sectors. The council is expected to meet annually with security and prosperity ministers and will engage with senior government officials on an ongoing basis.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is scheduled to host the Quebec summit which Mexican President Felipe Calderon and US President George W. Bush also planning to attend.
The highest elected officials within the US, Canadian and Mexican governments are meeting together with advisory bodies staffed by senior private sector representatives yet the public are being forcibly denied any access to the event in addition to a pathetic blackout on behalf of the corporate media which still ridicules anyone who suggests the North American Union plan even exists.
Source: www.infowars.com
Below is a recent article in the Arizona Republic on Oct. 24, 2007. Live Leak reports, you decide.
WASHINGTON - Someday soon, you'll be keeping ameros in your wallet, not dollars. The goods they buy will zip freely from Mexico to Canada on an enormous new road. And the United States will merge with its neighbors into a massive North American Union that reigns sovereign over more than 440 million people.
At least that is the vision being raised by a small but vocal group of bloggers, activists and border-security hard-liners.
Mexico, U.S. deny plan for any EU-like merger
As the U.S. has increased efforts to cooperate with Canada and Mexico on security and trade, and as the Bush administration has pushed immigration reforms that are extremely unpopular with many conservatives, opponents have become more convinced that North America is heading toward a merger.
Although all three governments strongly deny any such plan, a series of private meetings by top leaders and a sweeping effort to rewrite regulations in all three countries aimed at smoothing cross-border relations have emerged as a lightning rod for speculation, criticism and fear.
The goal of the initiative, known as the Security and Prosperity Partnership, is to ensure that the countries work together to keep weapons and terrorists from entering North America while making it easier for movement and commerce among all three nations. Business groups and advocates of free trade have pushed for even more cooperation. The meetings started in 2005 and grew out of long-standing, less-formal cooperation among the three nations.
But critics say the partnership is just the first step in a much broader attempt to build a "North American Union" modeled after the political and economic integration that the European Union built.
Those who fear a merger see signs everywhere. They cite the dollar's recent decline in value, increasing illegal immigration and attempts to expand free-trade areas in the Western Hemisphere. They also point to efforts to increase trade along Interstate 35, which runs straight up the middle of the United States from Mexico to Canada. In Internet postings about the partnership, I-35 has morphed into a "NAFTA Superhighway."
An agreement in the works to allow Mexican trucks to drive into the U.S. is seen as another tip-off, as is the growing U.S. foreign-trade imbalance, even though China exports more to the U.S. than Mexico and is gaining on Canada.
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox recently told CNN's Larry King that "long term, very long term," the goal of free-trade agreements could be a Western Hemisphere united by one currency.
"There's too much evidence. You've got too many things happening," said Jerome Corsi, a conservative activist and author of The Late Great U.S.A., a book that delves into some of the most alarming interpretations of the U.S.-Canadian-Mexican meetings.
Still, to officials involved in the meetings, the idea that the partnership will move to infringe on individual countries' sovereignty is misguided.
"I can tell you that that is categorically wrong, it is misleading, it is false, and that type of information, it just creates tension when it shouldn't because it's not true," Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said in an interview. "We want to do things that are common sense through regulations that will make our three countries more efficient and more productive. But this has nothing to do with sovereignty."
In August, during a meeting with the Canadian prime minister and Mexican president, President Bush called the idea "comical" and a "political scare tactic," accusing his opponents of "(laying) out a conspiracy and then (forcing) people to try to prove it doesn't exist."
Working together
Although theories about a North American merger may sound far-fetched, they are rooted in negotiations and working groups that all three countries say are important.
In its brief existence, the Security and Prosperity Partnership has produced the kind of dry government documents that might be expected from meetings and working groups that try to treat each nation as equal when it comes to both symbolism and substance.
The U.S., Canadian and Mexican flags dot each release. The partnership has pursued increasing cooperation among public-health labs in each nation and drafting plans for cross-border emergency assistance in a disaster. It also wants to write similar regulations for industries ranging from medical devices to textile manufacturing so companies operating in all three countries can follow the same standards. Members also are pursuing policies that ease entry and exit into each country.
"What we tried to do was simply meet, talk about our common problems and see what we can do in practical terms in order to improve the lives of our people," Mexican President Felipe Calderón said at the past meeting. "Whether it's to standardize the (regulatory) parameters for chocolates or medicines, I think these are common-sense things."
Business organizations that seek increased cooperation among the countries have praised the partnership's work, as have some economists who favor free trade.
"One of the realities of our country is that we live in a global economy," said Maria Luisa O'Connell, president of the Phoenix-based Border Trade Alliance, a group that pushes for more integration and cooperation among the three nations. "From a security perspective, from an economic perspective, we cannot afford not to work together with Canada and Mexico."
The meetings, which are closed, are held every year. This year's was in Montebello, Canada. Bush has invited Calderón and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to his Texas ranch for next year's meeting.
Reminiscent of EU
Some of the claims made by critics about plans for a merger appear to be mostly hypothetical. For instance:
• No treaty has been signed or proposed to formalize the partnership, and none of the governments involved has called for integration like the European Union, which issues common currency and passports.
• Although the U.S. dollar is now roughly as valuable as the Canadian dollar after decades of trading at higher prices, both are still worth much more than the Mexican peso. All three nations say they have no plans to set up any new currency or do away with their own money.
• Critics fault plans to build a "superhighway" from the U.S.-Mexican border to the U.S.-Canadian border. But the highway already exists: I-35. There are no known plans for another highway.
Even so, critics see the meetings as dangerous. Many focus more on Mexico than Canada, though the partnership's meetings have been trilateral.
"Our borders have been opened and amnesty (for undocumented immigrants) has been granted through executive fiat by the Bush administration already," said William Gheen, executive director of Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, a group that advocates tougher border security and immigration enforcement.
Corsi's book details how the European Union formed out of similar meetings among French, German and other officials. He says denials that anything sinister is afoot help prove his point because EU officials also originally said they didn't intend to set up the kind of multinational bureaucracy that now exists.
Republican primary voters have occasionally pressed GOP candidates to disavow the Security and Prosperity Partnership. None of the leading contenders for the party's nomination have explicitly done so.
Congress takes note
Some of the objections by conservative activists are shared by critics on the left, though not the dire warnings of a North American Union.
"What actually will happen (through the partnership) is that Mexico will continue doing worse economically, and, in fact, the immigration push will grow," said Manuel Perez Rocha, an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. The progressive Washington think tank is pushing for the partnership to include more labor protections and economic development in Mexico.
Critics on both sides fault the governments for closing meetings to the public.For supporters, the problem with the cooperation is that they're not moving fast enough, not that they'll erode sovereignty.
The meetings have attracted some attention from Congress. Conservative Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., introduced a non-binding resolution opposing a North American Union in January, and 39 co-sponsors, including Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., have signed on.
Even lawmakers who don't share Goode's concerns say Congress should be more involved in efforts to increase cooperation with neighboring countries.
"This is a White House-driven initiative that has not been worked on by the Congress at all," said Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who sits on a cross-border working group with Mexican legislators. "This is not an official agreement, and there's a lot of myths that are floating around."
Source: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1024conspiracy1024.html
Do some research and Google North American Union below are some good sites to look at as well. Comments welcome! Peace!
http://www.spp.gov/
http://www.jbs.org
http://www.cfr.org/
Is a 'North American Union' in the future?
What Is The North American Union?
The phrase "North American Union" conjures the image of the European Union, truly the prototype for what our elites have planned. One of the first orders of business will be a borderless North America. According to "Building a North American Community" (a Council on Foreign Relations task force report available on CFR.org), the playbook for the construction of the North American Union, "Canada and the United States should consider eliminating restrictions on labor mobility altogether and work toward solutions that, in the long run, could enable the extension of full labor mobility to Mexico as well." Full labor mobility throughout North America would mean no borders between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, spelling the end of our nation's independence.
AND YET:
Military To Crackdown On North American Union Protesters
The US army is to enforce a huge security perimeter around the upcoming North American Union meeting in Canada this August as well as cracking down on expected protests, having already shut down a public forum due to take place close to the event.
The Security and Prosperity Partnership meeting in Montebello, Quebec on August 20 and 21 is to be policed by American forces, who along with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) have already refused to allow the Municipality of Papineauville, which is about six kilometres from Montebello, to rent a community centre
to the Council of Canadians action group who were planning to hold a public forum the night before the confab to express their concerns about the meeting and the issues being discussed.
“It is deplorable that we are being prevented from bringing together a panel of writers, academics and parliamentarians to share their concerns about the Security and Prosperity Partnership with Canadians,” said Brent Patterson, director of organizing with the Council of Canadians. “Meanwhile, six kilometres away, corporate leaders from the United States, Mexico and Canada will have unimpeded access to our political leaders.”
The Council of Canadians has also been told that in addition to the 25km perimeter in Montebello, there will be checkpoints in nearby areas, and vehicles carrying more than five people will be turned back.
A whole host of other Canadian activist groups are scheduling protests despite the military cordon. According to journalist and NAU researcher Jerome R. Corsi, the protesters believe that as many as 10,000 people could assemble in Quebec to demonstrate.
One particular activist group, Canadian Action Party , has taken issue with US troops coordinating operations for the confab on Canadian soil while denying access to Canadian citizens.
CAP's leader said,”Bad enough that our RCMP and the Quebec provincial police force would apply offensive Canadian law to prevent a legitimate meeting of dissenting citizens. Totally untenable that a foreign army assumes jurisdiction on our land. But this we knew from the Binational Planning Agreement begun in 2002 that saw Canada crawl on its belly and permit the USA military to enter our land whenever it deems necessary. “
“Does anyone still believe that our federal leaders have not thrown away our sovereignty ? That from Chretien (Liberal) to Martin (Liberal) to Harper (Conservative), the Prime Ministers of our land have not been committing treason behind closed doors? How otherwise would it be possible that a proud, sovereign, and free nation would see a foreign army on its soil interfering with the right of Canadians to assemble and to speak?”
Elite lobbying group the Council on Foreign Relations seeded the plan for a "North American Advisory Council" which eventually became the SPP.
It comes as no surprise to NAU researchers that the latest SPP meeting will be a highly secretive and guarded affair given that CFR documents have revealed that the group wants to "establish private bodies that would meet regularly or annually to buttress North American relationships, along the lines of the Bilderberg conferences."
Internal SPP documents released under the FOIA have also shown that a wide range of US administrative law is being re-written in stealth under this program to "integrate" and "harmonize" with administrative law in Mexico and Canada, in a similar fashion to moves that have become commonplace within the EU.
The documents contain references to upwards of 13 working groups within an entire organized infrastructure that has drawn from officials within most areas of administrative government including U.S. departments of State, Homeland Security, Commerce, Treasury, Agriculture, Transportation, Energy, Health and Human Services, and the office of the US Trade Representative.
During the upcoming SPP meeting an advisory Council created last year known as the North American Competitiveness Council will meet on issues including border regulation and competitiveness in the automotive, transportation, manufacturing and services sectors. The council is expected to meet annually with security and prosperity ministers and will engage with senior government officials on an ongoing basis.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is scheduled to host the Quebec summit which Mexican President Felipe Calderon and US President George W. Bush also planning to attend.
The highest elected officials within the US, Canadian and Mexican governments are meeting together with advisory bodies staffed by senior private sector representatives yet the public are being forcibly denied any access to the event in addition to a pathetic blackout on behalf of the corporate media which still ridicules anyone who suggests the North American Union plan even exists.
Source: www.infowars.com
Below is a recent article in the Arizona Republic on Oct. 24, 2007. Live Leak reports, you decide.
WASHINGTON - Someday soon, you'll be keeping ameros in your wallet, not dollars. The goods they buy will zip freely from Mexico to Canada on an enormous new road. And the United States will merge with its neighbors into a massive North American Union that reigns sovereign over more than 440 million people.
At least that is the vision being raised by a small but vocal group of bloggers, activists and border-security hard-liners.
Mexico, U.S. deny plan for any EU-like merger
As the U.S. has increased efforts to cooperate with Canada and Mexico on security and trade, and as the Bush administration has pushed immigration reforms that are extremely unpopular with many conservatives, opponents have become more convinced that North America is heading toward a merger.
Although all three governments strongly deny any such plan, a series of private meetings by top leaders and a sweeping effort to rewrite regulations in all three countries aimed at smoothing cross-border relations have emerged as a lightning rod for speculation, criticism and fear.
The goal of the initiative, known as the Security and Prosperity Partnership, is to ensure that the countries work together to keep weapons and terrorists from entering North America while making it easier for movement and commerce among all three nations. Business groups and advocates of free trade have pushed for even more cooperation. The meetings started in 2005 and grew out of long-standing, less-formal cooperation among the three nations.
But critics say the partnership is just the first step in a much broader attempt to build a "North American Union" modeled after the political and economic integration that the European Union built.
Those who fear a merger see signs everywhere. They cite the dollar's recent decline in value, increasing illegal immigration and attempts to expand free-trade areas in the Western Hemisphere. They also point to efforts to increase trade along Interstate 35, which runs straight up the middle of the United States from Mexico to Canada. In Internet postings about the partnership, I-35 has morphed into a "NAFTA Superhighway."
An agreement in the works to allow Mexican trucks to drive into the U.S. is seen as another tip-off, as is the growing U.S. foreign-trade imbalance, even though China exports more to the U.S. than Mexico and is gaining on Canada.
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox recently told CNN's Larry King that "long term, very long term," the goal of free-trade agreements could be a Western Hemisphere united by one currency.
"There's too much evidence. You've got too many things happening," said Jerome Corsi, a conservative activist and author of The Late Great U.S.A., a book that delves into some of the most alarming interpretations of the U.S.-Canadian-Mexican meetings.
Still, to officials involved in the meetings, the idea that the partnership will move to infringe on individual countries' sovereignty is misguided.
"I can tell you that that is categorically wrong, it is misleading, it is false, and that type of information, it just creates tension when it shouldn't because it's not true," Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said in an interview. "We want to do things that are common sense through regulations that will make our three countries more efficient and more productive. But this has nothing to do with sovereignty."
In August, during a meeting with the Canadian prime minister and Mexican president, President Bush called the idea "comical" and a "political scare tactic," accusing his opponents of "(laying) out a conspiracy and then (forcing) people to try to prove it doesn't exist."
Working together
Although theories about a North American merger may sound far-fetched, they are rooted in negotiations and working groups that all three countries say are important.
In its brief existence, the Security and Prosperity Partnership has produced the kind of dry government documents that might be expected from meetings and working groups that try to treat each nation as equal when it comes to both symbolism and substance.
The U.S., Canadian and Mexican flags dot each release. The partnership has pursued increasing cooperation among public-health labs in each nation and drafting plans for cross-border emergency assistance in a disaster. It also wants to write similar regulations for industries ranging from medical devices to textile manufacturing so companies operating in all three countries can follow the same standards. Members also are pursuing policies that ease entry and exit into each country.
"What we tried to do was simply meet, talk about our common problems and see what we can do in practical terms in order to improve the lives of our people," Mexican President Felipe Calderón said at the past meeting. "Whether it's to standardize the (regulatory) parameters for chocolates or medicines, I think these are common-sense things."
Business organizations that seek increased cooperation among the countries have praised the partnership's work, as have some economists who favor free trade.
"One of the realities of our country is that we live in a global economy," said Maria Luisa O'Connell, president of the Phoenix-based Border Trade Alliance, a group that pushes for more integration and cooperation among the three nations. "From a security perspective, from an economic perspective, we cannot afford not to work together with Canada and Mexico."
The meetings, which are closed, are held every year. This year's was in Montebello, Canada. Bush has invited Calderón and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to his Texas ranch for next year's meeting.
Reminiscent of EU
Some of the claims made by critics about plans for a merger appear to be mostly hypothetical. For instance:
• No treaty has been signed or proposed to formalize the partnership, and none of the governments involved has called for integration like the European Union, which issues common currency and passports.
• Although the U.S. dollar is now roughly as valuable as the Canadian dollar after decades of trading at higher prices, both are still worth much more than the Mexican peso. All three nations say they have no plans to set up any new currency or do away with their own money.
• Critics fault plans to build a "superhighway" from the U.S.-Mexican border to the U.S.-Canadian border. But the highway already exists: I-35. There are no known plans for another highway.
Even so, critics see the meetings as dangerous. Many focus more on Mexico than Canada, though the partnership's meetings have been trilateral.
"Our borders have been opened and amnesty (for undocumented immigrants) has been granted through executive fiat by the Bush administration already," said William Gheen, executive director of Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, a group that advocates tougher border security and immigration enforcement.
Corsi's book details how the European Union formed out of similar meetings among French, German and other officials. He says denials that anything sinister is afoot help prove his point because EU officials also originally said they didn't intend to set up the kind of multinational bureaucracy that now exists.
Republican primary voters have occasionally pressed GOP candidates to disavow the Security and Prosperity Partnership. None of the leading contenders for the party's nomination have explicitly done so.
Congress takes note
Some of the objections by conservative activists are shared by critics on the left, though not the dire warnings of a North American Union.
"What actually will happen (through the partnership) is that Mexico will continue doing worse economically, and, in fact, the immigration push will grow," said Manuel Perez Rocha, an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. The progressive Washington think tank is pushing for the partnership to include more labor protections and economic development in Mexico.
Critics on both sides fault the governments for closing meetings to the public.For supporters, the problem with the cooperation is that they're not moving fast enough, not that they'll erode sovereignty.
The meetings have attracted some attention from Congress. Conservative Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., introduced a non-binding resolution opposing a North American Union in January, and 39 co-sponsors, including Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., have signed on.
Even lawmakers who don't share Goode's concerns say Congress should be more involved in efforts to increase cooperation with neighboring countries.
"This is a White House-driven initiative that has not been worked on by the Congress at all," said Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who sits on a cross-border working group with Mexican legislators. "This is not an official agreement, and there's a lot of myths that are floating around."
Source: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1024conspiracy1024.html
Do some research and Google North American Union below are some good sites to look at as well. Comments welcome! Peace!
http://www.spp.gov/
http://www.jbs.org
http://www.cfr.org/
CROSS DRESSING TERRORITS
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8c4_1196263505
Original cell phone footage from "Bride, groom stopped in Iraq actually terror suspects" Marked as: Mature
Original cell phone footage from "Bride, groom stopped in Iraq actually terror suspects"
Original cell phone footage from "Bride, groom stopped in Iraq actually terror suspects" Marked as: Mature
Original cell phone footage from "Bride, groom stopped in Iraq actually terror suspects"
SPP 'dead,' says insider (BUT MAYBE JUST ASLEEP)
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58910
SPP 'dead,' says insider
'Bush, Harper, Calderon have punted to line bureaucrats'
Posted: November 28, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
An insider who presented a paper at a recent North American Forum meeting in Mexico is concluding that the Security and Prosperity Partnership plan has failed.
"The Security and Prosperity Partnership is dead," reporter John Ibbitson of Canada's Globe and Mail told WND in a telephone interview.
Ibbitson, who was invited to present a paper at the meeting because he is a strong proponent of increased international trade, especially between Canada and the United States, said he believes public exposure has stalled SPP efforts.
Others disagree with his conclusion, but they do agree that the public's awareness of the program and some of its features will trigger changes.
"The opposition in all three countries has exposed the SPP North American integration agenda," wrote Stuart Trew, a researcher and writer for the Council of Canadians. "But it is not fair to say the SPP has died altogether."
He said the SPP "as an over-arching project may have suffered from being exposed, but progress in North American integration will continue in many different areas of public policy as long as the trilateral working groups remain in place and the bureaucrats from the three nations keep meeting.”
WND has obtained a copy of the North American Forum's secretive annual meeting on "North American Cooperation and Community," held this year in Mexico from Oct. 12-14.
Several of those who attended have confirmed for WND that public exposure has been a hindrance to the progress of the program, while opponents continue to hold concerns the efforts are continuing.
Canadian reporter at meeting
The North American Forum had given Ibbitson permission to write and talk about the otherwise closed meeting, providing he not attribute comments to any particular person.
Ibbitson explained to WND his conclusion that public exposure has stalled SPP efforts, noting that bureaucrats have seen efforts in trilateral working groups hindered by the growing public awareness and opposition to North American integration.
"Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Canada and President Bush have decided to expend no more political capital in the SPP effort," Ibbitson said.
"As one delegate to last week's North American regional meeting in Cancun joked: 'We used to run things, and now we get together to complain that the new crew isn't doing as good a job,'" Ibbitson wrote in a column in the Globe and Mail.
"Reaffirming the SPP's goals at the August summit in Montebello, Quebec, was mere political butt-covering," Ibbitson wrote.
"Having failed to make a breakthrough despite two years of trying, President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Felipe Calderon punted the mess to some line bureaucrats, who are to pretend to work on the file," he wrote. "But in reality, the file is closed," he wrote.
"I told the North American Forum I am increasingly worried that trade initiatives between the U.S. and Canada are bogging down and becoming a lot stickier and thicker in recent months," Ibbitson told WND.
He pointed to the U.S. government's determination to implement the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which will require passports to be presented by Canadians seeking to enter the United States and by Americans returning to the U.S. from Canada.
Ibbitson dismissed talk of a North American Union as "bosh," yet he concedes that political leaders in Canada and the United States are not willing to invest the capital needed to keep the SPP moving forward.
"Mr. Bush was having a hard enough time getting Congress to fund his war in Iraq while also approving new trade agreements with Central American countries," Ibbitson wrote in the Globe and Mail. "Mr. Harper had no intention of risking his minority government over the issue of regulatory harmonization. Both men quietly agreed to let SPP die through neglect."
Ibbitson faulted the government strategy of keeping SPP under the radar of public opinion in the United States and Canada.
"If you're going to negotiate freer trade, sing it from the rooftops," he wrote. "Keep the media informed. Make it a Big Deal."
Council of Canadians objects to secret meeting
Trew and the Council of Canadians are not as ready to declare R.I.P. for the SPP.
Trew told WND in a telephone interview that the North American Forum was "far from the private gathering the organizers claim the meeting to be."
"The North American Forum brings together top policy makers in all three countries," Trew stressed, "including top military brass and high-level bureaucrats in all three governments to discuss North American integration."
"One of the goals of the North American Forum is to develop a consensus among these public officials around important issues of North American policy," he said..
"We at the Council of Canadians think the details of the North American Forum should be open for public view," he continued. "It's not enough for our public officials to say they attend as private individuals. Public officials still have to be accountable to the public, especially when they attend a policy meeting."
Trew has expressed similar sentiments on the Council of Canadians website.
There, he wrote the secrecy imposed on the North American Forum's meeting in Puerto Vallarta allowed "high-level civil servants, military officials and elected representatives to hang out, come to friendly agreements on certain common North American objectives, then go home and try their darndest to implement the necessary policy adjustments, 'at their own initiative,' without linking them back to the Forum where they originated."
U.S. Ambassador to Canada endorses forum
Trew noted John Nay, the U.S. general consul in Toronto, earlier told the Marie Chamber of Commerce in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the North American Forum is a "sister organization to the SPP."
The 2006 speech is archived on the website of the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, and includes Nay's reference to the SPP, "Recently Banff was host to a sister organization, the second meeting of the North American Forum."
"For those of you who are not familiar with the North American Forum," Nay continued, "it is a less official group that sprang up as a parallel structure to the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America."
Trew told WND that Ney's speech supported his contention the North American Forum was a public policy group that should operate in the light of day.
"There can be no doubt about the amount of secret planning that has gone back and forth between the North American Forum and the three governments of the United States, Mexico and Canada," Trew told WND.
"We still have only sketchy information about who attended the Vallarta meeting," Trew admitted, "but we know from the Banff meeting that the North American Forum is not just an academic meeting."
Mexican meeting agenda surfaces
The Council of Canadians also now has published the agenda of the Mexican meeting of the North American Forum.
"We got the agenda from the Canadian Labour Congress," Trew told WND, "but so far, the attendee list has not surfaced."
WND previously obtained and published the agenda and attendee list from the North American Forum's 2006 annual meeting, held in Banff, Alberta, Canada.
The North American Forum's three most prominent members were all in attendance: former Secretary of State George P. Schultz; former Mexican Secretary of Finance Pedro Aspe; and former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed.
Also in attendance was Robert Pastor, a professor at American University who has written actively about building a North American community for over a decade.
In May, WND published an article written by Pastor, entitled "I propose a North American Community."
Pastor chaired a panel at the Vallarta meeting, entitled "NAFTA at 15: Where do we go from here? How to 'create a North American Community?'"
In 2001, Pastor also published a book entitled "Toward a North American Community."
Another prominent attendee was Tom D'Aquino of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, a counterpart organization to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
WND has reported the North American Competitiveness Council, a secretive group of 30 North American corporations selected to advise the SPP trilateral working groups, was created by the respective chambers of commerce in the three nations, including the Canadian group.
Aspe was one of three task force chairs, with Pastor and D'Aquino serving as task force vice-chairs for a Council on Foreign Relations report called "Building a North American Community," published in May 2005.
This was two months after the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America was first declared at a summit meeting between President Bush, then-President of Mexico Vicente Fox, and then-Prime Minister of Canada Paul Martin, at Waco, Texas, on March 23, 2005.
SPP 'dead,' says insider
'Bush, Harper, Calderon have punted to line bureaucrats'
Posted: November 28, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
An insider who presented a paper at a recent North American Forum meeting in Mexico is concluding that the Security and Prosperity Partnership plan has failed.
"The Security and Prosperity Partnership is dead," reporter John Ibbitson of Canada's Globe and Mail told WND in a telephone interview.
Ibbitson, who was invited to present a paper at the meeting because he is a strong proponent of increased international trade, especially between Canada and the United States, said he believes public exposure has stalled SPP efforts.
Others disagree with his conclusion, but they do agree that the public's awareness of the program and some of its features will trigger changes.
"The opposition in all three countries has exposed the SPP North American integration agenda," wrote Stuart Trew, a researcher and writer for the Council of Canadians. "But it is not fair to say the SPP has died altogether."
He said the SPP "as an over-arching project may have suffered from being exposed, but progress in North American integration will continue in many different areas of public policy as long as the trilateral working groups remain in place and the bureaucrats from the three nations keep meeting.”
WND has obtained a copy of the North American Forum's secretive annual meeting on "North American Cooperation and Community," held this year in Mexico from Oct. 12-14.
Several of those who attended have confirmed for WND that public exposure has been a hindrance to the progress of the program, while opponents continue to hold concerns the efforts are continuing.
Canadian reporter at meeting
The North American Forum had given Ibbitson permission to write and talk about the otherwise closed meeting, providing he not attribute comments to any particular person.
Ibbitson explained to WND his conclusion that public exposure has stalled SPP efforts, noting that bureaucrats have seen efforts in trilateral working groups hindered by the growing public awareness and opposition to North American integration.
"Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Canada and President Bush have decided to expend no more political capital in the SPP effort," Ibbitson said.
"As one delegate to last week's North American regional meeting in Cancun joked: 'We used to run things, and now we get together to complain that the new crew isn't doing as good a job,'" Ibbitson wrote in a column in the Globe and Mail.
"Reaffirming the SPP's goals at the August summit in Montebello, Quebec, was mere political butt-covering," Ibbitson wrote.
"Having failed to make a breakthrough despite two years of trying, President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Felipe Calderon punted the mess to some line bureaucrats, who are to pretend to work on the file," he wrote. "But in reality, the file is closed," he wrote.
"I told the North American Forum I am increasingly worried that trade initiatives between the U.S. and Canada are bogging down and becoming a lot stickier and thicker in recent months," Ibbitson told WND.
He pointed to the U.S. government's determination to implement the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which will require passports to be presented by Canadians seeking to enter the United States and by Americans returning to the U.S. from Canada.
Ibbitson dismissed talk of a North American Union as "bosh," yet he concedes that political leaders in Canada and the United States are not willing to invest the capital needed to keep the SPP moving forward.
"Mr. Bush was having a hard enough time getting Congress to fund his war in Iraq while also approving new trade agreements with Central American countries," Ibbitson wrote in the Globe and Mail. "Mr. Harper had no intention of risking his minority government over the issue of regulatory harmonization. Both men quietly agreed to let SPP die through neglect."
Ibbitson faulted the government strategy of keeping SPP under the radar of public opinion in the United States and Canada.
"If you're going to negotiate freer trade, sing it from the rooftops," he wrote. "Keep the media informed. Make it a Big Deal."
Council of Canadians objects to secret meeting
Trew and the Council of Canadians are not as ready to declare R.I.P. for the SPP.
Trew told WND in a telephone interview that the North American Forum was "far from the private gathering the organizers claim the meeting to be."
"The North American Forum brings together top policy makers in all three countries," Trew stressed, "including top military brass and high-level bureaucrats in all three governments to discuss North American integration."
"One of the goals of the North American Forum is to develop a consensus among these public officials around important issues of North American policy," he said..
"We at the Council of Canadians think the details of the North American Forum should be open for public view," he continued. "It's not enough for our public officials to say they attend as private individuals. Public officials still have to be accountable to the public, especially when they attend a policy meeting."
Trew has expressed similar sentiments on the Council of Canadians website.
There, he wrote the secrecy imposed on the North American Forum's meeting in Puerto Vallarta allowed "high-level civil servants, military officials and elected representatives to hang out, come to friendly agreements on certain common North American objectives, then go home and try their darndest to implement the necessary policy adjustments, 'at their own initiative,' without linking them back to the Forum where they originated."
U.S. Ambassador to Canada endorses forum
Trew noted John Nay, the U.S. general consul in Toronto, earlier told the Marie Chamber of Commerce in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the North American Forum is a "sister organization to the SPP."
The 2006 speech is archived on the website of the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, and includes Nay's reference to the SPP, "Recently Banff was host to a sister organization, the second meeting of the North American Forum."
"For those of you who are not familiar with the North American Forum," Nay continued, "it is a less official group that sprang up as a parallel structure to the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America."
Trew told WND that Ney's speech supported his contention the North American Forum was a public policy group that should operate in the light of day.
"There can be no doubt about the amount of secret planning that has gone back and forth between the North American Forum and the three governments of the United States, Mexico and Canada," Trew told WND.
"We still have only sketchy information about who attended the Vallarta meeting," Trew admitted, "but we know from the Banff meeting that the North American Forum is not just an academic meeting."
Mexican meeting agenda surfaces
The Council of Canadians also now has published the agenda of the Mexican meeting of the North American Forum.
"We got the agenda from the Canadian Labour Congress," Trew told WND, "but so far, the attendee list has not surfaced."
WND previously obtained and published the agenda and attendee list from the North American Forum's 2006 annual meeting, held in Banff, Alberta, Canada.
The North American Forum's three most prominent members were all in attendance: former Secretary of State George P. Schultz; former Mexican Secretary of Finance Pedro Aspe; and former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed.
Also in attendance was Robert Pastor, a professor at American University who has written actively about building a North American community for over a decade.
In May, WND published an article written by Pastor, entitled "I propose a North American Community."
Pastor chaired a panel at the Vallarta meeting, entitled "NAFTA at 15: Where do we go from here? How to 'create a North American Community?'"
In 2001, Pastor also published a book entitled "Toward a North American Community."
Another prominent attendee was Tom D'Aquino of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, a counterpart organization to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
WND has reported the North American Competitiveness Council, a secretive group of 30 North American corporations selected to advise the SPP trilateral working groups, was created by the respective chambers of commerce in the three nations, including the Canadian group.
Aspe was one of three task force chairs, with Pastor and D'Aquino serving as task force vice-chairs for a Council on Foreign Relations report called "Building a North American Community," published in May 2005.
This was two months after the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America was first declared at a summit meeting between President Bush, then-President of Mexico Vicente Fox, and then-Prime Minister of Canada Paul Martin, at Waco, Texas, on March 23, 2005.
High-Tech Drones Joining Miami Police Force
http://www.local10.com/news/14708354/detail.html
High-Tech Drones Joining Miami Police Force
Unmanned Aircraft System Will Help SWAT Units
POSTED: 5:48 pm EST November 27, 2007
UPDATED: 9:57 pm EST November 27, 2007
MIAMI -- The Miami-Dade police department will begin experimenting with high-tech drones as law enforcement tools beginning next year.
Although the military has been using unmanned aircraft systems for years, this will be the first time they are used in law enforcement.
"We are aware it is a great responsibility. The FAA is looking at us to see if we can professionally manage this program," said Lt. Cliff Nelson of the police department's aviation unit.
The flying camera is called a Micro Air Vehicle made by Honeywell. The MAV is remote controlled, unarmed and unmanned and can soar over 10,000 feet. (See the Micro Air Vehicle here.)
Miami-Dade police said only licensed pilots with the aviation unit will operate the devices because the airspace in the county is so busy.
Only the Miami-Dade police department and the Houston police department were given permission by the FAA to experiment with the drones.
"The capability of the unit is phenomenal," said Miami-Dade Detective Juan Villalba.
The unmanned aircraft will be used during SWAT team and tactical operations, especially when officers need video of a heavily armed suspect.
The Miami-Dade police department has not yet taken possession on its drone, but the Houston police department has and is already conducting tests.
Miami-Dade hopes to use grant money to pay for the MAV. Officials said the units are pricey. Depending on the complexity of the system, they can cost several thousand dollars to more than a million.
----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
I don't like this... Sure it could be a great asset to Police departments if used for the right purposes, but you KNOW IT WILL BE ABUSED. Much like how tasers have become a Stun first Ask Second approach. Who knows what they will determine as "necessary purpose of use".
High-Tech Drones Joining Miami Police Force
Unmanned Aircraft System Will Help SWAT Units
POSTED: 5:48 pm EST November 27, 2007
UPDATED: 9:57 pm EST November 27, 2007
MIAMI -- The Miami-Dade police department will begin experimenting with high-tech drones as law enforcement tools beginning next year.
Although the military has been using unmanned aircraft systems for years, this will be the first time they are used in law enforcement.
"We are aware it is a great responsibility. The FAA is looking at us to see if we can professionally manage this program," said Lt. Cliff Nelson of the police department's aviation unit.
The flying camera is called a Micro Air Vehicle made by Honeywell. The MAV is remote controlled, unarmed and unmanned and can soar over 10,000 feet. (See the Micro Air Vehicle here.)
Miami-Dade police said only licensed pilots with the aviation unit will operate the devices because the airspace in the county is so busy.
Only the Miami-Dade police department and the Houston police department were given permission by the FAA to experiment with the drones.
"The capability of the unit is phenomenal," said Miami-Dade Detective Juan Villalba.
The unmanned aircraft will be used during SWAT team and tactical operations, especially when officers need video of a heavily armed suspect.
The Miami-Dade police department has not yet taken possession on its drone, but the Houston police department has and is already conducting tests.
Miami-Dade hopes to use grant money to pay for the MAV. Officials said the units are pricey. Depending on the complexity of the system, they can cost several thousand dollars to more than a million.
----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
I don't like this... Sure it could be a great asset to Police departments if used for the right purposes, but you KNOW IT WILL BE ABUSED. Much like how tasers have become a Stun first Ask Second approach. Who knows what they will determine as "necessary purpose of use".
Lakota cancels play after protest
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071127/NEWS01/711270344/1056/COL02
Lakota cancels play after protest
Original title, long unused, included slur
BY MICHAEL D. CLARK | MCLARK@ENQUIRER.COM
LIBERTY TWP. - A widely performed school play has been canceled by Lakota officials after a recent meeting with a local NAACP official.
The internationally acclaimed play - Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" - was to be performed by students at Lakota East High School this weekend.
But Gary Hines, president of the local NAACP branch, recently complained to Lakota officials that the play, based on Christie's 1939 mystery novel, was inappropriate for a school production.
Hines said the book's original title and cover illustration used for its initial publishing that year in England was a racial slur toward blacks and included a cover illustration of a black person and a hangman's noose.
"The original title was 'Ten Little (N - - - - - -),' and it is important to say that because that was the actual title," Hines said Monday.
The title of the international bestseller was widely changed after 1939, and school theater productions in America have performed the murder mystery play as either "Ten Little Indians" or "And Then There Were None" for decades since.
Hines claims that a lack of racial diversity among Lakota's students and teachers allowed the play to be chosen despite the history surrounding its original title.
"It's a lack of diversity knowledge on their part. Diversity is not a way of life in Lakota," Hines said.
But Hines, who operates GPH Consultants - a diversity training company - in West Chester Township, said that despite his strong protest, it was Lakota officials' idea to cancel the play in response to his complaints.
Jon Weidlich, spokesman for Butler County school district, said subsequent discussions - after district officials met with Hines earlier this month - among students and staff at Lakota East High School led to the decision to cancel the play.
"After learning of the play's origins and the hurt that it caused, we had hoped to use the performances as a way to create a discussion about diversity of all kinds in our community. However, students and staff continued to raise issues, and it was quickly obvious that bad feelings about the play were much more widespread and strong than originally thought. The best action seemed to be to switch to a different play," Weidlich said.
Keith Kline, Lakota East principal, said: "Certainly, it was a tough decision but one that needed to be made.
"Doing the play now is not a way to promote the respectfulness we are trying to promote."
But Joan Powell, president of the Lakota Board of Education, criticized Hines, whose local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People includes Liberty and West Chester townships, Hamilton and Fairfield.
Powell said Hines has a history of making racial accusations against Lakota schools with his personal financial interests sometimes coming into play.
In 2002, Hines accused Lakota schools of widespread, systemic racism and recommended that more than 2,000 Lakota employees be required to enroll in diversity and cultural sensitivity training similar to what was offered by his company. He promised to compile a report months later detailing his accusations against the schools but never produced a document.
Hines, however, has continued to allege racism in the school district.
Most recently in a Nov. 20 e-mail to Powell and other Lakota school board members, he wrote: "Given the history of the district, anything short of involving the NAACP in planning, developing, and executing a systemic approach to diversity is not acceptable and certainly not good enough for the district's students, faculty, and staff."
Powell countered that "Gary Hines has a certain vested interest in district's diversity since he has approached us many times in the past about providing that service."
-------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
I believe that this Hines character is nothing more the a scheming, racially motivated money grubber. Interesting how his own company provides "SENSITIVITY TRAINING".. what a load of horse manure. It's a quick buck for those who scream racism... But look what it did to the Duke lacrosse players. Didn't work out so well... Just remember not to get your hand caught in the cookie jar.
Lakota cancels play after protest
Original title, long unused, included slur
BY MICHAEL D. CLARK | MCLARK@ENQUIRER.COM
LIBERTY TWP. - A widely performed school play has been canceled by Lakota officials after a recent meeting with a local NAACP official.
The internationally acclaimed play - Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" - was to be performed by students at Lakota East High School this weekend.
But Gary Hines, president of the local NAACP branch, recently complained to Lakota officials that the play, based on Christie's 1939 mystery novel, was inappropriate for a school production.
Hines said the book's original title and cover illustration used for its initial publishing that year in England was a racial slur toward blacks and included a cover illustration of a black person and a hangman's noose.
"The original title was 'Ten Little (N - - - - - -),' and it is important to say that because that was the actual title," Hines said Monday.
The title of the international bestseller was widely changed after 1939, and school theater productions in America have performed the murder mystery play as either "Ten Little Indians" or "And Then There Were None" for decades since.
Hines claims that a lack of racial diversity among Lakota's students and teachers allowed the play to be chosen despite the history surrounding its original title.
"It's a lack of diversity knowledge on their part. Diversity is not a way of life in Lakota," Hines said.
But Hines, who operates GPH Consultants - a diversity training company - in West Chester Township, said that despite his strong protest, it was Lakota officials' idea to cancel the play in response to his complaints.
Jon Weidlich, spokesman for Butler County school district, said subsequent discussions - after district officials met with Hines earlier this month - among students and staff at Lakota East High School led to the decision to cancel the play.
"After learning of the play's origins and the hurt that it caused, we had hoped to use the performances as a way to create a discussion about diversity of all kinds in our community. However, students and staff continued to raise issues, and it was quickly obvious that bad feelings about the play were much more widespread and strong than originally thought. The best action seemed to be to switch to a different play," Weidlich said.
Keith Kline, Lakota East principal, said: "Certainly, it was a tough decision but one that needed to be made.
"Doing the play now is not a way to promote the respectfulness we are trying to promote."
But Joan Powell, president of the Lakota Board of Education, criticized Hines, whose local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People includes Liberty and West Chester townships, Hamilton and Fairfield.
Powell said Hines has a history of making racial accusations against Lakota schools with his personal financial interests sometimes coming into play.
In 2002, Hines accused Lakota schools of widespread, systemic racism and recommended that more than 2,000 Lakota employees be required to enroll in diversity and cultural sensitivity training similar to what was offered by his company. He promised to compile a report months later detailing his accusations against the schools but never produced a document.
Hines, however, has continued to allege racism in the school district.
Most recently in a Nov. 20 e-mail to Powell and other Lakota school board members, he wrote: "Given the history of the district, anything short of involving the NAACP in planning, developing, and executing a systemic approach to diversity is not acceptable and certainly not good enough for the district's students, faculty, and staff."
Powell countered that "Gary Hines has a certain vested interest in district's diversity since he has approached us many times in the past about providing that service."
-------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
I believe that this Hines character is nothing more the a scheming, racially motivated money grubber. Interesting how his own company provides "SENSITIVITY TRAINING".. what a load of horse manure. It's a quick buck for those who scream racism... But look what it did to the Duke lacrosse players. Didn't work out so well... Just remember not to get your hand caught in the cookie jar.
Meet the supermouse bred by genetic scientists that CAN'T get cancer
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=496751&in_page_id=1774
Meet the supermouse bred by genetic scientists that CAN'T get cancer
By FIONA MACRAE - More by this author »
Last updated at 00:06am on 28th November 2007
Mice resistant to cancer have been created in a breakthrough that could lead to a human treatment free of side-effects.
A protein produced by the creatures may hold the key to a future therapy.
It attacks tumour cells, but does not harm healthy tissue in the body.
Scientists hope the gene will one day provide a cancer treatment without painful side effects. Scientists hope it can one day be adapted for use in humans - saving them the pain, nausea and hair loss usually associated with cancer treatments.
The breakthrough hinges on a mouse gene called Par-4, which produces the protein. U.S. researchers genetically engineered a group of mice to have higher levels of the protein than normal.
These creatures were found to be immune to many forms of the disease, such as cancer of the liver and prostate, the journal Cancer Research reports.
Tests suggest the protein could also beat off breast, pancreatic and head and neck cancers.
Crucially, the animals did not suffer any visible side-effects, the U.S. scientists said.
In Britain, more than 280,000 of us are diagnosed with cancer each year - and 150,000 die.
Kentucky University researcher Dr Vivek Rangnekar said: "When a cancer patient goes into a clinic, they undergo chemotherapy or radiation and there are potential side- effects associated with those treatments.
"We got interested in looking for a molecule which will kill cancer cells and not kill normal cells, but also would not be toxic with regard to the entire organism.
"We are thinking this as a holistic approach that would not only get rid of the tumour, but also not harm the organism as a whole."
In time, it may be possible to adapt the method to treat people, with the gene, or a similar gene, being introduced into the body through bone marrow transplants.
But such a treatment is at least ten years away.
Dr Rangnekar, whose work is inspired by a relative's fight against cancer, said: "I look at the research from the standpoint of how it can be developed to benefit the cancer patient and that's what really keeps us focused.
"If you look at the pain that cancer patients go through, not just from the disease, but also from the treatment - it's excruciating.
"If you can not only treat the cancer but also not harm the patient, that's a major breakthrough.
"That's what's happening with these animals and I think that's wonderful."
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Britain, affecting more than 44,000 women a year and claiming more than 1,000 lives a month.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in British men, with nearly 32,000 new cases of the disease each year - and more than 10,000 deaths.
Liver cancer claims 2,800 lives a year, while cancers of the head and neck, including mouth, nose, throat and eye tumours, affect more than 7,000 Britons each year and kill 2,500.
-----------------------
My Comments:
How wonderful... This is why socialized medicine MUST BE STOPPED!!!! Work fast, cause there are lots of people waiting for a cure and don't have a whole lot of time left.
-----------------------
What Others Are Saying:
No good scientists creating anything that's likely to be good for humanity inthis country. NICE will always say it's 'too expensive' to be prescribed no matter what.
- Olderbird, Northants
That's great! Loads of mice will be saved! People who try and give a poor mouse cancer should be locked up! I can't beieve the goverment give money to these morons! It's shocking - why not try to find a drug that makes mice turn pink? Le'ts face it people; it's a joke!
- Katie Dale, Cannock
If it works on people, the scientists who discovered it should get the Nobel Prize several times over.
- Herbert Thornton, Victoria, Canada
Then dump your socialized medicine system. We will beat cancer and afford it over here in a free market. That's why the world comes here for healthcare innovation, plus we can do it without killing fertilized embryos. This discovery will likely same millions of lives says this scientist/teacher.
- Carlisle, Mt Juliet USA
Ten years? Godspeed.
- Jules Rounder, New York, USA
This already exists and is available in Atlanta. It's called a cancer "vaccine" and you can get it across the street from Piedmont Hospital on Peachtree Street. It was originally developed in Canada and is now in hundreds of places in the USA. It can't be stopped by the medical industrial complex that will now go bankrupt. It is too late, cancer is 80% cured!
- Me, USA
If they keep creating these super mice who cannot get any type of disease, watch out These super mice will take over the world.
- Dan, Windsor, CT USA
Whoever these scientists are they need to eat only canned foods and look under their cars every morning. The big drug companies are not going to like this.
On the other hand, all the polluters and cigarette companies will love this. Now work conditions don't need to be clean and safe; who cares if anyone gets cancer it can be cured.
- Commhealy, Detroit, MI
What? Socialized medicine isn't the best thing since sliced bread? Clearly you're disillusioned?! Doesn't the government know what's best for you? Choice should be limited to those elected officials that have nothing at stake with your personal life, right?
Go socialism, give to the mother country!
- Jon, USA USA
I think it's ludicrous that researchers are spending time and money figuring out how to treat cancer in mice when there are so many humans suffering from the disease. Why do the mice get priority?
- Ned Flanders, UK
Hehe - busy little scientists - one bunch trying to cure the disorders other scientists create and spread throughout our atmosphere, land, water, and consumer goods. For us, it's a crapshoot as to which bunch will win.
- Sam, USA
Whenever I read articles like this, all I can think about is the immortal mouse that science will one day produce.
- Loren, Honolulu, Hawaii
I just hope none of those mice get our of their cages into the real world. We may need to catch them with supercats.
- Hugh, USA
Finally, we have cured cancer for mice, what a service we have provided for them. Let's hope they appreciate all we've done for them with millions of dollars worth of research.
But seriously though, cancer is a horrific disease, and anything that can be done to cure it in humans would be nothing short of a miracle. All the hard work these scientists do is certainly appreciated. This sounds like a real breakthrough. Let's hope it can be used to help humans soon.
- Bob, Chicago, IL
Any cure for cancer would be good. Now they need to find a cure for ALGOREISM. A truly expanding global infectious disease.
- Dick Sicario, Milwaukee, Wi. USA
Unfortunately, there is little profit in truly curing diseases such as cancer. The drug industry would much rather find ways to make diseases chronic than eliminate them completely. A true "cure" for cancer is probably near the bottom of a drug company's wish list.
- Scott Topiol, Los Angeles, CA USA
Meet the supermouse bred by genetic scientists that CAN'T get cancer
By FIONA MACRAE - More by this author »
Last updated at 00:06am on 28th November 2007
Mice resistant to cancer have been created in a breakthrough that could lead to a human treatment free of side-effects.
A protein produced by the creatures may hold the key to a future therapy.
It attacks tumour cells, but does not harm healthy tissue in the body.
Scientists hope the gene will one day provide a cancer treatment without painful side effects. Scientists hope it can one day be adapted for use in humans - saving them the pain, nausea and hair loss usually associated with cancer treatments.
The breakthrough hinges on a mouse gene called Par-4, which produces the protein. U.S. researchers genetically engineered a group of mice to have higher levels of the protein than normal.
These creatures were found to be immune to many forms of the disease, such as cancer of the liver and prostate, the journal Cancer Research reports.
Tests suggest the protein could also beat off breast, pancreatic and head and neck cancers.
Crucially, the animals did not suffer any visible side-effects, the U.S. scientists said.
In Britain, more than 280,000 of us are diagnosed with cancer each year - and 150,000 die.
Kentucky University researcher Dr Vivek Rangnekar said: "When a cancer patient goes into a clinic, they undergo chemotherapy or radiation and there are potential side- effects associated with those treatments.
"We got interested in looking for a molecule which will kill cancer cells and not kill normal cells, but also would not be toxic with regard to the entire organism.
"We are thinking this as a holistic approach that would not only get rid of the tumour, but also not harm the organism as a whole."
In time, it may be possible to adapt the method to treat people, with the gene, or a similar gene, being introduced into the body through bone marrow transplants.
But such a treatment is at least ten years away.
Dr Rangnekar, whose work is inspired by a relative's fight against cancer, said: "I look at the research from the standpoint of how it can be developed to benefit the cancer patient and that's what really keeps us focused.
"If you look at the pain that cancer patients go through, not just from the disease, but also from the treatment - it's excruciating.
"If you can not only treat the cancer but also not harm the patient, that's a major breakthrough.
"That's what's happening with these animals and I think that's wonderful."
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Britain, affecting more than 44,000 women a year and claiming more than 1,000 lives a month.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in British men, with nearly 32,000 new cases of the disease each year - and more than 10,000 deaths.
Liver cancer claims 2,800 lives a year, while cancers of the head and neck, including mouth, nose, throat and eye tumours, affect more than 7,000 Britons each year and kill 2,500.
-----------------------
My Comments:
How wonderful... This is why socialized medicine MUST BE STOPPED!!!! Work fast, cause there are lots of people waiting for a cure and don't have a whole lot of time left.
-----------------------
What Others Are Saying:
No good scientists creating anything that's likely to be good for humanity inthis country. NICE will always say it's 'too expensive' to be prescribed no matter what.
- Olderbird, Northants
That's great! Loads of mice will be saved! People who try and give a poor mouse cancer should be locked up! I can't beieve the goverment give money to these morons! It's shocking - why not try to find a drug that makes mice turn pink? Le'ts face it people; it's a joke!
- Katie Dale, Cannock
If it works on people, the scientists who discovered it should get the Nobel Prize several times over.
- Herbert Thornton, Victoria, Canada
Then dump your socialized medicine system. We will beat cancer and afford it over here in a free market. That's why the world comes here for healthcare innovation, plus we can do it without killing fertilized embryos. This discovery will likely same millions of lives says this scientist/teacher.
- Carlisle, Mt Juliet USA
Ten years? Godspeed.
- Jules Rounder, New York, USA
This already exists and is available in Atlanta. It's called a cancer "vaccine" and you can get it across the street from Piedmont Hospital on Peachtree Street. It was originally developed in Canada and is now in hundreds of places in the USA. It can't be stopped by the medical industrial complex that will now go bankrupt. It is too late, cancer is 80% cured!
- Me, USA
If they keep creating these super mice who cannot get any type of disease, watch out These super mice will take over the world.
- Dan, Windsor, CT USA
Whoever these scientists are they need to eat only canned foods and look under their cars every morning. The big drug companies are not going to like this.
On the other hand, all the polluters and cigarette companies will love this. Now work conditions don't need to be clean and safe; who cares if anyone gets cancer it can be cured.
- Commhealy, Detroit, MI
What? Socialized medicine isn't the best thing since sliced bread? Clearly you're disillusioned?! Doesn't the government know what's best for you? Choice should be limited to those elected officials that have nothing at stake with your personal life, right?
Go socialism, give to the mother country!
- Jon, USA USA
I think it's ludicrous that researchers are spending time and money figuring out how to treat cancer in mice when there are so many humans suffering from the disease. Why do the mice get priority?
- Ned Flanders, UK
Hehe - busy little scientists - one bunch trying to cure the disorders other scientists create and spread throughout our atmosphere, land, water, and consumer goods. For us, it's a crapshoot as to which bunch will win.
- Sam, USA
Whenever I read articles like this, all I can think about is the immortal mouse that science will one day produce.
- Loren, Honolulu, Hawaii
I just hope none of those mice get our of their cages into the real world. We may need to catch them with supercats.
- Hugh, USA
Finally, we have cured cancer for mice, what a service we have provided for them. Let's hope they appreciate all we've done for them with millions of dollars worth of research.
But seriously though, cancer is a horrific disease, and anything that can be done to cure it in humans would be nothing short of a miracle. All the hard work these scientists do is certainly appreciated. This sounds like a real breakthrough. Let's hope it can be used to help humans soon.
- Bob, Chicago, IL
Any cure for cancer would be good. Now they need to find a cure for ALGOREISM. A truly expanding global infectious disease.
- Dick Sicario, Milwaukee, Wi. USA
Unfortunately, there is little profit in truly curing diseases such as cancer. The drug industry would much rather find ways to make diseases chronic than eliminate them completely. A true "cure" for cancer is probably near the bottom of a drug company's wish list.
- Scott Topiol, Los Angeles, CA USA
Ramos, Compean charge 'overzealous' prosecution
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58894
Ramos, Compean charge 'overzealous' prosecution
Appeals contend wrong law applied, administrative errors criminalized
Posted: November 28, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
EDITOR'S NOTE: WND has obtained redacted copies of the appellate briefs filed in the case of convicted Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.
The two men are in solitary confinement in federal prison, serving 11- and 12-year sentences respectively over a Feb. 17, 2005, incident in which they fired on Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, an illegal Mexican alien who was fleeing back into Mexico after smuggling 750 pounds of marijuana over the Mexican border near Fabens, Texas.
In their appeal, Ramos was represented by attorney David L. Botsford. Compean was represented by attorneys Robert T. Basket and Edgar A. Mason.
The Ramos-Compean appeal is scheduled to be heard by the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Louisiana next Monday.
WND was unable to obtain a copy of the government's brief filed in the appeal, and the briefs filed remain under seal, unavailable for public examination.
The copies of the appellate briefs examined by WND were redacted prior to being filed in the Fifth Circuit under seal. Removed were references to materials the District Court ordered sealed, which presumably included a second smuggling offense in October 2005 in which Aldrete-Davila brought another 750 pound load of marijuana across the border.
Aldrete-Davila evidently made the second smuggling attempt while he was under immunity from prosecutor U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton to testify in the Ramos-Compean trial. He apparently used a border-crossing pass issued by the Department of Homeland Security.
References to arguments in the Ramos-Compean brief are made without distinguishing which lawyer made the argument.
The appellate court is hearing the appeals together and will make a decision whether to reverse the convictions and demand a new trial.
This is the first of a three part WND series analyzing the appellant briefs filed in the case.
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean
The appellant briefs filed on behalf of convicted Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean argue the case was "overzealously prosecuted by the government," thereby sending "a message to every law enforcement agent that if you shoot in the line of duty and cannot prove that you were justified in using deadly force – regardless of whether you were mistaken in your belief – you will be prosecuted and receive at least 10 years incarceration under 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c), stacked on top of other sentences."
WND previously reported 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c) was written to increase the penalties when a violent criminal, such as a drug trafficker or a rapist, carries or uses a weapon during the commission of a crime.
The appellants argue the law was never written to be applied to law enforcement officers who discharge their weapons within the scope of their official duties.
The appellant briefs note the legislative history of 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c) was set forth in Muscarello v. United States, 524 U.S. 125 (1998), in which Justice Stephen Breyer, delivering the opinion of the Supreme Court wrote, "And the provision's chief legislative sponsor has said that the provision seeks 'to persuade the man who is tempted to commit a Federal felony to leave his gun at home.'"
So, the appellant briefs argue Ramos and Compean were not given "fair notice," any reason in advance to believe the harsh mandatory 10-year sentencing penalties of 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c) would be applied to them, as law enforcement officers, discharging their weapons based "upon reasonably apprehended sense of necessity as it appeared at the time."
"To apply 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c) in this case (and like cases)," the appellants argue, "would have an unwarranted and dangerous effect on law enforcement officers everywhere. It would mean officers act at peril of lengthy federal sentences every time they draw a weapon. It very well could mean that officers will hesitate to act for fear of legal action against them, with potentially deadly results to themselves and others."
The appellants also argue the government prosecuted Ramos and Compean as criminals for what amounted to no more than violations of administrative policy, which at most were civil infractions of law warranting only minor penalties, not 11- and 12-year federal prison sentences for criminal violations.
Again, this argument supports previous assertions that, at most, failure to report shooting at the drug smuggler, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, should have resulted in suspension without pay for a few days.
The appellants wrote, "The government's entire case was premised upon extensive direct examination of virtually every witness it called regarding violations of four Border Patrol policies on Feb. 17, 2005," namely:
The policy requiring agents to obtain permission from a supervisor before engaging in a "pursuit of a vehicle, and thereafter prepare a "pursuit form" reflecting the particulars of the situation;
The policy outlining the requirements for the use of deadly force, which does not contain language regarding an officer's mistaken belief that the use of force was necessary under all of the circumstances;
The policy requiring an oral report of the discharge of a weapon to a supervisor within one hour (regardless of whether the agent discharged the weapon or merely heard the discharge or even heard about the discharge) and the corresponding significant incident report which the supervisor would generate after such a report; and
The policy requiring the Border Patrol's "Sector Evidence Team" to investigate any significant incident report, including the discharge of a weapon.
The appellants object that the government used these policies to form the basis of a criminal prosecution, even though the regulations only demanded administrative penalties.
So, while the policies may have been "admissible for limited purposes," the appellants argued "the government focused upon them and used them to bootstrap administrative violations into criminal violations."
This argument, they contend, undermines the government's main contention, denying that Ramos and Compean had done anything criminal, even conceding government arguments that Ramos and Compean failed to file oral reports of the shootings.
The appellants wrote:
The government consistently and persistently elicited testimony regarding violations of four Border Patrol policies on Feb. 17, 2005, which violations formed the basis not only of some of the counts, but also formed the platform for the government's opening and closing arguments. This constituted a due process violation because it allowed the government to bootstrap violations of policies into criminal convictions, thereby impermissibly infecting the very purpose for which the trial was being conducted.
The appellants stressed, "From the opening statement onward, every Border Patrol agent who was called by the government was cross examined about one or more of the four policies."
The appellants searched the 10 volumes of the trial testimony and arguments and found the dominant emphasis was placed on alleged violations of these policies:
The word "policy" is used 267 times;
The word "policies" 33 times;
The word "regulation" 34 times;
The word "rules" 74 times;
The word "report" 746 times;
The word "pursuit" 429 times;
The word "high speed" 57 times;
The words "failure to report" 30 times;
The words "duty to report" 13 times;
The words "sector evidence" 83 times;
The word "force" 195 times;
The words "deadly force" 34 times; and
The word "weapon" 289 times.
The appellants' lawyers relied on United States v. Christo, 614 F.2d 486 (5th Cir. 1980), a prosecution for misapplication of bank funds, in which the court held that criminal convictions based upon civil violations constituted plain error.
The result, the appellants' lawyers argued, was to deny Ramos and Compean due process rights to a fair trial.
----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
It has been a fact for awhile now that the government wanted to set an example for other boarder agents that if you actually do your job than you will go to jail. El Presidente Bush should have pardoned these men a LONG time ago and he should have reinstated them with back-pay. These poor men and their families should be compensated personally by Mr. Bush for failing to do his job of looking out for the best interests of the American people, NOT THOSE OF THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL!
Ramos, Compean charge 'overzealous' prosecution
Appeals contend wrong law applied, administrative errors criminalized
Posted: November 28, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
EDITOR'S NOTE: WND has obtained redacted copies of the appellate briefs filed in the case of convicted Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.
The two men are in solitary confinement in federal prison, serving 11- and 12-year sentences respectively over a Feb. 17, 2005, incident in which they fired on Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, an illegal Mexican alien who was fleeing back into Mexico after smuggling 750 pounds of marijuana over the Mexican border near Fabens, Texas.
In their appeal, Ramos was represented by attorney David L. Botsford. Compean was represented by attorneys Robert T. Basket and Edgar A. Mason.
The Ramos-Compean appeal is scheduled to be heard by the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Louisiana next Monday.
WND was unable to obtain a copy of the government's brief filed in the appeal, and the briefs filed remain under seal, unavailable for public examination.
The copies of the appellate briefs examined by WND were redacted prior to being filed in the Fifth Circuit under seal. Removed were references to materials the District Court ordered sealed, which presumably included a second smuggling offense in October 2005 in which Aldrete-Davila brought another 750 pound load of marijuana across the border.
Aldrete-Davila evidently made the second smuggling attempt while he was under immunity from prosecutor U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton to testify in the Ramos-Compean trial. He apparently used a border-crossing pass issued by the Department of Homeland Security.
References to arguments in the Ramos-Compean brief are made without distinguishing which lawyer made the argument.
The appellate court is hearing the appeals together and will make a decision whether to reverse the convictions and demand a new trial.
This is the first of a three part WND series analyzing the appellant briefs filed in the case.
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean
The appellant briefs filed on behalf of convicted Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean argue the case was "overzealously prosecuted by the government," thereby sending "a message to every law enforcement agent that if you shoot in the line of duty and cannot prove that you were justified in using deadly force – regardless of whether you were mistaken in your belief – you will be prosecuted and receive at least 10 years incarceration under 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c), stacked on top of other sentences."
WND previously reported 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c) was written to increase the penalties when a violent criminal, such as a drug trafficker or a rapist, carries or uses a weapon during the commission of a crime.
The appellants argue the law was never written to be applied to law enforcement officers who discharge their weapons within the scope of their official duties.
The appellant briefs note the legislative history of 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c) was set forth in Muscarello v. United States, 524 U.S. 125 (1998), in which Justice Stephen Breyer, delivering the opinion of the Supreme Court wrote, "And the provision's chief legislative sponsor has said that the provision seeks 'to persuade the man who is tempted to commit a Federal felony to leave his gun at home.'"
So, the appellant briefs argue Ramos and Compean were not given "fair notice," any reason in advance to believe the harsh mandatory 10-year sentencing penalties of 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c) would be applied to them, as law enforcement officers, discharging their weapons based "upon reasonably apprehended sense of necessity as it appeared at the time."
"To apply 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c) in this case (and like cases)," the appellants argue, "would have an unwarranted and dangerous effect on law enforcement officers everywhere. It would mean officers act at peril of lengthy federal sentences every time they draw a weapon. It very well could mean that officers will hesitate to act for fear of legal action against them, with potentially deadly results to themselves and others."
The appellants also argue the government prosecuted Ramos and Compean as criminals for what amounted to no more than violations of administrative policy, which at most were civil infractions of law warranting only minor penalties, not 11- and 12-year federal prison sentences for criminal violations.
Again, this argument supports previous assertions that, at most, failure to report shooting at the drug smuggler, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, should have resulted in suspension without pay for a few days.
The appellants wrote, "The government's entire case was premised upon extensive direct examination of virtually every witness it called regarding violations of four Border Patrol policies on Feb. 17, 2005," namely:
The policy requiring agents to obtain permission from a supervisor before engaging in a "pursuit of a vehicle, and thereafter prepare a "pursuit form" reflecting the particulars of the situation;
The policy outlining the requirements for the use of deadly force, which does not contain language regarding an officer's mistaken belief that the use of force was necessary under all of the circumstances;
The policy requiring an oral report of the discharge of a weapon to a supervisor within one hour (regardless of whether the agent discharged the weapon or merely heard the discharge or even heard about the discharge) and the corresponding significant incident report which the supervisor would generate after such a report; and
The policy requiring the Border Patrol's "Sector Evidence Team" to investigate any significant incident report, including the discharge of a weapon.
The appellants object that the government used these policies to form the basis of a criminal prosecution, even though the regulations only demanded administrative penalties.
So, while the policies may have been "admissible for limited purposes," the appellants argued "the government focused upon them and used them to bootstrap administrative violations into criminal violations."
This argument, they contend, undermines the government's main contention, denying that Ramos and Compean had done anything criminal, even conceding government arguments that Ramos and Compean failed to file oral reports of the shootings.
The appellants wrote:
The government consistently and persistently elicited testimony regarding violations of four Border Patrol policies on Feb. 17, 2005, which violations formed the basis not only of some of the counts, but also formed the platform for the government's opening and closing arguments. This constituted a due process violation because it allowed the government to bootstrap violations of policies into criminal convictions, thereby impermissibly infecting the very purpose for which the trial was being conducted.
The appellants stressed, "From the opening statement onward, every Border Patrol agent who was called by the government was cross examined about one or more of the four policies."
The appellants searched the 10 volumes of the trial testimony and arguments and found the dominant emphasis was placed on alleged violations of these policies:
The word "policy" is used 267 times;
The word "policies" 33 times;
The word "regulation" 34 times;
The word "rules" 74 times;
The word "report" 746 times;
The word "pursuit" 429 times;
The word "high speed" 57 times;
The words "failure to report" 30 times;
The words "duty to report" 13 times;
The words "sector evidence" 83 times;
The word "force" 195 times;
The words "deadly force" 34 times; and
The word "weapon" 289 times.
The appellants' lawyers relied on United States v. Christo, 614 F.2d 486 (5th Cir. 1980), a prosecution for misapplication of bank funds, in which the court held that criminal convictions based upon civil violations constituted plain error.
The result, the appellants' lawyers argued, was to deny Ramos and Compean due process rights to a fair trial.
----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
It has been a fact for awhile now that the government wanted to set an example for other boarder agents that if you actually do your job than you will go to jail. El Presidente Bush should have pardoned these men a LONG time ago and he should have reinstated them with back-pay. These poor men and their families should be compensated personally by Mr. Bush for failing to do his job of looking out for the best interests of the American people, NOT THOSE OF THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL!
Islamic attacks on Savage target advertisers
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58915
Islamic attacks on Savage target advertisers
Talk show trend-setter continues highlighting Muslim agenda
Posted: November 28, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Nationally syndicated radio talk-show host Michael Savage, whose program originates in San Francisco even though the city's board of supervisors condemned his opinions, apparently is remaining largely unaffected by a campaign to put pressure on his advertisers.
And Savage, author of "The Savage Nation" and several other books, now is getting some support in his face-off with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
As WND reported, the founder of CAIR, the leading Islamic lobby group, reportedly told a group of Muslims in California they are in America not to assimilate but to help assert Islam's rule over the country. CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper also has said, in a newspaper interview, he hopes to see an Islamic government over the U.S. some day, brought about not by violence but through "education."
That organization recently issued an announcement that OfficeMax, a leading office products retailer, had joined "a growing list of companies" withdrawing advertising from Savage's program because of his opinions regarding Islam.
Now, the group ACT for America has launched an alert suggesting people call OfficeMax to encourage the company to reverse the decision.
The organization, an issues advocacy group seeking to organize and mobilize grassroots citizen action in promoting America's national security and defense of its democratic values against radical Islam, said in its announcement the voice of grassroots America "is much, much larger than CAIR's."
"Call the OfficeMax office headquarters … and when you get an operator, in a polite but firm manner, tell the operator you have heard about the company's decision to stop advertising on the Michael Savage program because of the pressure from CAIR. Tell them you will no longer shop at OfficeMax until OfficeMax reverses this ill-advised decision," the advisory said.
ACT for America said it also would be launching campaigns targeting other companies that have "caved in" to CAIR.
"If CAIR can succeed in this effort to silence Michael Savage, consider the chilling effect this will have on every talk radio host in America," wrote Brigitte Gabriel in the alert.
CAIR, which pursues such an aggressive campaign it has prompted the organization of Anti-Cair-Net, has criticized Savage for expressing his opinions about Islam, and Muslims.
However, his website this week featured headlines, "Muslim Terrorists using burqas; cross-dressing a favorite trick," and "Muslims burn library shoot police in Paris; press buries true nature of criminals."
Just weeks earlier, Savage came under attack in San Francisco. The board of supervisors there condemned him for "hate speech."
It was the board's second attempt at a resolution to condemn Savage for his criticism of illegal aliens in the U.S.
In August, a single vote by a member whose grandfather emigrated from China seven decades ago halted a similar resolution in its tracks.
The previous vote was 9-1, with third generation San Franciscan Ed Jew turning in the veto vote, after getting up and affirming Savage's First Amendment right to express his opinion.
Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval had introduced the resolution in August to condemn the radio talker. After the vote, he called for the tally to be rescinded and the proposal sent to committee, which essentially is a polite way of letting the issue die.
"For the record, I do not agree with comments allegedly made by Mr. Savage, but the First Amendment gives him the right to make those comments," Jew said.
"This is a dry run against free speech in America by the Islamists and the illegal aliens who are now becoming one and the same," said Savage in August. "It's the same organizational structure. … I am the target of this dry run. They want to see how far they can get in silencing a voice of freedom in the United States of America. They want to see which, if any, governmental agencies will stop them."
"Guess what they learned so far?" he continued. "That not only will no governmental agency stop them in their attempts to kill free speech, they will aid them in their attempts to kill free speech. We have lost our freedoms already.
"Lady Liberty has been hog tied. She is being raped by the illegal aliens. She is being raped by the landlords who are using the illegal aliens. Lady Liberty is there in bindings screaming for us to release her," he said.
One of the nation's top civil rights attorneys offered his assistance to Savage in suing Sandoval. Daniel A. Horowitz of Oakland, Calif., wrote to Savage after Sandoval introduced his resolution.
"You have a strong federal civil rights action that you can file against Supervisor Sandoval and the city of San Francisco," he advised. "You have a constitutional right to state your political opinions and no city official has the right to lie about what you said or to call for a mob to come to your door to threaten you and to try to have you fired."
Horowitz said the Civil Rights Act of 1871, designed to tame the terror of the Ku Klux Klan, can be used as the basis for a federal civil rights action against the official and the city.
Horowitz wrote: "The Klansman in your case is wearing a suit and not a white robe. He is doing his dirty work under the hood of his elected position instead of under the coward's hood of the Klan."
The call for action against Savage came at the same time city supervisors were considering using taxpayer dollars to pay for immigrants' green cards and citizenship.
Sandoval was reacting to Savage's July 5 broadcast, when the talker commented on a group of students who had announced they were fasting in support of changes in immigration policy.
"I would say, let them fast until they starve to death," quipped Savage, "then that solves the problem."
Sandoval's resolution calls Savage's comments "symbolic of hatred and racism."
-----------------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
First off Sandoval should be run out of office - what a weak little man.
Secondly.. he didn't want the kids to starve themselves literally he said it as a parent would tell a children who won't eat their dinner. You'll eat what I give ya or starve. Sort of like.. Quit complaining... you already milk to system why should we give you any more than you already get.
Lastly, Office Max you just lost not only myself but my company as a business owner. I will not buy products from you anymore and will instead support my local Office Depot or Office Solutions. GOOD DAY!
Islamic attacks on Savage target advertisers
Talk show trend-setter continues highlighting Muslim agenda
Posted: November 28, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Nationally syndicated radio talk-show host Michael Savage, whose program originates in San Francisco even though the city's board of supervisors condemned his opinions, apparently is remaining largely unaffected by a campaign to put pressure on his advertisers.
And Savage, author of "The Savage Nation" and several other books, now is getting some support in his face-off with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
As WND reported, the founder of CAIR, the leading Islamic lobby group, reportedly told a group of Muslims in California they are in America not to assimilate but to help assert Islam's rule over the country. CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper also has said, in a newspaper interview, he hopes to see an Islamic government over the U.S. some day, brought about not by violence but through "education."
That organization recently issued an announcement that OfficeMax, a leading office products retailer, had joined "a growing list of companies" withdrawing advertising from Savage's program because of his opinions regarding Islam.
Now, the group ACT for America has launched an alert suggesting people call OfficeMax to encourage the company to reverse the decision.
The organization, an issues advocacy group seeking to organize and mobilize grassroots citizen action in promoting America's national security and defense of its democratic values against radical Islam, said in its announcement the voice of grassroots America "is much, much larger than CAIR's."
"Call the OfficeMax office headquarters … and when you get an operator, in a polite but firm manner, tell the operator you have heard about the company's decision to stop advertising on the Michael Savage program because of the pressure from CAIR. Tell them you will no longer shop at OfficeMax until OfficeMax reverses this ill-advised decision," the advisory said.
ACT for America said it also would be launching campaigns targeting other companies that have "caved in" to CAIR.
"If CAIR can succeed in this effort to silence Michael Savage, consider the chilling effect this will have on every talk radio host in America," wrote Brigitte Gabriel in the alert.
CAIR, which pursues such an aggressive campaign it has prompted the organization of Anti-Cair-Net, has criticized Savage for expressing his opinions about Islam, and Muslims.
However, his website this week featured headlines, "Muslim Terrorists using burqas; cross-dressing a favorite trick," and "Muslims burn library shoot police in Paris; press buries true nature of criminals."
Just weeks earlier, Savage came under attack in San Francisco. The board of supervisors there condemned him for "hate speech."
It was the board's second attempt at a resolution to condemn Savage for his criticism of illegal aliens in the U.S.
In August, a single vote by a member whose grandfather emigrated from China seven decades ago halted a similar resolution in its tracks.
The previous vote was 9-1, with third generation San Franciscan Ed Jew turning in the veto vote, after getting up and affirming Savage's First Amendment right to express his opinion.
Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval had introduced the resolution in August to condemn the radio talker. After the vote, he called for the tally to be rescinded and the proposal sent to committee, which essentially is a polite way of letting the issue die.
"For the record, I do not agree with comments allegedly made by Mr. Savage, but the First Amendment gives him the right to make those comments," Jew said.
"This is a dry run against free speech in America by the Islamists and the illegal aliens who are now becoming one and the same," said Savage in August. "It's the same organizational structure. … I am the target of this dry run. They want to see how far they can get in silencing a voice of freedom in the United States of America. They want to see which, if any, governmental agencies will stop them."
"Guess what they learned so far?" he continued. "That not only will no governmental agency stop them in their attempts to kill free speech, they will aid them in their attempts to kill free speech. We have lost our freedoms already.
"Lady Liberty has been hog tied. She is being raped by the illegal aliens. She is being raped by the landlords who are using the illegal aliens. Lady Liberty is there in bindings screaming for us to release her," he said.
One of the nation's top civil rights attorneys offered his assistance to Savage in suing Sandoval. Daniel A. Horowitz of Oakland, Calif., wrote to Savage after Sandoval introduced his resolution.
"You have a strong federal civil rights action that you can file against Supervisor Sandoval and the city of San Francisco," he advised. "You have a constitutional right to state your political opinions and no city official has the right to lie about what you said or to call for a mob to come to your door to threaten you and to try to have you fired."
Horowitz said the Civil Rights Act of 1871, designed to tame the terror of the Ku Klux Klan, can be used as the basis for a federal civil rights action against the official and the city.
Horowitz wrote: "The Klansman in your case is wearing a suit and not a white robe. He is doing his dirty work under the hood of his elected position instead of under the coward's hood of the Klan."
The call for action against Savage came at the same time city supervisors were considering using taxpayer dollars to pay for immigrants' green cards and citizenship.
Sandoval was reacting to Savage's July 5 broadcast, when the talker commented on a group of students who had announced they were fasting in support of changes in immigration policy.
"I would say, let them fast until they starve to death," quipped Savage, "then that solves the problem."
Sandoval's resolution calls Savage's comments "symbolic of hatred and racism."
-----------------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
First off Sandoval should be run out of office - what a weak little man.
Secondly.. he didn't want the kids to starve themselves literally he said it as a parent would tell a children who won't eat their dinner. You'll eat what I give ya or starve. Sort of like.. Quit complaining... you already milk to system why should we give you any more than you already get.
Lastly, Office Max you just lost not only myself but my company as a business owner. I will not buy products from you anymore and will instead support my local Office Depot or Office Solutions. GOOD DAY!
Feds Cancel Amazon Customer ID Request
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071127/D8T68B4O1.html
Feds Cancel Amazon Customer ID Request
Nov 27, 3:58 PM (ET)
By RYAN J. FOLEY
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Federal prosecutors have withdrawn a subpoena seeking the identities of thousands of people who bought used books through online retailer Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), newly unsealed court records show.
The withdrawal came after a judge ruled the customers have a First Amendment right to keep their reading habits from the government.
"The (subpoena's) chilling effect on expressive e-commerce would frost keyboards across America," U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker wrote in a June ruling.
"Well-founded or not, rumors of an Orwellian federal criminal investigation into the reading habits of Amazon's customers could frighten countless potential customers into canceling planned online book purchases," the judge wrote in a ruling he unsealed last week.
Seattle-based Amazon said in court documents it hopes Crocker's decision will make it more difficult for prosecutors to obtain records involving book purchases. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Vaudreuil said Tuesday he doubted the ruling would hamper legitimate investigations.
Crocker - who unsealed documents detailing the showdown against prosecutors' wishes- said he believed prosecutors were seeking the information for a legitimate purpose. But he said First Amendment concerns were justified and outweighed the subpoena's law enforcement purpose.
"The subpoena is troubling because it permits the government to peek into the reading habits of specific individuals without their knowledge or permission," Crocker wrote. "It is an unsettling and un-American scenario to envision federal agents nosing through the reading lists of law-abiding citizens while hunting for evidence against somebody else."
Federal prosecutors issued the subpoena last year as part of a grand jury investigation into a former Madison official who was a prolific seller of used books on Amazon.com. They were looking for buyers who could be witnesses in the case.
The official, Robert D'Angelo, was indicted last month on fraud, money laundering and tax evasion charges. Prosecutors said he ran a used book business out of his city office and did not report the income. He has pleaded not guilty.
D'Angelo sold books through the Amazon Marketplace feature, and buyers paid Amazon, which took a commission.
"We didn't care about the content of what anybody read. We just wanted to know what these business transactions were," prosecutor Vaudreuil said Tuesday. "These were simply business records we were seeking to prove the case of fraud and tax crimes against Mr. D'Angelo."
The initial subpoena sought records of 24,000 transactions dating back to 1999. The company turned over many records but refused to identify the book buyers, citing their First Amendment right to keep their reading choices private.
Prosecutors later narrowed the subpoena, asking the company to identify a sample of 120 customers.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Graber dismissed First Amendment concerns in an April letter to the company. He said D'Angelo - not Amazon - was the seller and prosecutors needed proof he sold books online.
Crocker brokered a compromise in which the company would send a letter to the 24,000 customers describing the investigation and asking them to voluntarily contact prosecutors if they were interested in testifying.
Prosecutors said they obtained the customer information they needed from one of D'Angelo's computers they seized early in the investigation. Vaudreuil said computer analysts initially failed to recover the information.
Still, Crocker scolded prosecutors in July for not looking for alternatives earlier.
"If the government had been more diligent in looking for workarounds instead of baring its teeth when Amazon balked, it's probable that this entire First Amendment showdown could have been avoided," he wrote.
The company asked Crocker to unseal the records after D'Angelo was indicted last month. Crocker granted the request over the objections of federal prosecutors, who wanted them kept secret.
"Shining some sunlight on the instant dispute reassures the public that someone is watching the watchers, and that this district's federal prosecutors are part of the solution, not part of the problem," he wrote.
Feds Cancel Amazon Customer ID Request
Nov 27, 3:58 PM (ET)
By RYAN J. FOLEY
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Federal prosecutors have withdrawn a subpoena seeking the identities of thousands of people who bought used books through online retailer Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), newly unsealed court records show.
The withdrawal came after a judge ruled the customers have a First Amendment right to keep their reading habits from the government.
"The (subpoena's) chilling effect on expressive e-commerce would frost keyboards across America," U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker wrote in a June ruling.
"Well-founded or not, rumors of an Orwellian federal criminal investigation into the reading habits of Amazon's customers could frighten countless potential customers into canceling planned online book purchases," the judge wrote in a ruling he unsealed last week.
Seattle-based Amazon said in court documents it hopes Crocker's decision will make it more difficult for prosecutors to obtain records involving book purchases. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Vaudreuil said Tuesday he doubted the ruling would hamper legitimate investigations.
Crocker - who unsealed documents detailing the showdown against prosecutors' wishes- said he believed prosecutors were seeking the information for a legitimate purpose. But he said First Amendment concerns were justified and outweighed the subpoena's law enforcement purpose.
"The subpoena is troubling because it permits the government to peek into the reading habits of specific individuals without their knowledge or permission," Crocker wrote. "It is an unsettling and un-American scenario to envision federal agents nosing through the reading lists of law-abiding citizens while hunting for evidence against somebody else."
Federal prosecutors issued the subpoena last year as part of a grand jury investigation into a former Madison official who was a prolific seller of used books on Amazon.com. They were looking for buyers who could be witnesses in the case.
The official, Robert D'Angelo, was indicted last month on fraud, money laundering and tax evasion charges. Prosecutors said he ran a used book business out of his city office and did not report the income. He has pleaded not guilty.
D'Angelo sold books through the Amazon Marketplace feature, and buyers paid Amazon, which took a commission.
"We didn't care about the content of what anybody read. We just wanted to know what these business transactions were," prosecutor Vaudreuil said Tuesday. "These were simply business records we were seeking to prove the case of fraud and tax crimes against Mr. D'Angelo."
The initial subpoena sought records of 24,000 transactions dating back to 1999. The company turned over many records but refused to identify the book buyers, citing their First Amendment right to keep their reading choices private.
Prosecutors later narrowed the subpoena, asking the company to identify a sample of 120 customers.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Graber dismissed First Amendment concerns in an April letter to the company. He said D'Angelo - not Amazon - was the seller and prosecutors needed proof he sold books online.
Crocker brokered a compromise in which the company would send a letter to the 24,000 customers describing the investigation and asking them to voluntarily contact prosecutors if they were interested in testifying.
Prosecutors said they obtained the customer information they needed from one of D'Angelo's computers they seized early in the investigation. Vaudreuil said computer analysts initially failed to recover the information.
Still, Crocker scolded prosecutors in July for not looking for alternatives earlier.
"If the government had been more diligent in looking for workarounds instead of baring its teeth when Amazon balked, it's probable that this entire First Amendment showdown could have been avoided," he wrote.
The company asked Crocker to unseal the records after D'Angelo was indicted last month. Crocker granted the request over the objections of federal prosecutors, who wanted them kept secret.
"Shining some sunlight on the instant dispute reassures the public that someone is watching the watchers, and that this district's federal prosecutors are part of the solution, not part of the problem," he wrote.
Saudi Court to Review Rape Victim Case
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8T68JUO4&show_article=1
Saudi Court to Review Rape Victim Case
Nov 27 05:17 PM US/Eastern
By ABDULLAH SHIHRI
Associated Press Writer Write a Comment
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - A Saudi court will review the case of a teenage gang rape victim sentenced to jail and flogging after she was convicted of violating the country's strict sex segregation laws, the foreign minister said Tuesday. The remarks by Prince Saud al-Faisal, made in the United States and carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, were the latest in response to a salvo of international condemnation of Saudi judicial authorities' handling of the case.
It was also a sharp turn from a statement Saturday in which the Saudi Justice Ministry condemned the 19-year-old woman—raped by seven men and then sentenced to six months prison and 200 lashes—as an adulteress who had allegedly confessed to cheating on her husband.
In the statement, the ministry said the flogging sentence would be carried out and condemned foreign interference. The statement likely sought to ease international outrage over the case by discrediting the woman.
On Tuesday, SPA quoted al-Faisal as saying "the Saudi judiciary will review the case."
But al-Faisal was also on the defensive and maintained the case was being used against Saudi authorities.
"What is outraging about this case is that it is being used against the Saudi government and people," he said, speaking in Annapolis, Md., where he was attending the U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference.
Known only as the "Girl from Qatif," the victim said she was a newlywed who was meeting a high school friend in his car to retrieve a picture of herself from him when the attack occurred in the eastern city of Qatif in 2006.
While she was in the car, two men got into the vehicle and drove them to a secluded area where others waited, and then she and her companion were both raped.
The ministry's account Saturday alleged that the woman and her lover met in his car for a tryst "in a dark place where they stayed for a while."
The girl was initially sentenced to prison and 90 lashes for being alone with a man not related to her. An appeals court then doubled the lashes to 200.
The increase in sentence received heavy coverage in the international media and prompted expressions of astonishment from the U.S. government. Canada called it "barbaric."
Under Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, women are not allowed in public in the company of men other than their male relatives. Also, women in Saudi Arabia are often sentenced to flogging and even death for adultery and other crimes.
The seven men convicted of gang raping the woman were given prison sentences of two to nine years.
The case has sparked rare domestic debate about the Saudi legal system, which gives judges wide discretion in sentencing and where rules of evidence are shaky and sometimes no lawyers are present.
Justice in Saudi Arabia is administered by a system of religious courts and judges appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council. Those courts and judges have complete discretion to set sentences, except in cases where Sharia outlines a punishment, such as capital crimes.
That means that no two judges would likely hand down the same sentence for similar crimes. A rapist, for instance, could receive anywhere from a light or no sentence to death, depending on the judge's discretion.
--------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Be glad I'm not the judge. You boys would have been castrated, beaten and given to a nice cell block roomie named BUBBA who'd have made you his be-atch.... Yup... That'd do!
Saudi Court to Review Rape Victim Case
Nov 27 05:17 PM US/Eastern
By ABDULLAH SHIHRI
Associated Press Writer Write a Comment
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - A Saudi court will review the case of a teenage gang rape victim sentenced to jail and flogging after she was convicted of violating the country's strict sex segregation laws, the foreign minister said Tuesday. The remarks by Prince Saud al-Faisal, made in the United States and carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, were the latest in response to a salvo of international condemnation of Saudi judicial authorities' handling of the case.
It was also a sharp turn from a statement Saturday in which the Saudi Justice Ministry condemned the 19-year-old woman—raped by seven men and then sentenced to six months prison and 200 lashes—as an adulteress who had allegedly confessed to cheating on her husband.
In the statement, the ministry said the flogging sentence would be carried out and condemned foreign interference. The statement likely sought to ease international outrage over the case by discrediting the woman.
On Tuesday, SPA quoted al-Faisal as saying "the Saudi judiciary will review the case."
But al-Faisal was also on the defensive and maintained the case was being used against Saudi authorities.
"What is outraging about this case is that it is being used against the Saudi government and people," he said, speaking in Annapolis, Md., where he was attending the U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference.
Known only as the "Girl from Qatif," the victim said she was a newlywed who was meeting a high school friend in his car to retrieve a picture of herself from him when the attack occurred in the eastern city of Qatif in 2006.
While she was in the car, two men got into the vehicle and drove them to a secluded area where others waited, and then she and her companion were both raped.
The ministry's account Saturday alleged that the woman and her lover met in his car for a tryst "in a dark place where they stayed for a while."
The girl was initially sentenced to prison and 90 lashes for being alone with a man not related to her. An appeals court then doubled the lashes to 200.
The increase in sentence received heavy coverage in the international media and prompted expressions of astonishment from the U.S. government. Canada called it "barbaric."
Under Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, women are not allowed in public in the company of men other than their male relatives. Also, women in Saudi Arabia are often sentenced to flogging and even death for adultery and other crimes.
The seven men convicted of gang raping the woman were given prison sentences of two to nine years.
The case has sparked rare domestic debate about the Saudi legal system, which gives judges wide discretion in sentencing and where rules of evidence are shaky and sometimes no lawyers are present.
Justice in Saudi Arabia is administered by a system of religious courts and judges appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council. Those courts and judges have complete discretion to set sentences, except in cases where Sharia outlines a punishment, such as capital crimes.
That means that no two judges would likely hand down the same sentence for similar crimes. A rapist, for instance, could receive anywhere from a light or no sentence to death, depending on the judge's discretion.
--------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Be glad I'm not the judge. You boys would have been castrated, beaten and given to a nice cell block roomie named BUBBA who'd have made you his be-atch.... Yup... That'd do!
To Muslim girls in U.S., Girl Scouts offer a chance to fit in
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/28/america/28girlscout.php
To Muslim girls in U.S., Girl Scouts offer a chance to fit in
By Neil Macfarquhar Published: November 28, 2007
MINNEAPOLIS: Sometimes when Asma Haidara, a 12-year-old Somali immigrant, wants to shop at Target or ride the Minneapolis light-rail system, she puts her Girl Scout sash over her everyday clothes, which usually include a long skirt worn over pants as well as a swirling head scarf.
She has discovered that the trademark green sash — with its American flag, troop number (3009) and colorful merit badges — reduces the number of glowering looks she draws from people otherwise bothered by her traditional Muslim dress.
"When you say you are a girl scout, they say, 'Oh, my daughter is a girl scout, too,' and then they don't think of you as a person from another planet," said Asma, a slight, serious girl with a bright smile. "They are more comfortable about sitting next to me on the train."
Scattered Muslim communities across the United States are forming Girl Scout troops as a sort of assimilation tool to help girls who often feel alienated from the mainstream culture, and to give Muslims a neighborly aura. Boy Scout troops are organized with the same inspiration, but often the leap for girls is greater because many come from conservative cultures that frown upon their participating in public physical activity.
By teaching girls to roast hot dogs or fix a flat bicycle tire, Farheen Hakeem, one troop leader here, strives to help them escape the perception of many non-Muslims that they are different.
Scouting is a way of celebrating being American without being any less Muslim, Hakeem said.
"I don't want them to see themselves as Muslim girls doing this 'Look at us, we are trying to be American,' " she said. "No, no, no, they are American. It is not an issue of trying."
The exact number of Muslim girl scouts is unknown, especially since, organizers say, most Muslim scouts belong to predominantly non-Muslim troops. Minneapolis is something of an exception, because a few years ago the Girl Scout Council here surveyed its shrinking enrollment and established special outreach coordinators for various minorities. Some 280 Muslim girls have joined about 10 predominantly Muslim troops here, said Hodan Farah, who until September was the Scout coordinator for the Islamic community.
Nationally, the Boy Scouts of America count about 1,500 youths in 100 clubs of either Boy Scouts or Cub Scouts sponsored by Islamic organizations, said Gregg Shields, a spokesman for the organization.
The Girl Scouts' national organization, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., has become flexible in recent years about the old trappings associated with suburban, white, middle-class Christian scouting. Many troops have done away with traditions like saying grace before dinner at camp, and even the Girl Scout Promise can be retooled as needed.
"On my honor I will try to serve Allah and my country, to help people and live by the Girl Scout law," eight girls from predominantly Muslim Troop 3119 in Minneapolis recited on one recent rainy Sunday before setting off for a cookout in a local park.
Some differences were readily apparent, of course. At the cookout, Hakeem, a former Green Party candidate for mayor, negotiated briefly with one sixth grader, Asha Gardaad, who was fasting for the holy month of Ramadan.
"If you break your fast, will your mother get mad at me?" Hakeem asked. Asha shook her head emphatically no.
The troop leader distributed supplies: hot dogs followed by s'mores for dessert. All was halal — that is, in adherence with the dietary requirements of Islamic law — with the hot dogs made of beef rather than pork.
It was Asha's first s'more. "It's delicious!" she exclaimed, licking sticky goop off her fingers as thunder crashed outside the park shelter with its roaring fire. "It's a good way to break my fast!"
Women trying to organize Girl Scout troops in Muslim communities often face resistance from parents, particularly immigrants from an Islamic culture like that of Somalia, where tradition dictates that girls do housework after school.
In Nashville, where Ellisha King of Catholic Charities helps run a Girl Scout troop on a shoestring to assist Somali children with acculturation, most parents vetoed a camping trip, for example. They figured years spent as refugees in tents was enough camping, King recalled.
But a more common concern among parents is that the Girl Scouts will somehow dilute Islamic traditions.
"They are afraid you are going to become a blue-eyed, blond-haired Barbie doll," said Asma, the girl who at times makes her sash everyday attire. Asma noted that her mother had asked whether she was joining some Christian cabal. "She was afraid that if we hang out with Americans too much," the young immigrant said, "it will change our culture or who we are."
Troop leaders win over parents by explaining that various activities incorporate Muslim traditions. In Minneapolis, for instance, Hakeem helped develop the Khadija Club, named for the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad, which exposes older girls to the history of prominent Muslim women.
Suboohi Khan, 10, won her Bismallah (in the name of God) ribbon by writing 4 of God's 99 names in Arabic calligraphy and decorating them, as well as memorizing the Koran's last verse, used for protection against gossips and goblins. Otherwise, she said, her favorite badge involved learning "how to make body glitter and to see which colors look good on us" and "how to clean up our nails."
Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. does not issue religious badges, but endorses those established by independent groups. Gulafshan K. Alavi started one such group, the Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting, in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1990. The demand for information about Muslim badges, Alavi said, has grown to the point where this year she had the pamphlet listing her club's requirements printed rather than sending out a photocopied flier. She also shipped up to 400 patches awarded to girls who study Ramadan traditions, she said, the most ever.
Predominantly Muslim troops do accept non-Muslim members. In Minneapolis, Alexis Eastlund, 10, said other friends sometimes pestered her about belonging to a mostly Muslim troop, although she has known many of its members half her life.
"I never really thought of them as different," Alexis said. "But other girls think that it is weird that I am Christian and hang out with a bunch of Muslim girls. I explain to them that they are the same except they have to wear a hijab on their heads."
Farah, who served as an outreach coordinator in Minneapolis and remains active in the Scouts, said she used the organization as a platform to try to ease tensions in the community. Scraps between African-American and Somali girls prompted her to start a research project demonstrating to them that their ancestors all came from roughly the same place.
Hakeem, the troop leader, said she tried to find projects to improve the girls' self-esteem, like going through the Eddie Bauer catalog to cut out long skirts and other items that adhere to Islamic dress codes.
All in all, scouting gives the girls a rare sense of belonging, troop leaders and members say.
"It is kind of cool to say that you are a girl scout," Asma said. "It is good to have something to associate yourself with other Americans. I don't want people to think that I am a hermit, that I live in a cave, isolated and afraid of change. I like to be part of society. I like being able to say that I am a girl scout just like any other normal girl."
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
I think this is a great thing. The only thing that worries me is that The GIr and Boy scouts are both Christain groups and that they are selling out to fill in the membership ranks. However, this story is very inspiring that these little girls will grow up loving and protective of this country.
However this quote:
"She was afraid that if we hang out with Americans too much," the young immigrant said, "it will change our culture or who we are."
Is disturbing... What exactly would be wrong if she hung out with Americans too much? THIS IS AFTERALL AMERICA! AND IT IS WE WHO ARE AFRAID YOU ARE CHANGING OUR CULTURE. This is the mindset that will not accept change or completely allow tese girls to really understand what it means to be an AMERICAN first and MUSLIM second.
To Muslim girls in U.S., Girl Scouts offer a chance to fit in
By Neil Macfarquhar Published: November 28, 2007
MINNEAPOLIS: Sometimes when Asma Haidara, a 12-year-old Somali immigrant, wants to shop at Target or ride the Minneapolis light-rail system, she puts her Girl Scout sash over her everyday clothes, which usually include a long skirt worn over pants as well as a swirling head scarf.
She has discovered that the trademark green sash — with its American flag, troop number (3009) and colorful merit badges — reduces the number of glowering looks she draws from people otherwise bothered by her traditional Muslim dress.
"When you say you are a girl scout, they say, 'Oh, my daughter is a girl scout, too,' and then they don't think of you as a person from another planet," said Asma, a slight, serious girl with a bright smile. "They are more comfortable about sitting next to me on the train."
Scattered Muslim communities across the United States are forming Girl Scout troops as a sort of assimilation tool to help girls who often feel alienated from the mainstream culture, and to give Muslims a neighborly aura. Boy Scout troops are organized with the same inspiration, but often the leap for girls is greater because many come from conservative cultures that frown upon their participating in public physical activity.
By teaching girls to roast hot dogs or fix a flat bicycle tire, Farheen Hakeem, one troop leader here, strives to help them escape the perception of many non-Muslims that they are different.
Scouting is a way of celebrating being American without being any less Muslim, Hakeem said.
"I don't want them to see themselves as Muslim girls doing this 'Look at us, we are trying to be American,' " she said. "No, no, no, they are American. It is not an issue of trying."
The exact number of Muslim girl scouts is unknown, especially since, organizers say, most Muslim scouts belong to predominantly non-Muslim troops. Minneapolis is something of an exception, because a few years ago the Girl Scout Council here surveyed its shrinking enrollment and established special outreach coordinators for various minorities. Some 280 Muslim girls have joined about 10 predominantly Muslim troops here, said Hodan Farah, who until September was the Scout coordinator for the Islamic community.
Nationally, the Boy Scouts of America count about 1,500 youths in 100 clubs of either Boy Scouts or Cub Scouts sponsored by Islamic organizations, said Gregg Shields, a spokesman for the organization.
The Girl Scouts' national organization, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., has become flexible in recent years about the old trappings associated with suburban, white, middle-class Christian scouting. Many troops have done away with traditions like saying grace before dinner at camp, and even the Girl Scout Promise can be retooled as needed.
"On my honor I will try to serve Allah and my country, to help people and live by the Girl Scout law," eight girls from predominantly Muslim Troop 3119 in Minneapolis recited on one recent rainy Sunday before setting off for a cookout in a local park.
Some differences were readily apparent, of course. At the cookout, Hakeem, a former Green Party candidate for mayor, negotiated briefly with one sixth grader, Asha Gardaad, who was fasting for the holy month of Ramadan.
"If you break your fast, will your mother get mad at me?" Hakeem asked. Asha shook her head emphatically no.
The troop leader distributed supplies: hot dogs followed by s'mores for dessert. All was halal — that is, in adherence with the dietary requirements of Islamic law — with the hot dogs made of beef rather than pork.
It was Asha's first s'more. "It's delicious!" she exclaimed, licking sticky goop off her fingers as thunder crashed outside the park shelter with its roaring fire. "It's a good way to break my fast!"
Women trying to organize Girl Scout troops in Muslim communities often face resistance from parents, particularly immigrants from an Islamic culture like that of Somalia, where tradition dictates that girls do housework after school.
In Nashville, where Ellisha King of Catholic Charities helps run a Girl Scout troop on a shoestring to assist Somali children with acculturation, most parents vetoed a camping trip, for example. They figured years spent as refugees in tents was enough camping, King recalled.
But a more common concern among parents is that the Girl Scouts will somehow dilute Islamic traditions.
"They are afraid you are going to become a blue-eyed, blond-haired Barbie doll," said Asma, the girl who at times makes her sash everyday attire. Asma noted that her mother had asked whether she was joining some Christian cabal. "She was afraid that if we hang out with Americans too much," the young immigrant said, "it will change our culture or who we are."
Troop leaders win over parents by explaining that various activities incorporate Muslim traditions. In Minneapolis, for instance, Hakeem helped develop the Khadija Club, named for the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad, which exposes older girls to the history of prominent Muslim women.
Suboohi Khan, 10, won her Bismallah (in the name of God) ribbon by writing 4 of God's 99 names in Arabic calligraphy and decorating them, as well as memorizing the Koran's last verse, used for protection against gossips and goblins. Otherwise, she said, her favorite badge involved learning "how to make body glitter and to see which colors look good on us" and "how to clean up our nails."
Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. does not issue religious badges, but endorses those established by independent groups. Gulafshan K. Alavi started one such group, the Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting, in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1990. The demand for information about Muslim badges, Alavi said, has grown to the point where this year she had the pamphlet listing her club's requirements printed rather than sending out a photocopied flier. She also shipped up to 400 patches awarded to girls who study Ramadan traditions, she said, the most ever.
Predominantly Muslim troops do accept non-Muslim members. In Minneapolis, Alexis Eastlund, 10, said other friends sometimes pestered her about belonging to a mostly Muslim troop, although she has known many of its members half her life.
"I never really thought of them as different," Alexis said. "But other girls think that it is weird that I am Christian and hang out with a bunch of Muslim girls. I explain to them that they are the same except they have to wear a hijab on their heads."
Farah, who served as an outreach coordinator in Minneapolis and remains active in the Scouts, said she used the organization as a platform to try to ease tensions in the community. Scraps between African-American and Somali girls prompted her to start a research project demonstrating to them that their ancestors all came from roughly the same place.
Hakeem, the troop leader, said she tried to find projects to improve the girls' self-esteem, like going through the Eddie Bauer catalog to cut out long skirts and other items that adhere to Islamic dress codes.
All in all, scouting gives the girls a rare sense of belonging, troop leaders and members say.
"It is kind of cool to say that you are a girl scout," Asma said. "It is good to have something to associate yourself with other Americans. I don't want people to think that I am a hermit, that I live in a cave, isolated and afraid of change. I like to be part of society. I like being able to say that I am a girl scout just like any other normal girl."
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
I think this is a great thing. The only thing that worries me is that The GIr and Boy scouts are both Christain groups and that they are selling out to fill in the membership ranks. However, this story is very inspiring that these little girls will grow up loving and protective of this country.
However this quote:
"She was afraid that if we hang out with Americans too much," the young immigrant said, "it will change our culture or who we are."
Is disturbing... What exactly would be wrong if she hung out with Americans too much? THIS IS AFTERALL AMERICA! AND IT IS WE WHO ARE AFRAID YOU ARE CHANGING OUR CULTURE. This is the mindset that will not accept change or completely allow tese girls to really understand what it means to be an AMERICAN first and MUSLIM second.
Dutch lawmaker planning film criticizing the Quran
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/28/europe/EU-GEN-Netherlands-Anti-Quran-Film.php#end_main
Dutch lawmaker planning film criticizing the Quran
The Associated PressPublished: November 28, 2007
THE HAGUE, Netherlands: A Dutch conservative lawmaker said Wednesday he is making a film to highlight what he describes as "fascist" passages in the Quran, his latest high profile criticism of Islam.
The interior and justice ministers said they were concerned, but believed they had no authority to prevent the lawmaker, Geert Wilders, from screening his film.
Wilders plans to depict parts of the Quran he says are used as inspiration "by bad people to do bad things."
Less than 10 minutes long, the film is expected to air in late January. It will show "the intolerant and fascist character of the Quran," said Wilders, whose anti-Islam campaign helped his Freedom Party win nine seats in parliament in last year's election.
In the past, Wilders has said that half the Quran should be torn up and compared it with Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf." He has claimed the Netherlands is being swamped by a "tsunami" of Islamic immigrants.
Immigrants from Muslim countries number about 1 million of the country's 16 million people.
Wilders' planned broadcast is reminiscent of the film "Submission" — a fictional study of abused Muslim women with scenes of near-naked women with Quranic texts engraved on their flesh.
"Submission" director Theo van Gogh was shot and had his throat slit by a Muslim extremist on an Amsterdam street in 2004. Prominent Muslim critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who wrote the screenplay, was threatened in a note left on Van Gogh's body. She now lives under round-the-clock protection in the United States.
Justice Ministry spokesman Wim van der Weegen said the government is "taking measures" before the broadcast of Wilders' film. He declined to elaborate.
"Based on the discussion, the ministers have expressed concern," Van der Weegen said. "But at the same time (they) have said that Mr. Wilders has freedom of expression."
Wilders said he is not afraid of reprisals if his film angers Muslims. "I have lived with 24-hour protection for three years," he said.
"I will make the film and see what reaction it creates."
Dutch Muslim leaders did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
The truth will always come out, and sometimes the more yuo try to silence it the louder the truth speaks.
Dutch lawmaker planning film criticizing the Quran
The Associated PressPublished: November 28, 2007
THE HAGUE, Netherlands: A Dutch conservative lawmaker said Wednesday he is making a film to highlight what he describes as "fascist" passages in the Quran, his latest high profile criticism of Islam.
The interior and justice ministers said they were concerned, but believed they had no authority to prevent the lawmaker, Geert Wilders, from screening his film.
Wilders plans to depict parts of the Quran he says are used as inspiration "by bad people to do bad things."
Less than 10 minutes long, the film is expected to air in late January. It will show "the intolerant and fascist character of the Quran," said Wilders, whose anti-Islam campaign helped his Freedom Party win nine seats in parliament in last year's election.
In the past, Wilders has said that half the Quran should be torn up and compared it with Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf." He has claimed the Netherlands is being swamped by a "tsunami" of Islamic immigrants.
Immigrants from Muslim countries number about 1 million of the country's 16 million people.
Wilders' planned broadcast is reminiscent of the film "Submission" — a fictional study of abused Muslim women with scenes of near-naked women with Quranic texts engraved on their flesh.
"Submission" director Theo van Gogh was shot and had his throat slit by a Muslim extremist on an Amsterdam street in 2004. Prominent Muslim critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who wrote the screenplay, was threatened in a note left on Van Gogh's body. She now lives under round-the-clock protection in the United States.
Justice Ministry spokesman Wim van der Weegen said the government is "taking measures" before the broadcast of Wilders' film. He declined to elaborate.
"Based on the discussion, the ministers have expressed concern," Van der Weegen said. "But at the same time (they) have said that Mr. Wilders has freedom of expression."
Wilders said he is not afraid of reprisals if his film angers Muslims. "I have lived with 24-hour protection for three years," he said.
"I will make the film and see what reaction it creates."
Dutch Muslim leaders did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
The truth will always come out, and sometimes the more yuo try to silence it the louder the truth speaks.
Cross-dressing day sparks school exodus
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58914
Cross-dressing day sparks school exodus
Parents pull students from district, citing conflicts with biblical rules
Posted: November 28, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A public school's "gender-bender" cross-dressing event, where boys were supposed to dress as girls and girls as boys, has prompted at least dozens, perhaps hundreds, of students to flee the tax-supported institutions in Iowa.
Many of the parents apparently are members of the Christ Apostolic Temple in Des Moines, which teaches a biblically based doctrine of rejecting the world's values.
"Christ Apostolic Temple Inc. Fellowship ... is a Bible-based organization that believes one must 'come out from among them and be ye separate.' (2 Cor. 6:14-17)," the organization's website says.
The Des Moines schools are celebrating a centenary, but have lost students this year because of one school's promotion of cross-dressing
That apparently includes cross-dressing, an event which has found sponsorship in other arenas from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which has promoted a school lesson plan for teaching boys and girls to cross-dress.
State officials in Des Moines confirmed to WND that at least 80 children whose parents were alarmed by the "Gender-Bender Day" during homecoming week at the city's East High School have moved their children from the various districts in the area into homeschooling plans. Several parents told WND that the number could be in the hundreds.
One parent, writing on a blog shortly after the cross-dressing promotion, hardly could contain the outrage.
In bold red type, the parent wrote, "TUESDAY AT ONE OF OUR LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS THEY HAD WHAT IS CALLED 'GENDER BENDER DAY!' IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT THAT IS THEN LET ME EDUCATE YOU REAL QUICK … IT IS WHERE THE BOYS DRESS LIKE GIRLS AND VICE VERSA!!"
The author continued, "THIS WAS ALLOWED AND CARRIED OUT AT OUR SCHOOLS!!! … I IMMEDIATELY PULLED MY CHILD OUT OF THE DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOL! WE ARE NOW HOMESCHOOLING ALONG WITH SEVERAL HUNDRED OTHER PARENTS!"
"I AM GETTING MAD WHILE I TYPE THIS … SO I NEED TO SHUT IT DOWN…"
Barb Heki is a board member for the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators, and was ecstatic about the parental response.
"I'm just praising God there is a church with so many families that would take a biblical stand and decide that we're not going to put our children under anti-Christian indoctrination any longer. That's refreshing and encouraging," she told WND.
A mother whose children were taken out of the public schools because of the cross-dressing promotion didn't want to be identified, but told WND she knows of probably 200 families who filled out state-required paperwork to withdraw their children from public schools.
"What it is is we're following the Bible," she told WND. "There was a situation that took place, which was the gender bender day. Our children were to participate in the cross-dressing. When they refused they were told they would get a bad grade..."
"The situation came out, and everybody was disgusted," she said. "Well, we're not doing it. All we did was pulled our kids out. Nothing more to be said or done."
Officials with Christ Apostolic Temple, which describes itself as an apostolic holiness fellowship, couldn't be reached for comment. But parents who talked to WND said it was a move of parents, nothing mandated or organized by the church.
An advertisement in the Des Moines newspaper said the event was part of the theme days for the school's homecoming events. "Tuesday, dress in clothing of the opposite sex for Gender Bender Day," were the instructions. Other days were "Movie Theme Day," and "Spirit Day."
Phil Roeder, a spokesman for the Des Moines schools, told WND that the event was nothing unusual.
"There were a couple of calls at the office at the school from parents that were concerned," he told WND. But he said the district itself had not seen any unusual activity regarding homeschooling.
"Let's just say the numbers you are hearing are greatly exaggerated," Roeder told WND. "Events like this at a high school are part of homecoming week activities and certainly are not mandated events. They're voluntary activities that the students put on.
"Now if the parents had any indication that their students were coerced or bullied then that's another matter. They've not brought that to my knowledge," he said.
State officials said the list of 80 students they had reviewed included students from virtually all grades and dozens of schools in several districts, making it unlikely a single district would have a large number of students affected.
East High recently was the chosen location when Iowa Lt. Gov. Patti Judge announced a new state award highlighting increased diversity in the state.
"The "One Iowa Award" recognizes those who are working to create a "unified Iowa."
Judge said making that a reality takes input from Iowans "regardless of their race, age, gender, nationality or sexual orientation." The announcement had been staged to include East High students talking about the importance of diversity.
State law in Iowa also provides parents a tax credit for some costs of students attending "accredited" schools, but does not allow homeschooling parents the same benefit.
State Education Department officials said they had provided information to the church members about their rights and responsibilities should they choose to start a private school, or pursue homeschooling options.
"Let us see what the word of God says about the matter…" wrote the parent blogger. "Deut. 22:5. The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God."
The Pacific Justice Institute reports that in a prior school year, a California school dealt with the same issue.
Officials at Adams Middle School in the Bay Area had announced a "gender switch" day.
"The mother of a seventh-grade student … was alarmed when she heard that on the last day of the school's 'Spirit Week,' students were being encouraged to dress like the opposite sex. Perhaps even more disturbingly, parents were given virtually no advance notice from the school and found out about the event after flyers were posted throughout the campus," PJI reported.
"The parent contacted Pacific Justice Institute on Monday, which advised her on enlisting other parents' support and communicating with the school. PJI also began laying the groundwork to hold the school accountable… In a 180-degree turnaround, the flyers posted about the gender switch day had disappeared by Tuesday morning, and the school confirmed the event had been canceled."
The principal, Adam Clark, had said he wanted to encourage students to be "free thinkers," but the "overall message wasn't coming across clear."
"We commend the parents in this school who said, 'Enough is enough' and challenged the administration to re-think its position," Brad Dacus, president of PJI, said at the time. "No student should be made to feel uncomfortable at school simply because he doesn't want to cross-dress."
-------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Students should never feel pressured to participate in any activity where they feel uncomfortable, and the parents should have been sent home a letter about the school spirit week. Normally I had no qualms about this type of stuff and think of it as just fun, but that fact that this one day was supported and created by the Gay and Lesibian alliance worries me greatly. Again the rights of the few outweigh the rights of the many.
Cross-dressing day sparks school exodus
Parents pull students from district, citing conflicts with biblical rules
Posted: November 28, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A public school's "gender-bender" cross-dressing event, where boys were supposed to dress as girls and girls as boys, has prompted at least dozens, perhaps hundreds, of students to flee the tax-supported institutions in Iowa.
Many of the parents apparently are members of the Christ Apostolic Temple in Des Moines, which teaches a biblically based doctrine of rejecting the world's values.
"Christ Apostolic Temple Inc. Fellowship ... is a Bible-based organization that believes one must 'come out from among them and be ye separate.' (2 Cor. 6:14-17)," the organization's website says.
The Des Moines schools are celebrating a centenary, but have lost students this year because of one school's promotion of cross-dressing
That apparently includes cross-dressing, an event which has found sponsorship in other arenas from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which has promoted a school lesson plan for teaching boys and girls to cross-dress.
State officials in Des Moines confirmed to WND that at least 80 children whose parents were alarmed by the "Gender-Bender Day" during homecoming week at the city's East High School have moved their children from the various districts in the area into homeschooling plans. Several parents told WND that the number could be in the hundreds.
One parent, writing on a blog shortly after the cross-dressing promotion, hardly could contain the outrage.
In bold red type, the parent wrote, "TUESDAY AT ONE OF OUR LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS THEY HAD WHAT IS CALLED 'GENDER BENDER DAY!' IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT THAT IS THEN LET ME EDUCATE YOU REAL QUICK … IT IS WHERE THE BOYS DRESS LIKE GIRLS AND VICE VERSA!!"
The author continued, "THIS WAS ALLOWED AND CARRIED OUT AT OUR SCHOOLS!!! … I IMMEDIATELY PULLED MY CHILD OUT OF THE DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOL! WE ARE NOW HOMESCHOOLING ALONG WITH SEVERAL HUNDRED OTHER PARENTS!"
"I AM GETTING MAD WHILE I TYPE THIS … SO I NEED TO SHUT IT DOWN…"
Barb Heki is a board member for the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators, and was ecstatic about the parental response.
"I'm just praising God there is a church with so many families that would take a biblical stand and decide that we're not going to put our children under anti-Christian indoctrination any longer. That's refreshing and encouraging," she told WND.
A mother whose children were taken out of the public schools because of the cross-dressing promotion didn't want to be identified, but told WND she knows of probably 200 families who filled out state-required paperwork to withdraw their children from public schools.
"What it is is we're following the Bible," she told WND. "There was a situation that took place, which was the gender bender day. Our children were to participate in the cross-dressing. When they refused they were told they would get a bad grade..."
"The situation came out, and everybody was disgusted," she said. "Well, we're not doing it. All we did was pulled our kids out. Nothing more to be said or done."
Officials with Christ Apostolic Temple, which describes itself as an apostolic holiness fellowship, couldn't be reached for comment. But parents who talked to WND said it was a move of parents, nothing mandated or organized by the church.
An advertisement in the Des Moines newspaper said the event was part of the theme days for the school's homecoming events. "Tuesday, dress in clothing of the opposite sex for Gender Bender Day," were the instructions. Other days were "Movie Theme Day," and "Spirit Day."
Phil Roeder, a spokesman for the Des Moines schools, told WND that the event was nothing unusual.
"There were a couple of calls at the office at the school from parents that were concerned," he told WND. But he said the district itself had not seen any unusual activity regarding homeschooling.
"Let's just say the numbers you are hearing are greatly exaggerated," Roeder told WND. "Events like this at a high school are part of homecoming week activities and certainly are not mandated events. They're voluntary activities that the students put on.
"Now if the parents had any indication that their students were coerced or bullied then that's another matter. They've not brought that to my knowledge," he said.
State officials said the list of 80 students they had reviewed included students from virtually all grades and dozens of schools in several districts, making it unlikely a single district would have a large number of students affected.
East High recently was the chosen location when Iowa Lt. Gov. Patti Judge announced a new state award highlighting increased diversity in the state.
"The "One Iowa Award" recognizes those who are working to create a "unified Iowa."
Judge said making that a reality takes input from Iowans "regardless of their race, age, gender, nationality or sexual orientation." The announcement had been staged to include East High students talking about the importance of diversity.
State law in Iowa also provides parents a tax credit for some costs of students attending "accredited" schools, but does not allow homeschooling parents the same benefit.
State Education Department officials said they had provided information to the church members about their rights and responsibilities should they choose to start a private school, or pursue homeschooling options.
"Let us see what the word of God says about the matter…" wrote the parent blogger. "Deut. 22:5. The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God."
The Pacific Justice Institute reports that in a prior school year, a California school dealt with the same issue.
Officials at Adams Middle School in the Bay Area had announced a "gender switch" day.
"The mother of a seventh-grade student … was alarmed when she heard that on the last day of the school's 'Spirit Week,' students were being encouraged to dress like the opposite sex. Perhaps even more disturbingly, parents were given virtually no advance notice from the school and found out about the event after flyers were posted throughout the campus," PJI reported.
"The parent contacted Pacific Justice Institute on Monday, which advised her on enlisting other parents' support and communicating with the school. PJI also began laying the groundwork to hold the school accountable… In a 180-degree turnaround, the flyers posted about the gender switch day had disappeared by Tuesday morning, and the school confirmed the event had been canceled."
The principal, Adam Clark, had said he wanted to encourage students to be "free thinkers," but the "overall message wasn't coming across clear."
"We commend the parents in this school who said, 'Enough is enough' and challenged the administration to re-think its position," Brad Dacus, president of PJI, said at the time. "No student should be made to feel uncomfortable at school simply because he doesn't want to cross-dress."
-------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Students should never feel pressured to participate in any activity where they feel uncomfortable, and the parents should have been sent home a letter about the school spirit week. Normally I had no qualms about this type of stuff and think of it as just fun, but that fact that this one day was supported and created by the Gay and Lesibian alliance worries me greatly. Again the rights of the few outweigh the rights of the many.
Student defends Briton jailed over teddy bear
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2756248720071127?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true
Student defends Briton jailed over teddy bear
By Opheera McDoom
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A 7-year-old Sudanese student on Tuesday defended the British teacher accused of insulting Islam saying he had chosen to call a teddy bear Mohammad because it was his own name.
Gillian Gibbons, a 54-year-old teacher at the Unity High School in Khartoum, was arrested on Sunday after complaints from parents that she had insulted Islam's Prophet by allowing the bear to be named Mohammad. She is facing a third night in jail without being formally charged.
"The teacher asked me what I wanted to call the teddy," the boy said shyly, his voice barely rising above a whisper. "I said Mohammad. I named it after my name," he added.
Sitting in his garden wearing shorts, his family, who did not want their full names used, urged him to describe what had happened.
He said he was not thinking of Islam's Prophet when asked to suggest a name, adding most of the class agreed with his choice.
In a writing exercise students were asked to keep a diary of what they did with the teddy bear. "Some people took the teddy home and took it places with them ... like the swimming pool," the child said.
Mohammad said Gibbons was "very nice" and he would be upset if she never came back to teach. He added Gibbons had not discussed religion nor did she mention the Prophet.
"We studied maths and English and spelling," he said, rubbing his mop of short, curly hair.
FORMAL CHARGES
Justice Minister Mohamed Ali al-Mardi told Reuters formal charges would be leveled once investigations had been completed.
"(The charges) are under the Sudanese penal code ... insulting religion and provoking the feelings of Muslims," he said.
"These are preliminary -- after investigation the final charges will be ascertained," he added.
If charged and convicted of insulting Islam, Gibbons could be sentenced to 40 lashes, six months in prison or a fine, lawyers said.
Teaching colleagues and officials from the British embassy brought food for Gibbons but were not allowed to visit her.
Mohammad's family said they got most of their information from the papers after the school was closed early on Monday.
"I'm annoyed ... that this has escalated in this way," his mother said. "If it happened as Mohammad said there is no problem here - it was not intended."
His uncle said little Mohammad was a good Muslim and was already praying five times a day. "We want to also hear her side of the story," he added.
Unity director Robert Boulos had said the school would be closed until January because he was afraid of reprisals in mainly Muslim Khartoum.
In 2005 a Sudanese paper was closed for three months and its editor arrested for reprinting articles questioning the roots of the Prophet Mohammad, a move which prompted angry protests.
Al-Wifaq editor Mohamed Taha was later abducted from his home by armed men and beheaded.
(Additional reporting by Andrew Heavens, editing by Mary Gabriel)
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
You just gotta love these peaceful Muslims. The Sudanese people who blow everything out of proportion and clammer for blood of this innocent woman need to realise that one day it might be them one day who stands innocent against a blood-thirsty mob and wonder who will be there to help.
Student defends Briton jailed over teddy bear
By Opheera McDoom
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A 7-year-old Sudanese student on Tuesday defended the British teacher accused of insulting Islam saying he had chosen to call a teddy bear Mohammad because it was his own name.
Gillian Gibbons, a 54-year-old teacher at the Unity High School in Khartoum, was arrested on Sunday after complaints from parents that she had insulted Islam's Prophet by allowing the bear to be named Mohammad. She is facing a third night in jail without being formally charged.
"The teacher asked me what I wanted to call the teddy," the boy said shyly, his voice barely rising above a whisper. "I said Mohammad. I named it after my name," he added.
Sitting in his garden wearing shorts, his family, who did not want their full names used, urged him to describe what had happened.
He said he was not thinking of Islam's Prophet when asked to suggest a name, adding most of the class agreed with his choice.
In a writing exercise students were asked to keep a diary of what they did with the teddy bear. "Some people took the teddy home and took it places with them ... like the swimming pool," the child said.
Mohammad said Gibbons was "very nice" and he would be upset if she never came back to teach. He added Gibbons had not discussed religion nor did she mention the Prophet.
"We studied maths and English and spelling," he said, rubbing his mop of short, curly hair.
FORMAL CHARGES
Justice Minister Mohamed Ali al-Mardi told Reuters formal charges would be leveled once investigations had been completed.
"(The charges) are under the Sudanese penal code ... insulting religion and provoking the feelings of Muslims," he said.
"These are preliminary -- after investigation the final charges will be ascertained," he added.
If charged and convicted of insulting Islam, Gibbons could be sentenced to 40 lashes, six months in prison or a fine, lawyers said.
Teaching colleagues and officials from the British embassy brought food for Gibbons but were not allowed to visit her.
Mohammad's family said they got most of their information from the papers after the school was closed early on Monday.
"I'm annoyed ... that this has escalated in this way," his mother said. "If it happened as Mohammad said there is no problem here - it was not intended."
His uncle said little Mohammad was a good Muslim and was already praying five times a day. "We want to also hear her side of the story," he added.
Unity director Robert Boulos had said the school would be closed until January because he was afraid of reprisals in mainly Muslim Khartoum.
In 2005 a Sudanese paper was closed for three months and its editor arrested for reprinting articles questioning the roots of the Prophet Mohammad, a move which prompted angry protests.
Al-Wifaq editor Mohamed Taha was later abducted from his home by armed men and beheaded.
(Additional reporting by Andrew Heavens, editing by Mary Gabriel)
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
You just gotta love these peaceful Muslims. The Sudanese people who blow everything out of proportion and clammer for blood of this innocent woman need to realise that one day it might be them one day who stands innocent against a blood-thirsty mob and wonder who will be there to help.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Flawed report on how Illegal immigrants not U.S. health care burden
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2640739320071126?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=22&sp=true
Illegal immigrants not U.S. health care burden: study
Mon Nov 26, 2007 4:38pm EST Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page |
powered by Sphere
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illegal Latino immigrants do not cause a drag on the U.S. health care system as some critics have contended and in fact get less care than Latinos in the country legally, researchers said on Monday.
Such immigrants tend not to have a regular doctor or other health-care provider yet do not visit emergency rooms -- often a last resort in such cases -- with any more frequency than Latinos born in the United States, according to the report from the University of California's School of Public Health.
The finding from Alexander Ortega and colleagues at the school was based on a 2003 telephone survey of thousands of California residents, including 1,317 undocumented Mexicans, 2,851 citizens with Mexican immigrant parents, 271 undocumented Latinos from countries other than Mexico and 852 non-Mexican Latinos born in the United States.
About 8.4 million of the 10.3 million illegal aliens in the United States are Latino, of which 5.9 million are from Mexico, the report said.
"One recurrent theme in the debate over immigration has been the use of public services, including health care," Ortega's team wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
"Proponents of restrictive policies have argued that immigrants overuse services, placing an unreasonable burden on the public. Despite a scarcity of well-designed research ... use of resources continues to be a part of the public debate," they said.
The researchers said illegal Mexican immigrants had 1.6 fewer visits to doctors over the course of a year than people born in the country to Mexican immigrants. Other undocumented Latinos had 2.1 fewer physician visits than their U.S.-born counterparts, they said.
"Low rates of use of health-care services by Mexican immigrants and similar trends among other Latinos do not support public concern about immigrants' overuse of the health care system," the researchers wrote.
"Undocumented individuals demonstrate less use of health care than U.S.-born citizens and have more negative experiences with the health care that they have received," they said.
(Reporting by Michael Conlon; Editing by Maggie Fox and Bill Trott)
---------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Okay say you are an ILLEGAL (which hey we're on the phone and I'm REALLY gonna tell you my legal status if I'm ILLEGAL), and I have a kid (who would then be an AMERICAN CITIZEN). If I were to take that child to the doctor they wouldn't view the visit as an Illegal at the E.R. it would be a U.S. citizen. COUNTLESS report have shown the correlation between the flood of illegals, their children, and the decline and bankruptcy of our health care system. THIS SUPPOSED REPORT IS FLAWED and not only that INTENTIONALLY MISLEADING.
Illegal immigrants not U.S. health care burden: study
Mon Nov 26, 2007 4:38pm EST Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page |
powered by Sphere
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illegal Latino immigrants do not cause a drag on the U.S. health care system as some critics have contended and in fact get less care than Latinos in the country legally, researchers said on Monday.
Such immigrants tend not to have a regular doctor or other health-care provider yet do not visit emergency rooms -- often a last resort in such cases -- with any more frequency than Latinos born in the United States, according to the report from the University of California's School of Public Health.
The finding from Alexander Ortega and colleagues at the school was based on a 2003 telephone survey of thousands of California residents, including 1,317 undocumented Mexicans, 2,851 citizens with Mexican immigrant parents, 271 undocumented Latinos from countries other than Mexico and 852 non-Mexican Latinos born in the United States.
About 8.4 million of the 10.3 million illegal aliens in the United States are Latino, of which 5.9 million are from Mexico, the report said.
"One recurrent theme in the debate over immigration has been the use of public services, including health care," Ortega's team wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
"Proponents of restrictive policies have argued that immigrants overuse services, placing an unreasonable burden on the public. Despite a scarcity of well-designed research ... use of resources continues to be a part of the public debate," they said.
The researchers said illegal Mexican immigrants had 1.6 fewer visits to doctors over the course of a year than people born in the country to Mexican immigrants. Other undocumented Latinos had 2.1 fewer physician visits than their U.S.-born counterparts, they said.
"Low rates of use of health-care services by Mexican immigrants and similar trends among other Latinos do not support public concern about immigrants' overuse of the health care system," the researchers wrote.
"Undocumented individuals demonstrate less use of health care than U.S.-born citizens and have more negative experiences with the health care that they have received," they said.
(Reporting by Michael Conlon; Editing by Maggie Fox and Bill Trott)
---------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Okay say you are an ILLEGAL (which hey we're on the phone and I'm REALLY gonna tell you my legal status if I'm ILLEGAL), and I have a kid (who would then be an AMERICAN CITIZEN). If I were to take that child to the doctor they wouldn't view the visit as an Illegal at the E.R. it would be a U.S. citizen. COUNTLESS report have shown the correlation between the flood of illegals, their children, and the decline and bankruptcy of our health care system. THIS SUPPOSED REPORT IS FLAWED and not only that INTENTIONALLY MISLEADING.
Wis. Cop Must Leave U.S. Over Stolen ID
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8T5K9KO0&show_article=1&catnum=0
Wis. Cop Must Leave U.S. Over Stolen ID
Nov 26 06:10 PM US/Eastern
By CARRIE ANTLFINGER
Associated Press Writer 2 Comments
MILWAUKEE (AP) - A former police officer who stole his dead cousin's identity to get on the force will not go to prison but must leave the country, a judge decided Monday.
Oscar Ayala-Cornejo, 25, was charged in federal court with falsely representing himself as an American citizen after an anonymous tip led the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to him.
He was arrested May 31 and agreed to a plea deal about two weeks later. He was fired from the department in June.
He was sentenced to a year of probation. The maximum sentence could have been three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Ayala did not fight deportation. He has said he plans to live with family in Mexico and study computer engineering.
Ayala apologized to his family, friends, the community and the police department.
"It was never my intention to do any harm to anybody," he told the judge.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Ayala said his father helped him change his identity to Jose Morales, his cousin who died as a child of stomach cancer.
He told his father he wanted to become a police officer after the department recruited at his high school for the police aide program.
He and his family moved to the U.S. from Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1992, and their first neighborhood was rough. They lived next to a crack house, often heard gunshots and had their home burglarized.
"I wanted to change my neighborhood, to change other people's neighborhoods, so they could feel safe, you know," Ayala said recently. "Because I didn't feel safe. I was pretty passionate about that."
His sister was married to a citizen, his brother was born in the U.S., and his parents were on their way to becoming permanent residents. He would have had to go back to Mexico when he became an adult to wait 10 years or more to become a citizen, and his father didn't want to separate the family.
Before his junior year in 1999, Ayala switched high schools, cut his hair, replaced his glasses with contacts, got braces and became more outgoing. He says he became a different person, along with a different name.
His father died of leukemia in 2004, before he could see his son become a police officer.
Ayala doesn't hold his father responsible.
"The cards that we were dealt just weren't the best ones," he has said. "If I wouldn't have done this, I would still be in Mexico waiting to see if I could ever see my family."
His 26-year-old brother, Alex, was fired from the department in September for withholding information about his brother. He is appealing.
-----------------------------
MY NOTES:
I don't feel sorry for you. I was a bad situation but YOU chose to break the law. Sad.. yes,,,, but you knew it was wrong and did it anyway. Wait in line like everyone else and come in LEGALLY. Become a police officer in Mexico and wait 10 years.
Wis. Cop Must Leave U.S. Over Stolen ID
Nov 26 06:10 PM US/Eastern
By CARRIE ANTLFINGER
Associated Press Writer 2 Comments
MILWAUKEE (AP) - A former police officer who stole his dead cousin's identity to get on the force will not go to prison but must leave the country, a judge decided Monday.
Oscar Ayala-Cornejo, 25, was charged in federal court with falsely representing himself as an American citizen after an anonymous tip led the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to him.
He was arrested May 31 and agreed to a plea deal about two weeks later. He was fired from the department in June.
He was sentenced to a year of probation. The maximum sentence could have been three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Ayala did not fight deportation. He has said he plans to live with family in Mexico and study computer engineering.
Ayala apologized to his family, friends, the community and the police department.
"It was never my intention to do any harm to anybody," he told the judge.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Ayala said his father helped him change his identity to Jose Morales, his cousin who died as a child of stomach cancer.
He told his father he wanted to become a police officer after the department recruited at his high school for the police aide program.
He and his family moved to the U.S. from Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1992, and their first neighborhood was rough. They lived next to a crack house, often heard gunshots and had their home burglarized.
"I wanted to change my neighborhood, to change other people's neighborhoods, so they could feel safe, you know," Ayala said recently. "Because I didn't feel safe. I was pretty passionate about that."
His sister was married to a citizen, his brother was born in the U.S., and his parents were on their way to becoming permanent residents. He would have had to go back to Mexico when he became an adult to wait 10 years or more to become a citizen, and his father didn't want to separate the family.
Before his junior year in 1999, Ayala switched high schools, cut his hair, replaced his glasses with contacts, got braces and became more outgoing. He says he became a different person, along with a different name.
His father died of leukemia in 2004, before he could see his son become a police officer.
Ayala doesn't hold his father responsible.
"The cards that we were dealt just weren't the best ones," he has said. "If I wouldn't have done this, I would still be in Mexico waiting to see if I could ever see my family."
His 26-year-old brother, Alex, was fired from the department in September for withholding information about his brother. He is appealing.
-----------------------------
MY NOTES:
I don't feel sorry for you. I was a bad situation but YOU chose to break the law. Sad.. yes,,,, but you knew it was wrong and did it anyway. Wait in line like everyone else and come in LEGALLY. Become a police officer in Mexico and wait 10 years.
E-mails target judge who called terror fears 'dubious'
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58887
E-mails target judge who called terror fears 'dubious'
Sided with Muslim imams who were booted from flight
Posted: November 27, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
An e-mail campaign is being aimed at a federal judge who sided with six Muslim imams who were booted from an airline flight after other passengers and crew became suspicious of their behavior.
The judge, U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery, has issued a ruling in a lawsuit brought by the imams that dismissed most of the defense arguments raised by U.S. Airways, saying it was "dubious" that a "reasonable" person would have been suspicious of the imams because of their behavior.
It was Nov. 20, 2006, when the six dropped to their knees in an airport terminal and prayed loudly to Allah, according to the Florida Family Association, the campaign organizer.
"Then they separated and individually boarded the jet. They asked for seat belt extenders which were considered unnecessary by the airlines because of the size of the men. The imams also made anti-American comments about the war in Iraq. Several passengers, as well as the crew, became alarmed by what they felt was suspicious behavior of the imams. The airport police and Federal Air Marshal agreed the circumstances were suspicious enough to warrant asking the men to leave the airplane," the group said.
The imams refused and police escorted them off the plane, and they later filed a lawsuit against U.S. Airways and others.
Montgomery's conclusion was that the airline did not have a good reason to consider the imams' behavior suspicious.
"How safe will you feel if the federal courts ultimately rule that airlines and passengers cannot question or respond to suspicious behavior of passengers board their jets?" the association asked.
The organization is offering a web option of sending an e-mail to the judge or her clerks.
"An editorial in Investor's Business Daily questioned whether the imams were 'victims or provocateurs' and suggested that it is possible the incident was planned in advance to gain publicity for planned congressional legislation against profiling," Florida Family said.
"Denouncing 'the provocative agenda of these imams,' Debra Burlingame opined that 'it is nothing short of obscene that these six religious leaders (...) chose to turn that airport into a stage and that airplane into a prop in the service of their need for grievance theater.'"
Omar Shahin displays Quran at Tucson Islamic Center in June 2001 (Photo: University of Arizona Daily Wildcat)
As WND has reported, one of the imams, Omar Shahin, had previous links to Osama bin Laden.
"Judge Montgomery's ruling strips away our rights to be concerned about legitimately suspicious behavior. She sided with the Muslim imams' right to behave in a manner that would knowingly raise suspicion and strike fear among the other passengers," Florida Family said.
"Score one for the forces of intimidation and terror-enabling," said a posting on Jihad Watch. "The imams' … lawyer is thrilled."
"This preliminary victory shows that any American can have a day in court," said Omar Mohammedi, attorney for the imams. "The case is about civil rights violations and constitutional principles that we all cherish. Our judicial system has always been, and will remain, the hope for all minorities who seek to redress civil rights violations."
U.S. Airways has said the captain's decision was neither arbitrary nor capricious and he relied on a passenger's note and the opinions of flight crew members.
On the Jihad Watch website's forum page, "flowerknife" raised the issue of reasonable.
"Define what reasonable is for us judge. Is it reasonable to be conserned before (sic) or after your (sic) dead?"
The imams had attended a conference in Minneapolis of the North American Imams Federation, said Shahin, who is president of the group.
"They took us off the plane, humiliated us in a very disrespectful way," Shahin said after the incident.
Florida Family was founded by David Caton and has quarterbacked efforts to get American businesses to abandon the sale of pornography. "David has been a consistent and faithful friend to America's families. He is highly effective in defending community values," said the American Family Association.
E-mails target judge who called terror fears 'dubious'
Sided with Muslim imams who were booted from flight
Posted: November 27, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
An e-mail campaign is being aimed at a federal judge who sided with six Muslim imams who were booted from an airline flight after other passengers and crew became suspicious of their behavior.
The judge, U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery, has issued a ruling in a lawsuit brought by the imams that dismissed most of the defense arguments raised by U.S. Airways, saying it was "dubious" that a "reasonable" person would have been suspicious of the imams because of their behavior.
It was Nov. 20, 2006, when the six dropped to their knees in an airport terminal and prayed loudly to Allah, according to the Florida Family Association, the campaign organizer.
"Then they separated and individually boarded the jet. They asked for seat belt extenders which were considered unnecessary by the airlines because of the size of the men. The imams also made anti-American comments about the war in Iraq. Several passengers, as well as the crew, became alarmed by what they felt was suspicious behavior of the imams. The airport police and Federal Air Marshal agreed the circumstances were suspicious enough to warrant asking the men to leave the airplane," the group said.
The imams refused and police escorted them off the plane, and they later filed a lawsuit against U.S. Airways and others.
Montgomery's conclusion was that the airline did not have a good reason to consider the imams' behavior suspicious.
"How safe will you feel if the federal courts ultimately rule that airlines and passengers cannot question or respond to suspicious behavior of passengers board their jets?" the association asked.
The organization is offering a web option of sending an e-mail to the judge or her clerks.
"An editorial in Investor's Business Daily questioned whether the imams were 'victims or provocateurs' and suggested that it is possible the incident was planned in advance to gain publicity for planned congressional legislation against profiling," Florida Family said.
"Denouncing 'the provocative agenda of these imams,' Debra Burlingame opined that 'it is nothing short of obscene that these six religious leaders (...) chose to turn that airport into a stage and that airplane into a prop in the service of their need for grievance theater.'"
Omar Shahin displays Quran at Tucson Islamic Center in June 2001 (Photo: University of Arizona Daily Wildcat)
As WND has reported, one of the imams, Omar Shahin, had previous links to Osama bin Laden.
"Judge Montgomery's ruling strips away our rights to be concerned about legitimately suspicious behavior. She sided with the Muslim imams' right to behave in a manner that would knowingly raise suspicion and strike fear among the other passengers," Florida Family said.
"Score one for the forces of intimidation and terror-enabling," said a posting on Jihad Watch. "The imams' … lawyer is thrilled."
"This preliminary victory shows that any American can have a day in court," said Omar Mohammedi, attorney for the imams. "The case is about civil rights violations and constitutional principles that we all cherish. Our judicial system has always been, and will remain, the hope for all minorities who seek to redress civil rights violations."
U.S. Airways has said the captain's decision was neither arbitrary nor capricious and he relied on a passenger's note and the opinions of flight crew members.
On the Jihad Watch website's forum page, "flowerknife" raised the issue of reasonable.
"Define what reasonable is for us judge. Is it reasonable to be conserned before (sic) or after your (sic) dead?"
The imams had attended a conference in Minneapolis of the North American Imams Federation, said Shahin, who is president of the group.
"They took us off the plane, humiliated us in a very disrespectful way," Shahin said after the incident.
Florida Family was founded by David Caton and has quarterbacked efforts to get American businesses to abandon the sale of pornography. "David has been a consistent and faithful friend to America's families. He is highly effective in defending community values," said the American Family Association.
Billionaire to Canada: Time for amero is now
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58877
Billionaire to Canada: Time for amero is now
Wants euro-style currency to avoid exchange problems
Posted: November 27, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Stephen Jarislowsky, a billionaire money manager and investor the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail bills as the Canadian Warren Buffet, has told a parliamentary committee Canada and the United States both should abandon their national dollar currencies and move to a regional North American currency as soon as possible.
"I think we have to really seriously start thinking of the model of a continental currency just like Europe," Jarislowsky told the Canadian House of Commons' finance committee, according to the Globe and Mail in Toronto.
Jarislowsky's call for immediate action belied an article published in the Boston Globe on Sunday that said the call for the amero to become the new North American regional currency was "purely theoretical."
In an exclusive telephone interview with WND, Jarislowsky repeated his call for a European Union-style currency to be created between Canada and the United States.
"The idea would be a European Union-type set-up," Jarislowsky said, "with a North American Central Bank that would issue the new currency and sit over the Bank of Canada and the Federal Reserve Bank in the United States."
"An alternative would be to create a peg on the U.S. dollar which would allow the Bank of Canada to adjust the Canadian dollar in a 5 percent plus or minus range, based on the fluctuation in value of the U.S. dollar," he explained.
Still, Jarislowsky was less confident the U.S. dollar peg would work.
"The Bank of Canada only pinpoints inflation," he told WND. "My idea would be to have the Bank of Canada manage the Canadian dollar with a view both to inflation and the U.S. dollar. The Bank of Canada has never been very receptive to this idea."
Jarislowsky insisted Canada was going to be forced to do something because the increased value of the Canadian dollar vis-Ã -vis the U.S. dollar was likely to depress business activity in Canada and cause a recession.
"Two-thirds of the Canadian economy is tied to the U.S. economy," Jarislowsky pointed out. "Some 85 percent of our exports are headed for the U.S. market. Our economy is tied to the U.S. dollar, whether we like it or not."
In an interview published with the Globe and Mail, Jarislowsky emphasized the likely adverse impact on the Canadian economy triggered by the rise in the value of the Canadian dollar.
"We don't have a single mill in Canada which isn't losing cash at the current exchange rate despite the fact we invested hundreds of millions in dollars into new equipment when we had the money," Jarislowsky said.
"I believe that if we stay at the present levels, the entire forest products industry practically is going to be in liquidation-bankruptcy and there's going to be an enormous loss of employment," he continued.
Jarislowsky told the House of Commons finance committee that a regional North American currency would reduce the adverse currency exchange risk being experienced in Canada since the Canadian dollar has risen more than 20 percent against the U.S. dollar this year.
Jarislowsky brushed aside stated opposition from the Canadian Finance Department, including a negative recommendation to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty because of concerns a common North American currency would mean an erosion of sovereignty for Canada.
"I know Finance Minister Flaherty quite well," Jarislowsky told WND. "Sure, first he will have to deny he is taking seriously the idea of a new currency, then later he will come out and say he was forced to create one anyway."
Jarislowsky insisted he made very seriously the suggestion to create a euro-style currency for North America.
"Pretty soon, the Finance Ministry will have no choice but to create a new currency," Jarislowsky argued, "unless the Canadian dollar all of a sudden changes course and reverses against the U.S. dollar all on its own."
"In the provinces we are already seeing economic activity slowdown because of the rise in value of the Canadian dollar," he insisted. "If our automobile and lumber industries begin to decline, we will have a serious recession as a result."
"The Finance Ministry knows how closely our economy in Canada is tied to the U.S. market," he continued. "A common currency would avoid the problems we are now facing with currency exchange risk added to the normal risks of doing business."
Jarislowsky currently heads the Canadian investment firm Jarislowsky Fraser Limited, headquartered in Montreal.
According to Canadian Business, Jarislowsky has amassed a personal fortune of $12 billion, ranking him as the 25th richest person in Canada.
Canadian Business also claims the average private client at Jarislowsky Fraser typically has more than $10 million in liquid assets to invest.
Forbes put Jarislowsky's net worth at $1.5 billion, ranking him No. 512 in the list of the world's richest people in 2006.
Forbes estimates that Jarislowsky Fraser currently manages $50 billion for a select list of institutional clients and high-net-worth individuals.
Jarislowsky's 2005 book, "The Investment Zoo: Taming the Bulls and the Bears," was a business best-seller in Canada.
The Canadian dollar reached parity with the U.S. dollar at the end of September. Since then, the Canadian dollar has been trading above the U.S. dollar, at values not seen since the 1960s.
The Canadian dollar closed yesterday at $1.01 to the U.S. dollar on major currency exchanges.
Canada's Finance Department did not respond to WND requests for a comment.
Billionaire to Canada: Time for amero is now
Wants euro-style currency to avoid exchange problems
Posted: November 27, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Stephen Jarislowsky, a billionaire money manager and investor the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail bills as the Canadian Warren Buffet, has told a parliamentary committee Canada and the United States both should abandon their national dollar currencies and move to a regional North American currency as soon as possible.
"I think we have to really seriously start thinking of the model of a continental currency just like Europe," Jarislowsky told the Canadian House of Commons' finance committee, according to the Globe and Mail in Toronto.
Jarislowsky's call for immediate action belied an article published in the Boston Globe on Sunday that said the call for the amero to become the new North American regional currency was "purely theoretical."
In an exclusive telephone interview with WND, Jarislowsky repeated his call for a European Union-style currency to be created between Canada and the United States.
"The idea would be a European Union-type set-up," Jarislowsky said, "with a North American Central Bank that would issue the new currency and sit over the Bank of Canada and the Federal Reserve Bank in the United States."
"An alternative would be to create a peg on the U.S. dollar which would allow the Bank of Canada to adjust the Canadian dollar in a 5 percent plus or minus range, based on the fluctuation in value of the U.S. dollar," he explained.
Still, Jarislowsky was less confident the U.S. dollar peg would work.
"The Bank of Canada only pinpoints inflation," he told WND. "My idea would be to have the Bank of Canada manage the Canadian dollar with a view both to inflation and the U.S. dollar. The Bank of Canada has never been very receptive to this idea."
Jarislowsky insisted Canada was going to be forced to do something because the increased value of the Canadian dollar vis-Ã -vis the U.S. dollar was likely to depress business activity in Canada and cause a recession.
"Two-thirds of the Canadian economy is tied to the U.S. economy," Jarislowsky pointed out. "Some 85 percent of our exports are headed for the U.S. market. Our economy is tied to the U.S. dollar, whether we like it or not."
In an interview published with the Globe and Mail, Jarislowsky emphasized the likely adverse impact on the Canadian economy triggered by the rise in the value of the Canadian dollar.
"We don't have a single mill in Canada which isn't losing cash at the current exchange rate despite the fact we invested hundreds of millions in dollars into new equipment when we had the money," Jarislowsky said.
"I believe that if we stay at the present levels, the entire forest products industry practically is going to be in liquidation-bankruptcy and there's going to be an enormous loss of employment," he continued.
Jarislowsky told the House of Commons finance committee that a regional North American currency would reduce the adverse currency exchange risk being experienced in Canada since the Canadian dollar has risen more than 20 percent against the U.S. dollar this year.
Jarislowsky brushed aside stated opposition from the Canadian Finance Department, including a negative recommendation to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty because of concerns a common North American currency would mean an erosion of sovereignty for Canada.
"I know Finance Minister Flaherty quite well," Jarislowsky told WND. "Sure, first he will have to deny he is taking seriously the idea of a new currency, then later he will come out and say he was forced to create one anyway."
Jarislowsky insisted he made very seriously the suggestion to create a euro-style currency for North America.
"Pretty soon, the Finance Ministry will have no choice but to create a new currency," Jarislowsky argued, "unless the Canadian dollar all of a sudden changes course and reverses against the U.S. dollar all on its own."
"In the provinces we are already seeing economic activity slowdown because of the rise in value of the Canadian dollar," he insisted. "If our automobile and lumber industries begin to decline, we will have a serious recession as a result."
"The Finance Ministry knows how closely our economy in Canada is tied to the U.S. market," he continued. "A common currency would avoid the problems we are now facing with currency exchange risk added to the normal risks of doing business."
Jarislowsky currently heads the Canadian investment firm Jarislowsky Fraser Limited, headquartered in Montreal.
According to Canadian Business, Jarislowsky has amassed a personal fortune of $12 billion, ranking him as the 25th richest person in Canada.
Canadian Business also claims the average private client at Jarislowsky Fraser typically has more than $10 million in liquid assets to invest.
Forbes put Jarislowsky's net worth at $1.5 billion, ranking him No. 512 in the list of the world's richest people in 2006.
Forbes estimates that Jarislowsky Fraser currently manages $50 billion for a select list of institutional clients and high-net-worth individuals.
Jarislowsky's 2005 book, "The Investment Zoo: Taming the Bulls and the Bears," was a business best-seller in Canada.
The Canadian dollar reached parity with the U.S. dollar at the end of September. Since then, the Canadian dollar has been trading above the U.S. dollar, at values not seen since the 1960s.
The Canadian dollar closed yesterday at $1.01 to the U.S. dollar on major currency exchanges.
Canada's Finance Department did not respond to WND requests for a comment.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Meet the women who won't have babies - because they're not eco friendly
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=495495&in_page_id=1879
Meet the women who won't have babies - because they're not eco friendly
By NATASHA COURTENAY-SMITH and MORAG TURNER - More by this author »
Last updated at 22:05pm on 21st November 2007
Had Toni Vernelli gone ahead with her pregnancy ten years ago, she would know at first hand what it is like to cradle her own baby, to have a pair of innocent eyes gazing up at her with unconditional love, to feel a little hand slipping into hers - and a voice calling her Mummy.
But the very thought makes her shudder with horror.
Because when Toni terminated her pregnancy, she did so in the firm belief she was helping to save the planet.
Desperate measures: Toni Vernelli was steralised at age 27 to reduce her carbon footprint
Incredibly, so determined was she that the terrible "mistake" of pregnancy should never happen again, that she begged the doctor who performed the abortion to sterilise her at the same time.
He refused, but Toni - who works for an environmental charity - "relentlessly hunted down a doctor who would perform the irreversible surgery.
Finally, eight years ago, Toni got her way.
At the age of 27 this young woman at the height of her reproductive years was sterilised to "protect the planet".
Incredibly, instead of mourning the loss of a family that never was, her boyfriend (now husband) presented her with a congratulations card.
While some might think it strange to celebrate the reversal of nature and denial of motherhood, Toni relishes her decision with an almost religious zeal.
"Having children is selfish. It's all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet," says Toni, 35.
"Every person who is born uses more food, more water, more land, more fossil fuels, more trees and produces more rubbish, more pollution, more greenhouse gases, and adds to the problem of over-population."
While most parents view their children as the ultimate miracle of nature, Toni seems to see them as a sinister threat to the future.
It's an extreme stance which one might imagine is born from an unhappy childhood or an upbringing among parents who share similar, strong beliefs.
But nothing in Toni's safe, middle-class upbringing gave any clues as to the views which would shape her adult life. The eldest of three daughters, she enjoyed a loving, close-knit family life.
She excelled at her Roman Catholic school, and her doting parents fully expected her to grow up, settle down and start a family of her own.
"When I finished school, I got a job in retail and at 19, I met my first husband," says Toni.
"No sooner had we finished our wedding cake than all our relatives started to ask when they could expect a new addition to the family.
"I always told them that would never happen, but no one listened.
"When I was a child, I loved bird-watching, and in my teens that developed into a passion for the environment as well as the welfare of animals - I became a vegetarian when I was 15.
"Even my parents used to smile and say: 'You'll change your mind one day about babies.'
"The only person who understood how I felt was my first husband, who didn't want children either.
"We both passionately wanted to save the planet - not produce a new life which would only add to the problem."
So, instead of mapping out plans for a family, Toni and her husband began discussing medical options to ensure they would never reproduce.
Toni, from Taunton, Somerset, says: "When I was 21, I considered sterilisation for the first time.
"I'd been on the Pill for five years and didn't want to take hormone-based contraception indefinitely.
"I went to my GP, but she wouldn't even consider the idea.
"She said I was far too young and told me I could 'absolutely not' be sterilised, and that I was bound to change my mind one day.
"I found her attitude frustrating.
"We decided my husband would have a vasectomy instead. He was 25, just a few years older than me, but the GP allowed him to go ahead.
"I found it insulting that she thought that, just because I was a woman, I'd reach a point where an urge to breed would overcome all rational thought."
When Toni was 23, her marriage ended. She says: "We married very young and grew apart."
Toni found herself young, single and with a new life in London, working for an environmental charity.
But while other young women dream of marriage and babies, Toni was convinced it was her duty not to have a child.
She claims she was far from alone.
"Through my job I made many friends who, like me, were more interested in campaigning, trying to change society and save the planet rather than having families of our own.
"We used to say that if ever we did want children, we'd adopt, as there are so many children in need of a loving family.
"At least then, we'd be doing something positive for the world, rather than something negative."
Toni was happy, at last, with fellow environmentalists who shared her philosophy. But when she was 25, disaster struck.
"I discovered that despite taking the Pill, I'd accidentally fallen pregnant by my boyfriend.
"I was horrified. I knew straight away there was no option of having the baby.
"I went to my doctor about having a termination, and asked if I could be sterilised at the same time.
"This time it was a male doctor. I remember saying to him: 'I want to make sure this never happens again.'
"He said: 'You may not want a child, but one day you may meet a man who does'. He refused to consider it.
"I didn't like having a termination, but it would have been immoral to give birth to a child that I felt strongly would only be a burden to the world.
"I've never felt a twinge of guilt about what I did, and have honestly never wondered what might have been.
"After my abortion, I was more determined than ever to pursue sterilisation.
"By then, I had my mother's support - she realised I wasn't going to grow out of my beliefs, and was proud of my campaigning work."
At the age of 27, Toni moved to Brighton, where her dream of medical intervention was realised.
Toni says: "My new GP was more forward-thinking and referred me to hospital. I couldn't wait for the operation."
As Toni awaited the surgery which would destroy her fertility, she met her future husband, Ed, 38, an IT consultant.
"A week before my sterilisation, I went to an animal rights demonstration and met Ed.
"I liked him immediately, and I told him what I was doing straight away - because if he wanted children then he needed to know I wasn't the woman for him," she says.
"But Ed was relieved when I told him how I felt and said he didn't want children for the same reasons."
On the morning of surgery, Ed gave Toni a card saying "Congratulations".
Toni says: "After the operation, which is irreversible, I didn't feel emotional - just relieved.
"I've never doubted that I made the right decision. Ed and I married in September 2002, and have a much nicer lifestyle as a result of not having children.
"We love walking and hiking, and we often go away for weekends.
"Every year, we also take a nice holiday - we've just come back from South Africa.
"We feel we can have one long-haul flight a year, as we are vegan and childless, thereby greatly reducing our carbon footprint and combating over-population.
"My only frustration is that other people are unable to accept my decision.
"When I tell people why I don't want children, they look at me as if I was planning to commit murder.
"A woman who does not have maternal-feelings is seen as some sort of anomaly.
"And a woman like me, who is not having children in order to save the planet, is considered barking mad.
"What I consider mad are those women who ferry their children short distances in gas-guzzling cars."
But Toni is far from alone.
When Sarah Irving, 31, was a teenager she sat down and wrote a wish-list for the future.
Sarah Irving and Mark Hudson were adamant they would live the greenest possible lives
Most young girls dream of marriage and babies. But Sarah dreamed of helping the environment - and as she agonised over the perils of climate change, the loss of animal species and destruction of wilderness, she came to the extraordinary decision never to have a child.
"I realised then that a baby would pollute the planet - and that never having a child was the most environmentally friendly thing I could do."
Sarah's boyfriends have been less understanding than Toni's, with the breakdown of several relationships.
"I've had boyfriends who wanted children, so I knew I couldn't be with them long term,' says Sarah.
"I've had to break up with a couple of boyfriends because I didn't think it was fair to waste their time.
"In my early 20s I had a boyfriend who I really liked, but he wanted to start a family as soon as possible.
"I was tempted to stay with him and hope he would change his mind, but I knew I couldn't provide him with what he wanted so I walked away."
Sarah started work for the Ethical Consumer magazine, and seven years ago she met her fiancÈ Mark Hudson, a 37-year- old health-care worker.
When they started dating in 2003, they immediately discussed their views on children.
"To my relief, Mark was as adamant as me that he didn't want a family. After a year of dating, we started talking about sterilisation," says Sarah.
"I didn't want to have an 'accident' if contraception didn't work - we would be faced with the dilemma of whether to keep the baby."
While other young couples sit down and discuss mortgages, Sarah and Mark discussed the medical options for one or the other to be sterilised.
"We realised it was a much more straightforward procedure, safer and easier, for a man to be sterilised through a vasectomy than a woman to be sterilised," says Sarah.
"In January 2005, Mark had a vasectomy and we both felt incredibly relieved there was no chance of us having a baby."
Ironically, the couple who have decided to deny themselves children for the sake of the planet, actively enjoy the company of young children.
Sarah says: "We both have nieces who we love dearly and I consider myself a caring, nurturing person.
"My sister recently had a little girl, and that has taken the pressure off me because my parents wanted to be grandparents.
"At first, they were surprised by my decision, but they have never criticised us.
"I'd never dream of preaching to others about having a family. It's a very personal choice. What I do like to do is make people aware of the facts.
"When I see a mother with a large family, I don't resent her, but I do hope she's thought through the implications."
Mark adds: "Sarah and I live as green a life a possible. We don't have a car, cycle everywhere instead, and we never fly.
"We recycle, use low-energy light bulbs and eat only organic, locally produced food.
"In short, we do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint. But all this would be undone if we had a child.
"That's why I had a vasectomy. It would be morally wrong for me to add to climate change and the destruction of Earth.
"Sarah and I don't need children to feel complete. What makes us happy is knowing that we are doing our bit to save our precious planet."
---------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
THESE PEOPLE ARE NUTS! No problem killing an innocent human being, because they would feel guilty for causing carbon? THAT'S INSANE! I love how the first couple said and I quote:
"We love walking and hiking, and we often go away for weekends."
"Every year, we also take a nice holiday - we've just come back from South Africa."
"We feel we can have one long-haul flight a year, as we are vegan and childless, thereby greatly reducing our carbon footprint and combating over-population.
UMMMM... so flying long haul is NO PROBLEM to them? Ummmmm.... HELLO... CARBON FOOTPRINT!!!! I really think it's great - less nuts about to breed and spread their lunacy to children.
Meet the women who won't have babies - because they're not eco friendly
By NATASHA COURTENAY-SMITH and MORAG TURNER - More by this author »
Last updated at 22:05pm on 21st November 2007
Had Toni Vernelli gone ahead with her pregnancy ten years ago, she would know at first hand what it is like to cradle her own baby, to have a pair of innocent eyes gazing up at her with unconditional love, to feel a little hand slipping into hers - and a voice calling her Mummy.
But the very thought makes her shudder with horror.
Because when Toni terminated her pregnancy, she did so in the firm belief she was helping to save the planet.
Desperate measures: Toni Vernelli was steralised at age 27 to reduce her carbon footprint
Incredibly, so determined was she that the terrible "mistake" of pregnancy should never happen again, that she begged the doctor who performed the abortion to sterilise her at the same time.
He refused, but Toni - who works for an environmental charity - "relentlessly hunted down a doctor who would perform the irreversible surgery.
Finally, eight years ago, Toni got her way.
At the age of 27 this young woman at the height of her reproductive years was sterilised to "protect the planet".
Incredibly, instead of mourning the loss of a family that never was, her boyfriend (now husband) presented her with a congratulations card.
While some might think it strange to celebrate the reversal of nature and denial of motherhood, Toni relishes her decision with an almost religious zeal.
"Having children is selfish. It's all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet," says Toni, 35.
"Every person who is born uses more food, more water, more land, more fossil fuels, more trees and produces more rubbish, more pollution, more greenhouse gases, and adds to the problem of over-population."
While most parents view their children as the ultimate miracle of nature, Toni seems to see them as a sinister threat to the future.
It's an extreme stance which one might imagine is born from an unhappy childhood or an upbringing among parents who share similar, strong beliefs.
But nothing in Toni's safe, middle-class upbringing gave any clues as to the views which would shape her adult life. The eldest of three daughters, she enjoyed a loving, close-knit family life.
She excelled at her Roman Catholic school, and her doting parents fully expected her to grow up, settle down and start a family of her own.
"When I finished school, I got a job in retail and at 19, I met my first husband," says Toni.
"No sooner had we finished our wedding cake than all our relatives started to ask when they could expect a new addition to the family.
"I always told them that would never happen, but no one listened.
"When I was a child, I loved bird-watching, and in my teens that developed into a passion for the environment as well as the welfare of animals - I became a vegetarian when I was 15.
"Even my parents used to smile and say: 'You'll change your mind one day about babies.'
"The only person who understood how I felt was my first husband, who didn't want children either.
"We both passionately wanted to save the planet - not produce a new life which would only add to the problem."
So, instead of mapping out plans for a family, Toni and her husband began discussing medical options to ensure they would never reproduce.
Toni, from Taunton, Somerset, says: "When I was 21, I considered sterilisation for the first time.
"I'd been on the Pill for five years and didn't want to take hormone-based contraception indefinitely.
"I went to my GP, but she wouldn't even consider the idea.
"She said I was far too young and told me I could 'absolutely not' be sterilised, and that I was bound to change my mind one day.
"I found her attitude frustrating.
"We decided my husband would have a vasectomy instead. He was 25, just a few years older than me, but the GP allowed him to go ahead.
"I found it insulting that she thought that, just because I was a woman, I'd reach a point where an urge to breed would overcome all rational thought."
When Toni was 23, her marriage ended. She says: "We married very young and grew apart."
Toni found herself young, single and with a new life in London, working for an environmental charity.
But while other young women dream of marriage and babies, Toni was convinced it was her duty not to have a child.
She claims she was far from alone.
"Through my job I made many friends who, like me, were more interested in campaigning, trying to change society and save the planet rather than having families of our own.
"We used to say that if ever we did want children, we'd adopt, as there are so many children in need of a loving family.
"At least then, we'd be doing something positive for the world, rather than something negative."
Toni was happy, at last, with fellow environmentalists who shared her philosophy. But when she was 25, disaster struck.
"I discovered that despite taking the Pill, I'd accidentally fallen pregnant by my boyfriend.
"I was horrified. I knew straight away there was no option of having the baby.
"I went to my doctor about having a termination, and asked if I could be sterilised at the same time.
"This time it was a male doctor. I remember saying to him: 'I want to make sure this never happens again.'
"He said: 'You may not want a child, but one day you may meet a man who does'. He refused to consider it.
"I didn't like having a termination, but it would have been immoral to give birth to a child that I felt strongly would only be a burden to the world.
"I've never felt a twinge of guilt about what I did, and have honestly never wondered what might have been.
"After my abortion, I was more determined than ever to pursue sterilisation.
"By then, I had my mother's support - she realised I wasn't going to grow out of my beliefs, and was proud of my campaigning work."
At the age of 27, Toni moved to Brighton, where her dream of medical intervention was realised.
Toni says: "My new GP was more forward-thinking and referred me to hospital. I couldn't wait for the operation."
As Toni awaited the surgery which would destroy her fertility, she met her future husband, Ed, 38, an IT consultant.
"A week before my sterilisation, I went to an animal rights demonstration and met Ed.
"I liked him immediately, and I told him what I was doing straight away - because if he wanted children then he needed to know I wasn't the woman for him," she says.
"But Ed was relieved when I told him how I felt and said he didn't want children for the same reasons."
On the morning of surgery, Ed gave Toni a card saying "Congratulations".
Toni says: "After the operation, which is irreversible, I didn't feel emotional - just relieved.
"I've never doubted that I made the right decision. Ed and I married in September 2002, and have a much nicer lifestyle as a result of not having children.
"We love walking and hiking, and we often go away for weekends.
"Every year, we also take a nice holiday - we've just come back from South Africa.
"We feel we can have one long-haul flight a year, as we are vegan and childless, thereby greatly reducing our carbon footprint and combating over-population.
"My only frustration is that other people are unable to accept my decision.
"When I tell people why I don't want children, they look at me as if I was planning to commit murder.
"A woman who does not have maternal-feelings is seen as some sort of anomaly.
"And a woman like me, who is not having children in order to save the planet, is considered barking mad.
"What I consider mad are those women who ferry their children short distances in gas-guzzling cars."
But Toni is far from alone.
When Sarah Irving, 31, was a teenager she sat down and wrote a wish-list for the future.
Sarah Irving and Mark Hudson were adamant they would live the greenest possible lives
Most young girls dream of marriage and babies. But Sarah dreamed of helping the environment - and as she agonised over the perils of climate change, the loss of animal species and destruction of wilderness, she came to the extraordinary decision never to have a child.
"I realised then that a baby would pollute the planet - and that never having a child was the most environmentally friendly thing I could do."
Sarah's boyfriends have been less understanding than Toni's, with the breakdown of several relationships.
"I've had boyfriends who wanted children, so I knew I couldn't be with them long term,' says Sarah.
"I've had to break up with a couple of boyfriends because I didn't think it was fair to waste their time.
"In my early 20s I had a boyfriend who I really liked, but he wanted to start a family as soon as possible.
"I was tempted to stay with him and hope he would change his mind, but I knew I couldn't provide him with what he wanted so I walked away."
Sarah started work for the Ethical Consumer magazine, and seven years ago she met her fiancÈ Mark Hudson, a 37-year- old health-care worker.
When they started dating in 2003, they immediately discussed their views on children.
"To my relief, Mark was as adamant as me that he didn't want a family. After a year of dating, we started talking about sterilisation," says Sarah.
"I didn't want to have an 'accident' if contraception didn't work - we would be faced with the dilemma of whether to keep the baby."
While other young couples sit down and discuss mortgages, Sarah and Mark discussed the medical options for one or the other to be sterilised.
"We realised it was a much more straightforward procedure, safer and easier, for a man to be sterilised through a vasectomy than a woman to be sterilised," says Sarah.
"In January 2005, Mark had a vasectomy and we both felt incredibly relieved there was no chance of us having a baby."
Ironically, the couple who have decided to deny themselves children for the sake of the planet, actively enjoy the company of young children.
Sarah says: "We both have nieces who we love dearly and I consider myself a caring, nurturing person.
"My sister recently had a little girl, and that has taken the pressure off me because my parents wanted to be grandparents.
"At first, they were surprised by my decision, but they have never criticised us.
"I'd never dream of preaching to others about having a family. It's a very personal choice. What I do like to do is make people aware of the facts.
"When I see a mother with a large family, I don't resent her, but I do hope she's thought through the implications."
Mark adds: "Sarah and I live as green a life a possible. We don't have a car, cycle everywhere instead, and we never fly.
"We recycle, use low-energy light bulbs and eat only organic, locally produced food.
"In short, we do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint. But all this would be undone if we had a child.
"That's why I had a vasectomy. It would be morally wrong for me to add to climate change and the destruction of Earth.
"Sarah and I don't need children to feel complete. What makes us happy is knowing that we are doing our bit to save our precious planet."
---------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
THESE PEOPLE ARE NUTS! No problem killing an innocent human being, because they would feel guilty for causing carbon? THAT'S INSANE! I love how the first couple said and I quote:
"We love walking and hiking, and we often go away for weekends."
"Every year, we also take a nice holiday - we've just come back from South Africa."
"We feel we can have one long-haul flight a year, as we are vegan and childless, thereby greatly reducing our carbon footprint and combating over-population.
UMMMM... so flying long haul is NO PROBLEM to them? Ummmmm.... HELLO... CARBON FOOTPRINT!!!! I really think it's great - less nuts about to breed and spread their lunacy to children.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Nancy Pelosi tries to force the Salvation Army to hire people who can't speak English
http://opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110010881
Mi Casa, Sue Casa
Nancy Pelosi tries to force the Salvation Army to hire people who can't speak English.
Monday, November 19, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST
It's been less than a week since New York's Sen. Hillary Clinton and Gov. Eliot Spitzer had to climb down from their support of driver's licenses for illegal aliens. Now House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has moved to kill an amendment that would protect employers from federal lawsuits for requiring their workers to speak English. Among the employers targeted by such lawsuits: the Salvation Army.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, a moderate Republican from Tennessee, is dumbstruck that legislation he views as simple common sense would be blocked. He noted that the full Senate passed his amendment to shield the Salvation Army by 75-19 last month, and the House followed suit with a 218-186 vote just this month. "I cannot imagine that the framers of the 1964 Civil Rights Act intended to say that it's discrimination for a shoe shop owner to say to his or her employee, 'I want you to be able to speak America's common language on the job,' " he told the Senate last Thursday.
But that's exactly what the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is trying to do. In March the EEOC sued the Salvation Army because its thrift store in Framingham, Mass., required its employees to speak English on the job. The requirement was clearly posted and employees were given a year to learn the language. The EEOC claimed the store had fired two Hispanic employees for continuing to speak Spanish on the job. It said that the firings violated the law because the English-only policy was not "relevant" to job performance or safety.
"If it is not relevant, it is discriminatory, it is gratuitous, it is a subterfuge to discriminate against people based on national origin," says Rep. Charles Gonzalez of Texas, one of several Hispanic Democrats in the House who threatened to block Ms. Pelosi's attempts to curtail the Alternative Minimum Tax unless she killed the Alexander amendment. The confrontation on the night of Nov. 8 was ugly. Members of the Hispanic Caucus initially voted against the rule allowing debate on a tax bill that included the AMT "patch," which for a year would protect some 23 million Americans from being kicked into a higher income tax bracket.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a moderate from Maryland, was beside himself. Congressional Quarterly reports that he jabbed his finger on the House floor at Joe Baca, the California Democrat who chairs the Hispanic Caucus, and yelled, "How dare you destroy this party? This will be the worst loss in 10 years."
Mr. Baca was having none of it. "You see this on the [voting] board?," he yelled back. "This is against me. This is against me personally." Luckily for Democrats, C-Span's microphones did not pick up the exchange. But it was audible to reporters in the press gallery. They also heard Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois say that English-only efforts were symbolic of "bigotry and prejudice" against those who speak other languages.
After testy negotiations, the Hispanic Caucus finally agreed to let the tax bill proceed after extracting a promise from Ms. Pelosi that the House will not vote on the bill funding the Justice and Commerce Departments unless the English-only protection language is dropped. "There ain't going to be a bill" with the Alexander language, Mr. Baca has told reporters.
Sen. Alexander says that if that's the case, "thousands of small businesses across America will have to show there is some special reason to justify requiring their employees to speak our country's common language on the job." He notes that the number of EEOC actions against English-only policies grew to some 200 last year from 32 a decade ago. In an attempt at compromise, he has offered watered-down language that would still allow the EEOC to file many actions, but he says House Democrats rejected it.
Mr. Alexander says his battle is about far more than what language is spoken on a shop floor. "The EEOC actions turn diversity, our greatest strength, against the interests of our common future as Americans," he told me.
The late Albert Shanker, head of the American Federation of Teachers, once pointed out that public schools were established in this country largely "to help mostly immigrant children learn the three R's and what it means to be an American, with the hope that they would go home and teach their parents the principles in the Constitution and the Declaration that unite us."
Mr. Alexander says that noble effort is in danger of being undermined: "We have spent the last 40 years in our country celebrating diversity at the expense of unity. One way to create that unity is to value, not devalue, our common language, English."
The battle over Mr. Alexander's amendment is about whether a consensus that used to unite liberals and conservatives in this country can continue to hold. If it can't, expect the issue to become a flashpoint in the 2008 elections. Republicans have their political problems with Hispanics over some of their approaches to illegal immigration, but they may be nothing compared to the problems Democrats have if they continue to cave in to their anti-assimilation extremists.
----------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
It's not right for one group to hold the American people hostage because legislation won't be fair to illegals or to people who can't speak ENGLISH!!!! HELLO! Wake up! This is AMERICA (THE UNITED STATES) and ENGLISH SHOULD BE THE ONLY LANGUAGE SPOKEN HERE!
Mi Casa, Sue Casa
Nancy Pelosi tries to force the Salvation Army to hire people who can't speak English.
Monday, November 19, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST
It's been less than a week since New York's Sen. Hillary Clinton and Gov. Eliot Spitzer had to climb down from their support of driver's licenses for illegal aliens. Now House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has moved to kill an amendment that would protect employers from federal lawsuits for requiring their workers to speak English. Among the employers targeted by such lawsuits: the Salvation Army.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, a moderate Republican from Tennessee, is dumbstruck that legislation he views as simple common sense would be blocked. He noted that the full Senate passed his amendment to shield the Salvation Army by 75-19 last month, and the House followed suit with a 218-186 vote just this month. "I cannot imagine that the framers of the 1964 Civil Rights Act intended to say that it's discrimination for a shoe shop owner to say to his or her employee, 'I want you to be able to speak America's common language on the job,' " he told the Senate last Thursday.
But that's exactly what the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is trying to do. In March the EEOC sued the Salvation Army because its thrift store in Framingham, Mass., required its employees to speak English on the job. The requirement was clearly posted and employees were given a year to learn the language. The EEOC claimed the store had fired two Hispanic employees for continuing to speak Spanish on the job. It said that the firings violated the law because the English-only policy was not "relevant" to job performance or safety.
"If it is not relevant, it is discriminatory, it is gratuitous, it is a subterfuge to discriminate against people based on national origin," says Rep. Charles Gonzalez of Texas, one of several Hispanic Democrats in the House who threatened to block Ms. Pelosi's attempts to curtail the Alternative Minimum Tax unless she killed the Alexander amendment. The confrontation on the night of Nov. 8 was ugly. Members of the Hispanic Caucus initially voted against the rule allowing debate on a tax bill that included the AMT "patch," which for a year would protect some 23 million Americans from being kicked into a higher income tax bracket.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a moderate from Maryland, was beside himself. Congressional Quarterly reports that he jabbed his finger on the House floor at Joe Baca, the California Democrat who chairs the Hispanic Caucus, and yelled, "How dare you destroy this party? This will be the worst loss in 10 years."
Mr. Baca was having none of it. "You see this on the [voting] board?," he yelled back. "This is against me. This is against me personally." Luckily for Democrats, C-Span's microphones did not pick up the exchange. But it was audible to reporters in the press gallery. They also heard Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois say that English-only efforts were symbolic of "bigotry and prejudice" against those who speak other languages.
After testy negotiations, the Hispanic Caucus finally agreed to let the tax bill proceed after extracting a promise from Ms. Pelosi that the House will not vote on the bill funding the Justice and Commerce Departments unless the English-only protection language is dropped. "There ain't going to be a bill" with the Alexander language, Mr. Baca has told reporters.
Sen. Alexander says that if that's the case, "thousands of small businesses across America will have to show there is some special reason to justify requiring their employees to speak our country's common language on the job." He notes that the number of EEOC actions against English-only policies grew to some 200 last year from 32 a decade ago. In an attempt at compromise, he has offered watered-down language that would still allow the EEOC to file many actions, but he says House Democrats rejected it.
Mr. Alexander says his battle is about far more than what language is spoken on a shop floor. "The EEOC actions turn diversity, our greatest strength, against the interests of our common future as Americans," he told me.
The late Albert Shanker, head of the American Federation of Teachers, once pointed out that public schools were established in this country largely "to help mostly immigrant children learn the three R's and what it means to be an American, with the hope that they would go home and teach their parents the principles in the Constitution and the Declaration that unite us."
Mr. Alexander says that noble effort is in danger of being undermined: "We have spent the last 40 years in our country celebrating diversity at the expense of unity. One way to create that unity is to value, not devalue, our common language, English."
The battle over Mr. Alexander's amendment is about whether a consensus that used to unite liberals and conservatives in this country can continue to hold. If it can't, expect the issue to become a flashpoint in the 2008 elections. Republicans have their political problems with Hispanics over some of their approaches to illegal immigration, but they may be nothing compared to the problems Democrats have if they continue to cave in to their anti-assimilation extremists.
----------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
It's not right for one group to hold the American people hostage because legislation won't be fair to illegals or to people who can't speak ENGLISH!!!! HELLO! Wake up! This is AMERICA (THE UNITED STATES) and ENGLISH SHOULD BE THE ONLY LANGUAGE SPOKEN HERE!
District definition: Racists are 'whites'
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58750
District definition: Racists are 'whites'
Webpage later changed after 'concerns voiced' over agenda
Posted: November 18, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
The Seattle School District has backtracked on a statement that racists are "whites" after "numerous concerns" were expressed over the description, according to the district's website.
A cached webpage of the Seattle District's page regarding "Equity & Race," had defined racism as: "The systematic subordination of members of targeted racial groups who have relatively little social power in the United States (Blacks, Latino/as, Native Americans, and Asians), by the members of the agent racial group who have relatively more social power (Whites). The subordination is supported by the actions of individuals, cultural norms and values, and the institutional structures and practices of society."
Cached paged of Seattle school definition of racists as 'whites'
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However, the change noted, "In response to the numerous concerns voiced regarding definitions posted on the Equity & Race website, we have decided to revise our website in a way that will hopefully provide more context to readers around the work that Seattle Public Schools is doing to address institutional racism. The intended purpose of our work in the area of race and social justice is to bring communities together through open dialogue and honest reflection around what is meant by racism and the impact is (sic) has on our society and more specifically, our students. Our intention is not to put up additional barriers or develop an 'us against them' mindset…"
The website also said it no longer is effective, or its desire "to hold onto unsuccessful concepts such as a melting pot or colorblind mentality."
The department is the same that issued a letter to staff members recently reminding them that Thanksgiving is a time of mourning for "Natives," and suggesting an exploration of an outside website for ways to "deconstruct" the holiday.
It also recalls a now-discontinued program at the University of Delaware that taught residents of campus housing facilities that "all whites are racists."
The cached page of the Seattle school website was retained by a former teacher, a Southerner who described being accused of being a racist for having an accent in her speech.
The school also defined "cultural racism" to include "those aspects of society that overtly and covertly attribute value and normality to white people and Whiteness, and devalue, stereotype, and label people of color as 'other', different, less than, or render them invisible. Examples of these norms include defining white skin tones as nude or flesh colored, having a future time orientation, emphasizing individualism as opposed to a more collective ideology, defining one form of English as standard, and identifying only Whites as great writers or composers."
It also instructed that "institutional racism" is: "The network of institutional structures, policies, and practices that create advantages and benefits for Whites, and discrimination, oppression, and disadvantages for people from targeted racial groups. The advantages created for Whites are often invisible to them, or are considered 'rights' available to everyone as opposed to 'privileges' awarded to only some individuals and groups."
University of Delaware officials halted their program after its contents came to light.
"While I believe that recent press accounts misrepresent the purpose of the residential life program at the University of Delaware, there are questions about its practices that must be addressed and there are reasons for concern that the actual purpose is not being fulfilled. It is not feasible to evaluate these issues without a full and broad-based review," said a statement posted on the school's website by President Patrick Harker.
"Upon the recommendation of Vice President for Student Life Michael Gilbert and Director of Residence Life Kathleen Kerr, I have directed that the program be stopped immediately. No further activities under the current framework will be conducted," he said.
Harker said Gilbert will work with the University Faculty Senate and others "to determine the proper means by which residence life programs may support the intellectual, cultural and ethical development of our students."
University of Delaware President Patrick Harker
WND had reported on concerns raised by The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which wrote to Harker citing documents from the schools' Office of Residence Life Diversity Education Training program.
"Somehow, the University of Delaware seems terrifyingly unaware that a state-sponsored institution of higher education in the United States does not have the legal right to engage in a program of systematic thought reform," the letter from FIRE's director of legal and public advocacy, Samantha Harris, said. "The First Amendment protects the right to freedom of conscience – the right to keep our innermost thoughts free from governmental intrusion. It also protects the right to be free from compelled speech."
She said included among the school's teaching resources was the following: "A RACIST: A racist is one who is both privileged and socialized on the basis of race by a white supremacist (racist) system. 'The term applies to all white people (i.e., people of European descent) living in the United States, regardless of class, gender, religion, culture or sexuality. By this definition, people of color cannot be racists, because as peoples within the U.S. system, they do not have the power to back up their prejudices, hostilities, or acts of discrimination….
As WND reported, the Delaware program also noted that "reverse racism" is "a term created and used by white people to deny their white privilege." And "a non-racist" is called "a non-term," because, the program explains, "The term was created by whites to deny responsibility for systemic racism, to maintain an aura of innocence in the face of racial oppression, and to shift the responsibility for that oppression from whites to people of color (called 'blaming the victim')."
----------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Seems to me the only racists would be the ones who truly believe all white are racists and that it's okay to teach this belief to others.
District definition: Racists are 'whites'
Webpage later changed after 'concerns voiced' over agenda
Posted: November 18, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
The Seattle School District has backtracked on a statement that racists are "whites" after "numerous concerns" were expressed over the description, according to the district's website.
A cached webpage of the Seattle District's page regarding "Equity & Race," had defined racism as: "The systematic subordination of members of targeted racial groups who have relatively little social power in the United States (Blacks, Latino/as, Native Americans, and Asians), by the members of the agent racial group who have relatively more social power (Whites). The subordination is supported by the actions of individuals, cultural norms and values, and the institutional structures and practices of society."
Cached paged of Seattle school definition of racists as 'whites'
However, the change noted, "In response to the numerous concerns voiced regarding definitions posted on the Equity & Race website, we have decided to revise our website in a way that will hopefully provide more context to readers around the work that Seattle Public Schools is doing to address institutional racism. The intended purpose of our work in the area of race and social justice is to bring communities together through open dialogue and honest reflection around what is meant by racism and the impact is (sic) has on our society and more specifically, our students. Our intention is not to put up additional barriers or develop an 'us against them' mindset…"
The website also said it no longer is effective, or its desire "to hold onto unsuccessful concepts such as a melting pot or colorblind mentality."
The department is the same that issued a letter to staff members recently reminding them that Thanksgiving is a time of mourning for "Natives," and suggesting an exploration of an outside website for ways to "deconstruct" the holiday.
It also recalls a now-discontinued program at the University of Delaware that taught residents of campus housing facilities that "all whites are racists."
The cached page of the Seattle school website was retained by a former teacher, a Southerner who described being accused of being a racist for having an accent in her speech.
The school also defined "cultural racism" to include "those aspects of society that overtly and covertly attribute value and normality to white people and Whiteness, and devalue, stereotype, and label people of color as 'other', different, less than, or render them invisible. Examples of these norms include defining white skin tones as nude or flesh colored, having a future time orientation, emphasizing individualism as opposed to a more collective ideology, defining one form of English as standard, and identifying only Whites as great writers or composers."
It also instructed that "institutional racism" is: "The network of institutional structures, policies, and practices that create advantages and benefits for Whites, and discrimination, oppression, and disadvantages for people from targeted racial groups. The advantages created for Whites are often invisible to them, or are considered 'rights' available to everyone as opposed to 'privileges' awarded to only some individuals and groups."
University of Delaware officials halted their program after its contents came to light.
"While I believe that recent press accounts misrepresent the purpose of the residential life program at the University of Delaware, there are questions about its practices that must be addressed and there are reasons for concern that the actual purpose is not being fulfilled. It is not feasible to evaluate these issues without a full and broad-based review," said a statement posted on the school's website by President Patrick Harker.
"Upon the recommendation of Vice President for Student Life Michael Gilbert and Director of Residence Life Kathleen Kerr, I have directed that the program be stopped immediately. No further activities under the current framework will be conducted," he said.
Harker said Gilbert will work with the University Faculty Senate and others "to determine the proper means by which residence life programs may support the intellectual, cultural and ethical development of our students."
University of Delaware President Patrick Harker
WND had reported on concerns raised by The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which wrote to Harker citing documents from the schools' Office of Residence Life Diversity Education Training program.
"Somehow, the University of Delaware seems terrifyingly unaware that a state-sponsored institution of higher education in the United States does not have the legal right to engage in a program of systematic thought reform," the letter from FIRE's director of legal and public advocacy, Samantha Harris, said. "The First Amendment protects the right to freedom of conscience – the right to keep our innermost thoughts free from governmental intrusion. It also protects the right to be free from compelled speech."
She said included among the school's teaching resources was the following: "A RACIST: A racist is one who is both privileged and socialized on the basis of race by a white supremacist (racist) system. 'The term applies to all white people (i.e., people of European descent) living in the United States, regardless of class, gender, religion, culture or sexuality. By this definition, people of color cannot be racists, because as peoples within the U.S. system, they do not have the power to back up their prejudices, hostilities, or acts of discrimination….
As WND reported, the Delaware program also noted that "reverse racism" is "a term created and used by white people to deny their white privilege." And "a non-racist" is called "a non-term," because, the program explains, "The term was created by whites to deny responsibility for systemic racism, to maintain an aura of innocence in the face of racial oppression, and to shift the responsibility for that oppression from whites to people of color (called 'blaming the victim')."
----------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Seems to me the only racists would be the ones who truly believe all white are racists and that it's okay to teach this belief to others.
Taliban Militants Hang Mutilated Bodies of 5 Abducted Policemen in Southern Afghanistan
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312121,00.html
Taliban Militants Hang Mutilated Bodies of 5 Abducted Policemen in Southern Afghanistan
Sunday, November 18, 2007
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Taliban militants slashed the hands and legs of five abducted policemen in southern Afghanistan and hung their mutilated bodies from trees in a warning to villagers against working with the government, officials said Sunday.
The discovery of the bodies came as officials said that recent violence and clashes had left at least 68 people dead across Afghanistan.
The officers had been abducted two months ago from their checkpoint in southern Uruzgan province, said Juma Gul Himat, the provincial police chief. The Taliban slashed their hands and legs and hung the bodies on trees Saturday in Gazak village of Derawud district, he said.
"The Taliban told the people that whoever works with the government will suffer the same fate as these policemen," Himat said. "This village is under Taliban control. There are more than 100 Taliban in this village."
Two tribal elders received the bodies of the policemen on Sunday, he said.
More than 6,000 people have died in insurgency-related violence this year — a record number, according to an Associated Press count based on figures from Western and Afghan officials.
The executions followed several days of violence in the country's south which left at least 63 people dead, including 58 militants and two Canadian soldiers.
Also in Uruzgan, police shot and killed two suspected Taliban militants on Sunday as they approached a police checkpoint on a motorbike, Himat said.
In Zabul province, the Taliban ambushed and clashed with an army patrol Saturday night, leaving 11 suspected insurgents dead and four soldiers wounded, said Qasem Khan, a provincial police official.
Authorities recovered the bodies of the 11 militants killed alongside their weapons, Khan said.
In southern Helmand province, a suicide bomber attacked a NATO patrol Sunday in Gereshk district, damaging a vehicle but causing no casualties, said provincial police chief Mohammad Hussein Andiwal.
In Kandahar province, Canadian and Afghan troops battled militants and called in airstrikes in Zhari district on Saturday. One Afghan soldier and at least 20 suspected militants were killed, said provincial police chief Sayed Agha Saqeb.
A roadside bomb hit a NATO vehicle during the same battle, killing two Canadian soldiers and their translator and wounding three other Canadian troops, officials said.
Separately, a suicide bomber on a motorbike attacked a NATO convoy in Nangarhar province's Chaparhar district, killing an Afghan civilian and wounding another NATO soldier, officials said Saturday.
Elsewhere, 23 Taliban militants were killed during a U.S.-led coalition operation on Thursday aimed at disrupting a weapons transfer in southern Afghanistan, the coalition said.
------------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
The Taliban refuses to accept they are not in control any longer. Power is hard to let go of, and like a little child they are throwing temper tantrums to get their way. The police officers who continue to enlist and try for a free Afghanistan are exremely brave men who want what is best for their country and children. These monsters can't win, because fear doesn't breed respect, it breeds hatred. The Afghanistan people want their country back from you ass backwards fools and the American people are more than willing to help. God bless the free and brave!
Taliban Militants Hang Mutilated Bodies of 5 Abducted Policemen in Southern Afghanistan
Sunday, November 18, 2007
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Taliban militants slashed the hands and legs of five abducted policemen in southern Afghanistan and hung their mutilated bodies from trees in a warning to villagers against working with the government, officials said Sunday.
The discovery of the bodies came as officials said that recent violence and clashes had left at least 68 people dead across Afghanistan.
The officers had been abducted two months ago from their checkpoint in southern Uruzgan province, said Juma Gul Himat, the provincial police chief. The Taliban slashed their hands and legs and hung the bodies on trees Saturday in Gazak village of Derawud district, he said.
"The Taliban told the people that whoever works with the government will suffer the same fate as these policemen," Himat said. "This village is under Taliban control. There are more than 100 Taliban in this village."
Two tribal elders received the bodies of the policemen on Sunday, he said.
More than 6,000 people have died in insurgency-related violence this year — a record number, according to an Associated Press count based on figures from Western and Afghan officials.
The executions followed several days of violence in the country's south which left at least 63 people dead, including 58 militants and two Canadian soldiers.
Also in Uruzgan, police shot and killed two suspected Taliban militants on Sunday as they approached a police checkpoint on a motorbike, Himat said.
In Zabul province, the Taliban ambushed and clashed with an army patrol Saturday night, leaving 11 suspected insurgents dead and four soldiers wounded, said Qasem Khan, a provincial police official.
Authorities recovered the bodies of the 11 militants killed alongside their weapons, Khan said.
In southern Helmand province, a suicide bomber attacked a NATO patrol Sunday in Gereshk district, damaging a vehicle but causing no casualties, said provincial police chief Mohammad Hussein Andiwal.
In Kandahar province, Canadian and Afghan troops battled militants and called in airstrikes in Zhari district on Saturday. One Afghan soldier and at least 20 suspected militants were killed, said provincial police chief Sayed Agha Saqeb.
A roadside bomb hit a NATO vehicle during the same battle, killing two Canadian soldiers and their translator and wounding three other Canadian troops, officials said.
Separately, a suicide bomber on a motorbike attacked a NATO convoy in Nangarhar province's Chaparhar district, killing an Afghan civilian and wounding another NATO soldier, officials said Saturday.
Elsewhere, 23 Taliban militants were killed during a U.S.-led coalition operation on Thursday aimed at disrupting a weapons transfer in southern Afghanistan, the coalition said.
------------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
The Taliban refuses to accept they are not in control any longer. Power is hard to let go of, and like a little child they are throwing temper tantrums to get their way. The police officers who continue to enlist and try for a free Afghanistan are exremely brave men who want what is best for their country and children. These monsters can't win, because fear doesn't breed respect, it breeds hatred. The Afghanistan people want their country back from you ass backwards fools and the American people are more than willing to help. God bless the free and brave!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Clinton Says No to Licenses for Illegals
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071115/D8STV7C00.html
Clinton Says No to Licenses for Illegals
Nov 15, 2:20 AM (ET)
By DEVLIN BARRETT
Hillary Nutcracker - Love her? Hate her? Either way, it is the craziest politcal item ever.
www.stupid.com
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday came out against granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, after weeks of pressure in the presidential race to take a position on a now-failed ID plan from her home state governor.
Clinton has faced criticism from candidates in both parties for her noncommittal answers on New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's attempt to allow illegal immigrants in his state to receive driver's licenses. Spitzer abandoned the effort Wednesday.
"I support Governor Spitzer's decision today to withdraw his proposal," Clinton said in a statement. "As president, I will not support driver's licenses for undocumented people and will press for comprehensive immigration reform that deals with all of the issues around illegal immigration including border security and fixing our broken system."
Clinton stumbled when asked about the issue during a Democratic debate two weeks ago, and her new position comes the day before another debate where opponents are expected to raise the issue again.
Rival campaigns made clear they were not letting go of the issue.
"When it takes two weeks and six different positions to answer one question on immigration, it's easier to understand why the Clinton campaign would rather plant their questions than answer them," said Barack Obama spokesman Bill Burton, referring to the Clinton campaign's admission that aides had staged a question for her at an Iowa event.
Colleen Flanagan, a spokesman for Chris Dodd, called Clinton's position "flip-flopping cubed. She was for it before she was against it, before she was for it, before she was against it."
Spitzer met with New York lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday, and conceded that there was too much public opposition to his plan. Clinton did not attend the meeting.
"It does not take a stethoscope to hear the pulse of New Yorkers on this topic," he said.
The Democratic governor introduced the plan two months ago with the goal of increased security, safer roads and an opportunity to bring immigrants "out of the shadows." Opponents charged the scheme would make it easier for would-be terrorists to get identification, and make the country less safe.
The decision is another example of the roadblocks high-profile immigration reforms have faced this year. Less than five months ago, Congress failed to pass legislation that would legalize as many as 12 million unlawful immigrants and fortify the border with Mexico.
"The federal government has lost control of its borders... and now has no solution to deal with it," Spitzer said.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called Spitzer's reversal on the license issue "a good development" and said immigration is a federal issue for which his department has to "ramp up enforcement."
"What I want to make sure is that states aren't working at cross purposes with us and enabling the kind of conduct we're enforcing against," Chertoff told The Associated Press by telephone from London.
---------------------
MY COMMENTS:
As usual JUST ENFORCE THE LAWS ALREADY ON THE BOOKS you FREAKIN' DONKEYS!
Clinton Says No to Licenses for Illegals
Nov 15, 2:20 AM (ET)
By DEVLIN BARRETT
Hillary Nutcracker - Love her? Hate her? Either way, it is the craziest politcal item ever.
www.stupid.com
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday came out against granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, after weeks of pressure in the presidential race to take a position on a now-failed ID plan from her home state governor.
Clinton has faced criticism from candidates in both parties for her noncommittal answers on New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's attempt to allow illegal immigrants in his state to receive driver's licenses. Spitzer abandoned the effort Wednesday.
"I support Governor Spitzer's decision today to withdraw his proposal," Clinton said in a statement. "As president, I will not support driver's licenses for undocumented people and will press for comprehensive immigration reform that deals with all of the issues around illegal immigration including border security and fixing our broken system."
Clinton stumbled when asked about the issue during a Democratic debate two weeks ago, and her new position comes the day before another debate where opponents are expected to raise the issue again.
Rival campaigns made clear they were not letting go of the issue.
"When it takes two weeks and six different positions to answer one question on immigration, it's easier to understand why the Clinton campaign would rather plant their questions than answer them," said Barack Obama spokesman Bill Burton, referring to the Clinton campaign's admission that aides had staged a question for her at an Iowa event.
Colleen Flanagan, a spokesman for Chris Dodd, called Clinton's position "flip-flopping cubed. She was for it before she was against it, before she was for it, before she was against it."
Spitzer met with New York lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday, and conceded that there was too much public opposition to his plan. Clinton did not attend the meeting.
"It does not take a stethoscope to hear the pulse of New Yorkers on this topic," he said.
The Democratic governor introduced the plan two months ago with the goal of increased security, safer roads and an opportunity to bring immigrants "out of the shadows." Opponents charged the scheme would make it easier for would-be terrorists to get identification, and make the country less safe.
The decision is another example of the roadblocks high-profile immigration reforms have faced this year. Less than five months ago, Congress failed to pass legislation that would legalize as many as 12 million unlawful immigrants and fortify the border with Mexico.
"The federal government has lost control of its borders... and now has no solution to deal with it," Spitzer said.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called Spitzer's reversal on the license issue "a good development" and said immigration is a federal issue for which his department has to "ramp up enforcement."
"What I want to make sure is that states aren't working at cross purposes with us and enabling the kind of conduct we're enforcing against," Chertoff told The Associated Press by telephone from London.
---------------------
MY COMMENTS:
As usual JUST ENFORCE THE LAWS ALREADY ON THE BOOKS you FREAKIN' DONKEYS!
Just Call Him ... Gov. Flip-Flop
http://wcbstv.com/politics/spitzer.immigrant.drivers.2.567070.html
Just Call Him ... Gov. Flip-FlopIn 1 Day, Spitzer Reverses Course On Immigrant Driver's Licenses & Internet Sales Tax
Marcia Kramer NEW YORK (CBS) ― Governor Eliot Spitzer may have earned the title "Gov. Flip-Flop" on Wednesday.
He changed his mind and backtracked on not one, but two upcoming policy changes.
New Yorkers spoke and this Spitzer listened -- twice as it turned out.
"It does not take a stethoscope to hear the pulse of New Yorkers on this one," Spitzer said in response to the outcry against his plan to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
However, in typical Spitzer fashion, he went down in typical steamroller fashion – with a blast at his opponents.
"In New York political forces quickly mobilized to prey on the public's worst fears," Spitzer said. "Political opponents equated minimum wage-undocumented dishwashers with Osama bin Laden."
But get this. While it took Spitzer two full months of full bore battering to change course on the immigrants driver's licenses, it took him just one day to realize it would be a very unpopular idea to start charging the state's 8.3 percent sales tax on a lot of Internet purchases right before the holidays.
"He didn't think it would be a good idea to do this now," said state Budget Director Paul Francis, noting that the plan to go after Internet sales was to go into effect Dec. 7.
The new Internet sales tax was not destined to win him new fans.
"I feel that we're paying enough tax," one New Yorker said. "He should leave that alone. Spitzer's messing up. He's just messing up."
The pundits' assessment of Spitzer on driver's licenses before the tax issue came up was not kind.
"This was a disaster for the Democratic Party and a windfall for the Republican Party, and I think this really was a sign of what could hold in the future," said Heather McDonald of the Manhattan Institute.
From day one, state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno's Republicans, who were angry over Spitzer's "troopergate" scandal, used the issue to bludgeon him. But a presidential debate question on Spitzer's plan also caused Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton to stumble -- which didn't please her one bit.
Many New Yorkers joined with Sen. Clinton Wednesday in breathing a sigh of relief. Two out of three polled said they were against the plan.
"In today's world we need to be as security oriented as possible so everything should be documented," feels Long Island resident Judd Mohel.
Still, the debate raged over whether political partisanship killed the plan.
"I think the vast majority -- in some cases 70-80 percent of the people -- opposed this idea," said Rep Vito Fossella, R-Staten Island. "I think that transcended party lines. I think that the core of it is that people are genuinely concerned about security."
Chung-Wha Hong of the NY Immigration Coalition said he was "very, very devastated." He felt the decision was a "direct attack on our political system and the viability of the Democratic process."
One man in New Jersey seemed to sum up the governor's plight best.
"(It's) taken away some of the credibility I used to feel for him," Jim Markovic said.
For Spitzer, cutting bait on both issues appeared to be the right thing to do.
A year ago he was elected with overwhelming support, but a new poll found only 25 percent would now vote to re-elect him.
He's lucky the next election is still three years away.
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
"Many New Yorkers joined with Sen. Clinton Wednesday in breathing a sigh of relief. Two out of three polled said they were against the plan." HA, HA, HA.... how soon they forget that Mrs. Clinton was FOR giving licenses to illegals before she was against it. I just LOVE how they left that little deatil out. BREATHING A SIGH OF RELIEF!!! LMAO!!!!
Just Call Him ... Gov. Flip-FlopIn 1 Day, Spitzer Reverses Course On Immigrant Driver's Licenses & Internet Sales Tax
Marcia Kramer NEW YORK (CBS) ― Governor Eliot Spitzer may have earned the title "Gov. Flip-Flop" on Wednesday.
He changed his mind and backtracked on not one, but two upcoming policy changes.
New Yorkers spoke and this Spitzer listened -- twice as it turned out.
"It does not take a stethoscope to hear the pulse of New Yorkers on this one," Spitzer said in response to the outcry against his plan to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
However, in typical Spitzer fashion, he went down in typical steamroller fashion – with a blast at his opponents.
"In New York political forces quickly mobilized to prey on the public's worst fears," Spitzer said. "Political opponents equated minimum wage-undocumented dishwashers with Osama bin Laden."
But get this. While it took Spitzer two full months of full bore battering to change course on the immigrants driver's licenses, it took him just one day to realize it would be a very unpopular idea to start charging the state's 8.3 percent sales tax on a lot of Internet purchases right before the holidays.
"He didn't think it would be a good idea to do this now," said state Budget Director Paul Francis, noting that the plan to go after Internet sales was to go into effect Dec. 7.
The new Internet sales tax was not destined to win him new fans.
"I feel that we're paying enough tax," one New Yorker said. "He should leave that alone. Spitzer's messing up. He's just messing up."
The pundits' assessment of Spitzer on driver's licenses before the tax issue came up was not kind.
"This was a disaster for the Democratic Party and a windfall for the Republican Party, and I think this really was a sign of what could hold in the future," said Heather McDonald of the Manhattan Institute.
From day one, state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno's Republicans, who were angry over Spitzer's "troopergate" scandal, used the issue to bludgeon him. But a presidential debate question on Spitzer's plan also caused Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton to stumble -- which didn't please her one bit.
Many New Yorkers joined with Sen. Clinton Wednesday in breathing a sigh of relief. Two out of three polled said they were against the plan.
"In today's world we need to be as security oriented as possible so everything should be documented," feels Long Island resident Judd Mohel.
Still, the debate raged over whether political partisanship killed the plan.
"I think the vast majority -- in some cases 70-80 percent of the people -- opposed this idea," said Rep Vito Fossella, R-Staten Island. "I think that transcended party lines. I think that the core of it is that people are genuinely concerned about security."
Chung-Wha Hong of the NY Immigration Coalition said he was "very, very devastated." He felt the decision was a "direct attack on our political system and the viability of the Democratic process."
One man in New Jersey seemed to sum up the governor's plight best.
"(It's) taken away some of the credibility I used to feel for him," Jim Markovic said.
For Spitzer, cutting bait on both issues appeared to be the right thing to do.
A year ago he was elected with overwhelming support, but a new poll found only 25 percent would now vote to re-elect him.
He's lucky the next election is still three years away.
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
"Many New Yorkers joined with Sen. Clinton Wednesday in breathing a sigh of relief. Two out of three polled said they were against the plan." HA, HA, HA....
Women get 'virginity fix' NHS operations in Muslim-driven trend
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=494118&in_page_id=1770&in_a_source=
Women get 'virginity fix' NHS operations in Muslim-driven trend
By JAMES CHAPMAN - More by this author »
Women are being given controversial "virginity repair" operations on the NHS, it emerged last night.
Taxpayers funded 24 hymen replacement operations between 2005 and 2006, official figures revealed.
And increasing numbers of women are paying up to £4,000 in private clinics for the procedure apparently under pressure from future spouses or in-laws who believe they should be virgins on their wedding night.
Doctors said most patients are immigrants or British of ethnic origin.
The popularity of the operation is said to be the result of social regression caused by Islamic fundamentalism.
The trend has been condemned by critics as a sign of social regression driven by Islamic fundamentalists. Some countries have made hymen reconstruction operations illegal.
Dr Magdy Hend, consultant gynaecologist at the Regency Clinic, Harley Street, London, who started hymen reconstruction more than 18 years ago in the Middle East and the Gulf, said: "In some cultures they like to see that the women will bleed on the wedding night. If the wife or bride is not a virgin, it is a big shame on the family."
Dr Hend said he was surprised by the "very good response" to the service and said there is "big competition on the market".
Most of his clients, he told More4 News, are in their teens or early 20s.
"They might be British of ethnic background, they might be immigrants, or some people come from abroad, Asia, Middle East, the Gulf, and they don't want to have it done back home," he added.
Dr Hend said demand is increasing, particularly from UK residents.
The operation can involve suturing of a tear in the hymen, such as might be caused by sexual assault, to help healing.
But it can also be conducted as a purely cosmetic procedure. A membrane is constructed, sometimes including a capsule of an artificial blood-like substance.
This operation is intended to be performed within a few days before an intended marriage.
Tory health spokesman Mike Penning expressed concern.
He said: "If there is any cultural or other pressure being put on the women from any source to have this done, that would be a very retrograde step.
"If a woman has been violated or raped and lost her virginity, clearly everything possible should be done to assist her.
"But what nobody would understand is if taxpayers' money is being used to fund operations of this kind for cultural or cosmetic reasons."
Labour MP Ann Cryer said she was "absolutely horrified" to learn of the phenomenon.
She added: "We should be trying to protect girls from this.
"It is a form of abuse of women and it may be that the woman who is asking for the operation to be done does not recognise the abuse that is taking place against her, but in later life she certainly will.
"We have to also ask whether our National Health Service should be providing this sort of facility. I don't think it should be available on the NHS."
The Department of Health said "certain cosmetic procedures" are available on the NHS "to secure physical or psychological health".
Virginity repair operations have become a source of controversy in France, where gynaecologists report a growing number of requests from women.
The procedure is supposed to be funded by the state only if the patient claims she has been raped. But some doctors agree to carry it out for cultural or cosmetic reasons.
Isabelle Levy, an author who studied the issue for her book Religion in the Hospital, said young Muslim girls are "modern and they have adventures like other Europeans - which never happened in the past.
"But on the other hand, fundamentalism is spreading and these girls are getting sent back to their countries of origin to marry. And they will be rejected if it is found out that they are not virgins."
--------------------------
OTHERS COMMENTS:
Look, your religion says you shouldn't have sex before marriage, so don't do it. If you do, then don't expect the taxpayer to pick up the tab for your deceit.
- Mark R, Coventry UK
The one comment pretty much sums it up:
"But on the other hand, fundamentalism is spreading and these girls are getting sent back to their countries of origin to marry. And they will be rejected if it is found out that they are not virgins."
Wow, what an adjustment after probably living in the western world all their lives, even if it was in a sheltered family life. So this is what feminism really was about. Perhaps it will be reborn again to save these poor women, whose main goal in life is to prove they are virgins on their wedding nights?
- V., Orlando, FL USA
No wonder the NHS is bankrupt and unable to treat genuine sick people, if they lose their virginity that is a price they should pay so make them go private, ban it on the NHS.
- Can, Brigg, N. Lincs
This promotes a barbaric attitude towards women. It should not be funded by the NHS.
- Stephen, Canada
"Halli, Canada - You British are so appeasing. The British taxpayers shouldn't be shelling out their hard-earned money for this."
The deliberate left-wing drive to undermine our sense of nationhood by neutering democratic choice, has successfully broken our spirit and allowed politicians to pursue the European project.
The dangers are obvious but self-serving ambition clouds their judgement.
- Andy Coleman, Brighton
Women get 'virginity fix' NHS operations in Muslim-driven trend
By JAMES CHAPMAN - More by this author »
Women are being given controversial "virginity repair" operations on the NHS, it emerged last night.
Taxpayers funded 24 hymen replacement operations between 2005 and 2006, official figures revealed.
And increasing numbers of women are paying up to £4,000 in private clinics for the procedure apparently under pressure from future spouses or in-laws who believe they should be virgins on their wedding night.
Doctors said most patients are immigrants or British of ethnic origin.
The popularity of the operation is said to be the result of social regression caused by Islamic fundamentalism.
The trend has been condemned by critics as a sign of social regression driven by Islamic fundamentalists. Some countries have made hymen reconstruction operations illegal.
Dr Magdy Hend, consultant gynaecologist at the Regency Clinic, Harley Street, London, who started hymen reconstruction more than 18 years ago in the Middle East and the Gulf, said: "In some cultures they like to see that the women will bleed on the wedding night. If the wife or bride is not a virgin, it is a big shame on the family."
Dr Hend said he was surprised by the "very good response" to the service and said there is "big competition on the market".
Most of his clients, he told More4 News, are in their teens or early 20s.
"They might be British of ethnic background, they might be immigrants, or some people come from abroad, Asia, Middle East, the Gulf, and they don't want to have it done back home," he added.
Dr Hend said demand is increasing, particularly from UK residents.
The operation can involve suturing of a tear in the hymen, such as might be caused by sexual assault, to help healing.
But it can also be conducted as a purely cosmetic procedure. A membrane is constructed, sometimes including a capsule of an artificial blood-like substance.
This operation is intended to be performed within a few days before an intended marriage.
Tory health spokesman Mike Penning expressed concern.
He said: "If there is any cultural or other pressure being put on the women from any source to have this done, that would be a very retrograde step.
"If a woman has been violated or raped and lost her virginity, clearly everything possible should be done to assist her.
"But what nobody would understand is if taxpayers' money is being used to fund operations of this kind for cultural or cosmetic reasons."
Labour MP Ann Cryer said she was "absolutely horrified" to learn of the phenomenon.
She added: "We should be trying to protect girls from this.
"It is a form of abuse of women and it may be that the woman who is asking for the operation to be done does not recognise the abuse that is taking place against her, but in later life she certainly will.
"We have to also ask whether our National Health Service should be providing this sort of facility. I don't think it should be available on the NHS."
The Department of Health said "certain cosmetic procedures" are available on the NHS "to secure physical or psychological health".
Virginity repair operations have become a source of controversy in France, where gynaecologists report a growing number of requests from women.
The procedure is supposed to be funded by the state only if the patient claims she has been raped. But some doctors agree to carry it out for cultural or cosmetic reasons.
Isabelle Levy, an author who studied the issue for her book Religion in the Hospital, said young Muslim girls are "modern and they have adventures like other Europeans - which never happened in the past.
"But on the other hand, fundamentalism is spreading and these girls are getting sent back to their countries of origin to marry. And they will be rejected if it is found out that they are not virgins."
--------------------------
OTHERS COMMENTS:
Look, your religion says you shouldn't have sex before marriage, so don't do it. If you do, then don't expect the taxpayer to pick up the tab for your deceit.
- Mark R, Coventry UK
The one comment pretty much sums it up:
"But on the other hand, fundamentalism is spreading and these girls are getting sent back to their countries of origin to marry. And they will be rejected if it is found out that they are not virgins."
Wow, what an adjustment after probably living in the western world all their lives, even if it was in a sheltered family life. So this is what feminism really was about. Perhaps it will be reborn again to save these poor women, whose main goal in life is to prove they are virgins on their wedding nights?
- V., Orlando, FL USA
No wonder the NHS is bankrupt and unable to treat genuine sick people, if they lose their virginity that is a price they should pay so make them go private, ban it on the NHS.
- Can, Brigg, N. Lincs
This promotes a barbaric attitude towards women. It should not be funded by the NHS.
- Stephen, Canada
"Halli, Canada - You British are so appeasing. The British taxpayers shouldn't be shelling out their hard-earned money for this."
The deliberate left-wing drive to undermine our sense of nationhood by neutering democratic choice, has successfully broken our spirit and allowed politicians to pursue the European project.
The dangers are obvious but self-serving ambition clouds their judgement.
- Andy Coleman, Brighton
Giuliani launches 'Viva Rudy' campaign
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_news/story/307533.html
Giuliani launches 'Viva Rudy' campaign
Posted on Wed, Nov. 14, 2007Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
BY ERIKA BERAS
eberas@MiamiHerald.com
Rudy Giuliani's presidential committee on Wednesday morning unveiled its national campaign, dubbed ''Viva Rudy,'' to reach the nation's Hispanic voters.
The Miami event kicked off with an 11 a.m. news conference at La Carretta restaurant on Bird Road in Westchester. There was a similar event in Orlando.
Giuliani was not present.
Several local politicians and public officials were on hand to endorse the former New York City mayor.
A 30-inch-by-50-inch Viva Rudy sign hung on the wall in a private second-floor room.
State Rep. Rene Garcia, statewide Hispanic chairman for Giuliani's campaign, was at the event.
''The Hispanic community has long been forgotten in many elections. In 2000, we realized how important the Hispanic vote is,'' he said.
Fifteen supporters were in the room.
''He believes in education and helping our children complete globally,'' Miami-Dade School Board member Marta Perez said.
--------------------
OTHERS COMMENTS:
Hopefully Rudy don't invade Florida with arms wide open...He's going to see a lot of dissatisfied Floridians at his feet..Can't wait to ask him some real questions if and when i catch him
Posted by: Ben
Getting all all fours for the Cuban Chicano immigrant. Rudy is a a imposter, a liberal posing as a republican.
What a poser he would do the debates for spanish audience but now mocks us with a slogan he stole off of the current traitor in office now.
MY COMMENTS:
This is EXACTLY why Rudy won't get my vote. I'm sorry, but he is NOT a conservative. He is a LIBERAL with a fixation for gun control, open borders, and cross-dressing.
Giuliani launches 'Viva Rudy' campaign
Posted on Wed, Nov. 14, 2007Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
BY ERIKA BERAS
eberas@MiamiHerald.com
Rudy Giuliani's presidential committee on Wednesday morning unveiled its national campaign, dubbed ''Viva Rudy,'' to reach the nation's Hispanic voters.
The Miami event kicked off with an 11 a.m. news conference at La Carretta restaurant on Bird Road in Westchester. There was a similar event in Orlando.
Giuliani was not present.
Several local politicians and public officials were on hand to endorse the former New York City mayor.
A 30-inch-by-50-inch Viva Rudy sign hung on the wall in a private second-floor room.
State Rep. Rene Garcia, statewide Hispanic chairman for Giuliani's campaign, was at the event.
''The Hispanic community has long been forgotten in many elections. In 2000, we realized how important the Hispanic vote is,'' he said.
Fifteen supporters were in the room.
''He believes in education and helping our children complete globally,'' Miami-Dade School Board member Marta Perez said.
--------------------
OTHERS COMMENTS:
Hopefully Rudy don't invade Florida with arms wide open...He's going to see a lot of dissatisfied Floridians at his feet..Can't wait to ask him some real questions if and when i catch him
Posted by: Ben
Getting all all fours for the Cuban Chicano immigrant. Rudy is a a imposter, a liberal posing as a republican.
What a poser he would do the debates for spanish audience but now mocks us with a slogan he stole off of the current traitor in office now.
MY COMMENTS:
This is EXACTLY why Rudy won't get my vote. I'm sorry, but he is NOT a conservative. He is a LIBERAL with a fixation for gun control, open borders, and cross-dressing.
Coed locker rooms given green light
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58695
Coed locker rooms given green light
Statute allows people to 'choose a gender'
Posted: November 14, 2007
8:21 p.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
The Montgomery County Council: George L. Leventhal, Marilyn J. Praisner (president), Phil Andrews. Top row: Marc Elrich, Valerie Ervin, Roger Berliner, Duchy Trachtenberg, Nancy Floreen, and Mike Knapp (vice president)
Coed locker rooms could be a reality now that a new statute to allow people to "choose a gender" has been approved in Maryland.
But the measure, given the green light by elected officials in Montgomery County, will soon be the subject of a court challenge, according to a non-profit public-interest law firm.
"The definition for 'gender identity' is so vague that no individual of ordinary intelligence can possibly know when they are violating Chapter 27," Robert Tyler, general counsel for the Advocates for Faith & Freedom, told county officials in a letter.
"Pursuant to the definition of 'gender identity,' an individual can choose a gender without limitation whatsoever," he said.
Tyler's comments referred to the newly approved county law 27-03, which creates a protected class of citizenry for those individuals who claim a "gender identity" issue.
As WND reported, the proposal generated a groundswell of opposition when it became known.
Essentially, the plan opens the doors of all public accommodations, including facilities such as locker rooms, to those who "perceive" they are of that gender.
"From what I'm reading, the person with the gender identity confusion is being protected by what she or he FEELS he or she is. Thus, we'd have to protect this person's gender based upon what is in his or her MIND. So, if I'm in a bathroom all by myself late at night, and a man walks in, I am supposed to be okay with this? If I'm at a pool, in a women's locker room, and a man walks in – I'm supposed to be okay with this? This is truly unbelievable, and I'm embarrassed that Montgomery County is even spending its time on this piece of nonsense," a resident, identified as "Lisa," wrote to her elected representative on the board.
WND also reported officials for Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays were raising concerns.
"Any time politicians write a law that violates the rights of others by forcibly invading their privacy, and forcing faith-based organizations and small employers to hire cross-dressers is bad law," said Regina Griggs, executive director of PFOX.
Tyler told WND that, presuming Ike Leggett, the county executive, signs the plan into law as expected, a lawsuit will be filed.
"We're working on it at this point in time to evaluate it," he said. "We do expect to file a lawsuit, it's just a matter of when." His earlier letter to the county suggesting that the plan be dropped warned it is unconstitutionally vague, infringes on the rights of religious groups and puts the privacy and safety of citizens at risk by allowing peple with a mental disorder to decide which restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities they use.
A spokeswoman for the county confirmed that a proposal had been made to provide an exception to various facilities where changing clothes is essential, such as locker rooms, but the change was rejected.
Instead, county officials boasted of their accomplishment in the plan to "prohibit discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment, public accommodations, cable television service and taxicab service."
The plan sponsored primarily by Duchy Trachtenberg, passed by an 8-0 vote, officials said.
"The Council's Health and Human Services Committee … had suggested adding language in an attempt to clarify how the discrimination law should apply to 'distinctly private or personal' facilities. Some people interpreted this to include bathrooms and locker rooms. By not including this proposed amendment, operators of those types of facilities will continue to designate who can use them," the county said.
"I am pleased that the full council has restored the primary focus of my bill to expressly prohibit discrimination against transgender citizens in the workplace, the housing market and delivery of services," Trachtenberg said in a statement.
Griggs noted, however, that the American Psychiatric Association classifies gender identity disorder as a treatable mental illness, and Tyler called for county officials to start protecting and representing the citizens in the county.
"The female residents of Montgomery County clearly have a right of privacy that prohibits all persons of the opposite sex 'from using a restroom, locker room, or other similar facility designated for females'. It is ridiculous to place the desires of persons suffering from gender identity disorder in front of the constitutional rights and safety of 99 percent of the residents in Montgomery County," he said.
"I'm really embarrassed to be living in Montgomery County," Lisa told WND.
She had contacted the county with her concerns and had gotten a form e-mail in response, assuring her that "public facilities" such as restrooms were not included.
However, an analysis by Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum noted otherwise. It says the plan "will allow males who self identify themselves as females to have open access to ALL women's and girls' rest rooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and showers. In other words, a male teacher or student will be able to use the female restrooms and locker rooms if he thinks he is a female."
"Gender identity nondiscrimination laws such as this one have been used in Canada to force the teaching of the acceptance of homosexuality on Catholic schools. MCPS health classes currently teach our 12-year-olds that 'gender identity is your inner sense of whether you are male or female'," the group said.
Spokeswoman Michelle Turner said it is an issue of modesty, safety and privacy for children.
"The proposed legislation … still includes 'public accommodations' among major areas covered by the non-discrimination bill," she said.
"The Montgomery County Council has voiced callousness and arrogance to the concerns of parents who object. When asked by a mother concerned about her 10-year-old daughter who swims at the Germantown Indoor Pool, where she must undress in front of women since there are no separate changing rooms, if under this law she could be changing next to a person with male genitals, Council member George Leventhal responded via email: 'I cannot absolutely put to rest your concern that girls might find themselves in a locker room or dressing room in the presence of a person who expresses or asserts herself as a woman but who still has male genitals, but based on my own sense of the prevalence of that condition in the population, I think the likelihood of that occurring is remote,'" PFOX said.
This is just the latest battle Griggs and PFOX have encountered in the region. The pro-homosexual group Truth Wins Out earlier accused her of fabricating a report that a "gay" assaulted a volunteer at a county fair booth. Police later confirmed for WND that the incident did happen as Griggs reported.
In fact, police said they located the suspect based on the victim's description and ended up escorting him off the fairgrounds.
PFOX also is engaged in a fight in Montgomery County seeking a court order to halt a public school sex curriculum because it contains "scientifically flawed and politically biased" information.
The organization joined with Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum and the Family Leader Network in filing the request for the court-ordered stay of the program targeting middle school and high school students in the district.
The organizations said the local board, headed by Nancy Navarro, adopted the curriculum that teaches anal sex as unexceptional and "intentionally excludes" warnings issued by the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health of the high medical dangers related to those behaviors.
"The curriculum also teaches students that homosexuality is 'innate,' a controversial and unproven theory advanced by gay advocacy groups serving on the Montgomery County School Board's curriculum advisory committee," the groups' statement said.
Edward L. White III, trial counsel with the Thomas More Law Center, a prominent public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Mich., is assisting PFOX and the pro-family groups in their lawsuit against the school board.
The curriculum includes lessons intended for eighth-graders and adopts the language and points of emphasis employed by promoters of homosexuality. Also, 10th-graders will be taught about making announcements that they are homosexual and how to use a condom.
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
This is just plain NUTS! I cannot wait to send my check to the Thomas Moore Law Center.... It's in the mail!
Coed locker rooms given green light
Statute allows people to 'choose a gender'
Posted: November 14, 2007
8:21 p.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
The Montgomery County Council: George L. Leventhal, Marilyn J. Praisner (president), Phil Andrews. Top row: Marc Elrich, Valerie Ervin, Roger Berliner, Duchy Trachtenberg, Nancy Floreen, and Mike Knapp (vice president)
Coed locker rooms could be a reality now that a new statute to allow people to "choose a gender" has been approved in Maryland.
But the measure, given the green light by elected officials in Montgomery County, will soon be the subject of a court challenge, according to a non-profit public-interest law firm.
"The definition for 'gender identity' is so vague that no individual of ordinary intelligence can possibly know when they are violating Chapter 27," Robert Tyler, general counsel for the Advocates for Faith & Freedom, told county officials in a letter.
"Pursuant to the definition of 'gender identity,' an individual can choose a gender without limitation whatsoever," he said.
Tyler's comments referred to the newly approved county law 27-03, which creates a protected class of citizenry for those individuals who claim a "gender identity" issue.
As WND reported, the proposal generated a groundswell of opposition when it became known.
Essentially, the plan opens the doors of all public accommodations, including facilities such as locker rooms, to those who "perceive" they are of that gender.
"From what I'm reading, the person with the gender identity confusion is being protected by what she or he FEELS he or she is. Thus, we'd have to protect this person's gender based upon what is in his or her MIND. So, if I'm in a bathroom all by myself late at night, and a man walks in, I am supposed to be okay with this? If I'm at a pool, in a women's locker room, and a man walks in – I'm supposed to be okay with this? This is truly unbelievable, and I'm embarrassed that Montgomery County is even spending its time on this piece of nonsense," a resident, identified as "Lisa," wrote to her elected representative on the board.
WND also reported officials for Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays were raising concerns.
"Any time politicians write a law that violates the rights of others by forcibly invading their privacy, and forcing faith-based organizations and small employers to hire cross-dressers is bad law," said Regina Griggs, executive director of PFOX.
Tyler told WND that, presuming Ike Leggett, the county executive, signs the plan into law as expected, a lawsuit will be filed.
"We're working on it at this point in time to evaluate it," he said. "We do expect to file a lawsuit, it's just a matter of when." His earlier letter to the county suggesting that the plan be dropped warned it is unconstitutionally vague, infringes on the rights of religious groups and puts the privacy and safety of citizens at risk by allowing peple with a mental disorder to decide which restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities they use.
A spokeswoman for the county confirmed that a proposal had been made to provide an exception to various facilities where changing clothes is essential, such as locker rooms, but the change was rejected.
Instead, county officials boasted of their accomplishment in the plan to "prohibit discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment, public accommodations, cable television service and taxicab service."
The plan sponsored primarily by Duchy Trachtenberg, passed by an 8-0 vote, officials said.
"The Council's Health and Human Services Committee … had suggested adding language in an attempt to clarify how the discrimination law should apply to 'distinctly private or personal' facilities. Some people interpreted this to include bathrooms and locker rooms. By not including this proposed amendment, operators of those types of facilities will continue to designate who can use them," the county said.
"I am pleased that the full council has restored the primary focus of my bill to expressly prohibit discrimination against transgender citizens in the workplace, the housing market and delivery of services," Trachtenberg said in a statement.
Griggs noted, however, that the American Psychiatric Association classifies gender identity disorder as a treatable mental illness, and Tyler called for county officials to start protecting and representing the citizens in the county.
"The female residents of Montgomery County clearly have a right of privacy that prohibits all persons of the opposite sex 'from using a restroom, locker room, or other similar facility designated for females'. It is ridiculous to place the desires of persons suffering from gender identity disorder in front of the constitutional rights and safety of 99 percent of the residents in Montgomery County," he said.
"I'm really embarrassed to be living in Montgomery County," Lisa told WND.
She had contacted the county with her concerns and had gotten a form e-mail in response, assuring her that "public facilities" such as restrooms were not included.
However, an analysis by Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum noted otherwise. It says the plan "will allow males who self identify themselves as females to have open access to ALL women's and girls' rest rooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and showers. In other words, a male teacher or student will be able to use the female restrooms and locker rooms if he thinks he is a female."
"Gender identity nondiscrimination laws such as this one have been used in Canada to force the teaching of the acceptance of homosexuality on Catholic schools. MCPS health classes currently teach our 12-year-olds that 'gender identity is your inner sense of whether you are male or female'," the group said.
Spokeswoman Michelle Turner said it is an issue of modesty, safety and privacy for children.
"The proposed legislation … still includes 'public accommodations' among major areas covered by the non-discrimination bill," she said.
"The Montgomery County Council has voiced callousness and arrogance to the concerns of parents who object. When asked by a mother concerned about her 10-year-old daughter who swims at the Germantown Indoor Pool, where she must undress in front of women since there are no separate changing rooms, if under this law she could be changing next to a person with male genitals, Council member George Leventhal responded via email: 'I cannot absolutely put to rest your concern that girls might find themselves in a locker room or dressing room in the presence of a person who expresses or asserts herself as a woman but who still has male genitals, but based on my own sense of the prevalence of that condition in the population, I think the likelihood of that occurring is remote,'" PFOX said.
This is just the latest battle Griggs and PFOX have encountered in the region. The pro-homosexual group Truth Wins Out earlier accused her of fabricating a report that a "gay" assaulted a volunteer at a county fair booth. Police later confirmed for WND that the incident did happen as Griggs reported.
In fact, police said they located the suspect based on the victim's description and ended up escorting him off the fairgrounds.
PFOX also is engaged in a fight in Montgomery County seeking a court order to halt a public school sex curriculum because it contains "scientifically flawed and politically biased" information.
The organization joined with Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum and the Family Leader Network in filing the request for the court-ordered stay of the program targeting middle school and high school students in the district.
The organizations said the local board, headed by Nancy Navarro, adopted the curriculum that teaches anal sex as unexceptional and "intentionally excludes" warnings issued by the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health of the high medical dangers related to those behaviors.
"The curriculum also teaches students that homosexuality is 'innate,' a controversial and unproven theory advanced by gay advocacy groups serving on the Montgomery County School Board's curriculum advisory committee," the groups' statement said.
Edward L. White III, trial counsel with the Thomas More Law Center, a prominent public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Mich., is assisting PFOX and the pro-family groups in their lawsuit against the school board.
The curriculum includes lessons intended for eighth-graders and adopts the language and points of emphasis employed by promoters of homosexuality. Also, 10th-graders will be taught about making announcements that they are homosexual and how to use a condom.
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
This is just plain NUTS! I cannot wait to send my check to the Thomas Moore Law Center.... It's in the mail!
Boulder School District Ends Valedictorian Honor
http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_318121718.html
Boulder School District Ends Valedictorian Honor
(AP) BOULDER, Colo. Boulder Valley School District will no longer give valedictorian awards to its top graduating seniors starting with the class of 2010.
The district's high schools used grade-point averages to determine the honor, but the top students were sometimes separated by just hundredths of a grade point, leading to complaints. Officials also worried students were focusing on heavyweight academic classes at the expense of arts and other electives.
At Tuesday's board meeting, officials heard from a district committee that recommended honoring high-achieving students with summa, magna and cum laude designations instead of crowning a single valedictorian.
"We have a responsibility and a goal of educating the whole child and not just coming up with this race for tenths of a percentage," said school board President Helayne Jones. "High school is supposed to be a time to try things out."
Boulder Valley had previously abolished class rankings to reduce "unhealthy competition," and the committee said keeping the valedictorian system no longer made sense.
Under the system recommended by the committee, the top 20 percent of students will get honors -- with the top 3 percent earning summa cum laude, the next 7 percent magna cum laude and the remaining 10 percent cum laude.
"This honors more kids for academic achievement," said Fairview High School Principal Don Stensrud, who co-chaired the committee. "It gives kids something to strive for."
Committee members left open the question of whether the cum laude designations will appear on student transcripts given to colleges.
High schools in at least a half dozen states have stopped designating valedictorians.
---------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Ha! Next thing you know no more letter jackets will be given out, because some kids just aren't good enough to get them and that makes kids sad.. Boo HOO!!!! Striving acedemically is a GOOD thing. So you lost by 2/10th of a point big deal... suck it up you big baby (it's not like now you are condemed to be a janitor... You still gained knowledge so you REALLY DIDN'T LOSE ANYTHING! This is waht happens when you baby kids... they always think they are entitled to something they haven't earned. Much the a welfare state, it's the EVERYONE IS EQUAL attitude that ends up causing socialism.
Boulder School District Ends Valedictorian Honor
(AP) BOULDER, Colo. Boulder Valley School District will no longer give valedictorian awards to its top graduating seniors starting with the class of 2010.
The district's high schools used grade-point averages to determine the honor, but the top students were sometimes separated by just hundredths of a grade point, leading to complaints. Officials also worried students were focusing on heavyweight academic classes at the expense of arts and other electives.
At Tuesday's board meeting, officials heard from a district committee that recommended honoring high-achieving students with summa, magna and cum laude designations instead of crowning a single valedictorian.
"We have a responsibility and a goal of educating the whole child and not just coming up with this race for tenths of a percentage," said school board President Helayne Jones. "High school is supposed to be a time to try things out."
Boulder Valley had previously abolished class rankings to reduce "unhealthy competition," and the committee said keeping the valedictorian system no longer made sense.
Under the system recommended by the committee, the top 20 percent of students will get honors -- with the top 3 percent earning summa cum laude, the next 7 percent magna cum laude and the remaining 10 percent cum laude.
"This honors more kids for academic achievement," said Fairview High School Principal Don Stensrud, who co-chaired the committee. "It gives kids something to strive for."
Committee members left open the question of whether the cum laude designations will appear on student transcripts given to colleges.
High schools in at least a half dozen states have stopped designating valedictorians.
---------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Ha! Next thing you know no more letter jackets will be given out, because some kids just aren't good enough to get them and that makes kids sad.. Boo HOO!!!! Striving acedemically is a GOOD thing. So you lost by 2/10th of a point big deal... suck it up you big baby (it's not like now you are condemed to be a janitor... You still gained knowledge so you REALLY DIDN'T LOSE ANYTHING! This is waht happens when you baby kids... they always think they are entitled to something they haven't earned. Much the a welfare state, it's the EVERYONE IS EQUAL attitude that ends up causing socialism.
Most at NYU say their vote has a price
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1107/6892.html
Most at NYU say their vote has a price
By: Lily Quateman - Washington Square News
Nov 14, 2007 06:23 PM EST
Twenty percent of students polled would trade their vote for an iPod touch.
Two-thirds say they'll do it for a year's tuition. And for a few, even an iPod touch will do.
That's what NYU students said they'd take in exchange for their right to vote in the next presidential election, a recent survey by an NYU journalism class found.
Only 20 percent said they'd exchange their vote for an iPod touch.
But 66 percent said they'd forfeit their vote for a free ride to NYU. And half said they'd give up the right to vote forever for $1 million.
But they also overwhelmingly lauded the importance of voting.
Ninety percent of the students who said they'd give up their vote for the money also said they consider voting "very important" or "somewhat important"; only 10 percent said it was "not important."
Also, 70.5 percent said they believe that one vote can make a difference — including 70 percent of the students who said they'd give up their vote for free tuition.
The class — "Foundations of Journalism," taught by journalism department chairwoman Brooke Kroeger — polled more than 3,000 undergraduates between Oct. 24 and 26 to assess student attitudes toward voting.
"The part that I find amazing is that so many folks think one vote can make a difference," Sociology Department Chairman Dalton Conley said. He added, "If we take them at their word, then perhaps they really think votes matter, and that's why someone might pay a year's tuition to buy theirs."
Sixty percent of the students who said they'd give up their vote for tuition also described their families' income as upper-middle or high.
Their reasons for giving up their votes varied.
"At the moment, no candidate who truly represents my political beliefs has a chance of winning a presidential election," one male junior studying film and television at the Tisch School of the Arts wrote on the survey.
"It is very easy to convince myself that my vote is not essential," wrote a female CAS sophomore. "After all, I'm from New York, which will always be a blue state."
Other students wrote that they were disgusted by the thought.
"I would be reversing history — a lot of people fought so that every citizen could be enfranchised," said a female in her second year at the Stern School of Business.
One CAS junior went even further, writing that "anyone who'd sell his lifelong right to vote should be deported."
----------------------------------------
OTHERS COMMENTS:
Wow, "only" 20 percent of these kids will sell their vote for an iPod, or a million bucks, or free tuition? Don't you people know just how many elections are decided LESS than 20 percent? Probably most of them. This is very damning for the future of our Republic. As some have pointed out, these kids must have very bad professors. Considering many of the ones who will sell out for a trinket ALSO believe their vote is "important," we have to infer that these kids are willing to mouth platitudes, then sell out to the highest bidder. I wonder if this is why Hillary, Edwards and others are "bidding" to see how much of our tax money they can give away to every Interest Group they can find - be it baby bonds, "free" college or some other scheme?
ANOTHER SAID:
I can truly say as a university student, that these students at NYU make me want to throw up just reading this article. I see this as spitting on the graves at Arlington National Cemetery and all the other citizens that have served and died for this country. I could bet $100 that these students that would sell their vote are the exact same ones that are the biggest complainers of politicians (ie: Bush, Chaney, etc.) It just goes to show that just because you go to an elitist school, they have some of the dumbest pupils.
MY COMMENT:
Just wait until the Democrats start pondering new schemes... Free tuition for your vote... Free flat screens.... One thing they can't give you is Free Freedom. You know why? BECAUSE FREEDOM ISN'T AND NEVER HAS BEEN FREE. If you were to accept a free gadget in trade for your vote you are spitting on the graves of the Americans before you who fought with their lives for the right to vote and be free. You should be ashamed of yourselves NYU.
Most at NYU say their vote has a price
By: Lily Quateman - Washington Square News
Nov 14, 2007 06:23 PM EST
Twenty percent of students polled would trade their vote for an iPod touch.
Two-thirds say they'll do it for a year's tuition. And for a few, even an iPod touch will do.
That's what NYU students said they'd take in exchange for their right to vote in the next presidential election, a recent survey by an NYU journalism class found.
Only 20 percent said they'd exchange their vote for an iPod touch.
But 66 percent said they'd forfeit their vote for a free ride to NYU. And half said they'd give up the right to vote forever for $1 million.
But they also overwhelmingly lauded the importance of voting.
Ninety percent of the students who said they'd give up their vote for the money also said they consider voting "very important" or "somewhat important"; only 10 percent said it was "not important."
Also, 70.5 percent said they believe that one vote can make a difference — including 70 percent of the students who said they'd give up their vote for free tuition.
The class — "Foundations of Journalism," taught by journalism department chairwoman Brooke Kroeger — polled more than 3,000 undergraduates between Oct. 24 and 26 to assess student attitudes toward voting.
"The part that I find amazing is that so many folks think one vote can make a difference," Sociology Department Chairman Dalton Conley said. He added, "If we take them at their word, then perhaps they really think votes matter, and that's why someone might pay a year's tuition to buy theirs."
Sixty percent of the students who said they'd give up their vote for tuition also described their families' income as upper-middle or high.
Their reasons for giving up their votes varied.
"At the moment, no candidate who truly represents my political beliefs has a chance of winning a presidential election," one male junior studying film and television at the Tisch School of the Arts wrote on the survey.
"It is very easy to convince myself that my vote is not essential," wrote a female CAS sophomore. "After all, I'm from New York, which will always be a blue state."
Other students wrote that they were disgusted by the thought.
"I would be reversing history — a lot of people fought so that every citizen could be enfranchised," said a female in her second year at the Stern School of Business.
One CAS junior went even further, writing that "anyone who'd sell his lifelong right to vote should be deported."
----------------------------------------
OTHERS COMMENTS:
Wow, "only" 20 percent of these kids will sell their vote for an iPod, or a million bucks, or free tuition? Don't you people know just how many elections are decided LESS than 20 percent? Probably most of them. This is very damning for the future of our Republic. As some have pointed out, these kids must have very bad professors. Considering many of the ones who will sell out for a trinket ALSO believe their vote is "important," we have to infer that these kids are willing to mouth platitudes, then sell out to the highest bidder. I wonder if this is why Hillary, Edwards and others are "bidding" to see how much of our tax money they can give away to every Interest Group they can find - be it baby bonds, "free" college or some other scheme?
ANOTHER SAID:
I can truly say as a university student, that these students at NYU make me want to throw up just reading this article. I see this as spitting on the graves at Arlington National Cemetery and all the other citizens that have served and died for this country. I could bet $100 that these students that would sell their vote are the exact same ones that are the biggest complainers of politicians (ie: Bush, Chaney, etc.) It just goes to show that just because you go to an elitist school, they have some of the dumbest pupils.
MY COMMENT:
Just wait until the Democrats start pondering new schemes... Free tuition for your vote... Free flat screens.... One thing they can't give you is Free Freedom. You know why? BECAUSE FREEDOM ISN'T AND NEVER HAS BEEN FREE. If you were to accept a free gadget in trade for your vote you are spitting on the graves of the Americans before you who fought with their lives for the right to vote and be free. You should be ashamed of yourselves NYU.
Christmas insanity: 'Ho, ho, ho' becomes 'Ha, ha, ha'
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58692
Christmas insanity: 'Ho, ho, ho' becomes 'Ha, ha, ha'
Controversy erupts over attempt to gag Santa's greeting
Posted: November 14, 2007
5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Santas saying 'No, no, no' to ban on 'Ho, ho, ho' (Sydney Daily Telegraph)
When kids hear Santa Claus bellow, "Ho, ho, ho," is their first thought prostitution?
That concern has prompted an attempt to gag the traditional greeting, and many Santas are now fighting back.
According to the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Santas across Australia are rebelling against attempts to change their saying to a more politically correct, "ha, ha, ha."
It all started when the recruitment firm Westaff – which has offices both in the United States and Australia – told its Christmas trainees that the "ho, ho, ho" phrase could frighten children and possibly be derogatory to women.
"Westaff has been a provider of quality caring Santas for over 40 years," Westaff's national Santa coordinator Sari Hegarty wrote to stores via e-mail.
"Part of our advice to our Santas is that they should be mindful of children having their first Santa experience. We ask our Santas to try techniques such as lowering their tone of voice and using 'ha, ha, ha' to encourage the children to come forward and meet Santa. We wish you and your family a very merry Christmas."
The directions have prompted some Santa trainees to quit the program.
One told the Daily Telegraph he was taught not to use "ho, ho, ho" because it was too close to the American slang for prostitute.
"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, head of the campaign against sexualizing children called Kids Free 2B Kids. "We are talking about little kids who do not understand that 'ho, ho, ho' has any other connotation and nor should they. Leave Santa alone."
Dr. Joe Tucci, CEO of the Australian Childhood Foundation, called it the latest example of political correctness gone mad.
"There is no stronger tradition for children than Santa's ho, ho, ho," Tucci said.
At a Myer store, where Westaff also trains the fat men in red suit, Santa could not stop laughing about the suggestion.
"Myer has not directed our Santas to refrain from using 'ho, ho, ho' and believe the expression is an important Christmas tradition," a spokesman for Myer said.
---------------------
MY COMMENTS:
What is the world coming to. No one gives a damn about the "Ho Ho Ho" trust me.... It only becomes an issue when you make it one, so why make it one???? FREE SANTA!
Christmas insanity: 'Ho, ho, ho' becomes 'Ha, ha, ha'
Controversy erupts over attempt to gag Santa's greeting
Posted: November 14, 2007
5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Santas saying 'No, no, no' to ban on 'Ho, ho, ho' (Sydney Daily Telegraph)
When kids hear Santa Claus bellow, "Ho, ho, ho," is their first thought prostitution?
That concern has prompted an attempt to gag the traditional greeting, and many Santas are now fighting back.
According to the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Santas across Australia are rebelling against attempts to change their saying to a more politically correct, "ha, ha, ha."
It all started when the recruitment firm Westaff – which has offices both in the United States and Australia – told its Christmas trainees that the "ho, ho, ho" phrase could frighten children and possibly be derogatory to women.
"Westaff has been a provider of quality caring Santas for over 40 years," Westaff's national Santa coordinator Sari Hegarty wrote to stores via e-mail.
"Part of our advice to our Santas is that they should be mindful of children having their first Santa experience. We ask our Santas to try techniques such as lowering their tone of voice and using 'ha, ha, ha' to encourage the children to come forward and meet Santa. We wish you and your family a very merry Christmas."
The directions have prompted some Santa trainees to quit the program.
One told the Daily Telegraph he was taught not to use "ho, ho, ho" because it was too close to the American slang for prostitute.
"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, head of the campaign against sexualizing children called Kids Free 2B Kids. "We are talking about little kids who do not understand that 'ho, ho, ho' has any other connotation and nor should they. Leave Santa alone."
Dr. Joe Tucci, CEO of the Australian Childhood Foundation, called it the latest example of political correctness gone mad.
"There is no stronger tradition for children than Santa's ho, ho, ho," Tucci said.
At a Myer store, where Westaff also trains the fat men in red suit, Santa could not stop laughing about the suggestion.
"Myer has not directed our Santas to refrain from using 'ho, ho, ho' and believe the expression is an important Christmas tradition," a spokesman for Myer said.
---------------------
MY COMMENTS:
What is the world coming to. No one gives a damn about the "Ho Ho Ho" trust me.... It only becomes an issue when you make it one, so why make it one???? FREE SANTA!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
No Law Says Parents Have To Get Their Children Vaccinated
http://www.infowars.com/articles/ps/vaccines_no_law_parents_have_to_get_kids_vaccinated.htm
No Law Says Parents Have To Get Their Children Vaccinated
Government and media propaganda hoax continues as parents in Maryland hoodwinked and threatened into believing it is the law to vaccinate kids, error-strewn Fox news report relays disinformation
Prison Planet | November 14, 2007
Paul Joseph Watson & Steve Watson
News networks and state authorities are once again engaging in mass public deception by claiming that vaccines for children are mandated by law and that parents will go to jail if kids do not take their shots. In reality, there is no law that says you have to vaccinate your children and waiver forms for personal or religious exemptions are freely available.
A situation in Prince George's County, MD. has attracted media attention and once again provided the platform for a propaganda push that falsely implies it is the law for children to be vaccinated with mass produced big pharma shots that are often not stringently tested and have been linked with dangerous side-effects.
More than 2300 children in Prince George's County have been expelled from school for up to a month and a half because they have not received their shots for chicken pox and hepatitis B. This Saturday the parents of more than 1600 children have been ordered to attend Circuit court, where medical officials will be on standby to forcibly inject their children in a scenario befitting of a science fiction horror movie.
School officials have said the parents will receive a verbal reprimand from the judge and be ordered to have their children immunized in the courthouse. The students would then be allowed to return to school. Parents who refuse to comply will get fines and could be jailed for ten days.
"If the child is not here Saturday, then we will move on with the process, meaning that the PPWs and the counselors will put together the packet to take before the state's attorney's office, asking, requesting that criminal charges be implemented," Dr. Betty Despenza-Green, the chief of student services, said from the courthouse Tuesday.
"We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way, but it's going to have to get done. I'm willing to move forward with legal action." said State Attorney Glenn Ivey.
Letters ordering the parents to show up at Prince George's Circuit Court for a court hearing and a free vaccine have been issued with the warning "unexcused absences by your child may subject you to a criminal charge."
This report is completely riddled with errors and distortions from beginning to end.
The Fox reporter states "A new law was passed last year requiring children from 5th through to 10th grade to have the vaccine". This is completely untrue. The vaccine has been mandated by the state but there is no law in the U.S. that requires mandatory vaccinations of any kind . The report mentions the waiver forms only after claiming that it is the law. How can there be a waiver form that allows someone to break a law?
This is why the parents who do not comply will be charged not under vaccination laws (because there aren't any) but under truancy, neglect or child in need of supervision laws, which state that the parent is culpable after 30 days of a child's unexplained absence from school.
The school itself triggered the truancy violation by unfairly kicking the kids out of school, and failing to inform parents about vaccine waiver forms.
The news report quotes befuddled members of the public, who claim that kids not getting vaccinations endangers those that have had them. How on earth can that be the case if the vaccination is supposed to provide immunity against the disease? In reality, the vaccinated kids are more dangerous to others, considering the plethora of cases where vaccines have induced debilitating side-effects as levels of autism soar to unprecedented levels.
There is no law in America , aside from those applying to medical workers, that says you or your child has to take any vaccine whatsoever, no matter what any executive order, requirement, mandate or policy dictates, there is no situation where you can go to prison for refusing a government vaccine under the U.S. constitution and the law of the land.
As in the case of all other vaccines, executive orders and court mandates merely state that the vaccine is "recommended," yet the mass media drumbeat constantly conditions people to believe that if they don't take their shots they will be kicked out of school, arrested and thrown in jail. This trick will continue to hoodwink Americans into taking all manner of dangerous and untested vaccines, the number of which rises every year, until they realize that there is no law that forces them to take any vaccine.
Here is an example of a vaccine waiver form , this particular one is for Maryland, the state in question in this case, proving that enforced vaccination is not the law and that personal and religious objections are applicable.
http://www.unhinderedliving.com/statevaccexemp.html - Here you can find vaccine exemption forms online by state or country.
The good news is that concerned parents across the U.S. are leading a nationwide revolt against unnecessary, untested and dangerous vaccines as CDC records show a growing amount of religious exemptions on vaccine forms.
Earlier this year we reported on the furor surrounding the HPV vaccine , which experts have slammed as untested and has continues to be linked to dangerous side-effects. A media propaganda campaign along with an executive order issued by Texas governor Rick Perry has had parents in Texas and other areas of the country fooled into believing the vaccine is now the law and young girls must take it. Merck Pharmaceuticals are capitalizing on this fraud by making obscene profits from a crony deal with Governor Rick Perry, while children are put at risk.
Vaccines and drugs that are not stringently tested and are instead foisted upon populations for the purposes of making obscene profits have a clear history of deadly consequences.
Consider the case of Bayer Pharmaceuticals, who deliberately dumped a vaccine that was known to be contaminated with AIDS virus on the European and Latin American market after it killed people in America. Thousands died from an action that the U.S. government allowed to happen through the FDA.
Peruse the plethora of examples where vaccines containing mercury, live HIV virus, live cancer and other horrors have wrought misery after victims were bullied into taking them by government mandates that they were deluded into thinking was the law.
The history alone, a legacy that led former director of the National Institute of Health Dr. James R. Shannon to state, "The only safe vaccine is one that is never used," implores us to stand up and expose this hoax and ensure that similar executive orders and mandates are not passed elsewhere in the country as a result of cynical greed driven lobbying and corporate crony payoffs.
More parents across the country should rally to denounce this development, which sets the pretext for the state to dictate the health of their children, as well as moving us closer to legislation which would allow Americans to be forcibly vaccinated at gunpoint against their will during a time of manufactured crisis, such as in the case of a human to human bird flu pandemic.
No Law Says Parents Have To Get Their Children Vaccinated
Government and media propaganda hoax continues as parents in Maryland hoodwinked and threatened into believing it is the law to vaccinate kids, error-strewn Fox news report relays disinformation
Prison Planet | November 14, 2007
Paul Joseph Watson & Steve Watson
News networks and state authorities are once again engaging in mass public deception by claiming that vaccines for children are mandated by law and that parents will go to jail if kids do not take their shots. In reality, there is no law that says you have to vaccinate your children and waiver forms for personal or religious exemptions are freely available.
A situation in Prince George's County, MD. has attracted media attention and once again provided the platform for a propaganda push that falsely implies it is the law for children to be vaccinated with mass produced big pharma shots that are often not stringently tested and have been linked with dangerous side-effects.
More than 2300 children in Prince George's County have been expelled from school for up to a month and a half because they have not received their shots for chicken pox and hepatitis B. This Saturday the parents of more than 1600 children have been ordered to attend Circuit court, where medical officials will be on standby to forcibly inject their children in a scenario befitting of a science fiction horror movie.
School officials have said the parents will receive a verbal reprimand from the judge and be ordered to have their children immunized in the courthouse. The students would then be allowed to return to school. Parents who refuse to comply will get fines and could be jailed for ten days.
"If the child is not here Saturday, then we will move on with the process, meaning that the PPWs and the counselors will put together the packet to take before the state's attorney's office, asking, requesting that criminal charges be implemented," Dr. Betty Despenza-Green, the chief of student services, said from the courthouse Tuesday.
"We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way, but it's going to have to get done. I'm willing to move forward with legal action." said State Attorney Glenn Ivey.
Letters ordering the parents to show up at Prince George's Circuit Court for a court hearing and a free vaccine have been issued with the warning "unexcused absences by your child may subject you to a criminal charge."
This report is completely riddled with errors and distortions from beginning to end.
The Fox reporter states "A new law was passed last year requiring children from 5th through to 10th grade to have the vaccine". This is completely untrue. The vaccine has been mandated by the state but there is no law in the U.S. that requires mandatory vaccinations of any kind . The report mentions the waiver forms only after claiming that it is the law. How can there be a waiver form that allows someone to break a law?
This is why the parents who do not comply will be charged not under vaccination laws (because there aren't any) but under truancy, neglect or child in need of supervision laws, which state that the parent is culpable after 30 days of a child's unexplained absence from school.
The school itself triggered the truancy violation by unfairly kicking the kids out of school, and failing to inform parents about vaccine waiver forms.
The news report quotes befuddled members of the public, who claim that kids not getting vaccinations endangers those that have had them. How on earth can that be the case if the vaccination is supposed to provide immunity against the disease? In reality, the vaccinated kids are more dangerous to others, considering the plethora of cases where vaccines have induced debilitating side-effects as levels of autism soar to unprecedented levels.
There is no law in America , aside from those applying to medical workers, that says you or your child has to take any vaccine whatsoever, no matter what any executive order, requirement, mandate or policy dictates, there is no situation where you can go to prison for refusing a government vaccine under the U.S. constitution and the law of the land.
As in the case of all other vaccines, executive orders and court mandates merely state that the vaccine is "recommended," yet the mass media drumbeat constantly conditions people to believe that if they don't take their shots they will be kicked out of school, arrested and thrown in jail. This trick will continue to hoodwink Americans into taking all manner of dangerous and untested vaccines, the number of which rises every year, until they realize that there is no law that forces them to take any vaccine.
Here is an example of a vaccine waiver form , this particular one is for Maryland, the state in question in this case, proving that enforced vaccination is not the law and that personal and religious objections are applicable.
http://www.unhinderedliving.com/statevaccexemp.html - Here you can find vaccine exemption forms online by state or country.
The good news is that concerned parents across the U.S. are leading a nationwide revolt against unnecessary, untested and dangerous vaccines as CDC records show a growing amount of religious exemptions on vaccine forms.
Earlier this year we reported on the furor surrounding the HPV vaccine , which experts have slammed as untested and has continues to be linked to dangerous side-effects. A media propaganda campaign along with an executive order issued by Texas governor Rick Perry has had parents in Texas and other areas of the country fooled into believing the vaccine is now the law and young girls must take it. Merck Pharmaceuticals are capitalizing on this fraud by making obscene profits from a crony deal with Governor Rick Perry, while children are put at risk.
Vaccines and drugs that are not stringently tested and are instead foisted upon populations for the purposes of making obscene profits have a clear history of deadly consequences.
Consider the case of Bayer Pharmaceuticals, who deliberately dumped a vaccine that was known to be contaminated with AIDS virus on the European and Latin American market after it killed people in America. Thousands died from an action that the U.S. government allowed to happen through the FDA.
Peruse the plethora of examples where vaccines containing mercury, live HIV virus, live cancer and other horrors have wrought misery after victims were bullied into taking them by government mandates that they were deluded into thinking was the law.
The history alone, a legacy that led former director of the National Institute of Health Dr. James R. Shannon to state, "The only safe vaccine is one that is never used," implores us to stand up and expose this hoax and ensure that similar executive orders and mandates are not passed elsewhere in the country as a result of cynical greed driven lobbying and corporate crony payoffs.
More parents across the country should rally to denounce this development, which sets the pretext for the state to dictate the health of their children, as well as moving us closer to legislation which would allow Americans to be forcibly vaccinated at gunpoint against their will during a time of manufactured crisis, such as in the case of a human to human bird flu pandemic.
Get Kids Vaccinated Or Else, Parents Told
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/13/AR2007111301408.html
Get Kids Vaccinated Or Else, Parents Told
Pr. George's Threatens Legal Action
By Nelson Hernandez
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 14, 2007; Page B01
The parents of more than 2,300 Prince George's County students who failed to get needed vaccinations could face fines of $50 a day and up to 10 days in jail if their children do not meet the state's immunization requirements, county officials said yesterday.
The threat of legal action is a last resort after months in which Prince George's has struggled to get its 131,000 students immunized for chicken pox and hepatitis B, as mandated by the state. More than 2,300 students have not been immunized and have been barred from attending schools, almost two months after a Sept. 20 deadline for meeting the requirement.
"The goal is to get kids in school," State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey said. (By Gerald Martineau -- The Washington Post)
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but it's got to get done," Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey (D) said at a news conference in Upper Marlboro. "I'm willing to move forward with legal action."
School officials have made calls, sent letters and conducted home visits to make arrangements for free appointments for the needed shots. But often the students' addresses and phone numbers have been outdated, making contacting them difficult. Other students have received the vaccines but failed to get the necessary booster shots.
The school system turned to the justice system as a final option and received the backing of Circuit Judge William D. Missouri, the county's administrative judge, and Circuit Judge C. Philip Nichols Jr., who handles juvenile matters.
"This is an educational crisis," said R. Owen Johnson Jr., chairman of the school board. "This is a public health and a children's rights issue."
Nichols and Ivey sent another round of letters to the families still out of compliance. Nichols's letter ordered the parents to show up at Prince George's Circuit Court for a court hearing and a free vaccine; Ivey's letter warned that "unexcused absences by your child may subject you to a criminal charge."
They expect almost 1,700 children to show up Saturday with their parents for the first in a series of Circuit Court hearings on the matter. School officials said the parents would receive a verbal reprimand from the judge and be ordered to have their children immunized in the courthouse. The students would then be allowed to return to school.
Parents who do not appear could face fines of $50 for each day they fail to get their children immunized after being charged. They also could serve up to 10 days in jail. Ivey said he hoped charging parents would not be necessary.
"The goal is to get kids in school, not to put parents in jail," Ivey said.
Missouri said he looked forward to talking to the parents who had not gotten their children immunized, to understand why.
"I'd like to know exactly what the reasons are because the reasons may be able to be addressed without ratcheting it up to this point," he said.
Schools officials said they were sorry the crisis had gone this far, but that it needed to be solved immediately.
"This has really, really been a difficult time for us," said Betty Despenza-Green, the school system's chief of student services. "It hurts us when any child is out of school because he needs to be immunized, and so we felt we needed to be creative. We need those students immunized. We need them in schools."
--------------------
MY COMMENTS:
I don't think people should be pushed to get these kids vaccinated. It's the parents right to decide what to medically give their child. How can the state or government intervene?
Get Kids Vaccinated Or Else, Parents Told
Pr. George's Threatens Legal Action
By Nelson Hernandez
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 14, 2007; Page B01
The parents of more than 2,300 Prince George's County students who failed to get needed vaccinations could face fines of $50 a day and up to 10 days in jail if their children do not meet the state's immunization requirements, county officials said yesterday.
The threat of legal action is a last resort after months in which Prince George's has struggled to get its 131,000 students immunized for chicken pox and hepatitis B, as mandated by the state. More than 2,300 students have not been immunized and have been barred from attending schools, almost two months after a Sept. 20 deadline for meeting the requirement.
"The goal is to get kids in school," State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey said. (By Gerald Martineau -- The Washington Post)
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but it's got to get done," Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey (D) said at a news conference in Upper Marlboro. "I'm willing to move forward with legal action."
School officials have made calls, sent letters and conducted home visits to make arrangements for free appointments for the needed shots. But often the students' addresses and phone numbers have been outdated, making contacting them difficult. Other students have received the vaccines but failed to get the necessary booster shots.
The school system turned to the justice system as a final option and received the backing of Circuit Judge William D. Missouri, the county's administrative judge, and Circuit Judge C. Philip Nichols Jr., who handles juvenile matters.
"This is an educational crisis," said R. Owen Johnson Jr., chairman of the school board. "This is a public health and a children's rights issue."
Nichols and Ivey sent another round of letters to the families still out of compliance. Nichols's letter ordered the parents to show up at Prince George's Circuit Court for a court hearing and a free vaccine; Ivey's letter warned that "unexcused absences by your child may subject you to a criminal charge."
They expect almost 1,700 children to show up Saturday with their parents for the first in a series of Circuit Court hearings on the matter. School officials said the parents would receive a verbal reprimand from the judge and be ordered to have their children immunized in the courthouse. The students would then be allowed to return to school.
Parents who do not appear could face fines of $50 for each day they fail to get their children immunized after being charged. They also could serve up to 10 days in jail. Ivey said he hoped charging parents would not be necessary.
"The goal is to get kids in school, not to put parents in jail," Ivey said.
Missouri said he looked forward to talking to the parents who had not gotten their children immunized, to understand why.
"I'd like to know exactly what the reasons are because the reasons may be able to be addressed without ratcheting it up to this point," he said.
Schools officials said they were sorry the crisis had gone this far, but that it needed to be solved immediately.
"This has really, really been a difficult time for us," said Betty Despenza-Green, the school system's chief of student services. "It hurts us when any child is out of school because he needs to be immunized, and so we felt we needed to be creative. We need those students immunized. We need them in schools."
--------------------
MY COMMENTS:
I don't think people should be pushed to get these kids vaccinated. It's the parents right to decide what to medically give their child. How can the state or government intervene?
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Student given question to ask Clinton: I wasn't only one
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/11/13/student-given-question-for-clinton-i-just-want-honesty/
Student given question to ask Clinton: I wasn't only one
GRINNELL, Iowa (CNN) -- The college student who was told what question to ask at one of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign events says "voters have the right to know what happened" and she wasn't the only one who was planted.
Student Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff said a staffer told her what to ask at a campaign event for Sen. Hillary Clinton.
In an exclusive on-camera interview with CNN, Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff, a 19-year-old sophomore at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, said that giving anyone specific questions to ask is "dishonest," and the whole incident has given her a negative outlook on politics.
Gallo-Chasanoff, whose story was first reported in the campus newspaper, said what happened was really pretty simple: She says a senior Clinton staffer asked if she'd like to ask the senator a question after an energy speech the Democratic presidential hopeful gave in Newton, Iowa, on November 6.
"I sort of thought about it, and I said 'Yeah, can I ask how her energy plan compares to the other candidates' energy plans?'" Gallo-Chasanoff said Monday night.
"'I don't think that's a good idea," the staffer said, according to Gallo-Chasanoff, "because I don't know how familiar she is with their plans." Watch the student describe how she was approached »
He then opened a binder to a page that, according to Gallo-Chasanoff, had about eight questions on it.
"The top one was planned specifically for a college student," she added. " It said 'college student' in brackets and then the question."
Topping that sheet of paper was the following: "As a young person, I'm worried about the long-term effects of global warming. How does your plan combat climate change?" Watch the student ask the planted question »
And while she said she would have rather used her own question, Gallo-Chasanoff said she generally didn't have a problem asking the campaign's because she "likes to be agreeable," adding that since she told the staffer she'd ask their pre-typed question she "didn't want to go back on [her] word."
Clinton campaign spokesman Mo Elleithee said Clinton had "no idea who she was calling on."
"This is not acceptable campaign process moving forward. We've taken steps to ensure that it never happens again," she said in a written response to CNN.
Gallo-Chasanoff wasn't so sure.
"I don't know whether Hillary knew what my question was going to be, but it seemed like she knew to call on me because there were so many people, and ... I was the only college student in that area," she said. Watch the full interview »
In a separate statement in response to the campus article, the campaign also added, "On this occasion a member of our staff did discuss a possible question about Senator Clinton's energy plan at a forum. ... This is not standard policy and will not be repeated again."
Gallo-Chasanoff may have some doubts about that one as well.
"After the event," she said, "I heard another man ... talking about the question he asked, and he said that the campaign had asked him to ask that question."
The man she references prefaced his question by saying that it probably didn't have anything to do with energy, and then posed the following: "I wonder what you propose to do to create jobs for the middle-class person, such as here in Newton where we lost Maytag."
A Maytag factory in Newton recently closed, forcing hundreds of people out of their jobs.
During the course of the late-night interview on Grinnell's campus, Gallo-Chasanoff also told CNN that the day before the school's newspaper, Scarlet and Black, printed the story, she wanted the reporter to inform the campaign out of courtesy to let them know it would be published.
She said the "head of publicity for the campaign," a man whose name she could not recall, had no factual disputes with the story. But, she added, a Clinton intern spoke to her to say the campaign requests she "not talk about" the story to any more media outlets and that if she did she should inform a staffer.
"I'm not under any real obligation to do that, and I haven't talked to [the campaign] anymore," Gallo-Chasanoff said, adding that she also doesn't plan to.
"If what I do is come and just be totally truthful, then that's all anyone can ask of me, and that's all I can ask of myself. So I'll feel good with what I've done. I'll feel like I've done the right thing."
The Clinton campaign's acknowledgment that it planted a question re-enforces a widely held criticism of the senator -- that she is not entirely honest, said Bill Schneider, CNN's senior political analyst.
"It's the same criticism often made of her husband," Schneider said. "Most Americans never felt Bill Clinton was honest and trustworthy, even when he got elected in 1992 -- with only 43 percent of the vote. His critics called him 'Slick Willy.' ... Will her critics start referring to the New York senator as `Slick Hillary?'"
Asked if this experience makes her less likely to support Clinton's presidential bid, Gallo-Chasanoff, an undecided voter, said, "I think she has a lot to offer, but I -- this experience makes me look at her campaign a little bit differently."
"The question and answer sessions -- especially in Iowa -- are really important. That's where the voters get to ... have like a real genuine conversation with this politician who could be representing them."
While she acknowledged "it's possible that all campaigns do these kind of tactics," she said it still doesn't make it right.
"Personally I want to know that I have someone who's honest representing me."
Gallo-Chasanoff's story comes at a time when a second person has also come forward with a similar one. Geoffrey Mitchell of Hamilton, Illinois, a town located on the Iowa border, told CNN the Clinton campaign also wanted him to ask a certain question at an Iowa event in April.
"He asked me if I would ask Sen. Clinton about ways she was going to confront the president on the war in Iraq, specifically war funding," said Geoffrey Mitchell, a supporter of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois. "I told him it was not a question I felt comfortable with."
No questions were taken at the event. Elleithee said this incident was different than what happened with Gallo-Chasanoff in Newton. Elleithee said the staffer "bumped into someone he marginally knew" and during a conversation with Mitchell, "Iraq came up." Elleithee denied the campaign tried to plant him as a friendly questioner in the audience.
Mitchell said he had never met the staffer before the event.
----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Typical Clinton politics:
1) Do something shifty
2) Deny and deflect
3) Destory the evidence, take the fifth, or flee the country
4) Attack the accuser (like the hillary workers on this forum are doing!)
Did we learn nothing from Bill's presidency? Hillary sure did!
Student given question to ask Clinton: I wasn't only one
GRINNELL, Iowa (CNN) -- The college student who was told what question to ask at one of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign events says "voters have the right to know what happened" and she wasn't the only one who was planted.
Student Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff said a staffer told her what to ask at a campaign event for Sen. Hillary Clinton.
In an exclusive on-camera interview with CNN, Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff, a 19-year-old sophomore at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, said that giving anyone specific questions to ask is "dishonest," and the whole incident has given her a negative outlook on politics.
Gallo-Chasanoff, whose story was first reported in the campus newspaper, said what happened was really pretty simple: She says a senior Clinton staffer asked if she'd like to ask the senator a question after an energy speech the Democratic presidential hopeful gave in Newton, Iowa, on November 6.
"I sort of thought about it, and I said 'Yeah, can I ask how her energy plan compares to the other candidates' energy plans?'" Gallo-Chasanoff said Monday night.
"'I don't think that's a good idea," the staffer said, according to Gallo-Chasanoff, "because I don't know how familiar she is with their plans." Watch the student describe how she was approached »
He then opened a binder to a page that, according to Gallo-Chasanoff, had about eight questions on it.
"The top one was planned specifically for a college student," she added. " It said 'college student' in brackets and then the question."
Topping that sheet of paper was the following: "As a young person, I'm worried about the long-term effects of global warming. How does your plan combat climate change?" Watch the student ask the planted question »
And while she said she would have rather used her own question, Gallo-Chasanoff said she generally didn't have a problem asking the campaign's because she "likes to be agreeable," adding that since she told the staffer she'd ask their pre-typed question she "didn't want to go back on [her] word."
Clinton campaign spokesman Mo Elleithee said Clinton had "no idea who she was calling on."
"This is not acceptable campaign process moving forward. We've taken steps to ensure that it never happens again," she said in a written response to CNN.
Gallo-Chasanoff wasn't so sure.
"I don't know whether Hillary knew what my question was going to be, but it seemed like she knew to call on me because there were so many people, and ... I was the only college student in that area," she said. Watch the full interview »
In a separate statement in response to the campus article, the campaign also added, "On this occasion a member of our staff did discuss a possible question about Senator Clinton's energy plan at a forum. ... This is not standard policy and will not be repeated again."
Gallo-Chasanoff may have some doubts about that one as well.
"After the event," she said, "I heard another man ... talking about the question he asked, and he said that the campaign had asked him to ask that question."
The man she references prefaced his question by saying that it probably didn't have anything to do with energy, and then posed the following: "I wonder what you propose to do to create jobs for the middle-class person, such as here in Newton where we lost Maytag."
A Maytag factory in Newton recently closed, forcing hundreds of people out of their jobs.
During the course of the late-night interview on Grinnell's campus, Gallo-Chasanoff also told CNN that the day before the school's newspaper, Scarlet and Black, printed the story, she wanted the reporter to inform the campaign out of courtesy to let them know it would be published.
She said the "head of publicity for the campaign," a man whose name she could not recall, had no factual disputes with the story. But, she added, a Clinton intern spoke to her to say the campaign requests she "not talk about" the story to any more media outlets and that if she did she should inform a staffer.
"I'm not under any real obligation to do that, and I haven't talked to [the campaign] anymore," Gallo-Chasanoff said, adding that she also doesn't plan to.
"If what I do is come and just be totally truthful, then that's all anyone can ask of me, and that's all I can ask of myself. So I'll feel good with what I've done. I'll feel like I've done the right thing."
The Clinton campaign's acknowledgment that it planted a question re-enforces a widely held criticism of the senator -- that she is not entirely honest, said Bill Schneider, CNN's senior political analyst.
"It's the same criticism often made of her husband," Schneider said. "Most Americans never felt Bill Clinton was honest and trustworthy, even when he got elected in 1992 -- with only 43 percent of the vote. His critics called him 'Slick Willy.' ... Will her critics start referring to the New York senator as `Slick Hillary?'"
Asked if this experience makes her less likely to support Clinton's presidential bid, Gallo-Chasanoff, an undecided voter, said, "I think she has a lot to offer, but I -- this experience makes me look at her campaign a little bit differently."
"The question and answer sessions -- especially in Iowa -- are really important. That's where the voters get to ... have like a real genuine conversation with this politician who could be representing them."
While she acknowledged "it's possible that all campaigns do these kind of tactics," she said it still doesn't make it right.
"Personally I want to know that I have someone who's honest representing me."
Gallo-Chasanoff's story comes at a time when a second person has also come forward with a similar one. Geoffrey Mitchell of Hamilton, Illinois, a town located on the Iowa border, told CNN the Clinton campaign also wanted him to ask a certain question at an Iowa event in April.
"He asked me if I would ask Sen. Clinton about ways she was going to confront the president on the war in Iraq, specifically war funding," said Geoffrey Mitchell, a supporter of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois. "I told him it was not a question I felt comfortable with."
No questions were taken at the event. Elleithee said this incident was different than what happened with Gallo-Chasanoff in Newton. Elleithee said the staffer "bumped into someone he marginally knew" and during a conversation with Mitchell, "Iraq came up." Elleithee denied the campaign tried to plant him as a friendly questioner in the audience.
Mitchell said he had never met the staffer before the event.
----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Typical Clinton politics:
1) Do something shifty
2) Deny and deflect
3) Destory the evidence, take the fifth, or flee the country
4) Attack the accuser (like the hillary workers on this forum are doing!)
Did we learn nothing from Bill's presidency? Hillary sure did!
Suffolk bird flu is H5N1 strain
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7092988.stm
Suffolk bird flu is H5N1 strain
All the birds at the farm are being culled as a precaution
The type of bird flu found in turkeys on a Suffolk farm is the virulent H5N1 strain, according to government vets.
The virus was discovered on Sunday at Redgrave Park Farm near Diss, where all 6,500 birds, most of them turkeys, are being slaughtered.
A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone have been set up and the farm is co-operating with vets.
Acting Chief Veterinary Officer Fred Landeg made the announcement at a press conference in London.
All birds at the affected premises - including approximately 5,000 turkeys, 1,000 ducks and 500 geese - will be slaughtered.
Police officers are at the entrance to the farm, and vehicles are being sprayed with a jet hose.
The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said some 10% of birds in one shed at the farm had died during one night.
Possible sources
Mr Landeg said there was "still some uncertainty" over the situation.
"We are at a very early stage of the investigation," he added.
Mr Landeg said initial test results showed the virus found in Suffolk was "closely related to outbreaks in Czech Republic and Germany in the summer, which does suggest a possible wild bird source".
The top priority is to get controls in place, to inform people of the controls in place
Heather Peck
Defra regional manager
Latest blow for farmers
Anxious wait for test results
But he added he was keeping an open mind as to the possible source of the disease.
Earlier, Mr Landeg said the risk of bird flu spreading was increased during the autumn months because of wild bird migration.
The affected birds were free-range - meaning they had access to the outdoors and may have been of greater risk of catching the disease.
Cull preparations
The BBC's Andrew Sinclair, who is at the farm, said large trucks and gas canisters had been moved on to the premises earlier in preparation for the cull.
It is expected that all the birds will be gassed and then put in sealed containers.
Officials said further local surveillance work would happen before deciding on any culls on neighbouring farms.
Heather Peck, Defra's regional operations manager for animal health, said: "The top priority is to get controls in place, to inform people of the controls in place and that's largely done electronically these days.
"The immediate priority for us here is both to cull the affected birds on the infected premises and to establish any possible contact or any potential traces of movement between those premises, or related premises or premises in the immediate vicinity."
Suffolk bird flu is H5N1 strain
All the birds at the farm are being culled as a precaution
The type of bird flu found in turkeys on a Suffolk farm is the virulent H5N1 strain, according to government vets.
The virus was discovered on Sunday at Redgrave Park Farm near Diss, where all 6,500 birds, most of them turkeys, are being slaughtered.
A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone have been set up and the farm is co-operating with vets.
Acting Chief Veterinary Officer Fred Landeg made the announcement at a press conference in London.
All birds at the affected premises - including approximately 5,000 turkeys, 1,000 ducks and 500 geese - will be slaughtered.
Police officers are at the entrance to the farm, and vehicles are being sprayed with a jet hose.
The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said some 10% of birds in one shed at the farm had died during one night.
Possible sources
Mr Landeg said there was "still some uncertainty" over the situation.
"We are at a very early stage of the investigation," he added.
Mr Landeg said initial test results showed the virus found in Suffolk was "closely related to outbreaks in Czech Republic and Germany in the summer, which does suggest a possible wild bird source".
The top priority is to get controls in place, to inform people of the controls in place
Heather Peck
Defra regional manager
Latest blow for farmers
Anxious wait for test results
But he added he was keeping an open mind as to the possible source of the disease.
Earlier, Mr Landeg said the risk of bird flu spreading was increased during the autumn months because of wild bird migration.
The affected birds were free-range - meaning they had access to the outdoors and may have been of greater risk of catching the disease.
Cull preparations
The BBC's Andrew Sinclair, who is at the farm, said large trucks and gas canisters had been moved on to the premises earlier in preparation for the cull.
It is expected that all the birds will be gassed and then put in sealed containers.
Officials said further local surveillance work would happen before deciding on any culls on neighbouring farms.
Heather Peck, Defra's regional operations manager for animal health, said: "The top priority is to get controls in place, to inform people of the controls in place and that's largely done electronically these days.
"The immediate priority for us here is both to cull the affected birds on the infected premises and to establish any possible contact or any potential traces of movement between those premises, or related premises or premises in the immediate vicinity."
Huckabee offered 'no-cost' deal for Mexican Consulate
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58657
Huckabee offered 'no-cost' deal for Mexican Consulate
Developer confirms role, legislator raps ex-governor for using taxpayer funds for illegals
Posted: November 13, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee
An Arkansas commercial developer confirmed his role in a no-cost "incentive deal" packaged by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to attract a Mexican Consulate to Little Rock.
Meanwhile, an Arkansas legislator expressed concern that Huckabee used taxpayer funds inappropriately in a plan ultimately designed to assist illegal immigrants in Arkansas.
Bruce Burrow told WND his commercial real estate company acquired the land and developed the Mexican consulate building in Little Rock at the request of Huckabee, in a deal the then-governor engineered to make sure he snared the Mexican consulate away from other states.
"I agreed to do the project at no cost," Burrow told WND, confirming his involvement in the Huckabee plan.
Arkansas Republican state legislator Rick Green objected to Huckabee using taxpayer funds in the scheme.
"I'd like to sit down with Huckabee and visit with him on the issue and see if there is anything he can tell me on the Mexican consulate deal that I am not seeing," Green told WND in a telephone interview.
"But I have not seen any argument Huckabee has made that convinces me that the Mexican consulate deal was the right thing to do," he said.
"Any taxpayer money that is used to help facilitate breaking the law is wrong," Green emphasized.
WND previously reported Robert Trevino, commissioner of the Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, had signed a lease providing the Mexican Consulate space in an Arkansas Rehabilitations Services building at a cost of $1 per year. The lease provided the consulate temporary space until permanent space could be found.
Green told WND that two legislative study groups he helped organize this past summer concluded Arkansas has more illegal immigrants per capita than any other state and that its Hispanic illegal immigrant population is the fastest growing of any state in the nation.
Burrow detailed to WND how he became involved in financing the Mexican Consulate office in Little Rock.
"In a trip to Mexico, Governor Huckabee had agreed with (then-Mexican President) Vicente Fox to work with the Mexican government to establish that facility in Arkansas in the capital city of Little Rock," Burrow said.
"But since there was really no government mechanism for the state to go and acquire that property and then to go and turn around and lease to the Mexican government, it had to be done by private enterprise," he continued.
"That's where I got involved," Burrow admitted. "That's what we do. We own a number of properties and we're a developer.
"So we agreed to do it at no profit," Burrow said. "And that's what I did. I acquired the property, renovated it for the Mexican government."
The entire project cost about $1.2 million, Burrow recalled.
"I think that we paid south of $500,000 for the existing facility which was a former doctor's office," he said. "Then I went in and renovated it completely to meet their needs and their specifications. "We spent probably another $700,000 renovating, so probably about $1.2 million for the project all in."
WND asked Burrow why Huckabee felt the urgency to offer the Mexican government such a good deal.
"What had happened, as I understand it," Burrow explained, "is that Governor Huckabee had met with President Fox in a trip. Huckabee kind of wrestled the Mexican Consulate office away from our surrounding larger states. ...."
"From day one, the Mexican government paid us rent on the property," he added, "and the Mexican government has the right to purchase the property and the Mexican consulate office here in Little Rock. I can't remember the exact dates, but I'm assuming the Mexican government will go ahead and acquire the property."
Burrow acquired land near the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, at 3500 South University, an address adjacent to a Bank of America branch bank.
"We estimated that $410 million per year from Arkansas is sent back to Mexico alone, just in remittance payments," Green noted.
Since 2005, Bank of America has advertised "SafeSend," a nationwide "free remittance to Mexico" program designed to send money to Mexico without charging fees.
WND also reported receiving a copy of a check from the city of Little Rock, dated June 1, paying contractor Baldwin and Shell $60,000 for two invoices, dated April 30 and May 31, in conjunction with the contract for the Mexican Consulate.
Burrow confirmed that Baldwin & Shell was the contractor he hired to renovate the consulate building.
He also explained the Little Rock check.
"That Little Rock check was paid as 'economic development,'" Burrow told WND. "As I understand how that worked, Governor Huckabee talked with the city of Little Rock about how they could provide an incentive basis for the Mexican government to decide to put the Mexican Consulate for Little Rock.
"So, Little Rock put up $50,000 from the city under their economic development fund," Burrow continued, "and $10,000 came from the state economic development fund."
The check, then, reflects a total of $60,000 invested by the city, but $10,000 was paid by Huckabee out of the state fund, he said.
"I can't remember exactly how the development money was flowed into the project," he added, "but anyway it all went into the project. It may have been for the demolition portion, or whatever, but it was applied to the project."
The government contributions then reduced the total redevelopment cost by $60,000, Burrow said.
"From my perspective, it reduced the acquisition cost by $60,000," he explained, "and that was the economic incentive to the Mexican government.
"We had to do it that way, once Governor Huckabee realized the deal could not be completely done by the state government but had to be a private enterprise deal," he said.
Burrow confirmed a WND report that a July 21, 2006, memo from Trevino's as commissioner of the Arkansas Rehabilitations Service suggested that the deal, even after Huckabee decided to involve private commercial developers, would be financed by a consortium of Arkansas companies, such that Mexico would have no costs for three years to support the Little Rock consulate.
"But all that got changed, that Mexico wasn't going to pay any expenses for three years," Burrow explained. "Once the project got over into our ownership – and there's probably not any documents in the file in that regard – but we decided there had to be a lease agreement, and the Mexican government has been paying the rent from day one."
Nevertheless, he emphasized, "I agreed to do the project at no cost."
"I am out my time and expenses, but I am happy to do that," Burrow said. "We were able to get the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock instead of it going to Oklahoma City or Memphis or Nashville, so it was a great economic thing for us.
"We have and awful lot of Hispanic workers in the state," he continued, "and I grew up in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood in California. So, I felt if we could assist in any way that we would."
WND asked Burrow if Huckabee wanted to provide Mexico incentives because having the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock would help attract low-cost Hispanic workers to the state.
"The Mexican Consulate was never considered an inducement for any illegal aliens to come into the state," he protested. "The Mexican government placed the consulate here simply to handle the representation of their citizens in this part of the mid-South area. The Mexican government has done everything they said they would do, and I am very satisfied with the situation."
Green, however, expressed concern.
"We're an agricultural state, and a poultry producing state," he said. "That's where we get the argument that there would not be enough people to fill the jobs if every illegal was deported from the state of Arkansas."
Still, this was not enough to satisfy Green.
"Even if that were the case," he countered, "you still have to be willing to obey the law.
"We've got to look at reforming the welfare system too," Green added. "If enough able-body people were put to work from welfare, there would be plenty of people to fill all the jobs available in Arkansas."
Burrow boasted, "By all accounts, the Mexican Consulate has been successful. There's been a huge backlash and a huge discussion about the illegals in this country, and somebody has to serve these people, legal or illegal, and to provide advice and to represent them in a foreign land, and I think that's what these consulate offices do."
WND previously reported Trevino confirmed in a telephone interview the authenticity of the $1-per-year lease he arranged for the Mexican Consulate to occupy space in the Arkansas Rehabilitations Services government building.
WND also reported Trevino, then serving as economic development adviser to Huckabee, accompanied the governor to Mexico on the initial trip in which the financial incentives were offered.
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Huckabee is just like the rest and will end up stabbing the American people in the back. DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE BANK OF THE AMERICAS..... TRAITORS!
Huckabee offered 'no-cost' deal for Mexican Consulate
Developer confirms role, legislator raps ex-governor for using taxpayer funds for illegals
Posted: November 13, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee
An Arkansas commercial developer confirmed his role in a no-cost "incentive deal" packaged by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to attract a Mexican Consulate to Little Rock.
Meanwhile, an Arkansas legislator expressed concern that Huckabee used taxpayer funds inappropriately in a plan ultimately designed to assist illegal immigrants in Arkansas.
Bruce Burrow told WND his commercial real estate company acquired the land and developed the Mexican consulate building in Little Rock at the request of Huckabee, in a deal the then-governor engineered to make sure he snared the Mexican consulate away from other states.
"I agreed to do the project at no cost," Burrow told WND, confirming his involvement in the Huckabee plan.
Arkansas Republican state legislator Rick Green objected to Huckabee using taxpayer funds in the scheme.
"I'd like to sit down with Huckabee and visit with him on the issue and see if there is anything he can tell me on the Mexican consulate deal that I am not seeing," Green told WND in a telephone interview.
"But I have not seen any argument Huckabee has made that convinces me that the Mexican consulate deal was the right thing to do," he said.
"Any taxpayer money that is used to help facilitate breaking the law is wrong," Green emphasized.
WND previously reported Robert Trevino, commissioner of the Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, had signed a lease providing the Mexican Consulate space in an Arkansas Rehabilitations Services building at a cost of $1 per year. The lease provided the consulate temporary space until permanent space could be found.
Green told WND that two legislative study groups he helped organize this past summer concluded Arkansas has more illegal immigrants per capita than any other state and that its Hispanic illegal immigrant population is the fastest growing of any state in the nation.
Burrow detailed to WND how he became involved in financing the Mexican Consulate office in Little Rock.
"In a trip to Mexico, Governor Huckabee had agreed with (then-Mexican President) Vicente Fox to work with the Mexican government to establish that facility in Arkansas in the capital city of Little Rock," Burrow said.
"But since there was really no government mechanism for the state to go and acquire that property and then to go and turn around and lease to the Mexican government, it had to be done by private enterprise," he continued.
"That's where I got involved," Burrow admitted. "That's what we do. We own a number of properties and we're a developer.
"So we agreed to do it at no profit," Burrow said. "And that's what I did. I acquired the property, renovated it for the Mexican government."
The entire project cost about $1.2 million, Burrow recalled.
"I think that we paid south of $500,000 for the existing facility which was a former doctor's office," he said. "Then I went in and renovated it completely to meet their needs and their specifications. "We spent probably another $700,000 renovating, so probably about $1.2 million for the project all in."
WND asked Burrow why Huckabee felt the urgency to offer the Mexican government such a good deal.
"What had happened, as I understand it," Burrow explained, "is that Governor Huckabee had met with President Fox in a trip. Huckabee kind of wrestled the Mexican Consulate office away from our surrounding larger states. ...."
"From day one, the Mexican government paid us rent on the property," he added, "and the Mexican government has the right to purchase the property and the Mexican consulate office here in Little Rock. I can't remember the exact dates, but I'm assuming the Mexican government will go ahead and acquire the property."
Burrow acquired land near the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, at 3500 South University, an address adjacent to a Bank of America branch bank.
"We estimated that $410 million per year from Arkansas is sent back to Mexico alone, just in remittance payments," Green noted.
Since 2005, Bank of America has advertised "SafeSend," a nationwide "free remittance to Mexico" program designed to send money to Mexico without charging fees.
WND also reported receiving a copy of a check from the city of Little Rock, dated June 1, paying contractor Baldwin and Shell $60,000 for two invoices, dated April 30 and May 31, in conjunction with the contract for the Mexican Consulate.
Burrow confirmed that Baldwin & Shell was the contractor he hired to renovate the consulate building.
He also explained the Little Rock check.
"That Little Rock check was paid as 'economic development,'" Burrow told WND. "As I understand how that worked, Governor Huckabee talked with the city of Little Rock about how they could provide an incentive basis for the Mexican government to decide to put the Mexican Consulate for Little Rock.
"So, Little Rock put up $50,000 from the city under their economic development fund," Burrow continued, "and $10,000 came from the state economic development fund."
The check, then, reflects a total of $60,000 invested by the city, but $10,000 was paid by Huckabee out of the state fund, he said.
"I can't remember exactly how the development money was flowed into the project," he added, "but anyway it all went into the project. It may have been for the demolition portion, or whatever, but it was applied to the project."
The government contributions then reduced the total redevelopment cost by $60,000, Burrow said.
"From my perspective, it reduced the acquisition cost by $60,000," he explained, "and that was the economic incentive to the Mexican government.
"We had to do it that way, once Governor Huckabee realized the deal could not be completely done by the state government but had to be a private enterprise deal," he said.
Burrow confirmed a WND report that a July 21, 2006, memo from Trevino's as commissioner of the Arkansas Rehabilitations Service suggested that the deal, even after Huckabee decided to involve private commercial developers, would be financed by a consortium of Arkansas companies, such that Mexico would have no costs for three years to support the Little Rock consulate.
"But all that got changed, that Mexico wasn't going to pay any expenses for three years," Burrow explained. "Once the project got over into our ownership – and there's probably not any documents in the file in that regard – but we decided there had to be a lease agreement, and the Mexican government has been paying the rent from day one."
Nevertheless, he emphasized, "I agreed to do the project at no cost."
"I am out my time and expenses, but I am happy to do that," Burrow said. "We were able to get the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock instead of it going to Oklahoma City or Memphis or Nashville, so it was a great economic thing for us.
"We have and awful lot of Hispanic workers in the state," he continued, "and I grew up in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood in California. So, I felt if we could assist in any way that we would."
WND asked Burrow if Huckabee wanted to provide Mexico incentives because having the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock would help attract low-cost Hispanic workers to the state.
"The Mexican Consulate was never considered an inducement for any illegal aliens to come into the state," he protested. "The Mexican government placed the consulate here simply to handle the representation of their citizens in this part of the mid-South area. The Mexican government has done everything they said they would do, and I am very satisfied with the situation."
Green, however, expressed concern.
"We're an agricultural state, and a poultry producing state," he said. "That's where we get the argument that there would not be enough people to fill the jobs if every illegal was deported from the state of Arkansas."
Still, this was not enough to satisfy Green.
"Even if that were the case," he countered, "you still have to be willing to obey the law.
"We've got to look at reforming the welfare system too," Green added. "If enough able-body people were put to work from welfare, there would be plenty of people to fill all the jobs available in Arkansas."
Burrow boasted, "By all accounts, the Mexican Consulate has been successful. There's been a huge backlash and a huge discussion about the illegals in this country, and somebody has to serve these people, legal or illegal, and to provide advice and to represent them in a foreign land, and I think that's what these consulate offices do."
WND previously reported Trevino confirmed in a telephone interview the authenticity of the $1-per-year lease he arranged for the Mexican Consulate to occupy space in the Arkansas Rehabilitations Services government building.
WND also reported Trevino, then serving as economic development adviser to Huckabee, accompanied the governor to Mexico on the initial trip in which the financial incentives were offered.
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Huckabee is just like the rest and will end up stabbing the American people in the back. DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE BANK OF THE AMERICAS..... TRAITORS!
FBI: Hole deliberately drilled into pipe at nuclear reactor
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/gen/ap/FL_Power_Plant.html
FBI: Hole deliberately drilled into pipe at nuclear reactor
MIAMI — An FBI investigation has found that someone deliberately drilled a hole into a pipe that is part of a nuclear reactor's cooling system at the Turkey Point power plant.
The defect was discovered in March 2006 during a routine inspection. Officials said they don't plan to file charges because they don't have enough evidence to prove criminal intent.
"No one is being charged unless more evidence becomes available," said FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela.
An out-of-state contractor worker hired to do routine maintenance is suspected of drilling the 1/8-inch hole, Orihuela added, describing the incident as an act of vandalism. More than 700 utility workers were interviewed as part of the investigation.
The public's heath and safety were not at risk, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said, so the act was not deemed to be sabotage.
A Florida Power & Light spokeswoman declined to comment on the investigation. The company had offered a $100,000 reward for information about the culprit.
FBI: Hole deliberately drilled into pipe at nuclear reactor
MIAMI — An FBI investigation has found that someone deliberately drilled a hole into a pipe that is part of a nuclear reactor's cooling system at the Turkey Point power plant.
The defect was discovered in March 2006 during a routine inspection. Officials said they don't plan to file charges because they don't have enough evidence to prove criminal intent.
"No one is being charged unless more evidence becomes available," said FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela.
An out-of-state contractor worker hired to do routine maintenance is suspected of drilling the 1/8-inch hole, Orihuela added, describing the incident as an act of vandalism. More than 700 utility workers were interviewed as part of the investigation.
The public's heath and safety were not at risk, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said, so the act was not deemed to be sabotage.
A Florida Power & Light spokeswoman declined to comment on the investigation. The company had offered a $100,000 reward for information about the culprit.
UN official warns of ignoring warming
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071112/ap_on_sc/climate_change_conference;_ylt=AlPdBBJS8jlu_fFfBuQpslqs0NU
UN official warns of ignoring warming
By ARTHUR MAX, Associated Press Writer
Mon Nov 12, 5:18 PM ET
VALENCIA, Spain - The U.N.'s top climate official warned policymakers and scientists trying to hammer out a landmark report on climate change that ignoring the urgency of global warming would be "criminally irresponsible."
Yvo de Boer's comments came at the opening of a weeklong conference that will complete a concise guide on the state of global warming and what can be done to stop the Earth from overheating. It is the fourth and last report issued this year by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, co-winner of this year's Nobel Peace prize.
Environmentalists and authors of the report expected tense discussions on what to include and leave out of the document, which is a synthesis of thousands of scientific papers. A summary of about 25 pages will be negotiated line-by-line this week, then adopted by consensus.
Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Nobel Prize-winning panel, said scientists were determined to "adhere to standards of quality" in the report. It was indirect barb at the government representatives, who have been accused by environmentalists of watering down and excluding vital information from the summaries of earlier reports to fit their domestic agendas.
The document to be issued Saturday sums up the scientific consensus on how rapidly the Earth is warming and the effects already observed; the impact it could have for billions of people; and what steps can be taken to keep the planet's temperature from rising to disastrous levels.
The IPCC already has established that the climate has begun to change because of the greenhouse gases emitted by humans, said de Boer, director of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Everyone will feel its effects, but global warming will hit the poorest countries hardest and will "threaten the very survival" of some people, he said.
"Failing to recognize the urgency of this message and act on it would be nothing less that criminally irresponsible" and a direct attack on the world's poorest people, De Boer said.
The report will provide the factual underpinning for a crucial meeting next month in Bali, Indonesia.
That conference will begin exploring a new global strategy to curb greenhouse gas emissions after the 2012 expiration of the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol, the landmark agreement that assigned binding reduction targets to 36 countries.
According to an early draft obtained by The Associated Press, the report will be the first to include a brief chapter on "robust findings and key uncertainties," in which the authors pick out what they believe are the most relevant certainties and doubts about climate change.
There was no guarantee the chapter would be accepted, however. One of the report's 40 co-authors, Bert Metz, said in an interview last week that he expected the section on uncertainties to be an issue of contention.
Among the uncertainties cited in the early draft: the lack of data from key areas of the world, conflicting studies on the effects of cloud cover and carbon soaked up by oceans, and projections on how planners in developing countries will factor climate change into their decisions.
The IPCC has already been criticized for the selectivity and language of the policy summaries, which have been softened on several points because of objections by countries including the United States, China and some big oil-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, WWF International, one of several environmental groups invited to observe the process, said "governments cut vital facts and important information" during the negotiations.
Without naming them, the WWF accused governments of "politically inspired trimming" of facts from the summaries, which it said diluted the urgency to make deep cuts in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
De Boer said getting governments to sign off on the summaries is a critical element of the IPCC's value.
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
We are in the middle of a very mild warming cycle. It has happened for billions of years. The sun is the major source of the warming and thus mankind can do nothing to stop it. BEWARE THE U.N. and the CARBON TAX!
UN official warns of ignoring warming
By ARTHUR MAX, Associated Press Writer
Mon Nov 12, 5:18 PM ET
VALENCIA, Spain - The U.N.'s top climate official warned policymakers and scientists trying to hammer out a landmark report on climate change that ignoring the urgency of global warming would be "criminally irresponsible."
Yvo de Boer's comments came at the opening of a weeklong conference that will complete a concise guide on the state of global warming and what can be done to stop the Earth from overheating. It is the fourth and last report issued this year by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, co-winner of this year's Nobel Peace prize.
Environmentalists and authors of the report expected tense discussions on what to include and leave out of the document, which is a synthesis of thousands of scientific papers. A summary of about 25 pages will be negotiated line-by-line this week, then adopted by consensus.
Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Nobel Prize-winning panel, said scientists were determined to "adhere to standards of quality" in the report. It was indirect barb at the government representatives, who have been accused by environmentalists of watering down and excluding vital information from the summaries of earlier reports to fit their domestic agendas.
The document to be issued Saturday sums up the scientific consensus on how rapidly the Earth is warming and the effects already observed; the impact it could have for billions of people; and what steps can be taken to keep the planet's temperature from rising to disastrous levels.
The IPCC already has established that the climate has begun to change because of the greenhouse gases emitted by humans, said de Boer, director of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Everyone will feel its effects, but global warming will hit the poorest countries hardest and will "threaten the very survival" of some people, he said.
"Failing to recognize the urgency of this message and act on it would be nothing less that criminally irresponsible" and a direct attack on the world's poorest people, De Boer said.
The report will provide the factual underpinning for a crucial meeting next month in Bali, Indonesia.
That conference will begin exploring a new global strategy to curb greenhouse gas emissions after the 2012 expiration of the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol, the landmark agreement that assigned binding reduction targets to 36 countries.
According to an early draft obtained by The Associated Press, the report will be the first to include a brief chapter on "robust findings and key uncertainties," in which the authors pick out what they believe are the most relevant certainties and doubts about climate change.
There was no guarantee the chapter would be accepted, however. One of the report's 40 co-authors, Bert Metz, said in an interview last week that he expected the section on uncertainties to be an issue of contention.
Among the uncertainties cited in the early draft: the lack of data from key areas of the world, conflicting studies on the effects of cloud cover and carbon soaked up by oceans, and projections on how planners in developing countries will factor climate change into their decisions.
The IPCC has already been criticized for the selectivity and language of the policy summaries, which have been softened on several points because of objections by countries including the United States, China and some big oil-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, WWF International, one of several environmental groups invited to observe the process, said "governments cut vital facts and important information" during the negotiations.
Without naming them, the WWF accused governments of "politically inspired trimming" of facts from the summaries, which it said diluted the urgency to make deep cuts in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
De Boer said getting governments to sign off on the summaries is a critical element of the IPCC's value.
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
We are in the middle of a very mild warming cycle. It has happened for billions of years. The sun is the major source of the warming and thus mankind can do nothing to stop it. BEWARE THE U.N. and the CARBON TAX!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
City unveils carbon tax plan
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1194497715108680.xml&coll=7
City unveils carbon tax plan
Going green - Portland wants to charge builders who meet efficiency rules and pay those who exceed them
Thursday, November 08, 2007
DYLAN RIVERA
The Oregonian Staff
CHICAGO -- In a bold move to curb the growth of greenhouse gas emissions from the Portland area, city officials plan to charge builders hundreds of dollars for each new home that is not extremely energy efficient. And it would require, as part of every existing home sale, that an energy efficiency report be done by home inspectors.
Believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the carbon fee and inspection requirement would levy taxes upon builders who merely comply with the energy efficiency requirements of the Oregon building code, already one of the most stringent in the nation. It would then pay cash rewards to developers who make buildings that save at least 45 percent more energy than the code requires.
The plan will go before Portland residents, in hearings, in January. With passage, the carbon-fee rules would be in place by 2010.
Builders in Portland on Wednesday were already pushing back.
"There is no way the homebuilders will ever support a mandated program," said Jim McCauley, vice president of government affairs for the Homebuilders Association of Metropolitan Portland. "This has largely been a totally internal conversation with only select invited parties."
City Commissioner Dan Saltzman announced the plan for Portland in Chicago on Tuesday night at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, drawing 20,000 environmentally conscious developers and building materials manufacturers from around the world. He did so at an invitation-only reception at the PDX Lounge, a showroom of sustainable products made by Oregon-based architecture firms, wood products companies and furniture designers. Mayor Tom Potter, present for the announcement, said he supports it.
The news was immediately big in Chicago but not yet announced in Portland, where it is designed to significantly influence development.
"This is obviously an ambitious and potentially controversial undertaking, but with the new urgency and call to action on issues around global warming, this is the type of policy that Portland needs to be a leader," Saltzman said.
The plan also helps maintain the city's reputation nationally as a hotbed of green living and stokes a friendly competition with Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Austin, Texas -- cities that regularly seek to out-green each other. They contend that regions at the leading edge of the sustainability movement will develop local expertise to fill those needs and grow jobs locally as they help other cities imitate their innovations.
Already, Portland's largest developer, Gerding Edlen Development Co., has become the largest builder of condos in downtown Los Angeles and the largest sustainable builder in the nation. ZGF Partnership, the city's largest architectural firm, designs sustainable buildings from New York to Beijing.
"That expertise accrues locally, but it's often exported nationally and internationally, so there's definitely an economic development advantage to doing this as well," Saltzman said. "It's capturing a landscape that's going to be around a long time."
McCauley, in Portland, on Wednesday said Saltzman's decision to unveil the proposal in Chicago instead of Portland undermined the plan's credibility and places Portland in "almost an arms race against other cities."
Details of the plan have not been worked out. To what extent Portland is willing to go along with the combination of fees and rebates remains to be seen.
Dennis Wilde, a principal of Gerding Edlen, endorsed the plan during a panel discussion that followed Saltzman's announcement. Gerding Edlen staff helped draft the city's proposal.
Saltzman acknowledged that home builders may react strongly against it. To ease the industry into the fold, he said the plan would include a two-year period of city-funded technical support and education for builders.
Some Portland-area builders already produce houses that would meet the 30 percent higher efficiency goal. Those achieving a silver rating from the Portland-based Earth Advantage Inc.'s green building program would already comply.
Still, some Portland-area builders were skeptical.
Randy Sebastian, president of Renaissance Homes of Lake Oswego, said a fee-based system seemed "heavy handed" when his company already incorporates green methods in many homes and offers other items, such as solar panels and tankless water heaters, as options.
"There's more green building going on in Portland, Oregon, than anywhere, and there's not a mandate now," he said. "What's broken?"
The carbon tax element, however, is in the vanguard of the sustainable building movement.
"It's bold," said Suzanne Malec-McKenna, Commissioner of the Environment for the city of Chicago. "I think it's great. It's definitely the direction our cities need to be going."
The idea of a tax on emissions was considered politically impossible for years after the Clinton administration failed to win passage of a tax on the heat content of fuels in 1993. But in recent years, support has grown among politicians and businesses concerned about potential economic catastrophe global warming could wreak.
Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed a national carbon tax. Boulder, Colo., passed a tax on electricity use in 2006 -- calling it the nation's first city carbon tax -- to collect money for renewable energy programs.
Construction techniques that include energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, as well as efficient use of water and support for transit use, are rising in popularity as concern over global warming grows. Worldwide, buildings account for about 45 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions -- about as much as automobiles. In many urban areas, the figure is far higher -- in Chicago, for example, buildings account for 61 percent.
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has caught national attention for his goal of making his Midwest industrial and financial powerhouse known as "The Greenest City in America." Chicago has adopted sustainability requirements for city buildings and expedited permitting and waived fees for developers who met the city's energy efficiency goals.
But why announce a new Portland policy in Chicago?
"We want to let people know that we're not resting on our laurels," said Brendan Finn, Saltzman's chief of staff. "What better opportunity to market ourselves to an international audience than at Greenbuild?"
As for sales in the existing housing stock, new inspection reports would carry no penalty fees for deficiencies. The idea is for home inspectors to check on the energy efficiency of the property -- the efficiency ratings of furnaces, air conditioners, and presence of insulation, for example -- and disclose that information to home buyers, sellers and the city.
"We want people to have the ability to get information on carbon emissions and fuel efficiency of something they're buying -- just as if they were buying a car," Saltzman said. "When people are informed, they make better choices."
The information could prompt home sellers to update their home heating and cooling equipment, just as they prep a house for sale by painting it, Saltzman said.
Scott Learn of The Oregonian staff contributed to this report.
Dylan Rivera: 503-221-8532; dylanrivera@news.oregonian.com
-------------------
MY COMMENTS:
What did I tell you about carbon tax and the word "sustainable"... SOCIALISM
City unveils carbon tax plan
Going green - Portland wants to charge builders who meet efficiency rules and pay those who exceed them
Thursday, November 08, 2007
DYLAN RIVERA
The Oregonian Staff
CHICAGO -- In a bold move to curb the growth of greenhouse gas emissions from the Portland area, city officials plan to charge builders hundreds of dollars for each new home that is not extremely energy efficient. And it would require, as part of every existing home sale, that an energy efficiency report be done by home inspectors.
Believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the carbon fee and inspection requirement would levy taxes upon builders who merely comply with the energy efficiency requirements of the Oregon building code, already one of the most stringent in the nation. It would then pay cash rewards to developers who make buildings that save at least 45 percent more energy than the code requires.
The plan will go before Portland residents, in hearings, in January. With passage, the carbon-fee rules would be in place by 2010.
Builders in Portland on Wednesday were already pushing back.
"There is no way the homebuilders will ever support a mandated program," said Jim McCauley, vice president of government affairs for the Homebuilders Association of Metropolitan Portland. "This has largely been a totally internal conversation with only select invited parties."
City Commissioner Dan Saltzman announced the plan for Portland in Chicago on Tuesday night at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, drawing 20,000 environmentally conscious developers and building materials manufacturers from around the world. He did so at an invitation-only reception at the PDX Lounge, a showroom of sustainable products made by Oregon-based architecture firms, wood products companies and furniture designers. Mayor Tom Potter, present for the announcement, said he supports it.
The news was immediately big in Chicago but not yet announced in Portland, where it is designed to significantly influence development.
"This is obviously an ambitious and potentially controversial undertaking, but with the new urgency and call to action on issues around global warming, this is the type of policy that Portland needs to be a leader," Saltzman said.
The plan also helps maintain the city's reputation nationally as a hotbed of green living and stokes a friendly competition with Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Austin, Texas -- cities that regularly seek to out-green each other. They contend that regions at the leading edge of the sustainability movement will develop local expertise to fill those needs and grow jobs locally as they help other cities imitate their innovations.
Already, Portland's largest developer, Gerding Edlen Development Co., has become the largest builder of condos in downtown Los Angeles and the largest sustainable builder in the nation. ZGF Partnership, the city's largest architectural firm, designs sustainable buildings from New York to Beijing.
"That expertise accrues locally, but it's often exported nationally and internationally, so there's definitely an economic development advantage to doing this as well," Saltzman said. "It's capturing a landscape that's going to be around a long time."
McCauley, in Portland, on Wednesday said Saltzman's decision to unveil the proposal in Chicago instead of Portland undermined the plan's credibility and places Portland in "almost an arms race against other cities."
Details of the plan have not been worked out. To what extent Portland is willing to go along with the combination of fees and rebates remains to be seen.
Dennis Wilde, a principal of Gerding Edlen, endorsed the plan during a panel discussion that followed Saltzman's announcement. Gerding Edlen staff helped draft the city's proposal.
Saltzman acknowledged that home builders may react strongly against it. To ease the industry into the fold, he said the plan would include a two-year period of city-funded technical support and education for builders.
Some Portland-area builders already produce houses that would meet the 30 percent higher efficiency goal. Those achieving a silver rating from the Portland-based Earth Advantage Inc.'s green building program would already comply.
Still, some Portland-area builders were skeptical.
Randy Sebastian, president of Renaissance Homes of Lake Oswego, said a fee-based system seemed "heavy handed" when his company already incorporates green methods in many homes and offers other items, such as solar panels and tankless water heaters, as options.
"There's more green building going on in Portland, Oregon, than anywhere, and there's not a mandate now," he said. "What's broken?"
The carbon tax element, however, is in the vanguard of the sustainable building movement.
"It's bold," said Suzanne Malec-McKenna, Commissioner of the Environment for the city of Chicago. "I think it's great. It's definitely the direction our cities need to be going."
The idea of a tax on emissions was considered politically impossible for years after the Clinton administration failed to win passage of a tax on the heat content of fuels in 1993. But in recent years, support has grown among politicians and businesses concerned about potential economic catastrophe global warming could wreak.
Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed a national carbon tax. Boulder, Colo., passed a tax on electricity use in 2006 -- calling it the nation's first city carbon tax -- to collect money for renewable energy programs.
Construction techniques that include energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, as well as efficient use of water and support for transit use, are rising in popularity as concern over global warming grows. Worldwide, buildings account for about 45 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions -- about as much as automobiles. In many urban areas, the figure is far higher -- in Chicago, for example, buildings account for 61 percent.
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has caught national attention for his goal of making his Midwest industrial and financial powerhouse known as "The Greenest City in America." Chicago has adopted sustainability requirements for city buildings and expedited permitting and waived fees for developers who met the city's energy efficiency goals.
But why announce a new Portland policy in Chicago?
"We want to let people know that we're not resting on our laurels," said Brendan Finn, Saltzman's chief of staff. "What better opportunity to market ourselves to an international audience than at Greenbuild?"
As for sales in the existing housing stock, new inspection reports would carry no penalty fees for deficiencies. The idea is for home inspectors to check on the energy efficiency of the property -- the efficiency ratings of furnaces, air conditioners, and presence of insulation, for example -- and disclose that information to home buyers, sellers and the city.
"We want people to have the ability to get information on carbon emissions and fuel efficiency of something they're buying -- just as if they were buying a car," Saltzman said. "When people are informed, they make better choices."
The information could prompt home sellers to update their home heating and cooling equipment, just as they prep a house for sale by painting it, Saltzman said.
Scott Learn of The Oregonian staff contributed to this report.
Dylan Rivera: 503-221-8532; dylanrivera@news.oregonian.com
-------------------
MY COMMENTS:
What did I tell you about carbon tax and the word "sustainable"... SOCIALISM
FBI: Al Qaeda May Strike U.S. Shopping Malls in LA, Chicago
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/11/exclusive-fbi-a.html
Exclusive: FBI: Al Qaeda May Strike U.S. Shopping Malls in LA, Chicago
Richard Esposito and Vic Walter Report:
The FBI is warning that al Qaeda may be preparing a series of holiday attacks on U.S. shopping malls in Los Angeles and Chicago, according to an intelligence report distributed to law enforcement authorities across the country this morning. (Click here for full text.)
The alert said al Qaeda "hoped to disrupt the U.S. economy and has been planning the attack for the past two years."
Law enforcement officials tell ABCNews.com that the FBI received the information in late September and declassified it yesterday for wide distribution.
The alert, like similar FBI and Department of Homeland Security terror alerts issued over the past five years at holiday times, raised questions about the credibility of the information.
Law enforcement officials at three different agencies told ABCNews.com the FBI alert was based on a source who has proved reliable in the past.
The source reportedly had only "indirect access" to al Qaeda and word of the actual threat came to U.S. intelligence officers "through a lengthy chain" of contacts.
With the shopping season approaching, however, the FBI officials decided it was necessary to share the information.
For the past few years, jihadist chat rooms have regularly posted comments from anonymous individuals who have suggested or boasted about similar plans to attack such soft targets as shopping malls.
"Out of abundance of caution, and for any number of other reasons, raw intelligence is regularly shared within the intelligence and law enforcement communities -- even when the value of the information is unknown," said Special Agent Richard Kolko. "In the post-9/11 era, sharing information is our top priority. Al-Qa'ida messaging has clearly stated they intend to attack the U.S. or its interests; however, there is no information to state this is a credible threat. As always, we remind people to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to authorities."
"We have no credible, specific information suggesting an imminent attack," a DHS official said.
------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Quick, Hillary, take a poll and then see what your fellow White House hopefuls have to say about this before you weigh in!
Exclusive: FBI: Al Qaeda May Strike U.S. Shopping Malls in LA, Chicago
Richard Esposito and Vic Walter Report:
The FBI is warning that al Qaeda may be preparing a series of holiday attacks on U.S. shopping malls in Los Angeles and Chicago, according to an intelligence report distributed to law enforcement authorities across the country this morning. (Click here for full text.)
The alert said al Qaeda "hoped to disrupt the U.S. economy and has been planning the attack for the past two years."
Law enforcement officials tell ABCNews.com that the FBI received the information in late September and declassified it yesterday for wide distribution.
The alert, like similar FBI and Department of Homeland Security terror alerts issued over the past five years at holiday times, raised questions about the credibility of the information.
Law enforcement officials at three different agencies told ABCNews.com the FBI alert was based on a source who has proved reliable in the past.
The source reportedly had only "indirect access" to al Qaeda and word of the actual threat came to U.S. intelligence officers "through a lengthy chain" of contacts.
With the shopping season approaching, however, the FBI officials decided it was necessary to share the information.
For the past few years, jihadist chat rooms have regularly posted comments from anonymous individuals who have suggested or boasted about similar plans to attack such soft targets as shopping malls.
"Out of abundance of caution, and for any number of other reasons, raw intelligence is regularly shared within the intelligence and law enforcement communities -- even when the value of the information is unknown," said Special Agent Richard Kolko. "In the post-9/11 era, sharing information is our top priority. Al-Qa'ida messaging has clearly stated they intend to attack the U.S. or its interests; however, there is no information to state this is a credible threat. As always, we remind people to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to authorities."
"We have no credible, specific information suggesting an imminent attack," a DHS official said.
------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Quick, Hillary, take a poll and then see what your fellow White House hopefuls have to say about this before you weigh in!
California Sues EPA Over Auto Emissions
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SPL3IG1&show_article=1
California Sues EPA Over Auto Emissions
Nov 8 02:11 PM US/Eastern
By SAMANTHA YOUNG
Associated Press Writer 18 Comments
California To Sue EPA To Impose Tough Auto Emission Standards
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California sued the federal government on Thursday to force a decision about whether the state can impose the nation's first greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and light trucks.
More than a dozen other states are poised to follow California's lead if it is granted the waiver from federal law, presenting a challenge to automakers who would have to adapt to a patchwork of regulations.
The state's lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., was expected after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed last spring to take legal action.
"Our future depends on us taking action on global warming right now," Schwarzenegger said during a news conference. "There's no legal basis for Washington to stand in our way."
At issue is California's nearly two-year-old request for a waiver under the federal Clean Air Act allowing it to implement a 2002 state anti-pollution law regulating greenhouse gases.
Eleven other states have adopted California's standard as a way to combat global warming and five others are considering it.
"Our position is that it's time for EPA to either act or get out of the way," said Lee Moore, a spokesman for New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram.
Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington plan to join California's lawsuit against the federal government, said Gareth Lacy, spokesman for California Attorney General Jerry Brown.
"The longer the delay in reducing these emissions, the more costly and harmful will be the impact on California," the state attorney general's office said in its 16-page complaint.
Schwarzenegger and other state officials say implementing the law is crucial in order to meet the provisions of a separate global warming law that passed law year. That law seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2020.
California asked the EPA to grant its waiver in December 2005. EPA administrator Stephen Johnson said last summer that he would make a decision by the end of this year.
Brown said the EPA simply was "sitting on its hands."
The EPA criticized the state's actions Thursday.
"The administrator has stated numerous times that he plans to make a decision by the end of the year," spokeswoman Jennifer Wood said. "It's unfortunate that California is more interested in getting a good headline than allowing us to make a decision."
State officials say they need the matter resolved soon because the auto-emissions law applies to vehicles in the 2009 model year, which can be marketed by companies as early as this coming January.
Cars, pickups and sport utility vehicles sold in California would be required to produce fewer greenhouse gases, with the goal of reducing auto emissions 25 percent by 2030.
Further delay by the EPA would interfere with the state's ability to enforce the law on time, according to the complaint.
"Congress generally intended that the U.S. EPA make determinations of this type in a matter of weeks or months, not years," the complaint says.
While the federal government sets national air pollution rules, California has unique status under the Clean Air Act to enact its own regulations if it gets approval to do so by the EPA.
Other states can follow the federal rules or California's standards if they are tougher. The EPA has granted about 50 such waivers over the past 40 years for the use of catalytic converters, leaded gasoline regulations and other measures.
The complaint filed Thursday claims the EPA failed to act in a reasonable length of time.
In addition to the states that plan to join California's lawsuit, the governors of Colorado, Florida and Utah said their states plan to adopt the standard.
The EPA initially refused to act on California's application, saying the agency did not have the authority to regulate greenhouse gases as a pollutant. That changed when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in April that the EPA did indeed have that right.
As a result, the EPA is now developing greenhouse gas regulations that are scheduled to be released by the end of the year. Environmental groups say those regulations are not likely to be stronger than the California standards.
Meanwhile, automakers continue to challenge the California standards in court.
They are appealing a ruling last month by a federal judge in Vermont who upheld the California rules in that state. They also are trying to persuade a federal judge in Fresno to toss out the emission standards mandated under California's 2002 law.
Associations for both domestic and foreign car companies say California's standards would raise the cost of vehicles and could force manufacturers to pull some sport utility vehicles and pickup truck models from showrooms.
Associated Press Writer Tom Hester in Trenton, N.J., contributed to this report.
------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Carbon tax will be next...
California Sues EPA Over Auto Emissions
Nov 8 02:11 PM US/Eastern
By SAMANTHA YOUNG
Associated Press Writer 18 Comments
California To Sue EPA To Impose Tough Auto Emission Standards
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California sued the federal government on Thursday to force a decision about whether the state can impose the nation's first greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and light trucks.
More than a dozen other states are poised to follow California's lead if it is granted the waiver from federal law, presenting a challenge to automakers who would have to adapt to a patchwork of regulations.
The state's lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., was expected after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed last spring to take legal action.
"Our future depends on us taking action on global warming right now," Schwarzenegger said during a news conference. "There's no legal basis for Washington to stand in our way."
At issue is California's nearly two-year-old request for a waiver under the federal Clean Air Act allowing it to implement a 2002 state anti-pollution law regulating greenhouse gases.
Eleven other states have adopted California's standard as a way to combat global warming and five others are considering it.
"Our position is that it's time for EPA to either act or get out of the way," said Lee Moore, a spokesman for New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram.
Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington plan to join California's lawsuit against the federal government, said Gareth Lacy, spokesman for California Attorney General Jerry Brown.
"The longer the delay in reducing these emissions, the more costly and harmful will be the impact on California," the state attorney general's office said in its 16-page complaint.
Schwarzenegger and other state officials say implementing the law is crucial in order to meet the provisions of a separate global warming law that passed law year. That law seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2020.
California asked the EPA to grant its waiver in December 2005. EPA administrator Stephen Johnson said last summer that he would make a decision by the end of this year.
Brown said the EPA simply was "sitting on its hands."
The EPA criticized the state's actions Thursday.
"The administrator has stated numerous times that he plans to make a decision by the end of the year," spokeswoman Jennifer Wood said. "It's unfortunate that California is more interested in getting a good headline than allowing us to make a decision."
State officials say they need the matter resolved soon because the auto-emissions law applies to vehicles in the 2009 model year, which can be marketed by companies as early as this coming January.
Cars, pickups and sport utility vehicles sold in California would be required to produce fewer greenhouse gases, with the goal of reducing auto emissions 25 percent by 2030.
Further delay by the EPA would interfere with the state's ability to enforce the law on time, according to the complaint.
"Congress generally intended that the U.S. EPA make determinations of this type in a matter of weeks or months, not years," the complaint says.
While the federal government sets national air pollution rules, California has unique status under the Clean Air Act to enact its own regulations if it gets approval to do so by the EPA.
Other states can follow the federal rules or California's standards if they are tougher. The EPA has granted about 50 such waivers over the past 40 years for the use of catalytic converters, leaded gasoline regulations and other measures.
The complaint filed Thursday claims the EPA failed to act in a reasonable length of time.
In addition to the states that plan to join California's lawsuit, the governors of Colorado, Florida and Utah said their states plan to adopt the standard.
The EPA initially refused to act on California's application, saying the agency did not have the authority to regulate greenhouse gases as a pollutant. That changed when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in April that the EPA did indeed have that right.
As a result, the EPA is now developing greenhouse gas regulations that are scheduled to be released by the end of the year. Environmental groups say those regulations are not likely to be stronger than the California standards.
Meanwhile, automakers continue to challenge the California standards in court.
They are appealing a ruling last month by a federal judge in Vermont who upheld the California rules in that state. They also are trying to persuade a federal judge in Fresno to toss out the emission standards mandated under California's 2002 law.
Associations for both domestic and foreign car companies say California's standards would raise the cost of vehicles and could force manufacturers to pull some sport utility vehicles and pickup truck models from showrooms.
Associated Press Writer Tom Hester in Trenton, N.J., contributed to this report.
------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Carbon tax will be next...
Parents bring textbook concerns to Lodi Unified
http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2007/11/07/news/1_textbook_071107.txt
'Negligent and intolerable’
Parents bring textbook concerns to Lodi Unified
By Amanda Dyer
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Last updated: Wednesday, November 7, 2007 10:00 AM PST
Still not satisfied with the treatment of religions in her son's seventh-grade textbook, Korina Self aired her concerns Tuesday night at Lodi Unified's board meeting.
Backed by nearly a dozen family members and friends, Self delivered a prepared statement asking the board to remove the book "History Alive!: The Medieval World and Beyond" from classrooms.
"To know that a textbook was selected and put into use by our district that is blatantly one-sided, whitewashed, and that our children are being spoon-fed this information with sugar on top ... I feel is negligent and intolerable," Self said.
Self stopped to gather herself several times during her statement, in which she said the book's description of the Crusades and its definition of several Islamic terms, including "Jihad" and "Shari'ah" are incorrect.
Korina Self and her husband Jim decided to review their 12-year-old son's textbook late last month after hearing that he was learning about the Prophet Muhammad.
After reading the book, which was published by the Teachers' Curriculum Institute, the Selfs took issue with what they feel is an undue amount of attention to the teachings of Islam, historical inaccuracies and a lack of information on other religions.
Initially, they asked that their son, who attended Houston Elementary School in Acampo, not participate in the school's history lessons.
Some Lodi Unified parents give a standing ovation to Korina Self, left, Tuesday night after she expressed her concerns over a history book. (Jerry R. Tyson/News-Sentinel)The Selfs eventually had to pull their son out of school to escape ridicule on campus.
He is now on independent study at home.
Since first reading the book, the Selfs have worked to inform parents about the book's content and have began the district's formal complaint process, through which parents, employees and other members of the public can challenge instructional materials.
The Selfs are also collecting signatures from parents who disapprove of the textbook. Though several petitions are in circulation, Korina Self said one petition she received had 15 signatures on it.
Mark Calonico, administrative director of curriculum at Lodi Unified, said he didn't know of any other parent who has contacted the district to complain about the textbook.
Calonico said he's not sure he can convince the Selfs and parents with similar concerns that their beliefs about the materials are inaccurate, but he doesn't think that's the point.
"I think they are certainly entitled to their opinion," Calonico said.
His concern is that the Selfs and parents like them get their issues addressed as quickly and as thoroughly as possible, he said.
"That's our responsibility as custodians of the district," Calonico said.
Teachers' Curriculum Institute• TCI was founded in 1989 by a small group of social studies teachers.• The company now publishes social studies materials to by used by students from kindergarten to 12th-grade.
• TCI's first program in 1991 consisted of a white binder with photocopied lesson plans and other, now outdated instructional materials.
• The company now uses interactive student notebooks, CDs and CD-ROMs to engage students.
— TCI Web site.
What people said "We never imagined that what we found in this textbook would lead me here tonight."
— Korina Self, parent
"Open up your children's textbooks. Read what they're learning. Decide for yourself if this is OK."
— Korina Self, parent
"I believe passionately that to understand the people and their culture, you must understand their religion."
— Bonnie Cassel, Lodi Unified board member
"I want you to know, as the chairman of the board, you were heard. You were very clearly heard."
— Ken Davis, Lodi Unified board president
Although Calonico said he has not gone through the textbook's bibliography to ensure that it is historically accurate, he feels that the process used to select the textbook was transparent and that the textbook is consistent with state standards.
Bonnie Cassel, board member and former Lodi Unified social studies teacher, said that in her day, teachers were discouraged to discuss religion at all.
"In my mind, that stifled just about everything that we wanted to convey to the students," Cassel said.
Cassel said she struggled in her years as a U.S. history teacher to teach about the United States' founders without touching on the religion that was so important to them.
Cassel urged Korina Self to get a copy of the state's social studies framework — a source of information teachers have to guide them through the teaching of religion.
Korina Self said she will continue to move the issue forward through the district's process.
Ultimately, she said, she would like to get the issue on the board's agenda.
"We're in the baby stages of getting it done," Korina Self said.
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
More and more.. they are trying to indoctrine young minds. Teach your kids values and freedom of speach, before they don't realize they are gone.
'Negligent and intolerable’
Parents bring textbook concerns to Lodi Unified
By Amanda Dyer
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Last updated: Wednesday, November 7, 2007 10:00 AM PST
Still not satisfied with the treatment of religions in her son's seventh-grade textbook, Korina Self aired her concerns Tuesday night at Lodi Unified's board meeting.
Backed by nearly a dozen family members and friends, Self delivered a prepared statement asking the board to remove the book "History Alive!: The Medieval World and Beyond" from classrooms.
"To know that a textbook was selected and put into use by our district that is blatantly one-sided, whitewashed, and that our children are being spoon-fed this information with sugar on top ... I feel is negligent and intolerable," Self said.
Self stopped to gather herself several times during her statement, in which she said the book's description of the Crusades and its definition of several Islamic terms, including "Jihad" and "Shari'ah" are incorrect.
Korina Self and her husband Jim decided to review their 12-year-old son's textbook late last month after hearing that he was learning about the Prophet Muhammad.
After reading the book, which was published by the Teachers' Curriculum Institute, the Selfs took issue with what they feel is an undue amount of attention to the teachings of Islam, historical inaccuracies and a lack of information on other religions.
Initially, they asked that their son, who attended Houston Elementary School in Acampo, not participate in the school's history lessons.
Some Lodi Unified parents give a standing ovation to Korina Self, left, Tuesday night after she expressed her concerns over a history book. (Jerry R. Tyson/News-Sentinel)The Selfs eventually had to pull their son out of school to escape ridicule on campus.
He is now on independent study at home.
Since first reading the book, the Selfs have worked to inform parents about the book's content and have began the district's formal complaint process, through which parents, employees and other members of the public can challenge instructional materials.
The Selfs are also collecting signatures from parents who disapprove of the textbook. Though several petitions are in circulation, Korina Self said one petition she received had 15 signatures on it.
Mark Calonico, administrative director of curriculum at Lodi Unified, said he didn't know of any other parent who has contacted the district to complain about the textbook.
Calonico said he's not sure he can convince the Selfs and parents with similar concerns that their beliefs about the materials are inaccurate, but he doesn't think that's the point.
"I think they are certainly entitled to their opinion," Calonico said.
His concern is that the Selfs and parents like them get their issues addressed as quickly and as thoroughly as possible, he said.
"That's our responsibility as custodians of the district," Calonico said.
Teachers' Curriculum Institute• TCI was founded in 1989 by a small group of social studies teachers.• The company now publishes social studies materials to by used by students from kindergarten to 12th-grade.
• TCI's first program in 1991 consisted of a white binder with photocopied lesson plans and other, now outdated instructional materials.
• The company now uses interactive student notebooks, CDs and CD-ROMs to engage students.
— TCI Web site.
What people said "We never imagined that what we found in this textbook would lead me here tonight."
— Korina Self, parent
"Open up your children's textbooks. Read what they're learning. Decide for yourself if this is OK."
— Korina Self, parent
"I believe passionately that to understand the people and their culture, you must understand their religion."
— Bonnie Cassel, Lodi Unified board member
"I want you to know, as the chairman of the board, you were heard. You were very clearly heard."
— Ken Davis, Lodi Unified board president
Although Calonico said he has not gone through the textbook's bibliography to ensure that it is historically accurate, he feels that the process used to select the textbook was transparent and that the textbook is consistent with state standards.
Bonnie Cassel, board member and former Lodi Unified social studies teacher, said that in her day, teachers were discouraged to discuss religion at all.
"In my mind, that stifled just about everything that we wanted to convey to the students," Cassel said.
Cassel said she struggled in her years as a U.S. history teacher to teach about the United States' founders without touching on the religion that was so important to them.
Cassel urged Korina Self to get a copy of the state's social studies framework — a source of information teachers have to guide them through the teaching of religion.
Korina Self said she will continue to move the issue forward through the district's process.
Ultimately, she said, she would like to get the issue on the board's agenda.
"We're in the baby stages of getting it done," Korina Self said.
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
More and more.. they are trying to indoctrine young minds. Teach your kids values and freedom of speach, before they don't realize they are gone.
Weather Channel founder: Warming 'greatest scam in history'
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58586
Weather Channel founder: Warming 'greatest scam in history'
Takes aim at Gore, scientists for manipulating data for political, financial gain
Posted: November 8, 2007
4:41 p.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
John Coleman
Taking aim at Al Gore and other "climate change" activists, the founder of the Weather Channel says the campaign to promote the theory of man-made global warming is "the greatest scam in history."
John Coleman, now a meteorologist for San Diego TV station KUSI, calls it a "manufactured crisis" by "dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives" who have "manipulated long-term scientific data to create an illusion of rapid global warming."
Coleman, writing on the website of the International Climate and Environmental Change Assessment Project, alludes to Gore's award-winning campaign featuring his documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth."
"I say this knowing you probably won't believe a me, a mere TV weatherman, challenging a Nobel Prize, Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning former vice president of United States," writes Coleman. "So be it."
Coleman says he has studied the scientific data and arguments on the issue and conferred with numerous scientists.
"I know I am correct," he asserts. "There is no run-away climate change. The impact of humans on climate is not catastrophic. Our planet is not in peril. I am incensed by the incredible media glamour, the politically correct silliness and rude dismissal of counter arguments by the high priest of global warming.
Coleman believes scientists with political motives have been joined by extremist environmentalists "to support and broaden the "research" to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims."
"Their friends in government steered huge research grants their way to keep the movement going," he says. "Soon they claimed to be a consensus."
Then, writes Coleman, "Environmental extremists, notable politicians among them, then teamed up with movie, media and other liberal, environmentalist journalists to create this wild 'scientific' scenario of the civilization-threatening environmental consequences from global warming unless we adhere to their radical agenda."
Now, Coleman says, "their ridiculous, manipulated science has been accepted as fact and become a cornerstone issue" for the Democratic party, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, school teachers and television networks such as CNN, CBS, NBC and "well informed but very gullible environmentally conscientious citizens."
"Only one reporter at ABC has been allowed to counter the global warming frenzy with one 15-minute documentary segment, Coleman writes, referring to John Stossel's piece on the network's news program "20/20."
Coleman points out meteorology, his field of life-long expertise, is science, not a religion or something "you believe in."
"In time, a decade or two, the outrageous scam will be obvious," he says.
As the predicted temperature-increases, polar ice cap melting, coastal flooding and super-storm patterns all fail to occur, he says, we "will come to realize we have been duped."
"The sky is not falling," contends Coleman. "And, natural cycles and drifts in climate are as much if not more responsible for any climate changes underway. I strongly believe that the next 20 years are equally as likely to see a cooling trend as they are to see a warming trend."
------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Woo whoooo! Finally, someone with a brain!
Weather Channel founder: Warming 'greatest scam in history'
Takes aim at Gore, scientists for manipulating data for political, financial gain
Posted: November 8, 2007
4:41 p.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
John Coleman
Taking aim at Al Gore and other "climate change" activists, the founder of the Weather Channel says the campaign to promote the theory of man-made global warming is "the greatest scam in history."
John Coleman, now a meteorologist for San Diego TV station KUSI, calls it a "manufactured crisis" by "dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives" who have "manipulated long-term scientific data to create an illusion of rapid global warming."
Coleman, writing on the website of the International Climate and Environmental Change Assessment Project, alludes to Gore's award-winning campaign featuring his documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth."
"I say this knowing you probably won't believe a me, a mere TV weatherman, challenging a Nobel Prize, Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning former vice president of United States," writes Coleman. "So be it."
Coleman says he has studied the scientific data and arguments on the issue and conferred with numerous scientists.
"I know I am correct," he asserts. "There is no run-away climate change. The impact of humans on climate is not catastrophic. Our planet is not in peril. I am incensed by the incredible media glamour, the politically correct silliness and rude dismissal of counter arguments by the high priest of global warming.
Coleman believes scientists with political motives have been joined by extremist environmentalists "to support and broaden the "research" to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims."
"Their friends in government steered huge research grants their way to keep the movement going," he says. "Soon they claimed to be a consensus."
Then, writes Coleman, "Environmental extremists, notable politicians among them, then teamed up with movie, media and other liberal, environmentalist journalists to create this wild 'scientific' scenario of the civilization-threatening environmental consequences from global warming unless we adhere to their radical agenda."
Now, Coleman says, "their ridiculous, manipulated science has been accepted as fact and become a cornerstone issue" for the Democratic party, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, school teachers and television networks such as CNN, CBS, NBC and "well informed but very gullible environmentally conscientious citizens."
"Only one reporter at ABC has been allowed to counter the global warming frenzy with one 15-minute documentary segment, Coleman writes, referring to John Stossel's piece on the network's news program "20/20."
Coleman points out meteorology, his field of life-long expertise, is science, not a religion or something "you believe in."
"In time, a decade or two, the outrageous scam will be obvious," he says.
As the predicted temperature-increases, polar ice cap melting, coastal flooding and super-storm patterns all fail to occur, he says, we "will come to realize we have been duped."
"The sky is not falling," contends Coleman. "And, natural cycles and drifts in climate are as much if not more responsible for any climate changes underway. I strongly believe that the next 20 years are equally as likely to see a cooling trend as they are to see a warming trend."
------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Woo whoooo! Finally, someone with a brain!
Expert says feds stealing half of seniors' paychecks
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58527
Expert says feds stealing half of seniors' paychecks
Contends government manipulating data to keep cost-of-living index low
Posted: November 8, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
The Social Security payments Americans receive in the mail are roughly half of what they would be if the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the Consumer Price Index honestly, a veteran econometrician told WND.
John Williams contends the U.S. government statistics intentionally understate inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index, or CPI.
By understating CPI data, Williams argued, government officials are able to avoid increases in Social Security payments that are mandated by law as "cost of living adjustments."
Williams maintains a website called Shadow Government Statistics that is dedicated to examine "analysis behind and beyond government economic reporting."
In an analysis of the CPI, Williams contends the index is understated by roughly 7 percent per year by government intentionally manipulating the data.
Many of the CPI manipulations, Williams asserts, were masterminded by Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman from 1987, under President Reagan, to 2006, under President Bush.
Williams points out that one of Greenspan's manipulations of the CPI involved the consideration that when steak got too expensive, the consumer would substitute hamburger for the steak. So, Greenspan argued, the inflation measure should reflect the costs of buying hamburger, not steak.
"Of course, replacing hamburger for steak in the calculations would reduce the inflation rate," Williams commented, "but it represented the rate of inflation in terms of maintaining a declining standard of living. Cost of living was being replaced by the cost of survival."
Williams noted the old system "told you how much you had to increase your income in order to keep buying steak. The new system promised you hamburger and then dog food, perhaps, after that."
Williams concluded Greenspan's arguments violated the "intent and common usage of the inflation index."
"The CPI was considered sacrosanct within the Department of Labor, given the number of contractual relationships that were anchored to it," Williams wrote. "The CPI was one number that never was to be revised, given its widespread usage."
The Consumer Price Index is the central statistic the federal government uses to calculate inflation.
The CPI is a complex government statistic that was introduced in the 1920s to track the market cost of a "basket of goods and services."
Beginning in the Carter administration, federal economists have cleverly redefined the CPI, with the goal of removing from the index expensive items, including food and energy, that would push the it higher.
Today, when setting interest rates, the Federal Reserve focuses on a variation of the CPI that measures "core inflation."
The government's calculation of core inflation now excludes items such as food and energy, because food and energy "face volatile price movements."
In other words, since food and energy prices can spike, as they have this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates "core inflation" without them. The rationale is that the price shocks are temporary and, therefore, would distort the measurement of underlying long-term inflation.
To a family faced with paying rising food and gas prices, however, "core inflation" at 2 percent does not reflect the cost of living.
Other items also can be thrown out of the CPI market basket if their price spikes under the premise that the big price changes reflect passing market disequilibrium that would distort the measurement of long-term trends.
Williams says the inflation rate is further deflated by changing "weighted factors" used in the index.
He estimates the true inflation rate in the U.S. would be close to 11 or 12 percent if the CPI were not manipulated.
The results of this under-reporting are dramatic, with the compounding effect just since the early 1990s of reducing annual cost-of-living adjustments in Social Security so that today's checks are roughly half what they would be if the CPI were reported honestly, according to the standards of the 1980s.
Greenspan's recently released autobiographical book, "The Age of Turbulence," openly admits the political influences behind the calculation of inflation.
He notes President Richard Nixon imposed wage and price controls in 1971, even though the rate of inflation then was less than 5 percent.
Greenspan argues that the 4.5 percent inflation the U.S. experienced for the half century since abandonment of the gold standard may become the norm, with the consequence that saved dollars will lose half of their purchasing power in about 15 years.
At the height of the gold standard between 1870 and 1913, just prior to World War I, Greenspan correctly notes that the cost of living as calculated by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York rose only 0.2 percent annually.
The dilemma the Fed faces is that under the U.S. fiat currency system, to keep inflation low it must keep interest rates high.
"Yet to keep the inflation rate down to a gold standard level of under 1 percent, or even a less draconian 1 to 2 percent range," Greenspan wrote, "the Fed, given my scenario, would have to constrain monetary expansion so drastically that it could temporarily drive up interest rates into the double-digit range not seen since the days of Paul Volcker."
High interest rates constrict the money supply, make borrowing difficult and generally depress economic growth.
During his term, Greenspan justified 1 percent interest rates, which in 2003 were the lowest rates in 45 years, in a determined plan to keep the economy growing.
Williams argued, however, that the result has been to fuel real inflation.
-----------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Government at work. Work your whole life to collect social security and they give you dog food in the end while they eat filet mignon. TYPICAL!
Expert says feds stealing half of seniors' paychecks
Contends government manipulating data to keep cost-of-living index low
Posted: November 8, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
The Social Security payments Americans receive in the mail are roughly half of what they would be if the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the Consumer Price Index honestly, a veteran econometrician told WND.
John Williams contends the U.S. government statistics intentionally understate inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index, or CPI.
By understating CPI data, Williams argued, government officials are able to avoid increases in Social Security payments that are mandated by law as "cost of living adjustments."
Williams maintains a website called Shadow Government Statistics that is dedicated to examine "analysis behind and beyond government economic reporting."
In an analysis of the CPI, Williams contends the index is understated by roughly 7 percent per year by government intentionally manipulating the data.
Many of the CPI manipulations, Williams asserts, were masterminded by Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman from 1987, under President Reagan, to 2006, under President Bush.
Williams points out that one of Greenspan's manipulations of the CPI involved the consideration that when steak got too expensive, the consumer would substitute hamburger for the steak. So, Greenspan argued, the inflation measure should reflect the costs of buying hamburger, not steak.
"Of course, replacing hamburger for steak in the calculations would reduce the inflation rate," Williams commented, "but it represented the rate of inflation in terms of maintaining a declining standard of living. Cost of living was being replaced by the cost of survival."
Williams noted the old system "told you how much you had to increase your income in order to keep buying steak. The new system promised you hamburger and then dog food, perhaps, after that."
Williams concluded Greenspan's arguments violated the "intent and common usage of the inflation index."
"The CPI was considered sacrosanct within the Department of Labor, given the number of contractual relationships that were anchored to it," Williams wrote. "The CPI was one number that never was to be revised, given its widespread usage."
The Consumer Price Index is the central statistic the federal government uses to calculate inflation.
The CPI is a complex government statistic that was introduced in the 1920s to track the market cost of a "basket of goods and services."
Beginning in the Carter administration, federal economists have cleverly redefined the CPI, with the goal of removing from the index expensive items, including food and energy, that would push the it higher.
Today, when setting interest rates, the Federal Reserve focuses on a variation of the CPI that measures "core inflation."
The government's calculation of core inflation now excludes items such as food and energy, because food and energy "face volatile price movements."
In other words, since food and energy prices can spike, as they have this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates "core inflation" without them. The rationale is that the price shocks are temporary and, therefore, would distort the measurement of underlying long-term inflation.
To a family faced with paying rising food and gas prices, however, "core inflation" at 2 percent does not reflect the cost of living.
Other items also can be thrown out of the CPI market basket if their price spikes under the premise that the big price changes reflect passing market disequilibrium that would distort the measurement of long-term trends.
Williams says the inflation rate is further deflated by changing "weighted factors" used in the index.
He estimates the true inflation rate in the U.S. would be close to 11 or 12 percent if the CPI were not manipulated.
The results of this under-reporting are dramatic, with the compounding effect just since the early 1990s of reducing annual cost-of-living adjustments in Social Security so that today's checks are roughly half what they would be if the CPI were reported honestly, according to the standards of the 1980s.
Greenspan's recently released autobiographical book, "The Age of Turbulence," openly admits the political influences behind the calculation of inflation.
He notes President Richard Nixon imposed wage and price controls in 1971, even though the rate of inflation then was less than 5 percent.
Greenspan argues that the 4.5 percent inflation the U.S. experienced for the half century since abandonment of the gold standard may become the norm, with the consequence that saved dollars will lose half of their purchasing power in about 15 years.
At the height of the gold standard between 1870 and 1913, just prior to World War I, Greenspan correctly notes that the cost of living as calculated by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York rose only 0.2 percent annually.
The dilemma the Fed faces is that under the U.S. fiat currency system, to keep inflation low it must keep interest rates high.
"Yet to keep the inflation rate down to a gold standard level of under 1 percent, or even a less draconian 1 to 2 percent range," Greenspan wrote, "the Fed, given my scenario, would have to constrain monetary expansion so drastically that it could temporarily drive up interest rates into the double-digit range not seen since the days of Paul Volcker."
High interest rates constrict the money supply, make borrowing difficult and generally depress economic growth.
During his term, Greenspan justified 1 percent interest rates, which in 2003 were the lowest rates in 45 years, in a determined plan to keep the economy growing.
Williams argued, however, that the result has been to fuel real inflation.
-----------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Government at work. Work your whole life to collect social security and they give you dog food in the end while they eat filet mignon. TYPICAL!
23 Charged in O'Hare Immigration Bust
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071107/D8SP4TBG4.html
23 Charged in O'Hare Immigration Bust
Nov 7, 6:45 PM (ET)
By F.N. D'ALESSIO
CHICAGO (AP) - Nearly two dozen illegal immigrants were arrested Wednesday, accused of using fake security badges to work in critical areas of O'Hare International Airport, including the tarmac, authorities said.
The 23 illegal workers were employed by Ideal Staffing Solutions Inc., whose corporate secretary and office manager also were arrested after an eight-month investigation that involved federal, state and Chicago authorities.
The company contracted work for carriers including United Airlines, KLM and Qantas, said Elissa A. Brown, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
"The investigation identifies a vulnerability that could compromise national security, while bringing criminal charges against individuals who built an illegal work force into their business practice," Brown said.
Ideal Staffing officials did not return a telephone message left after business hours Wednesday by The Associated Press.
Much of the investigation centered on the airport security badges issued by the Department of Aviation, said U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald. Agents found that 110 of the 134 badges issued to Ideal Staffing workers did not match the individuals who carried them, he said.
The discrepancies were first noted in March by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspector, Fitzgerald said.
"If we are to ensure public safety, we must know who has access to the secure areas of airports," Fitzgerald said. "A fundamental component of airport safety is preventing the use of false identification badges, and punishing those who commit or enable such violations."
Mary Gurin, 36, of Carpentersville, and Norinye Benitez, 24, of Franklin Park, were each charged with one federal count of harboring illegal immigrants for gain and one federal count of misuse of Social Security numbers. They were scheduled for a preliminary appearance later Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Brown said.
Benitez is believed to be an illegal immigrant from Mexico, and Gurin employed her and signed her airport badge application while knowing her illegal status, Brown said.
The workers arrested, 21 from Mexico and two from Guatemala, were being held in the Cook County jail. They face state criminal charges and deportation, Brown said.
According to affidavits in a complaint against Gurin and Benitez unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, the applications for the 110 bogus badges listed Social Security numbers that either did not exist or belonged to other individuals, some of whom were dead.
One affidavit from a temporary worker who cooperated with authorities said Benitez told him to look through a box containing about 20 airport security badges and to pick one with a picture that resembled his own face.
The affidavits allege that Ideal Staffing told workers they needed to have identification, but that the documents did not have to be legitimate, and also accused the company of supplying some workers with deactivated badges issued in other names.
Brown, Fitzgerald and other officials declined to answer questions about how workers could use deactivated badges to enter secure areas of the airport, saying that the investigation continued and that not all details could be revealed.
Cook County State's Attorney Richard A. Devine said his office has issued more than 100 arrest warrants in the case.
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Okay. First the workers should be deported. Second the company who employed these people need to be put in jail. Third the company that knowingly hired these people should be shut down.
23 Charged in O'Hare Immigration Bust
Nov 7, 6:45 PM (ET)
By F.N. D'ALESSIO
CHICAGO (AP) - Nearly two dozen illegal immigrants were arrested Wednesday, accused of using fake security badges to work in critical areas of O'Hare International Airport, including the tarmac, authorities said.
The 23 illegal workers were employed by Ideal Staffing Solutions Inc., whose corporate secretary and office manager also were arrested after an eight-month investigation that involved federal, state and Chicago authorities.
The company contracted work for carriers including United Airlines, KLM and Qantas, said Elissa A. Brown, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
"The investigation identifies a vulnerability that could compromise national security, while bringing criminal charges against individuals who built an illegal work force into their business practice," Brown said.
Ideal Staffing officials did not return a telephone message left after business hours Wednesday by The Associated Press.
Much of the investigation centered on the airport security badges issued by the Department of Aviation, said U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald. Agents found that 110 of the 134 badges issued to Ideal Staffing workers did not match the individuals who carried them, he said.
The discrepancies were first noted in March by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspector, Fitzgerald said.
"If we are to ensure public safety, we must know who has access to the secure areas of airports," Fitzgerald said. "A fundamental component of airport safety is preventing the use of false identification badges, and punishing those who commit or enable such violations."
Mary Gurin, 36, of Carpentersville, and Norinye Benitez, 24, of Franklin Park, were each charged with one federal count of harboring illegal immigrants for gain and one federal count of misuse of Social Security numbers. They were scheduled for a preliminary appearance later Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Brown said.
Benitez is believed to be an illegal immigrant from Mexico, and Gurin employed her and signed her airport badge application while knowing her illegal status, Brown said.
The workers arrested, 21 from Mexico and two from Guatemala, were being held in the Cook County jail. They face state criminal charges and deportation, Brown said.
According to affidavits in a complaint against Gurin and Benitez unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, the applications for the 110 bogus badges listed Social Security numbers that either did not exist or belonged to other individuals, some of whom were dead.
One affidavit from a temporary worker who cooperated with authorities said Benitez told him to look through a box containing about 20 airport security badges and to pick one with a picture that resembled his own face.
The affidavits allege that Ideal Staffing told workers they needed to have identification, but that the documents did not have to be legitimate, and also accused the company of supplying some workers with deactivated badges issued in other names.
Brown, Fitzgerald and other officials declined to answer questions about how workers could use deactivated badges to enter secure areas of the airport, saying that the investigation continued and that not all details could be revealed.
Cook County State's Attorney Richard A. Devine said his office has issued more than 100 arrest warrants in the case.
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Okay. First the workers should be deported. Second the company who employed these people need to be put in jail. Third the company that knowingly hired these people should be shut down.
Generational test for Republicans
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1107/6772.html
Generational test for Republicans
By: Jim VandeHei and John F. Harris
Nov 7, 2007 07:34 PM EST
Inglis traveled to Antarctica and, most recently, to Greenland to witness the effects of rising CO2 levels and temperatures.
Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.), once a skeptic of global warming, got a hint that the political winds might be shifting when a longtime supporter warned that he might vote against Inglis if he “didn’t clean up his act on the environment.”
The warning came from Inglis’ eldest son, Robert Jr., now 22.
His daughter was no less blunt about the congressman’s refusal to embrace the view that global warming was being caused by human actions and that a serious response is needed. “I have three more kids coming up — and they seem to share the same view,” Inglis said.
Family pressure worked. Inglis traveled to Antarctica and, most recently, to Greenland to witness the effects of rising CO2 levels and temperatures. He now believes the science behind global warming. And he believes the politics are equally conclusive: Republicans will “get hammered” if they do not reckon with the issue soon.
You wouldn’t know it from listening to President Bush or most GOP congressional leaders, but a lot of smart Republican thinkers are coming to the same conclusion as Inglis.
The changing politics of global warming will be a useful gauge to measure change in Washington. Two questions loom.
The first is how Republicans will reposition themselves for a post-Bush era in which it appears that many ascendant issues — the environment and health care especially — are historically favorable terrain for Democrats.
The second is whether even powerful shifts in public opinion, as have clearly taken place on global warming, can force action in a Congress where partisan stalemate has been the operating mode on most difficult issues for over a decade.
Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia has said his top goal for his remaining days in office is passing legislation to combat global warming.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is warning that Republicans will get whacked in swing suburban areas if they keep acting like global warming does not exist.
And Ken Mehlman, the former top Bush strategist and one of the more innovative minds in GOP politics today, has been telling anyone who will listen that Republicans risk losing young voters if they do not seriously deal with the issue.
Now these Republicans will come armed with some pretty persuasive polling data. Environmental Defense, a special interest group pushing for limits on greenhouse gases and other global warming solutions, commissioned Republican pollster Whit Ayres to survey voters in the 49 most competitive House races.
The goal was to come up with polling data that even Republicans skeptics would consider trustworthy, especially when the data are attached to an environmental special interest group.
Eager to get the message out to Congress, Ayres provided Politico an exclusive look at their findings.
In a presentation similar to ones provided to congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle in recent days, Ayres illustrates how independents — who were responsible for ousting the GOP majority in 2006 — are unmistakably supportive of swift action to cut carbon emissions and require cuts in carbon dioxide emissions by cars, factories and power plants.
Ayres seemed most surprised that independents and, to a lesser extent, Republicans wanted the U.S. to act even if China and India, two big polluters with rapidly growing economies, did not.
The swing district independent voters said they were much more likely to support a candidate who votes to cut carbon emissions.
Republican voters were surprisingly supportive of efforts to combat global warming but also made it clear they were much less likely to hold members of Congress accountable if they failed to act anytime soon.
That helps explain why the leading presidential candidates seem in basic agreement that global warming exists but are very cautious in talking about the issue or solutions. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), an early supporter of global warming legislation, is the big exception.
Republicans are split in three camps: a small but vocal group who think global warming is basically a hoax (26 percent of GOP voters in the Ayres poll said it does not exist); a big group that includes GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani who agree the Earth is warming but are reluctant to embrace plans opposed by business or viewed as burdensome government regulation; and a growing number who are pushing for specific, market-based solutions now.
The latter group is on the rise. It includes corporations such as Duke Energy, lawmakers such as Warner and strategists such as Mehlman (who is also paid by a client to push for a market-based solution) who thinks it is in their best collective interest to move now on legislation.
The companies want to avoid tougher government regulations later, and the politicians want to avoid ceding the issue to Democrats and suffering a backlash from younger voters at the polls.
That said, it is unlikely Congress will make big changes in this election cycle.
Yes, the public agrees with Al Gore that rising temperatures are troublesome. Yes, both parties see this as an increasingly powerful political issue, especially among younger voters. Yes, the Democratic presidential candidates are putting forward ambitious plans to curb emissions.
But the base in both parties is skeptical of the most talked-about bill, one drafted by Warner and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, that would create a large-scale cap-and-trade system for emissions.
The legislation is designed to cap greenhouse emissions at 2005 levels by 2012. Some liberals and environmental groups say it does too little, too slowly. Some conservatives and corporate interests say it is too onerous or unnecessary.
Politics aside, it is not clear whether the public is ready to stomach the pocketbook costs of curtailing greenhouse gas emissions.
People want cleaner air, but are they willing to pay 30 percent more for natural gas to heat their home, or higher energy bills overall? Will they drive smaller cars or pay more to gas up their Durango? Probably not.
That is why even the most ambitious plans presented by the Democratic presidential candidates are setting goals so distant that they won’t be met until most of these contenders might be dead.
Inglis says he is studying the proper congressional response — three years after he was threatened with losing the family vote.
-----------------
MY COMMENTS:
I wish politicans would stop pandering to the special interest groups. Real conservatives have no problem with voluntary lowering of emissions and doing things to improve the enviroment. IT SHOULD NOT come to a carbon tax or laws to govern emissions. Global warming is a natural cycle their is nothing mankind can do to halt or slow it down.
Generational test for Republicans
By: Jim VandeHei and John F. Harris
Nov 7, 2007 07:34 PM EST
Inglis traveled to Antarctica and, most recently, to Greenland to witness the effects of rising CO2 levels and temperatures.
Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.), once a skeptic of global warming, got a hint that the political winds might be shifting when a longtime supporter warned that he might vote against Inglis if he “didn’t clean up his act on the environment.”
The warning came from Inglis’ eldest son, Robert Jr., now 22.
His daughter was no less blunt about the congressman’s refusal to embrace the view that global warming was being caused by human actions and that a serious response is needed. “I have three more kids coming up — and they seem to share the same view,” Inglis said.
Family pressure worked. Inglis traveled to Antarctica and, most recently, to Greenland to witness the effects of rising CO2 levels and temperatures. He now believes the science behind global warming. And he believes the politics are equally conclusive: Republicans will “get hammered” if they do not reckon with the issue soon.
You wouldn’t know it from listening to President Bush or most GOP congressional leaders, but a lot of smart Republican thinkers are coming to the same conclusion as Inglis.
The changing politics of global warming will be a useful gauge to measure change in Washington. Two questions loom.
The first is how Republicans will reposition themselves for a post-Bush era in which it appears that many ascendant issues — the environment and health care especially — are historically favorable terrain for Democrats.
The second is whether even powerful shifts in public opinion, as have clearly taken place on global warming, can force action in a Congress where partisan stalemate has been the operating mode on most difficult issues for over a decade.
Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia has said his top goal for his remaining days in office is passing legislation to combat global warming.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is warning that Republicans will get whacked in swing suburban areas if they keep acting like global warming does not exist.
And Ken Mehlman, the former top Bush strategist and one of the more innovative minds in GOP politics today, has been telling anyone who will listen that Republicans risk losing young voters if they do not seriously deal with the issue.
Now these Republicans will come armed with some pretty persuasive polling data. Environmental Defense, a special interest group pushing for limits on greenhouse gases and other global warming solutions, commissioned Republican pollster Whit Ayres to survey voters in the 49 most competitive House races.
The goal was to come up with polling data that even Republicans skeptics would consider trustworthy, especially when the data are attached to an environmental special interest group.
Eager to get the message out to Congress, Ayres provided Politico an exclusive look at their findings.
In a presentation similar to ones provided to congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle in recent days, Ayres illustrates how independents — who were responsible for ousting the GOP majority in 2006 — are unmistakably supportive of swift action to cut carbon emissions and require cuts in carbon dioxide emissions by cars, factories and power plants.
Ayres seemed most surprised that independents and, to a lesser extent, Republicans wanted the U.S. to act even if China and India, two big polluters with rapidly growing economies, did not.
The swing district independent voters said they were much more likely to support a candidate who votes to cut carbon emissions.
Republican voters were surprisingly supportive of efforts to combat global warming but also made it clear they were much less likely to hold members of Congress accountable if they failed to act anytime soon.
That helps explain why the leading presidential candidates seem in basic agreement that global warming exists but are very cautious in talking about the issue or solutions. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), an early supporter of global warming legislation, is the big exception.
Republicans are split in three camps: a small but vocal group who think global warming is basically a hoax (26 percent of GOP voters in the Ayres poll said it does not exist); a big group that includes GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani who agree the Earth is warming but are reluctant to embrace plans opposed by business or viewed as burdensome government regulation; and a growing number who are pushing for specific, market-based solutions now.
The latter group is on the rise. It includes corporations such as Duke Energy, lawmakers such as Warner and strategists such as Mehlman (who is also paid by a client to push for a market-based solution) who thinks it is in their best collective interest to move now on legislation.
The companies want to avoid tougher government regulations later, and the politicians want to avoid ceding the issue to Democrats and suffering a backlash from younger voters at the polls.
That said, it is unlikely Congress will make big changes in this election cycle.
Yes, the public agrees with Al Gore that rising temperatures are troublesome. Yes, both parties see this as an increasingly powerful political issue, especially among younger voters. Yes, the Democratic presidential candidates are putting forward ambitious plans to curb emissions.
But the base in both parties is skeptical of the most talked-about bill, one drafted by Warner and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, that would create a large-scale cap-and-trade system for emissions.
The legislation is designed to cap greenhouse emissions at 2005 levels by 2012. Some liberals and environmental groups say it does too little, too slowly. Some conservatives and corporate interests say it is too onerous or unnecessary.
Politics aside, it is not clear whether the public is ready to stomach the pocketbook costs of curtailing greenhouse gas emissions.
People want cleaner air, but are they willing to pay 30 percent more for natural gas to heat their home, or higher energy bills overall? Will they drive smaller cars or pay more to gas up their Durango? Probably not.
That is why even the most ambitious plans presented by the Democratic presidential candidates are setting goals so distant that they won’t be met until most of these contenders might be dead.
Inglis says he is studying the proper congressional response — three years after he was threatened with losing the family vote.
-----------------
MY COMMENTS:
I wish politicans would stop pandering to the special interest groups. Real conservatives have no problem with voluntary lowering of emissions and doing things to improve the enviroment. IT SHOULD NOT come to a carbon tax or laws to govern emissions. Global warming is a natural cycle their is nothing mankind can do to halt or slow it down.
`Kissing bug' leaves not so sweet effects: Heart disease, possibly death
http://origin.dailynews.com/news/ci_7389330
`Kissing bug' leaves not so sweet effects: Heart disease, possibly death
By Susan Abram, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 11/07/2007 12:22:13 AM PST
SYLMAR - They call it the kiss of death.
For millions of people who live or have resided in rural areas in Mexico or Latin America, an inch-long insect known as "la chinche besucona" or "the kissing bug" brings on anything but love. It causes heart disease, then possibly death.
But cardiologists from a San Fernando Valley hospital hope more local residents, specifically those who have emigrated from South America, will come forward to seek potentially life-saving treatment.
Opened just a few months ago, a clinic inside Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar is the first in the nation specifically devoted to the study and treatment of Chagas disease, a parasitic illness discovered in Latin America in 1909.
"We have a huge Latin American community here in Los Angeles who are potentially at risk - people who may not know they have it," said Dr. Sheba Meymandi, director for cardiovascular research and invasive cardiology at the hospital.
Nine local residents already are seeking treatment for Chagas. They were identified among 115 blood donors by the American Red Cross, which began screening for Chagas nearly 10 years ago.
But Meymandi believes there are more who don't know they have been infected because the disease can lay dormant for years, even decades.
"The burden of this disease is substantial," said Dr. Mahmoud Traina, who works alongside Meymandi in the clinic. In 20 to 30 percent of the cases, heart failure
Develops, he said. "It's something that has been underexamined."
For that reason, Meymandi is encouraging residents to have their blood tested, or urging them to contact her if they believe a friend or a loved one may be infected.
Chagas disease is not contagious, but it can be passed on through pregnancy, organ transplants or blood transfusions.
The disease is transmitted by an infected insect, often found in rural areas where people live in dwellings made from mud, adobe, straw, or palm thatch, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The insect hides within nooks and cracks in the walls and roofs in the daytime.
But at night, it crawls out to feed on blood. It is called the kissing bug because it feeds on a sleeper's face. After it bites, the insect defecates on the open wound. The infection begins when parasites from the bug enter the body through mucous membranes or broken skin, caused when the sleeper scratches the wound, eyes or mouth, according to the CDC.
Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, body aches, headaches, rash, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting.
The CDC estimates that as many as 8 to 11 million people in Mexico, Central America, and South America have Chagas disease.
And an estimated 1 out of 7,500 people in the United States may be infected, Meymandi said. Seven cases, however, had nothing to do with people from Mexico or Latin America, Meymandi said.
So far, only two medications made in Latin America are used as treatment. Nothing else has been invented since the 1960s, Meymandi said.
`Kissing bug' leaves not so sweet effects: Heart disease, possibly death
By Susan Abram, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 11/07/2007 12:22:13 AM PST
SYLMAR - They call it the kiss of death.
For millions of people who live or have resided in rural areas in Mexico or Latin America, an inch-long insect known as "la chinche besucona" or "the kissing bug" brings on anything but love. It causes heart disease, then possibly death.
But cardiologists from a San Fernando Valley hospital hope more local residents, specifically those who have emigrated from South America, will come forward to seek potentially life-saving treatment.
Opened just a few months ago, a clinic inside Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar is the first in the nation specifically devoted to the study and treatment of Chagas disease, a parasitic illness discovered in Latin America in 1909.
"We have a huge Latin American community here in Los Angeles who are potentially at risk - people who may not know they have it," said Dr. Sheba Meymandi, director for cardiovascular research and invasive cardiology at the hospital.
Nine local residents already are seeking treatment for Chagas. They were identified among 115 blood donors by the American Red Cross, which began screening for Chagas nearly 10 years ago.
But Meymandi believes there are more who don't know they have been infected because the disease can lay dormant for years, even decades.
"The burden of this disease is substantial," said Dr. Mahmoud Traina, who works alongside Meymandi in the clinic. In 20 to 30 percent of the cases, heart failure
Develops, he said. "It's something that has been underexamined."
For that reason, Meymandi is encouraging residents to have their blood tested, or urging them to contact her if they believe a friend or a loved one may be infected.
Chagas disease is not contagious, but it can be passed on through pregnancy, organ transplants or blood transfusions.
The disease is transmitted by an infected insect, often found in rural areas where people live in dwellings made from mud, adobe, straw, or palm thatch, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The insect hides within nooks and cracks in the walls and roofs in the daytime.
But at night, it crawls out to feed on blood. It is called the kissing bug because it feeds on a sleeper's face. After it bites, the insect defecates on the open wound. The infection begins when parasites from the bug enter the body through mucous membranes or broken skin, caused when the sleeper scratches the wound, eyes or mouth, according to the CDC.
Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, body aches, headaches, rash, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting.
The CDC estimates that as many as 8 to 11 million people in Mexico, Central America, and South America have Chagas disease.
And an estimated 1 out of 7,500 people in the United States may be infected, Meymandi said. Seven cases, however, had nothing to do with people from Mexico or Latin America, Meymandi said.
So far, only two medications made in Latin America are used as treatment. Nothing else has been invented since the 1960s, Meymandi said.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Taxpayers foot bill for Mexican truckers (MAKES YOUR BLOOD BOIL)
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58546
Taxpayers foot bill for Mexican truckers
Safety equipment tab starts out at $367,000
Posted: November 7, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Michael Howe
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced that U.S. taxpayers will be footing the startup costs of a program to install satellite tracking technology on vehicles taking part in the Mexican Truck Demonstration Program.
The announcement confirmed the U.S. government would "initially spend approximately $367,000 to outfit all trucks from the United States and Mexico that take part in the program."
According to the administration, "the decision to require the installation of satellite tracking technology on trucks in the program was made after members of Congress expressed a desire to know whether participants are complying with federal safety and trade laws."
A key opponent of the program, and author of the language in the transportation appropriations bill to halt funding of the program, continued to express disappointment Barry Piatt, spokesman for Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., told WND, "It's an indication that they are going forward with the program, despite strong and pretty clear opposition from both chambers of Congress."
Congressman Duncan Hunter's office told WND he agrees. "The tracking technology, while a step in the right direction, does very little to ensure compliance with safety and security standards. The focus must remain on implementing reliable and enforceable standards that ensure Mexican truckers with access to U.S. roadways do not threaten the safety of vehicle motorists or America's security," explained Joe Kasper, spokesman for Hunter, R-Calif.
According to the FMCSA, the technology will help continue to ensure that trucks operating as part of the program are complying with the agency's rigorous safety standards and U.S. trade laws.
The FMCSA intends to use the information gathered from the equipment to ensure trucks comply with hours-of-service laws and rules that govern the trips into and out of the country. The GPS-based technology also will allow real-time tracking of truck location, documenting every international-border and state-line crossing. The equipment does not provide cargo information.
"The satellite-based technology will be used to track trucks by vehicle number and company only – no driver information will be collected," the administration statement said.
This, Hunter believes, does not go far enough. Kasper told WND, "Tracking technology, especially when driver data is not being collected, comes nowhere close to achieving this goal. Congressman Hunter continues to support an easily assessable database that includes driver history and background information, as well as stronger inspection requirements and enforcement standards."
At an Oct. 18, 2007, meeting of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters told members that the satellite tracking system would help ensure safety, and that the DOT was working to compromise with Congress to continue the Mexican Truck Demonstration program despite language in the funding bill that would kill it.
Reacting to methods of compromise, Piatt told WND, "The fact that the administration is ignoring the view of Congress makes it less likely, not more likely, that it will look for a compromise on this. Congress has stated clearly that it believes going forward with such a program, without the information needed to assure safety on American roads, is not safe."
He also questioned whether or not there are truly efforts to compromise. "Those rumors have been around, mostly fed by the administration, for some time. As the author of the Senate language, I can tell you their thumbing their nose at Congress – so to speak – is not helping their cause on this issue in Congress."
For some, the fact that the FMCSA will spend just under $400,000 of American taxpayer money to equip all trucks, Mexican or U.S., with satellite tracking equipment raises questions. Kasper said, "I am not familiar with the funding aspect. But one would assume that there would be a shared funding responsibility (between the two countries)."
FMCSA spokeswoman Melissa Delaney was contacted regarding the funding but did not respond to inquiries.
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Personally I think MEXICO should have to foot the bill for this. Afterall.. They are the ones with the trucks (and if they REALLY want to come into AMERICA they should have to comply with our rules). WHY on Earth should I pay for a program I DON'T EVEN WANT! I don't want Mexican semi drivers on my roads, especially when American trucks cannot enter Mexico to haul things South. If we don't benefit from this program what is the point beside the TTC and SPP programs adding another rung to their ladder?
Taxpayers foot bill for Mexican truckers
Safety equipment tab starts out at $367,000
Posted: November 7, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Michael Howe
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced that U.S. taxpayers will be footing the startup costs of a program to install satellite tracking technology on vehicles taking part in the Mexican Truck Demonstration Program.
The announcement confirmed the U.S. government would "initially spend approximately $367,000 to outfit all trucks from the United States and Mexico that take part in the program."
According to the administration, "the decision to require the installation of satellite tracking technology on trucks in the program was made after members of Congress expressed a desire to know whether participants are complying with federal safety and trade laws."
A key opponent of the program, and author of the language in the transportation appropriations bill to halt funding of the program, continued to express disappointment Barry Piatt, spokesman for Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., told WND, "It's an indication that they are going forward with the program, despite strong and pretty clear opposition from both chambers of Congress."
Congressman Duncan Hunter's office told WND he agrees. "The tracking technology, while a step in the right direction, does very little to ensure compliance with safety and security standards. The focus must remain on implementing reliable and enforceable standards that ensure Mexican truckers with access to U.S. roadways do not threaten the safety of vehicle motorists or America's security," explained Joe Kasper, spokesman for Hunter, R-Calif.
According to the FMCSA, the technology will help continue to ensure that trucks operating as part of the program are complying with the agency's rigorous safety standards and U.S. trade laws.
The FMCSA intends to use the information gathered from the equipment to ensure trucks comply with hours-of-service laws and rules that govern the trips into and out of the country. The GPS-based technology also will allow real-time tracking of truck location, documenting every international-border and state-line crossing. The equipment does not provide cargo information.
"The satellite-based technology will be used to track trucks by vehicle number and company only – no driver information will be collected," the administration statement said.
This, Hunter believes, does not go far enough. Kasper told WND, "Tracking technology, especially when driver data is not being collected, comes nowhere close to achieving this goal. Congressman Hunter continues to support an easily assessable database that includes driver history and background information, as well as stronger inspection requirements and enforcement standards."
At an Oct. 18, 2007, meeting of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters told members that the satellite tracking system would help ensure safety, and that the DOT was working to compromise with Congress to continue the Mexican Truck Demonstration program despite language in the funding bill that would kill it.
Reacting to methods of compromise, Piatt told WND, "The fact that the administration is ignoring the view of Congress makes it less likely, not more likely, that it will look for a compromise on this. Congress has stated clearly that it believes going forward with such a program, without the information needed to assure safety on American roads, is not safe."
He also questioned whether or not there are truly efforts to compromise. "Those rumors have been around, mostly fed by the administration, for some time. As the author of the Senate language, I can tell you their thumbing their nose at Congress – so to speak – is not helping their cause on this issue in Congress."
For some, the fact that the FMCSA will spend just under $400,000 of American taxpayer money to equip all trucks, Mexican or U.S., with satellite tracking equipment raises questions. Kasper said, "I am not familiar with the funding aspect. But one would assume that there would be a shared funding responsibility (between the two countries)."
FMCSA spokeswoman Melissa Delaney was contacted regarding the funding but did not respond to inquiries.
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Personally I think MEXICO should have to foot the bill for this. Afterall.. They are the ones with the trucks (and if they REALLY want to come into AMERICA they should have to comply with our rules). WHY on Earth should I pay for a program I DON'T EVEN WANT! I don't want Mexican semi drivers on my roads, especially when American trucks cannot enter Mexico to haul things South. If we don't benefit from this program what is the point beside the TTC and SPP programs adding another rung to their ladder?
State immigration crackdown not answer (WHAT A JOKE)
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58549
State immigration crackdown not answer
'What we would like to see is a comprehensive immigration reform'
Posted: November 7, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Crackdowns by state and local governments on illegal aliens won't solve the immigration problem in the United States, according to a spokeswoman for President Bush.
"We can understand that they want to increase enforcement, and that's what the president called for in his comprehensive bill," Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
She was responding to a question from Les Kinsolving, WND's correspondent at the White House. He asked: "Oklahoma's House Bill 1804, just passed and signed by the Democrat governor, has been described as 'the toughest state-level immigration reform bill in the nation' by Republican representative Randy Terrill. And my question: What does the White House think about this bill?"
"What we would like to see is a comprehensive national immigration reform bill," she answered. "We think it is difficult for all 50 states and localities and jurisdictions and counties to have a cohesive immigration policy when everyone is doing their own laws."
The law, signed by Gov. Brad Henry, is intended to discourage illegal immigration. He deprives illegals of state identification and demands that all state and local agencies verify citizenship status before authorizing public funds be spent on benefits for them.
The League of United Latin American Citizens offered its criticism, along with other immigration groups, saying setting such regulations is within the authority of the federal government, not the state.
The legislation was passed by overwhelming majorities in the state Legislature, but Henry said "until the U.S. Congress enacts a comprehensive, national immigration policy, citizens will see little progress."
House Speaker Lance Cargill, a Republican, said this law is important because it assures people that Oklahoma is upholding the law. "Our citizens deserve nothing less," he said.
Officials estimate about 100,000 illegal immigrants live in Oklahoma, and could cost state taxpayers up to $200 million in benefits and other resources each year.
The law requires verification of legal status in order to obtain public benefits, or in many cases jobs. It also limits state driver's licenses and ID cards to citizens and legal immigrations.
In a second question, also related to immigration policy, Kinsolving asked:
"Agence France Presse reports thousands of illegal aliens coming into the U.S. every year could include terrorist spies and those with communicable diseases, largely due to the under-staffing and low morale among Border Patrol agents, according to our GAO report. And my question: How does the White House believe the morale can be improved with such agents as Ramos and Compean still in prison – "
"Wow, what is the question?" said Perino.
" – for doing what they believed was defending the nation's borders?" Kinsolving finished.
"The president has made a pledge and he is making good on it to double the number of Border Patrol agents that are working for the government. We are well on our way to making that happen. I think we have about 18,500 now; we're on our way to getting a full 20,000, and that should help because I know that they're overworked and they work very hard," Perino said.
Former Border Patrol agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos are serving prison terms of 11 and 12 years for shooting at and wounding a drug smuggler who had brought one third of a ton of marijuana into the United States, but abandoned it and fled back into Mexico when confronted by the officers.
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
WOW... That's apress secratary? She didn't even know what the hell the question was. That's scary.... ANYWAY.... (sorry had to stop laughing) The word "comprehensive is used SOOO many times I couldn't contain myself). Look,if the government isn't going to enforce the laws on the books, the state and local governments will have to do the job instead. IT'S THAT SIMPLE!!!
State immigration crackdown not answer
'What we would like to see is a comprehensive immigration reform'
Posted: November 7, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Crackdowns by state and local governments on illegal aliens won't solve the immigration problem in the United States, according to a spokeswoman for President Bush.
"We can understand that they want to increase enforcement, and that's what the president called for in his comprehensive bill," Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
She was responding to a question from Les Kinsolving, WND's correspondent at the White House. He asked: "Oklahoma's House Bill 1804, just passed and signed by the Democrat governor, has been described as 'the toughest state-level immigration reform bill in the nation' by Republican representative Randy Terrill. And my question: What does the White House think about this bill?"
"What we would like to see is a comprehensive national immigration reform bill," she answered. "We think it is difficult for all 50 states and localities and jurisdictions and counties to have a cohesive immigration policy when everyone is doing their own laws."
The law, signed by Gov. Brad Henry, is intended to discourage illegal immigration. He deprives illegals of state identification and demands that all state and local agencies verify citizenship status before authorizing public funds be spent on benefits for them.
The League of United Latin American Citizens offered its criticism, along with other immigration groups, saying setting such regulations is within the authority of the federal government, not the state.
The legislation was passed by overwhelming majorities in the state Legislature, but Henry said "until the U.S. Congress enacts a comprehensive, national immigration policy, citizens will see little progress."
House Speaker Lance Cargill, a Republican, said this law is important because it assures people that Oklahoma is upholding the law. "Our citizens deserve nothing less," he said.
Officials estimate about 100,000 illegal immigrants live in Oklahoma, and could cost state taxpayers up to $200 million in benefits and other resources each year.
The law requires verification of legal status in order to obtain public benefits, or in many cases jobs. It also limits state driver's licenses and ID cards to citizens and legal immigrations.
In a second question, also related to immigration policy, Kinsolving asked:
"Agence France Presse reports thousands of illegal aliens coming into the U.S. every year could include terrorist spies and those with communicable diseases, largely due to the under-staffing and low morale among Border Patrol agents, according to our GAO report. And my question: How does the White House believe the morale can be improved with such agents as Ramos and Compean still in prison – "
"Wow, what is the question?" said Perino.
" – for doing what they believed was defending the nation's borders?" Kinsolving finished.
"The president has made a pledge and he is making good on it to double the number of Border Patrol agents that are working for the government. We are well on our way to making that happen. I think we have about 18,500 now; we're on our way to getting a full 20,000, and that should help because I know that they're overworked and they work very hard," Perino said.
Former Border Patrol agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos are serving prison terms of 11 and 12 years for shooting at and wounding a drug smuggler who had brought one third of a ton of marijuana into the United States, but abandoned it and fled back into Mexico when confronted by the officers.
--------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
WOW... That's apress secratary? She didn't even know what the hell the question was. That's scary.... ANYWAY.... (sorry had to stop laughing) The word "comprehensive is used SOOO many times I couldn't contain myself). Look,if the government isn't going to enforce the laws on the books, the state and local governments will have to do the job instead. IT'S THAT SIMPLE!!!
Clinton: Licenses Depend on the State
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SOF9M01&show_article=1
Clinton: Licenses Depend on the State
Nov 6 07:10 PM US/Eastern
By BETH FOUHY
Associated Press Writer 20 Comments
Clinton: ‘I Wasn’t At My Best The Other Night’
NEW YORK (AP) - Pressed anew on whether she supports granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday it depends on the state.
In a CNN interview, Clinton, a New York senator, reiterated her support for governors who must contend with large populations of undocumented workers in the absence of federal immigration reform. She then was asked whether she thinks it is a "good idea" for governors to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.
"It depends upon what state they're in. It depends upon what they think the risks are," Clinton said. "A governor of New York that has a lot of immigrants, many of whom we know are not there legally, has to worry about security. A governor of another state where that's not a problem doesn't."
Clinton was widely criticized after a televised debate last week when she hedged an answer on whether she supported New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's effort to grant licenses to illegal immigrants. Clinton said she understood why governors are forced to take such steps but said she didn't necessarily agree with the policy.
She has struggled since then to clarify her stance on the matter, which is widely unpopular in most states, including New York. Eight states, including conservative Utah, do not require proof of citizenship to obtain a driver's license.
Clinton campaign aides say she generally supports the concept of granting licenses to illegal immigrants, in the absence of comprehensive immigration reform.
"This issue has been so politicized and I understand that because you can score points," Clinton told CNN, adding that she felt the matter didn't lend itself to a 30-second answer in a debate format.
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Mrs. Clinton wants to have her cake and eat it too. You can't have it both ways Mrs. Clinton... YOU HAVE TO PICKA SIDE and I BELIEVE WE ALL KNOW WHICH SIDE YOU ARE ON. Pander all you will to your illegal voter friends. The TRUE AMERICAN people KNOW what a snake you are. Slither back under the rock you came out from.
Clinton: Licenses Depend on the State
Nov 6 07:10 PM US/Eastern
By BETH FOUHY
Associated Press Writer 20 Comments
Clinton: ‘I Wasn’t At My Best The Other Night’
NEW YORK (AP) - Pressed anew on whether she supports granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday it depends on the state.
In a CNN interview, Clinton, a New York senator, reiterated her support for governors who must contend with large populations of undocumented workers in the absence of federal immigration reform. She then was asked whether she thinks it is a "good idea" for governors to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.
"It depends upon what state they're in. It depends upon what they think the risks are," Clinton said. "A governor of New York that has a lot of immigrants, many of whom we know are not there legally, has to worry about security. A governor of another state where that's not a problem doesn't."
Clinton was widely criticized after a televised debate last week when she hedged an answer on whether she supported New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's effort to grant licenses to illegal immigrants. Clinton said she understood why governors are forced to take such steps but said she didn't necessarily agree with the policy.
She has struggled since then to clarify her stance on the matter, which is widely unpopular in most states, including New York. Eight states, including conservative Utah, do not require proof of citizenship to obtain a driver's license.
Clinton campaign aides say she generally supports the concept of granting licenses to illegal immigrants, in the absence of comprehensive immigration reform.
"This issue has been so politicized and I understand that because you can score points," Clinton told CNN, adding that she felt the matter didn't lend itself to a 30-second answer in a debate format.
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Mrs. Clinton wants to have her cake and eat it too. You can't have it both ways Mrs. Clinton... YOU HAVE TO PICKA SIDE and I BELIEVE WE ALL KNOW WHICH SIDE YOU ARE ON. Pander all you will to your illegal voter friends. The TRUE AMERICAN people KNOW what a snake you are. Slither back under the rock you came out from.
Poll: 77% oppose illegals' licenses
http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071106/NATION/111050098/1001
Poll: 77% oppose illegals' licenses
By Stephen Dinan
November 6, 2007
Voters oppose driver's licenses for illegal aliens by a nearly five-to-one margin, a new Fox 5/Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports poll finds.
As immigration politics explode into the presidential race, polls show Americans are taking a hard line on benefits for illegal aliens, including opposing driver's licenses and such taxpayer-funded benefits as scholarships at state colleges for illegal-alien students.
The new poll found 77 percent of the adults surveyed opposed making driver's licenses available to illegal aliens, while just 16 percent supported the idea.
Licenses fared poorly across party lines, including near-blanket opposition among self-identified Republicans, at 88 percent. Among independents and Democrats, it was still overwhelmingly unpopular, drawing 75 percent and 68 percent opposition, respectively.
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer in September proposed adding New York to the list of seven states that offer licenses to illegal aliens, and the issue has refused to die down since.
Most Democratic presidential candidates have embraced the policy, including front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, arguing it's a matter of road safety and a valid response to the federal government's failure to give a path to citizenship to illegal aliens.
But those on the other side, including Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Christopher J. Dodd and the entire Republican presidential field, oppose the idea.
"I think we have to quit inducing people to come and stay if they're illegal," said former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, one of the Republican candidates.
On the issue of public benefits, the poll's sample of California voters found 62 percent opposed state-sponsored college scholarships for children of illegal aliens, while 24 percent supported the concept.
The idea was unpopular in both parties, with Republicans opposed by a margin of 81 percent to 11 percent, and Democrats against it by 50 percent to 33 percent.
The state's Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, vetoed a bill last month that would have allowed illegal-alien children to apply for community college fee waivers and other types of financial aid. Mr. Schwarzenegger said the policy would strain public finances and hurt legal-resident students.
"It would not be prudent to place additional strain on the general fund to accord the new benefit of providing state-subsidized financial aid to students without lawful immigration status," the governor said in his veto message, pointing out that California already allows illegal aliens to pay in-state tuition rates.
It was the second time in two years he has vetoed the measure. He also has vetoed bills to extend driver's licenses to illegal aliens.
Meanwhile, on the issue of enforcement, the poll's sample of 500 Texas voters found strong support for a crackdown: 75 percent said they favor police officers automatically checking legal status during traffic stops, and 66 percent said if someone stopped turns out to be illegal, they should be deported.
Even legal immigrants didn't fare well in the polling.
The national sample of voters found them strongly against changing the Constitution to allow a legal immigrant to seek the presidency, with more then three-fourths of adults opposing the idea.
-------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
THANK YOU! When will our government get the message? WE WANT THE LAWS ALREADY ON THE BOOKS ENFORCED! NOT NEW LAWS! NOT LEGALIZATION! JUST ENFORCE THE FREAKIN' LAW!
Poll: 77% oppose illegals' licenses
By Stephen Dinan
November 6, 2007
Voters oppose driver's licenses for illegal aliens by a nearly five-to-one margin, a new Fox 5/Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports poll finds.
As immigration politics explode into the presidential race, polls show Americans are taking a hard line on benefits for illegal aliens, including opposing driver's licenses and such taxpayer-funded benefits as scholarships at state colleges for illegal-alien students.
The new poll found 77 percent of the adults surveyed opposed making driver's licenses available to illegal aliens, while just 16 percent supported the idea.
Licenses fared poorly across party lines, including near-blanket opposition among self-identified Republicans, at 88 percent. Among independents and Democrats, it was still overwhelmingly unpopular, drawing 75 percent and 68 percent opposition, respectively.
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer in September proposed adding New York to the list of seven states that offer licenses to illegal aliens, and the issue has refused to die down since.
Most Democratic presidential candidates have embraced the policy, including front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, arguing it's a matter of road safety and a valid response to the federal government's failure to give a path to citizenship to illegal aliens.
But those on the other side, including Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Christopher J. Dodd and the entire Republican presidential field, oppose the idea.
"I think we have to quit inducing people to come and stay if they're illegal," said former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, one of the Republican candidates.
On the issue of public benefits, the poll's sample of California voters found 62 percent opposed state-sponsored college scholarships for children of illegal aliens, while 24 percent supported the concept.
The idea was unpopular in both parties, with Republicans opposed by a margin of 81 percent to 11 percent, and Democrats against it by 50 percent to 33 percent.
The state's Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, vetoed a bill last month that would have allowed illegal-alien children to apply for community college fee waivers and other types of financial aid. Mr. Schwarzenegger said the policy would strain public finances and hurt legal-resident students.
"It would not be prudent to place additional strain on the general fund to accord the new benefit of providing state-subsidized financial aid to students without lawful immigration status," the governor said in his veto message, pointing out that California already allows illegal aliens to pay in-state tuition rates.
It was the second time in two years he has vetoed the measure. He also has vetoed bills to extend driver's licenses to illegal aliens.
Meanwhile, on the issue of enforcement, the poll's sample of 500 Texas voters found strong support for a crackdown: 75 percent said they favor police officers automatically checking legal status during traffic stops, and 66 percent said if someone stopped turns out to be illegal, they should be deported.
Even legal immigrants didn't fare well in the polling.
The national sample of voters found them strongly against changing the Constitution to allow a legal immigrant to seek the presidency, with more then three-fourths of adults opposing the idea.
-------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
THANK YOU! When will our government get the message? WE WANT THE LAWS ALREADY ON THE BOOKS ENFORCED! NOT NEW LAWS! NOT LEGALIZATION! JUST ENFORCE THE FREAKIN' LAW!
Wife-beating made simple
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58547
Wife-beating made simple
Saudi cleric teaches fine points of how to 'discipline' women
Posted: November 7, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
SEE THE CLIP HERE.... http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1594.htm
A religious leader in Saudi Arabia has provided instructions to young Muslims about how to deliver a beating to their wives, saying, "the beatings must be light and must not make her face ugly. He must beat her where it will not leave marks."
The report comes from the Middle East Media Research Institute, which monitors media reports throughout the Middle East.
The Saudi cleric, Muhammad Al-'Arifi, said on the video captured from LBC Television by MEMRI, "Men beat women more often than women beat men. I said that some women beat their husbands because this happens, but it is rare, and there is no need to hold conferences on wives who beat their husbands.
"Allah created women with these delicate, fragile, supple, and soft bodies, because they use their emotions more than they use their bodies. Therefore, while the man may use beating to discipline his wife, she sometimes uses her tears to discipline him. He gets what he wants by screaming, while she gets what she wants from him by crying and displaying emotions. For men, women's emotions may be fiercer than the strike of a sword," the cleric said.
MEMRI, which has a web page dedicated to video clips on the rights and wrongs of beatings, said the cleric reported two options before the beatings.
"First, 'admonish them' – once, twice, three times, four times, 10 times. If this doesn't help, 'refuse to share their beds.' In such a case, the husband does not sleep with his wife, or, in other words, he is angry with her. He gives her the silent treatment, refusing to talk to her. If he comes to eat, and she asks him: 'How are you?' – he doesn't answer. If she asks him: 'Do you want anything?' – he doesn't answer. He distances himself from her in bed and in conversation; he does not sleep with her, but goes to sleep in another room. He shows her that he is angry with her," the cleric said.
"Then, he added, "If this does not help – if the admonishing does no good, and when he goes to sleep in another room, she says: 'Thank God he's gone. Now I've got the whole bed to myself, I will sleep alone in bed and roll over at night as much as I like.' If neither method works with her, what is the third option?"
The video shows a guest saying, "And beat them."
"That's right," said Al-'Arifi, "How is this beating performed? What do you think?"
"Light beatings," the guest said.
"Light beatings in what way?" Al-'Arifi asked.
"For example, I wouldn't beat her in the face...," the guest said.
The cleric said such beatings are forbidden, "even when it comes to animals.
"When a person is beating an animal … Even if you want your camel or donkey to start walking, you are not allowed to beat it in the face. If this is true for animals, it is all the more true when it comes to humans. So beatings should be light and not in the face," the cleric said.
He continued, "Some religious scholars say: 'He should beat her with a toothpick.' I happen to have a toothpick with me. A man who is angry with his wife because she doesn't get it... If he says to her: 'Watch out, the child has fallen next to the stove,' or: 'Move the child away from the electrical socket,' and she says: 'I am busy' – then he beats her with a toothpick or something like it. He doesn't beat her with a bottle of water, a plate, or a knife. This is forbidden. The scholars said he should beat her with a toothpick."
The cleric told the young Muslims beating a wife "is not to inflict pain. … A donkey understands nothing but beatings, but a woman, a man, a child, and so on, are generally more affected by emotions than by others things."
"If you beat her with a toothpick, or if you beat her lightly with your hand, and so on, it is meant to convey: 'Woman, it has gone too far. I can't bear it anymore.' If he beats her, the beatings must be light and must not make her face ugly. He must beat her where it will not leave marks. He should not beat her on the hand... He should beat her in some places where it will not cause any damage. He should not beat her like he would beat an animal or a child – slapping them right and left. Unfortunately, many husbands beat their wives only when they get mad, and when they start beating, it as if they are punching a wall – they beat with their hands, right and left, and sometimes use their feet. … He must not do this."
MEMRI is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East.
----------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Nice to know a women in the Muslim world stand somewhere between a camel and a child.
What a great religion... Actually, I believe this ideology mainly it exists in Saudi Arabia,and Pakistan. I know not all Muslims belive this, but it is horrible that the religion does preach such ideas.
Wife-beating made simple
Saudi cleric teaches fine points of how to 'discipline' women
Posted: November 7, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
SEE THE CLIP HERE.... http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1594.htm
A religious leader in Saudi Arabia has provided instructions to young Muslims about how to deliver a beating to their wives, saying, "the beatings must be light and must not make her face ugly. He must beat her where it will not leave marks."
The report comes from the Middle East Media Research Institute, which monitors media reports throughout the Middle East.
The Saudi cleric, Muhammad Al-'Arifi, said on the video captured from LBC Television by MEMRI, "Men beat women more often than women beat men. I said that some women beat their husbands because this happens, but it is rare, and there is no need to hold conferences on wives who beat their husbands.
"Allah created women with these delicate, fragile, supple, and soft bodies, because they use their emotions more than they use their bodies. Therefore, while the man may use beating to discipline his wife, she sometimes uses her tears to discipline him. He gets what he wants by screaming, while she gets what she wants from him by crying and displaying emotions. For men, women's emotions may be fiercer than the strike of a sword," the cleric said.
MEMRI, which has a web page dedicated to video clips on the rights and wrongs of beatings, said the cleric reported two options before the beatings.
"First, 'admonish them' – once, twice, three times, four times, 10 times. If this doesn't help, 'refuse to share their beds.' In such a case, the husband does not sleep with his wife, or, in other words, he is angry with her. He gives her the silent treatment, refusing to talk to her. If he comes to eat, and she asks him: 'How are you?' – he doesn't answer. If she asks him: 'Do you want anything?' – he doesn't answer. He distances himself from her in bed and in conversation; he does not sleep with her, but goes to sleep in another room. He shows her that he is angry with her," the cleric said.
"Then, he added, "If this does not help – if the admonishing does no good, and when he goes to sleep in another room, she says: 'Thank God he's gone. Now I've got the whole bed to myself, I will sleep alone in bed and roll over at night as much as I like.' If neither method works with her, what is the third option?"
The video shows a guest saying, "And beat them."
"That's right," said Al-'Arifi, "How is this beating performed? What do you think?"
"Light beatings," the guest said.
"Light beatings in what way?" Al-'Arifi asked.
"For example, I wouldn't beat her in the face...," the guest said.
The cleric said such beatings are forbidden, "even when it comes to animals.
"When a person is beating an animal … Even if you want your camel or donkey to start walking, you are not allowed to beat it in the face. If this is true for animals, it is all the more true when it comes to humans. So beatings should be light and not in the face," the cleric said.
He continued, "Some religious scholars say: 'He should beat her with a toothpick.' I happen to have a toothpick with me. A man who is angry with his wife because she doesn't get it... If he says to her: 'Watch out, the child has fallen next to the stove,' or: 'Move the child away from the electrical socket,' and she says: 'I am busy' – then he beats her with a toothpick or something like it. He doesn't beat her with a bottle of water, a plate, or a knife. This is forbidden. The scholars said he should beat her with a toothpick."
The cleric told the young Muslims beating a wife "is not to inflict pain. … A donkey understands nothing but beatings, but a woman, a man, a child, and so on, are generally more affected by emotions than by others things."
"If you beat her with a toothpick, or if you beat her lightly with your hand, and so on, it is meant to convey: 'Woman, it has gone too far. I can't bear it anymore.' If he beats her, the beatings must be light and must not make her face ugly. He must beat her where it will not leave marks. He should not beat her on the hand... He should beat her in some places where it will not cause any damage. He should not beat her like he would beat an animal or a child – slapping them right and left. Unfortunately, many husbands beat their wives only when they get mad, and when they start beating, it as if they are punching a wall – they beat with their hands, right and left, and sometimes use their feet. … He must not do this."
MEMRI is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East.
----------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Nice to know a women in the Muslim world stand somewhere between a camel and a child.
What a great religion... Actually, I believe this ideology mainly it exists in Saudi Arabia,and Pakistan. I know not all Muslims belive this, but it is horrible that the religion does preach such ideas.
Climate change seen threatening national security
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN0528470920071106?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&rpc=22&sp=true
Climate change seen threatening national security
Tue Nov 6, 2007 9:41am EST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Climate change could end globalization by 2040 as nations look inward to conserve scarce resources and conflicts flare when refugees flee rising seas and drought, national security experts warned on Monday.
Scarcity could dictate the terms of international relations, according to Leon Fuerth of George Washington University, one of the report's authors.
Global cooperation based on a resource-rich world could give way to a regime where vital commodities are scarce, Fuerth said at a forum to release "The Age of Consequences."
"Some of the consequences could essentially involve the end of globalization as we have known it ... as different parts of the Earth contract upon themselves in order to try to conserve what they need to survive," said Fuerth, who was national security adviser to former Vice President Al Gore.
Rich countries could "go through a 30-year process of kicking people away from the lifeboat" as the world's poorest face the worst environmental consequences, which he said would be "extremely debilitating in moral terms."
"It also suggests the kinds of hatreds that build up between different groups will be accentuated as these groups attempt to move to more clement locations on the planet," Fuerth said.
Published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the report offers three scenarios for security implications of climate change, starting with the middle-ground estimate by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
This scenario, which the report said could be expected, forecasts global warming of 2.3 degrees F, with sea level rise of about 9 inches by 2040.
"INEVITABLE" SCENARIO
"We predict a scenario in which people and nations are threatened by massive food and water shortages, devastating natural disasters and deadly disease outbreaks," said John Podesta, President Bill Clinton's former chief of staff and now president of the Center for American Progress think tank.
Podesta called this outcome inevitable, even if the United States -- the world's biggest emitter of climate-warming carbon dioxide -- enters immediately into an international system to cap and trade credits for the potent greenhouse gas.
This is unlikely, though a bill to limit carbon emissions is up for debate, possibly as soon as this week, in the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee. President George W. Bush has opposed mandatory caps on emissions, saying they would hurt the U.S. economy.
Climate change will force internal and cross-border migrations as people leave areas where food and water are scarce. They will also flee rising seas and areas devastated by the droughts, floods and severe storms that are also forecast consequences of climate change.
South Asia, Africa and Europe will be particularly vulnerable to these mass migrations, notably from countries where Islamic fundamentalism has grown, Podesta said.
In the Middle East, he said, the politics of water will hold sway, with the Jordan River creating a physical link to the interests of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Amazing.... Simply amazing.....
Climate change seen threatening national security
Tue Nov 6, 2007 9:41am EST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Climate change could end globalization by 2040 as nations look inward to conserve scarce resources and conflicts flare when refugees flee rising seas and drought, national security experts warned on Monday.
Scarcity could dictate the terms of international relations, according to Leon Fuerth of George Washington University, one of the report's authors.
Global cooperation based on a resource-rich world could give way to a regime where vital commodities are scarce, Fuerth said at a forum to release "The Age of Consequences."
"Some of the consequences could essentially involve the end of globalization as we have known it ... as different parts of the Earth contract upon themselves in order to try to conserve what they need to survive," said Fuerth, who was national security adviser to former Vice President Al Gore.
Rich countries could "go through a 30-year process of kicking people away from the lifeboat" as the world's poorest face the worst environmental consequences, which he said would be "extremely debilitating in moral terms."
"It also suggests the kinds of hatreds that build up between different groups will be accentuated as these groups attempt to move to more clement locations on the planet," Fuerth said.
Published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the report offers three scenarios for security implications of climate change, starting with the middle-ground estimate by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
This scenario, which the report said could be expected, forecasts global warming of 2.3 degrees F, with sea level rise of about 9 inches by 2040.
"INEVITABLE" SCENARIO
"We predict a scenario in which people and nations are threatened by massive food and water shortages, devastating natural disasters and deadly disease outbreaks," said John Podesta, President Bill Clinton's former chief of staff and now president of the Center for American Progress think tank.
Podesta called this outcome inevitable, even if the United States -- the world's biggest emitter of climate-warming carbon dioxide -- enters immediately into an international system to cap and trade credits for the potent greenhouse gas.
This is unlikely, though a bill to limit carbon emissions is up for debate, possibly as soon as this week, in the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee. President George W. Bush has opposed mandatory caps on emissions, saying they would hurt the U.S. economy.
Climate change will force internal and cross-border migrations as people leave areas where food and water are scarce. They will also flee rising seas and areas devastated by the droughts, floods and severe storms that are also forecast consequences of climate change.
South Asia, Africa and Europe will be particularly vulnerable to these mass migrations, notably from countries where Islamic fundamentalism has grown, Podesta said.
In the Middle East, he said, the politics of water will hold sway, with the Jordan River creating a physical link to the interests of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Amazing.... Simply amazing.....
Clinton Sees Opportunity in Climate Woes
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SNPFQ00&show_article=1&lst=1
Clinton Sees Opportunity in Climate Woes
Nov 5 06:21 PM US/Eastern
By MIKE GLOVER
Associated Press Writer 1 Comments
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - The battle against global warming means big economic opportunities as well as challenges for the U.S., Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday, touting her energy proposals as she campaigned in Iowa.
"For this generation, climate change is our space race," said Clinton, speaking in a cavernous factory with giant wind turbines in the background.
Clinton, who is pursuing the Democratic presidential nomination, is calling for creation of a $50 billion strategic energy fund, coupled with tougher fuel efficiency standards financed in part by $20 billion in "green vehicle bonds." It's part of a package she calls the most comprehensive offered to tackle global warming.
"The climate crisis is also one of the greatest economic opportunities in the history of our country," she said. "It will unleash a wave of innovation, create millions of new jobs, enhance our security and lead the world to a revolution in how we produce and use energy."
Global warming hits particularly hard at the poor, she said.
"One in four low-income families have already missed a mortgage or rent payment because of rising energy costs," Clinton said.
She criticized President Bush for inattention to the issue.
"The president has systematically undermined our path to a clean energy future," she said.
The strategic energy fund would be roughly a third of a 10-year, $150 billion investment called for in her energy package.
The program calls for reducing greenhouse gases by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050 and cutting imports of foreign oil by two-thirds by 2030. That import cuts would come through fuel-efficient vehicles, reduced electricity consumption and increased production of alternative fuels, she said.
"It's the biggest challenge we've faced in a generation, a challenge to our economy, our health and our planet," said Clinton. "It's time for America to meet it. It is time to get back into the solutions business."
She estimated her plan would create 5 million new jobs over the next decade, many in rural sections of the country.
Clinton appeared at a factory that produces parts for wind turbines to spell out her proposal, which she said is a centerpiece of her effort to bolster the economy of rural sections of the nation by focusing on developing alternative energy sources.
In earlier speeches leading up to her talk, she has said she would pay for the plan by ending tax subsidies for oil companies, subsidies she argues aren't needed with oil at more than $90 a barrel.
Later in the day, Clinton touted her plan an Oelwein middle school before about 400 people, mostly students.
As she spoke, Clinton coughed, cleared her throat and regularly sipped water. She conceded her voice was paying the price of 10 months of non-stop campaigning.
"I hope my voice doesn't fade in and out for you," she said.
Several of Clinton's rivals planned to participate Monday night in an Iowa State University Biobased Industry Outlook Conference. Democrats John Edwards, Chris Dodd, Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich and Republican John McCain were slated to discuss energy.
Clinton did not plan to attend the conference
---------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
GLOBAL WARMING MY ASS! Sorry, but it's just another route to get a Carbon Tax in place. Why do we need this "comprehensive reform"? Can't you just GIVE US alternative fuel sources? That in itself would drive down costs and emissions. Why do we need all this extra junk? TRUTH = WE DON'T!
Clinton Sees Opportunity in Climate Woes
Nov 5 06:21 PM US/Eastern
By MIKE GLOVER
Associated Press Writer 1 Comments
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - The battle against global warming means big economic opportunities as well as challenges for the U.S., Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday, touting her energy proposals as she campaigned in Iowa.
"For this generation, climate change is our space race," said Clinton, speaking in a cavernous factory with giant wind turbines in the background.
Clinton, who is pursuing the Democratic presidential nomination, is calling for creation of a $50 billion strategic energy fund, coupled with tougher fuel efficiency standards financed in part by $20 billion in "green vehicle bonds." It's part of a package she calls the most comprehensive offered to tackle global warming.
"The climate crisis is also one of the greatest economic opportunities in the history of our country," she said. "It will unleash a wave of innovation, create millions of new jobs, enhance our security and lead the world to a revolution in how we produce and use energy."
Global warming hits particularly hard at the poor, she said.
"One in four low-income families have already missed a mortgage or rent payment because of rising energy costs," Clinton said.
She criticized President Bush for inattention to the issue.
"The president has systematically undermined our path to a clean energy future," she said.
The strategic energy fund would be roughly a third of a 10-year, $150 billion investment called for in her energy package.
The program calls for reducing greenhouse gases by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050 and cutting imports of foreign oil by two-thirds by 2030. That import cuts would come through fuel-efficient vehicles, reduced electricity consumption and increased production of alternative fuels, she said.
"It's the biggest challenge we've faced in a generation, a challenge to our economy, our health and our planet," said Clinton. "It's time for America to meet it. It is time to get back into the solutions business."
She estimated her plan would create 5 million new jobs over the next decade, many in rural sections of the country.
Clinton appeared at a factory that produces parts for wind turbines to spell out her proposal, which she said is a centerpiece of her effort to bolster the economy of rural sections of the nation by focusing on developing alternative energy sources.
In earlier speeches leading up to her talk, she has said she would pay for the plan by ending tax subsidies for oil companies, subsidies she argues aren't needed with oil at more than $90 a barrel.
Later in the day, Clinton touted her plan an Oelwein middle school before about 400 people, mostly students.
As she spoke, Clinton coughed, cleared her throat and regularly sipped water. She conceded her voice was paying the price of 10 months of non-stop campaigning.
"I hope my voice doesn't fade in and out for you," she said.
Several of Clinton's rivals planned to participate Monday night in an Iowa State University Biobased Industry Outlook Conference. Democrats John Edwards, Chris Dodd, Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich and Republican John McCain were slated to discuss energy.
Clinton did not plan to attend the conference
---------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
GLOBAL WARMING MY ASS! Sorry, but it's just another route to get a Carbon Tax in place. Why do we need this "comprehensive reform"? Can't you just GIVE US alternative fuel sources? That in itself would drive down costs and emissions. Why do we need all this extra junk? TRUTH = WE DON'T!
Bibles banned from 2008 Olympic village
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58544
Bibles banned from 2008 Olympic village
China also warns visitors not to bring more than single copy
Posted: November 7, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Chinese Christian reading the Bible
Chinese officials have announced athletes who compete in the 2008 Beijing Games will be banned from having Bibles in their Olympic village housing, and even visitors are being warned not to bring more than a single Bible with them when they come to China.
According to a report from the Catholic News Agency, Bibles will be among the list of "prohibited objects" for athletes at the Beijing housing complexes being built now for the thousands of athletes expected to participate.
"According to the Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, organizers have cited 'security reasons' and have prohibited athletes from bearing any kind of religious symbol at Olympic facilities," the report said.
Also banned will be video cameras and cups, the report said.
"The Spanish daily La Razon said the rule was one of a number of 'signs of censure and intolerance' towards religious objects, particularly those used by Christians in China," the report said. "Currently in China five bishops and 15 priests are in prison for opposing the official [government-run] church."
Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs, whose Bibles Unbound program offers American citizens the option of mailing Bibles into China, said it's not illegal for an individual to own a Bible in China.
But he said the government there controls access to Bibles by restricting imports and controlling the actual printing of Bibles within China.
The Bibles Unbound program is perfectly legal, even within China, he said. "We are not breaking Chinese law to send one New Testament to one person," but he said the number of Bibles needed is overwhelming.
On a Voice of the Martyrs blog, that specific issue was the topic of discussion.
Nettleton said a recent report noted the Chinese press has been trumpeting the fact that the government-controlled Bible printer, Nanjing Amity Printing Co., had printed 43 million Bibles between 1981 and 2006, about 1.7 million a year.
"Now 43 million sounds like a large number. But remember that there are more than 100 million Christians in China," said the blog posting. "That means that, over a 25-year period, the government didn't even print enough Bibles for half the Christians to have one!"
"One of our contacts who works regularly in China, (I will not share her name for security reasons) offered some very good reminders about the battle to bring God's Word to the many millions who need it and want it in China," the posting said.
Some points to remember:
1. Comparatively few Christians have access to computers and the Internet on a regular basis so Internet Bibles cannot reach (all of) the nation.
2. Not only can I legally buy a Bible in my city, I can buy 10. Problem is I don't need 10 Bibles in the cities where those bookstores exist, I need 10 million Bibles in the countryside. In most cases, if you go to a legal Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) bookstore and order many copies, the authorities will follow you home, and sometimes arrest you for doing so. (This is our experience.)
3. If there are 100 million Christians in China, and one Bible lasts five years (I don't exactly know about this longevity number), this means that we need 20 million new Bibles every year just to replace the ones being worn out. (Remember, Chinese Christians actually read their Bible every day and they travel much and they live in harsh environments, so a Bible does not last as long as in the USA where we use it mostly on Sundays and in a clean environment.)
The VOM blog by Nettleton then continued: "Friends, you will read much in the months between now and the Beijing Olympics about how FREE it is in China, how oppression and persecution have gone into the past and how our brothers and sisters are living and worshipping in freedom and ease. Unfortunately, at times you will read such stories even from reputable Christian sources. Our friends in the unregistered churches … and in Chinese prisons … have a very different story to tell. Do not forget them."
He said Americans have no idea how much the Chinese government monitors and how much it wants to control the information that could affect its image.
"I was in Beijing 3-4 years ago, watching CNN, a story about AIDS in China," he told WND. "Then the screen goes blank and it's blank for 4-5 minutes. CNN comes back on… You know somebody else watching."
The official website for the 2008 Games is where the advisory for visitors to not bring multiple Bibles is documented.
On a page of information about entry into China, it advises visitors have to pass certain checkpoints for visa, passport and health declaration forms.
Luggage also will be inspected for food, biological products, blood, or animals that may "spread infectious diseases," the webside said.
"Note: Each travel[er] is recommended to take no more than one Bible into China," the advisory adds.
A spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, Darryl Seibel, told WND that he had not seen any list, but typically the items that are prohibited are those that pose a "security risk," such as those items banned from airplanes.
"Beyond that, there aren't too many items banned," he said.
WND previously has reported how more than 100 foreign Christians in China were expelled in just a 90-day period, the biggest assault on the presence of Christianity in China since 1954.
The report from the Voice of the Martyrs said most of those who have been expelled are from the United States, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, Australia or Israel, and had been working in or visiting Zinjiang, Beijing, Tibet and Shandong.
A Christian who had worked in Xinjiang for 10 years told a VOM source that more than 60 foreign religious workers, many who had served people in the area for more than 15 years, were expelled from Zinjiang alone.
WND also has reported officials also are confirming an increase in arrests of Chinese house-church pastors and leaders, who have been accused of being "suspects using evil cults to obstruct the enforcement of the law."
VOM reported that the campaign against Christians is called Typhoon No. 5, and "is part of the Chinese government's efforts to prevent foreign Christians from engaging in mission activities before the Beijing Olympics in 2008."
"This is the largest expulsion of foreign missionaries since 1954 when the Chinese Communist government expelled all foreign religious workers after taking power in 1949," reported a VOM source. "At least five different mission agencies and sources within the Chinese government report that in February, the government launched a massive expulsion campaign against foreign Christians."
"In spite of the public face of religious freedom the Chinese government tries to convey through its state run system, the arrests of Chinese Christians, and now the expulsion of active Christian visitors is a demonstration of their true nature," said Tom White, executive director for Voice of the Martyrs.
The government's effort, however, is facing an uphill battle, because of estimates, as WND has reported, that 3,000 people are being added daily to the Christian church in China, mostly the house-churches that do not register with the government and therefore are considered part of those "evil cult activities."
-----------------
MY COMMENTS:
I know we won't boycott the games, but in all honesty I think we should. Human rights for not only Chinese citizens, but Tibet and North Koreans are constantly trampled on. We should send a message.
Bibles banned from 2008 Olympic village
China also warns visitors not to bring more than single copy
Posted: November 7, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Chinese Christian reading the Bible
Chinese officials have announced athletes who compete in the 2008 Beijing Games will be banned from having Bibles in their Olympic village housing, and even visitors are being warned not to bring more than a single Bible with them when they come to China.
According to a report from the Catholic News Agency, Bibles will be among the list of "prohibited objects" for athletes at the Beijing housing complexes being built now for the thousands of athletes expected to participate.
"According to the Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, organizers have cited 'security reasons' and have prohibited athletes from bearing any kind of religious symbol at Olympic facilities," the report said.
Also banned will be video cameras and cups, the report said.
"The Spanish daily La Razon said the rule was one of a number of 'signs of censure and intolerance' towards religious objects, particularly those used by Christians in China," the report said. "Currently in China five bishops and 15 priests are in prison for opposing the official [government-run] church."
Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs, whose Bibles Unbound program offers American citizens the option of mailing Bibles into China, said it's not illegal for an individual to own a Bible in China.
But he said the government there controls access to Bibles by restricting imports and controlling the actual printing of Bibles within China.
The Bibles Unbound program is perfectly legal, even within China, he said. "We are not breaking Chinese law to send one New Testament to one person," but he said the number of Bibles needed is overwhelming.
On a Voice of the Martyrs blog, that specific issue was the topic of discussion.
Nettleton said a recent report noted the Chinese press has been trumpeting the fact that the government-controlled Bible printer, Nanjing Amity Printing Co., had printed 43 million Bibles between 1981 and 2006, about 1.7 million a year.
"Now 43 million sounds like a large number. But remember that there are more than 100 million Christians in China," said the blog posting. "That means that, over a 25-year period, the government didn't even print enough Bibles for half the Christians to have one!"
"One of our contacts who works regularly in China, (I will not share her name for security reasons) offered some very good reminders about the battle to bring God's Word to the many millions who need it and want it in China," the posting said.
Some points to remember:
1. Comparatively few Christians have access to computers and the Internet on a regular basis so Internet Bibles cannot reach (all of) the nation.
2. Not only can I legally buy a Bible in my city, I can buy 10. Problem is I don't need 10 Bibles in the cities where those bookstores exist, I need 10 million Bibles in the countryside. In most cases, if you go to a legal Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) bookstore and order many copies, the authorities will follow you home, and sometimes arrest you for doing so. (This is our experience.)
3. If there are 100 million Christians in China, and one Bible lasts five years (I don't exactly know about this longevity number), this means that we need 20 million new Bibles every year just to replace the ones being worn out. (Remember, Chinese Christians actually read their Bible every day and they travel much and they live in harsh environments, so a Bible does not last as long as in the USA where we use it mostly on Sundays and in a clean environment.)
The VOM blog by Nettleton then continued: "Friends, you will read much in the months between now and the Beijing Olympics about how FREE it is in China, how oppression and persecution have gone into the past and how our brothers and sisters are living and worshipping in freedom and ease. Unfortunately, at times you will read such stories even from reputable Christian sources. Our friends in the unregistered churches … and in Chinese prisons … have a very different story to tell. Do not forget them."
He said Americans have no idea how much the Chinese government monitors and how much it wants to control the information that could affect its image.
"I was in Beijing 3-4 years ago, watching CNN, a story about AIDS in China," he told WND. "Then the screen goes blank and it's blank for 4-5 minutes. CNN comes back on… You know somebody else watching."
The official website for the 2008 Games is where the advisory for visitors to not bring multiple Bibles is documented.
On a page of information about entry into China, it advises visitors have to pass certain checkpoints for visa, passport and health declaration forms.
Luggage also will be inspected for food, biological products, blood, or animals that may "spread infectious diseases," the webside said.
"Note: Each travel[er] is recommended to take no more than one Bible into China," the advisory adds.
A spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, Darryl Seibel, told WND that he had not seen any list, but typically the items that are prohibited are those that pose a "security risk," such as those items banned from airplanes.
"Beyond that, there aren't too many items banned," he said.
WND previously has reported how more than 100 foreign Christians in China were expelled in just a 90-day period, the biggest assault on the presence of Christianity in China since 1954.
The report from the Voice of the Martyrs said most of those who have been expelled are from the United States, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, Australia or Israel, and had been working in or visiting Zinjiang, Beijing, Tibet and Shandong.
A Christian who had worked in Xinjiang for 10 years told a VOM source that more than 60 foreign religious workers, many who had served people in the area for more than 15 years, were expelled from Zinjiang alone.
WND also has reported officials also are confirming an increase in arrests of Chinese house-church pastors and leaders, who have been accused of being "suspects using evil cults to obstruct the enforcement of the law."
VOM reported that the campaign against Christians is called Typhoon No. 5, and "is part of the Chinese government's efforts to prevent foreign Christians from engaging in mission activities before the Beijing Olympics in 2008."
"This is the largest expulsion of foreign missionaries since 1954 when the Chinese Communist government expelled all foreign religious workers after taking power in 1949," reported a VOM source. "At least five different mission agencies and sources within the Chinese government report that in February, the government launched a massive expulsion campaign against foreign Christians."
"In spite of the public face of religious freedom the Chinese government tries to convey through its state run system, the arrests of Chinese Christians, and now the expulsion of active Christian visitors is a demonstration of their true nature," said Tom White, executive director for Voice of the Martyrs.
The government's effort, however, is facing an uphill battle, because of estimates, as WND has reported, that 3,000 people are being added daily to the Christian church in China, mostly the house-churches that do not register with the government and therefore are considered part of those "evil cult activities."
-----------------
MY COMMENTS:
I know we won't boycott the games, but in all honesty I think we should. Human rights for not only Chinese citizens, but Tibet and North Koreans are constantly trampled on. We should send a message.
World Bank Vows a Big Loan to Iran
http://www.nysun.com/article/65833
World Bank Vows a Big Loan to Iran
$900 Million for Mullahs, as Zoellick Snubs Inquiry
By ELI LAKE
Staff Reporter of the Sun
November 5, 2007
WASHINGTON — The World Bank is defying requests from an influential congressman to stall nearly $900 million in loans to Iran.
Earlier this year, the president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, who before taking that office served in a top Bush administration foreign policy post, declined a privately made request from Rep. Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois, to suspend the loans. World Bank spokesmen told The New York Sun that the bank will go ahead with the loans.
Mr. Kirk, who serves on the subcommittee that approves America's share of the World Bank's funds, is warning that the loans will undermine recent American and Western moves to exert pressure on Iran. American sanctions on Iran's largest banks and largest branch of its military are designed to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons and to punish Tehran for its support for terrorism and attacks on American soldiers in Iraq.
Mr. Kirk said that senior National Security Council staff told him that they did not think the World Bank loans were helpful to the American strategy of applying economic pressure to Iran to persuade the mullahs to end their enrichment of uranium in Natanz. A spokesman for the National Security Council offered no comment when asked on Thursday and again on Sunday.
"It sends a message that directly undercuts Western diplomacy with regard to Iran," Mr. Kirk told the Sun. "In the Iranian cabinet they will say, 'Although these governments have just criticized us, they just sent us a check from the World Bank.'"
For now, Mr. Kirk is pursuing pressure on the World Bank through his post on the appropriations subcommittee that funds foreign operations. The chairwoman of that subcommittee, Rep. Nita Lowey, a Democrat from New York, has yet to take a position on holding up funding to the World Bank.
Mr. Kirk said he has been pushing the World Bank since August to review the loans it initially made in 2004 and 2005 for earthquake relief. "When I initially talked to him, he said they are not approving any new loans," the congressman, who once served himself at the World Bank's International Finance Corporation, said. Then, when Mr. Kirk asked Mr. Zoellick, about the loans of about $870 million for Iran scheduled to be disbursed in the next three years, the World Bank president responded, according to Mr. Kirk, "Oh that."
He said, 'I don't know if I can stop that,'" Mr. Kirk said. "I said, 'Think of the embarrassment if the U.N. Security Council approves three separate sanctions, and the United States imposes its own unilateral sanctions and three blocks away the World Bank cuts a check to the Ahmadinejad government.'"
A spokesman for the World Bank, who asked that his name not be used, yesterday said, "President Zoellick does not comment on private conversations."
The spokesman said that the loans to Iran were not forbidden by the two U.N. Security Council sanctions already imposed on Iran. "The bank adheres to the requirements of UN Sanctions frameworks. In relation to Iran, the Security Council resolutions exempt activities by international financial institutions for humanitarian and development purposes. The bank has been in touch with the Security Council sanctions committee on Iran to insure the bank acts consistently with the sanctions framework, which prohibits dealings with designated individuals and entities."
Currently, the main Iranian bank handling the World Bank transactions is Bank Melli, an institution designated last month by the American Treasury Department as financing the country's nuclear program. World Bank officials told the New York Times in a story published Sunday that the World Bank was looking to support the current projects through alternative methods in light of the new American sanctions.
Mr. Zoellick, who served as President Bush's first trade representative and was one of the original foreign policy advisers on his 2000 campaign for president, replaced Paul Wolfowitz as president of the World Bank after a campaign from within the bank forced Mr. Wolfowitz's ouster amid complaints about the handling of a pay increase for his girlfriend, a World Bank employee at the time.
The loans to Iran present Mr. Zoellick, in the first year of a ten-year term, with his first challenge between his loyalties to President Bush and his role overseeing the international institution. The loans themselves include a project to improve access to health care for rural Iranians; improvements to Tehran's sewage system; an air and water quality monitoring project; and relief for the Bam earthquake.
Mr. Kirk said Mr. Zoellick as president of the bank cannot overrule the bank's stakeholders on its executive board. However, he said that if Mr. Zoellick asked the largest stakeholders again, he would likely find a majority of votes to halt the loans.
"The board has made a decision to spend the money. He does need a decision from the donors. The donors are in order, the Americans, the Japanese, the Europeans and the Saudis. That is by far the center of gravity on the board. With Sarkozy coming to speak before the Congress on Tuesday and clearly a changing view on Iran in Saudi Arabia, I think the board would be open to reconsidering these loans," Mr. Kirk said.
World Bank Vows a Big Loan to Iran
$900 Million for Mullahs, as Zoellick Snubs Inquiry
By ELI LAKE
Staff Reporter of the Sun
November 5, 2007
WASHINGTON — The World Bank is defying requests from an influential congressman to stall nearly $900 million in loans to Iran.
Earlier this year, the president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, who before taking that office served in a top Bush administration foreign policy post, declined a privately made request from Rep. Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois, to suspend the loans. World Bank spokesmen told The New York Sun that the bank will go ahead with the loans.
Mr. Kirk, who serves on the subcommittee that approves America's share of the World Bank's funds, is warning that the loans will undermine recent American and Western moves to exert pressure on Iran. American sanctions on Iran's largest banks and largest branch of its military are designed to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons and to punish Tehran for its support for terrorism and attacks on American soldiers in Iraq.
Mr. Kirk said that senior National Security Council staff told him that they did not think the World Bank loans were helpful to the American strategy of applying economic pressure to Iran to persuade the mullahs to end their enrichment of uranium in Natanz. A spokesman for the National Security Council offered no comment when asked on Thursday and again on Sunday.
"It sends a message that directly undercuts Western diplomacy with regard to Iran," Mr. Kirk told the Sun. "In the Iranian cabinet they will say, 'Although these governments have just criticized us, they just sent us a check from the World Bank.'"
For now, Mr. Kirk is pursuing pressure on the World Bank through his post on the appropriations subcommittee that funds foreign operations. The chairwoman of that subcommittee, Rep. Nita Lowey, a Democrat from New York, has yet to take a position on holding up funding to the World Bank.
Mr. Kirk said he has been pushing the World Bank since August to review the loans it initially made in 2004 and 2005 for earthquake relief. "When I initially talked to him, he said they are not approving any new loans," the congressman, who once served himself at the World Bank's International Finance Corporation, said. Then, when Mr. Kirk asked Mr. Zoellick, about the loans of about $870 million for Iran scheduled to be disbursed in the next three years, the World Bank president responded, according to Mr. Kirk, "Oh that."
He said, 'I don't know if I can stop that,'" Mr. Kirk said. "I said, 'Think of the embarrassment if the U.N. Security Council approves three separate sanctions, and the United States imposes its own unilateral sanctions and three blocks away the World Bank cuts a check to the Ahmadinejad government.'"
A spokesman for the World Bank, who asked that his name not be used, yesterday said, "President Zoellick does not comment on private conversations."
The spokesman said that the loans to Iran were not forbidden by the two U.N. Security Council sanctions already imposed on Iran. "The bank adheres to the requirements of UN Sanctions frameworks. In relation to Iran, the Security Council resolutions exempt activities by international financial institutions for humanitarian and development purposes. The bank has been in touch with the Security Council sanctions committee on Iran to insure the bank acts consistently with the sanctions framework, which prohibits dealings with designated individuals and entities."
Currently, the main Iranian bank handling the World Bank transactions is Bank Melli, an institution designated last month by the American Treasury Department as financing the country's nuclear program. World Bank officials told the New York Times in a story published Sunday that the World Bank was looking to support the current projects through alternative methods in light of the new American sanctions.
Mr. Zoellick, who served as President Bush's first trade representative and was one of the original foreign policy advisers on his 2000 campaign for president, replaced Paul Wolfowitz as president of the World Bank after a campaign from within the bank forced Mr. Wolfowitz's ouster amid complaints about the handling of a pay increase for his girlfriend, a World Bank employee at the time.
The loans to Iran present Mr. Zoellick, in the first year of a ten-year term, with his first challenge between his loyalties to President Bush and his role overseeing the international institution. The loans themselves include a project to improve access to health care for rural Iranians; improvements to Tehran's sewage system; an air and water quality monitoring project; and relief for the Bam earthquake.
Mr. Kirk said Mr. Zoellick as president of the bank cannot overrule the bank's stakeholders on its executive board. However, he said that if Mr. Zoellick asked the largest stakeholders again, he would likely find a majority of votes to halt the loans.
"The board has made a decision to spend the money. He does need a decision from the donors. The donors are in order, the Americans, the Japanese, the Europeans and the Saudis. That is by far the center of gravity on the board. With Sarkozy coming to speak before the Congress on Tuesday and clearly a changing view on Iran in Saudi Arabia, I think the board would be open to reconsidering these loans," Mr. Kirk said.
Committee proposal says colored Christmas twinklers too religious
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58528
Red, green lights to be banned?
Committee proposal says colored Christmas twinklers too religious
Posted: November 6, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
This is part of Fort Collins' art in public places program, and is called 'Source of life.' But the city's new rules call for a ban on red and green lights at Christmas as being too religious
A special task force in a Colorado city has recommended banning red and green lights at the Christmas holiday because they fall among the items that are too religious for the city to sponsor.
"Some symbols, even though the Supreme Court has declared that in many contexts they are secular symbols, often still send a message to some members of the community that they and their traditions are not valued and not wanted. We don't want to send that message," Seth Anthony, a spokesman for the committee, told the Fort Collins, Colo., Coloradoan.
He said the recommended language does not specifically address Christmas trees by name, but the consensus was that they would not fall within acceptable decorations.
What will be allowed are white lights and "secular" symbols not associated "with any particular holiday" such as icicles, unadorned greenery and snowflakes, the task force said.
The group was made up of members of the city's business and religious communities as well as representatives from some community groups. Members met for months to review the existing holiday display policy, which allowed white as well as multi-colored lights and wreaths and garlands.
In previous years, there also was a Christmas tree at the city's Oak Street Plaza.
A vote on the proposal will be coming up before the city council on Nov. 20, officials said.
"As far as I'm concerned, the group ended up in a very fair place in which primarily secular symbols will be used on city property," task force member Saul Hopper told the newspaper.
The existing holiday display rules were adopted in 2006 after a rabbi requested that the city display a menorah.
The only apparent exception to the completely secular rule would be at the Fort Collins Museum, where a "multicultural display" of symbols and objects would be collected to represent Diwali, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas among others.
"I expect criticism from people who feel like we are taking Christmas away. And I expect we will get criticism from people who think educational display endorses religions," Anthony said. "(But) to the extent we can, recognizing that offending no one will be impossible, we want to be inclusive."
City officials touted their own efforts.
"I am really delighted to see us taking this step," Mayor Doug Hutchinson said when the task force was being assembled. "I think Fort Collins is a great city, and I think great cities are inclusionary."
In a forum for the Coloradoan, outrage was pretty evident.
"Let's spend our CHRISTMAS money somewhere that believes in CHRISTMAS!" wrote barbie333. "Where does the 'PC-ization' stop? Maybe if the town leaders realize that we do not live in Boulder (or California)!?"
Added "Stick," "No Virginia, there is no Santa Claus, he is dead from lack of political correctness and the elves have all been sent to China to make toys."
"Seth Anthony says, 'Some symbols, even though the Supreme Court has declared that in many contexts they are secular symbols, often still send a message to some members of the community that they and their traditions are not valued and not wanted. We don't want to send that message.' Guess what, Seth? That's EXACTLY the message you sent me!" added "notpc."
"If the city council decided to not acknowledge Christmas on public grounds this year then all city offices should be open for business on Dec. 25th, white lights shining! Don't want to offend anyone by stopping city business for a day to celebrate a holiday not everyone believes in," added Amidon.
---------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Red and Green lights? Come on people.... Are you serious? This is such PC garbage. Nobody said anything about the blue lights many people use in my neighborhood. Can they use blue lights?
Red, green lights to be banned?
Committee proposal says colored Christmas twinklers too religious
Posted: November 6, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
This is part of Fort Collins' art in public places program, and is called 'Source of life.' But the city's new rules call for a ban on red and green lights at Christmas as being too religious
A special task force in a Colorado city has recommended banning red and green lights at the Christmas holiday because they fall among the items that are too religious for the city to sponsor.
"Some symbols, even though the Supreme Court has declared that in many contexts they are secular symbols, often still send a message to some members of the community that they and their traditions are not valued and not wanted. We don't want to send that message," Seth Anthony, a spokesman for the committee, told the Fort Collins, Colo., Coloradoan.
He said the recommended language does not specifically address Christmas trees by name, but the consensus was that they would not fall within acceptable decorations.
What will be allowed are white lights and "secular" symbols not associated "with any particular holiday" such as icicles, unadorned greenery and snowflakes, the task force said.
The group was made up of members of the city's business and religious communities as well as representatives from some community groups. Members met for months to review the existing holiday display policy, which allowed white as well as multi-colored lights and wreaths and garlands.
In previous years, there also was a Christmas tree at the city's Oak Street Plaza.
A vote on the proposal will be coming up before the city council on Nov. 20, officials said.
"As far as I'm concerned, the group ended up in a very fair place in which primarily secular symbols will be used on city property," task force member Saul Hopper told the newspaper.
The existing holiday display rules were adopted in 2006 after a rabbi requested that the city display a menorah.
The only apparent exception to the completely secular rule would be at the Fort Collins Museum, where a "multicultural display" of symbols and objects would be collected to represent Diwali, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas among others.
"I expect criticism from people who feel like we are taking Christmas away. And I expect we will get criticism from people who think educational display endorses religions," Anthony said. "(But) to the extent we can, recognizing that offending no one will be impossible, we want to be inclusive."
City officials touted their own efforts.
"I am really delighted to see us taking this step," Mayor Doug Hutchinson said when the task force was being assembled. "I think Fort Collins is a great city, and I think great cities are inclusionary."
In a forum for the Coloradoan, outrage was pretty evident.
"Let's spend our CHRISTMAS money somewhere that believes in CHRISTMAS!" wrote barbie333. "Where does the 'PC-ization' stop? Maybe if the town leaders realize that we do not live in Boulder (or California)!?"
Added "Stick," "No Virginia, there is no Santa Claus, he is dead from lack of political correctness and the elves have all been sent to China to make toys."
"Seth Anthony says, 'Some symbols, even though the Supreme Court has declared that in many contexts they are secular symbols, often still send a message to some members of the community that they and their traditions are not valued and not wanted. We don't want to send that message.' Guess what, Seth? That's EXACTLY the message you sent me!" added "notpc."
"If the city council decided to not acknowledge Christmas on public grounds this year then all city offices should be open for business on Dec. 25th, white lights shining! Don't want to offend anyone by stopping city business for a day to celebrate a holiday not everyone believes in," added Amidon.
---------------------------
MY COMMENTS:
Red and Green lights? Come on people.... Are you serious? This is such PC garbage. Nobody said anything about the blue lights many people use in my neighborhood. Can they use blue lights?
Iran arrests student leader
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071106132649.dfrgi9c7&show_article=1
Iran arrests student leader
Nov 6 09:26 AM US/Eastern
Iranian authorities have arrested student leader Ali Azizi, who is a senior member of the main Islamic students' association, his mother told the ISNA news agency on Tuesday.
"Agents came to our house on Sunday and arrested my son," she said. "I have had no news of my son since his arrest". No reason was given for the arrest of Azizi, who belongs to the Unity Consolidation Bureau.
Dozens of Iranian students held a new protest on Sunday calling for the release of three detained colleagues and shouting slogans against officials, ISNA reported.
The demonstration at the management faculty of Tehran University was the third since the three students from Amir Kabir University were given jail sentences of up to three years last month.
The three were jailed on charges of printing anti-Islamic images in four student newspapers, accusations they vehemently deny.
The ISNA report said the latest protest was also aimed at the arrest of another three colleagues at a similar demonstration the previous week at Alameh Tabatabai University in the capital.
The demonstrations come after students held a rare protest against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he gave a speech at Tehran University last month, likening him to the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
And yet college students here line up to here from the Iranian dictator. What the hell is wrong with the USA?
Iran arrests student leader
Nov 6 09:26 AM US/Eastern
Iranian authorities have arrested student leader Ali Azizi, who is a senior member of the main Islamic students' association, his mother told the ISNA news agency on Tuesday.
"Agents came to our house on Sunday and arrested my son," she said. "I have had no news of my son since his arrest". No reason was given for the arrest of Azizi, who belongs to the Unity Consolidation Bureau.
Dozens of Iranian students held a new protest on Sunday calling for the release of three detained colleagues and shouting slogans against officials, ISNA reported.
The demonstration at the management faculty of Tehran University was the third since the three students from Amir Kabir University were given jail sentences of up to three years last month.
The three were jailed on charges of printing anti-Islamic images in four student newspapers, accusations they vehemently deny.
The ISNA report said the latest protest was also aimed at the arrest of another three colleagues at a similar demonstration the previous week at Alameh Tabatabai University in the capital.
The demonstrations come after students held a rare protest against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he gave a speech at Tehran University last month, likening him to the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
-----------------------
MY COMMENTS:
And yet college students here line up to here from the Iranian dictator. What the hell is wrong with the USA?
GAO: Thousands mistakenly allowed into U.S.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21645610/
GAO: Thousands mistakenly allowed into U.S.
Investigators blame staff shortages, poor management at border crossings
updated 9:01 p.m. CT, Mon., Nov. 5, 2007
WASHINGTON - Some 21,000 people who should not have been allowed to enter the U.S. came through official border crossing points between Oct. 1, 2005, and Sept. 30, 2006, according to a government report released Monday.
After the 2001 terrorist attacks, the government reorganized its border security operations and increased security measures to prevent people from falsifying travel documents or using other deceptive methods to enter the country through such legal entry points as airports and border crossings. Some of the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks entered the U.S. this way.
The Government Accountability Office found that Customs and Border Protection officers turned away 200,000 people who tried to enter the country through the 326 legal air, sea and land entry points during the 2006 fiscal year. The numbers do not include people who unlawfully entered the country through other routes.
The GAO’s findings are based on a statistical estimate of the number of people who could have passed through the entry points, Customs and Border Protection’s deputy commissioner, Jayson P. Ahern, said Monday. In reality, the government does not know exactly how many people passed through checkpoints who should not have been allowed in the country.
“The point is that we need to actually do a better job,” Ahern said. Customs, as mandated by Congress, has stepped up efforts to make sure everyone who enters the country has a valid document, he said, and about 400 million people enter the U.S. through legal checkpoints each year.
Official: Numbers should be a wake-up call
Staffing shortages and poor management at legal border crossings are among the reasons that people got through improperly, GAO found. A publicly released version of its report states “several thousand” of these people made it past Customs and Border Protection officers. An official with access to more detailed information told The Associated Press the number is about 21,000.
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said these numbers should be a wake-up call for the Homeland Security Department, which oversees border entry operations. “As we continue to pump more resources into virtual and real fences between our ports of entry, we cannot afford to lose sight of other vulnerabilities at our borders,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said in a statement Monday. Thompson referred to the millions of dollars going toward a fence along the southwest border to prevent people from illegally entering the U.S. between controlled crossing points.
But James Carafano, a security expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, said fixing the problems pointed out in the GAO report is not a cure-all.
“It’s a stupid way to look for terrorists,” Carafano said, adding that a better system would look for terrorists not only at the border, but also at points long before they arrive there. Policing only legal entry points is “never going to catch everybody,” he said.
9/11 investigator: 'Perfection is beyond reach'
Lee Hamilton, the vice chairman of the independent commission that investigated the 2001 terrorist attacks, said the GAO’s findings represent a huge failure in the system. But Hamilton said people are always going to be able to slip through.
“You’ve got millions of people crossing these borders, and perfection is beyond reach,” he said.
The Homeland Security Department has come under recent criticism because two men with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis were able to cross into the United States this year through legal entry points, despite instructions not to let them in.
While these men are not among the 21,000 cited in the report released Monday, they represent an ongoing problem in applying rigorous new screening techniques. There are weaknesses in the government’s other screening methods as well. An October GAO report, for example, found that the terrorist watch list is not used as consistently as it should be.
GAO: Thousands mistakenly allowed into U.S.
Investigators blame staff shortages, poor management at border crossings
updated 9:01 p.m. CT, Mon., Nov. 5, 2007
WASHINGTON - Some 21,000 people who should not have been allowed to enter the U.S. came through official border crossing points between Oct. 1, 2005, and Sept. 30, 2006, according to a government report released Monday.
After the 2001 terrorist attacks, the government reorganized its border security operations and increased security measures to prevent people from falsifying travel documents or using other deceptive methods to enter the country through such legal entry points as airports and border crossings. Some of the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks entered the U.S. this way.
The Government Accountability Office found that Customs and Border Protection officers turned away 200,000 people who tried to enter the country through the 326 legal air, sea and land entry points during the 2006 fiscal year. The numbers do not include people who unlawfully entered the country through other routes.
The GAO’s findings are based on a statistical estimate of the number of people who could have passed through the entry points, Customs and Border Protection’s deputy commissioner, Jayson P. Ahern, said Monday. In reality, the government does not know exactly how many people passed through checkpoints who should not have been allowed in the country.
“The point is that we need to actually do a better job,” Ahern said. Customs, as mandated by Congress, has stepped up efforts to make sure everyone who enters the country has a valid document, he said, and about 400 million people enter the U.S. through legal checkpoints each year.
Official: Numbers should be a wake-up call
Staffing shortages and poor management at legal border crossings are among the reasons that people got through improperly, GAO found. A publicly released version of its report states “several thousand” of these people made it past Customs and Border Protection officers. An official with access to more detailed information told The Associated Press the number is about 21,000.
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said these numbers should be a wake-up call for the Homeland Security Department, which oversees border entry operations. “As we continue to pump more resources into virtual and real fences between our ports of entry, we cannot afford to lose sight of other vulnerabilities at our borders,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said in a statement Monday. Thompson referred to the millions of dollars going toward a fence along the southwest border to prevent people from illegally entering the U.S. between controlled crossing points.
But James Carafano, a security expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, said fixing the problems pointed out in the GAO report is not a cure-all.
“It’s a stupid way to look for terrorists,” Carafano said, adding that a better system would look for terrorists not only at the border, but also at points long before they arrive there. Policing only legal entry points is “never going to catch everybody,” he said.
9/11 investigator: 'Perfection is beyond reach'
Lee Hamilton, the vice chairman of the independent commission that investigated the 2001 terrorist attacks, said the GAO’s findings represent a huge failure in the system. But Hamilton said people are always going to be able to slip through.
“You’ve got millions of people crossing these borders, and perfection is beyond reach,” he said.
The Homeland Security Department has come under recent criticism because two men with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis were able to cross into the United States this year through legal entry points, despite instructions not to let them in.
While these men are not among the 21,000 cited in the report released Monday, they represent an ongoing problem in applying rigorous new screening techniques. There are weaknesses in the government’s other screening methods as well. An October GAO report, for example, found that the terrorist watch list is not used as consistently as it should be.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Residents on both sides of one border crossing say barrier is doing what it was intended to do
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5271756.html
Fence's presence felt
Residents on both sides of one border crossing say barrier is doing what it was intended to do
By DUDLEY ALTHAUS
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
PALOMAS, MEXICO — At this fabled border crossing, where the last armed conflict between the United States and Mexico flared, the rancorous debate over the new U.S. anti-immigrant fence has been resolved.
The fence works, residents north and south of it say. At least it works for now on this snippet of the line.
"You hear it all the time: Fences don't work. Fences don't work," said Mark Winder, a transplanted New Englander and part-time deputy sheriff who lives on a small ranch outside Columbus, N.M., where a 3-mile stretch of wall was completed in August. "I live 2½ miles from the border, and the fence is working."
Many merchants agree in Palomas, once a sleepy farm town, now a booming haven for smugglers.
"The fence has destroyed the economy here," said Fabiola Cuellar, a hardware-store clerk on the main street of Palomas who used to sell supplies to the throngs heading north from here. "Things are going back to the way they were before."
Of course, with only about one-fifth of the fence complete, migrants from Mexico and other countries who had planned to cross the border illegally in places such as Palomas-Columbus can simply go elsewhere.
But U.S. officials have vowed to complete nearly 400 miles of the fence by the end of next year. Workers in August and September built 70 miles of it here, in Arizona and in parts of California. Thousands more Border Patrol agents, electronic monitors and other measures will tighten the squeeze.
James Johnson's 3,000-acre family farm abuts the border west of Columbus. "Where there is a will, there's a way," said Johnson, 32, of some migrants' ability to get around, over or under any barrier.
"But anything is better than just running across the border anytime you want to," he said.
Satisfaction, shrugs
Whether good fences make good neighbors is another, perhaps more crucial, debate entirely. This new wall has sparked political controversies in the U.S., and stoked a "been-here, done-this" rancor among many Mexicans. But here, where the rampart is now part of the landscape, it tends to elicit satisfied nods from Americans and resigned shrugs from Mexicans.
"It's their territory. They can do what they want with it," said Armando Villasana, 50, the principal of a Palomas elementary school whose hardpan recess yard smacks into the new bulwark. "On the border we're accustomed to changes."
The fence, a 15-foot-high phalanx of girders tightly spaced and rooted deeply in the earth, is a jarring obstruction to the otherwise "for miles and miles" view of these parched high plains.
Rather than a solid wall, the barrier more closely resembles a vertical iron grate. It lets people on either side see across the border while preventing them from crossing it.
Its builders say the fence permits wildlife free passage. But the spaces between the posts seem tight enough to prevent even the wiliest coyote from slipping through.
The Border Patrol made about 36,000 apprehensions in New Mexico in the first 10 months of fiscal 2007, which ended Sept. 30. That's a huge drop from fiscal 2006, when nearly 74,000 illegal crossers were caught on the state's border, according to government records.
Palomas and Columbus, dusty pinpricks in the vast Chihuahuan Desert, were carved into border history nine decades ago when Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary and bandit, raided the New Mexican town with about 450 troops.
The attack, repulsed by a detachment of U.S. cavalry, left 18 Americans and as many as 100 Mexican raiders dead. And it sparked the nearly yearlong expedition of 10,000 U.S. soldiers led by Gen. John. J. Pershing deep into Mexico in fruitless pursuit of Villa.
In the nine decades since, the two villages settled into an easygoing and shared obscurity. Like much of the border from El Paso to San Diego, the line here was marked by the sort of fence that might separate one field from another in farm country anywhere.
By day, by night
Families tend to have members on both sides of the border. U.S. farms like the Johnsons' relied on Mexican workers hopping the border to work by day and heading back south at night.
Migrants heading farther north would often stop by the border farms to ask for water or food for the journey. They were never turned away, Johnson said, and they would often do chores to repay the kindness.
That changed in the 1990s when tighter border enforcement — first to the east in El Paso, then to the west in Arizona — funneled the growing waves of migrants from the Mexican interior and Central America though Columbus and other parts of New Mexico.
Vehicles carrying illegal narcotics or illegal migrants would plow through the border fence across the Johnsons' land. Scores of migrants led by smugglers, called coyotes, would trek through the fields, scaring livestock and leaving trash. The smugglers would sometimes be armed.
"I understand the plight of the people," said Johnson, who speaks Spanish and whose family has been farming here since 1918. "I live with these people. If I were in their shoes, I'd be doing the same thing.
"What I don't like is the business that transporting them across the border has become," he said. "Things became dangerous."
Complaints from the Johnsons and others on the border prompted New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to demand federal action.
A waist-high reinforced barrier designed to stop vehicles was built on the border — a stretch of it on the Johnson farm stood a few feet inside Mexico. National Guard troops camped near Columbus.
Richardson called on Mexico to bulldoze houses in Las Chepas, a largely abandoned hamlet just across the border from the Johnson's farm that has served as a staging area for smugglers.
"From a law enforcement perspective, it's curtailed a lot of our problems," said Sharon Mitamura, a deputy sheriff who patrols the border on either side of Columbus.
"You have legitimate people who are coming here," she said of the border jumpers.
"But you also have the coyotes who are bringing people across," she said, "and you have the bandidos who are stealing."
The same human crush that alarmed the Johnsons created an industry in Palomas.
Restaurants and stores sprouted. Small hotels and boarding houses went up. Buses and other vehicles transported people.
But with the good came a share of the bad.
'People are affected'
The newcomers were as much strangers here as they were in New Mexico. Crime increased. They left trash in their wake, kept people awake at night because their crossings set dogs barking. Locals who had often been able to slip north for a day of shopping or visiting family now found it harder because of the increased Border Patrol presence.
"There are families here who have family members over there, so people are affected," said Villasana, the school principal, as he watched girls play a pick-up game of soccer in the shadow of the fence. "But the fence is felt more (by people) in the interior than here."
Then Villasana told of a daydreaming young student who gazed out the window at the new wall during class last month.
Villasana asked the boy, What are you thinking about?
"They have built us a wall of shame, professor," the student answered.
'How is that?" Villasana asked.
"It's shame because people have to leave our country to find work," the boy responded.
Now it's boring
At the small museum in Columbus dedicated to Pancho Villa's raid and its aftermath, Lee Robinson regales tourists with lurid accounts of the bravery of the U.S. soldiers who repelled the Mexican attackers.
A recent transplant from Erie, Pa., Robinson is a Minuteman, one of the volunteers who flocked to the border several years ago determined to stop illegal immigration. After a stint in Arizona, Robinson followed the migrant flow east to Columbus. Now, he's contending with getting what he wished for.
"That fence, I love it," Robinson said one recent afternoon after finishing a detailed explanation of the raid for a father and son visiting from Ohio.
But Robinson quickly added that "being a Minuteman in New Mexico is getting pretty boring."
"There's no illegals here to be found," he said, wistfully.
dudley.althaus@chron.com
------------------------------
OTHERS COMMENTS:
chidochuck wrote:
Dirty Americans, you have no right to protect and monitor your borders. Only every other country in the world can do that. We won't talk about that, though. You must be racists if you don't want criminals, drugs and diseases freely flowing across your border. And how dare you try to limit the amount of narcotics trafficking and the spread of infectious diseases! I am also appalled that you refuse to allow your taxes to be used for non-citizens who use the hospitals as primary care centers!!! How could you deny these people welfare and social security when all they did was sneak across the border illegally and stole the identities of unsuspecting, selfish Americans who can afford to pay for those who want to leach off of your society. Racists!!!!
11/5/2007 2:05:48 AM
Rossi wrote:
1. Heavily fine the businesses who hire illegal aliens, making it a felony would be okay with me as well.
2. ID fraud by illegal aliens or anyone else, charged with a felony 5 years of hard labor (chaingang detail).
3. Deny automatic citizenship to any alien baby born in the U.S. and it's territories.
4. Deport all illegal aliens, it's not that hard and it can be done.
The fense is an not anti-immigration. Where do people get that idea from? It's an attempt to keep people from entering the U.S. illegally. Hence the term illegal alien.
Illegal aliens are not entitled to get benefits form anybody, however, there are some who have aquired by fraud social security numbers. Most illegal alien babies born here or anchore babies expenses are absorbed by the hospital and not reimburesed by the state of federal government. That means higher medical costs to us, those with insurance or who can pay.
I don't have a problem with anyone coming to the U.S. as long as they do it legally.
Just because taxes are paid through rent doesn't appear to make things all good. They are still illegal aliens and still should not be "entitled" to a free education. The school districts could make some money here by charging non-legal aliens a tuition to attend our schools. They should also pay the extra cost of teaching their children English. These people should learn English anyway just out of public safety and safety in the workplace.
I find it humorous that companies are seeking or requiring that safety professionals be bi-linqual in Spanish. That's fine and dandy, so what about the rest of the workers? With the language barrier how can either alert someone of a hazard or point out a hazard?
Fence's presence felt
Residents on both sides of one border crossing say barrier is doing what it was intended to do
By DUDLEY ALTHAUS
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
PALOMAS, MEXICO — At this fabled border crossing, where the last armed conflict between the United States and Mexico flared, the rancorous debate over the new U.S. anti-immigrant fence has been resolved.
The fence works, residents north and south of it say. At least it works for now on this snippet of the line.
"You hear it all the time: Fences don't work. Fences don't work," said Mark Winder, a transplanted New Englander and part-time deputy sheriff who lives on a small ranch outside Columbus, N.M., where a 3-mile stretch of wall was completed in August. "I live 2½ miles from the border, and the fence is working."
Many merchants agree in Palomas, once a sleepy farm town, now a booming haven for smugglers.
"The fence has destroyed the economy here," said Fabiola Cuellar, a hardware-store clerk on the main street of Palomas who used to sell supplies to the throngs heading north from here. "Things are going back to the way they were before."
Of course, with only about one-fifth of the fence complete, migrants from Mexico and other countries who had planned to cross the border illegally in places such as Palomas-Columbus can simply go elsewhere.
But U.S. officials have vowed to complete nearly 400 miles of the fence by the end of next year. Workers in August and September built 70 miles of it here, in Arizona and in parts of California. Thousands more Border Patrol agents, electronic monitors and other measures will tighten the squeeze.
James Johnson's 3,000-acre family farm abuts the border west of Columbus. "Where there is a will, there's a way," said Johnson, 32, of some migrants' ability to get around, over or under any barrier.
"But anything is better than just running across the border anytime you want to," he said.
Satisfaction, shrugs
Whether good fences make good neighbors is another, perhaps more crucial, debate entirely. This new wall has sparked political controversies in the U.S., and stoked a "been-here, done-this" rancor among many Mexicans. But here, where the rampart is now part of the landscape, it tends to elicit satisfied nods from Americans and resigned shrugs from Mexicans.
"It's their territory. They can do what they want with it," said Armando Villasana, 50, the principal of a Palomas elementary school whose hardpan recess yard smacks into the new bulwark. "On the border we're accustomed to changes."
The fence, a 15-foot-high phalanx of girders tightly spaced and rooted deeply in the earth, is a jarring obstruction to the otherwise "for miles and miles" view of these parched high plains.
Rather than a solid wall, the barrier more closely resembles a vertical iron grate. It lets people on either side see across the border while preventing them from crossing it.
Its builders say the fence permits wildlife free passage. But the spaces between the posts seem tight enough to prevent even the wiliest coyote from slipping through.
The Border Patrol made about 36,000 apprehensions in New Mexico in the first 10 months of fiscal 2007, which ended Sept. 30. That's a huge drop from fiscal 2006, when nearly 74,000 illegal crossers were caught on the state's border, according to government records.
Palomas and Columbus, dusty pinpricks in the vast Chihuahuan Desert, were carved into border history nine decades ago when Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary and bandit, raided the New Mexican town with about 450 troops.
The attack, repulsed by a detachment of U.S. cavalry, left 18 Americans and as many as 100 Mexican raiders dead. And it sparked the nearly yearlong expedition of 10,000 U.S. soldiers led by Gen. John. J. Pershing deep into Mexico in fruitless pursuit of Villa.
In the nine decades since, the two villages settled into an easygoing and shared obscurity. Like much of the border from El Paso to San Diego, the line here was marked by the sort of fence that might separate one field from another in farm country anywhere.
By day, by night
Families tend to have members on both sides of the border. U.S. farms like the Johnsons' relied on Mexican workers hopping the border to work by day and heading back south at night.
Migrants heading farther north would often stop by the border farms to ask for water or food for the journey. They were never turned away, Johnson said, and they would often do chores to repay the kindness.
That changed in the 1990s when tighter border enforcement — first to the east in El Paso, then to the west in Arizona — funneled the growing waves of migrants from the Mexican interior and Central America though Columbus and other parts of New Mexico.
Vehicles carrying illegal narcotics or illegal migrants would plow through the border fence across the Johnsons' land. Scores of migrants led by smugglers, called coyotes, would trek through the fields, scaring livestock and leaving trash. The smugglers would sometimes be armed.
"I understand the plight of the people," said Johnson, who speaks Spanish and whose family has been farming here since 1918. "I live with these people. If I were in their shoes, I'd be doing the same thing.
"What I don't like is the business that transporting them across the border has become," he said. "Things became dangerous."
Complaints from the Johnsons and others on the border prompted New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to demand federal action.
A waist-high reinforced barrier designed to stop vehicles was built on the border — a stretch of it on the Johnson farm stood a few feet inside Mexico. National Guard troops camped near Columbus.
Richardson called on Mexico to bulldoze houses in Las Chepas, a largely abandoned hamlet just across the border from the Johnson's farm that has served as a staging area for smugglers.
"From a law enforcement perspective, it's curtailed a lot of our problems," said Sharon Mitamura, a deputy sheriff who patrols the border on either side of Columbus.
"You have legitimate people who are coming here," she said of the border jumpers.
"But you also have the coyotes who are bringing people across," she said, "and you have the bandidos who are stealing."
The same human crush that alarmed the Johnsons created an industry in Palomas.
Restaurants and stores sprouted. Small hotels and boarding houses went up. Buses and other vehicles transported people.
But with the good came a share of the bad.
'People are affected'
The newcomers were as much strangers here as they were in New Mexico. Crime increased. They left trash in their wake, kept people awake at night because their crossings set dogs barking. Locals who had often been able to slip north for a day of shopping or visiting family now found it harder because of the increased Border Patrol presence.
"There are families here who have family members over there, so people are affected," said Villasana, the school principal, as he watched girls play a pick-up game of soccer in the shadow of the fence. "But the fence is felt more (by people) in the interior than here."
Then Villasana told of a daydreaming young student who gazed out the window at the new wall during class last month.
Villasana asked the boy, What are you thinking about?
"They have built us a wall of shame, professor," the student answered.
'How is that?" Villasana asked.
"It's shame because people have to leave our country to find work," the boy responded.
Now it's boring
At the small museum in Columbus dedicated to Pancho Villa's raid and its aftermath, Lee Robinson regales tourists with lurid accounts of the bravery of the U.S. soldiers who repelled the Mexican attackers.
A recent transplant from Erie, Pa., Robinson is a Minuteman, one of the volunteers who flocked to the border several years ago determined to stop illegal immigration. After a stint in Arizona, Robinson followed the migrant flow east to Columbus. Now, he's contending with getting what he wished for.
"That fence, I love it," Robinson said one recent afternoon after finishing a detailed explanation of the raid for a father and son visiting from Ohio.
But Robinson quickly added that "being a Minuteman in New Mexico is getting pretty boring."
"There's no illegals here to be found," he said, wistfully.
dudley.althaus@chron.com
------------------------------
OTHERS COMMENTS:
chidochuck wrote:
Dirty Americans, you have no right to protect and monitor your borders. Only every other country in the world can do that. We won't talk about that, though. You must be racists if you don't want criminals, drugs and diseases freely flowing across your border. And how dare you try to limit the amount of narcotics trafficking and the spread of infectious diseases! I am also appalled that you refuse to allow your taxes to be used for non-citizens who use the hospitals as primary care centers!!! How could you deny these people welfare and social security when all they did was sneak across the border illegally and stole the identities of unsuspecting, selfish Americans who can afford to pay for those who want to leach off of your society. Racists!!!!
11/5/2007 2:05:48 AM
Rossi wrote:
1. Heavily fine the businesses who hire illegal aliens, making it a felony would be okay with me as well.
2. ID fraud by illegal aliens or anyone else, charged with a felony 5 years of hard labor (chaingang detail).
3. Deny automatic citizenship to any alien baby born in the U.S. and it's territories.
4. Deport all illegal aliens, it's not that hard and it can be done.
The fense is an not anti-immigration. Where do people get that idea from? It's an attempt to keep people from entering the U.S. illegally. Hence the term illegal alien.
Illegal aliens are not entitled to get benefits form anybody, however, there are some who have aquired by fraud social security numbers. Most illegal alien babies born here or anchore babies expenses are absorbed by the hospital and not reimburesed by the state of federal government. That means higher medical costs to us, those with insurance or who can pay.
I don't have a problem with anyone coming to the U.S. as long as they do it legally.
Just because taxes are paid through rent doesn't appear to make things all good. They are still illegal aliens and still should not be "entitled" to a free education. The school districts could make some money here by charging non-legal aliens a tuition to attend our schools. They should also pay the extra cost of teaching their children English. These people should learn English anyway just out of public safety and safety in the workplace.
I find it humorous that companies are seeking or requiring that safety professionals be bi-linqual in Spanish. That's fine and dandy, so what about the rest of the workers? With the language barrier how can either alert someone of a hazard or point out a hazard?
The deceit behind global warming
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/11/04/eaclimate104.xml
The deceit behind global warming
By Christopher Booker and Richard North
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 04/11/2007Page 1 of 2
No one can deny that in recent years the need to "save the planet" from global warming has become one of the most pervasive issues of our time. As Tony Blair's chief scientific adviser, Sir David King, claimed in 2004, it poses "a far greater threat to the world than international terrorism", warning that by the end of this century the only habitable continent left will be Antarctica.
Government told to aim higher with emissions targets
Antarctic ice sheets may grow
Inevitably, many people have been bemused by this somewhat one-sided debate, imagining that if so many experts are agreed, then there must be something in it. But if we set the story of how this fear was promoted in the context of other scares before it, the parallels which emerge might leave any honest believer in global warming feeling uncomfortable.
Polar bears find the Arctic sea ice shrinking, but many scientists now predict that the world is about to cool again
The story of how the panic over climate change was pushed to the top of the international agenda falls into five main stages. Stage one came in the 1970s when many scientists expressed alarm over what they saw as a disastrous change in the earth's climate. Their fear was not of warming but global cooling, of "a new Ice Age".
For three decades, after a sharp rise in the interwar years up to 1940, global temperatures had been falling. The one thing certain about climate is that it is always changing. Since we began to emerge from the last Ice Age 20,000 years ago, temperatures have been through significant swings several times. The hottest period occurred around 8,000 years ago and was followed by a long cooling. Then came what is known as the "Roman Warming", coinciding with the Roman empire. Three centuries of cooling in the Dark Ages were followed by the "Mediaeval Warming", when the evidence agrees the world was hotter than today.
Around 1300 began "the Little Ice Age", that did not end until 200 years ago, when we entered what is known as the "Modern Warming". But even this has been chequered by colder periods, such as the "Little Cooling" between 1940 and 1975. Then, in the late 1970s, the world began warming again.
A scare is often set off - as we show in our book with other examples - when two things are observed together and scientists suggest one must have been caused by the other. In this case, thanks to readings commissioned by Dr Roger Revelle, a distinguished American oceanographer, it was observed that since the late 1950s levels of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere had been rising. Perhaps it was this increase that was causing the new warming in the 1980s?
tage two of the story began in 1988 when, with remarkable speed, the global warming story was elevated into a ruling orthodoxy, partly due to hearings in Washington chaired by a youngish senator, Al Gore, who had studied under Dr Revelle in the 1960s.
But more importantly global warming hit centre stage because in 1988 the UN set up its Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the IPCC). Through a series of reports, the IPCC was to advance its cause in a rather unusual fashion. First it would commission as many as 1,500 experts to produce a huge scientific report, which might include all sorts of doubts and reservations. But this was to be prefaced by a Summary for Policymakers, drafted in consultation with governments and officials - essentially a political document - in which most of the caveats contained in the experts' report would not appear.
This contradiction was obvious in the first report in 1991, which led to the Rio conference on climate change in 1992. The second report in 1996 gave particular prominence to a study by an obscure US government scientist claiming that the evidence for a connection between global warming and rising CO2 levels was now firmly established. This study came under heavy fire from various leading climate experts for the way it manipulated the evidence. But this was not allowed to stand in the way of the claim that there was now complete scientific consensus behind the CO2 thesis, and the Summary for Policy-makers, heavily influenced from behind the scenes by Al Gore, by this time US Vice-President, paved the way in 1997 for the famous Kyoto Protocol.
Kyoto initiated stage three of the story, by formally committing governments to drastic reductions in their CO2 emissions. But the treaty still had to be ratified and this seemed a good way off, not least thanks to its rejection in 1997 by the US Senate, despite the best attempts of Mr Gore.
Not the least of his efforts was his bid to suppress an article co-authored by Dr Revelle just before his death. Gore didn't want it to be known that his guru had urged that the global warming thesis should be viewed with more caution.
One of the greatest problems Gore and his allies faced at this time was the mass of evidence showing that in the past, global temperatures had been higher than in the late 20th century.
Former US Vice-President Al Gore
In 1998 came the answer they were looking for: a new temperature chart, devised by a young American physicist, Michael Mann. This became known as the "hockey stick" because it showed historic temperatures running in an almost flat line over the past 1,000 years, then suddenly flicking up at the end to record levels.
Mann's hockey stick was just what the IPCC wanted. When its 2001 report came out it was given pride of place at the top of page 1. The Mediaeval Warming, the Little Ice Age, the 20th century Little Cooling, when CO2 had already been rising, all had been wiped away.
But then a growing number of academics began to raise doubts about Mann and his graph. This culminated in 2003 with a devastating study by two Canadians showing how Mann had not only ignored most of the evidence before him but had used an algorithm that would produce a hockey stick graph whatever evidence was fed into the computer. When this was removed, the graph re-emerged just as it had looked before, showing the Middle Ages as hotter than today.
It is hard to recall any scientific thesis ever being so comprehensively discredited as the "hockey stick". Yet the global warming juggernaut rolled on regardless, now led by the European Union. In 2004, thanks to a highly dubious deal between the EU and Putin's Russia, stage four of the story began when the Kyoto treaty was finally ratified.
In the past three years, we have seen the EU announcing every kind of measure geared to fighting climate change, from building ever more highly-subsidised wind turbines, to a commitment that by 2050 it will have reduced carbon emissions by 60 per cent. This is a pledge that could only be met by such a massive reduction in living standards that it is impossible to see the peoples of Europe accepting it.
All this frenzy has rested on the assumption that global temperatures will continue to rise in tandem with CO2 and that, unless mankind takes drastic action, our planet is faced with the apocalypse so vividly described by Al Gore in his Oscar-winning film An Inconvenient Truth.
Yet recently, stage five of the story has seen all sorts of question marks being raised over Gore's alleged consensus. For instance, he claimed that by the end of this century world sea levels will have risen by 20 ft when even the IPCC in its latest report, only predicts a rise of between four and 17 inches.There is also of course the harsh reality that, wholly unaffected by Kyoto, the economies of China and India are now expanding at nearly 10 per cent a year, with China likely to be emitting more CO2 than the US within two years.
More serious, however, has been all the evidence accumulating to show that, despite the continuing rise in CO2 levels, global temperatures in the years since 1998 have no longer been rising and may soon even be falling.
It was a telling moment when, in August, Gore's closest scientific ally, James Hansen of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, was forced to revise his influential record of US surface temperatures showing that the past decade has seen the hottest years on record. His graph now concedes that the hottest year of the 20th century was not 1998 but 1934, and that four of the 10 warmest years in the past 100 were in the 1930s.
Furthermore, scientists and academics have recently been queuing up to point out that fluctuations in global temperatures correlate more consistently with patterns of radiation from the sun than with any rise in CO2 levels, and that after a century of high solar activity, the sun's effect is now weakening, presaging a likely drop in temperatures.
If global warming does turn out to have been a scare like all the others, it will certainly represent as great a collective flight from reality as history has ever recorded. The evidence of the next 10 years will be very interesting.
---------------------
MY COMMENTS:
I think global warming is nothing but just another scare tactic to raise taxes and reduce standards of living among the middle class who would in the end be the ones most hurt by a carbon tax. I think Mr. Gore should re-evaluate his standard of living (ex: his private planes, massive estate, and multiple SUV's). This is nothing but another way for him to get rich. First his family made the pollution from their factories and now he also runs a company that sells carbon offsets. Wow, he's got it all figured out huh?
The deceit behind global warming
By Christopher Booker and Richard North
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 04/11/2007Page 1 of 2
No one can deny that in recent years the need to "save the planet" from global warming has become one of the most pervasive issues of our time. As Tony Blair's chief scientific adviser, Sir David King, claimed in 2004, it poses "a far greater threat to the world than international terrorism", warning that by the end of this century the only habitable continent left will be Antarctica.
Government told to aim higher with emissions targets
Antarctic ice sheets may grow
Inevitably, many people have been bemused by this somewhat one-sided debate, imagining that if so many experts are agreed, then there must be something in it. But if we set the story of how this fear was promoted in the context of other scares before it, the parallels which emerge might leave any honest believer in global warming feeling uncomfortable.
Polar bears find the Arctic sea ice shrinking, but many scientists now predict that the world is about to cool again
The story of how the panic over climate change was pushed to the top of the international agenda falls into five main stages. Stage one came in the 1970s when many scientists expressed alarm over what they saw as a disastrous change in the earth's climate. Their fear was not of warming but global cooling, of "a new Ice Age".
For three decades, after a sharp rise in the interwar years up to 1940, global temperatures had been falling. The one thing certain about climate is that it is always changing. Since we began to emerge from the last Ice Age 20,000 years ago, temperatures have been through significant swings several times. The hottest period occurred around 8,000 years ago and was followed by a long cooling. Then came what is known as the "Roman Warming", coinciding with the Roman empire. Three centuries of cooling in the Dark Ages were followed by the "Mediaeval Warming", when the evidence agrees the world was hotter than today.
Around 1300 began "the Little Ice Age", that did not end until 200 years ago, when we entered what is known as the "Modern Warming". But even this has been chequered by colder periods, such as the "Little Cooling" between 1940 and 1975. Then, in the late 1970s, the world began warming again.
A scare is often set off - as we show in our book with other examples - when two things are observed together and scientists suggest one must have been caused by the other. In this case, thanks to readings commissioned by Dr Roger Revelle, a distinguished American oceanographer, it was observed that since the late 1950s levels of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere had been rising. Perhaps it was this increase that was causing the new warming in the 1980s?
tage two of the story began in 1988 when, with remarkable speed, the global warming story was elevated into a ruling orthodoxy, partly due to hearings in Washington chaired by a youngish senator, Al Gore, who had studied under Dr Revelle in the 1960s.
But more importantly global warming hit centre stage because in 1988 the UN set up its Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the IPCC). Through a series of reports, the IPCC was to advance its cause in a rather unusual fashion. First it would commission as many as 1,500 experts to produce a huge scientific report, which might include all sorts of doubts and reservations. But this was to be prefaced by a Summary for Policymakers, drafted in consultation with governments and officials - essentially a political document - in which most of the caveats contained in the experts' report would not appear.
This contradiction was obvious in the first report in 1991, which led to the Rio conference on climate change in 1992. The second report in 1996 gave particular prominence to a study by an obscure US government scientist claiming that the evidence for a connection between global warming and rising CO2 levels was now firmly established. This study came under heavy fire from various leading climate experts for the way it manipulated the evidence. But this was not allowed to stand in the way of the claim that there was now complete scientific consensus behind the CO2 thesis, and the Summary for Policy-makers, heavily influenced from behind the scenes by Al Gore, by this time US Vice-President, paved the way in 1997 for the famous Kyoto Protocol.
Kyoto initiated stage three of the story, by formally committing governments to drastic reductions in their CO2 emissions. But the treaty still had to be ratified and this seemed a good way off, not least thanks to its rejection in 1997 by the US Senate, despite the best attempts of Mr Gore.
Not the least of his efforts was his bid to suppress an article co-authored by Dr Revelle just before his death. Gore didn't want it to be known that his guru had urged that the global warming thesis should be viewed with more caution.
One of the greatest problems Gore and his allies faced at this time was the mass of evidence showing that in the past, global temperatures had been higher than in the late 20th century.
Former US Vice-President Al Gore
In 1998 came the answer they were looking for: a new temperature chart, devised by a young American physicist, Michael Mann. This became known as the "hockey stick" because it showed historic temperatures running in an almost flat line over the past 1,000 years, then suddenly flicking up at the end to record levels.
Mann's hockey stick was just what the IPCC wanted. When its 2001 report came out it was given pride of place at the top of page 1. The Mediaeval Warming, the Little Ice Age, the 20th century Little Cooling, when CO2 had already been rising, all had been wiped away.
But then a growing number of academics began to raise doubts about Mann and his graph. This culminated in 2003 with a devastating study by two Canadians showing how Mann had not only ignored most of the evidence before him but had used an algorithm that would produce a hockey stick graph whatever evidence was fed into the computer. When this was removed, the graph re-emerged just as it had looked before, showing the Middle Ages as hotter than today.
It is hard to recall any scientific thesis ever being so comprehensively discredited as the "hockey stick". Yet the global warming juggernaut rolled on regardless, now led by the European Union. In 2004, thanks to a highly dubious deal between the EU and Putin's Russia, stage four of the story began when the Kyoto treaty was finally ratified.
In the past three years, we have seen the EU announcing every kind of measure geared to fighting climate change, from building ever more highly-subsidised wind turbines, to a commitment that by 2050 it will have reduced carbon emissions by 60 per cent. This is a pledge that could only be met by such a massive reduction in living standards that it is impossible to see the peoples of Europe accepting it.
All this frenzy has rested on the assumption that global temperatures will continue to rise in tandem with CO2 and that, unless mankind takes drastic action, our planet is faced with the apocalypse so vividly described by Al Gore in his Oscar-winning film An Inconvenient Truth.
Yet recently, stage five of the story has seen all sorts of question marks being raised over Gore's alleged consensus. For instance, he claimed that by the end of this century world sea levels will have risen by 20 ft when even the IPCC in its latest report, only predicts a rise of between four and 17 inches.There is also of course the harsh reality that, wholly unaffected by Kyoto, the economies of China and India are now expanding at nearly 10 per cent a year, with China likely to be emitting more CO2 than the US within two years.
More serious, however, has been all the evidence accumulating to show that, despite the continuing rise in CO2 levels, global temperatures in the years since 1998 have no longer been rising and may soon even be falling.
It was a telling moment when, in August, Gore's closest scientific ally, James Hansen of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, was forced to revise his influential record of US surface temperatures showing that the past decade has seen the hottest years on record. His graph now concedes that the hottest year of the 20th century was not 1998 but 1934, and that four of the 10 warmest years in the past 100 were in the 1930s.
Furthermore, scientists and academics have recently been queuing up to point out that fluctuations in global temperatures correlate more consistently with patterns of radiation from the sun than with any rise in CO2 levels, and that after a century of high solar activity, the sun's effect is now weakening, presaging a likely drop in temperatures.
If global warming does turn out to have been a scare like all the others, it will certainly represent as great a collective flight from reality as history has ever recorded. The evidence of the next 10 years will be very interesting.
---------------------
MY COMMENTS:
I think global warming is nothing but just another scare tactic to raise taxes and reduce standards of living among the middle class who would in the end be the ones most hurt by a carbon tax. I think Mr. Gore should re-evaluate his standard of living (ex: his private planes, massive estate, and multiple SUV's). This is nothing but another way for him to get rich. First his family made the pollution from their factories and now he also runs a company that sells carbon offsets. Wow, he's got it all figured out huh?