It says something about today’s public education reality that the two sides in the teachers’ union dispute in Chicago are the union and the mayor.
Allegedly the point of schools is to educate children. But which side in this dispute has sole interest in children and their parents?
The answer, of course, is neither side.
Unions are about the economic interests of the teachers. The mayor is about his budget and the economic interests of the city.
No one solely represents the interests of the kids.
It’s not to say that the union or the mayor has no interest in the quality of education being delivered. But this is just part of their agenda.
Do union members have to worry that their jobs will be gone if children don’t get the best possible education? No. Does the mayor have to worry that his job will be gone or his career over if children don’t get the best possible education? No.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, September 17, 2012
All Americans At The U.S. Consulate In Karachi Are Safe
U.S. Embassy officials in Pakistan said all Americans at the U.S. Consulate in Karachi are safe after clashes broke out between protesters and police. Police said hundreds of Pakistanis protesting an anti-Islam video broke through a barricade and reached the outer wall of the consulate. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said all Americans who work at the consulate were safe. Anti-U.S. protests in 20 countries led the Pentagon to dispatch elite Marine anti-terrorism teams to Libya and Yemen. It also positioned two Navy warships off Libya's coast. Meanwhile, the State Department ordered all nonessential U.S. government workers and their families out of Sudan and Tunisia.
Setting Space Standards
NASA needs to make sure astronauts are safe aboard commercial spacecraft. Retired Vice Adm. Joseph Dyer, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel chairman, said NASA's plan has holes. He said the cart is ahead of the horse. Companies are designing space vehicles before NASA sets the safety requirements and certification process. He predicted NASA would have challenges in certifying private aircraft as safe enough. Dyer spoke before a House committee last week. Chairman Ralph Hall (R-Texas) questioned NASA's acquisition strategy. He suggested that funding it would be a risky proposition. NASA wants to send astronauts to the International Space Station on commercial flights within five years.
People Don’t Vote For Many Reasons Beyond Difficulty In Registering And Casting Ballots
States have tried a bunch of techniques to improve voter turnout on Election Day, and MarylandReporter.com described a number of them in two articles last week. But according to some studies and polls, no matter how easy officials make it, more than a third of the voting age population will still not cast a ballot.
Obama Says One Thing In Spotlight, Another Behind Closed Doors
Jobs. That is the issue in the election – at least that is the issue Obama and Romney are focused on – who will create more jobs for a country in desperate need of them. During his convention speech, President Obama mentioned jobs 19 times, Romney did so 16 times. Obama promised a future where the U.S. will "outsource fewer jobs." Of course, Romney is known as someone who made hundreds of millions by outsourcing jobs. Former President Clinton put forth a job scorecard, arguing Obama and the Democrats will create more jobs.
Neither candidate is arguing for a New Deal style government jobs program. Both are relying on private industry to create jobs. But, big business profits by spending less on labor. While in the spotlight of the convention, Obama is critical of jobs being sent overseas but at the same time his U.S. trade representative, Ron Kirk, who works out of the executive office of the president, is negotiating a secret treaty behind closed doors – the Trans-Pacific Partnership – known as 'NAFTA on steroids'. This is a corporate trade agreement that will result in massive outsourcing of jobs.
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Neither candidate is arguing for a New Deal style government jobs program. Both are relying on private industry to create jobs. But, big business profits by spending less on labor. While in the spotlight of the convention, Obama is critical of jobs being sent overseas but at the same time his U.S. trade representative, Ron Kirk, who works out of the executive office of the president, is negotiating a secret treaty behind closed doors – the Trans-Pacific Partnership – known as 'NAFTA on steroids'. This is a corporate trade agreement that will result in massive outsourcing of jobs.
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Obama To Hit China With Trade Case Over Cars, Parts
President Barack Obama launches a campaign swing through the pivotal battleground of Ohio on Monday — armed with a new trade enforcement case against China over allegedly improper subsidies to its auto and auto-parts sectors.
Mitt Romney has recently escalated his attacks on the incumbent as not doing enough to protect America's battered manufacturing sector from unfair competition from Beijing. The message has special resonance in states like Ohio, where the auto-parts sector accounts for a sizeable chunk of the economy. (The White House says the industry directly employs 54,200 Ohioans and supports some 850,000 total jobs).
GALLUP: GOVERNMENT STILL TOO BIG
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WHITE HOUSE MUST STOP SONY FROM RELEASING 'KILLING BIN LADEN' FILM
Now that the White House and State Department have made clear that they believe movies compel terrorists to terrorize, it's time for them to get ahead of this problem. And one thing the White House can do immediately is to pressure Sony to stop the release of director Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty," which celebrates the killing of Osama bin Laden.
I'm only saying this because, you know, the White House and the media told me movies inflame and cause terrorism.
Think about it: if the poorly produced and laughably bad trailer for "The Innocence of Muslims" results in chaos, murder, and the burning of foreign outposts all throughout the Middle East, how much rioting and mayhem is a big-budgeted, slickly produced, Oscar-bait blockbuster celebrating the death of the leader of al-Qaeda going to cause?
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I'm only saying this because, you know, the White House and the media told me movies inflame and cause terrorism.
Think about it: if the poorly produced and laughably bad trailer for "The Innocence of Muslims" results in chaos, murder, and the burning of foreign outposts all throughout the Middle East, how much rioting and mayhem is a big-budgeted, slickly produced, Oscar-bait blockbuster celebrating the death of the leader of al-Qaeda going to cause?
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D.C. Police Seek 6- or 7-Year-Old Suspect In Robbery
D.C. police were searching Sunday night for a very young suspect.
At 8:19 p.m., police tweeted that a black male, 6 to 7 years old, wearing a white shirt and black shorts, was wanted in connection with a robbery in the 4300 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue in Northeast. The suspect also was described as being 4 feet tall and weighing 100 pounds.
Chemical Used in Teflon & Non-Stick Cookware Linked to Heart Disease
According to the study published in the journal The Jama Network, researchers looked at PFOA presence and incidence of heart disease, heart attack, or stroke. About 98 percent of Americans have traces of PFOA in them, those with the highest levels of the chemical were found to have double the odds of heart disease when compared with those having the lowest levels.
Also, those with higher PFOA, had a 78 percent higher risk of peripheral heart disease—where arteries narrow and harden.
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FAMOUS GAY ACTOR: ‘I CAN’T THINK OF ANYTHING WORSE THAN BEING BROUGHT UP BY TWO GAY DADS’
Well-known actor Rupert Everett has caused quite a stir in the LGBT community for saying he “can’t think of anything worse than being brought up by two gay dads.”
The actor, who is gay, played a major role in the 90′s hits “My Best Friend’s Wedding“ and ”Shakespeare in Love.”
The Telegraph has background :
MoreThe 53-year-old told the Sunday Times Magazine that his mother Sara had met his boyfriend but “still wishes I had a wife and kids.”“She thinks children need a father and a mother and I agree with her,” he said. “I can’t think of anything worse than being brought up by two gay dads.
Mitt Romney Video: Barack Obama Voters 'Dependent On Government'
The overwhelming majority of voters who back President Barack Obama do so because they are "dependent on government" and "believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing," Mitt Romney told a closed-door gathering of about 30 major donors earlier this year, according to video of the event that has surfaced on the Internet.
The person who uploaded a series of potentially inflammatory videos from the fundraiser has claimed authorship of them in an email exchange with The Huffington Post. The source said he or she wishes to remain anonymous for professional reasons and to avoid a lawsuit. The videos, which have created a buzz on the Internet, were blurred and at times blacked out to obscure the location of the filming, the source said.
State Police Detectives Investigate Shooting In Laurel
Location: 1500 Building of Hollybrook Apartments, Laurel, DE
Date of Occurrence: Monday September 17, 2012 at approximately 12:10 a.m.
Victim:
•25 year old Bridgeville man
Suspect:
•Unknown
Resume:
Laurel, DE- The Delaware State Police are currently investigating a shooting that occurred early this morning at Hollybrook Apartments in Laurel.
Officers from Laurel Police Department and EMS responded to the parking lot behind the 1500 building of Hollybrook Apartments around 12:10 a.m. the morning after a 9-1-1 call was received stating someone had been shot. As the officers arrived, they were informed that a 25 year old male from Bridgeville had been shot in the back as he exited his car. EMS transported the male to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital where he is listed in stable condition. State Police Detectives were called in and are currently investigating the incident.
If anyone has any information in reference to this incident, they are asked to contact the Troop 4 at 302-856-5850 ext. 255 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. Information may also be provided via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com
Send an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."
Date of Occurrence: Monday September 17, 2012 at approximately 12:10 a.m.
Victim:
•25 year old Bridgeville man
Suspect:
•Unknown
Resume:
Laurel, DE- The Delaware State Police are currently investigating a shooting that occurred early this morning at Hollybrook Apartments in Laurel.
Officers from Laurel Police Department and EMS responded to the parking lot behind the 1500 building of Hollybrook Apartments around 12:10 a.m. the morning after a 9-1-1 call was received stating someone had been shot. As the officers arrived, they were informed that a 25 year old male from Bridgeville had been shot in the back as he exited his car. EMS transported the male to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital where he is listed in stable condition. State Police Detectives were called in and are currently investigating the incident.
If anyone has any information in reference to this incident, they are asked to contact the Troop 4 at 302-856-5850 ext. 255 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. Information may also be provided via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com
Send an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."
Twist Of Fate In Frederick Led To Turning Point In Civil War
From as far away as Minnesota, Colorado and Ohio they came, more than 30 members of the Bloss and Mitchell families who converged on the hallowed Civil War fighting grounds of rural Maryland.
John McKnight Bloss, now 81, had just parked his RV at a campground when he tried to sum up what this gathering of his clan was about. He's been researching his namesake great-grandfather, who was wounded four times during Civil War battles, including the epic fight along meandering Antietam Creek 150 years ago — and he wanted the younger generation to "understand the sacrifices that were made."
Robert Mitchell Menuet spoke proudly of Barton Mitchell, his ancestor who served alongside John Bloss in the 27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry and suffered a life-shortening wound at Antietam — one of the 23,000 casualties that made the battle on Sept. 17, 1862, the single bloodiest day in U.S. history.
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IN TALKS TO TRANSFER ‘BLIND SHEIKH’ TO EGYPT
The U.S. State Department is currently in negotiations with the Egyptian government for the transfer of custody of Omar Abdel-Rahman, also known as “the Blind Sheikh,” for humanitarian and health reasons, a source close to the the Obama administration told TheBlaze.
Glenn Beck revealed the controversial news on his show Monday.
The negotiations are allegedly part of the ongoing discussions with the Egyptian government to resolve the crisis plaguing the Middle East, the source told TheBlaze. Calls to the State Department for comment referred us to the Department of Justice, and nothing has been confirmed.
WHO ARE ‘MUSLIMS’ & WHAT DO THEY BELIEVE? THIS IS THE HISTORY SURROUNDING MUHAMMAD & ISLAM
Islam is one of the world’s most popular religions, but it’s also among the most complex and misunderstood faith systems. This fact remains, despite its prominence in terms of the number of adherents and its prevalence in mainstream news media. When considering an overall analysis, there are a wide variety of reasons why the Muslim faith is so difficult to pin down.
To begin, political events (September 11 and international terror incidents) have helped to color the public’s sometimes negative perception of the faith. As a result, there’s an overwhelming tendency to view the Muslim religion as a singular entity — however, this oversimplifies the dynamics both within and surrounding the faith.
Considering Islam’s wide reach into diverse territories, there are a multitude of traditions, beliefs and customs that can be found within the Muslim umbrella. Many times, media report about the Islamic faith as though it is overwhelmingly linear. But, like many other religious traditions, the customs and practices that are undertaken by adherents greatly differ — as do the interpretations of its central commandments.
Guerrero Gets Jolly....Jolly Gets KO'd
Duluth GA. You might say Alexis Guerrero got Jolly Saturday night in the most literal of terms. Guerrero stopped a very game Harvey Jolly, 12-18-1 in the fifth round of the scheduled 6 round bout.
The fight, held at Wild Bill’s Concert Hall in Duluth GA. was the eighth bout of the evening, and was a crowd favorite, as Guerrero stalked the bigger Jolly for five rounds. "Alex was confidant and moved forward with good head movement. He used his jab to keep Jolly backing up, then would cut the ring off and score hard body shots while working in close. He was able to dominated him every round, then put him away in the fifth” said Manager /Trainer Hal Chernoff.
The fight opened with both men coming out strong in an attempt to take control, Jolly trying to land his signature punch big, a powerful right hand, while Guerrero stuck to his plan of jabbing to keep Jolly moving backwards. Guerrero then began to add in left hooks to the head and body shots as the fight progressed. Toward the middle of the second round, Guerrero began to land straight right hands behind his jab to Jolly’s head. The constant pressure began to take it’s toll on Jolly as Guerrero got stronger with each round. "Everything began unfolding just like we thought it could, but Alex had to be cautious of Jolly’s right hand the whole time.
All the video we watched showed Jolly could not load up and did not throw his right hand when he was backing up” said Chernoff. So for five rounds, Guerrero held to the game plan of backing Jolly up with his jab to avoid his trademark right hand. Guerrero worked well to Jolly’s body and followed with sharp hooks and straight right hands to his head. With Guerrero well ahead on points, he picked up the pace and trapped Jolly in his own corner in the fifth. Guerrero landed a hard left hook to Jolly’s ribs causing Jolly to turn his right side in toward the roped, but that gave Guerrero a perfect angle to land a second left hook to Jolly’s midsection that buckled the knees of the 6’4” fighter and sent him down to the canvas. Guerrero was sent to the neutral corner as the count began but Jolly was unable to continue.
“I felt real good," Said Guerrero. "I felt relaxed and confidant because we worked real hard to get ready for this fight. We had a good game plan and the guys I sparred with in the gym did just like Jolly does, so that really helped me a lot. They played a big part in why everything worked so well. Coach and I worked on a lot of things, I used to tighten up in the ring and it makes it real hard to listen to instructions, but now I can think clear and just do what we worked on and what Hal tells me in the corner". Guerrero said. "Now all I want to do is get back in the gym and get ready for the next one. I feel like I moved up a level and just want to keep building on that”. Guerrero added.
Guerrero is expected to fight again sometime in late October or November. Guerrero’s Manager Hal Chernoff is also working to bring a fight back to Salisbury early next year.
A Book Worthy Of A Post
If you don't recognize the face of this author, he happens to be a very close and dear friend. His name is Carmelo Guerrero, brother of Fernando and Alex Guerrero.
Let's all get together and show our support by purchasing his book.
GO HERE to get more information.
Bigoted Anti-Islam Filmmaker's Name Revealed: Bill Maher
It turns out that a hate-filled movie that ridicules Islam also involved a major Obama donor Bill Maher. Our friend John Nolte of Big Hollywood and Breitbart.com writes :
"Bill Maher made a comedy/documentary called "Religulous" that's most famous for mercilessly mocking Christianity. But what people forget is that the last twenty-minutes or so of the film make a damning case against Islam. Bill Maher made a film that mocked Islam. Oh, yes, he did. Bill Maher also contributed $1 million to a pro-Obama super PAC."
Trying to appease the anti-American and anti-Semitic bigots in the Muslim world, as well as to redirect everyone's attention from their own failed policies, White House spokesman Jay Carney and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton self-righteously blamed a recently surfaced "movie" as the reason for the Muslim riots.
ANTHONY MILLS SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS FOR SEX ABUSE OF A MINOR
On September 14, 2012, Anthony Mills, age 20, of Salisbury, Maryland was sentenced to 15 years of active incarceration for the sexual abuse of two minors, ages nine and eleven, that occurred in Salisbury, Maryland. A Wicomico County Circuit Court judge also sentenced Anthony Mills pursuant to other crimes charged by the State to be served concurrent to his sentence for two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. Anthony Mills was convicted by a Wicomico County jury on June 19, 2012 of two counts of Sex Abuse of a Minor, two counts of Sex Offense in the Third Degree and two counts of Assault in the Second Degree.
DOES OCCUPY WALL STREET KNOW ITS FLAG LOOKS LIKE A JIHADIST BANNER?
Occupy Wall Street will be marking the one year anniversary of the movement on Monday, September 17th, with a series of direct actions and protest marches across lower Manhattan. It‘s anybody’s guess whether they will really do what they say they’re going to this time, but there are some disconcerting early signs.
I took a stroll through their General Assembly the Saturday before #S17, as they call it (using the twitter hashtag as a catch-all for the event) and saw the usual gathering of leftists, oddballs, and assorted Marxist wanna-be revolutionaries.
But something unusual caught my eye: take a look at the latest addition to the Occupy propaganda arsenal:
REGINALD THOMAS GREEN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS FOR SEX ABUSE OF A MINOR
On September 13, 2012, Reginald Thomas Green, age 51, of Salisbury, Maryland was sentenced to 25 years for the Sex Abuse of a Minor, which occurred over the course of several years and at various locations in Salisbury and Fruitland. A Wicomico County Circuit Court judge also sentenced Reginald Thomas Green to an additional six years for other crimes charged by the State to be served concurrent to his sentence for Sex Abuse of a Minor. Reginald Thomas Green was convicted by a Wicomico County jury on April 30, 2012 of Sex Abuse of a Minor, Sex Offense in the Fourth Degree and two counts of assault in the second degree.
Leading Sunni Clerics Demand That Insults to Islam Be Outlawed
Saturday’s demand by Saudi grand mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh came on the same day that another of Sunni Islam’s most prominent figures, Egypt’s Al-Azhar University grand imam Ahmed el-Tayyeb, made a similar appeal.
DOBSON BLASTS 'VICIOUS' GOP OPPOSITION TO AKIN
Dr. James Dobson, whose advice about parenting, child-rearing, marriage and faith
has guided millions of Americans and whose counsel on family matters has been sought by presidents, today blasted the Republican Party for abandoning a strong GOP candidate to be U.S. senator, U.S. Rep. Todd Akin.
has guided millions of Americans and whose counsel on family matters has been sought by presidents, today blasted the Republican Party for abandoning a strong GOP candidate to be U.S. senator, U.S. Rep. Todd Akin.
Dobson, the founder and president of Family Talk, which produces his regular radio program, “Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk,” told WND it is “disgraceful” that the “GOP political bosses” have told Akin to drop out of his race, have withdrawn financial support and publicly maligned the congressman.
“I regret to say that Congressman Akin has been subjected to disgraceful treatment at the hands of the GOP political bosses,” Dobson said. “They have withheld funds for his campaign, even though he won the GOP primary for the Senate seat. Karl Rove and Haley Barbour have said things about his character that are untrue. Their vicious opposition could get his Democratic opponent elected in his stead. That is curious since an Akin win could give the Senate majority to the Republicans.”
'U.S. News & World Report' Again Names SU Among Best Colleges
U.S. News & World Report today named Salisbury University one of its Best Colleges for 2013. This marks the 16th consecutive year the campus has been ranked by the magazine.
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EGYPT'S MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD PRESIDENT LEADS, OBAMA FOLLOWS
Today, UN Ambassador Susan Rice explained to Jake Tapper of ABC News that America wasn’t “impotent” in the Middle East. What was her proof ?
Let's look at what's happened. It's quite the opposite of being impotent. We have worked with the governments in Egypt. President Obama picked up the phone and talked to President Morsi in Egypt. And as soon as he did that, the security provided to our personnel in our embassies dramatically increased.
Tapper rightly pointed out that for two days, Egyptian President Morsi, an anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, anti-American Muslim Brotherhood leader, said nothing. But Rice continued:
Wicomico School System Celebrates Baxter Enterprises’ Half-Million Dollar Investment In Student Success
Representatives of Wicomico County Public Schools and the community gathered at West Salisbury Elementary School Friday, Sept. 14, for a celebration of the gift of giving: Baxter Enterprises/McDonald’s, a key business partner that has generously supported Wicomico students and teachers for more than a dozen years, will surpass the half-million dollar mark this school year for its investment in the future of our students and schools.
“Baxter Enterprises has been an outstanding supporter for so many of our schools, and its contributions have enabled schools to do more to reward both students and teachers for great work,” said Dr. John E. Fredericksen, Superintendent of Schools. “We’re grateful to Tom Baxter for the ongoing support of his company and its local McDonald’s restaurants in support of public education in Wicomico County. It’s an amazing partnership that started small, with just one school, and has now benefited tens of thousands of students and many teachers.”
By school year’s end, when the company honors outstanding teachers with 2013 McEducator Awards, the Baxter Enterprises contribution to the students, teachers and schools of Wicomico County Public Schools since 1999 will reach approximately $507,000.
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“Baxter Enterprises has been an outstanding supporter for so many of our schools, and its contributions have enabled schools to do more to reward both students and teachers for great work,” said Dr. John E. Fredericksen, Superintendent of Schools. “We’re grateful to Tom Baxter for the ongoing support of his company and its local McDonald’s restaurants in support of public education in Wicomico County. It’s an amazing partnership that started small, with just one school, and has now benefited tens of thousands of students and many teachers.”
By school year’s end, when the company honors outstanding teachers with 2013 McEducator Awards, the Baxter Enterprises contribution to the students, teachers and schools of Wicomico County Public Schools since 1999 will reach approximately $507,000.
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Judge Holds Off On Legal Action To End Chicago Teacher Strike
Instead, a hearing on the matter could come Tuesday or Wednesday, law department spokesman Roderick Drew said.
Calling the dispute illegal and dangerous, Chicago school officials filed the complaint Monday, asking a judge to end the teacher strike now in its sixth school day.
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Bad Omen: Egan-Jones Slashes U.S. Credit Rating in Response to Fed’s QE
In April, Egan-Jones ratcheted down the U.S. credit rating to “AA” from “AA+” with a negative watch. The negative watch meant there was a 50% chance of the government’s rating being lowered within three months.
Egan-Jones said cranking up the printing presses and artificially lowering interest rates by purchasing mortgage-backed securities will not raise the real GDP but will instead reduce the value of the dollar.
1 Year On, Occupy Is In Disarray; Spirit Lives On
Occupy Wall Street began to disintegrate in rapid fashion last winter, when the weekly meetings in New York City devolved into a spectacle of fistfights and vicious arguments.
Punches were thrown and objects were hurled at moderators' heads. Protesters accused each other of being patriarchal and racist and domineering. Nobody could agree on anything and nobody was in charge. The moderators went on strike and refused to show up, followed in quick succession by the people who kept meeting minutes. And then the meetings stopped altogether.
In the city where the movement was born, Occupy was falling apart.
A Baltimore City Paramedic Is Arrested For Assaulting A Patient
BALTIMORE, Md. - Lives are saved every day in ambulances, even when they're on the line from a self-induced drug overdose. That was the case for Baltimore City paramedic Shaun White, 31, on September 8th.
He left the station at Eutaw and Lombard following an overdose call.
"She's a combative patient on the stretcher. He had to tie her down because she was wailing away, gets her in the back of the medic unit, she actually had to be restrained in the hospital, and he's arrested," said Rick Hoffman, president, Baltimore City firefighter’s union.
NPR White House Correspondent Doesn't Stand For Pledge Of Allegiance
NPR White House correspondent Ari Shapiro doesn't stand for our national anthem and won't recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Why? Because he places his position as a "journalist" above love of county. But, one wonders, does Shapiro understand that without this country he wouldn't be free to be a journalist?
On his NPR blog, Shapiro was thoroughly pleased with himself for imagining that a job was more important than his country, so much so that he thought enlightening the world with the debate on his Twitter account over his lack of patriotism was warranted.
The NPR reporter noted that at a recent Romney rally he was one of a few people who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. He proceeded to tweet about his disinterest in demonstrating loyalty to our flag and quickly found that many of his followers agreed with him.
Surely a (somewhat) public figure in American life wouldn't want to advertise such a lack of respect for our traditions, but there was a method to Shapiro's madness. You see, Shapiro had a goal in mind for his piece. It comes at its end: he takes the opportunity to bash Romney for politicizing the Pledge. Clearly, Irony is not Mr. Shapiro's strong-suit.
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On his NPR blog, Shapiro was thoroughly pleased with himself for imagining that a job was more important than his country, so much so that he thought enlightening the world with the debate on his Twitter account over his lack of patriotism was warranted.
The NPR reporter noted that at a recent Romney rally he was one of a few people who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. He proceeded to tweet about his disinterest in demonstrating loyalty to our flag and quickly found that many of his followers agreed with him.
Surely a (somewhat) public figure in American life wouldn't want to advertise such a lack of respect for our traditions, but there was a method to Shapiro's madness. You see, Shapiro had a goal in mind for his piece. It comes at its end: he takes the opportunity to bash Romney for politicizing the Pledge. Clearly, Irony is not Mr. Shapiro's strong-suit.
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UN Ambassador Says Libya Attack Was Spontaneous
A deadly assault on a U.S. consulate in Libya was a spontaneous reaction to an anti-Muslim video, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Sunday, even as Libya's president insisted the attackers spent months preparing and carefully choosing their date _ the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Unnerved by the rapidly escalating raid on Tuesday that claimed the life of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans, the Obama administration last week launched an investigation into whether terrorist groups had exploited outrage over an anti-Muslim video to trigger an attack long in the works.
Former Obama Supporters Form Group In Support Of Mitt Romney
Several high-profile former supporters of President Barack Obama in 2008 announced on Thursday they have now switched to Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.
The group launched a petition online on the day Obama addressed the Democratic National Convention, hammering home the point that Obama let down many Democrats and independents who believed in his rhetoric of hope and change in 2008.
Former NBA and UNLV Runnin' Rebel basketball player Greg Anthony and former Democratic Congressman Artur Davis join Ashley Bell, Hall County Commissioner, Jane Edmonds, former Massachusetts Secretary of Workforce Development, and Barney Bishop, Former Executive Director of the Florida Democratic Party, on the national leadership team.
"I am proud to have these Democrats and former Obama supporters with me as I work to restore this country to prosperity," Mitt Romney said in a statement. "I hope that every American, regardless of party affiliation, will join us in that effort."
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The group launched a petition online on the day Obama addressed the Democratic National Convention, hammering home the point that Obama let down many Democrats and independents who believed in his rhetoric of hope and change in 2008.
Former NBA and UNLV Runnin' Rebel basketball player Greg Anthony and former Democratic Congressman Artur Davis join Ashley Bell, Hall County Commissioner, Jane Edmonds, former Massachusetts Secretary of Workforce Development, and Barney Bishop, Former Executive Director of the Florida Democratic Party, on the national leadership team.
"I am proud to have these Democrats and former Obama supporters with me as I work to restore this country to prosperity," Mitt Romney said in a statement. "I hope that every American, regardless of party affiliation, will join us in that effort."
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A Revoltin' Development
The Old Post Office, located on Pennsylvania Avenue midway between the White House and the Capitol, is truly a national treasure. Completed in 1899, it is the premier public example of Richardsonian architecture and remains one of the few large original structures on the lower Avenue.
Its bells once tolled the opening session of each Congress, calling our representatives to put down their cocktails in the Willard bar and get to work.
This year, despite its standing as part of the National Parks, system, the government declared this beautiful, historic structure "surplus" and opened bids for private partners to take over the complex.
You will never guess who won.
Yes, this unique treasure of architecture and history will now be owned by none other than Donald Trump, he of the birth certificate obsession and unidentified roadkill topper.
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Eligibility Complaint Pulled Over 'Intimidation'
Kansas board reviewing Obama-ballot challenge left hanging by man's abrupt withdrawal
A state board in Kansas that had planned a hearing Monday to examine evidence of Barack Obama’s eligibility for the Oval Office was left in limbo today when the plaintiff, citing “animosity and intimidation,” abruptly withdrew his complaint.
According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, Joe Montgomery of Manhattan, Kan., had filed a complaint with the Kansas Objections Board asking that Obama’s name be removed.
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A state board in Kansas that had planned a hearing Monday to examine evidence of Barack Obama’s eligibility for the Oval Office was left in limbo today when the plaintiff, citing “animosity and intimidation,” abruptly withdrew his complaint.
According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, Joe Montgomery of Manhattan, Kan., had filed a complaint with the Kansas Objections Board asking that Obama’s name be removed.
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America 'Was Warned Of Embassy Attack But Did Nothing'
(The Independent) -- The killings of the US ambassador to Libya and three of his staff were likely to have been the result of a serious and continuing security breach, The Independent can reveal.
American officials believe the attack was planned, but Chris Stevens had been back in the country only a short while and the details of his visit to Benghazi, where he and his staff died, were meant to be confidential.
The US administration is now facing a crisis in Libya. Sensitive documents have gone missing from the consulate in Benghazi and the supposedly secret location of the "safe house" in the city, where the staff had retreated, came under sustained mortar attack. Other such refuges across the country are no longer deemed "safe".
Some of the missing papers from the consulate are said to list names of Libyans who are working with Americans, putting them potentially at risk from extremist groups, while some of the other documents are said to relate to oil contracts.
According to senior diplomatic sources, the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted, but no warnings were given for diplomats to go on high alert and "lockdown", under which movement is severely restricted.
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American officials believe the attack was planned, but Chris Stevens had been back in the country only a short while and the details of his visit to Benghazi, where he and his staff died, were meant to be confidential.
The US administration is now facing a crisis in Libya. Sensitive documents have gone missing from the consulate in Benghazi and the supposedly secret location of the "safe house" in the city, where the staff had retreated, came under sustained mortar attack. Other such refuges across the country are no longer deemed "safe".
Some of the missing papers from the consulate are said to list names of Libyans who are working with Americans, putting them potentially at risk from extremist groups, while some of the other documents are said to relate to oil contracts.
According to senior diplomatic sources, the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted, but no warnings were given for diplomats to go on high alert and "lockdown", under which movement is severely restricted.
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Hillary Clinton, Defender Of Infidelity And The Killers Of Infidels
Last year, Mrs. Clinton was inspired by the revolution in Libya and praised the rebels for "taking back their country." This year, when US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens' murdered corpse was desecrated in a manner reminiscent of how rebels treated the body of "we came, we saw, he died" Muammar Gaddafi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seemed shocked and confused.
Hillary Clinton, who must have been asking herself a similar "How can this happen" question when Bill was caught with his pants down in the Oval Office, responded to the crisis by asking "How can this happen in a country we help liberate, in a city (Benghazi) we helped save from destruction?" One would think that Mrs. Clinton would have learned by now that in certain situations, trust is not prudent and appreciation for loyalty, especially from those who've proved untrustworthy, is often not expressed with good behavior.
Much like her complicated and confounding pseudo-marriage, Clinton said that her question about Libya "reflects just how complicated, and at times, how confounding the world can be."
Wasn't it just last year that in a triumphant statement in response to the "liberation" of Libya, Clinton called the revolution that the US proudly assisted in "the work of ordinary, brave Libyans who demanded their freedoms and dignity." Clinton said, "The United States is proud to have supported them in those efforts, and we are committed to their future." Now we see that supporting those efforts have resulted in the murdering of benevolent ambassadors, the burning down of US embassies, and the threatening of American citizens?
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Hillary Clinton, who must have been asking herself a similar "How can this happen" question when Bill was caught with his pants down in the Oval Office, responded to the crisis by asking "How can this happen in a country we help liberate, in a city (Benghazi) we helped save from destruction?" One would think that Mrs. Clinton would have learned by now that in certain situations, trust is not prudent and appreciation for loyalty, especially from those who've proved untrustworthy, is often not expressed with good behavior.
Much like her complicated and confounding pseudo-marriage, Clinton said that her question about Libya "reflects just how complicated, and at times, how confounding the world can be."
Wasn't it just last year that in a triumphant statement in response to the "liberation" of Libya, Clinton called the revolution that the US proudly assisted in "the work of ordinary, brave Libyans who demanded their freedoms and dignity." Clinton said, "The United States is proud to have supported them in those efforts, and we are committed to their future." Now we see that supporting those efforts have resulted in the murdering of benevolent ambassadors, the burning down of US embassies, and the threatening of American citizens?
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CONSERVATIVE VICTORY PAC ENDORSES NANCY JACOBS FOR US CONGRESS AGAINST INCUMBENT RUPPERSBERGER
Baltimore, MD — At a well attended fundraiser hosted by Nicolee Ambrose, MDGOP National Committee Woman, Conservative Victory PAC (CVPAC) endorsed Nancy Jacobs to represent Maryland District 2 in the United States Congress against incumbent Dutch Ruppersberger. CVPAC was also one of the sponsors of tonight’s event.
Ruth Melson, CVPAC Treasurer, presented the endorsement, and remarked: “We need a true Conservative in the United States Congress who not just talks the talk, but walks the walk. We need a Conservative Woman in the United States Congress because the other side is waging a war on women. We need someone who will fight for Marylanders in the United States Congress and not machine politicians. Really, folks, we need Nancy Jacobs in the United States Congress.”
In an earlier speech, Nancy Jacobs commented: “When Maryland has corporate tax credits for everything from biodiesel to the film industry, I think there is no excuse to not support a tax credit for helping schools. It is good for students, good for businesses, and good for our community“. CVPAC could not agree more.
CVPAC supports Ms. Jacobs’s education reform agenda, including expansion of Charter Schools in failing school districts, means-tested tax credits for parents with children in religious schools and other private schools, and tax credits for Maryland businesses that invest in schools or hire graduates from local schools.
If you live or work in Maryland, you are raising children in Maryland, you own a Maryland business or a Maryland property and you really don’t want to relocate, CONSERVATIVE VICTORY PAC is a clarion Call to Action for You: Advocate, Participate, and Contribute!
Join our fight of a generation to keep what we hold dearly and what is very hard earned: Maryland Values and Maryland Way of Life. Join us to raise public awareness of the plight of Maryland in the stranglehold of machine politics. Join us to support high caliber Conservatives to elected office.
Ruth Melson, CVPAC Treasurer, presented the endorsement, and remarked: “We need a true Conservative in the United States Congress who not just talks the talk, but walks the walk. We need a Conservative Woman in the United States Congress because the other side is waging a war on women. We need someone who will fight for Marylanders in the United States Congress and not machine politicians. Really, folks, we need Nancy Jacobs in the United States Congress.”
In an earlier speech, Nancy Jacobs commented: “When Maryland has corporate tax credits for everything from biodiesel to the film industry, I think there is no excuse to not support a tax credit for helping schools. It is good for students, good for businesses, and good for our community“. CVPAC could not agree more.
CVPAC supports Ms. Jacobs’s education reform agenda, including expansion of Charter Schools in failing school districts, means-tested tax credits for parents with children in religious schools and other private schools, and tax credits for Maryland businesses that invest in schools or hire graduates from local schools.
If you live or work in Maryland, you are raising children in Maryland, you own a Maryland business or a Maryland property and you really don’t want to relocate, CONSERVATIVE VICTORY PAC is a clarion Call to Action for You: Advocate, Participate, and Contribute!
Join our fight of a generation to keep what we hold dearly and what is very hard earned: Maryland Values and Maryland Way of Life. Join us to raise public awareness of the plight of Maryland in the stranglehold of machine politics. Join us to support high caliber Conservatives to elected office.
OBAMACARE IMPACT IN THE REAL WORLD
Franchisors warn Obamacare will halve profits
The International Franchise Association held a convention in Washington this week where most of the Radio Shack, Dunkin Donuts, Curves and other franchisers were grumbling about new federal regulations, especially the impact of Obamacare.
Most, said Atlanta Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken franchiser David Barr, presumed that the reports about how hard Obamacare will hit them were overblown. “They had their head in the sand,” he told Secrets.
That is until he pulled out his powerpoint showing how funding Obamacare will cut his–and likely their–profits in half overnight. With simple math the small business folks understood, he spelled out that their only choice is to slash employee hours so they aren’t eligible for company-paid health care or stop offering insurance and pay the $2,000 per employee fine.
Barr has 23 stores with 421 employees, 109 of whom are full-time. Of those, he provides 30 with health insurance. Barr said he pays 81 percent of their Blue Cross Blue Shield policy, or $4,073 of $5,028 for individuals, more for families, for a total bill of $129,000 a year. Employees pay $995.
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The International Franchise Association held a convention in Washington this week where most of the Radio Shack, Dunkin Donuts, Curves and other franchisers were grumbling about new federal regulations, especially the impact of Obamacare.
Most, said Atlanta Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken franchiser David Barr, presumed that the reports about how hard Obamacare will hit them were overblown. “They had their head in the sand,” he told Secrets.
That is until he pulled out his powerpoint showing how funding Obamacare will cut his–and likely their–profits in half overnight. With simple math the small business folks understood, he spelled out that their only choice is to slash employee hours so they aren’t eligible for company-paid health care or stop offering insurance and pay the $2,000 per employee fine.
Barr has 23 stores with 421 employees, 109 of whom are full-time. Of those, he provides 30 with health insurance. Barr said he pays 81 percent of their Blue Cross Blue Shield policy, or $4,073 of $5,028 for individuals, more for families, for a total bill of $129,000 a year. Employees pay $995.
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Giant Panda Gives Birth At National Zoo
Mei Xiang, the National Zoo's female giant panda, gave birth to a cub Sunday night, the zoo says.
Staff at the zoo hasn't seen the cub yet, but can hear it.
"I'm cautiously optimistic as we haven't seen the cub yet, but we know that Mei is a good mother. Like everyone else, I'm glued to the panda cam for my first glimpse of the cub!" says Dennis Kelly, director at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, in a news release.
This Is Blowback
The YouTube video depicting Mohammed is nothing more than the straw that broke the camel’s back. This kind of violent uprising against American power and interests in the region has been a long time in the making. It is not just the continuation of drone strikes which often kill civilians in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Afghanistan, either. Nor is it the American invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Nor is it the United States and the West’s support for various deeply unpopular regimes such as the monarchies in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia (and formerly Iran). Nor is it that America has long favoured Israel over the Arab states, condemning, invading and fomenting revolution in Muslim nations for the pursuit of nuclear weapons while turning a blind eye to Israel’s nuclear weapons and its continued expansion into the West Bank.
Mark LeVine, Professor of Middle Eastern history at U.C. Irvine, writes: [13]
Americans and Europeans are no doubt looking at the protests over the “film”, recalling the even more violent protests during the Danish cartoon affair, and shaking their heads one more at the seeming irrationality and backwardness of Muslims, who would let a work of “art”, particularly one as trivial as this, drive them to mass protests and violence.
Yet Muslims in Egypt, Libya and around the world equally look at American actions, from sanctions against and then an invasion of Iraq that killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and sent the country back to the Stone Age, to unflinching support for Israel and all the Arab authoritarian regimes (secular and royal alike) and drone strikes that always seem to kill unintended civilians “by mistake”, and wonder with equal bewilderment how “we” can be so barbaric and uncivilised.
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Mark LeVine, Professor of Middle Eastern history at U.C. Irvine, writes: [13]
Americans and Europeans are no doubt looking at the protests over the “film”, recalling the even more violent protests during the Danish cartoon affair, and shaking their heads one more at the seeming irrationality and backwardness of Muslims, who would let a work of “art”, particularly one as trivial as this, drive them to mass protests and violence.
Yet Muslims in Egypt, Libya and around the world equally look at American actions, from sanctions against and then an invasion of Iraq that killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and sent the country back to the Stone Age, to unflinching support for Israel and all the Arab authoritarian regimes (secular and royal alike) and drone strikes that always seem to kill unintended civilians “by mistake”, and wonder with equal bewilderment how “we” can be so barbaric and uncivilised.
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