It now appears that the nanny government is attempting to regulate how much food a model eats.
Now this is just getting ridiculous-
Fearing that young models strutting down the runways in New York City are too skinny, a state lawmaker proposes that weight standards be established for the fashion and entertainment industries.
Bronx Assemblyman Jose Rivera wants to create a state advisory board to recommend standards and guidelines for the employment of child performers and models under the age of 18 to prevent eating disorders.
continued...
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
This picture could be used against them...
My guess is that this photo will be used against both of these candidates for President by their primary opponents...
Monday, January 29, 2007
Anti-war protesters spray paint Capitol building
The police just sat back and let these anti-war protesters do whatever they wanted to do...
Anti-war protesters were allowed to spray paint on part of the west front steps of the United States Capitol building after police were ordered to break their security line by their leadership, two sources told The Hill.
According to the sources, police officers were livid when they were told to fall back by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Chief Phillip Morse and Deputy Chief Daniel Nichols. "They were the commanders on the scene," one source said, who requested anonymity. "It was disgusting."
After police ceded the stairs, located on the lower west front of the Capitol, the building was locked down, the source added.
A second source who witnessed the incident said that the police had the crowd stopped at Third Street, but were told to bring the police line in front of the Capitol.
Approximately 300 protesters were allowed to take the steps and began to spray paint "anarchist symbols" and phrase such as "Our capitol building" and "you can’t stop us" around the area, the source said.
Morse responded to these claims in an e-mail Sunday afternoon explaining that the protesters were seeking confrontation with the police.
"While there were minor instances of spray painting of pavement by a splinter group of Anarchists who were seeking a confrontation with the police, their attempts to breach into secure areas and rush the doors of the Capitol were thwarted," Morse said. "The graffiti was easily removed by the dedicated [Architect of the Capitol] staff, some of whom responded on their day off to quickly clean the area."
He added, "It is the USCP's duty and responsibility to protect the Capitol complex, staff and public while allowing the public to exercise their First Amendment rights … at the end of the day, both occurred without injury to protestors or officers."
Yet, the sources who talked to The Hill were furious that protesters were not stopped before reaching the Capitol.
"To get that close to the Capitol building, that is ridiculous," the second source said. "[Police] were told not to arrest anyone."
The second source added that police had to stand by and watch as protesters posed in front of their graffiti.
Tens of thousands of people rallied on the Mall and the Capitol complex Saturday in protest of the increased troop deployments and the war in Iraq.
If a person spray paints on a bridge, we arrest them for defacing public property. However, if a anti-war protesting anarchist decides to deface property that belongs to all taxpayers, that is considered free speech.
Huh?
I am pretty sure that my tax dollars pays Mr. Morse's and Mr. Nichol's salary. Why have they not been terminated?
Anti-war protesters were allowed to spray paint on part of the west front steps of the United States Capitol building after police were ordered to break their security line by their leadership, two sources told The Hill.
According to the sources, police officers were livid when they were told to fall back by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Chief Phillip Morse and Deputy Chief Daniel Nichols. "They were the commanders on the scene," one source said, who requested anonymity. "It was disgusting."
After police ceded the stairs, located on the lower west front of the Capitol, the building was locked down, the source added.
A second source who witnessed the incident said that the police had the crowd stopped at Third Street, but were told to bring the police line in front of the Capitol.
Approximately 300 protesters were allowed to take the steps and began to spray paint "anarchist symbols" and phrase such as "Our capitol building" and "you can’t stop us" around the area, the source said.
Morse responded to these claims in an e-mail Sunday afternoon explaining that the protesters were seeking confrontation with the police.
"While there were minor instances of spray painting of pavement by a splinter group of Anarchists who were seeking a confrontation with the police, their attempts to breach into secure areas and rush the doors of the Capitol were thwarted," Morse said. "The graffiti was easily removed by the dedicated [Architect of the Capitol] staff, some of whom responded on their day off to quickly clean the area."
He added, "It is the USCP's duty and responsibility to protect the Capitol complex, staff and public while allowing the public to exercise their First Amendment rights … at the end of the day, both occurred without injury to protestors or officers."
Yet, the sources who talked to The Hill were furious that protesters were not stopped before reaching the Capitol.
"To get that close to the Capitol building, that is ridiculous," the second source said. "[Police] were told not to arrest anyone."
The second source added that police had to stand by and watch as protesters posed in front of their graffiti.
Tens of thousands of people rallied on the Mall and the Capitol complex Saturday in protest of the increased troop deployments and the war in Iraq.
If a person spray paints on a bridge, we arrest them for defacing public property. However, if a anti-war protesting anarchist decides to deface property that belongs to all taxpayers, that is considered free speech.
Huh?
I am pretty sure that my tax dollars pays Mr. Morse's and Mr. Nichol's salary. Why have they not been terminated?
It's a drag being in charge
More "culture of corruption" issues for the Democrats. Suddenly, these guys find themselves on the hot seat-
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Rahm Emanuel and Sen. Evan Bayh find themselves in hot water-
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and two other prominent Democrats have failed to disclose they are officers of family charities, in violation of a law requiring members of Congress to report non-profit leadership roles, USA Today reported in its Monday editions.
Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the fourth-ranking House Democrat, and Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana also did not report they serve as family foundation directors, according to financial disclosure reports examined by USA TODAY.
continued...
Isn't Evan Bayh running for President???
Senator Reid also finds himself in more trouble AGAIN for some land deals-
It's hard to buy undeveloped land in booming northern Arizona for $166 an acre. But now-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid effectively did just that when a longtime friend decided to sell property owned by the employee pension fund that he controlled.
continued...
I cannot believe that these are the same goofs that Americans are trusting to fix the ethical problems in Congress.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Rahm Emanuel and Sen. Evan Bayh find themselves in hot water-
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and two other prominent Democrats have failed to disclose they are officers of family charities, in violation of a law requiring members of Congress to report non-profit leadership roles, USA Today reported in its Monday editions.
Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the fourth-ranking House Democrat, and Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana also did not report they serve as family foundation directors, according to financial disclosure reports examined by USA TODAY.
continued...
Isn't Evan Bayh running for President???
Senator Reid also finds himself in more trouble AGAIN for some land deals-
It's hard to buy undeveloped land in booming northern Arizona for $166 an acre. But now-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid effectively did just that when a longtime friend decided to sell property owned by the employee pension fund that he controlled.
continued...
I cannot believe that these are the same goofs that Americans are trusting to fix the ethical problems in Congress.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Wisconsinites are being over taxed???
Well, no kidding- of course Wisconsinites are being overtaxed.
It is finally starting to dawn on people that assessment values on property are way higher than they should be.
Taxing times for homeowners
For years, taxpayers have been complaining about this. The assessed value of their homes is way higher than the re-sale value of your home-
"Our townhouse in Wauwatosa, on the market for eight months, was reassessed at $391,000 last summer," Boyce said. "Our asking price, after being lowered twice, is now $349,900 and still we have not received any legitimate offers. Assessments are completely out of whack with values."
Because of these outrageous assessments, we are being overtaxed. You gotta love this statement:
"It's not that big of a deal for the most part because probably everybody is valued higher. But to the extent that one area is declining more than the others, you might get distortions. Those residents might be overtaxed slightly," Knapp said.
Overtaxed slightly???
It is finally starting to dawn on people that assessment values on property are way higher than they should be.
Taxing times for homeowners
For years, taxpayers have been complaining about this. The assessed value of their homes is way higher than the re-sale value of your home-
"Our townhouse in Wauwatosa, on the market for eight months, was reassessed at $391,000 last summer," Boyce said. "Our asking price, after being lowered twice, is now $349,900 and still we have not received any legitimate offers. Assessments are completely out of whack with values."
Because of these outrageous assessments, we are being overtaxed. You gotta love this statement:
"It's not that big of a deal for the most part because probably everybody is valued higher. But to the extent that one area is declining more than the others, you might get distortions. Those residents might be overtaxed slightly," Knapp said.
Overtaxed slightly???
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Conservatives fight back!
So have you had enough of Senator Chuck Hagel?
I support our troops and winning the war in Iraq.
Despite what the media may be touting, Chuck Hagel does not represent Republicans or our values!
Fight back by signing this pledge that states:
If the United States Senate passes a resolution, non-binding or otherwise, that criticizes the commitment of additional troops to Iraq that General Petraeus has asked for and that the president has pledged, and if the Senate does so after the testimony of General Petraeus on January 23 that such a resolution will be an encouragement to the enemy, I will not contribute to any Republican senator who voted for the resolution. Further, if any Republican senator who votes for such a resolution is a candidate for re-election in 2008, I will not contribute to the National Republican Senatorial Committee unless the Chairman of that Committee, Senator Ensign, commits in writing that none of the funds of the NRSC will go to support the re-election of any senator supporting the non-binding resolution.
Sign the Pledge here: http://www.thenrscpledge.com//index.php
I support our troops and winning the war in Iraq.
Despite what the media may be touting, Chuck Hagel does not represent Republicans or our values!
Fight back by signing this pledge that states:
If the United States Senate passes a resolution, non-binding or otherwise, that criticizes the commitment of additional troops to Iraq that General Petraeus has asked for and that the president has pledged, and if the Senate does so after the testimony of General Petraeus on January 23 that such a resolution will be an encouragement to the enemy, I will not contribute to any Republican senator who voted for the resolution. Further, if any Republican senator who votes for such a resolution is a candidate for re-election in 2008, I will not contribute to the National Republican Senatorial Committee unless the Chairman of that Committee, Senator Ensign, commits in writing that none of the funds of the NRSC will go to support the re-election of any senator supporting the non-binding resolution.
Sign the Pledge here: http://www.thenrscpledge.com//index.php
Friday, January 26, 2007
Feingold to propose cutting off all war funds
In typical Feingold fashion, he says he supports the troops, at the same time he is proposing cutting off funding for the troops.
Feingold suggests cutting off funds for war
And Feingold is not just suggesting not funding the so-called "surge", he wants all the funds cut!
Feingold's comments came a day after President Bush announced his plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq.
"And I'm not talking here only about the surge or escalation," Feingold said.
Beginning next week, Feingold plans on holding hearings-
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., has scheduled a hearing next Tuesday in his Judiciary Committee subcommittee to explore whether Congress has the authority to cut off funding for the U.S. military campaign in Iraq. The move comes as Congress prepares to vote on a congressional resolution opposing President Bush's escalation of the war.
Speaking of a surge or an escalations- Feingold's hatred for Bush has now "surged" and "escalated" to the next level.
Feingold suggests cutting off funds for war
And Feingold is not just suggesting not funding the so-called "surge", he wants all the funds cut!
Feingold's comments came a day after President Bush announced his plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq.
"And I'm not talking here only about the surge or escalation," Feingold said.
Beginning next week, Feingold plans on holding hearings-
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., has scheduled a hearing next Tuesday in his Judiciary Committee subcommittee to explore whether Congress has the authority to cut off funding for the U.S. military campaign in Iraq. The move comes as Congress prepares to vote on a congressional resolution opposing President Bush's escalation of the war.
Speaking of a surge or an escalations- Feingold's hatred for Bush has now "surged" and "escalated" to the next level.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Total Bummer
Well this is a total bummer-
Kerry bows out of '08 presidential race
I am going to miss making fun of Kerry.
Here are a few photos, that I picked up from Free Republic, that we have had fun with over the last few years-
Kerry bows out of '08 presidential race
I am going to miss making fun of Kerry.
Here are a few photos, that I picked up from Free Republic, that we have had fun with over the last few years-
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
A couple of observations
I missed most of the President's SOTU speech. However, I have picked up a few clips here and there on the news and some websites.
A few observations:
Winning the elections in November has not changed the mood of the Democrats. Did you see the looks on their faces? The anger, hatred and rage of the Democrats was on display loud and clear last night.
From what I saw, no one in the room smiled more than President Bush.
For a live reaction- Jessica McBride live blogged the SOTU.
A few observations:
Winning the elections in November has not changed the mood of the Democrats. Did you see the looks on their faces? The anger, hatred and rage of the Democrats was on display loud and clear last night.
From what I saw, no one in the room smiled more than President Bush.
For a live reaction- Jessica McBride live blogged the SOTU.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Could someone do me a favor?
The State of the Union is on soon and I need a favor.
I could have sworn that I saw my very own Senator, Herb Kohl, taking a cat nap during one of the President's State of the Union speeches.
Could someone just keep elbowing Senator Kohl to keep him awake?
I mean really, it is awful embarrassing, even if these speeches are boring.
I could have sworn that I saw my very own Senator, Herb Kohl, taking a cat nap during one of the President's State of the Union speeches.
Could someone just keep elbowing Senator Kohl to keep him awake?
I mean really, it is awful embarrassing, even if these speeches are boring.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Continued prayers for Scott Procknow and family
My heart goes out to all of the family and friends of Scott Procknow, a biology teacher at Tremper High School.
His wife and family lost a good man.
The Kenosha community lost a good teacher and mentor for our children.
I think most of you who read this blog understand how I feel about drinking and driving. I just don't know what else to say.
The life of a innocent schoolteacher was taken by a drunk driver.
When does the nightmare of drinking and driving end?
His wife and family lost a good man.
The Kenosha community lost a good teacher and mentor for our children.
I think most of you who read this blog understand how I feel about drinking and driving. I just don't know what else to say.
The life of a innocent schoolteacher was taken by a drunk driver.
When does the nightmare of drinking and driving end?
Obama vs. Hillary
I read an article in Insight Magazine that has the fingerprints of Hillary all over it-
Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a Madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage?
This is the question Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s camp is asking about Sen. Barack Obama.
Of course, several days after this article came out, the Hillary camp is denying that they are the ones digging up the dirt on Obama. Instead, Republicans are being blamed for leaking this information in a Times Online article-
But the article also claimed that the madrassa allegations came from aides to Hillary Clinton, Mr Obama’s main opponent for the Democratic nomination.
This may be wishful thinking on behalf of Republicans. The Clinton camp is determined not to be accused of digging dirt on Mr Obama because they fear such tactics could backfire, given his popularity.
But the Insight allegations represent an exquisite double shot at the Democrats’ two leading White House contenders: it implies that Mr Obama, whose middle name is Hussein, is a closet Islamic extremist, and that Mrs Clinton is so rattled by his candidacy she is using underhand tactics to weaken him.
Of course, Insight Magazine's article is full of un-named sources. It is impossible to know where this information came from.
When Hillary made her claim- "I'm in to win", this was her first warning shot to her Democratic opponents.
Obama's supporters need to heed these words of warning. Hillary is serious about winning.
In the meantime, Hillary will continue to claim that it is the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" making all of this up.
Those of us that are part of the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" can sit back and watch this battle in the Democratic Party unfold.
Obama vs. Hillary
Oh boy, this is going to be alot of fun to watch.
Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a Madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage?
This is the question Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s camp is asking about Sen. Barack Obama.
Of course, several days after this article came out, the Hillary camp is denying that they are the ones digging up the dirt on Obama. Instead, Republicans are being blamed for leaking this information in a Times Online article-
But the article also claimed that the madrassa allegations came from aides to Hillary Clinton, Mr Obama’s main opponent for the Democratic nomination.
This may be wishful thinking on behalf of Republicans. The Clinton camp is determined not to be accused of digging dirt on Mr Obama because they fear such tactics could backfire, given his popularity.
But the Insight allegations represent an exquisite double shot at the Democrats’ two leading White House contenders: it implies that Mr Obama, whose middle name is Hussein, is a closet Islamic extremist, and that Mrs Clinton is so rattled by his candidacy she is using underhand tactics to weaken him.
Of course, Insight Magazine's article is full of un-named sources. It is impossible to know where this information came from.
When Hillary made her claim- "I'm in to win", this was her first warning shot to her Democratic opponents.
Obama's supporters need to heed these words of warning. Hillary is serious about winning.
In the meantime, Hillary will continue to claim that it is the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" making all of this up.
Those of us that are part of the "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" can sit back and watch this battle in the Democratic Party unfold.
Obama vs. Hillary
Oh boy, this is going to be alot of fun to watch.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Hillary's In.
Hillary Clinton made it official today, she has entered the race for president in 2008.
Oddly enough, Hillary is claiming- "I'm In to Win!".
Well, duh? Of course she is in to win.
My guess is that all of the presidential candidates are "in to win". I have yet to hear one single candidate claim they are "in to lose". Duh!
Oddly enough, Hillary is claiming- "I'm In to Win!".
Well, duh? Of course she is in to win.
My guess is that all of the presidential candidates are "in to win". I have yet to hear one single candidate claim they are "in to lose". Duh!
Friday, January 19, 2007
Teacher's merit pay
I still have not been able to figure out why the teacher's unions are so "anti-merit" pay.
You would think that improving the education of a child would be a good thing in the eyes of a teacher's union.
The Opinion Journal has a article on teacher's merit pay. As it turns out the "merit pay" program is working in Little Rock.
Is there a bigger scandal in America than the low state of inner-city schools? Oprah Winfrey, utterly frustrated with the problem, last month discussed the $40 million she has spent building the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls--in South Africa. Ms. Winfrey said South African students want to learn, but in U.S. schools, "the sense that you need to learn just isn't there." Where'd it go?
There are multiple-choice answers to that question, and most of them are right. Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York offered one answer in his State of the City speech Wednesday: The desire to learn disappeared down the bottomless well of centralized public-school bureaucracies. Mayor Bloomberg proposed greatly increased autonomy for school principals--one irrefutably proven answer to making a school better. He also wants teachers to prove they deserve tenure, an idea so obvious that it probably has no chance.
One measure of the tenure decision for New York City teachers would be their students' test scores. News accounts said the city teachers' union is "certain to fight" linking test scores to tenure. This, too, is among the multitude of correct answers for why students have no incentive to learn in big-city schools.
Mike Bloomberg, a name difficult to keep out of conversations about national politics, has been known to make visits elsewhere in the country on what we political gamesters would call "exploratory" trips. Let me suggest that the mayor explore a Southern strategy in Little Rock, Ark., where five grade schools are continuing an experiment in linking teacher merit pay to student test scores, first described in this space in October 2005.
That column, "How One School Found a Way to Spell Success," described how teachers at the Meadowcliff School, formerly full of student underachievers, were promised bonuses linked to improvements in the standardized test performance of each student. (The column is available on OpinionJournal here.) The size of the bonus increased relative to the student's year-over-year test gains. A 4% improvement earned a $100 bonus, rising to $400 if the student gained 15% (some did). Everyone in the school was in the bonus plan, including the cafeteria ladies, who started eating with the kids rather than in their own lounge. It worked. Scores improved. Twelve teachers got bonuses from $1,800 to $8,600. The checks were handed out in a public ceremony. Oprah would love Meadowcliff.
continued...
You would think that improving the education of a child would be a good thing in the eyes of a teacher's union.
The Opinion Journal has a article on teacher's merit pay. As it turns out the "merit pay" program is working in Little Rock.
Is there a bigger scandal in America than the low state of inner-city schools? Oprah Winfrey, utterly frustrated with the problem, last month discussed the $40 million she has spent building the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls--in South Africa. Ms. Winfrey said South African students want to learn, but in U.S. schools, "the sense that you need to learn just isn't there." Where'd it go?
There are multiple-choice answers to that question, and most of them are right. Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York offered one answer in his State of the City speech Wednesday: The desire to learn disappeared down the bottomless well of centralized public-school bureaucracies. Mayor Bloomberg proposed greatly increased autonomy for school principals--one irrefutably proven answer to making a school better. He also wants teachers to prove they deserve tenure, an idea so obvious that it probably has no chance.
One measure of the tenure decision for New York City teachers would be their students' test scores. News accounts said the city teachers' union is "certain to fight" linking test scores to tenure. This, too, is among the multitude of correct answers for why students have no incentive to learn in big-city schools.
Mike Bloomberg, a name difficult to keep out of conversations about national politics, has been known to make visits elsewhere in the country on what we political gamesters would call "exploratory" trips. Let me suggest that the mayor explore a Southern strategy in Little Rock, Ark., where five grade schools are continuing an experiment in linking teacher merit pay to student test scores, first described in this space in October 2005.
That column, "How One School Found a Way to Spell Success," described how teachers at the Meadowcliff School, formerly full of student underachievers, were promised bonuses linked to improvements in the standardized test performance of each student. (The column is available on OpinionJournal here.) The size of the bonus increased relative to the student's year-over-year test gains. A 4% improvement earned a $100 bonus, rising to $400 if the student gained 15% (some did). Everyone in the school was in the bonus plan, including the cafeteria ladies, who started eating with the kids rather than in their own lounge. It worked. Scores improved. Twelve teachers got bonuses from $1,800 to $8,600. The checks were handed out in a public ceremony. Oprah would love Meadowcliff.
continued...
Thursday, January 18, 2007
You gotta just love the Drudge Report...
Sometimes I just love the Drudge Report. Currently up on their site they have the following blaring headline:
Pelosi announces 'Global Warming' Panel
Here is the photo that accompanied this headline:
Perhaps Pelosi should have announced a panel on the 'Citrus Growers Crisis' before announcing a "Global Warming" panel.
It makes you wonder what Nancy Pelosi's own homestate constituents think about her right now as they watch millions and millions of dollars in frozen citrus crops die.
Of course the taxpayers will have to pay for government's mistake
I don't think there was any doubt in anyone's mind that the taxpayers would have to pay for this governmental mistake-
State taxpayers likely will have to pitch in hundreds of thousands of dollars - and perhaps much more - to provide credit monitoring to help protect the 171,000 people whose Social Security numbers inadvertently were printed on the outside of tax booklets.
If everyone affected signed up for the credit monitoring, it would cost taxpayers more than $4 million, but state officials said the bill would be lower than that. They cited examples of security breaches elsewhere that suggested taxpayers would have to pay at most $232,000.
This is why Americans are so frustrated with our government. Government's mistakes cost us alot of money.
State taxpayers likely will have to pitch in hundreds of thousands of dollars - and perhaps much more - to provide credit monitoring to help protect the 171,000 people whose Social Security numbers inadvertently were printed on the outside of tax booklets.
If everyone affected signed up for the credit monitoring, it would cost taxpayers more than $4 million, but state officials said the bill would be lower than that. They cited examples of security breaches elsewhere that suggested taxpayers would have to pay at most $232,000.
This is why Americans are so frustrated with our government. Government's mistakes cost us alot of money.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
One Last Holiday Party to close out the Season!
Kenosha County Republican Women
Postponed due to pending inclement weather.
Rescheduled for late April or late May as a "Spring Fling"!
Details to follow!
Due Thursday @ Noon: Responses to Kenosha News Focus Question
I just wanted to give everyone a head's up that your responses to this week's Kenosha News focus question is due in by Thursday at noon.
Let your voices be heard!
This week's Kenosha News question is:
President Bush last week said he will send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, despite the growing unpopularity of the war.
Do you think increasing the commitment of troops to the war in Iraq is a good idea or not?
That will be the topic for Sunday’s Focus Page.
Share your opinion by calling the Kenosha News Focus Line, 656-6205 or (800) 201-6523, or by sending an e-mail to focus@ kenoshanews.com. Please be concise and give your age, gender and town of residence. Responses will be accepted until noon Thursday.
You do not have to give your name, just your age, gender and town of residence.
To those folks that do not live in Kenosha County, the Kenosha News also prints these responses also.
Let your voices be heard!
This week's Kenosha News question is:
President Bush last week said he will send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, despite the growing unpopularity of the war.
Do you think increasing the commitment of troops to the war in Iraq is a good idea or not?
That will be the topic for Sunday’s Focus Page.
Share your opinion by calling the Kenosha News Focus Line, 656-6205 or (800) 201-6523, or by sending an e-mail to focus@ kenoshanews.com. Please be concise and give your age, gender and town of residence. Responses will be accepted until noon Thursday.
You do not have to give your name, just your age, gender and town of residence.
To those folks that do not live in Kenosha County, the Kenosha News also prints these responses also.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Whoa!
Apparently there are some folks who are not real appreciative of the fact that the newly elected Congressman, Steve Kagen, is lying.
Barely two weeks into office and the campaigns to oust Kagen have already begun.
I was floored when I read this editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-
Democrat Steve Kagen, the Appleton allergist elected in November to succeed Mark Green in the 8th Congressional District, is again in political hot water because of something he said. Or, to be more specific, something he told some supporters he said during a reception at the White House.
But the fact is that it's not clear exactly what was said because Kagen apparently was making much of it up. The behavior, odd beyond question, calls into question both Kagen's judgment and maturity.
It started when Kagen met with a group of anti-Iraq war activists Dec. 19 in Appleton. His comments were reported in the January issue of The Scene, a monthly Fox Valley arts tabloid under the headline, "Kagen introduces a little levity to the White House."
Among other things, Kagen told the group after talking about Iraq that he confronted presidential adviser Karl Rove in a White House men's room, blocked his exit and said, "My name's Dr. Multimillionaire, and I kicked your ass." He was apparently referring to besting a GOP candidate for whom members of the administration, including President Bush, had personally campaigned.
He also related how he deliberately insulted Laura Bush by greeting her as "Barbara" when Kagen and his wife later met the president and the first lady.
Did that actually happen? Depends on what part you're referring to.
Kagen told reporters at a news conference Sunday in Green Bay - and his communications director repeated it Tuesday - that Kagen did not insult the first lady, that he and his wife were thrilled to meet the president and his wife and "at no time was any disrespect shown on anyone's part."
OK, so why did he say it happened?
Asked by the Fox Valley newspaper and TV reporters if he confronted Rove and told him he "kicked his ass" in the election, Kagen was evasive: "I didn't block the door, but I did have a very playful experience in the White House," Kagen said.
When reporters rightly pressed Kagen for a more definitive answer, he appeared to become annoyed and said the media should focus on serious matters such as the war in Iraq.
When we asked about the Rove incident Tuesday, Kagen's communications director declined to comment.
A deputy White House press secretary told the Appleton Post-Crescent last week that Kagen's "version of events is not the way it happened at all."
Assuming Kagen wants to deal seriously with substantive matters, why make up such a silly story? And why decline to say exactly what he told Rove?
The congressman owes his constituents an explanation, but bottom line: The incident raises sobering questions about Kagen. Especially in light of other things he has said, namely his use of a racially insensitive term for American Indians during the campaign.
"I'm not there for playful experiences at the White House," Kagen said at Sunday's news conference. "I'm there to get a job done."
Time to start, Congressman.
Barely two weeks into office and the campaigns to oust Kagen have already begun.
I was floored when I read this editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-
Democrat Steve Kagen, the Appleton allergist elected in November to succeed Mark Green in the 8th Congressional District, is again in political hot water because of something he said. Or, to be more specific, something he told some supporters he said during a reception at the White House.
But the fact is that it's not clear exactly what was said because Kagen apparently was making much of it up. The behavior, odd beyond question, calls into question both Kagen's judgment and maturity.
It started when Kagen met with a group of anti-Iraq war activists Dec. 19 in Appleton. His comments were reported in the January issue of The Scene, a monthly Fox Valley arts tabloid under the headline, "Kagen introduces a little levity to the White House."
Among other things, Kagen told the group after talking about Iraq that he confronted presidential adviser Karl Rove in a White House men's room, blocked his exit and said, "My name's Dr. Multimillionaire, and I kicked your ass." He was apparently referring to besting a GOP candidate for whom members of the administration, including President Bush, had personally campaigned.
He also related how he deliberately insulted Laura Bush by greeting her as "Barbara" when Kagen and his wife later met the president and the first lady.
Did that actually happen? Depends on what part you're referring to.
Kagen told reporters at a news conference Sunday in Green Bay - and his communications director repeated it Tuesday - that Kagen did not insult the first lady, that he and his wife were thrilled to meet the president and his wife and "at no time was any disrespect shown on anyone's part."
OK, so why did he say it happened?
Asked by the Fox Valley newspaper and TV reporters if he confronted Rove and told him he "kicked his ass" in the election, Kagen was evasive: "I didn't block the door, but I did have a very playful experience in the White House," Kagen said.
When reporters rightly pressed Kagen for a more definitive answer, he appeared to become annoyed and said the media should focus on serious matters such as the war in Iraq.
When we asked about the Rove incident Tuesday, Kagen's communications director declined to comment.
A deputy White House press secretary told the Appleton Post-Crescent last week that Kagen's "version of events is not the way it happened at all."
Assuming Kagen wants to deal seriously with substantive matters, why make up such a silly story? And why decline to say exactly what he told Rove?
The congressman owes his constituents an explanation, but bottom line: The incident raises sobering questions about Kagen. Especially in light of other things he has said, namely his use of a racially insensitive term for American Indians during the campaign.
"I'm not there for playful experiences at the White House," Kagen said at Sunday's news conference. "I'm there to get a job done."
Time to start, Congressman.
Our Congressman Paul Ryan
Yesterday, the Kenosha News did an excellent write up on the front page of the Kenosha News.
As many of you have noticed- I have stopped linking to stories written in the Kenosha News. The reason is that the Kenosha News did not allow linking to their stories.
Currently, the Kenosha News is exploring a new beta program online. I scanned around looking for the "no linking" policy and I could not find it.
So I am hoping that it is okay to link to the Paul Ryan story-
WASHINGTON - As Paul Ryan strolls into the Longworth House Office Building early one morning last week, he looks like he could still pass for a member of the legion of young, post-college congressional staffers who populate Capitol Hill.
With freshly combed hair, a boyish face and a pair of little white iPod buds planted in his ears, Ryan looks like he wasn't even born when many of Congress' senior members had already become leaders.
He wasn't.
Now 36, Ryan was in the womb when the dean of Wisconsin's congressional delegation, Democratic Rep. Dave Obey, was first elected. Ryan was a third-grader when the state's senior-most Republican, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, took office.
Some members of the baby-boom generation - which Ryan frequently references in making his case to reform Social Security - are old enough to be his parents.
But looks and dates don't necessarily tell the story of a fifth-term congressman, safe in his seat and well respected by colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
By the end of the current term, Ryan, a Republican, will have spent a decade representing the Kenosha area in the House of Representatives.
Well-respected
In that time, his peers say, Ryan has established solid conservative credentials and a reputation as a well-thought-out source - some say the White House sometimes consults him - on such complex, divisive issues as the federal budget and Social Security reform.
"He is certainly one who my colleagues look to for good research, good information," said Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La., the ranking GOP member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Ryan has served a few terms on the powerful Ways and Means panel, and he was recently named the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee. To gain the latter post, Ryan leapfrogged 12 more senior Republicans on that committee.
Republicans and Democrats alike say those achievements are indicative of Ryan's drive and intellect."He's really very highly regarded on the Hill," said Sensenbrenner, who claims to be something of a mentor for Ryan.
"He has a lot of ideas; he has an infectious enthusiasm."
Sensenbrenner said that enthusiasm was once perhaps not a positive attribute.
Ryan took office in January 1999, when he was 28 years old.
A seasoned Capitol Hill staffer before he returned home to Janesville to seek election to Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District seat, Ryan had a tendency to come off as a made-to-order Washington policy wonk.
"When he started out, I think a lot people viewed him as a brash young kid," Sensenbrenner said. "When I started out, I think a lot of people said the same thing about me."
But, Sensenbrenner said, Ryan has grown further into his role with each re-election.Those haven't been a problem for Ryan - he's averaged about 66 percent of the vote in each of his biennial bids since 2000.
Even last year, when Democrats swept out the Republican majority, Ryan easily defeated Jeffrey Thomas, garnering 63 percent of the vote.Many of those national Republican losses were chalked up to widespread concern about the ethical quality of Congress.
Ryan, Sensenbrenner said, is the antithesis of a backroom dealmaker."He is a mover and a shaker, but basically he uses his ideas to move and shake things," Sensenbrenner said.
While they may disagree with him on most key issues - Ryan voted against all of the Democrats' "First 100 Hours" agenda items that hit the floor last week - Democratic representatives interviewed last week were not inclined to say anything bad about him.
Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., the new chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said he looks forward to reaching across partisan lines to work with Ryan.
"He's a bright young man, and it's not unusual for the committee to get the brightest that we have in the House," Rangel said.
Rep. Tammy Baldwin, a Madison Democrat whose politics could not likely be farther from Ryan's, said Ryan is a person of significant political talent.
With a gradfatherly smile, Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., called Ryan simply "a good fellow."
Ryan said he has no trouble liking those with whom he disagrees. He said he genuinely enjoys the company of Democrats such as Rangel, Baldwin and Milwaukee Rep. Gwen Moore, and he once brought one of Congress' most notoriously left-leaning representatives, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, to Racine for a hearing on reformulated fuels.
Ryan said he does not consider himself an ideologue.
"I'm not out leading the crusade for polarizing issues or right-wing or left-wing celebrity issues," Ryan said. "I'm out there trying to fix the problems that confront the people of southeastern Wisconsin.
To be sure, Ryan paints that picture with a consistently conservative brush.
"I think Paul Ryan is a reliable Republican vote," said McCrery, of the Ways and Means Committee.
"I think his philosophy is pretty in line with most Republicans."Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., a frequent ally of Ryan's, qualified this point, however.
"Although he's a conservative, I think he's viewed as a reasoned conservative who carefully thinks out his views and articulates them well," said Shadegg, who Ryan last year championed for the House Republican leader post that ultimately went to Ohio Rep. John Boehner.
Ryan said his top priorities for the new session - the first in which he will have to work in the minority - revolve around balancing the budget, preparing for the onset of baby-boomer retirements and reforming health care to make it more accessible, affordable and transparent.
As for his political future, Ryan simply says he would like to stay in Congress long enough to make a difference, though he does not offer a likely timetable. Whenever he's done in the House, he says he'll move on to the private sector.
Meanwhile, he dismisses rumblings about his possibly running for Senate, Wisconsin governor or - as an occasional insider suggests - president.
"I don't see this as my full career," Ryan said, of politics. "I see myself doing something - I don't know what it is " for the second half of my working life."
This article was written by Kenosha News writer, Joe Potente, as part of a series on the new Congress' first 100 hours.
Potente has proven himself to be fair to both sides of the ailse, which many of us appreciate.
As many of you have noticed- I have stopped linking to stories written in the Kenosha News. The reason is that the Kenosha News did not allow linking to their stories.
Currently, the Kenosha News is exploring a new beta program online. I scanned around looking for the "no linking" policy and I could not find it.
So I am hoping that it is okay to link to the Paul Ryan story-
WASHINGTON - As Paul Ryan strolls into the Longworth House Office Building early one morning last week, he looks like he could still pass for a member of the legion of young, post-college congressional staffers who populate Capitol Hill.
With freshly combed hair, a boyish face and a pair of little white iPod buds planted in his ears, Ryan looks like he wasn't even born when many of Congress' senior members had already become leaders.
He wasn't.
Now 36, Ryan was in the womb when the dean of Wisconsin's congressional delegation, Democratic Rep. Dave Obey, was first elected. Ryan was a third-grader when the state's senior-most Republican, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, took office.
Some members of the baby-boom generation - which Ryan frequently references in making his case to reform Social Security - are old enough to be his parents.
But looks and dates don't necessarily tell the story of a fifth-term congressman, safe in his seat and well respected by colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
By the end of the current term, Ryan, a Republican, will have spent a decade representing the Kenosha area in the House of Representatives.
Well-respected
In that time, his peers say, Ryan has established solid conservative credentials and a reputation as a well-thought-out source - some say the White House sometimes consults him - on such complex, divisive issues as the federal budget and Social Security reform.
"He is certainly one who my colleagues look to for good research, good information," said Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La., the ranking GOP member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Ryan has served a few terms on the powerful Ways and Means panel, and he was recently named the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee. To gain the latter post, Ryan leapfrogged 12 more senior Republicans on that committee.
Republicans and Democrats alike say those achievements are indicative of Ryan's drive and intellect."He's really very highly regarded on the Hill," said Sensenbrenner, who claims to be something of a mentor for Ryan.
"He has a lot of ideas; he has an infectious enthusiasm."
Sensenbrenner said that enthusiasm was once perhaps not a positive attribute.
Ryan took office in January 1999, when he was 28 years old.
A seasoned Capitol Hill staffer before he returned home to Janesville to seek election to Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District seat, Ryan had a tendency to come off as a made-to-order Washington policy wonk.
"When he started out, I think a lot people viewed him as a brash young kid," Sensenbrenner said. "When I started out, I think a lot of people said the same thing about me."
But, Sensenbrenner said, Ryan has grown further into his role with each re-election.Those haven't been a problem for Ryan - he's averaged about 66 percent of the vote in each of his biennial bids since 2000.
Even last year, when Democrats swept out the Republican majority, Ryan easily defeated Jeffrey Thomas, garnering 63 percent of the vote.Many of those national Republican losses were chalked up to widespread concern about the ethical quality of Congress.
Ryan, Sensenbrenner said, is the antithesis of a backroom dealmaker."He is a mover and a shaker, but basically he uses his ideas to move and shake things," Sensenbrenner said.
While they may disagree with him on most key issues - Ryan voted against all of the Democrats' "First 100 Hours" agenda items that hit the floor last week - Democratic representatives interviewed last week were not inclined to say anything bad about him.
Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., the new chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said he looks forward to reaching across partisan lines to work with Ryan.
"He's a bright young man, and it's not unusual for the committee to get the brightest that we have in the House," Rangel said.
Rep. Tammy Baldwin, a Madison Democrat whose politics could not likely be farther from Ryan's, said Ryan is a person of significant political talent.
With a gradfatherly smile, Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., called Ryan simply "a good fellow."
Ryan said he has no trouble liking those with whom he disagrees. He said he genuinely enjoys the company of Democrats such as Rangel, Baldwin and Milwaukee Rep. Gwen Moore, and he once brought one of Congress' most notoriously left-leaning representatives, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, to Racine for a hearing on reformulated fuels.
Ryan said he does not consider himself an ideologue.
"I'm not out leading the crusade for polarizing issues or right-wing or left-wing celebrity issues," Ryan said. "I'm out there trying to fix the problems that confront the people of southeastern Wisconsin.
To be sure, Ryan paints that picture with a consistently conservative brush.
"I think Paul Ryan is a reliable Republican vote," said McCrery, of the Ways and Means Committee.
"I think his philosophy is pretty in line with most Republicans."Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., a frequent ally of Ryan's, qualified this point, however.
"Although he's a conservative, I think he's viewed as a reasoned conservative who carefully thinks out his views and articulates them well," said Shadegg, who Ryan last year championed for the House Republican leader post that ultimately went to Ohio Rep. John Boehner.
Ryan said his top priorities for the new session - the first in which he will have to work in the minority - revolve around balancing the budget, preparing for the onset of baby-boomer retirements and reforming health care to make it more accessible, affordable and transparent.
As for his political future, Ryan simply says he would like to stay in Congress long enough to make a difference, though he does not offer a likely timetable. Whenever he's done in the House, he says he'll move on to the private sector.
Meanwhile, he dismisses rumblings about his possibly running for Senate, Wisconsin governor or - as an occasional insider suggests - president.
"I don't see this as my full career," Ryan said, of politics. "I see myself doing something - I don't know what it is " for the second half of my working life."
This article was written by Kenosha News writer, Joe Potente, as part of a series on the new Congress' first 100 hours.
Potente has proven himself to be fair to both sides of the ailse, which many of us appreciate.
Maistelman again?
Maistelman again?
What is it about Maistelman and the State Elections Board?
State finds no evidence for election fraud claim
The Wisconsin Department of Justice has concluded that it cannot prove election fraud in the case of 2006 South Milwaukee mayoral candidate James Logic but has referred its findings to California authorities for possible federal violations involving a bankruptcy petition.
Investigators under then state Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager sent findings in a letter in late December to Logic and the original complainant's attorney, Michael Maistelman, who released a statement on the case to the media last week.
Maistelman's client, South Milwaukee resident Thomas Zingale, asked state and federal authorities in the days before the 2006 election to investigate whether Logic had voted illegally in various Wisconsin elections or committed perjury in a California bankruptcy petition in 2001. Logic lost the election to Thomas Zepecki, who became the city's first new mayor in 12 years after David Kieck decided not to run.
continued...
Isn't the bankrupcy issue a California problem and not a Wisconsin problem?
What is it about Maistelman and the State Elections Board?
State finds no evidence for election fraud claim
The Wisconsin Department of Justice has concluded that it cannot prove election fraud in the case of 2006 South Milwaukee mayoral candidate James Logic but has referred its findings to California authorities for possible federal violations involving a bankruptcy petition.
Investigators under then state Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager sent findings in a letter in late December to Logic and the original complainant's attorney, Michael Maistelman, who released a statement on the case to the media last week.
Maistelman's client, South Milwaukee resident Thomas Zingale, asked state and federal authorities in the days before the 2006 election to investigate whether Logic had voted illegally in various Wisconsin elections or committed perjury in a California bankruptcy petition in 2001. Logic lost the election to Thomas Zepecki, who became the city's first new mayor in 12 years after David Kieck decided not to run.
continued...
Isn't the bankrupcy issue a California problem and not a Wisconsin problem?
Monday, January 15, 2007
Slow down!
I made it to work in one piece.(I had to dodge a few idiots) However, people need to slow down!
The roads are in pretty good shape, but there has already been a bad accident on I-94 and Hwy 50. It appears that someone had to be cut out of their vehicle.
This storm was not so severe that we should have fatalities. However, that accident did not look good.
Slow down folks and everyone makes it to work and school safely.
Edited to add: Say a prayer for Chikako Y. Kwok and her family and friends. Ms. Kwok lost her life this morning in the tragic accident that I came across on my way to work.
The roads are in pretty good shape, but there has already been a bad accident on I-94 and Hwy 50. It appears that someone had to be cut out of their vehicle.
This storm was not so severe that we should have fatalities. However, that accident did not look good.
Slow down folks and everyone makes it to work and school safely.
Edited to add: Say a prayer for Chikako Y. Kwok and her family and friends. Ms. Kwok lost her life this morning in the tragic accident that I came across on my way to work.
There are others!
On Saturday, I was visiting some friends and discovered that there are other Americans that do not watch 24!
How refreshing is that?
Just call me a rebel!
How refreshing is that?
Just call me a rebel!
A Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.
From the National Register of Historic Places-
Born January 15, 1929, and called M.L. by his family, Martin Luther King, Jr. is memorialized as a visionary leader of the modern civil rights movement, a minister and an author. Characterized by his grand oratory and charismatic presence, King was known as a staunch advocate of nonviolent social protest. His assassination on April 4, 1968, was described by one biographer as “depriving America of a towering symbol of moral and social progress.” A few, among many, of the recognitions afforded King were: his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963, his designation as Time magazine’s Man of the Year in 1964, and his posthumous receipt of the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Carter in 1977.
King gave a stellar performance on August 28, 1963, when hundreds of thousands gathered on the Mall of Washington, DC in search of freedom and equality for all. It was during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, that King delivered his stirring "I have a dream" speech asking that the same rights be afforded to ALL Americans citizens--the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The march, led by union leader A. Philip Randolph and organizer Bayard Rustin, drew more than 200,000 supporters, 50,000 of them white. They included people from all walks of life. Among their demands was the passage of the Civil Rights Bill; desegregation of schools and housing; elimination of racial discrimination in hiring; job training; an increase in minimum wage; and enforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment. The institutional climax of King’s civil rights work came with the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Join the National Register of Historic Places as we commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and the historic places associated with the struggle for civil rights that captured the attention of the United States and the world.
Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of a better America.
May we all continue to dream of a better America for generations to come.
Born January 15, 1929, and called M.L. by his family, Martin Luther King, Jr. is memorialized as a visionary leader of the modern civil rights movement, a minister and an author. Characterized by his grand oratory and charismatic presence, King was known as a staunch advocate of nonviolent social protest. His assassination on April 4, 1968, was described by one biographer as “depriving America of a towering symbol of moral and social progress.” A few, among many, of the recognitions afforded King were: his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963, his designation as Time magazine’s Man of the Year in 1964, and his posthumous receipt of the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Carter in 1977.
King gave a stellar performance on August 28, 1963, when hundreds of thousands gathered on the Mall of Washington, DC in search of freedom and equality for all. It was during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, that King delivered his stirring "I have a dream" speech asking that the same rights be afforded to ALL Americans citizens--the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The march, led by union leader A. Philip Randolph and organizer Bayard Rustin, drew more than 200,000 supporters, 50,000 of them white. They included people from all walks of life. Among their demands was the passage of the Civil Rights Bill; desegregation of schools and housing; elimination of racial discrimination in hiring; job training; an increase in minimum wage; and enforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment. The institutional climax of King’s civil rights work came with the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Join the National Register of Historic Places as we commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and the historic places associated with the struggle for civil rights that captured the attention of the United States and the world.
Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of a better America.
May we all continue to dream of a better America for generations to come.
Who knew...
Who knew that Rosie O'Donnell and Condi Rice could ever be on the same side of anything!
Apparently both seem to be on the bad side of Donald Trump-
WASHINGTON - Still locked in a nasty feud with Rosie O'Donnell, The Donald may be looking at a new target: Secretary of State Rice.
Donald Trump says in an interview set to air tonight that Rice seems like a nice person, but when it comes to her role as the nation's chief negotiator, he'd like to use his trademark line on her: "You're fired."
continued...
Apparently both seem to be on the bad side of Donald Trump-
WASHINGTON - Still locked in a nasty feud with Rosie O'Donnell, The Donald may be looking at a new target: Secretary of State Rice.
Donald Trump says in an interview set to air tonight that Rice seems like a nice person, but when it comes to her role as the nation's chief negotiator, he'd like to use his trademark line on her: "You're fired."
continued...
Saturday, January 13, 2007
How horrifying...
She was four years old. There are no words strong enough to describe how I feel after reading about this horrifying crime...
N.C. girl decapitated; police seek dad
RALEIGH, N.C. — A mother found her 4-year-old daughter decapitated in her home, and police issued an arrest warrant for the girl's father.
John Patrick Violette, 37, was last seen driving a Buick station wagon near his home Friday afternoon in Clayton, about 15 miles southeast of Raleigh, said Clayton Police Chief Glen Allen. Violette's wife, Amber Violette, called 911 that evening, saying she had found her daughter, Katlin, with her head severed from her body, he said.
"When senseless violence occurs, it's tragic enough. But when it includes a child, it's even more tragic for the community," Allen said.
An arrest warrant has been issued for the father, and police planned to charge him with murder, Allen said. The State Bureau of Investigation was aiding in the search.
N.C. girl decapitated; police seek dad
RALEIGH, N.C. — A mother found her 4-year-old daughter decapitated in her home, and police issued an arrest warrant for the girl's father.
John Patrick Violette, 37, was last seen driving a Buick station wagon near his home Friday afternoon in Clayton, about 15 miles southeast of Raleigh, said Clayton Police Chief Glen Allen. Violette's wife, Amber Violette, called 911 that evening, saying she had found her daughter, Katlin, with her head severed from her body, he said.
"When senseless violence occurs, it's tragic enough. But when it includes a child, it's even more tragic for the community," Allen said.
An arrest warrant has been issued for the father, and police planned to charge him with murder, Allen said. The State Bureau of Investigation was aiding in the search.
Friday, January 12, 2007
defining terrorism
This caught my attention this morning-
Blast at U.S. embassy called 'terrorism'
Why is the superscript sign (') or an apostrophe sign being used around the word terrorism in this headline?
Does the AP believe that this is not really terrorism?
ATHENS (AP) — A rocket was fired at the U.S. embassy early Friday, striking the front of the building but causing no injuries. A senior police official said the blast was an act of terrorism.
If 50 people had been killed as a result of someone firing a rocket at a the US Embassy in Italy- would the media define this as terrorism?
Is the AP implying that because no one was killed, then it is not really terrorism?
The US Department of defense defines terrorism as-
"the unlawful use of -- or threatened use of -- force or violence against individuals or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives."
It is a pretty safe bet that someone firing a rocket at the US Embassy is most definitely an act of terrorism.
Blast at U.S. embassy called 'terrorism'
Why is the superscript sign (') or an apostrophe sign being used around the word terrorism in this headline?
Does the AP believe that this is not really terrorism?
ATHENS (AP) — A rocket was fired at the U.S. embassy early Friday, striking the front of the building but causing no injuries. A senior police official said the blast was an act of terrorism.
If 50 people had been killed as a result of someone firing a rocket at a the US Embassy in Italy- would the media define this as terrorism?
Is the AP implying that because no one was killed, then it is not really terrorism?
The US Department of defense defines terrorism as-
"the unlawful use of -- or threatened use of -- force or violence against individuals or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives."
It is a pretty safe bet that someone firing a rocket at the US Embassy is most definitely an act of terrorism.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
I missed it all
I received an email earlier today asking why I had not yet commented on Bush's speech and the plan for Iraq.
Well, I had meeting last night and missed it all. I have not read Bush's speech or the Democratic response.
I am linking to a few websites for you folks interested is commenting about the speech-
Jessica McBride live blogged the speech
Boots and Sabers
The American Mind
Well, I had meeting last night and missed it all. I have not read Bush's speech or the Democratic response.
I am linking to a few websites for you folks interested is commenting about the speech-
Jessica McBride live blogged the speech
Boots and Sabers
The American Mind
Sliding oil prices worry investors???
Perhaps investors are really worried about sliding oil prices, however, I love it. I drive about 100 miles a day to getting to a from work.
I LOVE SLIDING OIL PRICES!
However, investors are worried-
Sliding oil prices worry investors
Stock investors who were thrilled with falling oil prices just a few months ago are getting nervous now that the slide is threatening to turn into a rout.
Wednesday, oil suffered its fifth drop in 2007's six trading days, falling $1.62 to $54.02 a barrel. That was an 18-month low and left oil down 11.5% for 2007 and 29.9% below its $77.03 record close last July 14.
continued...
I LOVE SLIDING OIL PRICES!
However, investors are worried-
Sliding oil prices worry investors
Stock investors who were thrilled with falling oil prices just a few months ago are getting nervous now that the slide is threatening to turn into a rout.
Wednesday, oil suffered its fifth drop in 2007's six trading days, falling $1.62 to $54.02 a barrel. That was an 18-month low and left oil down 11.5% for 2007 and 29.9% below its $77.03 record close last July 14.
continued...
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
WSJ's Best of the Web
You know, not only James Taranto observant, but he is also funny. Check this out from today's Best of the Web-
We were hoping the Angry Left blogs would have an interesting take on the Somalia strike, and we weren't disappointed. Here's a sampling:
"I don't have any facts or expertise, but it strikes me that the warmongers have pulled a fast one by escalating in Somalia instead of Iran or Syria. By tonight, Bush will be able to make a case that this has come up suddenly, that they have been ready for it, that it merely demonstrates what he has been saying about GWOT [global war on terror]."--"arper," DailyKos.com
"Well, Well Well.....it never fails. Bush is about to ask America to allow him to escalate the war in Iraq. But whenever he needs to do something like this, it seems like there's always a 'terror scare,' or some trumped up success, even if it's not our own, some days before."--"sephius1," DailyKos.com
"With Bush's umpteenth Iraqi war plan set for delivery today, was yesterday's cruise missile attack in Somalia supposed to change the subject, or score points elsewhere while the President was on the hot seat?"--Michael Shaw, PuffingtonHost.com
So now the war on terror is a distraction from Iraq?
This guy just cracks me up sometimes!
(By the way liberals- I don't believe the war on terror or the war in Iraq is funny- what is funny is when you own words get thrown back into your faces)
We were hoping the Angry Left blogs would have an interesting take on the Somalia strike, and we weren't disappointed. Here's a sampling:
"I don't have any facts or expertise, but it strikes me that the warmongers have pulled a fast one by escalating in Somalia instead of Iran or Syria. By tonight, Bush will be able to make a case that this has come up suddenly, that they have been ready for it, that it merely demonstrates what he has been saying about GWOT [global war on terror]."--"arper," DailyKos.com
"Well, Well Well.....it never fails. Bush is about to ask America to allow him to escalate the war in Iraq. But whenever he needs to do something like this, it seems like there's always a 'terror scare,' or some trumped up success, even if it's not our own, some days before."--"sephius1," DailyKos.com
"With Bush's umpteenth Iraqi war plan set for delivery today, was yesterday's cruise missile attack in Somalia supposed to change the subject, or score points elsewhere while the President was on the hot seat?"--Michael Shaw, PuffingtonHost.com
So now the war on terror is a distraction from Iraq?
This guy just cracks me up sometimes!
(By the way liberals- I don't believe the war on terror or the war in Iraq is funny- what is funny is when you own words get thrown back into your faces)
Is this our new fiscally responsible Congress?
Imagine for a moment- the family car is on the fritz and you either fix it or you purchase a new one. You spouse proceeds to go out to take care of the problem.
A few short hours later your spouse returns home with a brand new Ferrari F430 F1 Spider. It is a very cool car with everything a person could possible need.
Clearly, this solves the family car problem, right? After all, this car will get you around town in style!
After admiring this beautiful vehicle, the first question you ask your spouse is “How much?”
Your spouse responds, “I don’t know”.
Okay, you then ask “How are we going to pay for this?”
Your spouse responds, “I don’t know”.
So, you then ask your spouse, “Did we need this particular vehicle?”
Your spouse responds, “I don’t know”.
Next you ask “Did you sign anything showing that we have purchased this vehicle?”
Your spouse responds, “Yep”
Of course, your next natural response would be- “Of all the financially irresponsible, addle-brained, idiotic things to do…!”
You would be right to be outraged- how completely irresponsible is this?
Guess what folks? Our brand new “fiscally responsible” Congress did precisely this yesterday!
Yesterday, Congress passed a new anti-terror bill.
On the outside, this looks great, right?
From USA Today-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Anti-terror legislation sailed through the House on Tuesday, the first in a string of measures designed to fulfill campaign promises made by Democrats last fall.
Patterned on recommendations of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks, the far-reaching measure includes commitments for inspection of all cargo carried aboard passenger aircraft and on ships bound for the United States.
The vote was a bipartisan 299-128.
"Our first and highest duty as members of this Congress is to protect the American people, to defend our homeland and to strengthen our national security," said Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
Certainly, anything that protects the American people from terrorists seems to be a great thing.
However, if you scratch the surface you begin to realize that there are some problems with the piece of legislation.
Democrats have pledged to make fiscal responsibility a priority in the new Congress, but they advanced the bill — their first of the year — without even a bare-bones accounting of the estimated cost. The funding will require follow-up legislation.
Now we begin to ask some questions-
After admiring this wonderful piece of legislation, the first question we ask is “How much?”
Congress responds, “I don’t know”.
Okay, we then ask “How are we going to pay for this?”
Congress responds, “I don’t know”.
So, we then ask, “Did we need this particular piece of legislation?” “Does it fix the problem?”
Congress responds, “I don’t know”.
Next we ask “Did you sign anything showing that we have purchased this piece of legislation?”
Congress responds, “Yep”
That is right folks!
We have now committed to implementing and financing a new anti-terror plan that may or may not help protect us.
We have no idea how much it costs.
We have no idea how we are going to pay for it.
We have no idea if this plan is the best plan for America and whether or not the plan will work.
Wow!
This is how our brand new “fiscally responsible” Congress plans on acting?
Of course on next natural response is “Of all the financially irresponsible, addle-brained, idiotic things to do…!”
Hang onto your wallet folks; it is going to be a bumpy and expensive ride with the new "fiscally responsible" Congress!
Congratulations Wisconsin
Last night the Badgers played a huge game against Ohio State. Our Badgers were victorious.
UW 72, Ohio State 69
Madison - Whew!
Was there anything else to say after the final buzzer sounded in the University of Wisconsin's 72-69 victory over fifth-ranked Ohio State on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center?
The third-ranked Badgers had a 10-point lead with 54 seconds left but saw it shrink to two points before a free throw by senior Kammron Taylor and a last-second three-point miss by Buckeyes junior Jamar Butler allowed Wisconsin to escape with its 12th straight victory.
Taylor finished with a season-high 25 points for the Badgers, who improved to 16-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten. The Badgers point guard overcame a couple of poor shooting days in practice to make five of eight shots, including three of six three-pointers.
continued...
UW 72, Ohio State 69
Madison - Whew!
Was there anything else to say after the final buzzer sounded in the University of Wisconsin's 72-69 victory over fifth-ranked Ohio State on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center?
The third-ranked Badgers had a 10-point lead with 54 seconds left but saw it shrink to two points before a free throw by senior Kammron Taylor and a last-second three-point miss by Buckeyes junior Jamar Butler allowed Wisconsin to escape with its 12th straight victory.
Taylor finished with a season-high 25 points for the Badgers, who improved to 16-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten. The Badgers point guard overcame a couple of poor shooting days in practice to make five of eight shots, including three of six three-pointers.
continued...
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
I love it when I am right!
Okay, this is funny.
Last night, I posted this-
Somehow the Democrats attach ever single criminal Republican politician to George Bush, so is turnabout fair play?
Guess what showed up on Yahoo this morning?
Campaign photo shows Bush with Abramoff
Good grief!
Last night, I posted this-
Somehow the Democrats attach ever single criminal Republican politician to George Bush, so is turnabout fair play?
Guess what showed up on Yahoo this morning?
Campaign photo shows Bush with Abramoff
Good grief!
Media malpractice
Michelle Malkin recalls another story of media malpractice-
All the Abortion Lies Fit to Print
It's official: The editors of The New York Times have no shame. Don't take my word for it. Listen to the Times' own ombudsman, Byron Calame.
On Sunday, Calame wrote a stunning column debunking an April 9 New York Times Magazine cover story on abortion in El Salvador. The sensational piece by freelance writer Jack Hitt alleged that women there had been thrown in prison for 30-year terms for having had abortions. Hitt described his visit to one of them, inmate Carmen Climaco. "She is now 26 years old, four years into her 30-year sentence" for aborting an 18-week-old fetus, Hitt reported.
The magazine featured heart-rending photos of Climaco's 11-year-old daughter, eyes filled with tears as she clutched a photo of her jailed mom. Cruel. Horrible. Outrageous. And utterly, demonstrably, false.
Climaco had actually been convicted of murder for strangling her newborn baby. This information was uncovered by pro-life groups. Lifesite.net obtained the court documents in Climaco's case and published them on their website in late November. Calame followed up and also independently obtained the documents easily -- records which Hitt didn't bother to try and get for himself to verify the propaganda being fed to him. Reported Calame:
"The care taken in the reporting and editing of this example didn't meet the magazine's normal standards. Although Sarah H. Smith, the magazine's editorial manager, told me that relevant court documents are 'normally' reviewed, Mr. Hitt never checked the 7,600-word ruling in the Climaco case while preparing his story. And Mr. Hitt told me that no editor or fact checker ever asked him if he had checked the court document containing the panel's decision."
Obtaining the public document was as easy as requesting that a stringer for the Times in El Salvador walk into the court building without making any prior arrangements. Which is exactly what Calame did. It took the stringer mere minutes to get the court ruling.
The facts did not fit with Hitt's pro-abortion narrative. Authorities found Climaco's dead baby hidden in a box wrapped in bags under the bed of Mrs. Climaco. Moreover, Lifesite reported, forensic examination showed that it was a full-term normal delivery. The child was breathing at the time of birth. The official cause of death was asphyxia by strangulation.
Hitt's main sources of info came from a pro-abortion group called Ipas. The group would profit from legalized abortion in El Salvador since it peddles abortion vacuum aspirators. Hitt's translator consulted for Ipas, which launched a fund-raising campaign to free Carmen Climaco and bring her to America. Pro-abortion groups recycled Climaco's story, citing the Times' bogus propaganda to scare up opposition to any abortion restrictions here.
The Times' pro-abortion poster child is a woman convicted of infanticide. But the Times, questioned by its own public editor, refuses to acknowledge Jack Hitt's false reporting.
There is "no reason to doubt the accuracy of the facts as reported," the editors imperiously told Calame. They refuse to issue a correction, publish an Editors' Note or inform their readers of the ready availability of the court decision that exposes Jack Hitt's deception about the Climaco case.
Calame concluded that "Accuracy and fairness were not pursued with the vigor Times readers have a right to expect." That's too polite. The Times slung bull and they refuse to clean it up. The Times' Climaco-gate, like the Associated Press' Jamil Hussein-gate and Reuters' fauxtography scandal and CBS's Rathergate, will go down in mainstream history as yet another case of textbook media malpractice.
The next time you hear a New York Times columnist defend the paper's commitment to accuracy, fairness and ethical standards, give them two words: Carmen Climaco. The next time journalism elites wonder why newspaper circulation is plunging, remember: Carmen Climaco. The next time MSM apologists deny liberal bias, ask them rhetorically -- "Atlas Shrugged"-style -- "Who is Carmen Climaco?"
All the Abortion Lies Fit to Print
It's official: The editors of The New York Times have no shame. Don't take my word for it. Listen to the Times' own ombudsman, Byron Calame.
On Sunday, Calame wrote a stunning column debunking an April 9 New York Times Magazine cover story on abortion in El Salvador. The sensational piece by freelance writer Jack Hitt alleged that women there had been thrown in prison for 30-year terms for having had abortions. Hitt described his visit to one of them, inmate Carmen Climaco. "She is now 26 years old, four years into her 30-year sentence" for aborting an 18-week-old fetus, Hitt reported.
The magazine featured heart-rending photos of Climaco's 11-year-old daughter, eyes filled with tears as she clutched a photo of her jailed mom. Cruel. Horrible. Outrageous. And utterly, demonstrably, false.
Climaco had actually been convicted of murder for strangling her newborn baby. This information was uncovered by pro-life groups. Lifesite.net obtained the court documents in Climaco's case and published them on their website in late November. Calame followed up and also independently obtained the documents easily -- records which Hitt didn't bother to try and get for himself to verify the propaganda being fed to him. Reported Calame:
"The care taken in the reporting and editing of this example didn't meet the magazine's normal standards. Although Sarah H. Smith, the magazine's editorial manager, told me that relevant court documents are 'normally' reviewed, Mr. Hitt never checked the 7,600-word ruling in the Climaco case while preparing his story. And Mr. Hitt told me that no editor or fact checker ever asked him if he had checked the court document containing the panel's decision."
Obtaining the public document was as easy as requesting that a stringer for the Times in El Salvador walk into the court building without making any prior arrangements. Which is exactly what Calame did. It took the stringer mere minutes to get the court ruling.
The facts did not fit with Hitt's pro-abortion narrative. Authorities found Climaco's dead baby hidden in a box wrapped in bags under the bed of Mrs. Climaco. Moreover, Lifesite reported, forensic examination showed that it was a full-term normal delivery. The child was breathing at the time of birth. The official cause of death was asphyxia by strangulation.
Hitt's main sources of info came from a pro-abortion group called Ipas. The group would profit from legalized abortion in El Salvador since it peddles abortion vacuum aspirators. Hitt's translator consulted for Ipas, which launched a fund-raising campaign to free Carmen Climaco and bring her to America. Pro-abortion groups recycled Climaco's story, citing the Times' bogus propaganda to scare up opposition to any abortion restrictions here.
The Times' pro-abortion poster child is a woman convicted of infanticide. But the Times, questioned by its own public editor, refuses to acknowledge Jack Hitt's false reporting.
There is "no reason to doubt the accuracy of the facts as reported," the editors imperiously told Calame. They refuse to issue a correction, publish an Editors' Note or inform their readers of the ready availability of the court decision that exposes Jack Hitt's deception about the Climaco case.
Calame concluded that "Accuracy and fairness were not pursued with the vigor Times readers have a right to expect." That's too polite. The Times slung bull and they refuse to clean it up. The Times' Climaco-gate, like the Associated Press' Jamil Hussein-gate and Reuters' fauxtography scandal and CBS's Rathergate, will go down in mainstream history as yet another case of textbook media malpractice.
The next time you hear a New York Times columnist defend the paper's commitment to accuracy, fairness and ethical standards, give them two words: Carmen Climaco. The next time journalism elites wonder why newspaper circulation is plunging, remember: Carmen Climaco. The next time MSM apologists deny liberal bias, ask them rhetorically -- "Atlas Shrugged"-style -- "Who is Carmen Climaco?"
Monday, January 08, 2007
Democrat Arenda Troutman, a Chicago Alderman, arrested for accepting a bribe
Tsk, tsk, tsk
More of the Democrat CULTURE OF CORRUPTION!
Criminal complaint: Alderman accepted bribe
Chicago Ald. Arenda Troutman (20th) accepted a bribe from a federal informant who claimed to be working with a developer wishing to do business in her ward during an undercover investigation, according to a criminal complaint unsealed today.
The complaint, which charges Troutman, 49, with one count of bribery, was filed Friday and unsealed today following her arrest, according to Gary Shapiro, first assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago.
Shapiro described the complaint as a "civics lesson" in how Troutman conducts business in the 20th Ward.
"You want the alderman's support, you pay your alderman. You pay Arenda Troutman," Shapiro said at a news conference following her initial court appearance at the Dirksen Building Courthouse.
Troutman appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Mason in U.S. District Court.
She was being released on $10,000 bond, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Friday. If convicted, Troutman faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to a Justice Department news release.
continued...
Oh by the way, Troutman is a pristine Democrat. She even represented the state of Illinois as delegate to the 1996 Democratic National Convention-
In 1992, Alderman Troutman was elected to the unpaid political post of Democratic Committeeman of the 20th Ward. She has since been re-elected to that position twice. In 1996, she was an elected member of the Illinois delegation to the Democratic National Convention.
So because of Troutman's high connections in the Democratic party, does this means that all democrats are criminals?
I don't know.
Somehow the Democrats attach ever single criminal Republican politician to George Bush, so is turnabout fair play?
Since Troutman was a delegate at the 1996 convention, and clearly President Clinton and Hillary were the centerpieces for this convention, obviously the Clinton's were involved.
Sound ridiculous?
It is ridiculous!
By hey, the Democrats created the rules to this game so they have to live by them also.
I demand that the Clinton's be investigated by the FBI and President Bill Clinton should also be impeached!
(Oh wait a minute, look what I found House Brief for Impeachment Trial )
Okay, never mind. It's been done already.
More of the Democrat CULTURE OF CORRUPTION!
Criminal complaint: Alderman accepted bribe
Chicago Ald. Arenda Troutman (20th) accepted a bribe from a federal informant who claimed to be working with a developer wishing to do business in her ward during an undercover investigation, according to a criminal complaint unsealed today.
The complaint, which charges Troutman, 49, with one count of bribery, was filed Friday and unsealed today following her arrest, according to Gary Shapiro, first assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago.
Shapiro described the complaint as a "civics lesson" in how Troutman conducts business in the 20th Ward.
"You want the alderman's support, you pay your alderman. You pay Arenda Troutman," Shapiro said at a news conference following her initial court appearance at the Dirksen Building Courthouse.
Troutman appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Mason in U.S. District Court.
She was being released on $10,000 bond, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Friday. If convicted, Troutman faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to a Justice Department news release.
continued...
Oh by the way, Troutman is a pristine Democrat. She even represented the state of Illinois as delegate to the 1996 Democratic National Convention-
In 1992, Alderman Troutman was elected to the unpaid political post of Democratic Committeeman of the 20th Ward. She has since been re-elected to that position twice. In 1996, she was an elected member of the Illinois delegation to the Democratic National Convention.
So because of Troutman's high connections in the Democratic party, does this means that all democrats are criminals?
I don't know.
Somehow the Democrats attach ever single criminal Republican politician to George Bush, so is turnabout fair play?
Since Troutman was a delegate at the 1996 convention, and clearly President Clinton and Hillary were the centerpieces for this convention, obviously the Clinton's were involved.
Sound ridiculous?
It is ridiculous!
By hey, the Democrats created the rules to this game so they have to live by them also.
I demand that the Clinton's be investigated by the FBI and President Bill Clinton should also be impeached!
(Oh wait a minute, look what I found House Brief for Impeachment Trial )
Okay, never mind. It's been done already.
MPS pushing one-sex schools
I have no idea of what the benefits or the drawbacks would be for creating one sex schools.
Perhaps someone cares to comment?
MPS pushing one-sex schools
An all-boys schools and an all-girls school could open as part of the Milwaukee Public Schools system by September.
In documents made available in advance of a School Board committee meeting Tuesday, MPS administrators said, "MPS strongly believes that parents should be given the opportunity to choose single-sex schools for their children if they believe that these schools will help their children."
Specific schools are not spelled out in the resolution to be considered Tuesday - in fact, it doesn't pinpoint whether the focus should be on high schools, middle schools or even elementary grades.
continued...
Perhaps someone cares to comment?
MPS pushing one-sex schools
An all-boys schools and an all-girls school could open as part of the Milwaukee Public Schools system by September.
In documents made available in advance of a School Board committee meeting Tuesday, MPS administrators said, "MPS strongly believes that parents should be given the opportunity to choose single-sex schools for their children if they believe that these schools will help their children."
Specific schools are not spelled out in the resolution to be considered Tuesday - in fact, it doesn't pinpoint whether the focus should be on high schools, middle schools or even elementary grades.
continued...
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Well, I'll be jiggered!
Actually anyone paying attention to stem cell research these days already knew this . For some reason, liberals insist on destroying human embryos for stem cell research.
When conservatives fight back and attempt to protect human embryos- the liberals go crazy.
By the way, this statement in this article is a bald faced lie-
President Bush cut all federal funding for research into new human embryonic cell lines in 2001.
Not only has George Bush never cut federal funding for any type of stem cell research, but President Bush is the only President to every allow federal funding for stem cell research.
Now that the election is over, the media are actually talking about a new and successful source of stem cell research-
Stem cells extracted from amniotic fluid
Researchers have been able to derive human stem cells from the amniotic fluid surrounding babies in the womb, potentially providing a source of stem cells that is easily available and uncontroversial.
The amniotic stem cells grew readily into independent cell lines or colonies, doubling in just 36 hours, says the paper, published in Sunday's edition of the journal Nature Biotechnology.
The researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., were able to get the amniotic cells to differentiate into fat, bone, muscle, blood, nerve and liver cells.
Stem cells can develop into almost all cell types, serving as the repair system for the body.
Such cells created from early-stage human embryos, called embryonic stem cells, have shown the greatest potential for turning into any cell needed. But they are controversial because making them requires destroying the embryo. President Bush cut all federal funding for research into new human embryonic cell lines in 2001.
The amniotic cells are neither human embryonic stem cells nor adult stem cells, which are slightly less resilient, says lead researcher Anthony Atala, director of Wake Forest's Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering Institute.
"They're something in between," he says.
One advantage is that these cells, unlike embryonic stem cells, don't form tumors when implanted into mice.
continued...
Imagine that, and new and better form of stem cell research.
I wonder if we will see an apology for Michael J. Fox or Governor Doyle for the bald faced lies told during this last election?
When conservatives fight back and attempt to protect human embryos- the liberals go crazy.
By the way, this statement in this article is a bald faced lie-
President Bush cut all federal funding for research into new human embryonic cell lines in 2001.
Not only has George Bush never cut federal funding for any type of stem cell research, but President Bush is the only President to every allow federal funding for stem cell research.
Now that the election is over, the media are actually talking about a new and successful source of stem cell research-
Stem cells extracted from amniotic fluid
Researchers have been able to derive human stem cells from the amniotic fluid surrounding babies in the womb, potentially providing a source of stem cells that is easily available and uncontroversial.
The amniotic stem cells grew readily into independent cell lines or colonies, doubling in just 36 hours, says the paper, published in Sunday's edition of the journal Nature Biotechnology.
The researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., were able to get the amniotic cells to differentiate into fat, bone, muscle, blood, nerve and liver cells.
Stem cells can develop into almost all cell types, serving as the repair system for the body.
Such cells created from early-stage human embryos, called embryonic stem cells, have shown the greatest potential for turning into any cell needed. But they are controversial because making them requires destroying the embryo. President Bush cut all federal funding for research into new human embryonic cell lines in 2001.
The amniotic cells are neither human embryonic stem cells nor adult stem cells, which are slightly less resilient, says lead researcher Anthony Atala, director of Wake Forest's Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering Institute.
"They're something in between," he says.
One advantage is that these cells, unlike embryonic stem cells, don't form tumors when implanted into mice.
continued...
Imagine that, and new and better form of stem cell research.
I wonder if we will see an apology for Michael J. Fox or Governor Doyle for the bald faced lies told during this last election?
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Zing!
I like this editorial from the Detroit News-
Democrats can do lots of damage in 100 hours
Democrats took over Congress Thursday promising to march through their populist agenda like Sherman through Georgia. Their priority list has understandable appeal -- raise wages for the working poor, limit pork barrel spending, get a better drug deal for Medicare recipients, punish the oil companies. And do it all in 100 hours.
But if rushed into implementation at the speed the Democrats promise, and with only limited opportunity for Republicans to respond, as their new rules dictate, what Democrats are likely to deliver is a package of shallow bills that don't accomplish their goals, are filled with unintended consequences and beg for a presidential veto.
Government spending discipline
Start with spending. Democratic leaders promise to break the link between congressional spending and special interest lobbyists. More power to them, if they can get real reforms in place.
A more worrisome piece of the spending package is the proposed strengthening of pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules that require all new spending to be offset by cuts in other programs or tax increases. We like the principle of PAYGO, but some Democrats want to repeal rules requiring a three-fifths majority to raise taxes and banning retroactive taxes. If that happens, Americans can expect higher taxes in short order. Real reform would place caps on both spending and taxes, and would apply PAYGO to all spending, including emergency appropriations.
Negotiating drug prices
Democrats pledge to pass legislation allowing the government to directly negotiate Medicare drug prices with the pharmaceutical companies. That may sound like a no-brainer, but it's not likely to work, and it could restrict access to many drugs.
Private companies that administer the Medicaid Part D drug program have been remarkably effective in negotiating favorable prices with the drug makers and, in fact, have kept drug prices below what the government initially estimated.
Rather than negotiate, the government is more likely to engage in price fixing, which will greatly limit the range of medicines available to seniors.
Minimum wage
Raising the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour from $5.15 will placate the Democrats' union bosses, but won't do much to raise the quality of life for Americans.
First, the claim that minimum wage employees are mostly the working poor struggling to raise families is a myth. The average minimum wage worker lives in a household with an income above $50,000 a year, suggesting that most are teen-agers and college students. Fewer than 20 percent live below the poverty line.
And a minimum wage hike will restrict the number of entry-level jobs, as employers reduce the workforce to control payroll costs.
College student loans
Democrats want to cut in half the 6.8 percent interest rate on student loans. The theory is that cheaper loans will encourage college attendance. But federal spending on college financial aid has increased 400 percent since 2001 without a surge in college enrollment, according to the Heritage Foundation. The interest rate cut is not something a budget-conscious nation can afford.
Social Security restrictions
Democrats will also move to pre-emptively ban private Social Security accounts. These self-managed retirement funds are seen by Republicans as a way to head off the coming Social Security crisis.
Allowing workers to own and manage their own retirement funds will provide them with larger benefits and increase the personal wealth of all working Americans. Taking the option off the table makes it more likely that the Social Security solution will be benefit cuts and tax hikes.
Democrats promise to make the nation dizzy with their speed of action this week. We hope they don't make the nation nauseous as well.
Democrats can do lots of damage in 100 hours
Democrats took over Congress Thursday promising to march through their populist agenda like Sherman through Georgia. Their priority list has understandable appeal -- raise wages for the working poor, limit pork barrel spending, get a better drug deal for Medicare recipients, punish the oil companies. And do it all in 100 hours.
But if rushed into implementation at the speed the Democrats promise, and with only limited opportunity for Republicans to respond, as their new rules dictate, what Democrats are likely to deliver is a package of shallow bills that don't accomplish their goals, are filled with unintended consequences and beg for a presidential veto.
Government spending discipline
Start with spending. Democratic leaders promise to break the link between congressional spending and special interest lobbyists. More power to them, if they can get real reforms in place.
A more worrisome piece of the spending package is the proposed strengthening of pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules that require all new spending to be offset by cuts in other programs or tax increases. We like the principle of PAYGO, but some Democrats want to repeal rules requiring a three-fifths majority to raise taxes and banning retroactive taxes. If that happens, Americans can expect higher taxes in short order. Real reform would place caps on both spending and taxes, and would apply PAYGO to all spending, including emergency appropriations.
Negotiating drug prices
Democrats pledge to pass legislation allowing the government to directly negotiate Medicare drug prices with the pharmaceutical companies. That may sound like a no-brainer, but it's not likely to work, and it could restrict access to many drugs.
Private companies that administer the Medicaid Part D drug program have been remarkably effective in negotiating favorable prices with the drug makers and, in fact, have kept drug prices below what the government initially estimated.
Rather than negotiate, the government is more likely to engage in price fixing, which will greatly limit the range of medicines available to seniors.
Minimum wage
Raising the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour from $5.15 will placate the Democrats' union bosses, but won't do much to raise the quality of life for Americans.
First, the claim that minimum wage employees are mostly the working poor struggling to raise families is a myth. The average minimum wage worker lives in a household with an income above $50,000 a year, suggesting that most are teen-agers and college students. Fewer than 20 percent live below the poverty line.
And a minimum wage hike will restrict the number of entry-level jobs, as employers reduce the workforce to control payroll costs.
College student loans
Democrats want to cut in half the 6.8 percent interest rate on student loans. The theory is that cheaper loans will encourage college attendance. But federal spending on college financial aid has increased 400 percent since 2001 without a surge in college enrollment, according to the Heritage Foundation. The interest rate cut is not something a budget-conscious nation can afford.
Social Security restrictions
Democrats will also move to pre-emptively ban private Social Security accounts. These self-managed retirement funds are seen by Republicans as a way to head off the coming Social Security crisis.
Allowing workers to own and manage their own retirement funds will provide them with larger benefits and increase the personal wealth of all working Americans. Taking the option off the table makes it more likely that the Social Security solution will be benefit cuts and tax hikes.
Democrats promise to make the nation dizzy with their speed of action this week. We hope they don't make the nation nauseous as well.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Something to think about
Interesting article on ethanol-
Fuel for car may be food for trouble
I found the last paragragh to be interesting-
"But the grain it takes to fill a 25-gallon tank with ethanol just once would feed one person for a whole year. Converting the entire U.S. grain harvest to ethanol would satisfy only 16 percent of U.S. auto fuel needs."
So are we sacrificing too much of our fuel supply in order to drive our vehicles?
Fuel for car may be food for trouble
I found the last paragragh to be interesting-
"But the grain it takes to fill a 25-gallon tank with ethanol just once would feed one person for a whole year. Converting the entire U.S. grain harvest to ethanol would satisfy only 16 percent of U.S. auto fuel needs."
So are we sacrificing too much of our fuel supply in order to drive our vehicles?
New name for terrorists
Wow! The media has now taken to calling terrorists "militiamen".
600 Islamic militiamen fight Somali and Ethiopian forces; U.S. cuts off escape route
A resident in Somolia recognizes that these people are not militiamen and calls them terrorists, however the American media is now calling them militiamen-
"The peacekeepers will be targets for terrorists," said Ali, 41. "They will have to face them."
600 Islamic militiamen fight Somali and Ethiopian forces; U.S. cuts off escape route
A resident in Somolia recognizes that these people are not militiamen and calls them terrorists, however the American media is now calling them militiamen-
"The peacekeepers will be targets for terrorists," said Ali, 41. "They will have to face them."
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Time to appeal
Things are moving so fast on the Michael McGee Jr. recall election, it is difficult to keep up.
MJS- McGee has until Jan. 12 to file appeal on recall
People are being called in to testify.
A judge ruled that the recall process could move forward.
The county election's commission also ruled the recall election could move forward.
Michael McGee Jr. now has few days to appeal the ruling.
McGee Sr. is threatening to shoot people again.
Check out Badger Blogger for all of the sordid details.
PS. Is it just me or is McGee's lawyer, Mike Maistelman, the same yahoo that contacted the Democratic State Election board members to have them vote against Mark Green's campaign funds?
It sure looks that way, but I could be wrong.
What is it about sleazy politicians and attorney Mike Maistelman?
From the MJS-
McGee attorney Mike Maistelman said he may appeal the commission's decision to the State Elections Board. McGee has until Jan. 12 to appeal.
Could someone keep an eye on this yahoo Mike Maistelman and make sure he is not prearranging the outcome of the recall appeal with the State election board members?
It would be nice, for once, to actually get a fair and just ruling from the State Elections board without any outside influence.
MJS- McGee has until Jan. 12 to file appeal on recall
People are being called in to testify.
A judge ruled that the recall process could move forward.
The county election's commission also ruled the recall election could move forward.
Michael McGee Jr. now has few days to appeal the ruling.
McGee Sr. is threatening to shoot people again.
Check out Badger Blogger for all of the sordid details.
PS. Is it just me or is McGee's lawyer, Mike Maistelman, the same yahoo that contacted the Democratic State Election board members to have them vote against Mark Green's campaign funds?
It sure looks that way, but I could be wrong.
What is it about sleazy politicians and attorney Mike Maistelman?
From the MJS-
McGee attorney Mike Maistelman said he may appeal the commission's decision to the State Elections Board. McGee has until Jan. 12 to appeal.
Could someone keep an eye on this yahoo Mike Maistelman and make sure he is not prearranging the outcome of the recall appeal with the State election board members?
It would be nice, for once, to actually get a fair and just ruling from the State Elections board without any outside influence.
First act for Dems is ethics cleanup
This is what the Democrats are saying. However, if you look at the details, not a whole lot will change-
• Ban gifts and meals from lobbyists. Current rules set a $100 limit on gifts and meals from the same person in one year.
• Trips organized and paid for by lobbyists also would be limited. Lawmakers still could travel at expense of colleges and foundations that want to influence public policy, but the travel would have to be approved beforehand by the House ethics panel.
• Bar congressional travel on corporate jets.
That is it?
• Ban gifts and meals from lobbyists. Current rules set a $100 limit on gifts and meals from the same person in one year.
• Trips organized and paid for by lobbyists also would be limited. Lawmakers still could travel at expense of colleges and foundations that want to influence public policy, but the travel would have to be approved beforehand by the House ethics panel.
• Bar congressional travel on corporate jets.
That is it?
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Labor deal makes sense(editorial by MJS)
Hmm- I actually agree with this MJS editorial.
Editorial: Labor deal makes sense
The last-minute deal struck by Milwaukee County and its largest employee union shows once again that the often-criticized collective bargaining process for public workers can work, even when both sides seem to have dug in their heels and the clock is about to strike 12. Once again, the public stands to gain.
As the editorial clearly points out, this issue did not move forward until County executive Scott Walker started the process of laying off county employees-
Differences over health care for county employees represented by AFSCME had been the chief stumbling block of the stalled negotiations. But the focus later changed when Walker, citing the county's legitimate financial problems, initiated efforts to lay off more than 100 county employees, many of them courthouse complex maintenance workers and parks laborers, by the end of 2006 and hire private contractors to take over some of those jobs.
What the editorial did not point out is that it is impossible to strike a deal when both sides are not at the table.
For over two years, the county board has been providing cover for the union and not forced them to the bargaining table. Instead county workers have been working without a contract for over two years.
Editorial: Labor deal makes sense
The last-minute deal struck by Milwaukee County and its largest employee union shows once again that the often-criticized collective bargaining process for public workers can work, even when both sides seem to have dug in their heels and the clock is about to strike 12. Once again, the public stands to gain.
As the editorial clearly points out, this issue did not move forward until County executive Scott Walker started the process of laying off county employees-
Differences over health care for county employees represented by AFSCME had been the chief stumbling block of the stalled negotiations. But the focus later changed when Walker, citing the county's legitimate financial problems, initiated efforts to lay off more than 100 county employees, many of them courthouse complex maintenance workers and parks laborers, by the end of 2006 and hire private contractors to take over some of those jobs.
What the editorial did not point out is that it is impossible to strike a deal when both sides are not at the table.
For over two years, the county board has been providing cover for the union and not forced them to the bargaining table. Instead county workers have been working without a contract for over two years.
Hmm... What a novel idea...
I have to say that I am stunned by the vote in Massachusetts today.
Massachusetts lawmakers approve gay marriage vote
Massachusetts lawmakers approved a measure on Tuesday that could give voters a chance next year to ban gay marriage in the only U.S. state where it is legal and overturn a historic ruling by the state's highest court.
What a novel idea- let the people decide. (sarcasm)
What has got me really stunned about today's vote in Massachusetts is that so many lawmakers actually voted against letting the people decide. The final vote was 61 yea's to 132 no's.
Although a majority in the Democratic-controlled state legislature voted against it, the measure needed only 50 votes to pass.
How can so many lawmakers actually vote against letting the people decide?
Whether you are for or against gay marriage- why would any lawmaker be against letting the people decide?
Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal- why would a single lawmaker vote against letting the people decide?
Really, this is why I am so stunned by the vote today. 132 lawmakers actually believe that the people do not have the right to decide on this very heated issue.
Massachusetts lawmakers approve gay marriage vote
Massachusetts lawmakers approved a measure on Tuesday that could give voters a chance next year to ban gay marriage in the only U.S. state where it is legal and overturn a historic ruling by the state's highest court.
What a novel idea- let the people decide. (sarcasm)
What has got me really stunned about today's vote in Massachusetts is that so many lawmakers actually voted against letting the people decide. The final vote was 61 yea's to 132 no's.
Although a majority in the Democratic-controlled state legislature voted against it, the measure needed only 50 votes to pass.
How can so many lawmakers actually vote against letting the people decide?
Whether you are for or against gay marriage- why would any lawmaker be against letting the people decide?
Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal- why would a single lawmaker vote against letting the people decide?
Really, this is why I am so stunned by the vote today. 132 lawmakers actually believe that the people do not have the right to decide on this very heated issue.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
CHRISTMAS CAROLS FOR THE DISTURBED
Someone sent this to me via email-
1. Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?
2. Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Kings Disoriented Are
3. Dementia --- I Think I'll be Home for Christmas
4. Narcissistic --- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me
5. Manic - Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores andOffice and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and.....
6. Paranoid --- Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me
7. Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire
8. Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe
I'll Tell You Why
9. Attention Deficit Disorder --- Silent night, Holy oooh look at the Froggy - can I have
a chocolate? Why is France so far away?
10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder --- Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle,Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells , Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
1. Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?
2. Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Kings Disoriented Are
3. Dementia --- I Think I'll be Home for Christmas
4. Narcissistic --- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me
5. Manic - Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores andOffice and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and.....
6. Paranoid --- Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me
7. Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire
8. Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe
I'll Tell You Why
9. Attention Deficit Disorder --- Silent night, Holy oooh look at the Froggy - can I have
a chocolate? Why is France so far away?
10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder --- Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle,Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells , Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
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