Abe Goldstein, an elderly Scottish Jew, decides he can make better use of his leisure time by taking up golf. So he applies for membership at the local golf club. After a week he receives a message that his application has been rejected. So he goes down to the club to inquire why.
Club secretary: You are aware that this is a Scottish golf club?
Abe: Aye, but I am as Scottish as you are, MacTavish.
Secretary: This means that on formal occasions we wear the kilt.
Abe: Aye, so do I.
Secretary: You are aware that we wear nothing under the kilt?
Abe: Aye, neither do I.
Secretary: But you are a Jew?
Abe: Aye, that I be.
Secretary: So you are circumcised?
Abe: Aye, I be that too.
Secretary: I am terribly sorry, but the members just would not feel comfortable with that.
Abe: Ach, away with ya, man. I know that you have to be a Protestant to march with the Orangemen. And I know that you have to be a Catholic to join the Knights of Columbus. But this is the first time I’ve heard that you have to be a total prick to join a golf club.
Monday, January 02, 2012
Sunday, January 01, 2012
CITIZEN'S ARREST MAY LEAD TO ALL-OUT WAR WITH THE TEACHERS UNION
Bob Walsh says, “Yeah, that doesn’t happen every day, but it did recently during a little set-to in the normally quite Lodi Unified School District.”
A little bump, seen by the police as a minor incident, led to a citizen’s arrest that may lead to an all-out war with the powerful teachers union.
SCHOOL BULLYING ALLEGATION TAKES BIZARRE TWIST
District to look into claim by vice principal against teacher
By Keith Reid
The Stockton Record
December 28, 2011
LODI - Lodi Unified officials will return in the New Year to investigate a bizarre situation stemming from the citizen's arrest of a middle school teacher by a school administrator.
Lodi Middle School Vice Principal Lurdes Rosales called police on Dec. 20, a day after she alleged that teacher Jon Lapachet "bumped" her during a class-time altercation, Lodi Police Lt. Fernando Martinez said.
Martinez said Lapachet, 58, was taken to the police station and later released on a misdemeanor battery citation.
Police consider the incident to be a "minor" one, Martinez said.
But the way it was reported - by school site administrators, who decided overnight to have Lapachet arrested instead of reporting the incident to the district office - could represent a breach of contract with the teachers union and could lead to a lengthy legal battle.
Union President Jeff Johnston said the citizen's arrest was taken by Rosales and Principal Patricia Lingerfelt "outside of protocol," and it was "highly unorthodox."
Johnston said the union has referred Lapachet to legal counsel. Neither the teacher nor the union is commenting until a school district investigation takes place and the issue moves through the courts. The district's investigation will not begin until after the two-week winter break, Trustee President Ron Heberle said. Classes resume Jan. 9.
"We are hoping the district attorney drops the case," Johnston said.
A message left at Lapachet's home was not returned.
The Record could not reach Lingerfelt or Rosales for comment, but both opened up about the incident last week to the Lodi News-Sentinel.
Rosales said that Lapachet blew a whistle in her ear during a physical-education class, and then bumped into her as he walked past her, forcing her to stumble. The incident was one of many acts of insubordination, Rosales said.
According to the newspaper article, Lingerfelt compared the vice principal's decision to make a citizen's arrest to the 1955 civil rights stand Rosa Parks took when she refused to sit in the back of a bus in Montgomery, Ala.
"The real story is why Mrs. Rosales exercised her right as an individual to make a citizen's arrest of an individual she believes committed an injustice to her," Lingerfelt said. "She knowingly put everything on the line, her career, professionalism, savings, character and integrity, to stand up for what she believes, to stand alone against one of the strongest labor unions in our nation, the California Teachers Association."
A little bump, seen by the police as a minor incident, led to a citizen’s arrest that may lead to an all-out war with the powerful teachers union.
SCHOOL BULLYING ALLEGATION TAKES BIZARRE TWIST
District to look into claim by vice principal against teacher
By Keith Reid
The Stockton Record
December 28, 2011
LODI - Lodi Unified officials will return in the New Year to investigate a bizarre situation stemming from the citizen's arrest of a middle school teacher by a school administrator.
Lodi Middle School Vice Principal Lurdes Rosales called police on Dec. 20, a day after she alleged that teacher Jon Lapachet "bumped" her during a class-time altercation, Lodi Police Lt. Fernando Martinez said.
Martinez said Lapachet, 58, was taken to the police station and later released on a misdemeanor battery citation.
Police consider the incident to be a "minor" one, Martinez said.
But the way it was reported - by school site administrators, who decided overnight to have Lapachet arrested instead of reporting the incident to the district office - could represent a breach of contract with the teachers union and could lead to a lengthy legal battle.
Union President Jeff Johnston said the citizen's arrest was taken by Rosales and Principal Patricia Lingerfelt "outside of protocol," and it was "highly unorthodox."
Johnston said the union has referred Lapachet to legal counsel. Neither the teacher nor the union is commenting until a school district investigation takes place and the issue moves through the courts. The district's investigation will not begin until after the two-week winter break, Trustee President Ron Heberle said. Classes resume Jan. 9.
"We are hoping the district attorney drops the case," Johnston said.
A message left at Lapachet's home was not returned.
The Record could not reach Lingerfelt or Rosales for comment, but both opened up about the incident last week to the Lodi News-Sentinel.
Rosales said that Lapachet blew a whistle in her ear during a physical-education class, and then bumped into her as he walked past her, forcing her to stumble. The incident was one of many acts of insubordination, Rosales said.
According to the newspaper article, Lingerfelt compared the vice principal's decision to make a citizen's arrest to the 1955 civil rights stand Rosa Parks took when she refused to sit in the back of a bus in Montgomery, Ala.
"The real story is why Mrs. Rosales exercised her right as an individual to make a citizen's arrest of an individual she believes committed an injustice to her," Lingerfelt said. "She knowingly put everything on the line, her career, professionalism, savings, character and integrity, to stand up for what she believes, to stand alone against one of the strongest labor unions in our nation, the California Teachers Association."
DIG THAT CHICK AT THE DEFENSE TABLE
Nice try, but that internet flirting bit didn’t work too well.
MAN KICKED OFF JURY FOR FACEBOOK FRIENDING THE ATTRACTIVE FEMALE DEFENDANT
Mail Online
December 31, 2011
A man has been kicked off a jury in a civil trial after he tried to Facebook friend one of the defendants.
Jacob Jock sent a friend request to Violetta Milerman after jury questioning and being placed in the jury pool for a personal injury lawsuit resulting from a traffic accident in Florida.
On his public Facebook page on December 12, Jock posted an update complaining about being called to jury duty, reports the The Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
He claims he made a mistake when he sent the friend request to the attractive defendant after using his smart phone to see whether he knew anyone involved in the trial - despite being warned by the judge not to use the internet to find out more on the trial.
'I accidentally friend requested her,' Jock, who has his own business JJ Custom Screen Printing, told the Herald Tribune.
'I didn't think it was a big deal. I didn't think I would get picked for the jury."
But he was selected to serve on the jury, and Milerman told her attorney about the friend request the next day.
Jock was dismissed on day two of the trial and immediately took to Facebook.
'Score ... I got dismissed!! apparently they frown upon sending a friend request to the defendant... haha,' Jock wrote, according to the Herald Tribune report.
Jock initially denied sending the friend request on the social networking site, according to attorneys in the case.
But then he said it must have been an accident.
An attorney on the case, Damian Mallard, told the Herald Tribune that Jock was 'very close to going to jail' for his actions.
Senior Circuit Judge Nancy Donnellan slammed him for violating her instructions on not to discuss the case or use the Internet to find out information.
Another juror was selected to take Jock's place.
Jurors in Texas and Britain who were caught out doing the same thing in the past have received community service and in some cases prison sentences.
MAN KICKED OFF JURY FOR FACEBOOK FRIENDING THE ATTRACTIVE FEMALE DEFENDANT
Mail Online
December 31, 2011
A man has been kicked off a jury in a civil trial after he tried to Facebook friend one of the defendants.
Jacob Jock sent a friend request to Violetta Milerman after jury questioning and being placed in the jury pool for a personal injury lawsuit resulting from a traffic accident in Florida.
On his public Facebook page on December 12, Jock posted an update complaining about being called to jury duty, reports the The Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
He claims he made a mistake when he sent the friend request to the attractive defendant after using his smart phone to see whether he knew anyone involved in the trial - despite being warned by the judge not to use the internet to find out more on the trial.
'I accidentally friend requested her,' Jock, who has his own business JJ Custom Screen Printing, told the Herald Tribune.
'I didn't think it was a big deal. I didn't think I would get picked for the jury."
But he was selected to serve on the jury, and Milerman told her attorney about the friend request the next day.
Jock was dismissed on day two of the trial and immediately took to Facebook.
'Score ... I got dismissed!! apparently they frown upon sending a friend request to the defendant... haha,' Jock wrote, according to the Herald Tribune report.
Jock initially denied sending the friend request on the social networking site, according to attorneys in the case.
But then he said it must have been an accident.
An attorney on the case, Damian Mallard, told the Herald Tribune that Jock was 'very close to going to jail' for his actions.
Senior Circuit Judge Nancy Donnellan slammed him for violating her instructions on not to discuss the case or use the Internet to find out information.
Another juror was selected to take Jock's place.
Jurors in Texas and Britain who were caught out doing the same thing in the past have received community service and in some cases prison sentences.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
MEDICAL POT PROPONENTS KEEP TRYING TO CON US
The proponents of medical pot, like the death penalty abolitionists, keep trying to con us with questionable, if not outright phony statistics in support of their cause.
Some pot proponents at the Rand Corporation severely damaged the reputation of that once highly thought of think tank with their phony claim that the closure of medical pot dispensaries led to an increase in crime.
Now we have a couple of pro-pot professors, one from Montana State University and the other from Colorado University, that have come out with a highly questionable study showing a decrease of traffic fatalities in the 13 states that have legalized medical marijuana – or should I say legalized marijuana?
There are two kinds of research. There are the unbiased scientific research studies and then there are the biased studies in which the researchers set out to prove what they themselves happen to believe.
RAND STUDY ON MEDICAL POT AMONG YEAR’S WORST, SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SAYS
By Nick Schou
OC Weekly
December 29, 2011
Remember that Rand Corporation study from earlier this year that claimed crime actually increased in L.A. neighborhoods where cops closed medical marijuana dispensaries? The one that forgot to include crime statistics compiled by the Los Angeles Police Department?? The one that Rand had to retract because it was pretty much completely worthless???
Well, if you do, it will come as no surprise that the Santa Monica-based think tank's somewhat, uh, flawed, report is number five on Scientific American's list of 2011's biggest retractions.
But despair not, oh ye advocates of medical ganja, for the year's end brings great tidings of the many miracles this wondrous weed is visiting upon our land. Forget about crime, let's talk drunk driving! Oh wait, that's also a crime. But anyway, what was I saying? Ah yes, let's celebrate a brand new study that purports to show how states that have allowed the medical use of marijuana have seen a drop in both traffic fatalities and beer sales.
The report, by D. Mark Anderson, an economics professor with Montana Sate University, and the University of Colorado's Daniel Rees claims a 9 percent decrease in traffic-related deaths in the 13 states that had legalized medical marijuana as of 2009, according to an article in Montana's Missoulian newspaper. The report also shows that beer consumption in those states has decreased by five percent.
That's nice, although it doesn't necessarily mean that the dwindling beer drinkers are turning to pot rather than Maker's Mark or meth, for that matter. Moreover, the math on the traffic fatalities seems a little fuzzy, too. While the report shows a decrease in fatal accidents at nights and on weekends, when many drunk drivers typically roam the road, that's not the same as proving a direct correlation between medical marijuana and a drop in drunk driving.
In fact, as the newspaper points out, one of the report's own authors admits that the drop in traffic fatalities could be related to just about anything, including the simple possibility that fewer people are driving, which raises another compelling question for men and women of science: does smoking pot make you more likely to sit on your ass rather than leave your house?
Some pot proponents at the Rand Corporation severely damaged the reputation of that once highly thought of think tank with their phony claim that the closure of medical pot dispensaries led to an increase in crime.
Now we have a couple of pro-pot professors, one from Montana State University and the other from Colorado University, that have come out with a highly questionable study showing a decrease of traffic fatalities in the 13 states that have legalized medical marijuana – or should I say legalized marijuana?
There are two kinds of research. There are the unbiased scientific research studies and then there are the biased studies in which the researchers set out to prove what they themselves happen to believe.
RAND STUDY ON MEDICAL POT AMONG YEAR’S WORST, SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SAYS
By Nick Schou
OC Weekly
December 29, 2011
Remember that Rand Corporation study from earlier this year that claimed crime actually increased in L.A. neighborhoods where cops closed medical marijuana dispensaries? The one that forgot to include crime statistics compiled by the Los Angeles Police Department?? The one that Rand had to retract because it was pretty much completely worthless???
Well, if you do, it will come as no surprise that the Santa Monica-based think tank's somewhat, uh, flawed, report is number five on Scientific American's list of 2011's biggest retractions.
But despair not, oh ye advocates of medical ganja, for the year's end brings great tidings of the many miracles this wondrous weed is visiting upon our land. Forget about crime, let's talk drunk driving! Oh wait, that's also a crime. But anyway, what was I saying? Ah yes, let's celebrate a brand new study that purports to show how states that have allowed the medical use of marijuana have seen a drop in both traffic fatalities and beer sales.
The report, by D. Mark Anderson, an economics professor with Montana Sate University, and the University of Colorado's Daniel Rees claims a 9 percent decrease in traffic-related deaths in the 13 states that had legalized medical marijuana as of 2009, according to an article in Montana's Missoulian newspaper. The report also shows that beer consumption in those states has decreased by five percent.
That's nice, although it doesn't necessarily mean that the dwindling beer drinkers are turning to pot rather than Maker's Mark or meth, for that matter. Moreover, the math on the traffic fatalities seems a little fuzzy, too. While the report shows a decrease in fatal accidents at nights and on weekends, when many drunk drivers typically roam the road, that's not the same as proving a direct correlation between medical marijuana and a drop in drunk driving.
In fact, as the newspaper points out, one of the report's own authors admits that the drop in traffic fatalities could be related to just about anything, including the simple possibility that fewer people are driving, which raises another compelling question for men and women of science: does smoking pot make you more likely to sit on your ass rather than leave your house?
PANTS-DRAGGING, HOODIE-WEARING MONSTERS
Psychiatrists and psychologists who are really good at making excuses for the behavior of miscreants and MSW (Master of Social Work) case workers are likely to puke if they read Rachel Raskin-Zrihen’s column. Good for her!
WHY THE WORLD SUCKS
By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen
politicalmavens.com
December 30, 2011
There have been 18 homicides in my town [in the San Francisco Bay area] so far this year.
That includes the assassination of a policeman in the line of duty last month, and the stabbing death of a 22-year-old kid who died today, on Christmas Eve.
Why do they keep killing each other?
Why can’t we stop behaving like barbarians?
On one hand, I don’t care who this guy was, what ethnicity or religion he belonged to, his family or financial situation ––there was no need to take his life violently and leave him to die alone in his car. I have two sons about that age, and the image of this happening to one of them has the power to send me over the edge.
On the other hand, if the kid turns out to have been a violent gangbanger with blood on his hands, then it’s really only a tragedy in that his was a life wasted, and his violent death put a damper on the holiday mood for the rest of us.
Except for his family, that is.
They probably consider it a tragedy no matter what kind of person he was. And depending on the nature of his family, they may seek to exact revenge, and we could see even more bloodshed here before the year is out.
And woe to the innocent bystander who happens to be in the way when that happens.
Really, I can’t tell you how tired I am of this antisocial, savage behavior among some of our young people. And we as a society had better get a handle on it before a higher power decides to do it for us.
There are warnings and cautionary tales all over sacred texts from nearly every religion about what happens when a culture gets out of control, and none of it is very pretty – Google Noah, or Sodom and Gomorrah, or fire and brimstone.
So, in a city of about 120,000 souls, 18 of them – that we know of – lost their lives at the hands of another human being – or a monster in human clothing – this year.
I wonder what number must be reached before some universal reaction is triggered.
So, we’re at 18 and holding at eight days and counting. Maybe some pants-dragging, hoodie-wearing, functionally illiterate, surly middle school drop-out can bring that number up. There’s still time. Why give up now?
And don’t give me that crap about they have crummy lives, so they take it out on society. There are too many examples of people whose lives sucked worse and who didn’t trash the world.
Don’t these creatures realize that if the world sucks, it’s because of people like them?
WHY THE WORLD SUCKS
By Rachel Raskin-Zrihen
politicalmavens.com
December 30, 2011
There have been 18 homicides in my town [in the San Francisco Bay area] so far this year.
That includes the assassination of a policeman in the line of duty last month, and the stabbing death of a 22-year-old kid who died today, on Christmas Eve.
Why do they keep killing each other?
Why can’t we stop behaving like barbarians?
On one hand, I don’t care who this guy was, what ethnicity or religion he belonged to, his family or financial situation ––there was no need to take his life violently and leave him to die alone in his car. I have two sons about that age, and the image of this happening to one of them has the power to send me over the edge.
On the other hand, if the kid turns out to have been a violent gangbanger with blood on his hands, then it’s really only a tragedy in that his was a life wasted, and his violent death put a damper on the holiday mood for the rest of us.
Except for his family, that is.
They probably consider it a tragedy no matter what kind of person he was. And depending on the nature of his family, they may seek to exact revenge, and we could see even more bloodshed here before the year is out.
And woe to the innocent bystander who happens to be in the way when that happens.
Really, I can’t tell you how tired I am of this antisocial, savage behavior among some of our young people. And we as a society had better get a handle on it before a higher power decides to do it for us.
There are warnings and cautionary tales all over sacred texts from nearly every religion about what happens when a culture gets out of control, and none of it is very pretty – Google Noah, or Sodom and Gomorrah, or fire and brimstone.
So, in a city of about 120,000 souls, 18 of them – that we know of – lost their lives at the hands of another human being – or a monster in human clothing – this year.
I wonder what number must be reached before some universal reaction is triggered.
So, we’re at 18 and holding at eight days and counting. Maybe some pants-dragging, hoodie-wearing, functionally illiterate, surly middle school drop-out can bring that number up. There’s still time. Why give up now?
And don’t give me that crap about they have crummy lives, so they take it out on society. There are too many examples of people whose lives sucked worse and who didn’t trash the world.
Don’t these creatures realize that if the world sucks, it’s because of people like them?
DID MEXICAN COPS KILL 'DEAR WONDERFUL DADDY'S' LITTLE GIRL?
“Dear Wonderful Daddy, I know we will make it there and back safely.” So wrote 13-year-old Cristina Hartsell to her imprisoned father about the family trip to Mexico.
It is quite possible, as the Zetas charge, that corrupt Mexican cops killed seven bus passengers in Veracruz, among them Cristina, her mother and another American.
From Borderland Beat:
ZETAS DENOUNCE MURDER OF AMERICANS IN VERACRUZ
Source: US Open Borders
December 30, 2011
The Zetas have placed a banner in Veracruz stating they are not responsible for the murders on passenger buses (which included 3 Americans).
Attacks were carried out which resulted in at least 7 deaths among buses traveling through Veracruz State. The Zeta banner states the killings were from the hands of corrupt police officers.
The Zetas have recently tried to scrap their horrible public image. Many other cartels have made it a priority to maintain respect within the people. The Zetas up to recent months have not done so. With their sole tactic of fear, instead of respect, they have not won the hearts of many. They have made it a personal issue to denounce their ties to terror, murders of innocents, and extortion.
Original message in Espanol:
“A TODO EL PUEBLO VERACRUZANO”NO SE DEJEN ENGANAR NO SOMOS SUS ENEMIGOSEL GOBIERNO HA PERMITIDO QUE MUERAN FAMILIAS VERACRUZANAS INOCENTES EN ESTA GUERREAQUE SOLO ES ENTRE ALGUNOS CARTELES. LA MUERTE DE TRES INTEGRANTES DE UNA FAMILIAEL 13 DE OCTUBRE EN MORALILLO Y EL ATENTADO A PASAJEROS DE LOSAUTOBUSES EL 22 DE DICIEMBRE NO FUERON CAUSADOS POR NOSOTROS.UN OFICIAL CORRUPTO DEL GOBIERNO FUE EL EJECUTOR DE LOS ATENTADOS;DISPARANDO SIN CONCIENCIA Y SIN IMPORTARLE LA VIDA DE INOCENTES.NO SOMOS CULPABLES DE ESAS TRAGEDIASSOMOS GENTE DEL PUEBLO Y SEGUIREMOS EN LA LUCHAATT: UNIDAD:Z
English Tranlation:
“TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF VERACRUZ” DO NOT BE DECEIVED WE ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALLOWED INNOCENTs TO DIE IN THE WARS VERACRUZANA (of Veracruz) ONLY IS AMONG SOME POSTERS. THE DEATH OF THREE MEMBERS OF A FAMILY ON 13 OCTOBER IN MORALILLO AND THE ATTACK ON PASSENGERS BUSES ON 22 DECEMBER WE WERE NOT CAUSED BY ZETAS. A (police) OFFICER WAS CORRUPT GOVERNMENT OF EXECUTING THE ATTACKS; SHOOTING WITHOUT CONSCIENCE AND REGARDLESS OF THE INNOCENT LIFE.WE ARE NOT GUILTY OF THESE TRAGEDIES PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE AND WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT ATT: UNIT: Z
It is quite possible, as the Zetas charge, that corrupt Mexican cops killed seven bus passengers in Veracruz, among them Cristina, her mother and another American.
From Borderland Beat:
ZETAS DENOUNCE MURDER OF AMERICANS IN VERACRUZ
Source: US Open Borders
December 30, 2011
The Zetas have placed a banner in Veracruz stating they are not responsible for the murders on passenger buses (which included 3 Americans).
Attacks were carried out which resulted in at least 7 deaths among buses traveling through Veracruz State. The Zeta banner states the killings were from the hands of corrupt police officers.
The Zetas have recently tried to scrap their horrible public image. Many other cartels have made it a priority to maintain respect within the people. The Zetas up to recent months have not done so. With their sole tactic of fear, instead of respect, they have not won the hearts of many. They have made it a personal issue to denounce their ties to terror, murders of innocents, and extortion.
Original message in Espanol:
“A TODO EL PUEBLO VERACRUZANO”NO SE DEJEN ENGANAR NO SOMOS SUS ENEMIGOSEL GOBIERNO HA PERMITIDO QUE MUERAN FAMILIAS VERACRUZANAS INOCENTES EN ESTA GUERREAQUE SOLO ES ENTRE ALGUNOS CARTELES. LA MUERTE DE TRES INTEGRANTES DE UNA FAMILIAEL 13 DE OCTUBRE EN MORALILLO Y EL ATENTADO A PASAJEROS DE LOSAUTOBUSES EL 22 DE DICIEMBRE NO FUERON CAUSADOS POR NOSOTROS.UN OFICIAL CORRUPTO DEL GOBIERNO FUE EL EJECUTOR DE LOS ATENTADOS;DISPARANDO SIN CONCIENCIA Y SIN IMPORTARLE LA VIDA DE INOCENTES.NO SOMOS CULPABLES DE ESAS TRAGEDIASSOMOS GENTE DEL PUEBLO Y SEGUIREMOS EN LA LUCHAATT: UNIDAD:Z
English Tranlation:
“TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF VERACRUZ” DO NOT BE DECEIVED WE ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALLOWED INNOCENTs TO DIE IN THE WARS VERACRUZANA (of Veracruz) ONLY IS AMONG SOME POSTERS. THE DEATH OF THREE MEMBERS OF A FAMILY ON 13 OCTOBER IN MORALILLO AND THE ATTACK ON PASSENGERS BUSES ON 22 DECEMBER WE WERE NOT CAUSED BY ZETAS. A (police) OFFICER WAS CORRUPT GOVERNMENT OF EXECUTING THE ATTACKS; SHOOTING WITHOUT CONSCIENCE AND REGARDLESS OF THE INNOCENT LIFE.WE ARE NOT GUILTY OF THESE TRAGEDIES PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE AND WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT ATT: UNIT: Z
THE AMAZING LIFE OF THOMAS JEFFERSON
Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped.
At 5, began studying under his cousin's tutor.
At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.
At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
At 23, started his own law practice.
At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America and retired from his law practice.
At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence .
At 33, took three years to revise Virginia 's legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia , succeeding Patrick Henry.
At 40, served in Congress for two years.
At 41, was the American minister to France , and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.
At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.
At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions, and became the active head of Republican Party.
At 57, was elected the third president of the United States .
At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase , doubling the nation's size.
At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
At 65, retired to Monticello .
At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia , and served as its first president.
At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, along with John Adams
At 5, began studying under his cousin's tutor.
At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.
At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
At 23, started his own law practice.
At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America and retired from his law practice.
At 32, was a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence .
At 33, took three years to revise Virginia 's legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia , succeeding Patrick Henry.
At 40, served in Congress for two years.
At 41, was the American minister to France , and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with Ben Franklin and John Adams.
At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.
At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions, and became the active head of Republican Party.
At 57, was elected the third president of the United States .
At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase , doubling the nation's size.
At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
At 65, retired to Monticello .
At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia , and served as its first president.
At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, along with John Adams
THOMAS JEFFERSON'S WISDOM
John F. Kennedy once held a dinner in the White House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: "This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone." Here’s why:
"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe ." -- Thomas Jefferson
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world." -- Thomas Jefferson
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." -- Thomas Jefferson
"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." -- Thomas Jefferson
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson
"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." -- Thomas Jefferson
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." -- Thomas Jefferson
"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." -- Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson said in 1802: "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."
"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe ." -- Thomas Jefferson
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world." -- Thomas Jefferson
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." -- Thomas Jefferson
"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." -- Thomas Jefferson
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson
"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." -- Thomas Jefferson
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." -- Thomas Jefferson
"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." -- Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson said in 1802: "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."
Friday, December 30, 2011
WHAT WOULD GEORGE PATTON SAY?
General George Patton, nicknamed 'Old Blood and Guts', was thought by many to be America's greatest war general, but was ridiculed by some who accused him of being too callous, uncaring and hardened by war. He was, nonetheless, the most decorated army officer of WWII, honored to the extent that he was unable to display all of the medals, ribbons, medallions and campaign sashes together on his dress uniform.
Imagine for a moment General George Patton addressing everyone today as outlined below...... He sure had a unique way of expressing his thoughts.
This is how General George S. Patton would sum things up.... and then catch holy hell from Ike:
ATTENTION!
To ALL those whining, pathetic panty-waist Citizens, it's time for a little refresher course on exactly why we Americans occasionally have to fight wars to keep this nation great.
See if you can tear yourself away from your "reality" TV and Starbucks for a minute, pull your head out of your ass -- and LISTEN UP!!
Abu Ghraib is not "torture" or an "atrocity."
Got that ?
The beheadings of Americans and 9/11 are atrocities!!!
WHICH PART DON'T YOU GET?
Islam Extremists are peaceful people? My Ass! Millions of these warped misled sons-of-bitches are plotting, as we speak, to destroy our country and our way of life any way they can. Some of them are here among us now!
They don't want to convert you and don't want to rule you. They believe you are a vile infestation of Allah's paradise. They don't give a shit how "progressive" you are, how peace-loving you are, or how much you sympathize with their cause.
They want your ass dead, and they think it is God's will for them to do it.
Some think if we give them a hug or listen to them, then they'll like us, and if you agree –
Then you are a pathetic dumb ass!
If they manage to get their hands on a nuke, chemical agents, or even some anthrax -- you will wish to God we had hunted them down and killed THEM while we had the chance.
How many more Americans must be beheaded? You've fallen asleep AGAIN - get your head out of your ass! You may never get another chance!
NOW GET OFF YOUR SORRY ASS and pass this on to any and every person you give a damn about - if you ever gave a damn about anything!
DISMISSED!
Imagine for a moment General George Patton addressing everyone today as outlined below...... He sure had a unique way of expressing his thoughts.
This is how General George S. Patton would sum things up.... and then catch holy hell from Ike:
ATTENTION!
To ALL those whining, pathetic panty-waist Citizens, it's time for a little refresher course on exactly why we Americans occasionally have to fight wars to keep this nation great.
See if you can tear yourself away from your "reality" TV and Starbucks for a minute, pull your head out of your ass -- and LISTEN UP!!
Abu Ghraib is not "torture" or an "atrocity."
Got that ?
The beheadings of Americans and 9/11 are atrocities!!!
WHICH PART DON'T YOU GET?
Islam Extremists are peaceful people? My Ass! Millions of these warped misled sons-of-bitches are plotting, as we speak, to destroy our country and our way of life any way they can. Some of them are here among us now!
They don't want to convert you and don't want to rule you. They believe you are a vile infestation of Allah's paradise. They don't give a shit how "progressive" you are, how peace-loving you are, or how much you sympathize with their cause.
They want your ass dead, and they think it is God's will for them to do it.
Some think if we give them a hug or listen to them, then they'll like us, and if you agree –
Then you are a pathetic dumb ass!
If they manage to get their hands on a nuke, chemical agents, or even some anthrax -- you will wish to God we had hunted them down and killed THEM while we had the chance.
How many more Americans must be beheaded? You've fallen asleep AGAIN - get your head out of your ass! You may never get another chance!
NOW GET OFF YOUR SORRY ASS and pass this on to any and every person you give a damn about - if you ever gave a damn about anything!
DISMISSED!
MISLEADING DEATH PENALTY COST CLAIMS
The anti-death penalty crowd seems to be scoring points with their misleading cost figures. They’ve conned some California legislators and the public, which may very well vote to abolish California’s ultimate penalty. The problem with the Golden State is that there are more than 700 scumbags roosting on death row and when you figure in the cost of fighting their appeals, that is costly indeed.
Dorina Lisson, still passionately engaged in the fight to abolish capital punishment, sent me the following piece of propaganda:
GRIM REAPINGS: HOW THE COST OF U.S. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ADDS UP
A number of US states are debating whether to abolish the death penalty in light of rising costs.
But how much does it cost to put a person to death?
Capital punishment in the US costs, on average, $1.9m more per case than life without parole.
California has the most expensive death penalty system of any state in the US.
With 721 people on death row but only 13 executions since 1978, the state has spent $4bn more than it would have if capital punishment were not available there.
(source: The Guardian)
Now here is why those cost figures are misleading. The biggest cost associated with the death penalty is what it costs to fight the endless appeals that are filed while a murderer sits on death row. The death row custodial costs are somewhat higher than those for the regular prison population. But as for those sentenced to life without parole, when you add up what it costs to keep them in prison for 30 or more years, it will cost more for a lifer than for an inmate awaiting execution. We’re still talking about millions of dollars to maintain those lifers.
California’s predicament is self-inflicted. The reason there are more than 700 scumbags roosting on death row is because the state’s appellate judges keep finding excuses to prevent any executions from taking place.
In the last few years, most of those executed in Texas had been on death row 8 – 10 years. Had they been sentenced to life without parole and lived for 30 – 40 years, the cost of maintaining them in the joint for life would far exceed the cost of keeping them on death row for 10 years, including the cost of fighting their appeals.
So, those figures in 'Grim Reapings' don't add up and you can bet the abolitionists behind this phony propaganda damn well know it! The costs associated with the death penalty, when figured on a yearly basis for each individual person condemned to death, are a mere drop in the bucket of an annual state budget. Citing those costs as a good reason to abolish capital punishment is nothing more than one big con job!
Dorina Lisson, still passionately engaged in the fight to abolish capital punishment, sent me the following piece of propaganda:
GRIM REAPINGS: HOW THE COST OF U.S. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ADDS UP
A number of US states are debating whether to abolish the death penalty in light of rising costs.
But how much does it cost to put a person to death?
Capital punishment in the US costs, on average, $1.9m more per case than life without parole.
California has the most expensive death penalty system of any state in the US.
With 721 people on death row but only 13 executions since 1978, the state has spent $4bn more than it would have if capital punishment were not available there.
(source: The Guardian)
Now here is why those cost figures are misleading. The biggest cost associated with the death penalty is what it costs to fight the endless appeals that are filed while a murderer sits on death row. The death row custodial costs are somewhat higher than those for the regular prison population. But as for those sentenced to life without parole, when you add up what it costs to keep them in prison for 30 or more years, it will cost more for a lifer than for an inmate awaiting execution. We’re still talking about millions of dollars to maintain those lifers.
California’s predicament is self-inflicted. The reason there are more than 700 scumbags roosting on death row is because the state’s appellate judges keep finding excuses to prevent any executions from taking place.
In the last few years, most of those executed in Texas had been on death row 8 – 10 years. Had they been sentenced to life without parole and lived for 30 – 40 years, the cost of maintaining them in the joint for life would far exceed the cost of keeping them on death row for 10 years, including the cost of fighting their appeals.
So, those figures in 'Grim Reapings' don't add up and you can bet the abolitionists behind this phony propaganda damn well know it! The costs associated with the death penalty, when figured on a yearly basis for each individual person condemned to death, are a mere drop in the bucket of an annual state budget. Citing those costs as a good reason to abolish capital punishment is nothing more than one big con job!
13-YEAR-OLD GIRL KILLED IN MEXICO WHILE 'DEAR WONDERFUL DADDY' SITS IN TEXAS PRISON
From Borderland Beat:
LITTLE MIKE GIVES DETAILS OF THE HORROR, AS A COMPLICATED FAMILY DYNAMIC UNFOLDS
Borderland Beat
December 29, 2011
“Dear Wonderful Daddy, I know we will make it there and back safely”
Those were the words of 13 year old Cristina Hartsell, in a letter she wrote to her father before her ill-fated trip to Mexico. Her father, Mike Hartsell Sr. was very concerned for their safety and had begged them not to go.
Below is a Star-Telegram article written by Anna Tinsley where little Mike recalls the traumatic bus attack:
Last week, Mike Hartsell was an ordinary 10-year-old, teasing his sisters during a family vacation in Mexico over the Christmas holidays. That changed in a matter of minutes. He is one of two children in his family who survived a deadly gun attack on their bus in the Mexican state of Veracruz -- where violence has escalated as two Mexican drug cartels battle. More than a half-dozen passengers were killed, including Mike's mother, Maria, his 18-year-old half-sister, Karla, and his 13-year-old sister, Cristina.
In one of his first interviews since returning to North Texas late Tuesday with his 15-year-old sister, Angie, Mike talked to the Star-Telegram on Wednesday about the horror of that day, four days before Christmas .He also talked about missing his father, who was recently sentenced to six years in prison on a charge of prohibited sexual contact. His paternal grandmother, Margaret Schneider of Cleburne, is working to get his father released from custody. Mike -- who family members say has been uncharacteristically reserved and quiet since returning home -- said he can't stop thinking about his mother, his sisters and the deadly bus ride he knows he was fortunate to survive. “I couldn't believe it happened," he said. "It feels like a dream.” ‘I want to be with him.
The Hartsells had gone to Mexico to be with his mother's family against the advice of their relatives in Texas, who were concerned with the dangerous conditions there. The American consulate has asked U.S. citizens to use caution when traveling to Veracruz and to avoid intercity travel at night. Mike said the bus they were riding on was driving through a rural area when it was suddenly stopped and he saw Mexican robbers -- who he called "Mafia" -- board. They shot the driver and began walking through the bus, slapping and threatening passengers. When one of the robbers approached his sister, Angie, who has Down syndrome, his mother told the man to leave her alone, saying "she's special."But "he slapped my sister and my mom went over and started hitting him," Mike said during a telephone interview conducted at his grandmother's home. The man spoke in Spanish, shoved Maria Hartsell to the floor of the bus and left. Then he returned quickly, this time carrying a gun. “He shot my mom and she fell down," Mike said quietly. His mother fell back on Karla, and as the man kept shooting, the bullets passed through Maria Hartsell, also killing her oldest daughter, family members said.
When his sister Cristina, who family members call "Tina," called out to try to help her mother, she also was shot and killed, he said. “When my mom got shot, I screamed at the same time my sister did and I tried to go to my mom, but my cousin held me back," he said. "Another cousin tried to help my mom, but he got shot. ... A guy near us told me to hush because he didn't want to get shot, too. “The gunmen were later killed by soldiers.
Maria, Karla and Cristina were buried in Mexico after the family couldn't raise the $6,000 the Mexican morgue said was necessary to bring them back to Texas. He said Mexican officials gave him his mom's purse and he often touches it and looks through it. "I'm thinking about her a lot," he said. After several days, family members were able to pick up Mike and Angie, who went into shock during the shootings, and bring them back to the United States. Mike has been to the hospital for a sore throat, some bumps and a rash on his hands. He also got medicine for a virus he got from tainted drinking water.
Now all he wants is to be with his father. He went to see him in the Burnet County Jail late Tuesday before returning home to Cleburne. He said he talked to him for about 30 minutes through a glass barrier about what he had gone through. “He said he loved me and I told him I loved him," the 10-year-old said. "I want to be with him. Me and Angie want to be with him.”
Schneider and Fort Worth attorney Paul Enlow are trying to contact criminal justice officials, seeking some sort of probation or early parole that would allow Mike's dad -- who has Huntington's disease that leads to mental and physical illness -- to be with his surviving children. The father, whose name is also Mike Hartsell, agreed to a plea bargain this month with the Johnson County district attorney's office that includes a six-year sentence for committing prohibited sexual conduct, Enlow said.The district attorney's office did not return a telephone call Wednesday from the Star-Telegram seeking comment. The elder Mike Hartsell was convicted of having improper contact with his stepdaughter Karla -- a charge he both denied and confessed to at one point after lengthy interrogation, which Enlow chalked up to his illness.No one has elaborated about the charge, saying only that it involves prohibited sexual conduct under Section 25.02 in the Texas Penal Code, which notes that sexual activity is a crime between many categories of people -- including stepparents and their current or previous stepchildren.
Hartsell is on suicide watch at the Burnet facility, Enlow said.Schneider said little about her son's conviction. She said her son was afraid that if he didn't accept the plea bargain, he might end up in prison for decades. She said she hopes there's a way he can be released early from prison to help raise his surviving children. “Little Mike loves his dad so much," Schneider said. "He's the only parent he has left."
LITTLE MIKE GIVES DETAILS OF THE HORROR, AS A COMPLICATED FAMILY DYNAMIC UNFOLDS
Borderland Beat
December 29, 2011
“Dear Wonderful Daddy, I know we will make it there and back safely”
Those were the words of 13 year old Cristina Hartsell, in a letter she wrote to her father before her ill-fated trip to Mexico. Her father, Mike Hartsell Sr. was very concerned for their safety and had begged them not to go.
Below is a Star-Telegram article written by Anna Tinsley where little Mike recalls the traumatic bus attack:
Last week, Mike Hartsell was an ordinary 10-year-old, teasing his sisters during a family vacation in Mexico over the Christmas holidays. That changed in a matter of minutes. He is one of two children in his family who survived a deadly gun attack on their bus in the Mexican state of Veracruz -- where violence has escalated as two Mexican drug cartels battle. More than a half-dozen passengers were killed, including Mike's mother, Maria, his 18-year-old half-sister, Karla, and his 13-year-old sister, Cristina.
In one of his first interviews since returning to North Texas late Tuesday with his 15-year-old sister, Angie, Mike talked to the Star-Telegram on Wednesday about the horror of that day, four days before Christmas .He also talked about missing his father, who was recently sentenced to six years in prison on a charge of prohibited sexual contact. His paternal grandmother, Margaret Schneider of Cleburne, is working to get his father released from custody. Mike -- who family members say has been uncharacteristically reserved and quiet since returning home -- said he can't stop thinking about his mother, his sisters and the deadly bus ride he knows he was fortunate to survive. “I couldn't believe it happened," he said. "It feels like a dream.” ‘I want to be with him.
The Hartsells had gone to Mexico to be with his mother's family against the advice of their relatives in Texas, who were concerned with the dangerous conditions there. The American consulate has asked U.S. citizens to use caution when traveling to Veracruz and to avoid intercity travel at night. Mike said the bus they were riding on was driving through a rural area when it was suddenly stopped and he saw Mexican robbers -- who he called "Mafia" -- board. They shot the driver and began walking through the bus, slapping and threatening passengers. When one of the robbers approached his sister, Angie, who has Down syndrome, his mother told the man to leave her alone, saying "she's special."But "he slapped my sister and my mom went over and started hitting him," Mike said during a telephone interview conducted at his grandmother's home. The man spoke in Spanish, shoved Maria Hartsell to the floor of the bus and left. Then he returned quickly, this time carrying a gun. “He shot my mom and she fell down," Mike said quietly. His mother fell back on Karla, and as the man kept shooting, the bullets passed through Maria Hartsell, also killing her oldest daughter, family members said.
When his sister Cristina, who family members call "Tina," called out to try to help her mother, she also was shot and killed, he said. “When my mom got shot, I screamed at the same time my sister did and I tried to go to my mom, but my cousin held me back," he said. "Another cousin tried to help my mom, but he got shot. ... A guy near us told me to hush because he didn't want to get shot, too. “The gunmen were later killed by soldiers.
Maria, Karla and Cristina were buried in Mexico after the family couldn't raise the $6,000 the Mexican morgue said was necessary to bring them back to Texas. He said Mexican officials gave him his mom's purse and he often touches it and looks through it. "I'm thinking about her a lot," he said. After several days, family members were able to pick up Mike and Angie, who went into shock during the shootings, and bring them back to the United States. Mike has been to the hospital for a sore throat, some bumps and a rash on his hands. He also got medicine for a virus he got from tainted drinking water.
Now all he wants is to be with his father. He went to see him in the Burnet County Jail late Tuesday before returning home to Cleburne. He said he talked to him for about 30 minutes through a glass barrier about what he had gone through. “He said he loved me and I told him I loved him," the 10-year-old said. "I want to be with him. Me and Angie want to be with him.”
Schneider and Fort Worth attorney Paul Enlow are trying to contact criminal justice officials, seeking some sort of probation or early parole that would allow Mike's dad -- who has Huntington's disease that leads to mental and physical illness -- to be with his surviving children. The father, whose name is also Mike Hartsell, agreed to a plea bargain this month with the Johnson County district attorney's office that includes a six-year sentence for committing prohibited sexual conduct, Enlow said.The district attorney's office did not return a telephone call Wednesday from the Star-Telegram seeking comment. The elder Mike Hartsell was convicted of having improper contact with his stepdaughter Karla -- a charge he both denied and confessed to at one point after lengthy interrogation, which Enlow chalked up to his illness.No one has elaborated about the charge, saying only that it involves prohibited sexual conduct under Section 25.02 in the Texas Penal Code, which notes that sexual activity is a crime between many categories of people -- including stepparents and their current or previous stepchildren.
Hartsell is on suicide watch at the Burnet facility, Enlow said.Schneider said little about her son's conviction. She said her son was afraid that if he didn't accept the plea bargain, he might end up in prison for decades. She said she hopes there's a way he can be released early from prison to help raise his surviving children. “Little Mike loves his dad so much," Schneider said. "He's the only parent he has left."
A WISE OLD JEWISH CABBIE
A drunk woman, stark naked, jumped into a taxi in New York City.
The taxi driver, who happened to be an old Jewish man, opened his eyes wide and stared at the woman. He made no attempt to start the cab.
She said to him, "What's wrong with you honey? Haven't you ever seen a naked woman before?"
The old man said "Lady, I'm not staring at you, I am telling you, det vould not be proper vair I come from".
She said, "Well, if you're not staring at my boobs sweetie, what are you doing then?"
He said, "Vell, I am looking and I'm looking, and I am tinking to myself, vair in da hell is dis lady keeping de money to pay for dis ride?"
The taxi driver, who happened to be an old Jewish man, opened his eyes wide and stared at the woman. He made no attempt to start the cab.
She said to him, "What's wrong with you honey? Haven't you ever seen a naked woman before?"
The old man said "Lady, I'm not staring at you, I am telling you, det vould not be proper vair I come from".
She said, "Well, if you're not staring at my boobs sweetie, what are you doing then?"
He said, "Vell, I am looking and I'm looking, and I am tinking to myself, vair in da hell is dis lady keeping de money to pay for dis ride?"
Thursday, December 29, 2011
THIS WILL MAKE THE GUN CONTROL CROWD CRINGE
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is trying to put the best face on the FBI stats by claiming that guns are being purchased by repeat gun buyers and making the dubious claim that the number of gun owners in this country is actually declining.
GUN SALES AT RECORD LEVELS, ACCORDING TO FBI BACKGROUND CHECKS
Almost half a million checks were done in just the last six days before Christmas
By Carol Cratty,
CNN
December 28, 2011
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- December holiday shoppers were not just interested in buying the hottest electronics and toys -- they also were purchasing record numbers of guns, according to the latest FBI figures on background checks required to buy firearms.
With a few days left in December, the FBI reports the number of background checks has already topped the previous one-month record -- set only in November -- of 1,534,414 inquiries by gun dealers to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System also known as NICS. Almost half a million checks were done in just the last six days before Christmas.
Two days before Christmas, NICS ran 102,222 background checks, which was the second-busiest day in history. The one-day record was set this year on Black Friday, the big shopping day following Thanksgiving, with 129,166 searches. By comparison, the previous one-day high was set November 28, 2008, when gun dealers made slightly less than 98,000 requests for background searches.
It's not possible to tell exactly how many guns have been purchased because buyers often take home more than one gun. But most people pass the background checks. Only 1.3% of the searches result in people being denied permission to buy a weapon, said FBI spokesman Steve Fischer.
FBI officials did not offer a theory on the spike in gun sales. It's also not clear how many of the background checks were for people who never had owned guns before and how many were for gun owners adding to their collections.
The National Rifle Association says the figures indicate more people feel they need guns for self defense.
"I think there's an increased realization that when something bad occurs, it's going to be between them and the criminal," NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told CNN. Arulandandum said Americans realize police cannot be everywhere there's trouble and also that some officers are being laid off due to budget cutting.
The NRA spokesman also said an increased number of Americans are participating in skeet shooting and other gun sports.
A leading gun-control organization says repeat buyers most likely are responsible for the holiday surge in guns sales.
"The research we've seen indicates fewer and fewer people are owning more and more guns," said Caroline Brewer of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "All the trends indicate the number of Americans who own guns has declined."
"It would appear because of fear-mongering by the NRA since (President Barack) Obama's election that people are adding more guns to their arsenals out of fear Obama and the Democrats will take away their guns, which is absurd," said Brewer.
GUN SALES AT RECORD LEVELS, ACCORDING TO FBI BACKGROUND CHECKS
Almost half a million checks were done in just the last six days before Christmas
By Carol Cratty,
CNN
December 28, 2011
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- December holiday shoppers were not just interested in buying the hottest electronics and toys -- they also were purchasing record numbers of guns, according to the latest FBI figures on background checks required to buy firearms.
With a few days left in December, the FBI reports the number of background checks has already topped the previous one-month record -- set only in November -- of 1,534,414 inquiries by gun dealers to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System also known as NICS. Almost half a million checks were done in just the last six days before Christmas.
Two days before Christmas, NICS ran 102,222 background checks, which was the second-busiest day in history. The one-day record was set this year on Black Friday, the big shopping day following Thanksgiving, with 129,166 searches. By comparison, the previous one-day high was set November 28, 2008, when gun dealers made slightly less than 98,000 requests for background searches.
It's not possible to tell exactly how many guns have been purchased because buyers often take home more than one gun. But most people pass the background checks. Only 1.3% of the searches result in people being denied permission to buy a weapon, said FBI spokesman Steve Fischer.
FBI officials did not offer a theory on the spike in gun sales. It's also not clear how many of the background checks were for people who never had owned guns before and how many were for gun owners adding to their collections.
The National Rifle Association says the figures indicate more people feel they need guns for self defense.
"I think there's an increased realization that when something bad occurs, it's going to be between them and the criminal," NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told CNN. Arulandandum said Americans realize police cannot be everywhere there's trouble and also that some officers are being laid off due to budget cutting.
The NRA spokesman also said an increased number of Americans are participating in skeet shooting and other gun sports.
A leading gun-control organization says repeat buyers most likely are responsible for the holiday surge in guns sales.
"The research we've seen indicates fewer and fewer people are owning more and more guns," said Caroline Brewer of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "All the trends indicate the number of Americans who own guns has declined."
"It would appear because of fear-mongering by the NRA since (President Barack) Obama's election that people are adding more guns to their arsenals out of fear Obama and the Democrats will take away their guns, which is absurd," said Brewer.
ANOTHER 'CHANGE AND HOPE' EXPECTATION DOWN THE DRAIN
Howard LaFranchi notes that Obama’s ‘Let’s Talk, Not Fight’ proposals for Iran, Syria and North Korea have been a flop. Here’s how he flopped with Venezuela.
HAS OBAMA’S ‘LET’S TALK’ APPROACH WORKED WITH VENEZUELA?
One of Obama’s objectives entering the White House was to show that dialogue could be more effective than confrontations with U.S. adversaries
By Howard LaFranchi
Jewish World Review
December 28, 2011
WASHINGTON — When Barack Obama entered the White House in January 2009 on the heels of George W. Bush, one of his objectives was to demonstrate that engaging in a dialogue with America's adversaries could be more effective than confrontation in addressing such prickly foreign policy concerns as nuclear proliferation and authoritarian regimes.
Some three years later, the media salvos President Obama launched against Venezuelan strong man Hugo Chavez were a small but striking reminder that the "talking with the enemy" approach has had few successes.
President Chavez has rarely been at a loss for words in his 13-year rule over his oil-producing South American country, and he remained true to form this week after Obama told a Caracas newspaper that the US is "deeply concerned" about restrictions on personal freedoms and the erosion in the separation of powers in Venezuela.
"Leave us alone," Mr. Chavez shot back on state television. Calling Obama a "clown," the Latin leftist then advised the US president to "focus on governing your country, which you've turned into a disaster."
It was a sharp contrast from the days, early in the administration, when Venezuela was considered to be one of the easier adversaries to win over with dialogue. The two countries exchanged ambassadors again after having called them home at a breaking point in relations in 2008, and Obama and Chavez shook hands and smiled for cameras at a regional summit in 2009.
But the handshakes never transitioned to conversations, as each country accused the other of hegemonic actions in South America, and Chavez deepened his relations with other American antagonists including Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Chavez is up for reelection in October and Obama in November, but neither leader will look to the other for support.
HAS OBAMA’S ‘LET’S TALK’ APPROACH WORKED WITH VENEZUELA?
One of Obama’s objectives entering the White House was to show that dialogue could be more effective than confrontations with U.S. adversaries
By Howard LaFranchi
Jewish World Review
December 28, 2011
WASHINGTON — When Barack Obama entered the White House in January 2009 on the heels of George W. Bush, one of his objectives was to demonstrate that engaging in a dialogue with America's adversaries could be more effective than confrontation in addressing such prickly foreign policy concerns as nuclear proliferation and authoritarian regimes.
Some three years later, the media salvos President Obama launched against Venezuelan strong man Hugo Chavez were a small but striking reminder that the "talking with the enemy" approach has had few successes.
President Chavez has rarely been at a loss for words in his 13-year rule over his oil-producing South American country, and he remained true to form this week after Obama told a Caracas newspaper that the US is "deeply concerned" about restrictions on personal freedoms and the erosion in the separation of powers in Venezuela.
"Leave us alone," Mr. Chavez shot back on state television. Calling Obama a "clown," the Latin leftist then advised the US president to "focus on governing your country, which you've turned into a disaster."
It was a sharp contrast from the days, early in the administration, when Venezuela was considered to be one of the easier adversaries to win over with dialogue. The two countries exchanged ambassadors again after having called them home at a breaking point in relations in 2008, and Obama and Chavez shook hands and smiled for cameras at a regional summit in 2009.
But the handshakes never transitioned to conversations, as each country accused the other of hegemonic actions in South America, and Chavez deepened his relations with other American antagonists including Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Chavez is up for reelection in October and Obama in November, but neither leader will look to the other for support.
THAT BEER IN THE CAR? WHAT BEER?
Not tested for alcohol? Hmm, I wonder if there might not be a cover-up here?
NM COP CRASHES CRUISER INTO RESTAURANT
No blood alcohol test was performed while the sheriff’s deputy was at the hospital
By Karen Peterson
Albuquerque Journal
December 28, 2011
ALBUQUERQUE — A Taos County sheriff's deputy crashed his car into a packed El Prado restaurant on Christmas Eve, landing in the patio.
As the deputy's car spun and rolled through the parking lot into the patio, it took out more than half of the restaurant's fence and three trees before coming to rest on the patio fire pit, in an area where there also was a tank of kerosene and a propane tank, said a restaurant employee who was in the restaurant at the time.
The car stopped "just inches" from the patio's winter-weather tent, which was packed for Christmas Eve dinner when the crash happened about 8 p.m., said Christina Garcia,who was on duty at Orlando's New Mexico Cafe.
"We were afraid the car was going to blow up," Garcia said. "A group of boys sitting on our porch got the fire pit and pulled it out — one boy burned his hand," she said. "Then they pulled the kerosene and the propane tank out of the way and got the officer out of the car."
Taos County Sheriff Miguel Romero said Deputy Nicholas Lamendola was responding to a call in Questa. With his lights flashing and siren engaged, he was traveling fast through traffic on the north side of Taos when a car at the side of the roadway pulled out in front of him. As Lamendola's car spun and rolled, it badly damaged three cars in Orlando's parking lot.
Beer cans were found in the deputy's car, but Romero was adamant that Lamendola had not been drinking. "He had just borrowed the vehicle from another officer, and that officer had responded to open container calls," Romero said. "(Lamendola) wasn't drinking."
Lamendola, who suffered only minor injuries, was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in Taos where a urine test was performed, as required by department policy, Romero said. The test came back negative "for any kind of drug."
New Mexico State Police are investigating the crash. Spokesman Lt. Robert McDonald said that to his knowledge, no blood alcohol test had been performed while Lamendola was at the hospital.
"There was no reason to, as far as I know," McDonald said.
NM COP CRASHES CRUISER INTO RESTAURANT
No blood alcohol test was performed while the sheriff’s deputy was at the hospital
By Karen Peterson
Albuquerque Journal
December 28, 2011
ALBUQUERQUE — A Taos County sheriff's deputy crashed his car into a packed El Prado restaurant on Christmas Eve, landing in the patio.
As the deputy's car spun and rolled through the parking lot into the patio, it took out more than half of the restaurant's fence and three trees before coming to rest on the patio fire pit, in an area where there also was a tank of kerosene and a propane tank, said a restaurant employee who was in the restaurant at the time.
The car stopped "just inches" from the patio's winter-weather tent, which was packed for Christmas Eve dinner when the crash happened about 8 p.m., said Christina Garcia,who was on duty at Orlando's New Mexico Cafe.
"We were afraid the car was going to blow up," Garcia said. "A group of boys sitting on our porch got the fire pit and pulled it out — one boy burned his hand," she said. "Then they pulled the kerosene and the propane tank out of the way and got the officer out of the car."
Taos County Sheriff Miguel Romero said Deputy Nicholas Lamendola was responding to a call in Questa. With his lights flashing and siren engaged, he was traveling fast through traffic on the north side of Taos when a car at the side of the roadway pulled out in front of him. As Lamendola's car spun and rolled, it badly damaged three cars in Orlando's parking lot.
Beer cans were found in the deputy's car, but Romero was adamant that Lamendola had not been drinking. "He had just borrowed the vehicle from another officer, and that officer had responded to open container calls," Romero said. "(Lamendola) wasn't drinking."
Lamendola, who suffered only minor injuries, was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in Taos where a urine test was performed, as required by department policy, Romero said. The test came back negative "for any kind of drug."
New Mexico State Police are investigating the crash. Spokesman Lt. Robert McDonald said that to his knowledge, no blood alcohol test had been performed while Lamendola was at the hospital.
"There was no reason to, as far as I know," McDonald said.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
WRONGFUL INCARCERATIONS DUE TO BOTCHED IDs ARE A SHAMEFUL DISGRACE
There is absolutely no excuse for locking people up because of botched IDs. The number of poor bastards locked up under these circumstances is alarming.
ID ERRORS PUT HUNDREDS IN COUNTY JAIL
Wrongful incarcerations totaled 1,480 in the last five years, a Times inquiry finds
By Robert Faturechi and Jack Leonard
Los Angeles Times
December 25, 2011
Hundreds of people have been wrongly imprisoned inside the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department jails in recent years, with some spending weeks behind bars before authorities realized those arrested were mistaken for wanted criminals, a Times investigation has found.
The wrongful incarcerations occurred more than 1,480 times in the last five years. They were the result of a variety of factors, including officials' overlooking fingerprint evidence and working off incomplete records.
The errors are so common that in some years people were jailed because of mistaken identity an average of once a day.
Many of those wrongly held inside the county's lockups had the same names as criminals or had their identities stolen -- problems that took days or weeks for authorities to sort out.
In one case, a mechanic held for nine days in 1989 on a warrant meant for someone else was detained again 20 years later on the same warrant. He was jailed for more than a month the second time before the error was discovered.
In another instance, a Nissan customer service supervisor was hauled by authorities from Tennessee to L.A. County on a local sex-crimes warrant meant for someone with a similar name.
In a third case, a former construction worker mistaken for a wanted drug offender said he was assaulted by inmates and ignored by jailers.
"I'm with criminals, and I was a criminal to them," said Jose Ventura, 53, who had never been arrested before.
The problems continue because of a breakdown not just by jail officials but by police who arrest the wrong people and by the courts, which have issued warrants that did not precisely identify the right people.
Sheriff's officials said they make every effort to avoid detaining the wrong suspects. They pointed out that the number of people wrongly identified as wanted criminals makes up a tiny fraction of the 15,000 inmates in the county's jails at any given time. The Sheriff's Department produced the tally of people who were jailed because of misidentification in response to a Times Public Records Act request.
The errors occur in jails up and down the state, and many of the misidentified inmates in the L.A. County sheriff's jails were arrested by law enforcement agencies outside the county.
In California, criminals are assigned a unique nine-digit number matched to their fingerprints. Some warrants issued by judges fail to include those identifiers, making it more difficult for police and jailers to determine whether they have the right suspect.
When those fingerprint numbers are included, police agencies sometimes fail to determine why the arrested person has a different number or no number at all. In those cases, authorities could catch the error by obtaining the wanted criminal's fingerprints from the state Department of Justice and comparing them with those of the person in custody.
"It's bureaucratic sloth and indifference," said attorney Donald W. Cook, who has represented more than a dozen clients mistakenly held on warrants issued for other people. "They don't want to take the heat for letting someone go who a cop has decided, no matter how tentatively, is the subject of a warrant."
Those mistakenly arrested told The Times that they were ignored when they pleaded with police and jail staff about their innocence. In the county jails, the Sheriff's Department has a policy to launch investigations when inmates protest during booking that they are not the wanted people. But records show the department conducted investigations for only a small fraction of the people who courts eventually ruled were not the right suspects.
Sheriff's officials said they are bombarded with false innocence claims from inmates. It would be impossible to check every claim, they said, and jailers' authority to release an inmate ordered detained by a judge is limited.
"People lie to us about who they are all the time," said sheriff's Cmdr. David Fender.
Victims of mistaken identification typically go through several rounds of checks before they land in L.A. County Jail. Arresting officers use the name, birth date and driver's license number of the person they stop to check for warrants. The first fingerprint check is usually done when officers bring the people they arrest to the police station where they are booked. From there, inmates are taken either to court or directly to county jail.
Once inmates arrive at the jail, officials there review the fingerprints again and compare what's on a warrant to the personal information for the inmate. But sheriff's officials maintain that their top priority is to hold people awaiting court hearings rather than questioning the validity of the arrests.
"It's not our position or authority to check the work of every police agency in the county," said sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker.
The number of mistaken identifications per year has been declining, but the department is still on pace to record nearly 200 wrongful detentions this year. For those who are jailed, the experience can be harrowing.
ID ERRORS PUT HUNDREDS IN COUNTY JAIL
Wrongful incarcerations totaled 1,480 in the last five years, a Times inquiry finds
By Robert Faturechi and Jack Leonard
Los Angeles Times
December 25, 2011
Hundreds of people have been wrongly imprisoned inside the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department jails in recent years, with some spending weeks behind bars before authorities realized those arrested were mistaken for wanted criminals, a Times investigation has found.
The wrongful incarcerations occurred more than 1,480 times in the last five years. They were the result of a variety of factors, including officials' overlooking fingerprint evidence and working off incomplete records.
The errors are so common that in some years people were jailed because of mistaken identity an average of once a day.
Many of those wrongly held inside the county's lockups had the same names as criminals or had their identities stolen -- problems that took days or weeks for authorities to sort out.
In one case, a mechanic held for nine days in 1989 on a warrant meant for someone else was detained again 20 years later on the same warrant. He was jailed for more than a month the second time before the error was discovered.
In another instance, a Nissan customer service supervisor was hauled by authorities from Tennessee to L.A. County on a local sex-crimes warrant meant for someone with a similar name.
In a third case, a former construction worker mistaken for a wanted drug offender said he was assaulted by inmates and ignored by jailers.
"I'm with criminals, and I was a criminal to them," said Jose Ventura, 53, who had never been arrested before.
The problems continue because of a breakdown not just by jail officials but by police who arrest the wrong people and by the courts, which have issued warrants that did not precisely identify the right people.
Sheriff's officials said they make every effort to avoid detaining the wrong suspects. They pointed out that the number of people wrongly identified as wanted criminals makes up a tiny fraction of the 15,000 inmates in the county's jails at any given time. The Sheriff's Department produced the tally of people who were jailed because of misidentification in response to a Times Public Records Act request.
The errors occur in jails up and down the state, and many of the misidentified inmates in the L.A. County sheriff's jails were arrested by law enforcement agencies outside the county.
In California, criminals are assigned a unique nine-digit number matched to their fingerprints. Some warrants issued by judges fail to include those identifiers, making it more difficult for police and jailers to determine whether they have the right suspect.
When those fingerprint numbers are included, police agencies sometimes fail to determine why the arrested person has a different number or no number at all. In those cases, authorities could catch the error by obtaining the wanted criminal's fingerprints from the state Department of Justice and comparing them with those of the person in custody.
"It's bureaucratic sloth and indifference," said attorney Donald W. Cook, who has represented more than a dozen clients mistakenly held on warrants issued for other people. "They don't want to take the heat for letting someone go who a cop has decided, no matter how tentatively, is the subject of a warrant."
Those mistakenly arrested told The Times that they were ignored when they pleaded with police and jail staff about their innocence. In the county jails, the Sheriff's Department has a policy to launch investigations when inmates protest during booking that they are not the wanted people. But records show the department conducted investigations for only a small fraction of the people who courts eventually ruled were not the right suspects.
Sheriff's officials said they are bombarded with false innocence claims from inmates. It would be impossible to check every claim, they said, and jailers' authority to release an inmate ordered detained by a judge is limited.
"People lie to us about who they are all the time," said sheriff's Cmdr. David Fender.
Victims of mistaken identification typically go through several rounds of checks before they land in L.A. County Jail. Arresting officers use the name, birth date and driver's license number of the person they stop to check for warrants. The first fingerprint check is usually done when officers bring the people they arrest to the police station where they are booked. From there, inmates are taken either to court or directly to county jail.
Once inmates arrive at the jail, officials there review the fingerprints again and compare what's on a warrant to the personal information for the inmate. But sheriff's officials maintain that their top priority is to hold people awaiting court hearings rather than questioning the validity of the arrests.
"It's not our position or authority to check the work of every police agency in the county," said sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker.
The number of mistaken identifications per year has been declining, but the department is still on pace to record nearly 200 wrongful detentions this year. For those who are jailed, the experience can be harrowing.
KOOKY CANDIDATE RON PAUL
Ron Paul has said that we should not have gone to war with Hitler. He also said that Mossad, Israel’s CIA, was behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, saying the Mossad agents did it so that the Arabs and Muslims would be blamed.
Paul has said that we should not have killed Osama bin Laden. Instead we should have asked the Pakistani Authorities to arrest him and turn him over to us for trial. Like the Pakistanis were going to bust him when for years Osama had been living within a stone’s throw of their military officer candidate school.
Ron now disavows the racist and anti-Semitic newsletters he put out years ago, saying that he never read them. If you believe that, you are kookier than he is.
EX-AIDE: RON PAUL’S FOREIGN POLICY IS ‘SHEER LUNACY’
A disillusioned former aide publishes scathing allegations, saying that Paul harbors anti-Israel views and is a 9/11 truther
By Jill Lawrence
The Atlantic
December 27, 2011
Ron Paul is not having the best holiday season. First the media discovered racist, anti-Semitic newsletters that went out under Paul's name in the 1970s, '80s and '90s. Then The New York Times did a story about the support Paul draws from white supremacists and anti-Semites.
Now there's former Paul staffer Eric Dondero purporting to describe the ins and outs of Paul's positions on everything from Israel (it shouldn't exist) to Hitler (we shouldn't have fought him) to 9/11 (U.S. authorities may have known about the attacks) to Afghanistan (we shouldn't have invaded). He calls Paul's foreign policy "sheer lunacy."
Or, as the conservative Weekly Standard summarized in its headline: "Ex-Aide Says Ron Paul Is a 9/11 Truther & Isolationist Who Thinks U.S. Shouldn't Have Fought Hitler."
In his 2,100-word piece, posted at RightwingNews.com, Dondero says he held several campaign and Capitol Hill posts with Paul over a 15-year period from 1987 to 2003. At his own website, LibertarianRepublican.net, he said he was revealing much of the information for the first time. "Much of what I have to say will not please the liberal media hacks. Though, the Ron Paul diehards will find much objectionable, as well," Dondero wrote.
Paul campaign manager Jesse Benton, in a statement circulated to the media, called Dondero "a disgruntled former staffer who was fired for performance issues. He has zero credibility and should not be taken seriously."
Still, Dondero's bill of particulars was getting wide pickup on Twitter and on conservative sites such as the Weekly Standard, National Review and HotAir.
Dondero goes out of his way to say that Paul is not anti-Semitic or a racist. He said Paul has hired many black and Hispanic employees and "I never heard a racist word expressed towards Blacks or Jews come out of his mouth. Not once." In fact, Paul's current campaign spokesman, Gary Howard, is black.
Still, any way you cut it, the picture Dondero paints isn't pretty. Among his contentions:
--Paul is anti-Israel. "His view is that Israel is more trouble than it is worth, specifically to the America taxpayer. He sides with the Palestinians, and supports their calls for the abolishment of the Jewish state, and the return of Israel, all of it, to the Arabs."
--"He is not all bigoted towards homosexuals. He supports their rights to do whatever they please in their private lives. He is however, personally uncomfortable around homosexuals" and refused to use a bathroom in a gay supporter's home.
--"Ron Paul was opposed to the War in Afghanistan, and to any military reaction to the attacks of 9/11." He planned to vote against the invasion despite threats of staff resignations and a constituent uproar, Dondero says; he changed his mind at the last minute.
"If Ron Paul should be slammed for anything, it's not some silly remarks he's made in the past in his Newsletters. It's over his simply outrageously horrendous views on foreign policy, Israel, and national security for the United States. His near No vote on Afghanistan. That is the big scandal," he concludes.
Paul has said he did not know what was in the newsletters. The Times looks at the newsletter issue more broadly, and gets Paul to comment on his less savory supporters. He told the newspaper that he rejects their extremist views but not their backing.
--CBS's Rodney Hawkins contributed.
Paul has said that we should not have killed Osama bin Laden. Instead we should have asked the Pakistani Authorities to arrest him and turn him over to us for trial. Like the Pakistanis were going to bust him when for years Osama had been living within a stone’s throw of their military officer candidate school.
Ron now disavows the racist and anti-Semitic newsletters he put out years ago, saying that he never read them. If you believe that, you are kookier than he is.
EX-AIDE: RON PAUL’S FOREIGN POLICY IS ‘SHEER LUNACY’
A disillusioned former aide publishes scathing allegations, saying that Paul harbors anti-Israel views and is a 9/11 truther
By Jill Lawrence
The Atlantic
December 27, 2011
Ron Paul is not having the best holiday season. First the media discovered racist, anti-Semitic newsletters that went out under Paul's name in the 1970s, '80s and '90s. Then The New York Times did a story about the support Paul draws from white supremacists and anti-Semites.
Now there's former Paul staffer Eric Dondero purporting to describe the ins and outs of Paul's positions on everything from Israel (it shouldn't exist) to Hitler (we shouldn't have fought him) to 9/11 (U.S. authorities may have known about the attacks) to Afghanistan (we shouldn't have invaded). He calls Paul's foreign policy "sheer lunacy."
Or, as the conservative Weekly Standard summarized in its headline: "Ex-Aide Says Ron Paul Is a 9/11 Truther & Isolationist Who Thinks U.S. Shouldn't Have Fought Hitler."
In his 2,100-word piece, posted at RightwingNews.com, Dondero says he held several campaign and Capitol Hill posts with Paul over a 15-year period from 1987 to 2003. At his own website, LibertarianRepublican.net, he said he was revealing much of the information for the first time. "Much of what I have to say will not please the liberal media hacks. Though, the Ron Paul diehards will find much objectionable, as well," Dondero wrote.
Paul campaign manager Jesse Benton, in a statement circulated to the media, called Dondero "a disgruntled former staffer who was fired for performance issues. He has zero credibility and should not be taken seriously."
Still, Dondero's bill of particulars was getting wide pickup on Twitter and on conservative sites such as the Weekly Standard, National Review and HotAir.
Dondero goes out of his way to say that Paul is not anti-Semitic or a racist. He said Paul has hired many black and Hispanic employees and "I never heard a racist word expressed towards Blacks or Jews come out of his mouth. Not once." In fact, Paul's current campaign spokesman, Gary Howard, is black.
Still, any way you cut it, the picture Dondero paints isn't pretty. Among his contentions:
--Paul is anti-Israel. "His view is that Israel is more trouble than it is worth, specifically to the America taxpayer. He sides with the Palestinians, and supports their calls for the abolishment of the Jewish state, and the return of Israel, all of it, to the Arabs."
--"He is not all bigoted towards homosexuals. He supports their rights to do whatever they please in their private lives. He is however, personally uncomfortable around homosexuals" and refused to use a bathroom in a gay supporter's home.
--"Ron Paul was opposed to the War in Afghanistan, and to any military reaction to the attacks of 9/11." He planned to vote against the invasion despite threats of staff resignations and a constituent uproar, Dondero says; he changed his mind at the last minute.
"If Ron Paul should be slammed for anything, it's not some silly remarks he's made in the past in his Newsletters. It's over his simply outrageously horrendous views on foreign policy, Israel, and national security for the United States. His near No vote on Afghanistan. That is the big scandal," he concludes.
Paul has said he did not know what was in the newsletters. The Times looks at the newsletter issue more broadly, and gets Paul to comment on his less savory supporters. He told the newspaper that he rejects their extremist views but not their backing.
--CBS's Rodney Hawkins contributed.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
SECRET SERVICE POUNCES ON BABY AND MOTHER
By Ima Schmuck
The Schalotte
December 26, 2011
HONOLULU – On Christmas Day, four Secret Service agents pounced on a baby and his mother after eight-month-old Cooper Wall Wagner stuck his right hand in and grabbed the mouth of President Obama while he was visiting a Marine Corps base during his Hawaiian vacation.
Meredith Wagner, who had been holding her baby, and Cooper were whisked away by the sunglass-clad agents as the baby’s shocked father, Marine Capt. Greg Wagner, was left looking on in utter amazement.
The mother and baby were reported to be detained at the Honolulu headquarters of the Secret Service pending an investigation to determine if Cooper would be charged with assaulting the President of the United States and his mother with being an accessory to the assault.
The Schalotte contacted Mark Sullivan, Director of the Secret Service, and Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, and asked them if the Secret Service agents might have overreacted in pouncing on the baby and his mother.
“Absolutely not,” said Sullivan. “The agents were responsible for protecting the president. They had no way of knowing whether or not the baby had some kind of poison in his hand. They acted prudently and will be awarded the Secret Service’s highest honor.”
Napolitano said she agreed with Director Sullivan. When asked why the baby and mother were being detained, Napolitano replied, “In cases like this, we have to take every precaution to make sure that the president was not the target of an assassination plot. . If the investigation shows this to be the innocent act of an eight-month-old boy, he and his mother will be released.”
Both Sullivan and Napolitano said the investigation would be thorough and would take some time.
On the other hand, President Obama laughed the whole incident off, joking that the baby just liked his big nose.
The Schalotte
December 26, 2011
HONOLULU – On Christmas Day, four Secret Service agents pounced on a baby and his mother after eight-month-old Cooper Wall Wagner stuck his right hand in and grabbed the mouth of President Obama while he was visiting a Marine Corps base during his Hawaiian vacation.
Meredith Wagner, who had been holding her baby, and Cooper were whisked away by the sunglass-clad agents as the baby’s shocked father, Marine Capt. Greg Wagner, was left looking on in utter amazement.
The mother and baby were reported to be detained at the Honolulu headquarters of the Secret Service pending an investigation to determine if Cooper would be charged with assaulting the President of the United States and his mother with being an accessory to the assault.
The Schalotte contacted Mark Sullivan, Director of the Secret Service, and Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, and asked them if the Secret Service agents might have overreacted in pouncing on the baby and his mother.
“Absolutely not,” said Sullivan. “The agents were responsible for protecting the president. They had no way of knowing whether or not the baby had some kind of poison in his hand. They acted prudently and will be awarded the Secret Service’s highest honor.”
Napolitano said she agreed with Director Sullivan. When asked why the baby and mother were being detained, Napolitano replied, “In cases like this, we have to take every precaution to make sure that the president was not the target of an assassination plot. . If the investigation shows this to be the innocent act of an eight-month-old boy, he and his mother will be released.”
Both Sullivan and Napolitano said the investigation would be thorough and would take some time.
On the other hand, President Obama laughed the whole incident off, joking that the baby just liked his big nose.
RON PAUL SAYS PARENTS SHOULD BE FREE TO RISK THE HEALTH OF THEIR CHILDREN
By Pamela Putz
The Schalotte
December 26, 2011
NBC Today has repeated a special report on the carbon monoxide poisoning of children that play ice hockey and figure skate in indoor ice arenas. The carbon monoxide is released by the use of gasoline-powered ice resurfacing Zambonis and by gasoline-powered ice edgers. A number of children have had to be hospitalized. Not only have children been sickened, but adults have been poisoned as well.
The Today Show reported that in the past year alone 250 people have been seriously poisoned by CO fumes in ice arenas. Former Ice Capades star, Linda Davis, was interviewed and stated that the cumulative exposures she has experienced since she started skating at the age of 6 have caused her to have memory lapses and lung damage so severe that she’s required to use a respirator.
NBC also reported that there are currently no federal laws requiring clean air in ice arenas and only three states, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, regulate air quality in their arenas. It was reported that many ice arenas continue to use gasoline-powered Zambonis because modern, battery-powered resurfacing vehicles cost twice as much to purchase. Officials from the EPA and four members of Congress declined to speak with NBC when contacted at their offices.
The Schalotte contacted Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul to get their reaction to demands for the federal government to regulate the carbon monoxide levels in indoor ice arenas.
Palin, who has billed herself as a ‘hockey mom,’ said carbon monoxide was not a problem in Alaska because most of the hockey is played on outdoor skating rinks. “As for indoor rinks, I would want to go slow with any government regulations because the overzealous bureaucrats at the EPA would put most indoor ice skating facilities out of business.”
Mitt Romney said his kids had played hockey and figure skated. “As a presidential candidate I am opposed to additional government regulations, but as a father I believe the government should step in to provide for the safety of our children.”
Ron Paul said, “As a libertarian I am opposed to government regulations. The government has no business intervening in the personal lives of its citizens. If parents want to risk the health of their children by letting them play hockey in carbon monoxide filled arenas, they should be free to do so without any government interference.”
The Schalotte
December 26, 2011
NBC Today has repeated a special report on the carbon monoxide poisoning of children that play ice hockey and figure skate in indoor ice arenas. The carbon monoxide is released by the use of gasoline-powered ice resurfacing Zambonis and by gasoline-powered ice edgers. A number of children have had to be hospitalized. Not only have children been sickened, but adults have been poisoned as well.
The Today Show reported that in the past year alone 250 people have been seriously poisoned by CO fumes in ice arenas. Former Ice Capades star, Linda Davis, was interviewed and stated that the cumulative exposures she has experienced since she started skating at the age of 6 have caused her to have memory lapses and lung damage so severe that she’s required to use a respirator.
NBC also reported that there are currently no federal laws requiring clean air in ice arenas and only three states, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, regulate air quality in their arenas. It was reported that many ice arenas continue to use gasoline-powered Zambonis because modern, battery-powered resurfacing vehicles cost twice as much to purchase. Officials from the EPA and four members of Congress declined to speak with NBC when contacted at their offices.
The Schalotte contacted Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul to get their reaction to demands for the federal government to regulate the carbon monoxide levels in indoor ice arenas.
Palin, who has billed herself as a ‘hockey mom,’ said carbon monoxide was not a problem in Alaska because most of the hockey is played on outdoor skating rinks. “As for indoor rinks, I would want to go slow with any government regulations because the overzealous bureaucrats at the EPA would put most indoor ice skating facilities out of business.”
Mitt Romney said his kids had played hockey and figure skated. “As a presidential candidate I am opposed to additional government regulations, but as a father I believe the government should step in to provide for the safety of our children.”
Ron Paul said, “As a libertarian I am opposed to government regulations. The government has no business intervening in the personal lives of its citizens. If parents want to risk the health of their children by letting them play hockey in carbon monoxide filled arenas, they should be free to do so without any government interference.”
IRAN RETALIATES AGAINST THE GREAT SATAN'S SANCTIONS
By Adolf der Schweinehund
The Schalotte
December 26, 2011
TEHRAN -- Saturday’s Houston Chronicle published an article by Matthew Tresaugue about the Asian black tiger prawn, a foot-long crustacean with a voracious appetite and a proclivity for disease, that has invaded the northern Gulf of Mexico, threatening prized native species, from crabs and oysters to smaller brown and white shrimp. Gulf shrimpers and oystermen already hurting from the BP oil spill as well as adverse ecological conditions, are worried that the black tiger prawns - which can grow up to 13 inches long - will wipe out their shrimp and oyster crop.
The Schalotte decided to investigate how this cannibalistic species from the western Pacific invaded the Gulf. We found several shrimpers that had caught black tigers and discovered several of them with Chinese tags on them. We then contacted Zhang Yesui, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the U.S. to inquire about the tags. Zhang asked us to wait while he made several phone calls to his homeland. After nearly an hour he had an answer for us.
Zhang explained that “my government shipped thousands of Asian black tiger prawns to our Iranian friends. You will have to contact the government of Iran for an explanation about how they ended up in the Gulf.”
Since they had previously granted us an interview, The Schalotte returned to Iran where we were granted another interview with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The interviews were conducted with the help of Fereshteh Zamaani Fard, our trusted interpreter.
THE INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD:
Q: Mr. President, thank you for giving The Schalotte another interview.
A: You are welcome since you are not a Jew.
Q: Now Mr. President, the Northern Gulf of Mexico has been invaded by Asian black tiger prawns that are destroying America’s shrimp and oyster crop. The Chinese have told The Schalotte that the black tigers found in the Gulf had been shipped to Iran. Could you please explain how they ended up in the Gulf.
A: No problem Mr. Schweinehund. We sent two of our super trawlers to the Gulf and dumped the black tigers along the coast for 100 kilometers east and 100 kilometers west of New Orleans.
Q: Wow! Why did Iran to that?
A: I’ll be happy to tell you why. The United States – the Great Satan – has imposed sanctions on us because we will not stop the nuclear program that we are developing for peaceful purposes only. Your country has prevented companies from trading with Iran and has frozen millions of dollars that are deposited in your banks. Those sanctions have hurt the Iranian people. So, we are going to hurt your people too and dumping the black tiger prawns is one way of doing that.
Q: So you dumped the black tigers in the Gulf in retaliation for the sanctions?
A: Exactly! And if your government doesn’t like it, well, it can just … how do you say it in America …take a flying fuck!
Q: Thank you Mr. President.
THE INTERVIEW WITH SUPREME LEADER AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI:
Q: Thank you your holiness for giving The Schalotte another interview.
A: You are welcome since you are not a Jew. May the curse of Allah be on the Jews!
Q: Now sir, your government has admitted dumping thousands of Asian black tiger prawns in the Gulf of Mexico in retaliation for the sanctions imposed on Iran by the American government. That is going to hurt the American people because those prawns are destroying America’s shrimp and oyster crop. Your holiness, doesn’t that go against the teachings of the holy Quran?
A: Not at all young man! The holy Quran teaches us to deal harshly with our enemies. Not only that, but the bible of the filthy Jews that you Christians also follow, calls for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. May the curse of Allah be on the Jews! So our retaliation against the Great Satan has the blessings of Allah.
Q: Thank you again for giving us another opportunity to interview you, your holiness.
A: You are welcome. May the blessings of Allah be with you.
The Schalotte
December 26, 2011
TEHRAN -- Saturday’s Houston Chronicle published an article by Matthew Tresaugue about the Asian black tiger prawn, a foot-long crustacean with a voracious appetite and a proclivity for disease, that has invaded the northern Gulf of Mexico, threatening prized native species, from crabs and oysters to smaller brown and white shrimp. Gulf shrimpers and oystermen already hurting from the BP oil spill as well as adverse ecological conditions, are worried that the black tiger prawns - which can grow up to 13 inches long - will wipe out their shrimp and oyster crop.
The Schalotte decided to investigate how this cannibalistic species from the western Pacific invaded the Gulf. We found several shrimpers that had caught black tigers and discovered several of them with Chinese tags on them. We then contacted Zhang Yesui, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the U.S. to inquire about the tags. Zhang asked us to wait while he made several phone calls to his homeland. After nearly an hour he had an answer for us.
Zhang explained that “my government shipped thousands of Asian black tiger prawns to our Iranian friends. You will have to contact the government of Iran for an explanation about how they ended up in the Gulf.”
Since they had previously granted us an interview, The Schalotte returned to Iran where we were granted another interview with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The interviews were conducted with the help of Fereshteh Zamaani Fard, our trusted interpreter.
THE INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD:
Q: Mr. President, thank you for giving The Schalotte another interview.
A: You are welcome since you are not a Jew.
Q: Now Mr. President, the Northern Gulf of Mexico has been invaded by Asian black tiger prawns that are destroying America’s shrimp and oyster crop. The Chinese have told The Schalotte that the black tigers found in the Gulf had been shipped to Iran. Could you please explain how they ended up in the Gulf.
A: No problem Mr. Schweinehund. We sent two of our super trawlers to the Gulf and dumped the black tigers along the coast for 100 kilometers east and 100 kilometers west of New Orleans.
Q: Wow! Why did Iran to that?
A: I’ll be happy to tell you why. The United States – the Great Satan – has imposed sanctions on us because we will not stop the nuclear program that we are developing for peaceful purposes only. Your country has prevented companies from trading with Iran and has frozen millions of dollars that are deposited in your banks. Those sanctions have hurt the Iranian people. So, we are going to hurt your people too and dumping the black tiger prawns is one way of doing that.
Q: So you dumped the black tigers in the Gulf in retaliation for the sanctions?
A: Exactly! And if your government doesn’t like it, well, it can just … how do you say it in America …take a flying fuck!
Q: Thank you Mr. President.
THE INTERVIEW WITH SUPREME LEADER AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI:
Q: Thank you your holiness for giving The Schalotte another interview.
A: You are welcome since you are not a Jew. May the curse of Allah be on the Jews!
Q: Now sir, your government has admitted dumping thousands of Asian black tiger prawns in the Gulf of Mexico in retaliation for the sanctions imposed on Iran by the American government. That is going to hurt the American people because those prawns are destroying America’s shrimp and oyster crop. Your holiness, doesn’t that go against the teachings of the holy Quran?
A: Not at all young man! The holy Quran teaches us to deal harshly with our enemies. Not only that, but the bible of the filthy Jews that you Christians also follow, calls for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. May the curse of Allah be on the Jews! So our retaliation against the Great Satan has the blessings of Allah.
Q: Thank you again for giving us another opportunity to interview you, your holiness.
A: You are welcome. May the blessings of Allah be with you.
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